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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.
“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.
New Brunswick Trails Council Inc. Award Winners Named
Moncton, October 19th, 2009: The New Brunswick Trails Council Inc.’s (NBTCI) Annual Awards Banquet was held the evening of Saturday, October 17th at the Future Inn in Moncton NB, as a part of the New Brunswick Trails Council Inc. 2009 Trail Symposium & Annual General Meeting.
Deborah Apps, the President and CEO of the Trans Canada Trails (TCT) delivered the Keynote address and spoke about the exciting future of the TCT development. She also presented New Brunswick Trail Council Inc. with a monetary gift of $151,400 for a number of ongoing NBTCI projects such as the Shogomoc Bridge design, the Port Elgin Bridge and the Saint John River Trail.
During the day, Monique Mills, one of many guest speakers, related her experience with the The Sears National Kids Cancer Ride. Many people in the audience found her story very inspirational. A walk on the Dobson trails was completed in the afternoon, to mark its 50th anniversary
The awards were handed out with the following recipients:
Dr Art Dobson and Alonzo Leger NBTCI
Tim Foulkes and Brian Clark, President NBTCI
Paul Gaudet's mother and sister and Barry Spencer Vice president NBTCI
Brian Clark, President NBTCI and Bill Mayo
Normand Thériaultand Barry Spencer Vice President NBTCI
Melanie Moore, Marwood, and Brian Clark President , NBTCI NBTCI wants to thank all of their sponsors including, ADI Ltd., Cain Insurance Service, Marwood Ltd., Armtec, Hillside Consulting Engineers Ltd, Sunny Corner Enterprises Inc. and Xerox. A thank you also goes out to the companies that donated products and services that were used for fundraising during the annual silent auction.
The New Brunswick Trails Council Inc. 1350 Regent Street Fredericton, N.B. E3C 2G6 1-800-526-7070 |
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.
Lifetime Service Award- Dr. Arthur Dobson. Dr Dobson is the founder of the trail that came to be known as the Dobson Hiking Trail. In the 1950’s, he dreamed about having a version of the Appalachian Trail in Albert County. He made that dream come true thanks to the support of over 100 volunteers that he had inspired.
Trail Advocacy Award- Tim Foulkes. Tim has been a long term supporter of hiking trails. He almost singlehandedly established and built the Simpson’s Hill trail system and spends a great deal of time maintaining and promoting this trail system.
Outstanding Media Award- Paul Gaudet. Paul Gaudet is a writer with the Moncton Times Transcript newspaper and his column on trails and hiking appears every other week in the Saturday edition. The column is called, “Take a Hike” and is often complemented with unique photographs. His readers are introduced by-weekly to interesting and out of the way trails that lead to nooks and crannies around the Maritimes
Trail Worker Award- Bill Mayo: Bill Mayo has been a long time volunteer on the Dobson Trail and the Fundy Footpath. Bill lead crews to maintain the trail section near the Fundy Park Boundary and the section between Goose Creek and Martin Head Road. 
Trail Worker Award- Normand Thériault. Normand is the president of the tourism association in the Acadian peninsula, a councillor with the city of Caraquet and owns a campground in Caraquet. Normand has greatly contributed to the maintenance of the Caraquet bicycle trail. 
Corporate Award- 
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