The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA) celebrated the grand re-opening of Mills Block Conservation Area on Thursday, which now provides access to nature for all in the community.
The LRCA revitalized the site for the public to include a newly expanded parking lot with pollinator gardens, an AODA-accessible washroom facility and looping trail system featuring a boardwalk, a school bus parking area for educational groups and new wayfinding signage.
In addition to Mission Island Marsh and Cascades conservation areas, Tammy Cook, the LRCA’s chief administrative officer, said Mills Block will be the third accessible trail that the authority has added to its network.
Officials representing the LRCA, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission cut a ribbon to mark the reopening of the conservation area. (Nicky Shaw/CBC)
“Regardless of your mobility level, it’s nice for everybody to have access to nature to be able to appreciate it and enjoy it as well,” Cook said.
“So we have a lot of trails in our 10 conservation areas, but we do think it’s important, where possible, to provide some accessible trails as well.”
The conservation area’s trail, she explained, has flora and fauna from a wetland system that transitioned into a wetland area where historical harvesting occurred.
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The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority held a celebration to mark the grand reopening of its Mills Block area. The CBC’s Nicky Shaw attended.
“It’s a nice short trail system, about 1.2 kilometres, where you can see the different ecosystems and how they interact and transition from one to another,” Cook said.
Cook said the LRCA has been working on developing the area since last year.
“We were successful in funding applications from [the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund]. We also got some funds from the [Community Economic Development Commission] here in Thunder Bay and Doane Grant Thornton. And those funds really made this project possible,” Cook said.
“It’s about an $800,000 project with about half coming from those funding sources, so the funding was key, and then we had some really dedicated staff who have been working really hard along with Precambrian [Natural] Surface Trails and JML Engineering [who] helped us design it.”
Going forward, she said the authority will also be adding another connector trail to the existing trail system.
“It’s important to keep the existing trail network open and have connectivity to this new parking lot area. So that will be hopefully finished by the fall, which will provide another loop trail system in the area,” Cook said.
“New adventures”
“We come here a lot and as the Pathfinders leader for years, we would always bring the Girl Guides out here also. So to have new trails and they’re so beautiful – I can see already – I’m really excited,” said Leslie Murray at the grand re-opening.
Murray said it was also “wonderful” to see the new washroom amenities and expanded parking lot.
“The original parking lot is very small and then there would always be cars parked along the road. [To] just have the washrooms is a big, big bonus,” Murray said, noting her appreciation also for the picnic tables. p >
Her grandson Nixon Murray , who used to frequent th e area’s other trails often when he was younger , joined her at th e celebration. Nixon expressed excitement about th e new , upgraded conservation area. p >Left t o right : Leslie Murray an d her grandson Nixon Murray participate i n th e grand re – opening. They stand i n th e conservation area’s newly expanded parking lot , which features pollinator gardens. (Nicky Shaw/CBC)
In particular , he said he was excited about th e boardwalk on th e new AODA accessible looping trail system , as long as his grandmother could make th e trek with him.
“We were here one spring an d when we got here , it was so loud because of all th e frogs an d (whatnot) in th e marsh – it was deafening,” Murray said. p >
“And then we found that trail off th e main trail , where it’s all covered in amethyst , an d it’s just sparkly an d beautiful there. So it’s a lovely place t o visit.” p >
Th e grandmother an d grandson planned t o return t o th e area more i n th e future. p >
