Robinsons Island - July 17, 2014 - UPDATE The hot weather is now upon us and work on the 6 km long, stacked loop multi-use trail system is progressing well. The main trail is cut and cleared and crews have just finished laying gravel on the pathways. They now need some time to smooth out some of the areas along the trail and do some trail grooming. A number of beach access points have been created to allow for safe access to both the north and south shore of the island from designated areas along the trail but work is still required to complete the stairways. The next step is to create a small parking area for visitors at the start of the island and to transform the 700m of former roadway that crossed the centre of Robinsons Island. It will be made into a much narrower trail, giving all pathways on the island the same cohesive look and feel. It is expected that the multi-use trail will be available for use in August—watch for a further announcement! While a lot of work has taken place to date, there are still a number of important components remaining in the Robinsons Island project. Asphalt patching on the road leading to the island will begin in the near future to improve the road surface. Also, now that the multi-use trail is nearing completion, work has begun on the creation of the mountain biking technical features. Parks Canada continues to work closely with Cycling PEI to plan the design and construction of these spurs. Branching off from the main trail, these well-marked sections will be equipped with beginner-intermediate level technical mountain biking features. While some will be in place in the near future, all of the features will be completed by spring of 2015. Over the next few months, an ecological restoration plan will be developed for the site where the former campground once was. Making gains in ecological integrity is a big priority for Parks Canada. This project supports Canadas National Conservation Plan (NCP) by taking practical action in the three priority areas of conserving Canada’s lands and waters, restoring Canada’s ecosystems, and connecting Canadians to nature. A major component of any future plan will be the planting of native Acadian Forest tree species to encourage a rejuvenation of the original Island forest ecosystem. New interpretive installations will be developed for the trail over the next year with expected completion by spring of 2015. Some of these will be located at observation points and will have viewing scopes to enable visitors to explore the spectacular coastal views. With its rich cultural and natural history, there are lots of exciting stories to tell and Parks Canada will be working to devise an engaging visitor experience for those looking to explore Robinsons Island. It is anticipated that a grand opening for the new trail system on Robinsons Island will be held next spring when the mountain biking features and interpretive aspects have been completed.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 13:57:25 +0000