G2G Rail Trail gets $25,000 for invasive species management

GUELPH – The Goderich to Guelph Rail Trail (G2G Rail Trail) is getting $25,000 from the province for invasive species removal and native vegetation planting along degraded sections of the corridor.

The trail runs through Huron, Perth and Wellington counties as well as Waterloo Region.

The money comes from the Ontario Community Environment Fund, redirecting penalties paid by polluters into local environmental projects. The province announced 26 projects worth nearly $3 million on July 28 – the largest round in the fund’s history.

Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae said the funding supports volunteers who maintain the trail and means “a safer, better-maintained trail for residents who use it for walking, cycling and staying active.”

More than $721,000 was available in West Central Ontario this round.

Nearby in Dufferin County, a brook trout habitat project on Mono Centre Creek received funding.

Since 2010, the province said the fund has put more than $6.74 million into 134 projects, including more than 829,000 trees, shrubs and plants and 55 km of restored shoreline.

“This investment will help us build on the strong interest already shown by volunteers and communities along the G2G Rail Trail,” said G2G Rail Trail executive director Willow Hall in a news release.

“By supporting citizen science, invasive species management and native planting, the project will create meaningful opportunities for people to care for the trail, while strengthening partnerships with conservation groups, municipalities and other like-minded organizations across the corridor,” Hall added.