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Community donation day supports Island Lake trail system

October 22, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

If you like to hike around Island Lake or take advantage of all the conservation area has to offer, you are aware that the trails are well maintained and provide kilometres of walking, biking, and hiking opportunities.

The trails don’t maintain themselves – there’s a whole lot of volunteers who make sure the area remains pristine and in good condition.

The Friends of Island Lake hosted their annual Trail Donation Day on Saturday, October 13, and asked trail users to make a voluntary donation to help with the cost of annual trail maintenance.

“Trail Donation Day is a great opportunity for the whole community to come out and support he park,” said Mik Walk, chair of Friends of Island Lake and a Mono resident. “Our lakeside trail is special. It connects communities and neighbours. It encourages healthy lifestyles, finding joy in nature, tourism, and economic development. We want everyone to enjoy it for generations.”

Since 2005, Friends of Island Lake has worked with the Credit Valley Conservation Foundation to help fundraise more than $2.6 million in donations to complete accessible trails around the conservation area.

The number of people using the trail system has increased since July 2015 when the final bridges on the Vicki Barron Lakeside Trail completed a full trail loop. Trail use has increased more than 350 per cent.

“One of the ways we raise money is through this trail donation,” said Friends of Island Lake volunteer Bob Collin, who along with volunteer members Jane Lightle and Margery Cruise, took a shift at the donation site located near the north dam of the park. “You can do a complete circle now (around the park) after we finished the trails. That’s about eight kilometres all the way around. Friends of Island Lake is a sub-committee of the Credit Valley Conservation Authority, volunteers from the citizenry to support the area by staging events.”

Fall is the busiest time of the year on the trails, averaging close to 20,000 visitors per month.

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