There was some hubbub on social media last week by local people in the Stephenville area about the trails in the town.
Paul Grenier of the Walk-A-Ways Trails Committee posted that the group has made the upgrading of the We Care Nature Trail the priority for this year.
It will involve resurfacing the trails through the small nature park, thinning out some of the brush that has grown up, and cleaning the area.
A great idea as that section of the Walk-A-Ways Trail is located right in a section of town with homes and apartments nearby, making it accessible to them and for people who are walking the extended Walk-A-Ways Trail.
Grenier said the committee is aware that people would probably like to see a trail started around Devil’s Pond, which would be an extension of the Ned’s Pond trail, but recognized they don’t have the funding for this large project, which would probably cost in the area of $75,000 to complete.
He said the committee will consider this if they find a project that they can apply to; however, currently they don’t know of any.
Several Facebook posters supported Grenier, talking about Ned’s Pond Trail being perfect the way it is and not needing the extension at this time.
Another poster commented about how nice that trail is, especially at this time of year when the sounds of the birds can easily be heard and how nice it is to see the plants and trees budding out once again.
That can be said for all nature trails in Western Newfoundland at this time of year, especially those that have lots of wildlife. There’s a lot to enjoy along these trails and those who are dedicated to maintaining them deserve a lot of praise, as was seen in the recent Facebook posts.
In regards to the Walk-A-Ways Trails, Grenier also posted that the Fossil Forest Footpath near the Hansen Highway is closed until further notice due to 30 metres of the trail being washed away in recent flooding.
He said the Town of Stephenville has applied for funding to fix this area with armour stone and he will be doing a further post when this reopens.
With the Feather and Folk Festival coming up in many communities in Western Newfoundland, the trails will likely be getting lots of use while that is taking place. It’s a good time for people to get back in touch with nature.
