Showing posts with label Friend of Trails. Show all posts

Monday, January 2, 2017

Ontario Trails News - Trailhead Hastings, Trails and Events Added, Be a Friend of Trails and more about Ontario Trails!

Ontario Trails Adds More Events!

The Ontario Trails Council is pleased that our event calendar continues to have a healthy living focus and we would like to thank The Running Room for their timely submissions.

Is your New Year’s resolution to quit smoking? Whether your motivation is to get healthy or save money, to quit smoking for a loved one or for yourself. The important thing is you’ve made the decision to quit. Exercising to quit smoking?

Yes! The program has been shown to help smokers cope with discomfort and cravings through its simple step-by-step approach to building up walking or running stamina while cutting down and quitting smoking.

This year, walk or run to a smoke-free life by joining Run to Quit at: The Running Room Whitby 80 Thickson Rd South Whitby, ON L1N 7T2 Start Date: April 11, 2017 For more information visit runtoquit.com or call (905) 665-2060.

Also try their Virtual Run to Quit Program!
http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/connect/events/view/5142

Ontario Trails Adds More Trails!
The Ontario Trails Council is pleased to be continually updating its website with more trails, this week we are adding Merv's Landing, Wemtagoosh Falls Trail and Hardy Lake Trail in the Township of Muskoka Lakes. Thanks to all the great folks that continue to add trails to our inventory for everybody to access!

Merv's Landing

Hardy Lake Trail - Township of Muskoka Lakes

Wemtagoosh Falls Trail

Trailhead Hastings!

In Canada and Ontario, Trails are big business. Trailhead Hastings will bring the business of trails into local and county focus.

In Ontario there are 430 communities with trails, in all regions, supporting over 20 types of activities.
The annual provincial economic impact of recreational trails is approximately $9.4 billion – hiking $1.32B, snowmobiling $1.2B, other motorized, $1B, fundraising through trails, $1.5B, equestrian, $2B, and the Trans Canada Trail when connected – $2.4B.

Join us at Trailhead Hastings to ask and get answers to questions such as – What’s the capitalization on value of Hastings Trails? Is Hastings generating its portion of the trails economy relative to the rest of the province? Are we keeping pace with other places? Are we ahead or behind?, are we generating our fair share of investment? Where is the trail travel dollar going? – Belleville, Centre Hastings, North Hastings, Bancroft -or out of the county? How are we, and who is, measuring and supporting this economy?

Ontario Trails Council leads the way in Ontario and Nationally in making communities work though trails. We’ve led the way in communities learning and understanding the benefit of building complete trail systems.

In Ontario there are roughly 108 projects each year, worth $21M of capital investment, improvement and trail revitalization. What amount of this economy happens in Hastings?
Is Hastings, and the places in it – a destination, an experience or a flow through point for traffic that starts and ends elsewhere? Are we developing links? Do dollars stay here, or do they pass us by? How do we get the trail dollar to support our county?

How do we develop links, such as through Tyendinaga to Deseronto, dynamic trail centres in Wollaston, Coe Hill, Gilmour,, through Apsley to points west, or Bancroft to Denbigh, or from Whitney to Lake St. Peter.

Join us as the Ontario Trails Council brings knowledge experts from across Ontario and Canada – developers of word class trails systems – as they lend our communities their knowledge so Hastings can have an improved, maximized, robust, sustainable trails economy, one that achieves better health, better mental health, savings on health care, more active kids and a better environment – through existing and future greenways and trails.

If you are a trail user, club supporter, volunteer, county staff in health, economic development, tourism, or a land manager of parks, county forest, conservation area or federal lands – you will want to join us in order to be part of our discussion on Hastings Centric development plans, supportive policies, leading maintenance techniques, as well as opportunities for new services, supported business, revitalized communities.

Since 2005 the Ontario Trails Council has worked to secure $125 million in Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport funding, the Ontario Trails Strategy, the Ontario Trails Act, supported over $4 million in grants from Great Lakes Guardian, FedNor, Ontario Heritage, Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Investments, developed trails through INAC Funds with first Nations, gained supportive grants for our partners from CDFC, and Ontario Trillium Foundation, all the while putting over 800 Ontarians to work through federal economic stimulus funds of $4 million dollars, matched by $4 million in local supports.

If you want more opportunity for Hastings county, and make a difference with Ontario Trails support, join us in Bancroft, March 1st at Trailhead Hastings.
You’ll be glad you did!

Add/Edit Trails

An important part of the Refreshed OTC Web site will be a dynamic page dedicated to each trail. It is important that you give us as much information as possible - this will be the only source for creating your dedicated page on the OTC Website. If we don't get the information from you, it won't make it onto the site. If you have any questions about the form, please contact Patrick at 613-484-1140. Thank you for taking the time to add or edit your trail on the Ontario Trails Council Web site.

Be a Friend of Trails

We invite all trail users to support the work of the Ontario Trails Council. As a registered charity we do our community work based on the support of member organizations, individuals and some government grants. We do the work, in the end for the individual families and folks that use the trails every day. Please consider supporting us as your thanks for your trails. Thank you.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Ontario Trails News - Ministry Grants (OSRCF), Snowmobile warnings, CycleON Consultations, Trails Tourism Consultations and more about Ontario's trails!

Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport announces Community Recreation Funding

Ontario is now accepting applications for the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund (OSRCF) 2017–18. OSRCF is a grant program that supports the government’s vision to enable people in communities across Ontario to lead healthy, active lives. The fund increases opportunities for participation in sport and recreation, supports implementation of physical literacy as a foundation for lifelong physical activity and strengthens the community sport and recreation sector.

The deadline to apply for the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund 2017–18 is February 1, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Full details, including who’s eligible and how to apply, are available through Grants Ontario, the government’s one-window access to information about grants. To contact the ministry, please email OSRCF@Ontario.ca.

Please feel free to share this notice with your members or other sport and recreation partners and providers in your area.
_______________________________________________________________

L’Ontario accepte maintenant les demandes au Fonds ontarien d’action communautaire pour les sports et les loisirs (FOACSL) pour 2017-18.

Le FOACSL est un programme de subventions qui appuie la vision du gouvernement permettant aux gens dans des communautés partout en Ontario de mener une vie saine et active. Le Fonds augmente les possibilités de participation à des sports et des loisirs, soutient la mise en œuvre du savoir-faire physique comme fondement de l’activité physique et renforce le secteur du sport et des loisirs communautaires.

La date limite pour présenter une demande au Fonds ontarien d’action communautaire pour les sports et les loisirs pour 2017-18 est le 1^er février 2017 à 17 h HNE.

Des informations complètes, y compris sur l’admissibilité et comment présenter une demande, sont disponibles à Subventions Ontario, un guichet unique d’accès à l’information gouvernementale sur les subventions.

Pour contacter le ministère, veuillez envoyer un courriel à l’adresse OSRCF@Ontario.ca.

N’hésitez pas à partager cet annonce avec vos membres ou autres partenaires et prestataires en sport et loisirs de votre région.

OFSC WARNS SNOWMOBILERS TO KEEP SLEDS PARKED UNTIL TRAILS OPEN

(Barrie, ON – December 14, 2016) - With early snow on the ground and more forecast this week in some parts of Ontario, winter’s on the way and so is the 2017 snowmobiling season. But it’s not time to start sledding yet, so for safety’s sake and to avoid trespass on private property, the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) cautions snowmobilers to keep their sleds parked and stay off OFSC trails because they are not open yet.

Even going for a short snowmobile ride can be very dangerous at this time of year with the existing poor conditions. The ground, waterways and swamps are not frozen yet, nor is there enough snow base to protect yourself or your sled from terrain irregularities or other obstacles.

Grooming operations have not started yet, so no OFSC trails are available to ride and all access to trails on private property remain closed. Snowmobilers are also reminded to stay off public roads and avoid trespassing on farmers’ fields.
For updates on trail status across Ontario, the OFSC recommends that prior to accessing a trail that snowmobilers visit the Interactive Trail Guide at www.ofsc.on.ca to confirm trail availability.

244 People want the Prescott-Russell Rail Trail saved!

SIGN OUR PETITION TO SAVE THE TRAIL! COUNCIL MET AND CUT THE BUDGET

OTC visited Prescott Russell and met with Council and the Economic Development Committee. There may be operating budget cuts in the near future but there is a desire to save the trail, although it may not be 72 continuous kilometers. Road links are being studied between nodes.

We encourage the people signing the petition to work with UCPR and OTC to find ways to re-negotiate the lease with Via so we can make the corridor multi-use, which would enable cost recovery, new funding for capital projects and engage more members of the community to utilize the trail in the future.

If you want to help please contact Louise Bissonette with Sentiers Prescott Russell! Merci.

Cycling Consultations Completed ontario trails ontario cycling consultations

Thank you very much again for your interest and participation in the study to help identify Ontario’s Province-wide Cycling Network. We hope that the regional workshop session you attended was informative; providing you with:

Background information on the study;
Context on the intended outcomes;
An overview of the process being used to identify the network; and
An opportunity to be engaged in the study process.

As noted at the regional workshops, we would encourage those of you who were able to attend to continue to review and provide comments on the materials presented. We would also encourage you to reach out to any of your partners that did not have a chance to attend the session to share the information provided and provide questions / comments to the study team.

The study team has consolidated the materials presented at the workshop sessions and uploaded them to DropBox. They can be accessed using the following link: MTO Cycling Network Study Dropbox
*Please click on the proceed without signing up option at the bottom of the page if you do not already have an account

We have uploaded network concept mapping (route options and alternatives that could form part of the province-wide cycling network (priority routes) or link up to the province-wide cycling network (secondary routes)) for each of the MTO Regions. We are in the process of uploading maps illustrating the network concept in zoom in areas of the Upper Tier Municipalities. The zoom in maps will be uploaded to the site by first thing tomorrow morning. Please select the mapping that is most appropriate for your jurisdiction. We would also encourage you to review the workshop presentation. The presentation will give you the necessary context to better understand the information that we are asking you to review and comment on.

Best,
#CycleON - MTO Province-wide Cycling Network Identification Study
On behalf of the Study Team
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T: 905-882-7306
E: mtocyclingnetwork@mmm.ca

Trails Tourism Integration Strategy Meetings Underway

Over the fall we have been meeting with a variety of Regional Tourism Organizations and their supporting Destination Marketing Organizations or Destination Marketing Partners as the case may be.

We have been creating connectivity to these important regional product marketers in order to reinforce the importance of trails and the outdoors as tourism product, and to seek new ways to improve our connectivity to them, as we represent their efforts and your trails via the Ontario Trails Council website.

During each session we discussed:

Current RTO+DMO Tourism Strategies
Current Outdoor Activity Marketing
Existing Trail Inventory
Identify Gaps
Consolidate Events
Review Ontariotrails.ca Trails Marketing
New Content Initiatives
Share Data and Data Gathering Processes
Review TTIP Action Plan Outlines
Define Next Steps

Areas for improvement or site additions include such things as:

having an event map
self directed traill or event edits
mapping and maps
guided services listings
improved weather reporting
improved trip planning with printout
adding trails for folks with pets to cater to the traveller with pets
add trekking and other unique experiences
re-brand off-road cycling as mountain biking, add fat-biking as a speciality
space for local content
improved site search functionality
more links across RTO's
improved forms with additional categories
more support route content like Wine or Arts Routes
event to trail linkages on trail content pages
cms capability to red flag broken links
more! trails!

We appreciate the feedback from all the marketing and branding staffs we have worked with and all the suggestions for improvement.

Thank- you

Membership Renewal Time

In 2016 the Ontario Trails Council membership got: a re-charged Ontario Trails Strategy, the first ever Provincial Trails Act - a commitment to better working by government with the Ontario Trails Council, acceptance of our 9 point program by the Premier reflected in the Minister's Cabinet Letter, new Regional Trail Committees (Guelph Trail Council), $3.3 Million in federal funding for communities (NOT OTC!), trail projects in Ontario equaling $21M, and $3.5 million to complete the Trans Canada Trail Ontario.

TESTIMONIALS
"New trails are still to be developed in Ontario. Existing trails need to be maintained and expanded. Trail organizations in Ontario need one common voice to advocate for them. We need a central source to promote funding opportunities and act as a communications link between trail groups. More than ever, trail groups need to stick together and speak as one mind. OTC is the organization that can assist us all in those regards. A significant benefit of being an OTC member is the website itself -- a great resource for information and access to like-minded organizations. The research we require is most often sourced directly through the OTC office or by expansion through OTC member organizations. It's where we go for answers and direction."
- Ray Gilbert, Executive Director, Bruce Grey Trail Network
____________________________________________________________
"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
__________________________________________________
"Trails and trail development is a significant topic within North Grenville because of the positive impact trails have on a community - quality of life, tourism, broad spectrum of users etc. As a member of the OTC, we have the opportunity to learn how to promote and manage our trails program in a more professional manner. The OTC was the obvious choice. To date, we have benefitted from our membership in these ways:

making personal contacts with provincial, national and international leaders in the trails movement
access to the Trailhead Ontario conference, which was a watershed event for the three North Grenville staff who attended
being able to promote the trails movement in Eastern Ontario, it has provided a more credible position from which to advocate trails

Once we have our trails master plan in place we will take full advantage of posting and promoting our trails on the OTC website. Trails are the future - if you really want to be part of the trails movement in Ontario, you need to be a member of the OTC."
- Forbes Symon, Director of Planning and Development, County of North Grenville

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,
Fund seeking AND donation managEment
OTC Policy Statements guide decision makers
Strategic Planning for Members
Survey's and Data Exchange, Trail Counts
Education Posters and Program

ACCESS AND INFLUENCE

Connectivity to the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport
Leadership at the Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee
Office services and networking support
Advocacy benefits - provincially and nationally
Infrastructure funds flow to members first
Directorships, Awards and Business Impactors

BEST PRACTICES

Partnership Support and Knowledge exchange
Access to Professional Development sessions
Tourism Practices, Trails Tort Reform, Trail Workshops
Regional Trail Management Committee Development
Discounts on Trailhead Events

TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS

Access to Trail Insurance Broker
Option on registration in Trillium Trail Network
Local, regional or provincial User conflict resolution
Trail Auditing, assessment, signage and inclusion
Trail Training, College Level Education Certificates

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	$926.08

Add/Edit Trails

Be a Friend of Trails

Friday, December 16, 2016

Ontario Trails News - Prince Edward County Trails trail support, Trailhead Hastings, It Takes a Forest, and other updates about Ontario trails!

Ontario Trails Council Member - RTC and County working together!

Photo Credit - Prince Edward County Wine Growers Association

Ontario Trails is pleased to report that The Prince Edward County Council has approved 3-year funding to partner with the Millennium Trail Trails Council to complete an upgrade to the rest of the Millennium Trail, outside of the sections maintained by Rotary of Wellington.

The PEC Trail Committee has committed to trying to raise $80,000 of the $450,000 budget and the County will provide the rest. An anonymous donor has offered up to $40,000 to match our fund raising which as of today sits at $9,400 paid or pledged.

Our website for making donations is www.pectrails.ca. This website was voluntarily created by one of our members, Sharon Mulholland.

This supports years of community effort - as reported from 2013, "Phase two of the Millennium Trail restoration project is currently under way—extending the rehabilitation effort west from Wellington to Danforth Road.

The first step is clearing the brush back to enable the heavy equipment to get in. Then a bulldozer will regrade the now deeply rutted trail. Then a procession of trucks will bring hundreds of tonnes of limestone screening material, donated by Essroc, to be spread on the trail.

Paul Greer Excavating will rake, grade and pack the trail smooth. It is a lot of work—and much of it is donated and volunteered. Along with Greer’s, A-1 Excavating and Reg Grosse will contribute equipment and operators to the effort.

Already businesses and organizations are beginning to explore ways to make their facilities more accessible to cyclists and hikers using the trail.

One of those to embrace this opportunity is Richard Karlo.

Karlo Estates Winery’s property backs onto the Millennium Trail south of Danforth Road. Karlo has already carved out an entrance onto his property and is developing a pathway that will lead cyclists and hikers through the vineyard and up to the winery.

Karlo Estates is also a member of Cycle Ontario, an association that provides certain amenities to those travelling by bike.

“It is a really interesting way to explore the vineyard and indeed the County in a different way,” explained Karlo. “When you explore an old trail like this it gives you a different sense of the countryside, a perspective you don’t get on the roadway.”

Barry Davidson is thrilled Karlo Estates is jumping aboard this opportunity. It is part of Davidson’s vision and determination that has propelled this restoration and the creation of the Friends of the Millennium Trail.

“It provides hikers and bikers a place to pause, have lunch, use the facilities and of course enjoy a glass of wine,” said Davidson. “The golf course is also going to put up a sign offering a picnic table for lunches, access to washrooms as well as a canteen during course operating hours.”Wellington on the Lake resident Howard Norton prunes the wild grape vines on the trail next to the golf course. Norton showed up for days in any weather to lend a hand and support the project.

Others are starting to think about ways they can connect to users of the Millennium Trail— Karlo has been speaking with other wineries within close proximity to the trail. Many are taking note. Karlo imagines a wine tour one day with the trail as the thread linking the participants.

From the outset Davidson planned to develop sections as funds, resources and volunteer efforts became available, as a demonstration to others about what the trail could be. He hopes it will inspire others to join in the effort and perhaps challenge others to undertake the restoration of other sections.

Wellington Rotary has been a strong backer. Davidson knows, however, the effort needs broad public support, so he is planning a public meeting to encourage others who share his vision of what the trail might be—to join with him to develop a Prince Edward County Trails Association.

“The idea is to consider a trail system through out the County with the first priority being, finishing the Millennium Trail,” said Davidson. “I see this as a broader thing, if there are people who share my vision of it. The association would not only finish the trail but also do annual maintenance of this trail but also look at any other trail in the County.

Davidson notes that the County is blessed with many great trails at Sandbanks Provincial Park as well as the County’s various conservation areas.

Trailhead Hastings Announced

HASTINGS COUNTY TRAIL PHOTOS

Trailhead Toronto - Nov. 24th, Session Presentations Available On-Line!

A BIG thank-you to all the people who so graciously contributed their time and expertise to make a contribution through presentation at Trailhead Toronto!

We are excited to announce that registration for the 2017 Forests Ontario Annual Conference is now open! The conference will take place on Friday, February 10th at the Nottawasaga Inn, Alliston. Early bird registration rates will be available until December 31, 2016 - so register early and save!

This year we will be exploring the theme of It Takes A Forest . The forests of Ontario have a great story to tell – so let’s start telling it! It takes a forest to keep us healthy, support wildlife, build our communities and fight climate change. As society makes critical decisions regarding our forests, it is now more important than ever that we all understand the importance of this resource in a changing world. Join us and over 300 landowners, forestry professionals, educators and students, at one of Ontario's largest forestry conferences. Come to learn, network, and engage in conversations around the future of Ontario's forests.

We hope you will join us! For more information about conference, and to register, visit http://www.forestsontario.ca/community/annual-conference/ or use the attached registration form.