Since it is still not possible to travel right now, I continue to explore conservation areas near my home! After visiting the Reveler Conservation Area in Crysler last week, this time I went to the W. E. Burton Conservation Area in Russell.
The W. E. Burton Conservation Area is located on the banks of the Castor River in Eastern Ontario. And because the Castor River is a tributary of the South Nation River, the conservation area is also managed by the South Nation Conservation, as are Reveler Conservation Area, Oschmann Forest and Warwick Forest.
And as was the case with the other local conservation areas, the conservation authority also obtained this piece of land as a gift from a man named W. E. Burton, hence the name of the place.
The conservation area has just over a kilometre of trails, which form a loop meandering under the tall pines bordering the river. The trail is wide, well maintained with little elevation. Let’s say the place is more suitable for a leisurely stroll than for a real wilderness hike.
Since the conservation area is located right in the village of Russell, it is difficult to completely forget the urban environment that surrounds it. Still, the place offers lovely views of the river and is perfect for a short family walk (I saw a few mothers with strollers and toddlers walking there).
There is a parking lot, a few garbage cans, a pavilion and picnic tables (currently out of access due to the pandemic). There were also a few fishermen on the banks of the river (and I’m unfortunately not expert enough to tell you what kinds of fish it is possible to fish in the Castor River).
There is another conservation area in Russell, J. Henry Tweed Conservation Area. I was planning to visit it on the same day, but since the weather was lovely, there were a lot of people on the trails, so I preferred to avoid it and come back another day. Because this is unfortunately the new reality of a world dealing with a pandemic!
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