Ontario Trails - OFSC Permits On-Sale And More From Ontario Trails

 

Ontario Trails is a charity, led by a volunteer board of directors that promotes the use, management, development, and preservation of trails and trail-based activities in Ontario.   From the Ontario Trails Community  Ontario Trails supports all efforts at truth and reconciliation with our first nations peoples.     OFSC Snowmobile Permits are now for sale! Go Out and Enjoy the fall colours! Trail rules to know before bringing your dog on a hike Thanks to the Weather Network for producing this video!   Ontario Trails at Eagles Nest Trail Opening Grand reopening ceremony held at Eagles Nest September 29, 2021 By Mike Riley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Bancroft this Week The intermittent chance of rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of everyone who attended the grand reopening ceremony of 18 kilometres of non motorized trails at Eagles Nest on Sept 24 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Present at the ceremony were HDTI chair Dora Trimbee, HDTI board member Cathy Trimble, Hastings County Warden Rick Phillips, OTC CEO Patrick Connor, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health medical officer of health Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Limerick Township Mayor Carl Stefanski, Bancroft Councillor Wayne Wiggins, North Hastings Economic Development Designate Chair (and Mayor of Tudor and Cashel Township) Libby Clarke, Wollaston’s Deputy Mayor Darlene Coulton, the chair of the North Hastings Fund Development Committee Kim Bishop and representatives from the Algonquins of Ontario Ada Tinney, Diane Martin and Dora Yateman. After a closing prayer by Tinney, there was a ribbon cutting ceremony and an invitation to explore the rehabilitated trails. HDTI sent out a press release about this grand reopening of 18 kilometres of non-motorized trails throughout North Hastings on Sept. 7. The event celebrates the completion of a project made possible by a $145,800 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, so that residents and non-residents of all abilities can enjoy the outdoors via these trails. Trimbee welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming out to the ceremony that day. She then introduced Trimble, a board member with HDTI and the past chair. Trimble thanked everyone for coming, saying that COVID-19 stopped them last year but it was great to be here now. She also expressed gratitude for all stakeholders who had made the reopening of the 18 kilometres of non-motorized trails a reality in the Town of Bancroft, Limerick Township and Wollaston Township. She also mentioned the concurrent children’s program with the North Hastings Public Library running in Millenium Park. She also provided a land acknowledgment and thanked the contributions of the Algonquin nation in the whole process. Next up, Tinney, Martin and Yateman had a smudging ceremony, which is a cleansing ceremony done daily to get rid of any negative energies. They also played a song about the eagle, since the ceremony was happening at Eagles Nest. They explained that they honour the eagle because it can take prayers and messages up to the Creator because it can fly the highest of all the birds and above the clouds. Oglaza said that the HPEPH was proud to have been a partner in the development of these trails. “The investment in these trails came at an optimal time. Over the past year and a half, we’ve been taught the lesson about the value of outdoor spaces and the activities we can enjoy in them. These trails will contribute to the improved physical and mental health of our community now [continuing to deal with COVID-19] and well into the future,” he says. Connor spoke next, and said that over the past two decades, the OTC has supported about $4.5 million of the Ontario Trillium Foundation funding grants and they’ve worked on a couple of infrastructure grants with Infrastructure Canada through the National Trails Coalition. “At the bedrock of all this, we’ve worked hard to ensure that provincially and nationally, local groups like yours get the resources they need and it’s our pleasure to have developed 51 of these committees to our 220 member organizations, including HDTI and Hastings County and we’re grateful for your support,” he says. Trimble spoke again, outlining each trail system and the upgrades they had received including; new kiosks, new stones and bedrock placement, new signage, wayfinding and directional arrows, bear bins, accessible washrooms and upgrades to the trails themselves to make them more maintenance free. “Everything was upgraded with major improvements through the grant at this particular location. With the counters we’ll be able to have some statistics and we can apply to other grants and funders because we’ll have some actual statistics. So, these are some of the major improvements that were taking place at the different locations, so we hope you enjoy them,” she says. Wiggins, who attended for Mayor Paul Jenkins, who was otherwise engaged, was up next. He mentioned the town’s partnership with NHPL, who are going to be doing a backpack system for people to come and enjoy the trails and the nature around Bancroft. “It’s quite a little package put together. I know the backpack includes a lot of stuff like binoculars, etc,” he says. Stefanski spoke next and said that McGeachie Conservation Area boasts a myriad of outdoors activities for people to do and a trail system second to none. He also highlighted the rescue team at their municipal office that could respond in short order should an incident occur on the trails. “HDTI and Ontario Trillium Foundation have stepped up to make exercise on these trails viable and a truly outdoor experience for those who may not have another way to enjoy the outdoors and with that bring economic growth to North Hastings,” he says. Next up was Wollaston’s Deputy Mayor Darlene Colton, who remarked it had been quite a hike on the new trails. “So, it’s best to make sure you have a good pair of shoes/boots especially with all this rain the past week and don’t forget a camera. Wollaston invites all visitors to visit The Gut and all destination trails that bring economic development to the area,” she says. Clarke was next up and said that NHEDC was one of the first who thought of the idea of bringing non-motorized trails to fruition in the area. “Cathy Trimble and other board members formed the original trails subcommittee who procured the Trillium grant. Eventually this subcommittee became known as Hastings Trails and received the $145,800 in grant money from the Trillium foundation to rehabilitate the trails with extra funds from Hastings County and Carlow Mayo. NHEDC is thrilled to have been part of making these non-motorized trails a reality,” she says. READ FULL ARTICLE     Ottawa eyes rail corridor purchase     Ontario Announces Tourism Recovery Grant Program   Bear Hunting Season   Trail Surveys The OTC is interested in what you think! We have written many types of surveys and are pleased to provide links to them on this page. From such important topics as Trail Trade Specialist to Member Services we want you to help us help you! Click the title below to be redirected to the survey of your choice. Help Us Help You - website improvement Upload Your Trail - add your trail to the website Upload Your Event - add your trail event to the website Trail Reform Now - legislative and insurance reform support Trail Trades Specialist- tell us what you'd like to see in a trail trades course Member Services - are you happy as an OTC member with the services you get? Strategic Planning 1: - tell us what you'd like the OTC to do Strategic Planning 2: Financial Sustainability - as a charity we can always use new ideas to sustain ourselves Strategic Planning 3: - Effectiveness - how effective are we? Customer Satisfaction - as a member of the public what do you think of the OTC? Economic Impact of Recreational Trail (ON) - for the Eco Dev/Tourism, Trail Planning office Insurance Issues - tell us about your ability to get coverage Trails of 1812 - is your community celebrating our bi-centennial On-Road Cycling Lane Petition - Norm Miller MPP - download the form here - (no web link available) Trail Priorities - what do you want OTC to do for Trails? Save the Prescott Russell Rail Trail - encourage the communities to save this trail! Voyageur Trail User Survey - if you've used this trail they'd like your feedback   Hi - we are asking that folks complete a short survey on Trail Counters. Thanks. COMPLETE SURVEY Hi - we are asking that folks complete a short survey on trail access for horses. Thanks. COMPLETE SURVEY          Does anyone know of similar benches with a Canadian Distributor? Do you know of any park benches that are suitable for elders? Higher seats with armrests? Place for a walker? If you do please email execdir@ontariotrails.ca Ontario Trails - staying open in difficult times - if your membership is due we could use your renewal! New upcoming projects include: Web Path Mapping Project with RTO3 and City of Hamilton - confirmed and underway St. Lawrence Park Commission Trail Committee Development - September 21, 24, 29 and 30. Insurance Survey Results - November 3, 2021 Risk Management Committee - September 14, 2021 11am - 1pm Trails Education Committee Meeting - TBD Hastings Destination Trails Inc. - September 13, 2021 11am Hasting Destination Trails Inc. Trails Re-opening September 24, 2021, Bancroft Ontario. Trails Tourism Committee - September 16, 2021 1:30 pm OTC Board Meeting - September 16, 2021 7pm National Roundtable on Trail Risk Management - November 25, 2021 We thank members for renewing or supporting the OTC through membership.  Credit Valley Conservation Authority McMaster University Over past months we have -  provided content to the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries, supported a survey on Lyme Disease for Queen's University, put time and effort into trail categorization for trail use, supported our partner Marmak and the RFAM tool, supported a University of Waterloo Outdoor Recreation Impacts, supported and distributed the Black Sheep Mountain Bike Club Rider Survey, updated a variety of COVID related pages on the OTC website, engaged members and the trail using public on etiquette, provided consulting advice to Avon Trail, Renfrew County, the OFSC, and others, been strong with groups on public safety, facilitated work on Hastings Destination Trails Inc., added a signage page, produced a webinar video or two, and, hosted a series of webinars with our partners, and supported students with the University of Waterloo and the City of Waterloo to do trail work For all the latest on trails and trail news follow: Ontario Trails Ontario ATV Trails Ontario Hiking Trails Ontario Climbing Trails Ontario Cycling Trails Ontario Dirt Bike Trails Ontario Horse Trails Ontario Water Trails Toronto Trails Trailhead North Trails of 1812 Niagara Trails Committee Hamilton Burlington Trails Canadian Trails Federation To find your trail listing go to Ontario Trails To help trail users find trails on their mobile share Ontario Trails Map Standing by the public safety order is very difficult to do when you and your members are in the business of promoting the outdoors. Certainly being firm on Stay Home doesn't win you popularity contests with many users. And users affect our memberships. If people don't like your message membership suffers. This is what we are trying to do, the right thing overall, and we need you to look past the current messages to having OTC around in 6 months and then a year from now. We will be sending an email asking for your renewal. Based on our projections memberships should facilitate a 0 deficit, continuation of office supports and the type of education and advocacy that has seen the development of Ontario Trail Categorization, website maintenance, our response to COVID, our online training through Algonquin College, as well as our future plans for training, economic and tourism development committee, AND most importantly our Health Unit and Trails messaging process. OTC is interested in assuring that there is balance in trail use as we work to re-open full public access, with safe user practice, to the trails and trail activities you love. Support us today.  Please renew. By electronic transfer, PayPal - select your membership rate and Go! or a call with your credit card. 613-484-1140 Thanks!

President's Message and more important information from Ontario Trails. #ontariotrails

Ontario Trails is a charity, led by a volunteer board of directors that promotes the use, management, development, and preservation of trails and trail-based activities in Ontario.    Terri's Trail Talk Reflections from OTC President, Terri LeRoux Here at OTC, there are seven (7) vital goals guide the work that we do. To provide a forum for persons who are interested in the promotion, establishment, development, preservation, maintenance and use of recreational trails to share their interest and experience with others. To increase awareness and appreciation of the value of trails and trail networks among governments, corporations, organizations and individuals. To increase the number, length, variety and accessibility of trails in Ontario. To preserve and enhance the quality of trails and trail networks, in harmony with the environment. To unify trail interest groups in an effective and efficient manner. To promote the safe and responsible use of trails; and To reflect and promote a conservation ethic in all aspects of the work of the Ontario Trails Council. Achieving these goals takes a village, or rather an entire trail sector to succeed, and the village needs a leader. OTC is that leader – and through the collective efforts of government, trail management agencies, trail user groups, businesses, NGOs and trail users, everyone has a role to play to push these goals forward and build a better trails community for the benefit of all Ontarians. The best way YOU can help is to get involved. Become an OTC member and help form the voice of our leadership.  Already a member? Join an OTC Committee and help us make traction.  To learn more please contact me or Patrick Connor, Executive Director at execdir@ontariotrails.ca Happy trails, Terri Email: ibelongoutdoors@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/ibelongoutdoors Twitter: www.twitter.com/ibelongoutdoors   Session at PRO with a Trails Focus   WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1:00 - 4:00 pm ET Indigenous Engagement in Parks and Trails  Presentation Description: This presentation will focus on initiatives led by Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) involving Indigenous engagement taking place in CVC’s conservation areas and trails. As a community-based and environmental organization, CVC strongly believes that recognizing the territories, traditional knowledge and culture of Indigenous people is crucial to moving toward reconciliation. As such, CVC actively seeks out ways to support Indigenous peoples, collaborating with Indigenous partners to develop placemaking and programming along CVC’s trails and at our conservation areas. To illustrate aspects of this ongoing work, this presentation will focus on several CVC-led projects and strategic initiatives involving Indigenous engagement, including CVC’s Credit Valley Trail (CVT), Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area (JTLCA) Island Lake Conservation Area Management Plan (ILMP) and lastly, CVC’s Conservation Areas Master Strategy (CAMS). Together, these initiatives demonstrate meaningful engagement between CVC and Indigenous partners that has led to the creation of educational opportunities at CVC parks and trails; providing publicly accessible, interpretive spaces and programming that encourage the public to deepen their understanding of the ancestral history of the Credit River Watershed. This work also represents CVC’s continued commitment to our Indigenous partners; supporting Indigenous leadership and continuing to promote innovative practices and inclusivity in our parks and along our trails. REGISTER   Read the full article Ontario Trails Talk Join us Wednesday September 15, 2021 Managing Trails Please use the trails you are allowed to use!     North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority   Bear Hunting Season   Burlington Planting Trees   Trail Surveys The OTC is interested in what you think! We have written many types of surveys and are pleased to provide links to them on this page. From such important topics as Trail Trade Specialist to Member Services we want you to help us help you!   Watch the Talk   Ever wondered who is using your trail and when? Looking for more than just a static count of trail activity? Tell others about who is using your trail and what makes your trail a popular destination! Utilizing smartphone technology trail users can now complete a short survey that: Logs in the trip Single counts individual users Consolidates results for centralized reporting Consultation on survey content. We ask your questions - the facility manager asks what they want to know! Allows for separate trail counting Multi-season operation 24/7collection Identifies quality of trail experiences Provides you feedback loop Wherever there is a smartphone signal, you could be gathering and collecting additional user reported information that will make for a better trail! Got great trails? Get the feedback that keeps you in the know! LEARN MORE Click the title below to be redirected to the survey of your choice. Help Us Help You - website improvement Upload Your Trail - add your trail to the website Upload Your Event - add your trail event to the website Trail Reform Now - legislative and insurance reform support Trail Trades Specialist- tell us what you'd like to see in a trail trades course Member Services - are you happy as an OTC member with the services you get? Strategic Planning 1: - tell us what you'd like the OTC to do Strategic Planning 2: Financial Sustainability - as a charity we can always use new ideas to sustain ourselves Strategic Planning 3: - Effectiveness - how effective are we? Customer Satisfaction - as a member of the public what do you think of the OTC? Economic Impact of Recreational Trail (ON) - for the Eco Dev/Tourism, Trail Planning office Insurance Issues - tell us about your ability to get coverage Trails of 1812 - is your community celebrating our bi-centennial On-Road Cycling Lane Petition - Norm Miller MPP - download the form here - (no web link available) Trail Priorities - what do you want OTC to do for Trails? Save the Prescott Russell Rail Trail - encourage the communities to save this trail! Voyageur Trail User Survey - if you've used this trail they'd like your feedback   National Active Transportation Strategy Announced.   Canada Community Revitalization Fund   Hi - we are asking that folks complete a short survey on Trail Counters. Thanks. COMPLETE SURVEY Hi - we are asking that folks complete a short survey on trail access for horses. Thanks. COMPLETE SURVEY          Does anyone know of similar benches with a Canadian Distributor? Do you know of any park benches that are suitable for elders? Higher seats with armrests? Place for a walker? If you do please email execdir@ontariotrails.ca Ontario Trails - staying open in difficult times - if your membership is due we could use your renewal! New upcoming projects include: Web Path Mapping Project with RTO3 and City of Hamilton - confirmed and underway St. Lawrence Park Commission Trail Committee Development - September 21, 24, 29 and 30. Insurance Survey Results - November 3, 2021 Risk Management Committee - September 14, 2021 11am - 1pm Trails Education Committee Meeting - TBD Hastings Destination Trails Inc. - September 13, 2021 11am Hasting Destination Trails Inc. Trails Re-opening September 24, 2021, Bancroft Ontario. Trails Tourism Committee - September 16, 2021 1:30 pm OTC Board Meeting - September 16, 2021 7pm National Roundtable on Trail Risk Management - November 25, 2021 We thank members for renewing or supporting the OTC through membership.  Intact Public Entities Inc. City of Cornwall Over past months we have -  provided content to the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries, supported a survey on Lyme Disease for Queen's University, put time and effort into trail categorization for trail use, supported our partner Marmak and the RFAM tool, supported a University of Waterloo Outdoor Recreation Impacts, supported and distributed the Black Sheep Mountain Bike Club Rider Survey, updated a variety of COVID related pages on the OTC website, engaged members and the trail using public on etiquette, provided consulting advice to Avon Trail, Renfrew County, the OFSC, and others, been strong with groups on public safety, facilitated work on Hastings Destination Trails Inc., added a signage page, produced a webinar video or two, and, hosted a series of webinars with our partners, and supported students with the University of Waterloo and the City of Waterloo to do trail work For all the latest on trails and trail news follow: Ontario Trails Ontario ATV Trails Ontario Hiking Trails Ontario Climbing Trails Ontario Cycling Trails Ontario Dirt Bike Trails Ontario Horse Trails Ontario Water Trails Toronto Trails Trailhead North Trails of 1812 Niagara Trails Committee Hamilton Burlington Trails Canadian Trails Federation To find your trail listing go to Ontario Trails To help trail users find trails on their mobile share Ontario Trails Map Standing by the public safety order is very difficult to do when you and your members are in the business of promoting the outdoors. Certainly being firm on Stay Home doesn't win you popularity contests with many users. And users affect our memberships. If people don't like your message membership suffers. This is what we are trying to do, the right thing overall, and we need you to look past the current messages to having OTC around in 6 months and then a year from now. We will be sending an email asking for your renewal. Based on our projections memberships should facilitate a 0 deficit, continuation of office supports and the type of education and advocacy that has seen the development of Ontario Trail Categorization, website maintenance, our response to COVID, our online training through Algonquin College, as well as our future plans for training, economic and tourism development committee, AND most importantly our Health Unit and Trails messaging process. OTC is interested in assuring that there is balance in trail use as we work to re-open full public access, with safe user practice, to the trails and trail activities you love. Support us today.  Please renew. By electronic transfer, PayPal - select your membership rate and Go! or a call with your credit card. 613-484-1140 Thanks!

Ontario Trails - consider donating to our work, here's why...

A call for membership.

Ontario Trails 6 point program for trails and trail activities:

1. Public Interface: over 1.5 million trail users find trails via the OTC website, this builds 'trails' public profile. #1 referrer site for Waterfront Regeneration Trust Trail, 15% or 150,000 users find your trails through an RTO via Trails Tourism - membership support helps OTC pay for all the hosting, mapping, updates, referrer links, event postings, etc. that makes our websites work. http://ontariotrailsmap.com

2. Education and Best Practices: Ontario Trails continues to deliver on trail education through Algonquin College, in classroom conferencing through our Trailhead Ontario Events at trailheadontario.com and via specific advice through our Ask an Expert or specific committee work, such as our work with The Frank Cowan Company, and Direct Bearing Inc. on Risk Management Practice.

3. Community and Collective Positions on Issues - we work to create collective input and community positions on trail use, conflict reduction, flood advisories, logging open/closed, trail seasonality open/closed, trespass reduction, injury and threat of harm reduction across communities of users (this is real - landowners and users, car drivers and cyclists, dog sledders and animal rights, etc.) this is a constant theme of our work. We answer phone calls, emails, social media and help groups with complaints one way or the other.

4. National and Provincial Representations: the OTC is in the preferred position of advocacy with the federal and provincial governments. Your input on issues and our collective response to funding, legislation, process, issue management, and OTC collective weight, has made and continues to make, a difference in trail operations. Our meetings in December with the federal government we believe this will result in an $11 million dollar envelope of federal funds for trails. Last Friday we met provincial representatives and we asked them to match.

5. OTC Finds Funding for Trails and Trail Activity - since 2003 the OTC has found ways to sustain itself via programs and services. Our key priorities have been sector recognition and member sustainability. This caused our membership to grow from 28 to 240, from $3000 to over $50,000 (when all renewed and paid up). We have secured over $35 million for trails funding, we have written over $4 million in support grants, we encouraged the province to fund Community in Action, CycleOn, Active 2010, TDF, OTF and other funding streams like Great Lakes Guardian, we have written tourism, risk management, trail management, lighting, maintenance and other professional or audit documents enabling trail groups to provide better and safer trails to the public.

6. Policy, Regulation and Legislation: from the Ontario Trails Strategy, the Ontario Trails Act, ensuring trails as part of the PPS (Provincial Policy Statement), securing rail trails against surplus loss, AODA and Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee recognition of 'the natural environment vs. build environment expectation", to direct in community face to face-saving of trails, protections of the OLA, LFA, Conservation, Snowmobile and other Acts; the securing of trails and reducing trails anxiety - these are real policy, real regulation and real ground truths that OTC has had a hand in.

At this time we could use your support. If you or your organization benefit from these actions - please contact the office so we can facilitate your membership!

If you know of a group that should become a member (like you) please forward them this email. Ask them to call and talk to Patrick 613-396-3226

Just today we shared this message with Peter, the President of OF4WDE and he picked up the phone and renewed. We hope you will too.

Regards,

Wayne Terryberry
OTC President

Ontario Trails News - An Update from Ontario Trails 2642018

Another great trails symposium speaking to trail development, management, connectivity, use, and access. We wish to acknowledge the Government of Ontario for their financial support of this symposium. Thank you. We have completed our Towards a National Trails Policy document. If you would like a copy e-mail Candian Trails President, Patrick Connor at execdir@ontariotrails.ca and we'll send you a copy!

Is your trail on the map? Check out the strategy 2.0 http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/publications/pdfs/cycle-action-plan.pdf and the map: Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund The Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund (OSRCF) is a grant program that supports a vision of getting and keeping Ontarians active in community sport, recreation and physical activity. The fund: increases opportunities for physical activity in sport and recreation by developing new programs or increasing access to existing programs to encourage individuals to become more active and keep those who are, engaged throughout their lives To embed physical literacy as a foundation for lifelong physical activity among individuals enabling them to make healthier activity choices strengthens the community sport and recreation sector by providing training in areas such as coaching, youth development, and volunteer development to provide enhanced service and quality programming. Through the support of projects that deliver high-quality programs and policies, the OSRCF provides Ontarians with more opportunities to become physically active, including groups who experience barriers to participating and those who are traditionally less active. A new dedicated stream within the OSRCF called “Active for Life Recreation Stream” is giving more seniors the opportunity to participate in physical activities to support a healthy lifestyle. The program supports projects of one or two years in length, at both the Local/Regional and Provincial levels. Click below to see previous Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund projects. • 2018-19 Projects A full day at the Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee, April 20, 2018, managing the deliverables of the Ontario Trails Strategy. http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/sport/recreation/trail_strategy.shtml Payments include tax exclude fees Large Organization : $926.08 CAD - yearly Medium Organization : $308.69 CAD - yearly Small Organization : $123.47 CAD - yearly Friend of Trails : $29.97 CAD - yearly Student : $23.96 CAD - yearly Hike, Bike, Walk or Run anywhere along the trail. SOTT 2018 Saturday May 12th 10am - 2pm. Come out to any community to participate. Click this link to explore where to start: http://bit.ly/1kMsK7O and park at any green "P" www.springonthetrail.ca. Download a copy of our proposal to host a Trailhead Trails Education Symposium in your community. Download Here

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