Prince
Edward Learning Centre began work toward their Trails To Literacy
project in the summer of 2001. The initial task completed was
obtaining permission to work on the Prince Edward County Millennium
Trail. We were provided with the report of the public consultation
on the use of the Trail and made contact with the County Millennium
Trail committee through the Commissioner of Community Services,
Barry Braun.
Our
next task was to find a suitable place to house the 'Trails'
project. We were fortunate to be able to rent a building owned
by the County. The project was set up in the Don Baxter Memorial
Building in Bloomfield, a short walk from the trail as it passes
through Bloomfield.
As
all of this was happening, we were working with Prince Edward
Lennox and Addington Social Services (Ontario Works) to build
a partnership to enhance the project. There were two reasons
to develop this partnership. First, we wanted to provide community
placement opportunities to Ontario Works participants. Second,
we applied for funds through the National Child Tax Benefit
program to be used to extend and add depth to the project.
Alec Lunn was hired to coordinate the project. He started working
at the Trails site in March after visiting the North Frontenac
Literacy site to pick up ideas and advice from the first project.
Initially, there were two literacy participants and one OW community
placement. They set up the shop, planned activities, and started
learning woodworking skills by building signs, birdhouses, and
bird feeders.
Gradually,
interest in the project grew and others joined the crew. The
first official project was to build signs to mark the access
points to the Trail. These signs are beautiful affairs in robins
egg blue, yellow, and white. An outline of a heron is cut out
in the background by using a scroll saw.
The
County Trails committee liked them so well that they adopted
the design as a logo for the Trail and the colours as official
Trail colours. The next activity was the creation of forty-nine
kilometre-markers to place along the trail from Picton to Carrying
Place.
Next,
the participants will do research activities and develop ways
to convey the findings to the people using the Trail. Participants
are building samples of birdhouses, bat houses, and bird feeders
and will be applying to the Trails Committee for permission
to place them along one section of the Trail close to the shop
so we can maintain them. In the future we may even be involved
in building rest areas. The possibilities are endless.
