by Sandy Foote | Jan 18, 2022 | Events, Uncategorized
English Follows
Chères membres et chers membres,
Bonne et heureuse année !
Avec les défis posés par la pandémie, beaucoup d’entre nous sont très reconnaissants de vivre et de travailler dans un environnement de forêts et des zones humides où nous pouvons explorer des sentiers, patiner sur des étangs, échanger avec nos voisins et sauvegarder l’extraordinaire biodiversité de ces lieux. L’appréciation de notre environnement local entraîne également la responsabilité de protéger les zones naturelles et les sentiers que nous aimons face au développement rapide.
Nous vous informons que la communauté a une occasion unique d’acquérir la forêt Jolicoeur-McMartin, 70 acres de forêt et de zones humides qui comprennent des sentiers de connexion clés dans le corridor écologique de Larrimac. Un lien vers les cartes qui situent ce terrain est inclus ci-dessous.
Nous croyons que la sauvegarde de cette forêt est d’un intérêt particulier pour les membres de Sentiers Chelsea Trails et la communauté. Les sentiers qui traversent cette forêt relient plusieurs quartiers de Ridge et constituent des éléments clés du corridor nord-sud, à l’est de l’autoroute A5. Les sentiers donnent également accès au parc de la Gatineau par l’un des rares tunnels sous l’A5; et d’autres sentiers est-ouest relient les sentiers et les petites routes qui mènent à la Voie Verte Chelsea le long de la rivière Gatineau. En préservant l’accès à ces terrains, la communauté pourra continuer d’y pratiquer la randonnée pédestre, le vélo de montagne, la raquette, le patinage sur étang et la promenade avec les chiens.
La forêt Jolicoeur-McMartin est également l’une des plus grandes parcelles de terrain non développées à Chelsea, et ce terrain présente un intérêt et une valeur considérables pour les promoteurs immobiliers; il est donc urgent d’agir !
Beaucoup d’entre vous connaissent Action Chelsea pour le respect de l’environnement (ACRE) et le travail important que cet organisme sans but lucratif bénévole accomplit pour protéger les terres à des fins de conservation et d’utilisation communautaire. En outre, ACRE est maintenant une fiducie foncière légale qui a la capacité d’acheter des terres au nom de la communauté.
ACRE a récemment signé une « promesse d’achat » avec le propriétaire de la forêt Jolicoeur-McMartin, dans le but de préserver ce terrain dans son état naturel et de permettre à la collectivité de continuer à utiliser les sentiers. Une coalition de résidents de Chelsea collabore avec ACRE pour recueillir des fonds pour l’achat des 70 acres. L’objectif de la collecte de fonds est de 950 000$, dont 800 000$ pour couvrir l’achat du terrain et 150 000$ pour les taxes, les frais et une contribution au fonds de dotation pour l’intendance.
Il est urgent et primordial que la communauté exprime son soutien car le délai pour l’achat de ce terrain est court, et il ne peut être réalisé qu’avec des dons substantiels de la part de particuliers, de familles et d’organisations. ACRE doit démontrer que la moitié des fonds (400 000$) sont collectés avant le 31 mars, et tous les fonds doivent être collectés avant la date de clôture du 31 juin 2022. Les promesses de dons peuvent être envoyées à [email protected] et tous les dons recevront un reçu fiscal pour activités de bienfaisance.
Sentiers Chelsea Trails appuie fortement cette importante initiative. Notre mandat est de protéger et d’étendre le réseau de sentiers à Chelsea et nous avons identifié la forêt Jolicoeur-McMartin comme un lien communautaire clé entre plusieurs quartiers, le parc de la Gatineau et la Voie Verte Chelsea. En contribuant à préserver la forêt Jolicoeur-McMartin comme zone de conservation, vous ferez un investissement important dans l’avenir de notre environnement naturel et dans notre incroyable réseau de sentiers.
Ensemble, nous pouvons y arriver ! Parlez-en à vos voisins, parlez-en à vos amis, pensez à faire un don ! La collecte de fonds prend de l’ampleur – dans les quelques jours qui ont suivi une présentation récente à la communauté, ACRE avait déjà reçu des promesses de dons s’élevant à 130 000$ ! Pensez à ajouter votre voix et votre don à cette initiative importante.
Pour consulter des cartes de la forêt Jolicoeur-McMartin, voir la présentation d’ACRE du 12 janvier. Pour plus d’information et pour connaître les différentes façons de faire un don, veuillez visiter le site Web d’ACRE et leur page Facebook.
Conseil d’administration de Sentiers Chelsea Trails
With the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic, many of us are very grateful to live and work surrounded by forests and wetlands where we can explore trails, skate on ponds, connect with our neighbours and safeguard our extraordinary biodiversity. Enjoyment of our local environment also brings a responsibility to protect the natural areas and trails we love in the face of rapid development.
We are reaching out to inform you that the community has a unique opportunity to acquire the Jolicoeur-McMartin Forest, 70 acres of forest and wetlands that include key connector trails in the Larrimac ecological corridor. A link to maps that situate this land is included below.
We believe that safeguarding this forest is of particular interest to Sentiers Chelsea Trails members and the community. The trails through this forest connect several Ridge neighbourhoods and are a key component of the north-south corridor to the east of the A5 highway. The trails also provide access to the Gatineau Park through one of the few tunnels under the A5, and additional east-west connector trails link to paths and small roads that lead to the Voie Verte Chelsea along the Gatineau River. Preserving access to this land will ensure ongoing community use for hiking, mountain/fat biking, snow shoeing, pond skating and dog walking.
The Jolicoeur-McMartin Forest is also one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels of land in Chelsea, and is of significant interest and value to developers, so urgent action is needed!
Many of you are familiar with Action Chelsea for the Respect of the Environment (ACRE) and the important work this not-for-profit volunteer organization is doing to protect lands for conservation and community use. ACRE is also now a land trust that has the ability to purchase lands on behalf of the community.
ACRE recently signed a “Promise to Purchase” with the owner of the Jolicoeur-McMartin Forest, with the goal of preserving this land in its natural state and enabling continued community use of the trails. A coalition of Chelsea residents is collaborating with ACRE to raise funds for the purchase of the 70 acres. ACRE’s fundraising goal is $950,000, which includes $800,000 to purchase the land, and $150,000 for taxes, fees, and a contribution to the stewardship endowment fund.
Community support is urgently needed, as the timeframe for the purchase of this land is short, and it can only be accomplished with substantial donations from individuals, families and organizations. ACRE has to demonstrate that half of the funds ($400,000) are raised by March 31st, and all the funds must be raised by the closing date of June 31, 2022. Pledges can be sent to [email protected] and all donations will receive a charitable tax receipt.
Sentiers Chelsea Trails strongly supports this important campaign. Our mandate is to protect and extend the trail network in Chelsea and we have identified the Jolicoeur-McMartin Forest as a key community connector between several neighbourhoods, the Gatineau Park and Voie Verte Chelsea. By preserving the Jolicoeur-McMartin Forest as a conservation zone, you will be making an important investment in the future of our natural landscape and continuity of our amazing trail network.
Together we can make this happen! Tell your neighbours, talk to your friends, consider donating! Fundraising momentum is building – in the few days following a recent presentation to the community, ACRE had already received pledges amounting to $130,000! Please consider adding your voice and your donation to this important initiative.
For maps of the Jolicoeur-McMartin Forest, see ACRE’s January 12th presentation to the community. For more information and the various ways you can donate, please visit ACRE’s website and Facebook page.
Sentiers Chelsea Trails Board
by sct_admin | Oct 22, 2020 | 1
Our summer student, Celeste Landon, performed a survey of noxious and invasive plants along the Chelsea Community Trail.
Celeste Landon is an environemntal science student at Simon Fraser University. As such, she is very well suited for this task. Celeste walked the entire 21 km length of this trail. She took GPS coordinates and various statistics at each incidence of a noxious plant.
Plant Type
A sample of her data and some preliminary results are Noxious Plants – Top 5 Highest Incidence Rate
shown. A final report will be available in October. This report will use the results of this study to recomend management practices.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS – TOP 10 HIGHEST INCDENCE RATE
Incidence Incidence
per km
Gout Weed Aegopodium podagraria
Manitoba Maple Acer negundo
This is a joint project between Sentiers Wakefiled Trails, Sentiers Chelsea Trails, and Voie Verte Chelsea.
Mean Area Per Patch
Buckthorn Frangula alnus
Coverage per km
Poison Ivy Toxicodendron radicans 101 Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria
2.2
Common 1.5
26
Stinging Nettles Urtica dioica
Japanese knotweed Reynoutria japonica
45
Ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia
31291.3
12 81.4
Note: These are preliminary results. A final report will be available in October 2020.
4.9
29 Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
39 sq m Dog Strangling Vine Vincetoxicum rossicum
25130.6 0.4
Poison Ivy
Purple Loosestrife
Virginia Creeper
Common Ragweed
Buckthorn
AREA SHOWN
0.6
51 sq m
248 sq m
49 sq m
108 sq m 1.9
1 628 sq m
2 999 sq m 1 461 sq m
2 195 sq m 905 sq m
1 273 sq m 35 sq m 1.2
17 sq m
20 sq m 11 sq m
7 sq m 2 475 sq m
1 320 sq m 81 sq m
31 sq m
by Geoff | Oct 19, 2020 | Trail Profiles
My husband Geoff and I first started talking about moving to Chelsea after looking and looking for a home in Ottawa and realizing that maybe we wanted more than city living. Our friends Lydia and Felix have lived here for years and we would always come out for their legendary Halloween party and to hike in Gatineau Park. When I discovered I was pregnant last September the house hunt was on as our tiny apartment in Westboro just wouldn’t work with a new babe on the way. Oh and guess what, Lydia was pregnant too! Chelsea was looking more and more appealing. We purchased our first home in January with a closing date of March 15th, which turned out to be the peak of the COVID pandemic. Moving out to the woods couldn’t have come at a better time.
Moving while 7 months pregnant during a global pandemic came with its stressors, but we settled into our new space nicely and it immediately felt like home. We were delighted to have direct access to the neighbourhood trails right from our very own backyard. I went for several slow walks, waddling my way up and down the roots and rocks. Geoff took up the COVID friendly activity of trail running and soon had a mental map built up of all the loops and routes we could hike.
Lydia had her little boy Frankie in mid April, and our little Juniper was born at the end of May. COVID and our very pregnant states made it difficult to meet up before the babies, but as soon as we were both feeling up to it our mission was to figure out how our houses connected via the community trails. Coordinating newborn schedules and nap times was a challenge, but we both aimed to leave our houses at the same time and walk towards each other. Fifteen minutes later, babies strapped to us and already asleep, we met by the hockey ponds off of Musie Loop. That was easy!
We continued to hike to each other every week, showing each other the ways to our homes. Lydia shared her favourite loops around her house and I showed her what I had learned of mine so far. Endless little trails to explore and discover as we chatted all things baby, motherhood and raising little ones in the new world. Our hikes and these community trails became a safe haven from COVID, a space where we could walk with ease among the trees. Where you can pass your neighbours with a friendly bonjour/hello and not worry about that big scary virus. We’ve watched the seasons change from spring to summer to fall and as we head into winter we know it will always be safe to meet up on the trails with our little pandemic babies.
Story courtesy of Emily Wilfong
by sentierschelseatrails | Mar 10, 2020 | Members & Volunteers
The Annual General Meeting of Sentiers Chelsea Trails (SCT) will take place on Monday, April 6th, at 7pm, at the Farm Point Community Centre.
You are cordially invited to join us for a presentation of current and future SCT projects in all sectors of our community.
by sentierschelseatrails | Jan 9, 2020 | Members & Volunteers
Dear SCT friends,
Mark your calendars: January 26 is the date for the Chelsea Ski Challenge under the banner of “Winter Fun Days.” It’s an opportunity to celebrate the Winter Community Trail. You are invited to come out and enjoy some skiing, walking, fat biking, or snow shoeing on the Community Trail from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
There will be introduction to cross country skiing workshops for children and adults at the CLSC building, 490 Route 105. More detailed information on activities, times and places will soon be available on the municipality’s website (www.chelsea.ca) and SCT website (https://sentierschelseatrails.org/).
Volunteers needed
In the meantime, we need some volunteers to help us on Sunday, January 26. Following are some of the many tasks to be performed: managing traffic at access points, welcoming skiers and other participants, serving beverages and snacks, building snow tracks on roads for skiers, setting up and dismantling of installations at access and activity points. If you can come out for a few hours on January 26th, please email Lyse Huot at [email protected] Thank you in advance!
by sentierschelseatrails | Jun 1, 2019 | Members & Volunteers
In the context of Chelsea Days, the Municipality of Chelsea invites you to a guided trail walk activity, organized in collaboration with Chelsea Trails. This guided trail walk will take place on June 1st, 2019.
Approximately 5.3 km in length, the walk is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at McNally Park, in the Chelsea Park neighbourhood. Participants of all ages are welcome. A representative of Chelsea Trails will guide the walkers. This activity could take around one hour and a half to two hours, depending on each person’s pace.
Thank you in advance for your participation, which will enable you to experience the trails that have been built in Ward 2 of our Municipality. Since the trails run along the lines of residential properties, please ensure that you stay within the limits of the paths and keep noise low as you pass close by to homes and decks. (more…)
by sentierschelseatrails | Apr 17, 2019 | Members & Volunteers
On April 15, Chelsea Trails kicked off their spring trail building season at the AGM with a call for more volunteers to help carry out the ambitious plans for this year’s trails. With 5 trail building projects in the works in the north of the village, centre village and Musie ponds, more helping hands are needed. To mark our first volunteer win of the season, we are delighted to welcome Tifenn Vialatte and Nic Hinsperger to the board.
The active living and transport file is another priority. SCT is fundraising for the environmental studies move forward with the Municipality to establish a north-south active transportation corridor ( or multi-use trail) through Chelsea Creek safely linking the Centre Village with Gatineau and Ottawa.
(more…)
by sentierschelseatrails | Mar 31, 2019 | Members & Volunteers
SCT members and friends,
It’s that time of the year again. The SCT annual general meeting is coming up on Monday, April 15th. And SCT needs you! (more…)
by Sentiers Chelsea | Jan 21, 2019 | Activités
Défi ski de Chelsea – Plaisirs d’hiver
Au cours des quatre dernières années, la célébration du sentier hivernal, maintenant connue sous le nom de Défi Ski de Chelsea, a connu des cieux ensoleillés avec des sentiers glacés, une pluie froide et verglaçante. Et puis cette année, malgré des températures glaciales sous les -25C, les conditions de ski étaient très bonnes grâce à la nouvelle neige et l’excellent travail des dameurs. Faisant fi aux intempéries et aux avis d’engelure, les résidents de Chelsea ont démontré leur ténacité et leur endurance alors que les Montréalais annulaient leurs festivités hivernales.
Quelque 80 personnes ont relevé le Défi Ski de Chelsea ce dimanche 20 janvier et ont emprunté le sentier en skis, en raquettes, en vélo fat bike ou à pied. (more…)
by sentierschelseatrails | Jan 9, 2019 | Members & Volunteers
2018 was a remarkable year for Sentiers Chelsea Trails. You, our volunteers, members, supporters and sponsors have been involved in projects all over Chelsea that have connected residents and neighbourhoods with nature for now and for the future.
In a rapidly changing municipality, it is vitally important to preserve existing trails wherever possible, and to look for opportunities to develop new active transportation connections. (more…)
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