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9 of Ontario’s best mountain biking trails | Cottage Life

I don't think the Uxbridge Trails should have been rated as "beginner"... but at least they've been included.

Uxbridge Trails

Hi All, Due to the massive amount of rain that came down on Saturday, this has been re-scheduled for Saturday, May 13th. Come on out to the Preserve this Saturday; there's lots going on!

Timeline Photos

Join Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority on Saturday for Community Tree Planting. Saturday, May 13th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Timeline Photos

Come on out on Saturday Morning and help plant native grasses and wild flowers.

A message from our friends at Uxbridge Scouts, North Durham Nature, and the Uxbridge Watershed Committee - Help the Birds, Bees, Butterfly’s and other Pollinators in the Uxbridge Countryside Preserve This Saturday May 6th the Uxbridge Scouts, North Durham Nature, Uxbridge Watershed Committee members of the public and township staff are planting 300 native plants in the Preserve to enhance the grassland. Many of our native grasses and plants are disappearing as we introduce plants from around the world to our gardens and fields. These other plants may not have the flowers or nutrients needed by our wildlife and this plus other factors have reduced the numbers of many birds and pollinators. Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) identified the Tall Grass Prairie as a potential future plan for the Cultural Meadow area of the Preserve (Existing Use and Future Management Options” LSRCA 2008). This experimental planting is a pilot project using Ontario native plants found in tall grass prairies which were once prevalent in this area before European colonization. You may recognize some of the plants we are planting: Butterfly milkweed, Black -eyed Susan, Heath Aster, Hairy Beardtongue, Showy Trefoil to name a few. In total we plan on planting eight species of wildflowers and five grass species for a grand total of 300 individual plants. The success of survival will also depend on weeding and watering the plants the first few weeks of their life. If you would like to help with the planting or watering give Derek Connelly a call or email. 905-852-5432 ndnature7@gmail.com

Timeline Photos

The Durham Mountain Biking Association met at the Durham Forest for what was their ninth annual roadside clean up day in conjunction with Earth Day events. They cleaned up a total of 14 kilometers of roads including 7th and 6th Concessions between Goodwood Rd and the Townline and Chalk Lake Rd from the 7th Concession to Lakeridge Rd. The worst area for garbage were the 3 parking lots and the intersection at Goodwood Rd and 7th Concession. The most common garbage found were beer bottles and cans found in the ditch (alcohol consumption in vehicles has a long way to go) and dog bags left behind by some dog walkers at Durham Forest (It's hard to believe that people would come to a beautiful place like Durham Forest to walk their dog, them leave behind their dog poop bags to litter the parking lot). The mountain biking club has been active building trails and advocating for the sport in the Durham region for over a dozen years and took on the clean up when it was noticed that the roadsides around Durham Forest, Walkers Woods and Glen Major Forest were in a deplorable state. The first year, items such as a television console, mattresses and tires, in addition to about sixty bags of garbage, were collected just from the 7th concession! This year the cleanup was completed with the largest number of volunteers in the shortest time to date, 2 hours. It was a great success, to a worthy cause and well appreciated by local residents and trail users.

Photos from Uxbridge Trails's post

A small but energetic army of volunteers converged on the Countryside Preserve and John McCutcheon Way on Saturday for our yearly Earth Day clean up. In addition, numerous residents also volunteered to clean up some of the other township trails in their neighbourhoods. Thanks to all volunteers for your hard work.

Celebrate Earth Day in Ontario's Greenbelt with this Toronto Star feature

A message from our friends at the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority... Hello Durham Regional Forest stakeholder, As we transition from winter to summer activities, we thought we'd provide an update of what is going on in the forest, specifically at the Main Tract: 1. Our winter harvest activities on the east side of the Main Tract wrapped up at the beginning of March. The unseasonably warm weather meant that there was some damage to double track routes from the harvest area, past Coyote Junction and out to gates on the 7th Concession. This was caused by the loaded hauling trucks. Once the frost has gone and the trails dry up, we will be re-grading the routes to remove ruts and bumps. This work is being paid for by the harvesting company. 2. We will be partnering with DMBA in May to undertake some single-track trail work in the area south of the parking lot, realigning and improving the sustainability of some popular routes. We will also be closing some unsustainable and unused routes throughout the forest as we continue to ensure that the trail network is sustainable. 3. Updated mapping will be installed in the 4 kiosks in late April, showing new alignments developed in the spring and removing recent closures. 4. We have removed a number of hazard trees in and around the parking area off Concession 7, coordinating work with LSRCA staff, Hydro One and private contractors. Some additional clean-up of debris will be occurring over the next few weeks. 5. Grading of the driveways and parking areas has been arranged with Durham Region through their Roads Department, addressing the potholes that arrive with the freeze thaw cycles of spring. 6. Following a successful trial in 2016, we will continue to have portajohn facilities in the Main Tract parking area. We hope to develop solutions in 2017 to address waste being left by visitors in/around the unit. Unfortunately, it is our experience that waste facilities encourage more waste being left behind (eg. A garbage receptacle for coffee cups and pet waste often seems to encourage people to clean out their car or bring household garbage, even contractor materials). We hope to find an effective solution. 7. To work toward our objective of no net gain in trails in the forest, we will continue to work with you, our stakeholders, to identify trails that may be: realigned to improve sustainability and user experience; closed as they are unnecessary; or closed as they are unsustainable or unsafe. With the significant amount of new sustainable trail built in recent years in DRF and neighboring properties, we believe it is time to take a hard look at older trails that do not support our collective objectives. 8. We are working again with DMBA to realign the trails in the area harvested this winter, in and around "The Pines", to establish sustainable routing and an "out and back" option connection to the TRCA properties to the south. This rerouting will be constructed in the fall, 2017. In the interim, the Pines trail has been cleared, with some sections sign posted as closed for regeneration. We look forward to the arrival of the warm weather and seeing the trails in active use again. Thanks to all of you for encouraging your members to stay off trails while they dry out and get set for more use. We have posted closure notices in the forest and will coordinate removal once we all agree the trails are ready.

Hike the Town Trails and Help Keep Your Trails Beautiful at the Same Time! Earth Day Trails Clean-up – Saturday, April 22, 2017 10:00 am to 12:00 Noon; Rain or shine. Earth Day has been celebrated for over 45 years in North America. It’s a chance to do something to symbolize we care for our environment and the planet. In Canada most school children are involved in an Earth Day program, and Scouts have annually planted trees across Canada. Here in Uxbridge, Trail Captains are hosting a Trails Clean-up day on Saturday, April 22nd. Please join us at either the Trestle Bridge (John McCutcheon Way) or at the Countryside Preserve on Wellwood Drive (behind Walmart) at 10:00 AM. Alternatively, you can also clean up your favorite town trail. Just sign in at the Township office reception area between April 18 and 21. Garbage bags and hygienic gloves will be available at signup. When complete, filled garbage and recycle bags are to be left at the trail entrance for pick-up by Town crews. Do your part let’s make Uxbridge the Clean Trail Capital on Earth Day! For more information contact Trail Coordinator - Don Cook 905-852 -9181 ext 232 Or email dcook@town.uxbridge.on.ca or uxbridgetrails@town.uxbridge.on.ca