Profiling our Volunteers DAVE SARGINSON

Trail Work Continues in Winter

St. Francis boardwalk build

Crowsnest Side Trail gets a new boardwalk

A Special Place – Written by Laurence Christie

A Change of Emphasis

Caledon Hills Club Honoured

A Major Accomplishment in the Hockley Valley

Follow these links to Trail Maintenance Slide Shows

Building the Quarryman Side Trail, October 2007

Building the Hockley Valley Bridge #4926, August 2009

Who Maintains the Trail?

Well, it is mostly done by ‘volunteer club members' and occasionally with outside groups and organizations. Materials required to maintain the trail are mainly purchased with funds raised through ‘club memberships', as well as some outside donations from various sources. Trail maintenance is an on-going project due to trail usage and natural weather deterioration.

Throughout the year, though mainly in the Spring and Fall seasons, ‘work parties' are organized by the club to go out and repair sections of the trail as well as the development of new sections of trail.
For example ….

On July 22, a ‘work party' was held to repair a section of the trail near Inglewood. Fourteen volunteers came out to help build some ‘turnpikes' in three very wet areas and put in some ‘water bars' to prevent erosion. ‘Turnpiking'? what we do is put in larger logs, cut from ‘dead' trees, along the side of the trail and in between put smaller pieces to form a ‘corduroy' base, fill with dirt and top with wood chips. If you look at the pictures you will get a good idea of this work.

Now, volunteering for ‘trail maintenance' does not require any skill; it is not overly scientific; it just needs willing people to come out and give a hand on the project. At all our ‘work parties', we have ‘experienced trail workers' there to provide direction. All we ask is that they do work within their capability, enjoy themselves and, at the end of the day, feel a sense of accomplishment of the work done.

If you are interested in coming to a ‘work party', please contact our webmaster, who will forward the information to our ‘Trail Maintenance Volunteer Coordinator'. Also, if you have group that would be interested in helping us out, do likewise. There is always work to do and we welcome anybody to join us …”many hands make light work”.

When you want to know about ‘digging a post hole' just ask, John Maxwell, one of our long time ‘trail captains', trail maintenance workers and sawyers! John, not only monitors his section of the Trail, but spends countless hours walking in other areas and doing some trail maintenance.

If you see a tree hanging over the trail, don't be surprised to see it has gone … Maxwell was there! John is also a ‘tar'! … much apart from spending time on the trail, he regularly sails out on Lake Ontario and, if you ever get told ‘to go fly a kite', ask John, it's another hobby he has! And oh, yes, the hole is dug!

First trail workers' get-together well received
By Joan Richard

On the last Sunday in March, Caledon Hills BTC's trail coordinator, Colleen Darrell, organized a get-together inviting quadrant leaders, trail captains and land stewards, all the people who maintain the trail throughout the year. About thirty people attended. The CHBTC board was represented by president Jean Kerins, vice-president Joan Richard and landowner relations person Carol Sheppard. Charlie Atkinson who is the club's cartographer also attended. The event got off to a good start as Colleen had made name buttons for all invitees, which were colour coordinated by quadrant. Since most people were meeting for the first time, this was much appreciated. Likewise, each person received a folder, also colour coordinated, containing information relevant to their role. Colleen introduced Carol who requested that if anyone has any concerns to please advise her. She emphasized how important it is to maintain a good relationship with the landowners and neighbours of the trail. Dave Moule, also a quadrant leader, was introduced in his role as land steward coordinator and spoke about his role, including the desirability of trail captains and land stewards working together. Finally the group broke up into quadrants for informal chats about each specific section. Of course, like all good get-togethers, the event was well supplied with various refreshments, including apple cider donated by Spirit Tree Estate Cidery, a neighbour of the Trail, all set up under the guidance of our social convenor Irene Christie. Thanks go to all involved. It was a very beneficial event giving people a chance to hear and be heard and to meet in person the names on a list, and hopefully this will be the start of a new tradition.

Ontario Service Awards

Four CHBTC members received Ontario Volunteer Service awards in recognition of their lengthy service as volunteers to our club. Keith Oussoren, Fran Oussoren and Alan Billing were honoured with 25 year pins for their work as trail captains for this amazing duration. Think of how many feet have safely trod their sections of the Trail in that time. Likewise Eleanor Chambers was given the 10 year pin for her work on the membership committee which contacts new and lapsed members, that's a lot of phone calls. Volunteers such as these performing their roles quietly and unsung, year after year, are what keeps our club strong. That's why it's important from time to time to step back and take notice. Congratulations to Keith, Fran, Alan and Eleanor. Thank you for your efforts.

If you know of anyone who should be nominated for these or similar awards, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Colleen Darrell at kidogo@sympatico.ca or 519-833-2311

Likewise, if you want to join our army of volunteers, no role is too small, every job is important.

Contact Colleen to see what she has available.

OUR NEW QUADRANT LEADER – introducing Dave Peacock
By Ross McLean

A year ago, the Caledon Hills BTC reorganized its trail maintenance and development team, dividing its section into four quarters, each under the supervision of a “quadrant leader.” Two were new to the task (Norm Randle and Dave Sarginson) and two were “old veterans”. (Dave Moule and Dave Platt had each in their time been Trail Directors for the club.) Dave Platt took the position only for a limited term in order that all four positions could be filled. This fall he passed the torch to another newcomer, and Caledon Hills is fortunate to have Dave Peacock accept the role. (It is not an absolute requirement of the job to be named “Dave”, but it helps).

Each of us has a personal reason for joining the BTC. About six years ago Dave had a health problem and his doctor advised him to get more exercise. Dave knew of the Bruce Trail , went on-line for information, and discovered that it is “one of the cheapest gyms around.” His health has improved and he has learned the fun that comes from being an active volunteer with the club.

He tells the story of Colleen Darrell, CHBTC Volunteer Coordinator, asking him on Bruce Trail Day to accept the Quadrant Leader's role; it is always difficult to say “no” to such a pleasant woman! Dave comments on how all the club volunteers have made him feel welcome. He has worked with veterans like Dave Moule and Laurence Christie. He is amazed at the energy that Laurence shows in trail work, and he has worked with Dave Moule in a number of tree-planting work parties. In the past year, Dave has been an assistant trail captain with Dave Hull in the Hockley Valley. On any trail, he conscientiously carries garbage bags with him; any litter is quickly removed.

When asked about his priorities in the quadrant leader role, Dave comments that it would be nice to have some younger volunteers. Frequently he is joined on the Trail by his daughter who also loves the work. He would like to see more weekend work parties so that younger people could get involved.

Dave's background is in marketing displays, and he would like to see more media publicity and corporate sponsorship, especially at a local level. He has had Canadian T-shirts made that read “Take a Hike, Eh?” and is looking at having tuques ordered this year. He has already had his own business cards printed which advertise his Bruce Trail volunteer role.

When out on the Trail look for the man with the “cowboy hat”, the black hat that helps to identify him. Welcome on board, Dave!

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO A TRAIL CAPTAIN
By Ross McLean

Last fall I was given a copy of Alternatives , a journal from the Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo . It is not a peer-reviewed academic journal; rather, its purpose is to address “the most current and pressing environmental ideas of the day, sparking ideas for essay topics, community outreach and experiential education.” The Fall 2010 issue, for example, focused on the issue of Biodiversity. For more information, search out www.alternativesjournal.ca .

I noticed that its editor-in-chief was Nicola Ross. Although I have never met Nicola, I have talked to her on the phone during my days as Caledon Hills Trail Director. I recognized that she is a trail captain for the Crow's Nest Side Trail (which runs off the Trimble Trail.)

A brief profile outlines some of her background and her values. She grew up in Caledon and still calls it home. Her “favourite retreat” is “Climbing up the Devil's Pulpit on the Niagara Escarpment, where you can find ice in July.” (Bruce Trail people will, of course, recognize this reference.) She calls her “biggest challenge…convincing others that countryside is sacred, not vacant land waiting for development.” Again, Bruce Trail members will echo that support for the protection of the land.

BTC trail captains are a heterogeneous group, but all share an intense attraction to Escarpment country. As many of us have found out, that spirit is really contagious. Consider joining the team of volunteers to share with like-minded people both the challenges and the achievements.

Hockley Valley Reroute leadership nets Fred Nix a BTC 2010 Volunteer of the Year Award
By Carol Sheppard

About five years ago, the BTC instituted its “Volunteer of the Year” Award. The intent is to recognize a volunteer who has made a significant contribution to the Trail in the past twelve months. Since its inception, Caledon Hills members have won the award four times, a remarkable total that confirms the commitment to volunteerism within the club. The 2010 award was shared by three BTC volunteers, with Fred Nix representing the Caledon Hills Club.

This May one of the Caledon Hills properties changed ownership. At first, the new owners thought that the Trail could remain on their property despite having 2 large territorial dogs. It was quickly discovered that this was not going to be the case. One of the trail captains of this area, Fred Nix, took an active role in helping to find a reroute.

Once a pleasant reroute was found and new landowner permissions were in place, Fred jumped into action. He assembled his fine band of trail builders, came up with conceptual designs, estimated material required and outlined work to be done. Several of the mid-summer work days soared into the 30 degree Celsius range with high humidity and yet dedicated volunteers came to answer Fred's call. He's fun to work with.

Part of the new trail between the 2 nd and 3 rd Line of Mono runs through the Hockley Valley Resort which was tremendously supportive throughout the whole process. Hockley Resort okayed the changes in record time, helped with equipment and shared hot coffee with rain-soaked volunteers.

Fred shared the honour of the 2010 BTC Volunteer of the Year Award for unexpectedly taking time out of his summer plans to take on leadership of this project enabling this wonderful reroute to become reality. He's turned a potentially unhappy event into a great success. As Jean Kerins reported, “Fred's incredibly dogged determination in seeing through [this re-route] in less than ideal conditions makes him the perfect choice.”

Congratulations to Fred and his wonderful group of volunteers. Our club really appreciated your time and effort.

Dennis Gallant recognized for his hard work
By Ross McLean

The essence of the Bruce Trail is the commitment of its volunteers. I am always amazed at the story of the Trail being built so quickly between 1962 and 1967: it was done without government funding or paid staff. It was the product of a group of individuals who gave freely of their time to achieve the dream of a continuous footpath from Queenston to Tobermory. And that tradition of volunteerism continues strong to this day.

Each year at the Annual General Meeting of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, a number of awards are presented in recognition of outstanding volunteer accomplishments.

The Susan Oleskevich Award is named for a former BTA Trail Director who also was a Trail Director for both the Toronto and Caledon Hills clubs. When she died suddenly in the mid-1990's, a group of her close friends arranged for this award to be given annually to an “unsung hero”, a volunteer who quietly and faithfully works on trail maintenance and trail development. Past Caledon Hills winners include Jim Swalwell and Laurence Christie.

The 2010 recipient is Dennis Gallant. I first met Dennis several years ago when he helped on the major trail remediation project at The Badlands. Although not large in stature, he is a force with a sledge hammer, driving in steel stakes to anchor side logs or steps. Very quickly, Dennis got “hooked” on the satisfaction of building quality trail, and regularly he undertakes major projects.

In the spring of 2010 for example, Dennis, under the leadership of quadrant leader Dave Sarginson, helped with the building of a lengthy boardwalk on the Palgrave Side Trail. One task was the laying of the “sleepers” in the ankle-deep mud. When Dennis because of personal commitments discovered that he could not join the scheduled final work party, he came in on his own for two full days to complete the boardwalk's foundation.

As well, Dennis has enjoyed trail work so much that he has assisted other clubs. He has been a great help to the Toronto BTC with both its Canada Goose Side Trail near the recently acquired Speyside Sanctuary property and remediation work on the Credit Valley Footpath. Also, Dennis worked on the Sydenham BTC's Crevice Springs Side Trail, the first step in a major achievement this summer of the optimum route just south of Woodford. As CHBTC president Jean Kerins has written, Dennis's selection as the 2010 Susan Oleskevich Award winner is “the perfect choice.”

Congratulations to Dennis and a sincere thank you. The health of the Trail will remain strong as others step forward to emulate your contribution.

LAURENCE CHRISTIE

Laurence Christie's involvement with the Bruce Trail goes back more than 30 years. He had become a member of the Caledon Hills Club in 1978 and soon joined a work party to build a bridge on what is now the Peter Beecham Side Trail in the Hockley Valley . “I did not even know where I was”, he recounts, but he loved the area so much that he became the trail captain and remains in that role today.

For his volunteer involvement Laurence has received a number of accolades: as Caledon Hills Trail Director in the mid 90's, he twice earned the Tom East Award (for the best reroutes of the year) and he won the Susan Oleskevich Award which honours the BTC's “unsung volunteer.” Just this year he received the Ontario Volunteer Service Award from the government of Ontario .

But his contributions are not limited to Caledon . When called upon, he gladly helps other clubs with major projects. Examples are both Beaver Valley 's Falling Water Trail and Sydenham's Bayview Extension where he led work crews. Just this fall he assisted with the new Walker 's Woods portion of the Dufferin section.

His favourite area of the Trail is the Hockley Valley . In the 1980's and continuing to this day, he has worked in this area, especially to “solve some critical environmental problems. Some of the reroutes [which he organized] were done to repair the scars that overuse…and the erosion of water had done on a very sensitive land.” As he says, “you can correct those things”; as a result of this work, he played a major role in awakening in Caledon trail workers an environmental consciousness, a realization that any trail must “walk lightly on the land.” For this reason he strongly supported the name change to a “Conservancy”; it is “reflected in how we build trail, how we do our work.”

In 2009 Laurence started the Trail Blazers in Caledon , a mid-week work group that meets regularly to tackle those “little tasks” which are needed to improve the physical condition of the Trail. There is now a core of regular attendees. Interest is growing but more volunteers are always welcome.

What characterizes work parties which Laurence leads is his degree of organization. A past president of Caledon, Dave Platt, wrote of the many hours that Laurence contributes, “checking out problem areas, looking at necessary reroutes, planning work parties, flagging areas of work detail, competitively pricing and ordering required materials, hauling this material on his trailer…and quite often carrying in the material to the actual site on his own, ready for a work party.”

Laurence fondly remembers volunteers such as Chris Walker, Barry Westhouse and Dave Turrell. From their encouragement and skills he was motivated to continue the work. He wants to see the volunteer spirit and this involvement continue, and his personal goal is “to pass it on.” He has written: “I can think of no better resolution that is more rewarding than to become a volunteer….The act of volunteering is an essential function in a Bruce Trail Club. The quality of the trail we enjoy and have come to expect…is entirely due to the hard work of volunteers…”

“So I challenge you', Laurence writes, “to become a volunteer and therefore experience that feeling of satisfaction in maintaining a safe and enjoyable trail.” It is a challenge that I hope more and more of our members will pick up.

Ross McLean

THE FIRST WINNER OF THE NEW TRAIL AWARD

It was a deeply-felt honour to have the new Caledon Hills BTC volunteer award named after me, and I was delighted to be make this year`s presentation to Dave Moule. I have known Dave since 1984 when he began volunteering with the Bruce Trail , helping with a large reroute at Gun Point near Lion's Head. The intensity of his involvement has only increased over the years.

To be a “five-star” award winner, one must first of all be a trail captain. Dave has played that role at Gun Point for over 25 years and is the longest-serving trail captain in the Peninsula Bruce Trail Club. With Caledon, he has been the trail captain at the Hockleycrest section since at least the 1990's, and this year when a need arose for more leaders in trail maintenance, Dave volunteered as a Quadrant Leader.

As a land steward, Dave looks after the Hockleycrest section of the trail, and in addition is chair of the Land Stewardship efforts in the Caledon Hills BTC. I remember about five years ago when he said he would take on this role “temporarily” until someone else could be found, but he is still at it. He coordinated the club`s various tree-planting activities this year.

About 20 years ago Dave served as the BTA Trail Director. Currently he is the chair of the BTC's Land Securement Secretariat, the group which oversees the acquisition efforts of the Conservancy. They meet once a month and handle a huge responsibility in acquiring property for the organization.

Dave and Sallie a number of years ago donated a corridor across their Hockleycrest Farm, a forward-looking step in Trail planning. At that time, we lacked a connection either south or north of their property. Then in 2009 we were able to connect this link, largely because of an acquisition to the west where Dave and Sallie had played the role of “White Knight”, making funds available to the Conservancy. In almost every issue of the Bruce Trail Magazine, their names are listed as donors, and they have contributed significantly to other key acquisitions such as the Chris Walker Nature Reserve at Rush Cove in the Bruce Peninsula .

Finally, Dave is also an active day-to-day volunteer at a grass-roots level. This spring a small group of volunteers built the Palgrave Side Trail boardwalk; Dave was one of those volunteers. This past winter Dave and Sallie hosted the revival of the Caledon Hills X-C ski loppet at their farm. They are in residence at Hockleycrest for the Christmas tree sales each December, and they host the end-of-June trimming and summer solstice party.

It was an honour to present the Volunteer Award to Dave Moule at the June 2010 Caledon Hills picnic. We have so much to thank him for in building the strength of both the Caledon club and the Bruce Trail Conservancy.

Ross McLean