TBTC member attends World Trails Conference

The Bruce Trail Conservancy recently sent representatives from each of the nine clubs to attend the
World Trails Conference which was held in Ottawa this October. Three themes for the sessions were Climate and Nature, Regenerative Tourism, and Resilient Trails.  As a sign of the relevance of some of these discussions, many of the Appalachian Trail
people and others from the US were unable to attend because of hurricane Helene, which caused
tremendous damage and has left parts of the southern Appalachian Trail closed.
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by Rose-Mary Mitter
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The conference was opened with remarks by representatives of the Trans Canada Trail who hosted
the conference in Ottawa and we were welcomed by representatives of indigenous peoples from
Canada and New Zealand who talked about respect for Mother Earth and how all of us in the room
shared a responsibility to care for the land. Trails are seen to connect us all in a positive way, more
than just practically taking us from one place to another.  What we do in caring for the earth and in
building our trails creates hope for our children and that is part of our responsibility as climate
change affects the planet and their futures. Continue reading here.
The WTC is held every two years, the previous conference was in Greece, the next one will be in
Australia.  It is an entirely volunteer-run organization and this year’s Chair for the conference was
Jackie Randle of the BTC.

There were representatives from at least 35 countries around the world, some of the speakers talking
about trails in Brazil, Lebanon, Australia, and Taiwan, as well as Canadians from the island trail in
PEI, and a community trail in Prince Rupert. The people attending the conference were trail users
but primarily trail creators and builders, and those who maintained and administered trails of all
kinds.

There was an emphasis on involving local communities and indigenous peoples along trails for sustainability and tourism. There were discussions on how to promote trails for tourism and how to communicate the value of trails for both health and in preserving biodiversity. There were sessions on building sustainable trails, from new trails in urban settings to Mega (very long) Trails, and trails crossing more than one country. I listened to speakers talk about creating and funding new trails, creating conservation corridors as the BTC has been doing, and involving local communities in providing hostels and food to trail users. There were many more sessions on trail technology, mapping and trail signage, building accessible trails, and so many more that I wished I had had time to attend. We had time during the breakout sessions to talk to many other trail people and many new
connections were made. There were some fascinating discussions about issues that BTC volunteers don’t worry about too much, multi-use trails in cities, or trail building without volunteers. The Bruce Trail is a well established trail funded by memberships and interested donors. We have a tremendous corps of volunteers.  We have both an outstanding guidebook and an accurate trail app,
and the trail is both well maintained and signed.

It is a wilderness trail so it is not easily accessible to everyone but it is possible for everyone to visit some sections of it.  And efforts are ongoing by the Conservancy to improve the Bruce Trail as a conservation corridor and as a public footpath. What I and many of the volunteers attending from the Bruce Trail clubs took away from the conference was that the Bruce Trail and the Conservancy are doing very well and that we can be very proud of the trail and the volunteers who work to maintain and improve it.