Grand Manan Trails
Annual Newsletter #6
November 1998
| Annual Maintenance-
Work on the trails began on May 1 with the hiring of Kirk Worthen of Castalia
as our "trail blazer". Even earlier some of our resident volunteer "adopters"
had been busy making substantial improvements. It has been a kindly winter
for once. We did not have to contend with a large number of blow-downs.
Signs had generally weathered well and the tin-lid markers only needed
augmenting in a few places where winter "choppings" for firewood and lumber
necessitated picking out the trail again.
On most trails with directional signs being sufficient, we were able to concentrate on additional informational place names. These give hikers interesting facts and also better enable them to follow their progress on the trails guide maps. As always the task of brushing out the invasive shrubs occupied a great many hours. Done largely with hand-clippers, the raspberries, "hard-hack" (Spirea), brambles and alders are the main challenges. CBC Radio announce on August 17, 1998 that Grand Manan's Mayor, Philman Green, was to meet with Don Crabbe whose family lumbering company (from Bristol, NB) had just purchased the so-called "Sawyer Lot" which comprises an estimated 1/3 of the island woodlands. The Mayor's concerns were for the fate of 58 camps and summer homes within these woods as well as some of the hiking trails. He came away from the meeting with the reassurance that only select cutting would be carried out. Don and Maureen Baldwin met briefly with Mr. & Mrs. Crabbe at an island function in September. Mr. Crabbe commented that their timber extraction will be spread over many years. Don expressed the hope that trailways be left unobstructed after a cut allowing us to re-mark the trail and keep it in use. Mr. Crabbe has been sent a copy of the trails guide and recent newsletters. Extensive logging has been carried out two or three times in the island's history. top Setting the Pace!- In preparation for an updated trails guide we would like to re-check all the trails distances and times required to walk them. This will require a volunteer or two to go over each trail one way and at a steady pace. We need a pedometer, preferably with its operator attached! If you have such an instrument or can help in an way, please let us know. top Good for Woodland Birds and Botanizing- When we next update our tails guide we will be adding the Woodland Walk at Southern Head, to the map on Page 16. Marked in blue this past Spring it is a nice dry and easy to walk addition to our system. Used for many years particularly by naturalists this dry and easily contoured trail (known locally as Lambert Camp Ridge Trail) passes west of the ridge through a sample of the Boreal Woodlands typical of the south end of the island. The main coniferous species here is the Balsam Fir and because of their cool 'northern' aspect these wood offer a better chance of encountering the Boreal Chickadee. Summer sightings of the Northern Goshawk in recent years suggest nesting. The Northern trailhead is shared by the Bradford Cove Pond and the Bradford Cove trails at the parking area on the right just south of the brook. The blue trail branches off to the left (south) about 100 metres in. A narrow ATV trail at its start, it opens to a wider old logging road (typical of many on the island) for its southern half. Examples of natural forest regeneration can be seen as the trail passes through several "choppings", some old, some new. At its southern end it emerges into a small roadside meadow where cut firewood is often stacked. The distance by road from start to finish is 2.3km. top New Trail Adopters- Tom and Ann Wetzel of Woodwards Cove, very active and experienced hikers both at home and away, have joined our team of volunteers. They will monitor and maintain the back-of-the-island trail from Dark Harbour down to Little Dark Harbour. top A Short Walk between Southwest Head and Hay Point. By Andy McIntosh
It is very clear that deer frequent this area by their hoof prints along the trail. You may need rubber boots, I should have mentioned earlier, but the difficulty of sometimes encountering deep ruts filled with water is often offset by delightful little hiker trails built around the problem spots as detours. The Grey and yellow birches in many spots have developed remarkable shaped by the persistent strong winds blowing onshore and many have "burls', bulbous growths on the trunks. Birdwatchers would be advised to carry 'pishers' (a small wooden and metal device that emits a squeaking sound), for the woods are fairly dense in places and the more shy birds like the kinglets can rarely be drawn into the open without one. Bradford Cove Pond is small and elongate, perhaps no more than 100 yards across and filled with peat coloured water. A few minutes past the lake one comes to a steep ravine where a small footbridge crosses. This foot bridge is rotten and I would advise no one to try it. (ii)Nevertheless, my wife Adrienne and I persevered and made our way down into the ravine, with its small stream and up the other side, and there you are - at Hay Point. A grassy clearing (with a picnic table) looking out across Grand Manan Channel towards Maine. By this time it was getting dark, so we retraced our steps, reaching our car left at Southwest Head some two hours before. (i)Gull Heath was once the site of a huge nesting colony of Herring Gulls. Somewhere between 19870 and 1875 (most likely in 1974), a pair of foxes were brought to Grand Manan by the Penobscot Indian s of Pleasant Point near Eastport, Maine. They were liberated at Southwest Head. They multiplies rapidly and the gull colony quickly decreased and by 1883 had disappeared. The Red Fox has long since been extirpated on Grand Manan. Editor. (ii)This bridge was repaired this summer by a trails volunteer. top Picnic Tables and Benches- Edith Allaby of Deep Cove donated the cost of a new picnic table for Hay Point this Spring. It is a fitting memorial to her sister Jane (Jennie McLaughlin) Ellingwood and also her brother Lawrence McLaughlin. Both were great lovers of our woodlands and trails. Volunteers assembled the table on site from a kit purchased locally. A second picnic table was placed at the Flock of Sheep as well as a third on the cliff top near Southern Cross. Benches were also added at Southern Head. There is a great potential to add more along the scenic parts of our trails. The cost of a picnic table kit was $70.00 Cdn. this year. top Trail Maintenance Tip- Our tin-lid markers require re-painting every couple of years. A small sized (125ml) plastic squeeze bottle, saved from the garbage, makes a good no-spill container for the paint. A #7 artist's brush is ideal. The appropriately coloured 250ml sized can of Rust Coat will last for years. Both are available at Home Hardware or D.H.B. can supply you if you contact him. Paint thinner will clean you brush and squeeze bottle before storage. Early Spring before fly season or early Fall are the best times. While you are painting your companion can be clipping away at the alders, hard-hack, brambles, etc.! Between you both you will have left the trail much improved. top Finances- We were independent this year. Funds carried over from 1997, donations from "Friends" and profits from the sale of crests combined to cover our expenses. A very desirable state of affairs. Many thinks to all who made this possible. top Who We Are- In the Fall of 1991 the Grand Manan Trails Committee (GMTC) was formed as a sub-committee of the Grand Manan Tourism Association (GMTA). Its purpose is to maintain and improve the traditional and primitive trails on Grand Manan for the enjoyment of islanders and visitors alike. In 1993 a "Friend of Grand Manan Trails" mailing list was begun. It now totals 99 individuals or couples who have donated personal effort or financial help. The Annual Newsletter was also initiated in 1993 to acknowledge support given, update the trails guide and pass on trails news to our supporters. The newsletter also goes to members of the GMTA and Grand Manan Chamber of Commerce. (These two bodies merges in 1996). Since both groups actively support the trails and meet the public we need to keep them informed and up to date. "Friends" have been recruited by the members of the GMTC or have responded to the appeal for support published at the end of the trails guide. We know we have only recruited a small sample of the increasing number of visitors who are hiking our trails. If you know of additional folk who have sufficient interest in us to expend some effort or make a donation, pleas show them the list in this newsletter. Perhaps you can pass on this edition to one such. We would like to ad to our numbers. Included in this years mailing addresses to "Friends" are 68 Canadians and 31 Americans. 24 are island residents. A nice mixture of North American s from "away" and an especially good number of islanders. top Heritage Trails and
Footpaths of Grand Manan
(the
trails guide) is a publication of GMTA and was last revised in 1995. It
is due to be updated within a year or so. Trails guides have been produce
and updated since the early 60's. Guides are sold by members of GMTA, Grand
Manan Museum or through the GMTC Co-ordinator. The present price is $4.00
with postage costs added. top
The Grand Manan Trails Crest- The idea that we should identify ourselves with a distinctive logo originated with one of the island's scout leaders in 1993. When contacted, long time "Friend" O.K. Schenk promptly designed our sew-on crest. Mr. Schenk's beautiful watercolours are well known to islanders and are included in some of our Museum's displays. The crest depicts "a hard white shape symbolizing the Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) which is common during the summer and always a source of pleasure". The background colour is a dark forest green and the white flower-center (or berries) a bright red. First offered for sale in 1994 they have become our principle fund raising activity. Sold, without profit to the sellers, by a number of GMTA member and the Grand Manan Museum for $5.00 each, they realize a small profit which is devoted to the upkeep of the trails. top Trail Adoption- Over the years the trails have been cleared and re-marked sporadically by funded crews and spontaneously by keen individuals. Starting in 1993 the GMTC began to recruit volunteer "Trail Adopters". We have signed-up individuals who are looking after specific trails, monitoring work needed and carrying out light maintenance themselves. Heavy work is typically done in the Spring before many hikers are out. The commitment of time is not onerous and all tools and materials can be supplied from the Co-ordinator's inventory. 90% of the work done simply involves a pair of hand clippers to combat intrusive growth. Keeping us informed on current trail conditions is probably the main contribution. We now have 15 couple or individuals acting as adopters. We need more. There are well used sections of our trails not yet being regularly monitored. top Can You Help? To better understand how our "Friends" function the following list represents the varied challenges we meet annually. If you feel you can assist in any way we would appreciate hearing from you.  Adopt
a trail (or portion thereof).
Don Baldwin - Co-ordinator, Bill Daggett, Cecilia Bowden, Eugene Gillies, John & Diane Cunningham, Maude Hunter, Sidney & Barbara Guptill Don Baldwin, 2071 Route 776, Grand Manan, NB, E5G 4K6 top Note: Laurie Murison prepared the newsletter for the web site version. |
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Grand Manan Tourism Association 130 Route 776 Grand Manan, N.B., Canada, E5G 4K9
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