June 21, 2002 Making a visit to North Bay’s Laurier Woods

For decades children and adults played, took nature hikes, bird watched, etc. on a hundred acre wood in the south end of North Bay. Access to this forested upland in the Parks Creek Watershed was made primarily from Laurier Street, east of Fisher Street and across the ONR rail line. The ONR crosses the now abandoned CNR line about half a km south west of the crossing, and the two rail lines define the main boundaries of the woods that developed spontaneously over the years. The area became known as the Laurier Woods. The city owned a few acres immediately on entering the woods but the rest was privately owned ponds, rocks and mixed woods surrounded by the encroaching city.

My recent articles on the high land between Trout Creek and Lake Nipissing and on the proposed canal at the turn of the century and the portages on Parks Creek and the La Vase River, led me to look at the history of the Laurier Woods. The woods are north and west of where the canal would have been and where the Parks Creek portage was for decades. Roy Summers, who grew up in the area, showed me the Laurier Street entrance with its wooden walkway across a swampy section, and on past a beaver dam. We also looked at the new entrance at the end of Brule Street (just past Stradwick’s) which has much better parking and a new boardwalk, and will become the main entrance in the near future.

Visitor crossing the ONR rail line at the Laurier Street entrance of the Laurier Woods.	Laurier Street entrance to the park, with original sign.

I went back a couple of days later, walked the trail and took some photos. I saw many wildflowers, red-winged blackbirds, a flighty little redstart, ducks, a skunk, a beaver dam, and a well used trail. On my way out I met a local gentleman going into the woods. He indicated that it was his second trip in that day, and that he had planted some trees earlier. He told me that another neighbour, Ben Besner (now deceased) had worked on the trails almost every day for years, cutting brush and putting down corduroy walkways, many of which can still be seen. He also suggested that I contact Dick Tafel who writes the Wonder of Birds column in the Saturday Nugget. I had already called Dick and left a message, and he returned my call later in the day. 

Dick kindly told me some of the history of the woods. A decade ago, the Nipissing Naturalist’s Club recognized the value of the woods and the threat of its loss to encroaching industry and started a campaign to save it. They saw it as a passive ecosystem that could be used as a nature preserve and as a sanctuary for migrating birds. A new group, The Friends of Laurier Woods, was formed with a constitution, executive and community members. They acquired charitable status and began to collect money to purchase a 9.5 acre piece adjacent to the city owned piece at the entrance. With seminars and a petition signed by 2000 people-and support from the North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA), the Nature Conservancy, Nipissing University, the MNR, etc.-they were able to complete the purchase in 1996. 

Work on the trails continued as the Friends tried to get the city to purchase an adjacent 100 acre private property to consolidate the woods area. The city, to its credit, eventually purchased the property, bringing the three pieces together into an area amounting to about 120 acres. The Friends continue to act as stewards of the area. The NBMCA, which already has management of the 9.5 acre piece and an interest in the conservation of the area for public use, may eventually take over management of the whole area. With other stakeholders a management and development plan would be prepared that would consider trail improvement, more walkways, observation platforms and signage, etc. 

Map of Laurier Woods by Roy Summers

The site has been used for years by school classes, youth groups, and the Nipissing Naturalists for outdoor education. The woods could be advertised and used more actively. It is not far from the Quints Museum and the train display, and could be promoted as a part of a visitation package for that immediate area. The Kinsman Trail crosses Fisher Street near Laurier and Brule Streets, and could attract people using that route. The Kinsman Trail joins the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) and could be a nice side trip for people using it. The abandoned CNR railbed currently being developed as a part of the TCT to Field could bring people to the Laurier Woods at some time in the future, since the railbed touches the boundary of the Laurier Woods. No motorized vehicles will be allowed into the Laurier Woods. 

Walkway across the pond, leading to the beaver dam and into the Woods.	Walking trail in the Laurier Woods.

If you enjoy a walk close to nature the Laurier Woods is the place to visit. Take your camera, binoculars and bird book-if you’re so inclined-and have a great experience. For information ion the Laurier Woods, check their website at www.venturenorth/woods.htm or call Dick Tafel, the Chairman of The Friends of Laurier Woods at 472-7907, or by email at rtafel@sympatico.ca.

This is my 100th Heritage Perspectives column, so it is appropriate to thank the many people who have assisted in the provision of information, and those who have shown an interest in the column. I have not been able to answer all emails or other requests that I have received, but I appreciate the interest nonetheless. A special thank-you to my daughter Allison, who has capably word-processed the columns, and scanned and forwarded the photographs and text to the Nugget. She recently graduated from Nipissing University and will be moving in August with her family to do graduate work at the University of Western Ontario. Thanks also to my son Paul, who carried out the above computer tasks when Allison was not available. Thanks also to Dawn Clarke, the Community Voices Editor, for her support and encouragement. I have several other urgent writing tasks at hand and might not be as active in Community Voices over the summer.