Ontario Trails News - Trailwise - April 6, 2017

• Trail Management • Trailhead Events • Membership Drive    • Donate to Trails Today • Member News • Activity Updates

Count Your International Trails Day Event In!  International Trails Day is an annual celebration of trails, trail development and the healthy lifestyle they encourage. It is celebrated each year on the first Saturday in June. Started by the American Hiking Society in 1992, trails Day has spread to encompass all forms of recreational trail usage in more than a dozen countries worldwide. It promotes public awareness of and appreciation for trails and the people who build and maintain them. Builds partnerships among trail groups, businesses, and public land managers. Encourages cooperative efforts among different trail users, including hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, walkers, runners. International Trails Day brings together trails enthusiasts, to participate in educational exhibits, trail dedications, gear demonstrations, and instructional workshops and trail work projects. At both Canadian Trails and Ontario Trails we are interested in knowing who is hosting an event as part of this celebration of trails. You only have to log it in once on the national site, OTC monitors this site as part of its voluntary contribution to the national organization so we'll copy it to our inventory if it's based in Ontario! List Your Canadian Event Here The public is encouraged to join in the celebration by attending one of the community events listed at www.internationaltrailsday.com. With content from Leisure Information Network Kincardine Trails Association Donation! Welcome Paul Nopper, Our Newest Ontario Trails Board Member Please welcome Paul Nopper, Economic Development Paul Nopper is the Recreation and Community Development Coordinator for the Township of Madawaska Valley.  He holds an Honours in Biology and Geography with emphasis on Urban Planning and Population needs. Prior to working for the Township of Madawaska Valley, he conducted a Downtown Revitalization Study for the Township of Cavan Monaghan in Peterborough County and was a Community Development Officer for the Township of Selwyn in Peterborough County. Paul is replacing Bonnie Simpson who resigned. Paul will be ratified by the OTC at the AGM in September. The Ontario Trails Council wishes to thank Bonnie for all her years of service to the OTC, and to the horse and recreational riding community where she made an outstanding contribution. OTC staff wish to acknowledge her indispensable service to them since 2006. The OTC Board and staff wish her the best going into the future! Many thanks, always. We need your help! In 2015 we secured 101 respondents to our "The Value of Trails - Measuring the Economic Impact of Trails Survey." We've added 12 more to the 2017 updates. We have a ways to go. Below you will see the OTC is presenting to the Canadian Parks and Recreation Conference March 10, and to Parks and Recreation Ontario March 28. On both occasions we are speaking to trails tourism and the economic impact of trails. Click through the screen capture below to access the survey. There are many metrics to measure in determining the economic impact of trails, and tourism in just one factor. In order to accurately represent a closer economic impact of trails we are requesting your speedy response to our Call to Action for Your Input to our Value of Trails 2017 survey. With your help we will make an even stronger case for trails and the supports you require to provide a top notch experience at each of your trail destinations. We are also accepting new responses! Many Thanks! We encourage you to complete our Trails Tourism Survey We continue to work on gathering information in order provide Regional Tourism Organizations with an action plan for integration of trails, tourism, and marketing products, including changes to our award winning OTC Website. In order to make recommendations we need your input. To date we have reached out to over 115 RTO/DMO/DMP partners. Please get back to us. We are trying to complete our analysis and we want your input as opposed to a gap, unfortunately gaps will be noted. Contact Patrick at execdir@ontariotrails.ca or call him 613-484-1140, thanks. Trailhead North Nipigon! Trail Training and Hike Leader Training added to ProgramJoin us in Nipigon as we present another symposium with enriched and regional content geared to the north! 2017 Program As at 3/8/2017 Program content subject to change based on availability. Trailhead Headwaters May 10, 2017! Since the New Year OTC has been working with Shirley Boxem of Headwaters in Action to bring forward Trailhead Headwaters! We are well into the planning process for the Trails Summit and striving to form an optimum agenda. We appreciate the Town of Mono who have secured have secured Monora Park for the day as a donation from the Town of Mono! OTC has been working with the community members of the CHATT, Headwaters Communities in Action’s Citizens of Headwaters for Active Transportation Team in planning the event. Yesterday Dufferin County came on board with funding support for the symposium. Thanks to Scott Burns P.Eng. for his support and kind remarks! Preliminary topic list includes: Rail Trail Development  Dufferin County Trails Master-plan Regional Trail Committee Discussion  Economic Impact of Trail Development Developing Interpretive Signage Headwaters Trails Connectivity  We will post all links to sites and registration as they go live. For now keep May 10 open as if you are in the area you may want to present or participate! REGISTER Thanks Trailhead Mountain Bike - in development! Event notice: Ride the GART Ride the Goderich-Auburn Rail Trail on June 4th to celebrate Trails Week in Ontario; meet at the trailhead on Harbour Street, Goderich at 1 p.m. for a leisurely ride. Sponsored by Active Transportation Goderich, and the Maitland Trail Association. More information - Ride the Gart Trailhead Canada - Topics Listed On-Line!Below you'll see page 4 and 5 of topics open for discussion at the event. Click through to the main website to find 7 pages of topics we are planning to explore over the event. Check the site for presenter applications you can download or complete on-line. Thanks. Be sure to check out the 7 pages of topics up for presentation. https://trailheadcanada.com/topics/ Remember to Donate! Be Sure to review the Benefits of Rural Recreation Report! Membership Renewals - Thank-you for your Support!We wish to thank the organizations that have already completed their membership for 2017. We couldn't do our work without your continued support. Many thanks!  "The OTC provides us with the ability to communicate and collaborate with industry stakeholders, professionals and advocates. It also provides us with the tools to develop our own capacities, skills and networks. As well, it is important to back to the OTC and trail communities in our province. Being an OTC member allows us to benefit from the knowledge of other members through education and professional development opportunities such as the Trailhead Ontario conference, and through professional networking. The OTC is the influential body that will help guide and shape the political, professional and physical landscape of trails in Ontario. Joining the OTC provides an opportunity to be part of this process: to both contribute and gain knowledge in a community of passionate, like-minded individuals and organizations."  - Damian Bradley, Cycling advocate and Developer Guelph Regional Trails Council Membership Benefits INFORMATION AND FUNDING OTC Trails and Event page representation Representation on OTC trails maps Social Media represents you to 60,000+ people Fund Development through grant writing, grant support ACCESS AND INFLUENCE Connectivity to the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport Leadership at the Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee Office services and networking support BEST PRACTICES Partnership Support and Knowledge exchange Access to Professional Development sessions Tourism Practices, Trails Tort Reform, Trail Workshops TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS Access to Trail Insurance Broker Option on registration in Trillium Trail Network Local, regional or provincial User conflict resolution 2017 MEMBERSHIP FORM - PDF     2017 MEMBERSHIP FORM - WORD DOC CATEGORIES Become a "Friend of Trails" Savings on conference/seminar registration Monthly e-bulletins Access to OTC trails database Great gift price! Savings on trail literature/maps $26.52 + $3.45 = $29.97 (includes 13% HST) Benefits to Student Editions of the OTC newsletter Trailwise Access to OTC trails information Conference and selected literature savings * must provide student verification $21.21 + $2.75 = $23.96 (includes 13% HST) Our members include municipalities, conservation authorities, parks, trail management groups, trail clubs, trail user groups, health units and other trail-related supporting organizations. Base HST Total Small Non-profit, Small Organizations $109.27 $14.20 $123.47 Conservation Authorities, Medium Municipalities, Counties, Regional Tourism Organizations $273.18 $35.51 $308.69 Municipalities, Provincial Level Organizations >5000 users $819.54 $106.54 $926.0