The FIT pilot project will establish a template for trail enhancement featuring the natural and cultural heritage of the Ottawa Valley.

KidActive, in partnership with the Friends of Bonnechere Parks and several Renfrew County community and health organizations have received funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport, Healthy Communities Fund.

These monies will be matched by various in-kind services and resources provided by the Friends and their project partners and supporters: Ontario Parks, Omàmiwinini Pimàdjwowin – The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre, Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn, Renfrew County Stewardship Program, Renfrew County and District Health Unit, and the Municipality of Killaloe Hagarty Richards.

The goals of the 18-month project include increasing access to trails, increasing physical activity levels, connecting children and families to our natural and cultural heritage, and promoting a healthy lifestyle for Renfrew County residents and visitors.

The main component of the Footprints in Time project is the development of a how-to template that can be applied to trails throughout the County. This step-by-step Trail Design Guide will include tips and resources on how communities can feature their natural and cultural heritage while increasing physical activity opportunities for local residents, families, school groups and tourists. The Guide will be developed by a round table of experts comprising parks and recreation staff, naturalists and ecologists, historians and archaeologists, health and wellness advisors, and First Nations and municipal representatives.

The template will be applied to a demonstration trail at Bonnechere Provincial Park on Round Lake, where how-to workshops will be hosted over the summer and fall of 2011. With community support, the template could be applied to existing trails throughout the County, like the Petawawa Terrace, Cobden Marsh and Shaw Woods.

The project theme, Footprints in Time, is based on a traditional Algonquin teaching, illustrating the 12 centuries of life on Earth (from the Ice Age to present-day). This teaching and various curriculum-based activities and resources will be integral to the project.