Otonabee Conservation looking at options to maintain Jackson Creek trail

Your Metres Matter fundraiser comes at a crucial time for the trail and surrounding area

Talia Mazziotti likes to walk her dog along the Jackson Creek trail.

“It’s pretty out here,” she said Tuesday, walking with Sara Perks along the trail just east of Ackison Road.

And she’s thrilled to learn that Otonabee Conservation Authority has launched a program to keep it that way for years to come.

Otonabee Conservation chief administrative officer Dan Marinigh said the Your Metres Matter campaign is just one source of funding it hopes to access in order to maintain the trail and keep it safe to enjoy for years to come.

“It’s like owning a home,” Marinigh said. “After 25 years, there is stuff to fix … furnaces, roofing, eavestroughing. It needs some rehabilitation to make it safer and to assure it will last.”

The campaign comes at a crucial time for the trail and its surrounding area. Already a busy place to ski, hike and bike, many new homes are planned along the Jackson Creek corridor, bringing an expected increase in trail users and commuters.

The area will see six new subdivisions and 3,400 new homes built adjacent to the trail, which means there will be more than 8,000 more people living within walking distance of it.

Some rehabilitation work has already taken place along the multiuse trail, that stretches 4.2 kilometres from Jackson Park in the city to just west of Ackison Road in Selwyn Township.

In 1992, Otonabee Conservation purchased the abandoned CNR rail line that now provides the route for the Jackson Creek trail. The rail bed provided an excellent base for a trail that was further enhanced by a layer of limestone screenings.

Included in the acquisition were four railroad bridges that cross Jackson Creek at various locations. The trail was officially opened and recognized as a section of the Trans Canada Trail in 1995.

Over time, the trail has experienced some wear and tear, Marinigh said. One bridge closest to Ackison Road was replaced four years ago and maintenance has helped to stave off erosion along some vulnerable stretches. But more needs to be done.

“There are still three old railway bridges there and if there were trains running there today, they probably wouldn’t be able to hold up. One bridge needs concrete work and all the bridges need work on their approaches.” The entire trail section needs a new top dressing of material, Marinigh said.

Through the Your Metres Matter campaign, people can sponsor sections of the trail. For a donation of $50 to $499, you will receive a tax receipt, photo card, sticker, and a commemorative JCT badge.

When you donate $500 or more (or 10-plus metres of trail) you will be recognized on a new trailhead sign along the JCT. Donations of $20 to $49 will receive a tax receipt, photo card, and sticker.

Marinigh said they will also be seeking to source any provincial or federal grants that might be available.