Timmins campaign to help pay for recreational trail maintenance

The Wintergreen Fund for Conservation in Timmins has launched the Healthy Trails fundraising campaign.

The not-for-profit group wants to help the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority pay for the maintenance costs associated with the 55 kilometres of recreational trails in the city.

“We're constantly looking for funding for the trails, and it's really just to maintain the trails, the attributes, the bridges, the culverts, the material,” said David Vallier, general manager of the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority.

In the past 15 months, the group has managed to raise 60 per cent of its $200,000 goal by canvassing businesses and organizations. Contributions from Club Richelieu Timmins and Lakeshore Gold on Wednesday, bring the total to around $120,000.

Now, the group is turning to the public to raise the rest.

“We are hoping that all trail users, you know, will think consider of making a donation because they are using them and there are they are accessible free,” said Michele Lepage, a member of the Wintergreen Fund for Conservation Board.

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“So if you go to southern Ontario, you go to a conservation area, you do have to pay for many of these areas to go in and to walk in their trails and, here it's free so we are hoping people will say, I can donate, whether it's a small donation, a medium donation, it doesn't matter.

The local trails receive 200,000 visitors annually and the Wintergreen Fund for Conservation hopes they will pitch in to ensure the trails remain free to use in the future.