The Bruce Trail runs for 800 Km from, Queenston to Tobermory, along the geological formation known as the Niagara Escarpment. About half of the distance is over public lands, but the rest is over private land by agreement with landowners. The Niagara Escarpment has been designated as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
The mission of The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) is to secure the Bruce Trail in perpetuity for conservation and public use, by acquiring property along the route of the Bruce Trail.
The Bruce Trail Conservancy is composed of nine volunteer Bruce Trail Clubs that maintain the Trail locally, and land steward their section of the Trail. The area that the Dufferin Hi-land Bruce Trail Club covers is the high country in Ontario, from Mono to Lavender, which is also the headwaters of many of the rivers that flow into Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay.
The Boyne Valley Corridor (12.7 Km) is situated just north of Hwy 89 just east of Shelburne, and about 10 Km west of Alliston. It is a part of the Dufferin Section that has almost completely been secured over the years, The properties already secured include: Rock Hill Corner in 1993, the Russel property in 1993, the Pollock property in 1989, and the Boyne Valley Springs property in 2009. The Boyne Valley Provincial Park is already in the public domain. The remaining major stretch of Trail is the Boyne River Natural Science School property.
The Boyne River Natural Science School has hosted almost 3 Km of the Bruce Trail for the past 40 years!
The School has been closed for some time now, and the 400 acre property is now being disposed of by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).
However, they have agreed to sell 100 acres containing the Trail to the BTC!
This is a unique situation, since a normal 100 acre parcel would only have 0.8 Km of Trail, but because of the shape of the proposed purchase it covers 2.9 Km of Trail, or three times as much!
Today’s economic times are not a good time for fundraising, but we have no choice!
If the property is sold, we would lose a major route through the Boyne Valley Corridor, and the Dufferin Club would have to relocate the Trail to private property, if even possible, or onto concession roads with vehicular traffic.
The Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club is therefore undertaking fundraising to purchase part of the Boyne Valley School.
This is the first time in 40 years that the local Dufferin Hi-Land Club has had to do this itself.
However the situation is critical to having a Trail in the Dufferin-Simcoe Area between Shelburne and Alliston, and so close to Orangeville. The Trail is well known local favourite, and usage by local people is quite high.
Help Secure The Boyne Valley Hiking and Conservation Corridor in Perpetuity
The Mono Cliffs Run is one of the fund raising mediums being used to secure the purchase of the Boyne Valley Corridor.
