Wile-E

Here is a picture of a visitor taken by .Jim Reid on January 22nd.  He sent the picture to Butch Galvez, Wildlife Technician, who replied with this:

Looks like last years pup with mange, not a very large animal. Mange causes hair loss via infection. Coyotes are very strong and some may recover from mild cases but severe cases are often fatal during winter months. Mange also can change behavior, it tends to increase daytime sightings because the animals become more reliant on low quality food sources and may seek shelter under sheds or decks. Aggression, however, doesn’t appear to increase, often they are weak and become somewhat submissive. Still not an animal to be approached and there’s always a risk to smaller pets (off leash).

Just want to make sure he/she isn’t getting any easy food handouts. If the animal is seen with greater frequency please let me know. We like to monitor the activity.. thanks for the picture..

Regards, Butch

Still in Progress

The weather, as usual, has delayed completion of some projects but we are slowly getting there. Here is the latest status:

1. Shearwater Flyer side of trail trimming - complete;
2. Shearwater Flyer East Abutment Bissett Lake Bridge - complete;
3. Heritage Trail side of trail trimming - in progress expect completion first week of January 2019;
4. Salt Marsh Trail - side of trail trimming (heavy) complete;
5. Salt Marsh Trail Re-Cap work from the shore of Cole Harbour to West Lawrencetown Road - complete;
6. Salt Marsh Trail - Surface work in areas where re-rocking was done - in progress expect completion by the first week of January 2019; and
7. Shearwater Flyer - Surface and side of trail repair from ATV damage - start delayed into new year.

Progress!

Work continues on the SMT West Lawrencetown end. Ditching and side of trail clean-up is complete. The trail surface has been graded and will be getting a new coat of crusher dust over the next few days.

Then it will be some quick touchups to the surface of the Salt Marsh trail where we were doing the re-rocking.

Side of trail maintenance on several sections of the Shearwater Flyer will be completed by the middle of next week. The contractor will then be doing side of trail maintenance on two sections of the Heritage trail. Selective pruning (clean up the immediate edge of the trail followed by some selected thinning out to about two meters beyond) will improve sightlines and open the trail to more sunlight from the Patrick Lane entrance to the edge of the field by the main entrance to the Park. Routine side of trail work will be done from the small parking lot on Bissett Road up to the first field near the main entrance.

Both images taken by Jim Tudor.

A new layer of crusher dust being applied on the Salt Marsh trail

Trans Canada Trail sign at the  site of the re-rocking work. TCT was a major funder for this work.

Ready For Winter

Re-rocking on SMT is complete for this year. Matt Lange of Lange Rock Farm Construction stretched our limited budget to the max and provided stellar work (and more than a few bonuses). Thanks to Charley Sharkey for managing this project so well and to Jim Tudor for his renowned technical assistance.

Work on the Jerry Lonecloud, Panorama and Jersey Jack trails has been completed. The response form trail users has been very positive. Kudos to Jim Tudor and Charley Sharkey for excellent project management and to our contractor Rafuse Excavating for a job well done.

Additional work was done around the bridge abutments of the Canada Goose and Bald Eagle bridges that buttress against the "dramatic tidal and wave action. We capitalized on having Lange Rock Farm on site - probably reducing the cost by about 50%

Some re-adjustment of the large rocks at the Bissett Road end of the Flyer were made to discourage ATV "excursions. The work done by HRM for the crosswalk  left some sizable gaps and significantly restricted service truck access to the Flyer.

The work on the two crosswalks (SMT/Flyer and Bissett Phase 3) have generated considerable "buzz" among Park and Trails users. All very positive.

Side of trail work on Heritage and Flyer under the Maintenance Funding Agreement (MFA) will start next week

Re-cap work on the SMT from lands end to West Lawrencetown Road has started but will increase tempo next week. SMT from lands end (east side) to West Lawrencetown road will be closed for about two weeks. Signs are going up.

In preparation for heavier truck traffic, we will need to look at some side of trail clearing to allow trucks through unscathed on the SMT. 

New order of 40,000 dog poop bags was received today. At current rate of use that should keep us until mid summer 2019. CHPTA is supplying two boxes on the Bissett trail without additional funding.

HRM AT staff verbally advised CHPTA that, due to weather and ground conditions, the work on the Bissett phase 3 (Bissett greenway) will be delayed possibly to next spring. The heavy rains have saturated the ground making trail building very difficult particularly on the Bissett Road side. Talking with the contractor onsite today (20 Nov) there may be activity from the Brookview end of the project - clearing the trail path and some earth moving. He also confirmed the delay. He also indicated that supply problems may delay the installation of the crossing lights at both the Bissett phase 3 and the SMT/Flyer crossings.

Invitations have already gone out to our members for the Christmas social that will be held at the Rose and Kettle Tearoom of the Cole Harbour Farm Heritage Museum Tuesday 4 December. Invitations to our supporters will go out in the next day or two.

Michael McFadden.

Chair

Cole Harbour Parks and Trails Association

902-435-3952

www.chpta.org

Work Zone Ahead!

This is will be busy two months for maintenance work involving heavier vehicles on the trails and in the Park.

• Shearwater Flyer - Bissett Lake Bridge abutment restoration - started today (contractor did not advise us before - sorry) duration couple of weeks. 
• Funded by HRM (Maintenance Funding and Councillor Karsten), Trans Canada Trail (TCT), NS Recreational Trails Expansion Program (RTEP) and CHPTA. Signs are going up as I write this. 
• Project lead - Barry Ducolon. This is the first restoration and the only one for this fall. 
• Narrowed access will be maintained as most work is off the trail and under the Bissett Lake bridge;
• Salt Marsh Trail - re-rocking 200 m section between Flying Point and Canada Goose Bridge start 6 November 
• Funded by RTEP, TCT, Councillor Nicoll and some corporate donors with a very generous donation from The Maple Tree Fund. 
• Project lead Charley Sharkey;
• This will be a partial closure with signs. Probably between the Canada Goose Bridge and West Lawrencetown Road. Main work is between Flying Point and Canada Goose bridge but heavy trucks will be entering at West Lawrencetown Road. The section from Bissett Road to the Canada Goose Bridge will be open;
• Salt Marsh Trail - recapitalization work east end from Cole Harbour edge to West Lawrencetown Road - starting after the re-rocking is completed. 
• Funding HRM through the Capital Funding Agreement. 
• Project Lead Charley Sharkey;
• Partial closures at various times dependent on work being done that day. Maximum closure area would be from West Lawrencetown Road to Cole Harbour salt marsh. 
• Jersey Jack and Jerry Lonecloud work funded by CHPTA and RTEP. starting as early as 24 October 
• Project Lead Jim Tudor assisted by Charley Sharkey;
• Some partial closures of individual trails. Some truck traffic from 256 Bissett Road (main entrance to Park) for access to the Jerry Lonecloud. Jersey Jack Access has been arranged from the north part of the Park. 
• Side of trail maintenance along Heritage and Flyer Trails starting in the next couple of weeks. 
• Funded through MFA and Off Highway Vehicle-Infrastructure Fund (OHV-IF). 
• Project lead Michael McFadden
• This will involve cutting and chipping and partial closures along the trails.
• HRM has indicated that construction of the Bissett Trail Phase 3 (they call it the Bissett Greenway) will start 29 October. This is an HRM "Direct Delivery" project. 
• Funded by HRM with a $20,000 grant from TCT (submission was made by CHPTA and transferred to HRM). 
• CHPTA liaison - Charley Sharkey.
• we will determine if there would be any blockage of the existing trail at Brookview Drive

Michael McFadden
Chair
Cole Harbour Parks and Trails Association