We look forward to seeing you at our November meeting at the Beaver Valley Community Centre.

Date: Tuesday,  February 25, 2025
Doors open: 1:00 PM
Meeting begins: 1:30 PM

Speaker: Bruce King and Valerie Jones
Title:  Kolapore Trails and Kolapore Wilderness

Bruce King’s career was spent with the Ontario government working on Crown land and provincial park plannng. Highlights in his career were being the Project Manager for a task force that led to the creation of the Rouge Park in Toronto, being the principal author of the 1999 Ontario’s Living Legacy Land Use Strategy, which created a large number of new protected areas, and developing Ontario’s Guide for Crown Land Use Planning. When Bruce was a university student he was one of the founders of the Kolapore Wilderness Trails in 1973, and he has been working on the trails ever since. Bruce and his wife Valerie Jones live in the Kolapore area. In 2023 Bruce and Valerie jointly received the Town of the Blue Mountain’s Volunteer Award in the Sports and Recreation category, in recognition of their long term commitment to both the Kolapore Trails and the Bruce Trail.

Just over 50 years ago a small group of university students were inspired to start building the Kolapore trails network at the south end of the Town of the Blue Mountains. Bruce King was part of that group, and he will talk about the evolution of the trails over the years. The trails have gone from being a rustic network catering to a small number of back country skiers, to an important community asset that is visited in all seasons. Kolapore is the largest block of protected wilderness in the region, and the talk will highlight some of the important natural values. Bruce will provide recommendations on how to explore and enjoy the Kolapore area.

Book Exchange:
The Book Exchange will be set up at the back of the room starting at 1 PM. Books should have a copyright date no older than 10 years. Bring a Book, Take a Book. We ask that you exchange no more than 3 books at a time. Please contact Nancy Hart with any questions!