About 25 interested people attended the first official meeting of the ‘Friends of Blueberry Hill’. This is a local group formed to support the Nature Trust of New Brunswick in it’s acquisition of a 50 acre nature preserve on property behind the Workers Compensation Building. This land has been offered to the Nature Trust by WorkSafeNB but it hasn’t been accepted yet because of concerns about two aging culverts on the property. They’ll eventually have to be replaced and until this issue is resolved the Nature Trust can’t assume the liability.

Various options were discussed at the meeting. The Nature Trust has applied for federal funding to assist in the removal of the culverts. Ducks Unlimited may also play a part in returning the wetland to its natural state. Once complete the plan is to then build a walking bridge over Henderson Brook to gain access to the property and trails.

Much of the meeting focused on fundraising ideas for the Stewardship Fund. Every Nature Trust property requires a fund of about $35,000 set aside to look after the property in the years ahead. A fundraising committee was formed and will be approaching businesses, individuals and organizations asking for financial support for the stewardship of the property. Other fundraising options and sources were also discussed.

Renata Woodward of the Nature Trust & Mike Bonga of Friends of Blueberry Hill

The Nature Trust is making a presentation on the project to Saint John City Council in January and is asking as many of the ‘Friends of Blueberry Hill’ as possible to attend.

You are invited to attend a meeting of the newly formed Blueberry Hill Support Group which will be held on Wednesday Evening, Nov. 4 at the Grand Bay Centrum.

November 4

7-9 pm

Centrum Room A

If you are interested in supporting the Nature Trust of New Brunswick to preserve this vital property in your community as Publicly Accessible Parkland, then this meeting is for you.

This will be a brief introductory meeting.

The agenda is proposed as follows:

1.       Establish an executive

2.       Agree on a mandate

3.       Discuss short term goals

4.       Next meeting date

5.       Join “Blueberry Hill” Facebook Group

If you would like more information please contact Mike Bonga Mikebonga@maximumrpm.ca or Gary Mittelholtz midwoodmedia@gmail.com

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH KEN HIRTLE AND RENATA WOODWARD OF THE NATURE TRUST

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick endorses the Blueberry Hill project but is not yet in a position to accept the property. Last spring the 50 acre site behind the Workers Rehabilitation Centre was offered to the Nature Trust as a natural area to preserve and protect. The property is one of the last undeveloped tracts of land in the area, containing fields, wetlands and forests bordering the St. John River.

Renata Woodward & Ken Hirtle

At the Annual Board Meeting of the Nature Trust held in Grand Bay-Westfield, board members supported Blueberry Hill, calling the property a gem, but were reluctant to proceed because of concerns over the state of culverts under the road over Henderson Brook. These culverts were put in about 50 years ago when the property was going to be used as a quarantine station for livestock. The culverts are old and need replacing. Estimates range from 20,000 to 350,000 dollars to do the work. The Nature Trust says it can’t take on that financial liability and for this proposal to go ahead, a solution to the culvert problem has to be found.

An engineering study of the culverts is going to be done to find the best option. One idea may be to remove the culverts altogether and build a walking bridge over the brook. In the meantime, the Nature Trust is reaching out to the community to find partners who value this property and want to see it preserved. A Trail Study has been completed and right now the plan is to make minor improvements to the existing trail system and open the area up for use by the public. A ‘Friends of Blueberry Hill’ group has been formed to help the Nature Trust look after this property and assist in raising money for the stewardship fund. Anyone from the Martinon, River Road and Grand Bay-Westfield area is welcome to join the group. Blueberry Hill is a major asset for the area. Imagine having an accessible park and recreational area preserved for all time right in the middle our community. If you want to help make that a reality, plan on attending the next ‘Friends of Blueberry Hill’ meeting on Wednesday, November 4th at 7:00 pm in Room A of the Centrum in Grand Bay-Westfield. If you’d like more information about  the group call Mike Bonga at 672-5290 or Gary Mittelholtz at 217-0224.

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick hopes to make a final decision on the Blueberry Hill Property by the end of the year.

Jennifer Bourque, Flo Colwell & Betty Rose at the River Road Community Alliance meeting.

Over 40 people gathered in the KBM on September 22nd for the fall meeting of the River Road Community Alliance. It was one of the largest turnouts for a meeting to date.

Alliance president Mike Bonga began the meeting with an update on the reconstruction work planned for the Westfield Road. He says the road was built in the 1920’s and was one of the first roads in the area to be paved but not much has been done to the road since. That’s about to change with the approval of the first phase of an 18 to 20 million dollar reconstruction project over the next 8 to 10 years. The first section of road should be completed by September 2010 and include improvements to ’suicide turn’ and raising the road and installing a new culvert by the St. John Marina. Saint John City Councillor Bill Farren told the meeting when the job is completed the Westfield Road will be the best in the city with everything up to the new standards including wide lanes, a sidewalk and two bike lanes. He warned people to be prepared for delays and road closures during the construction. Farren says work should begin in the spring.

Next came a discussion on the Blueberry Hill Property located behind the Workers Rehabilitation Centre. WorkSafe NB offered the 50 acre site to the Nature Trust of New Brunswick for preservation. The Trust is now looking at various options for the property before deciding to accept it or not. The River Road Community Alliance unanimously endorsed the project and discussed some of the challenges the Nature Trust faces in assuming responsibility for the property including the replacement of aging culverts under the road. Fundraising ideas for the project were also discussed.

People then broke into smaller working groups to discuss a number of topics including the building of historical makers in the community, area beautification, funding sources and the future of Blueberry Hill. The new groups pledged to continue working on these projects and report back at the next meeting of the River Road Community Alliance.

Bird Watching on Blueberry Hill.

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick is still studying plans and looking at various options before agreeing to take over the 50 acre property behind the Workers Rehabilitation Centre in Grand Bay-Westfield. Last fall, Worksafe NB signed a memorandum of understanding to convey the land to the Nature Trust. Since then a trail study has been conducted and a local committee formed. The Nature Trust also organized a Bird Walk through the property in May that attracted over 40 participants.

Early in August the committee looked at two plans to develop the site. One involved the building of an extensive trail system throughout the property and the other option recommended minor upgrading of the current trails. The least expensive option was favoured by those present. The group was told the biggest problem still remains the replacement of culverts under the road. Various options are being investigated.

Another public meeting is planned for the fall. In the meantime, a local ‘Friends of Blueberry Hill’ group is being formed. If you have an interest in preserving this  important natural area between the borders of Grand Bay-Westfield and Saint John, consider joining the group. For more information contact Renata Woodward of the Nature Trust at 506-457-2398 or naturetrust@ntnb.org.

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick has retained a landscape architecture firm from Fredericton to conduct an open space and trail study on the Blueberry Hill property behind the Workers’ Rehabilitation Centre in Grand Bay-Westfield. Last fall, the land owned by WorkSafeNB was conveyed over to the Nature Trust as a way to preserve and protect the property for future generations. The 50 acre site is made up of diverse habitats and ecosystems including fields, marshes and different types of forest bordering the St. John River.

Renata Woodward, Conservation Program Director for the Nature Trust, visited the area for the first time in mid May. She was impressed with the property saying its central location makes it different from most other Land Trust properties. She says given its potential for the development of a trail network and for recreational use, she’d like to see the whole community get involved and take ownership of the property. Woodward says the first step is to look at what options there are for the property and to raise the $30,000 required to set up a stewardship fund.

Steve Pickett of the Glenn Group, the company hired to conduct the trail study is excited about the property saying there is great potential for a series of loop trails using existing routes and creating new ones. Eric Hadley of the Nature Trust also toured the property and saw the potential for a development similar to Odell Park in Fredericton. “People have really adopted that park. There is a tremendous amount of local use, people walking, running and biking,” says Hadley. “There is a lot of opportunity for nature viewing here, lots of birds and scenic views. I can see lots of local use and people from Saint John coming here for a nice walk.”

There are also some challenges associated with developing this property. After the initial tour of the site it was noted that some culverts and fences along the road need replacing. Some banks need to be stabilized and some areas need to be cleaned up. Quite a lot of garbage was found washed up on one of the rocky beaches accessible from the trail. In addition to this, the group discovered that an adjacent property, overlooking the river, was recently clear cut right to the boundary line. The cut is clearly visible from one of the existing trails heading down to the water. While the group was disappointed to see this, they realize there is nothing they can do about it. “You want to take every property owners rights into consideration and so we’ll have to think what kind of connections there are going to be, or how close we want to put certain amenities to peoples property,” says land planner Steve Pickett.  “But you can also look at it as an opportunity that maybe there’s another person we can form a partnership with to have a connection through there.”

Eric Hadley, Renata Woodward & Steve Pickett

The open space and trail study is expected to be finished by mid August at which time the Nature Trust will hold another public meeting in Grand Bay-Westfield. Renata Woodward says they should know by the end of the year whether they’ll take the property or not. Blueberry Hill is not yet a done deal. Even though the property has already been handed over to the Nature Trust, they still have to make sure it meets all the goals and visions of the organization. Woodward says they need to know how much it’s going to cost and whether it’s viable to implement the plan that comes out of the study. “But we really hope we will,” says Woodward.  “We really welcome comments, ideas or recommendations from the public. We take all comments seriously and really want this project to happen.”

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick is conducting a Bird Walk through the property on June 24th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Interested people are asked to meet in the parking lot of the Workers’ Rehabilitation Centre.