Clean-up of Mi'kmaw cultural trail continues after post-tropical storm Fiona
Oscar Baker III | CBC News | Posted: April 3, 2023 5:44 PM | Last Updated: April 3, 2023
4.7-kilometre trail offers ecological and ancestral knowledge about the Debert, N.S., area
The clean-up continues on the Mi'kmawey Debert Interpretive Trail in Nova Scotia, more than six months after post-tropical storm Fiona.
The hiking trail near Debert, N.S., about 65 kilometres north of Halifax, offers visitors lessons about the continued Mi'kmaq presence on the land.
Tim Bernard, executive director of the Mi'kmawey Debert Cultural Centre, said the trail has been closed since Sept. 24 for safety reasons.
He said Fiona damaged boardwalks and railings and they're still clearing out downed trees and widow makers — pieces of broken trees that haven't fallen yet.
"I got like two calls this week from school groups looking for an opportunity to bring their classes out and we can't bring them out safely until the trail has been cleaned up," said Bernard, who is from Millbrook First Nation.
He said Debert has many ancestral sites and is an important place for the Mi'kmaq, so 20 years ago they built the trail to help educate nearby communities about the area's significance.
There are five information panels on the 4.7 kilometre trail that share the natural history of the land along with information gathered by local community elders. They shared legends, stories and ancestral knowledge about the area.
The trail is usually open year round but had to close due to the damage from Fiona's fierce winds. Repairs will cost roughly $10,000 in total, Bernard said. He hopes the trail will open in late spring.
The N.S. Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage said by email it was providing repair funds to the Mi'kmawey Debert Interpretive trail through the Nova Scotia Trails Federation, which received $400,000 in funding for repairs caused by Fiona.
'Wow' factor
Alasdair Veitch, a volunteer hike leader for the Pictou County YMCA, said for the past four years he's taken a group up to Debert to hike the trail in the spring. Veitch said the trail is easy and the sights are amazing.
"It was kind of magical in there because we were walking on this really nice pine needle trail. You could imagine yourself being back 9,000 years ago, you know, walking those same trails," said Veitch.
He said many Nova Scotia hiking trails were damaged by the storm and going back to some hard hit areas has been devastating to him.
Veitch said he looks forward to hiking the Debert trail again.
"I always talk about wow factors on trails and a good trail is where you go 'wow' a few times," he said.
"Debert was definitely one," said Veitch.
Bernard said they're still working to secure funds for a cultural centre in Debert and hope to make upgrades to the trail also.