Curve Lake First Nation Educational Department and Otonabee Conservation Celebrate World Turtle Day with Mikinaak Trail Signs

The Curve Lake First Nation Cultural Centre and Otonabee Conservation are raising awareness about local turtles with the installation of Mikinaak trail crossing signs along the Jackson Creek Trail and at Curve Lake First Nation.

photo courtesy of otonabee conservation.

May 23rd is World Turtle Day, a day to increase respect for and knowledge about one of the world’s oldest creatures – turtles or in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway), Mikinaak.

According to experts, turtles are the most threatened of the major groups of vertebrates, more so than birds, mammals, and fish with about 75 per cent of turtles worldwide being threatened or already extinct. All of Ontario’s eight species of turtles are at risk of disappearing.

Mikinaak crossing signs will be mounted on kilometre marker posts along the Jackson Creek Trail, providing trail visitors with a QR code that connects to the Turtle Guardians Sighting Report Form; when turtles are spotted along the trail, visitors can report their sighting to help advance turtle conservation efforts.

Turtle education signs will also be installed at Curve Lake First Nation and along the Jackson Creek Trail. Text and species names of Ontario Turtles have been translated into Anishinaabemowin, the local dialect of the Ojibway language.

“As a result of colonization, Anishinaabemowin has lost many words, sounds, and phrases that will never be regained,” explained Anne Taylor from the Curve Lake First Nation Education Department. “That includes some of the turtle species included on these educational signs. Where possible, the traditional turtle species names have been used but new names have been created for some species, based on what makes these turtles special to the Curve Lake First Nation community.”

Anishinaabemowin is predominantly a spoken language. Efforts are underway to include QR codes that link to audio clips of Curve Lake First Nation Elders speaking Anishinaabemowin species names so that visitors can hear the pronunciation of the local dialect.

For more information or to report a turtle sighting visit turtleguardians.com/report-sightings which will help advance turtle conservation efforts.

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Photos: Volunteers Make Jackson Park A Little Greener With Earth Day Cleanup

Gunther Schubert (left) and Ken Clare (right) give up their day by cleaning up litter throughout Jackson Park and Jackson Creek Trail on Earth Day held on Saturday. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

Several local community volunteers picked up litter along Jackson Park and Jackson Creek Trail during Earth Day on Saturday morning into the afternoon.

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Jackson Creek Environmental Remediation Update

The City of Peterborough announced that conditions have greatly improved on Jackson Creek at the outlet to Little Lake after environmental remediation work to contain and cleanup an oil sheen discovered on March 16.

file photo.

Monitoring March 18 through to the 20 reflected that the remediation efforts have been successful in containing and removing contamination.  

The source of the contamination has not been determined, but investigation and remediation efforts continue. There is historical contamination in the area. 

The City is working with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to investigate and to consider additional intermediate and longer-term measures. 

When the oil sheen was discovered on March 16, the City immediately took action to contain and clean up the contamination. 

Last fall and earlier this winter, the City undertook environmental remediation efforts on a nearby City-owned property that was approved by the Ministry of the Environment after an oil sheen appeared on Jackson Creek at the outlet to Little Lake in August. The source of that contamination was unknown, however, the City took precautionary measures to prevent contamination from its property.  

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Otonabee Conservation Celebrates Revitalization of Jackson Creek Trail

Otonabee Conservation celebrated the completion of the Jackson Creek Trail revitalization project with an event at the trail’s East Trailhead on Saturday.

Eliza Braden-Taylor, Chief Keith Knott and Anne Taylor of Curve Lake First Nation at the new Jackson Creek Trail trailhead sign. Photo courtesy of otonabee conservation.

Over 60 community members, local interest groups, project engineers, contractors and delegates from various levels of government gathered for the celebratory ribbon-cutting event, where new trailhead and educational signs were unveiled.

These signs were developed in partnership with the Curve Lake First Nation Cultural Centre, and allow more visitors to safely access the trail. Community members, supporters and donors also participated in a birdwatching hike led by the Peterborough Field Naturalists. 

Revitalization of the Jackson Creek Trail also included addressing points of erosion, installing culverts, regrading slopes, enhancing bridges and railings, resurfacing the length of the trail and the addition of benches.

This project was made possible with a $523,917 investment from the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF), with additional funding of $61,500 from Trans Canada Trail.

“We are grateful to our funders who have made this project possible and we are especially humbled by the response from the community, who has come together to support the revitalization of the beloved Jackson Creek Trail,” said Otonabee Conservation CAO/Secretary Treasurer Janette Loveys Smith.

The community also raised over $60,000 in donations through the Your Metres Matter and Close the Gap fundraising campaigns over the last two years.

The Close the Gap fundraising campaign remains active as Otonabee Conservation seeks to fill the remaining gap of $10,000 to complete the final aspects of the project.

For more information or to make a donation, visit the Otonabee Conservation website.

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City of Peterborough Addresses Environmental Remediation Update For Jackson Creek

The City of Peterborough has provided an update to Environmental Remediation Update For Jackson Creek which was contaminated through Bethune Street construction work that occurred on Aug. 24.

File Photo.

The City has assured that they are actively working on short-term cleanup and longer-term remediation. 

The Ministry of the Environment identified a fuel spill in Jackson Creek in the area of Townsend and Aylmer streets. The City had placed environmental protection measures immediately after the spill to prevent it form getting into Little Lake with help from Working with the Ministry of the Environment (MECP) according to a press release. They retained an environmental consultant, Cambium, to investigate the source of the contamination as well as an environmental remediation specialist, GFL, to support immediate cleanup activities.

The City says the investigation, cleanup and implementation of remediation is ongoing .

The City’s environmental consultant has created a Remedial Action Plan including MECP comments, which has been reviewed, accepted and overseen by MECP as the regulating body. The plan introduces a Geophysical Survey which was completed and discovered an unidentified tank containing limited free products.

While the tank was promptly removed, the City believes there are other sources of contamination now surfacing in Jackson Creek, pending the installation of a reactive barrier that is a more promising long-term solution. The Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) installation is also scheduled to begin next week.

With the recent weather, conditions in Jackson Creek have deteriorated according to the City. They are communicating with the MECP which directed them to retain a environmental remediation specialist full-time until conditions improve - GFL has deployed all the resources it has available as well as City resources. The City anticipates the contractor will be able to remove the temporary dam in place to support the construction activities and GFL will also support the additional skimming of free product available during the temporary dam removal.

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Jackson Creek Trail Closed For Construction and Resurfacing

Jackson Creek Trail/Trans Canada Trail is closed for construction and resurfacing and everyone is urged not to use it during this time announced by Otonabee Conservation.

File Photo.

The closure extends from Ackison Road in Selwyn Township in the west to the concrete bridge at the entrance to Jackson Park, in the City of Peterborough in the east.

Signs, detour maps and barricades are in place during its closure no access to the trail at this time. You can view the Jackson Creek Trail Closures and Detours Map online.

Large equipment is moving along the entire length of the trail and will include bridge deck and railing replacements and resurfacing the trail for the week of Nov. 14.

Photo courtesy of Otonobee Conservation.

Detours are in place with alternate routes using local roads, sidewalks, and multi-use trails that extend from Ackison Road in Selwyn Township, to Parkhill Road West and Monaghan Road in the City of Peterborough.

The revitalization of Jackson Creek Trail has been made possible with a $523,917 investment from the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF), with additional funding of over $60,000 from Trans Canada Trail.

The community has also raised over $40,000 in donations to revitalize the Jackson Creek Trail. However, $25,000 must still be raised to ensure benches, educational signage, trail markers and accessible wayfinding signs can be designed and installed once the trail bed is repaired and re-opens this December. Those wishing to donate can go online.

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Trans Canada Trail Contributes $61,500 to the Revitalization of The Jackson Creek Trail

The Trans Canada Trail is contributing $58,500 towards the rehabilitation and revitalization of the Jackson Creek Trail and an additional $3,000 for signage enhancements announced Tuesday.

File photo.

Funding for the revitalization of the trail includes addressing points of erosion, installing culverts, regrading slopes, enhancing bridges, resurfacing of the length of the trail and the addition of benches and educational signage.

Trail revitalization is funded in part by a grant from Trans Canada Trail to enhance our local section of Canada’s national trail, and a $523,917 investment from the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF).

The community has also raised over $20,000 in donations through the Your Metres Matter campaign for revitalizing the Jackson Creek Trail.

“Trans Canada Trail is proud to support the revitalization of the Jackson Creek Trail, and we celebrate Otonabee Conservation’s dedication to expanding and improving its trails, in order to make them a welcoming place for all community members and visitors,” says Eleanor McMahon, president of Trans Canada Trail. “The Trans Canada Trail would not be what it is without the commitment of our local partners. National in scope and local in execution, Trans Canada Trail collaborates with provincial and territorial partners and over 500 local trail operators across the country, such as Otonabee Conservation, who are instrumental in the Trail’s past, current and future development.”

The Trans Canada Trail is the world’s longest network of multi-use recreational trails, stretching more than 28,000 kilometres across every province and territory. The Jackson Creek Trail makes up 4.5 k.m. of the Trans Canada Trail, extending from Ackison Road in Selwyn Township to the concrete bridge at the entrance to Jackson Park in the City of Peterborough.

The Jackson Creek Trail is currently closed for construction and will re-open Dec. 16, with the possibility for an earlier opening dependant on weather.

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Upcoming Construction Closures Planned on Jackson Creek Trail and Trans Canada Trail For Upgrades

The revitalization of Jackson Creek Trail and Trans Canada Trail is closing from Oct. 11 to Dec. 16 for revitalization and construction announced by Otonabee Conservation on Thursday.

File Photo.

Upgrades extend from Ackison Road in Selwyn Township in the west to the concrete bridge at the entrance to Jackson Park.

The trail may reopen earlier should the work be completed sooner according to Otonobee Conservation.

Photo courtesy of Otonabee Conservation.

Construction includes addressing points of erosion, installing culverts, regrading slopes, enhancing bridges, resurfacing of the length of the trail and the addition of benches and educational signage.

During the closure, detours will be in place that will direct trail users to alternate routes using local roads, sidewalks, and multi-use trails that extend from Ackison Road in Selwyn Township, to Parkhill Road West, and Monaghan Road in the City of Peterborough.

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Crews Working To Clean Up Fuel Oil Spill In Jackson Creek

Crews are working to clean up a fuel oil spill at the south end of Jackson Creek in the area of Townsend and Aylmer streets that was reported on Wednesday.

crews attempt to contain the fuel spill and prevent spreading. Photo By Luke Best

According to Brendan Wedley, Manager of Communications at The City of Peterborough, the city is working with the Ministry of the Environment and has immediately put in place environmental protection measures to prevent the spill from discharging into Little Lake, and retained an environmental consultant to investigate the source of the contamination as well as an environmental remediation specialist.

At this time the contamination is not discharging into Little Lake, and the water quality in Little Lake has been maintained.

Though Little Lake has been deemed safe, that wasn’t the case in 2018. In April of 2018 broken fire suppression line at the old General Electric plant, located on Park Street, had leaked polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB’s) into Little Lake.

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Your Metres Matter Fundraising Campaign Raises Over $10,000 In The First Week To Help Revitalize The Jackson Creek Trail

In just over one week since launching the Your Metres Matter fundraising campaign, the community has raised $10,600 to help revitalize the Jackson Creek Trail in the heart of Peterborough.

The Your Metres Matter campaign is raising funds to resurface and repair points of erosion on the Jackson Creek Trail so that it continues to be accessible and safe for all trail users. Each $50 donation helps to revitalize one metre of trail.

“More than ever, people are accessing trails to get exercise, boost their mental health, relieve stress, and spend quality time with family,” said Dan Marinigh, CAO at Otonabee Conservation, “During the pandemic, the trail is seeing an increase in use as many residents seek the calm of nature nearby, and have taken up hobbies like birdwatching, hiking, dog walking, biking, and cross-country skiing. The trail is in need of repairs to restore its longevity.”

The Your Metres Matter Community Challenge also launched last week; it encourages groups to raise funds and challenge each other in a friendly community competition.

So far, Runner’s Life, Peterborough Nordic Club, Wild Rock Outfitters, and the board and staff at Otonabee Conservation have taken the challenge, already collectively helping to raise $6,500 for the campaign, which translates to 130 metres of trail.

“We are so grateful for the support we are receiving, and especially from the groups and community members who regularly utilize the trail,” said Marinigh. “The response we are having with this friendly community competition unites us with a common goal to care for and revitalize a trail we all love.”

Each $50+ donation to the Your Metres Matter campaign will receive a charitable tax receipt, photo card, sticker, and a commemorative Jackson Creek Trail badge to wear proudly while visiting the trail. A donation of $500+ dollars (or 10+ metres of trail) will be recognized on a new trailhead sign to be placed along the Trail.

“While we have raised $10,600 in just over one week of the campaign, we still have a ways to go,” said Marinigh, “As of December 8, we have raised enough to repair 211 metres of trail; the Jackson Creek Trail is 4,500 metres long so we encourage more groups to join our Community Challenge and more trail enthusiasts to consider a donation or a gift to the trail lover on their holiday list this year.”

To make a donation, track progress of the campaign, learn more about the Your Metres Matter campaign or the Community Challenge visit otonabeeconservation.com.

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