Cowichan Lake Trail Blazers and Mosaic partner to build new trails

A partnership between the Cowichan Lake Trail Blazers Society and Mosaic Forest Management is aiming to provide new recreational trails for non-motorized use.

Mosaic, the timberlands manager for TimberWest and Island Timberlands, is providing the Trail Blazers with access to more than 1,000 hectares of private forest land in the Cowichan Lake area on which to build the trails.

“We are proud to see this partnership begin,” says Trail Blazers’ president Bob Day. “To be able to work with Mosaic to provide first-class biking and hiking opportunities makes this an especially exciting opportunity for our club and the Cowichan Lake area.”

The Trail Blazers, Mosaic and Community Futures Cowichan have been working for the last two years on a master plan for building and maintaining non-motorized trails in the Fair Service area outside Lake Cowichan.

“We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia,” says Community Futures Cowichan general manager Cathy Robertson.

“With the support of the BC Rural Dividend Program, this project is meeting industry-recognized standards for safety and infrastructure for the trail network, including developing new trails, improvements to existing trails, trail ratings, standardized signage and mapping to enhance safety along with the recreational user experience.”

The Cowichan Lake Trail Blazers were formed in 2017 to help create outdoor recreation opportunities that might attract tourists to the area.

“The new trail plan on Mosaic-managed private forest land in the Cowichan Lake area will be a popular addition to the town and surrounding area, says Molly Hudson, Mosaic’s director of sustainability.

“This partnership will enable investment in a safe trail network and supports a shared vision to the coexistence of the working forest and recreational access opportunities to benefit communities and the economy by creating value for local recreationalists and tourists alike.”

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