Members of Community Living Youth Connections help maintain Kincardine trails
Six members of the Youth Connections program, with Community Living of Kincardine and District, took their love for the outdoors to the next level by volunteering with the Kincardine Trails Association this summer.
Youth Connections is a summer engagement program for those, aged 12-19, with developmental disabilities. They receive support as they participate in recreation and community activities, build social skills and work on personal goals. Youth Connections runs from late June to the end of August.
Team leader Abby MacDonald (right) said this year’s participants – Dylan, Callum, Ryan, Ben, Teegan and Jackson - had the opportunity to get out on the trails that they enjoy walking along, and help with the maintenance.
“They took on various tasks, such as trimming branches, clearing obstacles, picking up litter, and assisting with trail inspection forms, to make sure everything was in safe working order,” said MacDonald. “The youth enjoyed the rewarding aspect of contributing to their community through an activity they personally enjoy, and are interested in finding other ways they can contribute to their community.”
The volunteers received trail inspection and maintenance training from MacDonald and from Kincardine trails volunteer Dave Trumble, and focused their efforts on trail maintenance from Geddes Park to Scott Street on the red trail, one of the highest traffic sections of the trails system.
Heidi Harris, a new Kincardine trails volunteer (supporting volunteer engagement and promotions), worked with MacDonald and the Kincardine Trails Association to co-ordinate the volunteering.
Callum (left) and Ben of Youth Connections help maintain the Kincardine trails; photos courtesy of Heidi Harris
“We have an incredibly special and unique Kincardine trails system,” she said. “On just one walk, you can find yourself beside ravines and rivers, through old cedar forests, along the Kincardine lagoons, one of the best birding locations in Ontario, and through kilometres of beautiful beach and boardwalk trails beside Lake Huron.
“Even more, you can get almost anywhere in the Town of Kincardine, including our vibrant downtown, or outside town, to Inverhuron Provincial Park, through the trail system.
“It is amazing to live in a community that deeply cares about the trail system. As I walked the trails this summer, it was wonderful to see the work of our many volunteers and the Municipality of Kincardine to keep the trails maintained, including the most recent efforts of Michele Gade and volunteers to remove invasive species. It is a tremendous amount of work.
“Thanks especially to all of the Youth Connections volunteers for the extra support to help keep our trails well-maintained and safe this summer!”
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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