A new partnership will help the Bruce Trail Conservancy protect the Bruce Trail from invasive species.
The spread of invasive species is a serious threat to the biodiversity on the Niagara Escarpment.
Hikers often unknowingly bring those species to the the diverse ecosystem without realizing it. So Canadian footwear brand, Baffin, will build 100 co-branded boot brush stations by 2025. The boot brush stations are about three feet tall and four feet wide, made of cedar. A large display will teach hikers about invasive species often brought through the trail and how to effectively use the stations to remove any possible threats from their boots. Baffin will build the first 20 Boot Brush Stations in their Stoney Creek production facility on April 21, 2023.
"As a Hamilton-based company, the Bruce Trail is right in our backyard. From product testing activities and team building outings, to weekends spent on the trail with family – everyone at Baffin has benefitted from the work the Bruce Trail Conservancy does to protect this natural playground," said Mark Hubner, Senior Vice President, Commercial at Baffin. "Our ongoing partnership with the Bruce Trail Conservancy has been a passion project for us, connecting our love of exploration and our desire to help protect diverse Canadian environments for the future. By launching the Trail Conservancy Project and providing these Boot Brush Stations to the Bruce Trail, we are thrilled to take another step toward protecting the Niagara Escarpment, while leaving the invasive species behind."
"On behalf of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, I am thrilled that Baffin is continuing their commitment to the critical conservation efforts necessary to preserve a ribbon of wilderness along the Niagara escarpment," said Michael McDonald, Chief Executive Officer at the Bruce Trail Conservancy. "Their generous support of Boot Brush Stations along the Bruce Trail will go far to help us control invasive species and educate trail users on this important aspect of land stewardship and preservation."
Currently there are about 35 boot brush stations along Canada's oldest and longest marked footpath, that features 900 km of main trail.