Lower Trent Conservation is celebrating its 50th anniversary! To commemorate this milestone occasion, we have released our ’50 in 50′ historical blog series. This special series features 50 articles highlighting some of the achievements, milestones and events of the past 50 years. We hope you enjoy them!
With the acquisition of a number of properties during Lower Trent Conservation’s early years, the organization was eager to give the public an opportunity to explore and get to know these newly acquired conservation lands.
Goodrich-Loomis Conservation Area, with its network of 12 kilometres of trails, presented a perfect venue for a special event. The first annual Ski Day was held in 1977 but, as stated in the 1977 Annual Report, it was “a complete failure – it was a rain-out and therefore the ski trails, along with those brave people that did come out, only managed to get wet.” Not to be discouraged, the event was scheduled the following year and over 200 people showed up!
The annual Ski Day events were considered very successful over the next decade but, due to lack of snow for several years in a row, the event was cancelled in 1990.
Not to be disheartened by uncooperative weather conditions, the Ski Day was replaced with Ontario Hiking Day activities at the Conservation Area followed by other events such as the Christmas for the Birds bird feeding workshop, Wildflower Walks with Don Hedger, Volkssport walking events, Rural Ramble, and a Fall Fling geocaching event, to mention a few.
Seymour Conservation Area, located just south of Campbellford, has also been a popular venue for an event over the years. Since 2004, Seymour Family Fishing Day has attracted up to 180 eager anglers of all ages to the quarry each spring at Seymour Conservation Area.
Partnering with the Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire program (kidsandcops.ca), youth have been given the opportunity to try their luck with fishing as well as a chance at winning a tackle box or fishing pole.
“Kids love fishing, and police personnel know the benefits of kids enjoying healthy outdoor activities. This inspired the Police Association of Ontario to team up with Bob Izumi, Canadian Tire Corporation and Fishing Forever to create a grassroots program that encourages youngsters to go fishing”. – kidsandcops.ca
More recently, a series of outdoor excursions (hiking, biking, and paddling) have been added to the event calendar. These guided events have given the Conservation Authority the opportunity to not only continue to introduce the public to our conservation lands, but explore other unique natural areas across the region like Peter’s Woods Nature Reserve or Nawautin Nature Sanctuary.
Whether you venture to one of our 10 conservation areas for a special event or explore one on your own, with a friend or your family, stepping into nature is a great way to get outside and be active. And in addition to improving your physical well being, being surrounded by nature, even for just an hour, reduces stress and boosts mental well-being.
