Otonabee Conservation is asking Peterborough residents to donate to help revitalize the Jackson Creek Trail.
The “Your Metres Matter” campaign is raising funds to resurface and repair points of erosion on the trail, so that it continues to be accessible and safe for all trail users.
Each $50 donation will help to revitalize one metre of trail.
“More than ever, people are accessing trails to get exercise, boost their mental health, relieve stress, and spend quality time with family,” explains Dan Marinigh, chief administrative officer at Otonabee Conservation, in a media release.
“During the pandemic, the trail is seeing an increase in use as many residents seek the calm of nature nearby, and have taken up hobbies like bird watching, hiking, dog walking, biking, and cross-country skiing. The trail is in need of repairs to restore its longevity.”
Many new homes are also being built along the Jackson Creek corridor, which will see an even bigger increase of trail users. Six new subdivisions and 3,400 new homes are being built adjacent to the trail, which means there will be over 8,000 more people living within walking distance to the trail.
It will take $225,000 to revitalize all 4,500 metres of the trail. Since the fundraising campaign launched on December 1, more than $11,000 has already been raised — including through the Your Metres Matter Community Challenge.
The community challenge asks clubs, businesses, and workplaces that use the Jackson Creek Trail to challenge each other in a friendly community competition.
So far, Runner’s Life, Peterborough Nordic Club, Wild Rock Outfitters, and the board and staff at Otonabee Conservation have accepted the challenge, collectively helping to raise $7,700 for the campaign, which translates to 154 metres of trail. To get your group name on the Community Challenge list, email Karen Halley at khalley@otonabeeconservation.com.
“We are so grateful for the support we are receiving, and especially from the groups and community members who regularly utilize the trail,” Marinigh says. “The response we are having with this friendly community competition unites us with a common goal to care for and revitalize a trail we all love.”
Each donation of $50 or more to the Your Metres Matter campaign will receive a charitable tax receipt, a photo card, a sticker for your bike or water bottle, and a commemorative Jackson Creek Trail badge you can wear while using the trail.
A donation of $500 or more — supporting the revitalization of at least 10 metres of trail — will be recognized on a new trailhead sign to be placed along the trail.
To make a donation, track progress of the campaign, and to learn more about the Your Metres Matter campaign or the Community Challenge, visit the Otonabee Conservation website at otonabeeconservation.com.
