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Hello folks,
Time for a quick update on Regional Trail and Park activities. We've been busy
as beavers securing trail route and money for bridges.
Top Bridge Trail
Thanks to the 115 participants who came out to the 3rd Annual Poker
Walk-Run-Ride fundraiser for a bridge over the Englishman River at Top Bridge.
We collected $1,500 for the cause. Big thanks to local businesses for donating
great event prizes: Arrowsmith Mountain Cycle, BCSupernet, Beach Acres, Beach
Computers, Body Sculptors, Cha Ch'a Java, Freedom 55 Financial, Frontrunners,
Head Over Wheels, Island Cycle, Joey's Only, Mom's Bakery, New Leaf, Old Dutch
Inn, Outsider, RDN, Short Cuts, Skylite Motel, Streamside Native Plants, Thrifty
Foods, Tigh-Na-Mara, Tranquility Woods, and Village Sound. Big big thanks to the
Poker crew who made the fundraiser possible: Linda Krofta, Reg Nosworthy,
Maureen Connors, Cathy MacKenzie, Lora Mae Swanson, Ashley Reimer, Margaret
Whitford, Cody Kereszti, Alice Hay, Jill Steff, Norma Wade, Nina Palmer-Stone,
Judith van Oyen, Barbara Smith, Linda Warnock, Tessa Swenson, Marty Fines, Alia
Zimmer, Andy Swanson, John and Ruth Gayton, Charline Wells, Parksville Scouts/Venturers,
Arrowsmith Mountain Bike Club, the Parksville Bicycle Advisory Committee,
C.O.P.s, and St. John's Ambulance.
We are about a third of the way to raising the money needed for all bridgeworks
at Top Bridge. No news yet on our application under the BC-Canada Infrastructure
Program. We are also starting to look at private foundations and corporate
sponsors.
Great news involves a broad partnership forming to see private Englishman River
lands immediately up-river from Top Bridge acquired for fish habitat and
recreational use. Will keep you posted on negoatiations.
Lighthouse Country Trail
Our Trail is located on public lands that fall under Ministry of Forests cut
block and woodlot jurisdiction. We have been negotiating harvesting plans in
order to ensure that there is minimal impact on the trail caused by area
logging. We expect that there will be no harvesting along the 1950 Gazetted
Highway itself. With forestry and associated water rerouting plans concluded in
the Trail area, we hope to be able to get back to making trail improvements for
the South Loop of the Lighthouse Country Trail. New signage for the North Loop
will be installed this spring. Keep an eye out for a Wildwood Park Day this
summer.
Parksville-Qualicum Links
When the weather turns warm and dry, we'll be out with little helpers to paint
'link' symbols along the route from Wembley Mall to the Fern Road Woods. The
official opening of the Fern Road Woods Trail is slated for Sunday April 28th at
2 pm. Arrowview Elementary will be leading the show with a kids' event and
singing by the choir. Flyers will be posted. Pedestrian and cyclist use of the
woods and the Barclay Crescent Millennium Bridge remains strong. The Bridge
received a new paint job on the railings and is looking quite spiffy. More
landscaping will be carried out in the spring.
Qualicum Beach to Bowser -- 1950 Gazetted Highway
A proposed route for the Regional Trail all the way from Qualicum Beach to
Bowser has now been submitted to the Ministry of Transportation. The route
involves a combination of roadside, undeveloped road and undeveloped 1950
Gazetted Highway. Imagine: cycling or walking from Qualicum Beach to Lighthouse
Country without fussing with vehicle traffic.
Big Qualicum Trail
The Lighthouse Country Trail team continues to work on blazing a walking trail
up the south side of the Big Qualicum River through Fisheries and Oceans Canada
property. An agreement is being concluded regarding multi-use trail alongside
the maintenance road from the Big Qualicum Hatchery complex to Horne Lake. This
will take some time to complete but in the meantime, you can use the roadside as
is and enjoy a very pretty 10 km ride or walk up the Big Q.
Horne Lake Trail
We have been very active Horne Lake way this winter, what with taking possession
late January of the new Horne Lake Regional Park at the west end of the Lake.
The Horne Lake Regional Trail will link with the Big Q Trail, and run around the
north shore of Horne Lake (up the hillside from Caves Road) into the new
Regional Park and over to Port Alberni on the undeveloped 1911 Gazetted Alberni
and Horne Lake Road. We'll need lots of volunteers to blaze these sections of
trail, starting this summer or next. First, we'll need some GPS'rs to help
locate the 1911 Road. Plan to visit the new Regional Park this summer for
camping, swimming and boating. Join us Wednesday March 27th at 7 pm at the
Lighthouse Community Centre for a public meeting on the Horne Lake Regional Park
management plan. Give your views on how you'd like to see our newest Regional
Park develop.
Trans Canada Trail
The route for the TCT has been determined from Ladysmith to Nanaimo. Two major
bridges will be required to link the 35 odd kilometre route. This summer, we'll
be building the first one, a 43 metre suspension bridge over Haslam Creek. It's
a lovely spot: an 18 metre canyon with swimming hole nearby. Thank you to
Weyerhaeuser for permitting the TCT to use company land for most of the way, and
to TimberWest and Weyerhaeuser for letting us build a bridge on their land. Plan
to check out the south end of the route this fall and test out the new Haslam
Creek Bridge.
Our maps are posted at the Ravensong Aquatic Centre, Bank of Montreal QB, QB BC
Info and Parksville BC Info Centres. Buy a copy of the Parksville-Qualicum Links
map for $12 at the Arena or Pool. And don't forget: help build those bridges by
buying a tax-deductible piece for $40. See your name inscribed for decades on a
beautiful bridge for walkers, cyclists and equestrians.
For other information about the RDN Recreation and Parks, check out
http://www.rdn.bc.ca and for those of you
living in District 69, don't forget to peruse your Active LIving Guide for all
sorts of useful recreation information and program scheduling. Brant Festival
weekend, there will be Trail System information tables out, and I'll be leading
a walk on the Top Bridge Trail.
If you have any trail questions, give me a shout. Thanks for your support and Go
Trails.
Joan
Joan Michel
RDN Trails Coordinator
(250) 752-7199
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