Staff Feature – Trail Volunteers
August 31, 2022
With over 450 kilometers of trails at TRCA’s conservation parks and lands, volunteers play a vital role in helping plan, build, maintain, and monitor our extensive trail network.
Below are some of the great contributions volunteers have played a key role in bringing to life.
The Duffins Headwaters
Uxbridge is the “Trail Capital of Canada”, and TRCA’s extensive trail network is a key part of that trail system. We can honestly say that we wouldn’t be able to have so many trails on TRCA lands in Uxbridge if we didn’t have so many dedicated volunteers helping us with almost all of our trail activities.
The Durham Mountain Biking Association, Green Durham Association, and Oak Ridges Trail Association all have agreements with TRCA that enable them to take on more responsibility for the trails on TRCA lands.
These groups have leveraged these agreements to build new trails, install benches, trail head signs and counters, and clear trail hazards (like fallen trees from the wind storm on May 21, 2022).
Green Durham Association has also secured grant funding and provided that directly to TRCA for planning, building, and replacing trails and supporting amenities.
Duffins Headwaters Stewardship Committee members meet with Brian Bertrand (second on left) to plan replacement of decaying boardwalk with sustainable trail in TRCA’s East Duffins Headwaters Properties in Uxbridge. Representatives from Uxbridge Horsemen’s Association, Green Durham Association, and Durham Mountain Biking Association joined local neighbours/advocates and TRCA staff to come up with a plan. Photo: Elizabeth Calvin, Green Durham Association.
Putting the plan into action! Green Durham Association volunteers remove an old boardwalk in TRCA’s East Duffins Headwaters Properties in Uxbridge. The wood was piled nearby and taken out by hand to the trail parking lot by volunteers and trail users. TRCA staff then picked up the waste at the parking lot. Photo: Elizabeth Calvin, Green Durham Association.
Above left: A Green Durham Association volunteer keeps the trail width clear of vegetation by mowing the trail edge in TRCA’s East Duffins Headwaters Properties in Uxbridge. This is one of four mows in a season that volunteers complete to help keep trail edge vegetation at bay so that people stay on the trails. Photo: Elizabeth Calvin, Green Durham Association. Above right: An Oak Ridges Trail Association (ORTA) volunteer clears a downed tree in Secord Forest and Wildlife Area in Uxbridge following the May 21 windstorm. ORTA was quick to get their trail maintenance volunteers out to clear the trails as best they could, leaving TRCA staff to deal with major hazards elsewhere. Photo: Judy Carey, Oak Ridges Trail Association.
In addition, these groups participate in the Duffins Headwaters Stewardship Committee, a group that has been supporting implementation of the Duffins Creek Headwaters Land Management Plan since 2003.
This group brings together the various trail user groups (hikers, skiers, mountain bikers, and equestrians) with nature advocates (like North Durham Nature), and has been an excellent forum to work together on areas of shared interest. We have found that this collaboration has reduced user conflict on the trails themselves.
Congratulations to Brian Bertrand, Steve Joudrey, Matt Kenel, and Steve Roesch for working with the Stewardship Committee and trail partners over the past 20 years.
Albion Hills Conservation Park
Brett Bond and Jay Clark help volunteers repair a section of trail at Albion Hills Conservation Park in Caledon. Photo: Andre Thibault.
TRCA established the Albion Hills Trails Advisory Committee in April 2021. Representatives with interests in mountain biking, hiking and cross-country skiing have come together to work with TRCA to implement the trails initiatives for Albion Hills, including the initiatives and the relevant objectives that are set out in the Master Plan.
Many thanks to Jay Clark, Brett Bond, and Kyle Reyes for organizing the Trails Advisory Committee.
Keen to get their hands dirty, TRCA and the Advisory Committee hosted a volunteer trail build day on May 14, 2022.
Kudos to Jay Clark and Brett Bond for working with seven volunteers that day to fix some drainage and structure issues on Gnarly Berms, Sugar Shack Shuffle, and IMBA Alley.
Be sure to check out these improvements on your next ride at Albion Hills!
The group of volunteers are looking forward to their next trail build day in the fall.
Supporting the Volunteers
We wouldn’t be able to have nearly as many trails providing safe and enjoyable access to our spaces without the contributions of these dedicated volunteer groups. And we wouldn’t be able to leverage these volunteers without the support of the Conservation Parks and Lands staff who direct their efforts, ensure we have all approvals in place, and make working with TRCA a rewarding experience.