One of the largest urban natural forests in Canada sits inside Winnipeg. Open year round, free of charge, and kept that way by people who show up for it.
Winnipeg Charleswood Rotary Club is supporting the development of the Assiniboine Forest with your generous support. Funds raised through the Friends of the Assiniboine project of the Winnipeg Charleswood Rotary foundation are used to preserve and develop the forest.
Since 1990 the Club has been custodian of the forest, working alongside the City of Winnipeg Naturalists. That work looks like boardwalks, parking, signage, thistle control, drainage repair, and a summer crew that keeps 18 kilometres of trail walkable.
Over 2,000 volunteer labour hours contributed by Club members to forest projects.
The Charleswood Rotary Club's plan is to deliver projects in stages that improve the visitor experience while keeping environmental impact low. Scroll to watch the plan assemble.
Upgrading sections of existing mud and grass trail in the eastern and southern parts of the forest to wood chip or hard packed stone, so visitors spread out into the quieter areas instead of crowding the same loops.
The Eve Werier Pond boardwalk was designed and built by the Club, then refurbished after damage. Wetland areas and ponds sit at the centre of what people come here to see, and they take the most upkeep.
Sagimay Trail sections move from wood chip to hard packed stone so visitors with mobility challenges can use them. Signage gets refreshed, QR codes go in, and benches go where people already stop to rest.
Phase two of the plan examines an environmentally designed parking area for roughly 40 vehicles on the eastern edge, taking pressure off adjacent residential streets. Longer term projects follow, with public consultation before the development plan is finalised.
The Assiniboine Forest, in Winnipeg Manitoba, is one of the largest urban natural forests in Canada. It is a blend of open meadows, wetland areas, ponds, and large swaths of old growth forest. Home to a variety of species of flora and fauna, the forest is open year round, free of charge.
The trails are used heavily year round by pedestrians, cross country skiers and cyclists of all ages. That volume is exactly why maintenance matters. Trails have to be upgraded to stay functional and protected from overuse, and damaged trees and debris have to come off the path for visitor safety.
The forest entrance sign. The Grant and Chalfont parking lot. The front gate. The design and construction of the Eve Werier Pond boardwalk. A four year Canada thistle control program on the meadows and observation mounds. Clean-up of a large municipal waste disposal site. Correction of a compromised natural drainage pattern.
In 2018 the Club turned four shipping containers into a storage building so the Green Team had somewhere to keep maintenance equipment.
In private fundraising and government grants raised since 1990.
Volunteer labour hours from Club members on forest projects.
As steward of the forest alongside the City of Winnipeg Naturalists.
Students employed each summer as the Green Team for trail maintenance.
The Assiniboine Forest Planning Study is an assessment of existing use, usership, and future opportunities. It was completed by the Rotary Club of Winnipeg Charleswood and the City of Winnipeg, and involved interviews with users of the forest and surveys of nearby residents.
Comprised of over 700 acres of primarily undisturbed wilderness, Assiniboine Forest is one of the largest urban nature parks of its kind in Canada. The goal of the long term planning study was to give clear direction for the stages of forest management, and to explore enhancements that improve the visitor experience while keeping the ecological sensitivity of the site intact.
The Charleswood Rotary Club will keep working to secure the forest's future. In June 2022, Mike Dudar of the Club's Assiniboine Forest committee presented a project update.
The forest is a unique jewel in the suburban Winnipeg landscape that is cherished by its visitors, and community.
The Charleswood Rotary Club accepts donations from individuals through Canada Helps. Corporate donations are also welcome, and the Club is applying for federal, provincial and municipal grants toward the same objective. All donations are tax deductible and a receipt will be issued.
The Charleswood Rotary Club, working together with the City of Winnipeg Naturalists, has been the steward of the Assiniboine Forest for over 30 years. As part of the Club's Community Service mandate, it has taken pride in efforts to keep the functionality of the forest while maintaining the ecological beauty for the residents of Charleswood and Winnipeg.
The Club, working with the City of Winnipeg Naturalists, has been steward of the forest for over 30 years. Under the Club's Community Service mandate it has worked to keep the forest functional while maintaining its ecological beauty for residents of Charleswood and Winnipeg.
The forest is a natural environment impacted daily by visitors walking and cycling on and off trail. Trails must be maintained and upgraded to preserve their functionality and protect them from overuse. Damaged trees, debris and garbage that fall on the trails have to be removed for visitor safety.
No. There are no plans to turn the forest into a theme park.
Phase two of the enhancement plan looks at ways to take pressure off adjacent streets where visitors currently park. The Club is examining potential locations for a more environmentally designed parking area of roughly 40 vehicles on the eastern edge, both within and outside the forest. It also helps balance visitor numbers by drawing more people onto the east side trails. If the lot is built inside the forest boundary, it will probably sit on the refurbished municipal waste dump site. There are no plans to expand the Chalfont and Grant lot.
Wildlife are already stressed by the volume of visitors in the forest and by people walking off trail. These enhancement plans will not reduce visitor volume, but they will help balance visitors more broadly across the forest and keep people on maintained trails.
The Club plans to use interpretive signs to provide information on the Indigenous history of the forest, and to acknowledge the use of the lands by Indigenous peoples.
The Charleswood Rotary Club is planning to raise $800,000 in private funding and government grants to pay for the planned forest enhancement initiatives. Donations from individuals are accepted through Canada Helps. Corporate donations are also being sought, alongside applications for federal, provincial and municipal public grants.
The Green Team provides trail and general maintenance functions inside the forest during the summer months. It is primarily funded by the Charleswood Rotary Club and a provincial government grant. The shipping containers near the Grant and Chalfont entrance provide the equipment storage and office space the team needs.
There are currently two accessible parking spots, closest to the entrance. The plan is to make accessible parking more visible when new signage is posted.
The Charleswood Rotary Club is retaining a consultant to prepare a draft development plan. Before the plan is finalised, there will be a public consultation to gather input.
Friends of the Assiniboine Forest is a project of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg Charleswood. Send a note and someone from the committee will get back to you.
The trails in Manitoba are located on the original lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Assiniboine, Dakota and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of the Mètis Nation.
We respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.
We encourage all trail users to learn more about the land that they are travelling on.