Fall Colour Report

Fall foliage colour in Algonquin Park is now at peak!

Algonquin Park is in the northern part of Muskoka and is a bit higher in elevation. So, there leaves may be changing there a bit sooner than in more southern parts of the region. Nevertheless, the leaves are putting on a good show. With October only a couple days away, the entire region of Muskoka will be entering peak foliage colour.

One of the best ways to enjoy the colour is to go for a hike or paddle. The options for these types of activities are endless in Muskoka. A good place to start looking for options is the Muskoka Trails Council. They have maps of just about every hiking trail in Muskoka.

If you're out enjoying fall, let me know by leaving a comment, or visiting the Muskoka Heritage Foundation Facebook Page and leaving a comment. Better yet, post a photo of the fall colours where you are!

Happy Earth Day!!

Earth Day is April 22!

What will you do to celebrate?

How can your actions last longer than just one day?

Here are some ideas:

In Huntsville, there is the "Greening Huntsville" initiative. It includes:

• 2 Street Sweeps: April 21


• Urban Strretscape Tree Planting Program


• Free Compost at Madil Church Yard (April 21)


• Roadside Clean-up (April 30)


• Neighbourhood Clean-up


• Free Garage Sale (May 7)

Some Muskoka-wide events:

• Native Plant Sale: pre-order before May 9, pick-up in Huntsville, Bracebridge, or Bala on May 14.



• Biodiversity Day: A fun day for the family on May 22 at Brooklands Farm near Milford Bay



• Muskoka Envirocredits: emissions offset program plants trees in Muskoka



• 3rd Annual Amazing Race: Come out August 13th as a volunteer or participant for fun and to support the Muskoka Trails Council



• Participate in the Muskoka Stewardship Program to live more sustainably on your land.
  One of the best things you can do to celebrate Earth Day is to "Give it up for Earth Day. That means helping to create a healthier world by making some changes in your daily routine. Some examples are:


• Eating less (or no) meat in your diet. If you are really ready for change, you could try veganism.


• Reduce the amount of "things" you buy- especially when lots of plastic packaging is involved.


• Turn off the TV and get outside!


• Cut out toxic chemicals from your home (watch for an upcoming blog post about this)


• 
  
  Challenge your friends and family to follow in your Earth Day footsteps

Have you decided to "Give it Up for Earth Day"?

There are prizes, materials, answers to your questions, and a community of like-minded people at Earth Day Canada's "Give it Up for Earth Day" Challenge.

Discover Muskoka...Naturally!

The Muskoka Trails Council (MTC) has a new website!

Check it out at http://www.muskokatrailscouncil.com/

There you will find:

• Route maps and descriptions for all the trails in Muskoka
• The Trail Challenge
• Trail Etiquette and Safety
• Photos of the trails
• A link to the Twitter feed
• Information about upcoming events

Speaking of events...MTC just launched the registration site for Muskoka's 2nd Annual Amazing Race! The race is on August 14th and pits contenstants against the best Muskoka has to offer on its trails and active transportation network. www. muskokasamazingrace.eventbrite.com

Exploring Muskoka's trails is a great way to gets hints on different trail building techniques. What methods have you observed while hiking Muskoka's trails?

Happy Trails!

Trail Building: Lessons from Cape Breton Highlands National Park

At the end of May, my partner Chris and I took a little road trip to Nova Scotia. One of the reasons we went was to hike some of the trails in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It is an absolutely beautiful area of our country. Along with the stunning landscapes and oceanscapes, we saw moose, a fox, some snakes, birds, and listened to the coyotes bark at night while camping.

The park sees a lot of visitors each year. To keep the trails in good condition a lot of hard work is done to build, maintain, and upgrade the hiking trails. While hiking, we observed some really interesting and solidly build bridges, culverts, stairs, and boardwalks. While you may never build anything to this scale on your property, there are several concepts and ideas that you might consider. The following is a photo journal of the trails we walked in Cape Breton:

{The skyline trail, complete with moose droppings! Note the wood-covered culvert near the top of the photo and the trench dug along the side of the entire 3 km trail to aid drainage}

{an up close shot of the trench and small box culvert. These were placed every 20 metres or so along the trail. Notice also how the individual boards are placed diagonally to aid traction. The entire culvert is also on the diagonal}

{an explanation of how they built the boardwalk and platforms and the underlying land. Click on the photo for a larger view}

{the boardwalk built to protect the fragile growing environment of such a harsh climate}

{I couldn't resist showing you this plaque about stewardship ;)}



{Chris resting on a bench near the side of the worn path on the other side of the Skyline trail}

{an example of a culvert on a trail}

{cribbing and bridge along the river on this trail}

{these giant rocks made walking on this ocean-side trail particularly difficult!}

{the wood on this bridge is rough-sawed to aid with traction}

{a sign informing hikers about the ancient sensitive mosses of the area}

{a creatively designed staircase with rocks along the edges for support}

Below are two really great trail building resources I would like to recommend to you:

The Complete Guide to Trail Building and Maintenance, 4th Edition, 2008 by Appalachian Mountain Club Books

Ontario's Best Trails - Guidelines and Best Practices for the Design, Construction and Maintenance of Sustainable Trails for All Ontarians http://www.abilitiescentre.org/trails/

Also, be sure to check out the Muskoka Trails Council and get out and explore some of the amazing trails we have right here in Muskoka!

I would love to hear from you. What techniques have you used on your property in building your trails?