Work Party - June 7, 2026 – Brantford

Time:     8:30 AM 

Expected Duration: 3 hours

Meet Location:   Meet at end of Fen Ridge Court, 
                           south of Hwy 403 off Oak Park Road
                           Google Maps: (43.164309   -80.344014)

Date:  June 7, 2026

About the Work Party:   Widen, strengthen and install 
                                      double handrails on 35 foot bridge.

Tools needed:   Battery screw guns, tape measure, level, gloves and boots. 
                         Remaining tools are supplied.

Material:    Building material will be delivered to the 403 highway bridge
                  close to the site and moved to the site from there. We will carry
                  only our tools from our cars to site, about 1 km - all downhill !

Work Party Coordinator:  Tony Kelly
                                           Email:  tkelly1943@gmail.com
                                           Phone:  416-712-5399

Registration and Work Party Waiver:
Please contact Tony at the email address above ASAP to confirm your 
attendance. 

Tony will have a waiver sheet for you to sign at the meeting location.

Title: Kitchener - Black Walnut Trail Work Party

Location: Trail Access, Old Zeller Drive, Kitchener

Date:  May 23, 2026

About the Work Party: 

Along approximately 1 km of the main Grand Valley Trail, we will repair, replace or construct erosion control measures in 5-6 areas.  This includes working in teams to carry windfall logs and rocks, trimming/cutting windfall logs and securing in place to angle irons with screws and placing rocks to control erosion.  Pruning as needed to maintain the trail.  A new sign with blazing will be installed to improve navigation.  Pick up litter along the trail. 

Work gloves and safety toe footwear are recommended if available.

Tools needed: Drills with screwdriver bits, hand saws, work gloves

Tools supplied: loppers, pruning saw, wheelbarrow, sledgehammer, pry bar, chainsaw

Work Party Coordinator:  Tina grandvalleytina@gmail.com

Parking and Start Time:  Meet at 9:00 am near the trail access on Old Zeller Drive.  GPS/Google maps  43.454678690639554, -80.40898125748821. 

Directions: Please use your favourite GPS app to obtain directions.  Old Zeller Drive is serviced by public transportation bus route 23, please consult the Grand River Transit System website at www.grt.ca if you need additional information. 

What to wear and bring:  Pack some water, snacks, insect repellent, and sunscreen.  Safety footwear is recommended if available or comfortable hiking shoes, runners.  Dress in layers according to the weather forecast.

Registration is mandatory to participate on this work party. 

Sorry, no dogs on GVTA work parties with the exception of certified service dogs. 

Join us at the symposium …

"Sustainable Tourism Through an Indigenous Lens"

GVTA has one more ticket to help man a booth at the symposium.

May 2, 2026
From 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
At Chiefswood Park
1037 Highway 54, Oshweken

To join us, contact Tony at:  tkelly1943@gmail.com

Registration for the GVTA  Annual General Meeting is now open! Join us for an engaging evening of connection, updates, and Canadian history. 

This year's guest speaker is Bob Rennie, a local historian and re-enactor of the War of 1812.  Rennie will be presenting "Laura Secord's Walk Into History," the story of her courageous 32 km journey to warn British forces.

Members are invited to register by May 6, 2026.  You can read the full details of the event on our page for the Annual General Meeting.

If you are unsure whether your membership is active, please get in touch with us at volunteering@gvta.on.ca.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We'll have our first work party April 19. Meet at 8:30 AM at the end of Fen Ridge Court, which is south of highway 403 off Oak Park Road. The work site is about a kilometer from parking spot and all down hill.  

Work to be done includes: widening the trail by cutting and removing saplings, removing brush, and clearing large old logs off the section of trail south from our big oak tree and fireplace. This will improve visibility for hikers and bikers. Tools needed are loopers, hand saws, axe and gloves. Tools supplied will be: a gas driven 12" beaver blade cutter, battery chain saw, battery pruner, and wagon to haul stuff. 

At 11 AM our resident artist and fire-minder, Patrick, will serve hot snacks. The menu includes marinated steak cubes, shrimp, and spicy sausage on a bun with mustard and onion. Served fresh from the grill at the fireplace.

Chainsaw Certification Course                                                   
May 2nd (or 3rd) - Midland

Hike Ontario is offering a one-day chainsaw course on May 2 
2026 (or possibly May 3, depending on the number of people
taking the course).

Course Content
The course consists of an indoor session in the morning which
discusses safety and maintenance, etc., followed by a session 
in the afternoon involving field practice and observation.

Certification
Successful completion of this course is required for certification 
to operate a chainsaw for the GVTA.

Location
The course will be at the property of a member of the Ganaraska
Hiking Trail Association near Midland, Ontario. Directions will be 
provided to those participating closer to the date of the course.

Required Equipment
Course participants must bring:

     •    Chain saw
     •    Chaps
     •    Helmet
     •    Ear protection
     •    Safety glasses

GVTA members who have been approved to take this course 
can borrow GVTA equipment if they do not have their own. This 
is arranged with your trail director close to the date of the course.

Travel
Travel arrangements will be organized closer to the date of the 
course when the number of participants has been determined.
Participants will arrange amongst themselves to car-pool and
the GVTA will reimburse the owner of car-pool vehicles:

Brantford to Midland is 231km on non-toll HWY’s and travel time
is 2-1/2 hrs to 3 hrs depending on traffic. Reimbursement to the 
owner of car-pool vehicles is the round-trip distance @ $0.73/km:    

       (462km return x $0.73/km) = $337.26

Course Fee
The Hike Ontario course fee is $150 + HST. The GVTA will 
reimburse approved members for the course fee: 
   
       $150.00 + tax = $169.50

Course Applications
Reimbursement is available only to approved GVTA members.
Those interested in taking this course should send an email to:

       Trailmaintenance@GVTA.on.ca

Seats are limited and applications will be approved based on 
need in each trail section and the order of receipt.

Application Deadline
The final date to apply for this course is April 11. Applications 
must be received at the email address above before April 11 in 
order to reserve space with Hike Ontario, organize equipment 
loans, arrange for transportation, etc..

GVTA Commitment
The GVTA is subsidizing the entire cost for this course because
trained chainsaw operators are required to maintain our trails and
this must be done safely. It is expected that members who take
advantage of this opportunity will commit to using this training in 
the safe maintenance of our trails. Participants must understand 
that they will be called on from time to time to join work-parties as
the trained operator.

We don’t expect that operators will be available all the time and
there is no set number of work-party participation since every
work-party involves different levels of effort. 

We do expect that operators will volunteer on occasion, and that
if they feel a project is beyond their ability, they will advise the
trail director.

Hello everyone!

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