For one day in May, members of the U of T mountain bike team roll up their sleeves and head out to the Don Valley forest, not to train on the trails, but to take part in their clean-up, an annual tradition started by the team 16 years ago. That’s when the team found out the City of Toronto was considering closing the trails due to environmental concerns over trail erosion and damage to the forest.
“U of T students took the lead and were among the first to collaborate with the City of Toronto to alleviate some of those concerns,” says David Wright, director of development logistics, University Advancement, and head coach of the Varsity mountain bike team. “Working with the community, student athletes have helped with sustainable trail building and supported the City’s efforts to protect the forest through the closure of some environmentally damaging trails. Some have even been inspired to turn the focus of their academic work on the environment, choosing to do their Master’s thesis in the area of urban planning and sustainability.”
Volunteers this year included UofT students and alumni, high school students, Scouts Canada, Thorncliffe Park Woman’s Association, Wild Bettys Cycling Club, trail users and the local Member of Parliament for Don Valley West, Rob Oliphant. Together, they collected 2480 pounds of garbage (weighed by the City of Toronto when processed at a waste transfer station), bringing the total amount of litter removed so far from the forest floor to 38,400 pounds.
“With close to 40,000 pounds of “stuff” collected over the years, the volunteers have removed enough plastic and auto parts to build a team bus,” says Wright, “but a 250-pound bank/office safe we pulled out of the woods in 2014 has to be the one of the most intriguing items. I am sure there is an interesting story behind how it arrived there.”
Next year’s event is already planned for the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend and all volunteers are welcome.