Crews are sprucing up local trails.
This summer, the Scout Rock Trail is being upgraded and the recognition plaques on the light posts at the Gillies Lake Conservation Area are being replaced.
The Scout Rock Trail starts at Highway 655 and runs to Denise Park.
“They’ve been putting in new culverts… and putting new material down on the trail itself, which is a lot of work in itself,” said Kees Pols, a volunteer with the Wintergreen Fund for Conservation.
“It’s a continuation of work that was done at Porcupine Lake, three to four years ago, that was done in support with Goldcorp and that was close to 10 kilometres of trail that was completed.”
The work also involves repairing slope issues on the four-kilometre trail.
It is all thanks to a partnership between Wintergreen and the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority (MRCA).
MRCA general manager Dave Vallier explained that authority takes care of about 55 to 60 kilometres of trails within the city, as well as a lot of park space.
“We wouldn’t be able to do the things that we do without partnerships,” he said.
While the MRCA has had partnerships with a number of groups, including the Rotary Club and Timmins Chamber of Commerce, its relationship with Wintergreen is unique because it is the charitable arm of the conservation authority.
“It benefits the MRCA to have Wintergreen as their charitable arm. So this was a partnership this year to allow us to buy trail material and also allow us to pay for some summer student wages through Wintergreen as well. In the past Wintergreen has helped out with equipment purchases, they’ve helped out with some material, but without the partnerships it would be hard for us at the Mattagami Region to do the things that we do in the city and people would not be able to enjoy the trail systems and some of the park space that we have without these partnerships,” he said.
For the rejuvenation of the Scout Rock Trail, Pols said Wintergreen has provided close to $10,000.
Recently, he said the group also awarded a $1,500 high school bursary, held a public hike, and have other activities scheduled for later this year.
“Wintergreen is continuing to participate, encourage the community to come out, use the trail system, to use the outdoors and we certainly look forward to continued support from the community when we go out to fundraise and ask for both support from the people using the trails as well as any businesses that we might approach in the coming months and the coming years,” Pols said.
Coun. Mike Doody has been with Wintergreen since its inception and invites the public to use the trails throughout the city.
“There is no municipality in Ontario that has a trail system like Timmins. Technically today you can circle the City of Timmins on our trail system and you’d be amazed how many people do that,” he said. “This is just another phase.”
