Off-season hikers “a pretty big problem” in Baldwin’s Mills
Earlier this week the Town of Coaticook and the board of directors of Harold F. Baldwin Park took the step of physically blocking off the parking lot used by those looking to climb the Pinnacle in Baldwin’s Mills.
In a press release, the town indicated that the move came in an effort to help protect the trails during the spring thaw.
“Everyone loves these trails, and we want to be able to make the most of them as of May 22,” said Simon Madore, Mayor of Coaticook.
“It is a pretty big problem,” said Barbara Rowell, President of the Harold F. Baldwin Park Board of Directors, indicating that even if people walking the trails while they are closed in general is an issue, those who do so in the spring present the biggest problem. “The trails are very muddy during the spring thaw and people walking on them can cause serious damage in two ways; walking through the mud and damaging the trail surface and walking around the mud making the trails wider and damaging the environment around the trails.”
The number of visitors to the park has been a source of concern for local residents over the last year in particular, with many expressing concerns that people are travelling from outside the region to walk the trails regardless of the season or the rules put in place by the province or the town.
“We have been trying through a number of ways to get the message out that we, like many trails, are closed during the thaw,” Rowell continued. “We have put up additional signs, reinstalled fencing, put out announcements but people still go. They climb around the fences and have even broken through our caution tape. Our volunteers who occasionally monitor the trails say that many of the visitors are from outside of Estrie. We are continuing to work on educating the public and are looking for other ways of communication as we work on our upcoming projects to ensure more clarity.”
Oliver Baldwin Treasurer of the Board of Directors said that at this point it is a bit early to say whether or not the new control measures will be effective.
“At this point in the year the heaviest foot traffic is generally on the weekend,” he said, noting that there were a very large number of people present at the park last week. Given the history of people ignoring the signs, he also said that the board is not counting on the barriers alone to do the job. “We’re going to have volunteers present in the parking lot.”
Baldwin also shared that the board recently decided to go ahead with a plan to implement a pay system on the trails for people coming from outside of the Coaticook MRC. That idea was first brought up publicly in early 2020 as a way of helping to maintain the park although at the time it was just under discussion as a possibility. Despite having now decided to go ahead with it, the details on how to run the system and how much to charge still need to be hammered out.
“We should know more by the end of the summer,” Baldwin said, underlining the fact that access will remain free for residents of the MRC in keeping with the intent of the original land donation.