Northgate Trails is a highlight of the Dauphin area that's visited by people from around the world, and there's a lot of work in keeping it at this global level.
Jean-Louis Guillas with the Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club is looking to instate "Trails Thursdays", which will be a weekly meet-up at 6pm at the trails to attend to maintenance on the trails.
"Part of our campaign, and this volunteer piece, is to educate people about the work that it takes to maintain this trail. the kind of work we have to do is completely dependent on where we have the trails. it's a beautiful area, but it's also sort of vulnerable in some portions, so it means there's special care that needs to go into it"
So many folks message us about volunteering ❤️ Here’s the best way to help out!
Posted by Northgate Trails Dauphin on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
Trails Thursdays will bring together local nature and trail enthusiasts to help with a wide variety of tasks that these trails need to be done.
This could range from grass and brush cutting, tree clearing, scouting trails for needed maintenance, and more.
Guillas notes that some people will be hired for more specialized work to help prevent erosion and build infrastructure for the Manitoba Summer Games.
Trails like "Old Chap" are quite close to a creek that runs through the trail system, and long-term run-off threatens to degrade that trail as it exists today.
The Trails require a lot of upkeep year-round too, not just during the summer months.
Guillas noted that the first snowfall of last year was nearly impossible to pack with the mechanical trail groomers that are usually used.
A call to action for snowshoers went out and saw a great group of people come out and pack down the snow manually.
If you want to support your local Trails and keep them in pristine condition for years, come out to the trailhead every Thursday at 6 pm.
You can also contact Jean-Louis, The Trail Tutors, or the Dauphin Derailleurs on Facebook for any questions you have!
