PORT HAWKESBURY: On June 4, the Strait Area Trails Association and the Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire Department came together at the Hemlock Trail entrance to host International Trails Day; an annual celebration held each first Saturday of June and highlights the benefits of trails and their development.
The Strait Area Trails Association has been around since 2014, they celebrated with a barbeque and cleanup on the Hemlock Trail. With just under 50 attendees, volunteers were able to collect over three full bags of garbage from the one kilometre trail stretching from Oaklee’s Baseball Field to Grant’s Pond.
Pictured are longtime volunteers of the trail association (from the left): John Davis, Cyril Gillis, Sherille MacKeigan, and Paula Davis.
Volunteers also spoke to attendees about past, current and future projects the association has planned and how they’re repurposing materials to make best use of the trail systems.
President of the trail association, Larry MacKeigan announced they received six benches built by high school students, through a program with Skills Canada.
MacKeigan says support like this enables them to keep the trails so well kept. One time they saved thousands of dollars for a large steel picnic table.
“We went to Halifax to purchase some pieces of equipment that was being replaced by one of the municipalities in the Halifax region. And there was a picnic table we were able to purchase with funds from the trail association. This picnic table would have a value of approximately $6,000 if purchased new, where it was for sale as a used item we paid $250 for it,” he said. “The people that were extracting it from the playground where they were getting new equipment loaded it on a flat deck trailer for us and we were able to disassemble some of the parts and get the whole thing back and now it’s got a new home on Grant’s Pond, on the Hemlock Trail.”
MacKeigan said there have been donations from many businesses around the area, many who don’t even want to be named and just want to help. One company who donated repurposed steel, Norvon Enterprises, made a unique feature on the trail possible, Grampa’s Bridge.
“The steel trusses were from the Canadian Tire store in Port Hastings, there had been a fire there and Norvon had the salvage and they donated two of the 47-foot-long steel trusses so we could make a pedestrian bridge across Davis Brook.”
At the event, MacKeigan presented a new map of the trail system highlighting emergency markers. There are 130 markers along the 13.3 kilometres of woodland trail, highlighting locations in the event someone needs to communicate with emergency response.
The Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire Department is one of three emergency response departments working with the local trail association to ensure safe development, the other two being local EHS and RCMP. These sponsors work with the trail association on things like storing safety equipment and planning best safety practices. Also essential are the volunteers, which “keeps us going,” says MacKeigan.
One volunteer at the event over the weekend, Cyril Gillis, has used his time, tools and tractor to help develop the trail system over the years.
“He’s brought along his own tools, he uses the trails, that’s what makes a big difference,” says MacKeigan.
Gillis, a retired school teacher and avid hiker, says one day while driving through town he saw the call for volunteers to carry in wood at the local trail.
“I went home and I told Lynn, we use trails but we never help,” he said. “They didn’t have many volunteers doing it but I did what I could, we got the wood in and we got the bridge built. It turned into kind of a fun thing.”
After 14 years it’s turned into many things. Along the trail you can find an assortment of marine life, birds, picturesque views and friendly faces. The Town of Port Hawkesbury helped sponsor the event over the weekend. Volunteers say without the town’s help some of their ideas to improve the trails wouldn’t have been possible.
Michelle Farrow, Director of Recreation for the Town of Port Hawkesbury says the trails are an incredible part of the town’s recreational infrastructure and provide benefits to residents and visitors looking for outdoor activity.
“The trails provide an intergenerational program space for people of all ages to enjoy. Integration of parks and green infrastructure (trails adjacent to play spaces) provides a one stop shop and convenience in accessing a variety of recreational areas,” she added. “We are so fortunate to have all of this right here in our backyards.”
