Posts

Posted on

Bluff Trail Stewardship Program work day and training – Sunday Feb 25, 2018 at 9:30 AM

On Sunday, February 25th we will be hosting our monthly Volunteer Work Day and Trail Steward Training Session.

Would you like to learn how to give back to the trail and to reduce your ecological impact whilst using it? If so, you should consider becoming a designated Bluff Trail Steward. The trail needs your help!

…

We invite you to attend this volunteer work day and training session to become a designated Bluff Trail Steward or to contribute to our trail infrastructure and impact reduction work on the trail.

At the core of the Bluff Trail Stewardship Program are the volunteer ‘Bluff Trail Stewards’; those who have been equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to help advise other trail users in aspects of best-practice trail stewardship and to work on the trail to re-mediate human harms.

To learn more about the Bluff Trail Stewardship Program follow this link: https://wrweo.ca/…/the…/the-bluff-trail-stewardship-program/

As you may have heard, WRWEO has teamed up with the St. Margaret’s Bay Stewardship Association to create “The Bluff Trail Stewardship Program”! In our second year of the program, we will work even harder to look after the trail our goals of reducing the harmful human impacts that are currently affecting the trail at an unsustainable rate. This goal will largely be achieved through user engagement and education through volunteer Trail Stewards.

If you are interested in becoming a Bluff Trail Steward then contact info@wrweo.ca.

Or check out our event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/190126415071585/?active_tab=discussion

See you on-trail!

Posted on

Richmond Campbell & Sue Sherwin: the state of our forests impacts health and environment

In a submission to the Independent Review of Forestry Practices in Nova Scotia, Richmond Campbell and Sue Sherwin suggest that three key policy documents – (1) Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act (EGSPA, 2007, amended 2012), (2) A Natural Balance (2010), and (3) A New Regulatory Framework for Low-Impact/High-Value Aquaculture in Nova Scotia (2014) – lay out a sound moral foundation for Nova Scotia to follow in developing policy for managing our natural resources in ways that are likely to benefit Nova Scotians for many decades to come.

The text for the dedication of The Bluff Trail written by Richmond Campbell in 2005
In 1995, with Susan’s encouragement, Richmond co-founded the Woodens River Watershed Environmental Organization that, among other projects, built The Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail that opened in 2005. They are both retired members of the Philosophy Department at Dalhousie.
Continue reading “Richmond Campbell & Sue Sherwin: the state of our forests impacts health and environment”

Posted on

Looking for responses to a request for proposals (RFP) for Trail Work on the Bluff Trail

Are you interested in submitting bids on work in the back country on the Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail?

Work to be completed –

  • RFP #1 – side of trail brush cutting & dead fall removal,

You must have liability insurance, Workers Compensation coverage and follow Halifax’s Occupational Health and Safety guidelines.

Please get in touch with WRWEO to get copies of our RFP for this season – contact us at info@wrweo.ca or call 902-876-7377.

WRWEO receives financial support for maintenance from Halifax.

WRWEO recognizes the support of the Province of Nova Scotia. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians.

 

Posted on

Bluff Trail Stewardship Program – Update and Monthly Reports

Thanks to all donors for your support of the Bluff Trail Stewardship Program (BTSP). Your donations are really helping us make a difference – of the first 212 days of the BTSP (January 1 to July 31, 2017) we have had trail stewards on trail for 56 of those days (26%), and they have spent 830 hours on trail.
Our Stewardship Coordinator, Mike Lancaster, and Stewardship Assistant, Fiona Brooks, deserve lots of kudos and have trained 26 volunteer stewards to date. That has allowed us to talk to over 607 people about how they can help protect the Bluff Trail and steward it into the future. It has also helped us remediate and repair the trail by building barriers to trail spurs and braids, hardening the trail with found stone, remediating fire pits, and inspecting our Leave-No-Trace educational sites. 
I also want to thank Kimberly Berry, a WRWEO volunteer, who is the WRWEO Board’s liaison with the BTSP and has dedicated a lot of time to raising funds and ensuring the success of the BTSP.
Below are the monthly reports summarizing the BTSP activities and results:
Posted on

Goodwill Bot – fundraiser for the Bluff Trail

Goodwill Bot event at the Good Robot Brewing Company – Fundraiser for the Bluff Trail Stewardship Program

Where – 2736 Robie St, Halifax, NS B3K 4P2
When – Monday August 21, 2017 from 12 noon until closing (our volunteers will be there from 4pm onwards to talk about the trail and how you can help!)
Why – One dollar from beer purchases will go to the stewardship of the Bluff Trail
http://goodrobotbrewing.ca/
http://blufftrail.ca

Update – we raised $498 and had 8 new members signed up, thanks Good Robot

Posted on

Requests for proposals – trail work, side of trail brush cutting, dead fall removal, trail hardening with found stone

Are you interested in submitting bids on work in the back country on the Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail?

Work to be completed –

  • RFP #1 – side of trail brush cutting & dead fall removal,
  • RFP #2 – trail hardening with found stone

You must have Workers Compensation coverage and follow Halifax’s Occupational Health and Safety guidelines.

Please get in touch with WRWEO to get copies of our two RFPs for this season – contact us at info@wrweo.ca or call 902-876-7377.

WRWEO receives financial support for maintenance from Halifax.

WRWEO recognizes the support of the Province of Nova Scotia. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians.

 

Posted on

Orchid Count 2017

On The Bluff Trail June 13, 2017: Lady’s slipper orchids at left, albino below; Labrador tea in flower, the last of the Rhodora in flower, swallowtail butterflies, huckleberry in flower and swamp sparrow in song.
Click on image for larger version.
On this hot, bright mid-June day, we (David P and Kai) counted the number of lady’s slipper orchids that could be seen from the trail between the trailhead and the Pot Lake junction. I counted one side going in, Kai the other and we switched on the way back giving two independent counts for both sides of the trail. As in 2015 and 2016, Kai (now 15) viewed far more than David P (“a senior”)

Here are the numbers from today and from 2014, 2015 and 2016.

June 13, 2017: 135 (Dave) 336 (Kai)

Lady’s Slipper orchids abound on the Bluff Trail (2016) : 434 (Kai)

Orchid Counts 2015: Good News!: 147 (Dave) 262 (Kai)

Mid-June Wildflowers on The Bluff Trail (2014): 133 (Dave)

So… Kai’s number was down a bit from last year, but above his count for 2015. Overall, the lady’s slipper orchids appear to be doing quite OK, which is welcome news given that use of the trail increased greatly over the last 2 years. Other native species were doing just fine as well, some shown in the photo panel at top.

Another welcome result: No exotic plant species were observed, although there are many on the BLT. Together, these indicators suggest that the Ecological Integrity on this busiest section of The Bluff Trail is being maintained.

Also, no garbage and no fire pits for which we can thank the many volunteers, and the hikers!