Saskatchewan walking trail 'gets people moving'

Natural legacy grant supports community's Go-Pher A Walk project

Residents of Milden, Sask., have spotted a ring around their prairie farming village – but it’s got nothing to do with a crop circle.

Through the efforts of community organizers and volunteers, and with the help of a $15,500 natural legacy grant from Enbridge, residents of the village in west-central Saskatchewan are building a scenic walking trail that circles the community, and will help boost quality of life for those inside its perimeter.

The 1.5-kilometre trail, christened the Go-Pher A Walk Trail, is named for the gopher holes that have traditionally dotted the route. The trail has already been cleared and surfaced with gravel – and in the spring of 2015, volunteers will install park benches and birdhouses, seed wildflowers, and plant about 500 trees.

“Until now, the only other place people had to walk was down the street,” says Reta Kimpton, a Milden resident who consulted on the trail. “This trail offers a more scenic route, and will encourage people to get out and enjoy their community and socialize with their neighbors.”

Organizers hope the trail will encourage residents of all ages to keep physically active. The packed gravel surface will make the trail suitable for runners and walkers, and the park benches and easily accessible trailheads will be convenient to those residents who are less mobile.

“It will get people moving,” says Kimpton. “It will give people of the town something to participate in.”

Through its creation alone, the Go-Pher A Walk Trail has already helped residents of Milden achieve these goals. The project was spearheaded by volunteer organizers, and many of Milden’s 185 residents took part in planning, clearing, and applying gravel to the trail.

“The volunteers have done an amazing job, and the walking trail has brought the entire community together,” says Lisa Seeley, a Community Relations Advisor for Enbridge. “We are proud to be sponsors of such a wonderful initiative.”

While the work of creating the trail was completed entirely by volunteers, the bill for gravel, trees, benches, and use of clearing equipment was significant – a cost organizers say they couldn’t have incurred without Enbridge’s financial support.

Milden is situated near Enbridge’s Canadian Mainline system, which runs from Edmonton to Superior, Wis., and an offloading facility is based near the edge of the village.

We believe in making the communities near our projects and rights-of-way better places to live. In recent years, prior to helping fund the Go-Pher A Walk Trail, Enbridge has sponsored the creation of a park and gazebo in the centre of the village, and then supported the purchase of equipment for the local fire department.

“All of this has had an impact on the quality of life in Milden,” says Kimpton. “Enbridge has been a good corporate partner.”