Waterford Heritage Trail Association volunteers clean up

Waterford Heritage Trail Association held a work day and clean up on the trail on April 26.

Brenda Moser

Advocate Correspondent

When the cry for help goes out, there is no shortage of Waterford volunteers ready to step forward to tackle the task at hand… whatever it might be.

When the Waterford Heritage Trail Association planned a work day on the trail and the request for help went out, their call was answered. With tools in hand, dressed for the weather and eager to get the necessary work done, about 20-25 volunteers gathered by the old Train Station on Saturday, April 26th at 8:30 a.m. ready to ‘dig in.’

Under the guidance of Frank Woodcock, tasks were assigned to volunteers and the work began. To make some of the tasks easier, not only did they have lots of wheelbarrows but Norfolk Disposal provided a front-end loader and backhoe to deliver wood chips while Harold Sonnenberg supplied a tractor and loader.

The wood chips, stored in various spots on the trail, are used around memorial benches, bushes and wet areas. It’s a big job but one that had to be done. Whenever a tree is down in Waterford, the Association requests the chips and stores them in various spots along the trail for future use as needed.

Gord Pennington, former Lynn Valley Trail member, was their onsite expert on the care of Carolinian trees and the clearing of brush around the trees. It was a big job, in itself, but many hands made for light work.

“We had a lot of community support and the Waterford Lions showed up to help wherever their help was needed. We were able to get our jobs completed… we accomplished a lot,” said Woodcock.

The Trail Association was able to get a grant from the Waterford Historical Society to purchase five mature trees to add to their Memorial Grove directly behind the Museum. It is a work in progress and requires time and patience.

Woodcock seems in his glory when he is working at the Garden.

“We can’t do it without the community support and we are getting a lot of help from the new people in town as well. It’s nice to see people out using the Trail.”

The Waterford Heritage Trail Association is very proud of the fact that they are self-sufficient financially.

“Our funding is self-contained and we do not receive any monies from Norfolk County. We were able to buy our little bridge – Bridge The Gap – thanks to generous community donations and fundraising. Also, when we decided that we wanted to pave a portion of the Trail we applied to the Federal Government and were able to get a grant to help cover costs and hope to extend the paving all the way to Hwy 24, as finances allow.”

To show their thanks for the support of the Indigenous community, they designed and built a ‘sitting circle’ on the lower level of the trail. If you’re walking the Trail and want to pause and relax, the ‘sitting circle’ is the perfect spot to visit.

Like so many projects in smaller communities it takes not only money but the support of a great core of volunteers to accomplish any project. The Waterford Heritage Trail Association is fortunate to have a great group of individuals who realize the beauty of our town and work together to make Waterford a great place to live or just visit. You won’t be a stranger for long!