b'REHABILITATIONBy Treena HeinThe well-trodden pathHow rehabilitated pits and quarries are contributing Mine.Withtwo-thirdsoftheminenow filled with water, it is the perfect attraction to the scope of Ontarios hiking trails (for)allsortsofwildlife,bringingoutthe naturalist in everyone, states the EOTA. The Marmora Mine opened in 1955, closed O ntarioishometohundredsofby tonnage and one of its most successfulin 1979, and was owned by Bethlehem Steel hikingtrailsandalotofthemregions in terms of rehabilitation of formerMills of New York. Each year, it produced cross former pits and quarriesapits and quarries. Not surprisingly, trails are520,000tonsofironorepellets.The300 fact that is little known even to the manya key part of that success story. workersfilled30to35railwaycarsdaily, people walking along them. CindyCassidy,thegeneralmanagerofwhich were sent to the Picton port and on to Trekking on these beautiful pathways isthe Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance (EOTA),destinations worldwide. Measuring 75 acres aboutfarmorethanjustgettingexercisenotesthatover25,000peopleusethewith a depth of 550 feet, the mine has been andfreshair.Birdwatching,viewingregions trail network every year, spendingfilled over the years with fresh water from wildlife,photography,walkingyourdogapproximately $6 million in local economies.underground streams and rainfall.and catching up with friends are just someTheEOTAnetworkextendsnorthfromAlso in Eastern Ontario is the much-loved of the many reasons people flock to trails.the Bay of Quinte up to Algonquin Park,Conroy Pit trail. This rehabilitated gravel pit is Cyclingandrunningarealsopopularoffering plenty of opportunities for hiking,located in the regions Greenbelt area and was activities on some trails. And in this era ofcycling, horseback riding, canoeing, ATVingacquired by the National Capital Commission nature-deficit disorder, bringing the kidsand snowmobiling.(NCC) around 1960. The 98-acre site became and grandkids along is a good idea as well. Cassidy says trails on or near former gravelan off-leash dog park around 2000, and since The successful rehabilitation of pits andpits and quarries are important. They areearlysummer2013,theNCChaspassed quarrieshasaddedsubstantiallytothescenic for visitors, she notes. The materialownership of the trail to the City of Ottawa. provincesoutdoortrails.Inmanycases,for the trails comes from the pits as well,ThereisonemaintrailinConroyPit thedevelopmentofsuchtrailscompriseand sometimes there aredonations. that is a combination of crushed stone dust an integral part of a quarrys rehabilitationPart of the EOTA network, the Tweed toand forest trail, approximately 1.5 km long, plan.Certainly,successfulrehabilitationBancroft Run takes folks from the charmingsays NCC spokesperson Emily Keogh. This initiativeshaveexpandedthevolumeandvillageofTweedtotheruggedmineralis not a named or official trail, but is easily scope of the provinces trail network.capital of Canadathe town of Bancroft. Onidentifiable. That said, there are several other CaseinpointisOttawa,Ontariosthe way, visitors can take a side trail calledmuch smaller unofficial trails that cut through largestaggregateproducingmunicipalityMiners Loop to view the former Marmorathe off-leash area.34 AVENUESFALL 2019'