Ontario Trails Council - News about Ontario Trails!

Weekly E-Bulletin of the Ontario Trails Council. The provincial trails association in Ontario. Week of April 11, 2013

• Education • News • Updates • Sharing •  Requests • Meetings • Activity

Ontario Trails News - Spring Message CHECK WATER, ICE AND SNOW - BEFORE YOU GO! At this time of Year - Please restrain Motorized and Equestrian use on Soft Soils. Thanks Trail Questions 1) Do you have a trail naming protocol? Yesterday we heard from Lake Laurentian Conservation Authority and they asked if Ontario Trails had a trail naming protocol - river trail near rivers, loop trail for loops, or how you name a trail in particular environments - rural, urban, town and country, forest etc. If you have a protocol if you could send to: Natalie Webster, M.Sc. Community Stewardship/Partnership Specialist Conservation Sudbury Email: natalie.webster@sudbury.ca Web: www.nickeldistrict.ca/ndca/ 2) Question: Hunting along rail trails. In the Game and Fish Act...Section18 (10) and no such patentee, owner or tenant shall prohibit any person from hunting or fishing on the railway lands. Definition (11) “railway lands” includes all lands set apart under any Act as a land subsidy or otherwise in aid of any railway or of any works in connection therewith or of any works to be established, maintained or carried on by any railway. R.S.O. 1990, c. G.1, s. 18 (10, 11). So if its a trail and not a railway this "free hunting access"doesn't apply? Please e-mail me with your interpretation or how you manage this on your rail trail. execdir@ontariotrails.ca Thanks 3) Crowd-sourcing? Are any of you or your groups doing this -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing  If so how are you reaching the Crowd? Just comment to execdir@ontariotrails.ca Trails Education - Select a Program! We have updated the program and our 14 module program is here for the using. If you have staff to train, trails to manage or want a session in your area on a particular topic let us know. We'll coordinate a session or series on your behalf.   DESCRIPTION COURSE TITLE Volunteer Management View PDF Business Planning and Budgetting View PDF Regulation and Legislation View PDF Ecosystem and Natural Heritage View PDF Wilderness First Aid View PDF Food and Nutrition View PDF Marketing and Promotion View PDF Health and Safety View PDF Technology for Trails - Level 1 View PDF Trail Design (2 days) View PDF Trail Risk Management View PDF Trail Committee Development Manual Trail Steward- On Line Learning Program Trail Planning - On Line Program Trails Insurance Program AvailableOnce again, members of the trails community find themselves seeking alternative trails insurance. The volatility and unpredictability of your insurance plan keeping you hopping? Wondering what you are getting, curious if your agent or the underwriter understands trails? If you want: cost stability product assurance insurance perseverance a broker that understands trails At OTC our mission is "trail preservation." See the note from Intercity Insurance, Mike King, below. Further to our recent discussions, I wanted to let you know that we have investigated various markets to get a sense of the appetite that insurers have for coverage associated with trails. Our findings suggest that coverage is available - but from a very limited number of carriers and that the cost of insurance in this class is not heading down anytime soon. The reality is that there have been losses associated with trails in general and that the frequency and severity of claims is on the rise. On the positive side of the issue, we have had several specific discussions of late with our current carriers at Lloyd's of London and we are (collectively) very interested in ramping up our work with OTC to connect with your associates who manage trails. We and the insurers we represent are firm in our commitment to work collaboratively with the OTC trail community to develop a comprehensive risk management strategy that makes sense - and insurance is just one part of that strategy. As for what trail insurance products we have "in the box” right now: a)       Commercial General Liability coverage —premium costs start at $1,000.00 for $2,000,000 coverage. b)      Directors and Officers liability coverage — premium costs start at $200.00 for $I,000,000 coverage. We find that even the smallest community group is seeing the importance of acquiring D and O coverage. c)       Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage - premiums start at $250. 00 to cover the Officers, Directors, employees, members. The limit of coverage is $100,000. In the near future OTC will be bundling these products as a part of membership services and products.

Trailhead Ontario - Peterborough June 9-12, 2013, by Our Favourite Place

Trailhead Ontario Conference - for Professionals, by Professionals. Great People, Great Trails! April 8, 2013

June 9-12, 2013 - Peterborough Early Bird Special on Now! Join trail advocates, organizations, speakers, builders, use groups, volunteeers, planners and regulators as we discuss, learn and improve Ontario's Trails   Our Plan for 2013 – We are working with the full support of  Our Favorite Place (RTO8), Peterborough and the Kawartha’s Tourism and a number of local trails groups to bring you the best Trailhead Ontario yet!. There are a lot of new trails and trail tourism partnerships in RTO8. The Ontario Trails “Trailhead Ontario 2013″ Committee is  is pleased to announce the Holiday Inn Waterfront Peterborough as the location of our conferencing. Site locations for our trail education program are being determined now. New for 2013 -Regional Tourism development includes trails. Trail packages, trail experiences, trail destinations. This takes a blending of major destinations, natural topographies, parks, conservation, county forest and up to 18 different trail activities. What’s in your “Trail Mix”? What’s our plan for marketing this unique matrix of dynamic outdoor experiences so that the world can find the world’s best range of trail fun right here at home.   Partial Program Snapshot - click image for all   Time Limited? Select 1, 2, 3 or 4 Day Participation options Ticket Type Price Fee Conference and Education Package - Paypal CA$315.88* CA$9.12 Conference and Education Session Package - Pay by cheque CA$357.50* CA$9.95 Conference Registration - Paypal CA$169.63* CA$5.37 Education Session - Content TBD CA$145.26* CA$4.74 One Day Registration - Conference Only CA$85.30* CA$3.20 Early Bird - Conference and Training CA$236.30* CA$7.07 Early Bird - Conference CA$150.01* CA$4.86 Early Bird - Trails Training and Education CA$106.86* CA$3.76 Display Booth  CA$257.86* CA$7.63 Display Booth - discount CA$171.58* CA$5.42 Display Booth - Non-Profit - Provincial CA$171.58* CA$5.42 Display Booth - Provincial Non-profit - discount CA$128.20* CA$4.30 Display Booth - Local, small non-profit CA$42.15* CA$2.10 Display table - literature only CA$20.59* CA$1.54 Ordered Ticket at door - Conference CA$169.63* CA$5.37 Ordered Ticket at Door - Education CA$145.26* CA$4.74 Ordered Ticket at Door - Conference and Education CA$365.55* CA$9.95 Ordered Ticket at Door - One Day Only CA$100.00 CA$3 Regional Trail Profile So it looks like it's going to be an exciting time in Peterborough - join us - mark the date June 9-12, 2013 in your calendar NOW! Hotel Reservations and Event Location More information? Go to - Trailhead Ontario Call Patrick at 1-877-668-7245 or Vanessa Twitty at 905-373-8752 | www.rto8.com |  Ontario Trails appreciates the support of: Regional Tourism Organization 8 Ontario Trillium Foundation

Ontario Trails News - check out all the trails in Ontario - http://ontariotrails.on.ca

Performance Measures - Trail Counts!

Low maintenance - Using weatherproof decals our methods allow users to quickly and easily provide you with information you need to assess, improve, direct, re-direct, or provide information to the user - while on the trail. Our proprietary method has been developed by over 140 trail users and with the input of The City of Thunder Bay and Norfolk County Trail Managers.

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Packages - OTC Member? - Take $25.00 off each package!

• Blue - 4-10 trails:  $300.00 plus HST and registration fees
  • Maximum 20 sheets of decals
• Green - 10-20 trails: $500.00 plus HST and registration fees
  • Maximum 40 sheets of decals
• Gold - 20 or more trails: Starting at $1,000 plus HST and registration fees
  • TBD

Go to Trail Counts! to purchase. Thanks

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2013 Call for Applications Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund
Ontario is providing grants to help communities take action to protect and restore their corner of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin.
This is the second call for applications under the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund. Grants are available for projects that take place in Ontario within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. The basin includes: Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Superior, the St. Lawrence River, the Ottawa River, their connecting channels, and their watersheds. Examples of projects that could qualify include:

• Planting trees to restore stream banks
• Protecting and restoring sensitive and degraded natural habitats by managing the flow of storm water runoff
• Protecting traditional harvesting areas from invasive species by using traditional ecological knowledge

You can receive a grant of up to $25,000 grant for your project. Smaller projects are also encouraged. Applications for funding will be accepted until April 26, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. E.D.T. Information on the fund, including the application guide, form, frequently asked questions and 2012 grant recipients, is available at ontario.ca/GreatLakesFund.

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Trailhead Ontario - Updates

June 9-12, 2013 - Peterborough

Early Bird Special on Now!
 

Join trail advocates, organizations, speakers, builders, use groups, volunteers, planners and regulators as we discuss, learn and improve Ontario's Trails

 

We are working with the full support of  Our Favorite Place (RTO8), Peterborough and the Kawartha’s Tourism and a number of local trails groups to bring you the best Trailhead Ontario yet!. There are a lot of new trails and trail tourism partnerships in RTO8. The Ontario Trails “Trailhead Ontario 2013″ Committee is  is pleased to announce the Holiday Inn Waterfront Peterborough as the location of our conferencing. Site locations for our trail education program are being determined now.

General Membership AGM!

The Ontario Trails Council is providing notice to membership and guests that the OTC Annual General Meeting is at Noon June 10, 2013. In accordance with the OTC By-Laws, Notice of Nominations for the Board of Directors is hereby served. Download the nomination letter and forms here.

Check the list of Presenters!

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Program Snapshotclick image for all

Trailhead Ontario - Sponsored by "Our Favorite Place" http://trailheadontario.com

Trailhead Ontario Conference - for Professionals, by Professionals. Great People, Great Trails! April 8, 2013

June 9-12, 2013 - Peterborough Early Bird Special on Now! Join trail advocates, organizations, speakers, builders, use groups, volunteeers, planners and regulators as we discuss, learn and improve Ontario's Trails   Our Plan for 2013 – We are working with the full support of  Our Favorite Place (RTO8), Peterborough and the Kawartha’s Tourism and a number of local trails groups to bring you the best Trailhead Ontario yet!. There are a lot of new trails and trail tourism partnerships in RTO8. The Ontario Trails “Trailhead Ontario 2013″ Committee is  is pleased to announce the Holiday Inn Waterfront Peterborough as the location of our conferencing. Site locations for our trail education program are being determined now. New for 2013 -Regional Tourism development includes trails. Trail packages, trail experiences, trail destinations. This takes a blending of major destinations, natural topographies, parks, conservation, county forest and up to 18 different trail activities. What’s in your “Trail Mix”? What’s our plan for marketing this unique matrix of dynamic outdoor experiences so that the world can find the world’s best range of trail fun right here at home.   Partial Program Snapshot - click image for all   Time Limited? Select 1, 2, 3 or 4 Day Participation options Ticket Type Price Fee Conference and Education Package - Paypal CA$315.88* CA$9.12 Conference and Education Session Package - Pay by cheque CA$357.50* CA$9.95 Conference Registration - Paypal CA$169.63* CA$5.37 Education Session - Content TBD CA$145.26* CA$4.74 One Day Registration - Conference Only CA$85.30* CA$3.20 Early Bird - Conference and Training CA$236.30* CA$7.07 Early Bird - Conference CA$150.01* CA$4.86 Early Bird - Trails Training and Education CA$106.86* CA$3.76 Display Booth  CA$257.86* CA$7.63 Display Booth - discount CA$171.58* CA$5.42 Display Booth - Non-Profit - Provincial CA$171.58* CA$5.42 Display Booth - Provincial Non-profit - discount CA$128.20* CA$4.30 Display Booth - Local, small non-profit CA$42.15* CA$2.10 Display table - literature only CA$20.59* CA$1.54 Ordered Ticket at door - Conference CA$169.63* CA$5.37 Ordered Ticket at Door - Education CA$145.26* CA$4.74 Ordered Ticket at Door - Conference and Education CA$365.55* CA$9.95 Ordered Ticket at Door - One Day Only CA$100.00 CA$3 Regional Trail Profile So it looks like it's going to be an exciting time in Peterborough - join us - mark the date June 9-12, 2013 in your calendar NOW! Hotel Reservations and Event Location More information? Go to - Trailhead Ontario Call Patrick at 1-877-668-7245 or Vanessa Twitty at 905-373-8752 | www.rto8.com |  Ontario Trails appreciates the support of: Regional Tourism Organization 8 Ontario Trillium Foundation

Ontario Trails Council - Trailhead Ontario - http://trailheadontario.com

Trailhead Ontario Conference - for Professionals, by Professionals. Great People, Great Trails! April 8, 2013

June 9-12, 2013 - Peterborough Early Bird Special on Now! Join trail advocates, organizations, speakers, builders, use groups, volunteeers, planners and regulators as we discuss, learn and improve Ontario's Trails   Our Plan for 2013 – We are working with the full support of  Our Favorite Place (RTO8), Peterborough and the Kawartha’s Tourism and a number of local trails groups to bring you the best Trailhead Ontario yet!. There are a lot of new trails and trail tourism partnerships in RTO8. The Ontario Trails “Trailhead Ontario 2013″ Committee is  is pleased to announce the Holiday Inn Waterfront Peterborough as the location of our conferencing. Site locations for our trail education program are being determined now. New for 2013 -Regional Tourism development includes trails. Trail packages, trail experiences, trail destinations. This takes a blending of major destinations, natural topographies, parks, conservation, county forest and up to 18 different trail activities. What’s in your “Trail Mix”? What’s our plan for marketing this unique matrix of dynamic outdoor experiences so that the world can find the world’s best range of trail fun right here at home.   Partial Program Snapshot - click image for all   Time Limited? Select 1, 2, 3 or 4 Day Participation options Ticket Type Price Fee Conference and Education Package - Paypal CA$315.88* CA$9.12 Conference and Education Session Package - Pay by cheque CA$357.50* CA$9.95 Conference Registration - Paypal CA$169.63* CA$5.37 Education Session - Content TBD CA$145.26* CA$4.74 One Day Registration - Conference Only CA$85.30* CA$3.20 Early Bird - Conference and Training CA$236.30* CA$7.07 Early Bird - Conference CA$150.01* CA$4.86 Early Bird - Trails Training and Education CA$106.86* CA$3.76 Display Booth  CA$257.86* CA$7.63 Display Booth - discount CA$171.58* CA$5.42 Display Booth - Non-Profit - Provincial CA$171.58* CA$5.42 Display Booth - Provincial Non-profit - discount CA$128.20* CA$4.30 Display Booth - Local, small non-profit CA$42.15* CA$2.10 Display table - literature only CA$20.59* CA$1.54 Ordered Ticket at door - Conference CA$169.63* CA$5.37 Ordered Ticket at Door - Education CA$145.26* CA$4.74 Ordered Ticket at Door - Conference and Education CA$365.55* CA$9.95 Ordered Ticket at Door - One Day Only CA$100.00 CA$3 Regional Trail Profile So it looks like it's going to be an exciting time in Peterborough - join us - mark the date June 9-12, 2013 in your calendar NOW! Hotel Reservations and Event Location More information? Go to - Trailhead Ontario Call Patrick at 1-877-668-7245 or Vanessa Twitty at 905-373-8752 | www.rto8.com |  Ontario Trails appreciates the support of: Regional Tourism Organization 8 Ontario Trillium Foundation

Ontario Trails Council - find more about Ontario Trails at: http://ontariotrails.on.ca

Local Trails NewsAlbion Hills Conservation Authority:


New Course:
Trail Risk Management with Direct Bearing - April 9, 10, 2013 - Albion Hills Conservation

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Algonquin College:

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ATV:

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London:

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Southwestern Ontario:

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Sudbury:

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Toronto:

Ontario Trails Council - Ontario Trail News from all members at http://ontariotrails.on.ca

"Our Favorite Place"-Trail StoriesThe Trans Canada Trail has many different landscapes around the County of Peterborough, including the Lang-Hastings Trans Canada Trail, The Kawartha Trans Canada Trail and the City of Peterborough section that runs through town. With progress being made on the trail throughout the region it has become a very well used trail system. The City of Peterborough is undergoing a rejuvenation of its own on the trail. In the fall of 2012 the City started to rebuild the Trans Canada Trail Bridge that crossed the Otonabee River. This bridge allows the user to cross from downtown into the east part of the city on onward to Rogers Cove. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in July of 2013 with the upgrade to Rogers Cove soon following. This will allow the users save passage to cross over into what some say is a city within a city. The trail user community is very excited about this completion and cannot wait until it reopens.

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Hotel Reservations and Event Location



More information? Go to - Trailhead Ontario  Call Patrick at 1-877-668-7245 or Vanessa Twiddy at 905-373-8752 | www.rto8.com

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Cross Country Trails

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Dog Sled Trails

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Snowmobile Trails

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Snow-shoeing Trails

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Ontario Trails MembershipOn behalf of OTC we thank you for your support. If there is a group you know that is not a member contact us and we'll send them a note on membership benefits.

Thanks to City of Orillia and Brant Waterways Foundation for taking out a membership, or for renewing this week.

THANKS! MERCI!