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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