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New Trail Diversion Around Seepage Area

The Upland of the Copeland Forest is on the edge of the Oro Moraine.  Water seeps out of the hills and helps form the rivers that flow out of the Forest.

In a few instances, single track trails go through these water seepage areas and continued trail usage will lead to a widening of the trails and ecological damage.  At the end of June, six mountain bike members of Copeland Forest Friends Association re-routed 200 metres of trail to avoid one of the seepage areas.

It is our hope that this new route will discourage users from traveling through this sensitive area that is below the new trail.

Later this summer, we will add signs at either end asking users to stay on the trail.

Thanks to the trail crew for their hard work:  Bob, Tony, Ed, Brian, Kody, Johnathan and John.  A special thanks to Bob Hannah for coordinating the project.

Call for Volunteers – Water Testing

Copeland Forest Friends are beginning a new initiative this summer to monitor watershed health using a citizen science approach.  We have room for a few volunteers who will be assigned a permanent site along a stream in Copeland Forest to monitor.  No experience is necessary and you  will be provided with all the training and equipment required to conduct water tests.

Why it matters
The Copeland Forest is the headwaters for three major rivers/watersheds:  The Coldwater, Sturgeon, and Willow.

Headwaters are like the foundation of a building, and if they are compromised, so is the entire watershed.  If the headwater stream stays cold year-round, it is of primary importance because it provides the larger, lower portions of the river with a steady base flow of clean water.  In turn, they are fed from groundwater originating from glacial formations such as moraines and drumlins.

Some of the sources in Copeland Forest are as clean as water can get, and it is important to monitor them to ensure they stay that way.  This data can also be used to provide a comparison to the water downstream.

Volunteers test for eight water quality “parameters” right on-site.  The tests include Depth, Temperature, Turbidity, pH, Phosphates, Nitrates, Dissolved Oxygen, and Alkalinity. Other tests, such as Chlorides, will be added if deemed necessary.

For a complete volunteer job description, click here.

To sign up, contact Pat Woodford at strix.woodfordii@sympatico.ca  or call (705) 835-0002.  Next training session is this Sunday July 17th from 9:30 to 5 pm.