You don't have to go far for a walk...check out the village trails. See more including our interactive trail map at www.connectingalbertcounty.org/trails (Picture of Hillsborough Lake Marsh Trail by Annick Butland.) |
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Explore the trails of Albert County and surrounding regions with like-minded people - check out our list of outdoor active groups and naturalist groups. We also have a list of websites and apps to help you find new trails. (Image by Paul Gaudet of the Outdoor Enthusiasts! Club of Moncton.) For more information on Trails, see Exploring Our Trails. Fundy Trail Parkway is one step closer to becoming more accessible to Albert County. Now connecting Sussex Corner to the park’s east entrance and gate, the Fundy Trail Parkway has a variety of hiking paths to suit various fitness and energy levels. Whether you are seeking an easy stroll on a beach or a challenging wilderness hike along the extreme Fundy Coast, we think you’ll find what you’re looking for within this not-for-profit nature park. (Image by Janet Wallace) My first experience of Shepody Mountain was a challenging hike to the summit in a snowstorm. In the dark. With sounds muffled and visibility reduced to my headlamp’s range, I felt cocooned. This, with the increasing angle of the climb, kept me so focussed on my body’s rhythm that the trek upward became like a meditation. By Ken Arsenault If you are an experienced hiker, you are probably aware of the Leave No Trace (LNT) principles. Many of the ideas come from common sense backwoods etiquette; there is more to it than “Pack it in, pack it out.” “Leave No Trace” was founded in 1987. In this educational program, people are encouraged to practice responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships. Many corporations and outdoor groups have adopted this philosophy. I will discuss the seven principles and suggest things we can all do to help make the backwoods experience more enjoyable for ourselves and others. By Julie Kean Marks Have you hiked the Mapleton Acadian Forest Trail near Elgin? I highly recommend this quiet 3-km nature trail to anyone who would like to spend a peaceful hour or two exploring the Mapleton Acadian Forest Nature Preserve. As you meander up hill and down dale, you will discover small waterways, footbridges, interpretive signs, ravines, and a variety of hardwoods and softwoods in the Acadian Forest. You will hear brooks gurgling, squirrels chattering and birds calling. You might also catch a glimpse of wildlife or a maple sugar camp in the distance. If you have not had the pleasure of experiencing this tranquil trail, come out and see for yourself! During the winter, you might need snowshoes or ice-grippers, depending on the conditions. (Note: bikes are not permitted on the trail.) Text and images by Kat Hallett In Albert County, we are lucky to have access to so many beautiful hiking trails. From the Riverfront Trail along the shores of the mighty Petitcodiac in Riverview, to the expansive trail network cutting through the Acadian Forest in Fundy National Park, there is truly something for every trail user, regardless of their experience or fitness level. Text and Images by Jennifer Shelby Taking kids for a hike is a reckless act of bravery and/or foolishness. Your choice. Tantrums and meltdowns a kilometre into the woods are no one’s idea of communing with nature. Last summer my kids were two and seven, ages heavy with whining and parental resistance. They’ve taught me that, instead of trying to get the kids to hike like adults, I need to hike like a kid or I’m going to walk out of the woods with nerves more frayed than when I started. Text and Artwork by Emily Phillips I made my first connection to Albert County in September 2010, shortly after arriving in Canada. I was about to attend Mount Allison University as an exchange student. At that time, I was going to school at American University in Washington, DC. During my first week in New Brunswick I befriended Alla, a joyful Cape Bretoner who was always planning a new adventure. She invited me to go kayaking and eat sticky buns in Alma. The scenic coastal drive from Sackville to Alma was markedly different from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region where I grew up. I fell in love with Albert County right away, and have felt a strong connection to this special part of the world ever since. A little primer on these bodacious beetles Text and images by Denis Doucet One of my favourite outdoor activities during the first warm days of spring is to look for Lady Beetles around our farm. “Wait, what are ‘Lady Beetles’?,” you may ask. “I thought they were ‘Ladybugs,’” you say. Technically, “Ladybugs” are a kind of beetle (beetles represent the largest order of insects with 300,000+ species). Like other beetles, their first set of wings are all leathery and not for flight. True “bugs,” such as stink bugs, assassin bugs, plant bugs and more, are all part of the Hemiptera Order. The first set of wings of Hemipterans are half leathery and half clear. Now, on with my story, and I trust you now know why I am calling them Lady Beetles. Project protects habitat along with community’s water supply The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has expanded a key nature reserve in southern New Brunswick. The not-for-profit group has purchased another 69.5 hectares (147 acres) of rare and mature Acadian forest near Riverside-Albert. Two thirds of the newly protected forest is made up of trees more than 80 years old. Had it not been conserved, the forest was in danger of being lost to logging due to its high timber value. Story and photos by Deborah Carr This article is a sneak preview of our upcoming special issue. See details at Exploring Our Trails. There was a time when I dreaded winter and everything about it: the cold, the snow, the shoveling, scraping, shivering, slogging through slush. Each morning, as I climbed in my cold car for the half-hour drive to work in the dark, I muttered, “I hate this part.” My grumpiness didn’t contribute much to my well-being. I soon decided if I was going to live in the Maritimes, I’d better find something to like about winter. Enter snowshoeing, downhill and cross-country skiing. By Kat Hallett; Images by Denis Doucet Wildlife is all around us, even in winter. We may not see as many creatures as we do in other seasons, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t here and thriving. While some animals, primarily birds, migrate to warmer locales for the winter months, many native to Atlantic Canada have become experts at surviving cold and snowy environments. Moose eat huge quantities of leaves and shoots in the fall, building up their fat stores before the temperatures drop. Throughout the winter, although there is still some food available to them in the form of twigs and bark, they rely on stored energy, and move as little as possible in an effort to conserve it. The Canada Lynx, on the other hand, is able to remain active during the winter thanks to its own snowshoes - its huge, furred paws. They have no problem trekking through deep snow and chasing prey to keep well-fed throughout the winter. By Deborah Carr On January 9th, 150 people packed into the Riverside-Albert Recreation Centre. They were there to learn more about the nomination submitted by Water and Environmental Protection for Albert County (WEPAC) to have Shepody Mountain designated for protection. The nomination was part of a provincial plan to increase protected areas in New Brunswick from 4.6% to 10% before the end of 2020. The goal of the meeting was to share information about the background of the nomination and the merits of Shepody as a conservation area, as well as rally community support. Fundy National Park published the Twelve Birds of Christmas in December. We are reprinting these in Connecting Albert County with permission.
Text by Julie Ouellette, pictures by Denis Doucet, both of Fundy National Park Sometimes we take the permanence of the things we love for granted. This fall, local landowners along Route 114 learned sections of Shepody Mountain were slated for industrial harvest in the spring of 2020. We began talking about what this meant for the continued health of the mountain as we had concerns that clearcutting would affect the vistas and creeks, create erosion and more blowdowns, and displace the resident wildlife. A few of us talked about what we might do about it. By Kat Hallett The Acadian forest is a cornerstone of Albert County and beautiful in every season, from the brilliant greens of early spring, to lush, full forests in the summer, and bright red maples in the fall. Primarily composed of birch, maple, balsam fir and spruce, it is often easy to identify (ID) the trees in our forests. In the winter, however, this task becomes more difficult. November is a strange month. It’s cold, and it’s wet. The coloured leaves have all but fallen, and there’s no snow yet for winter activities. The whole month feels like a weird, drawn-out transition from fall to winter. Thirty days stuck in this weird interim makes it easy to take November for granted. The last few years, however, I’ve made a conscious effort to find things about November to appreciate. Even though every year I’m dying to get out on my cross-country skis or lace up my skates, the idea of wishing away an entire month of the year seems kind of sad. By Amy Woodard (photography Deborah Carr) Over the past year, I have done a lot of soul searching regarding the impact of my lifestyle on the planet. I’ve learned a lot about government and politics, the environment, who does good and who does bad, and the shifts that are taking place in the energy sector around the world. I’m also a SAHM (“stay at home mom”) to two pre-school toddlers, a gardener and a wannabe minimalist so I don’t have a lot of time to engage in a great deal of environmental action. I’ve found that the most satisfying way for me to make a difference is to take what I’ve learned about the big environmental issues, trace my tiny actions in everyday life towards their source, and determine if what I’m doing is right according to my core values. I’ve made many changes and the most exciting has been to reduce my power bill by more than 30% just by changing my habits. I hope you’ll join me in a “Bring Down the Average Challenge.” By Kat Hallett October brings many changes. The nights are cool and the afternoon sun doesn’t warm us up quite the same way it does in September. The days continue to shorten, and the leaves turn to brilliant red, orange and yellow. This change in colour is the result of a chemical process triggered by changes in the temperature and changes in the length of daylight. The leaves stop their food-making process, and as chlorophyll breaks down, the greens fade and give way to a fiery display of fall colours. By looking closely in nature, it is fascinating to realize that many animals follow suit and change colour in the fall, too. by Deborah Carr Jenn Shelby’s lovely article on fireflies accompanied by Denis Doucet’s photo (at left) sent me out into our yard in search of the little creatures to show my grandson. I found one in daylight, but once deposited in a jar, it failed to flash when darkness fell. Denis advises that of New Brunswick’s dozen species, only eight or nine produce light. |
Environment
Connecting Albert County would like to thank the following supporters & advertisers: Platinum supporters - Bennett and Albert County Health Care (BACH) Foundation - Albert County Pharmacy - Hon. Rob Moore, MP for Fundy Royal Gold supporters - CBDC Westmorland Albert - Albert County Funeral Home - Friends of Fundy Silver supporters - Crooked Creek Convenience - Hon. Mike Holland, Minister, MLA-Albert - Fundy Highlands Motel and Chalets Bronze supporters - Chipoudy Communities Revitalization Committee (CCRC) - Jeff MacDougall, SouthEastern Mutual Insurance If you would like to support Connecting Albert County, visit our Advertising page or Donation page. With your support, we can continue to share the news of rural Albert County. Comments We welcome comments to our blog postings. Please provide your email address and name with your comment, and respect our content guidelines. Archives
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