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Province
of New-Brunswick signs agreement to complete the
Trans
Canada Trail in New-Brunswick
The
province of New-Brunswick has signed a plan to complete the Trans-Canada
trail in the province by 2017, just in time for the 150 th anniversary
of Confederation. Premier Shawn Graham made the announcement near
the Bill Thorpe walking bridge in Fredericton on August 3 rd , 2010.
Trans Canada trail‘s national program coordinator, Jane Murphy was
also present for the announcement. The trail will run from the Quebec
border, follow along the Saint John River, and continue to Cape
Tormentine at the other end of the province. The Trans Canada trail
will use many existing NB Trails as well as country roads in order
to complete their trail.

Left
to right: Environment Minister Rick Miles, Natural Resources Minister
Wally Stiles, Jane Murphy of Trans Canada Trail, Premier Shawn Graham,
Poul Jorgensen of the New Brunswick Trail Council Inc., Wellness,
Culture and Sport Minister Hédard Albert and Finance Minister
Greg Byrne
New
sign for the International Appalachian Trail

A
new sign was raised at the International Appalachian Southbound
Trail Head in Tide Head. This sign has a map of the trail as well
as a short history of the creation of the trail. Present to help
with putting up the sign was from left to right: Donald Ferran,
Trail crew, Denyse Zyveniuk, Associate Director of IAT NB Chapter
and NB Trails Restigouche director, Poul
Jorgensen, Executive Director NB Trails, Line Brideau, Regional
Coordinator NB Trails, Mario Trahan, Trail crew.
Inauguration
of the Sentier de l'étoile

Daniel
LeBlanc - board of directors with Bernard
Leblanc MLA Memramcook-Lakeville-Dieppe

Mayor
of Memramcook, Donald Leblanc, cutting the ribbon

The
Sentier de l'Étoile sign
The
inauguration opening of the first section of the Sentier de l'étoile
trail occurred in Memramcook on June 5 th 2010. Approximately 40
people attended the ceremony to listen to the honourable Bernard
Leblanc as well as the mayors of Memramcook and Caraquet speak.
The group then walked to the beginning of the trail for a ribbon
cutting ceremony.
The
Sentier de l'étoile is a project to develop a long-distance
trail running more than 400 km along the east coast of New Brunswick
to promote eco-tourism and discovery of the province's Acadian region.
In addition to connecting communities along New Brunswick's entire
east coast – Acadian, First Nations and Anglophone alike – from
the Bay of Fundy to the Baie des Chaleurs, the Sentier de l'étoile
will be used as a local trail by the people in those communities.
In winter, some sections may be used for cross-country skiing or
snowshoeing.
International
Trails Day, June 5th 2010

Saturday,
June 5 th , 2010 is International Trails Day, an occasion to celebrate
our New Brunswick Trails system. Summer is just
around the corner, it is the perfect time to be active in the beautiful
trails we have all around the province. This year the New Brunswick
Trails Council Inc will support events throughout the NB Trail System
through their partnerships with the St John River Society and the
Fundy Biosphere Reserve to celebrate local trails and park on Saturday,
June 5th. Fifteen International Trails Day events will be organized
province wide in the communities of: St. John , Grand Bay-Westfield,
Edmundston, Florenceville-Bristol, Woodstock, Fredericton , Moncton
, Dieppe , Fundy Trail Parkway , Riverview, Memramcook, and Bathurst
.
Detailed
Schedules:
ITD
2010 schedule other communities
ITD
2010 schedule St. John River Heritage Corridor
Man
organizes first ultramarathon in NB to raise money for MS

Brad
Holmes is running through New Brunswick to raise awareness for multiple
sclerosis. Brad is originally from the St. George area and has been
a serious runner for the past six years. Brad decided to organize
this run after finding out that a local friend currently has
five family members diagnosed with the disease.
Atlantic
Canada currently has the highest rate of MS in the country; 350
people per 100,000 are affected. Canadians have one of
the highest rates of MS in the world.
Brad
will be starting his run at the Trans-Canada trail in Edmundston
at 6 am on May 8th and will be finishing at the heritage museum
in St. George in the afternoon on May 11th. He will be running through
many New Brunswick communities and will be utilizing New Brunswick
trails for much of the distance. Pledge sheets will be available
with the local trail sponsors of the communities he will be visiting.
Brad
would also like to invite people to join him in the run. The cost
to join him for the whole run is $150. Anybody who completes the
whole run will receive a free lobster and belt buckle at the finish
line, however all donations, any size are accepted. You can
also join him in the run through your community. Receipts will be
given for tax purposes.
May
is MS awareness month. Please give generously!
For
more information please contact Pat Kimball at the following email
address: Email
New
Employee Announcement

It
is our pleasure to announce that Nathalie Rayne has joined the NB
trails team on May 3rd, 2010 in the position of marketing and promotions
coordinator.
Nathalie
has worked in many television production positions working for CPAC
and Rogers Television. Most recently she was a project coordinator
with the Federation of young francophones of New Brunswick. We believe
she will be a valuable addition to the organization.
Please
feel free to contact her with any questions:
Nathalie
Rayne
nbtrails@nbnet.nb.ca
New
Port Elgin Bridge installed over the Gaspereau River

FREDERICTON
(NB)-Monday, March-08-10-A new bridge over the Gaspereau River in
Port Elgin was installed on Wednesday, March 3rd . The New Brunswick
Trails Council Inc. crew has been working on the 190 feet (59 meters)
galvanized bridge structure for the past two months. It took two
days for the crew to set up the bridge over the river. Interested
observers from all around the surrounding area were on hand to witness
the setting up of the bridge.
The
installation of the bridge is considered a crucial step to the completion
of the eastern part of the TransCanada Trail. New Brunswick
Trails Council Inc. plans to have the Port Elgin Bridge fully completed
by the end of March. Next summer, the organisation hopes to resurface
14.2km of trail in the area in order to complete the Trans Canada
Trail link from Sackville to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
Poul
Jorgensen, Executive Director of New Brunswick
Trails Council Inc., is very pleased for the advancement of this
project and would like to thank the construction crew for their
good work.

Shogomoc
river bridge in construction
New
Brunswick Trails Council Inc. started construction of the Shogomoc
Bridge on December 2009. This bridge is located at the mouth of
the Shogomoc River, which flows into the Saint John River near Nackawic.
It is a key link for the Trans Canada Trail and the Saint John River
Trail. The bridge is to be completed in March 2010.

New
First trip across the Ice road at Shogomoc

New
Clearing the ice on the backstay foundation.
One
meter of water drains into the excavation each night and the water
has to be pumped and the ice removed daily

New
Placing of the anchor that will hold the bridge towers in place

Preparing
the east side

Breaking
ground on the west side

Building
road to west side
Natural
Ambiance of the Dobson Trail and the Fundy Footpath threatened by
ATV’s
Fredericton-November
4th 2009, Walking and biking trails allow New Brunswickers to experience
nature. There is a tacit pact between outdoor enthusiasts and nature
to respect the fragile ecological balance of trails and their surroundings.
When ATVers starts to use these trails, the pact is broken.
ATVers are using the Dobson Trail and Fundy Footpath as detours
because their own trails are not maintained. In a couple of months
a hiking trail can be destroyed by ATV’s, damaging natural
wonders and destroying the work of trail volunteers.
“It
is disheartening for our volunteers that worked during decades to
maintain the trail,” said Alonzo Leger, maintenance coordinator
for the Fundy Footpath.
The
50th anniversary of the Dobson Trail was celebrated at the beginning
of October and the Fundy Footpath will be soon celebrating its 20th
anniversary.
”If
we add the hours of volunteer work and the construction and maintenance
costs paid by our organisation during the past 50 years, the investment
in both trails are estimated at a million dollars ,“ added
Leger.
The
volunteers of both the Dobson Trail and the Fundy Footbath feel
that ATVers do not respect their work. They think that ATVers are
opportunistic and use the non-motorized trails rather than build
or maintain their own trails.
The
ATV community is viewed by walkers, hikers and cyclists as being
out of control. Of the estimated 60,000 ATV’s in New Brunswick
40,000 of those are registered. There is no education program available
encouraging respect of the non-motorized trails and nature. Their
lack of courtesy on trails leads to conclusion that a shared use
system is not possible, nor safe.
“When
I see those damaged trails it deeply upsets me, it is theft of our
good works and investments ! It is time that local, municipal
and provincial governments support our trails; promote an active
lifestyle and an active respect for nature,” concluded Leger.
If
you want to support non-motorized trail, learn more about trails
and share your great experiences on trails, check our page on Facebook,
you can become a fan of New Brunswick Trails- Sentiers Nouveau Brunswick
on Facebook.

The
New Brunswick Trails Council Inc.
1350
Regent Street
Fredericton,
N.B.
E3C
2G6
1-800-526-7070
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