The Monkey Bridge Story Map

Introduction

Location: Victoria Road

Welcome to the Speed River Trails! We’re excited that you chose our adventure for today. This is a guided walk along the River where we will talk and learn about everything from history to crayfish. As you walk along the trails you will reach different points along the map, when you get there, stop, read the story associated with it and try the suggested activity. If you get distracted or off track even better! It’s the perfect time to explore and connect to the rivers and nature around our city. We want you to use this as a starting point for conversations and experiences. This is a time to get your feet wet, literally. Take your time and have fun!

Recreation on our waterways

Location: Hidden side trail to the right of the main path

Question: How many side trails have you spotted shooting off of the main trail within 10 meters of walking? You most likely spotted more than two.

The Royal Recreation Trail

The main trail spanning the distance between Woodlawn Rd. and Victoria Rd. is called the Royal Recreation Trail or the Speed River Trail. It is managed by the Grand River Conservation Area (or GRCA) and the City of Guelph. This wide gravel path provides access for many different trail users such as hikers, cyclists, dog walkers, etc... This path is more accessible than many of the other trails in the area and allows for safe travel between Riverside Park and the Guelph Off-Road Bicycle Association trails.

Hidden Side Trails

For the more adventurous of spirits, there are many side trails! These alternate trails provide a different experience for trail users. You can use them for mountain bike challenges, walks through the cedar trees and in some cases to get you as close to our beautiful river as possible. These trails often introduce nature to us in different ways than the gravel path does. They allow us to get physically closer to the natural world, but also to remove us from the hustle and bustle of the main path.

Activity: A fun activity to do while hiking in the woods is to be completely silent and hear what the forest has to say. Stop on one of these side trails and attempt to be completely silent. What are your observations after being silent?

Fun on the Speed!

As you walk down one of the side trails heading down towards the river, you will begin to hear a chuckling gurgle of water. That is the spring rainfall making its way from Guelph Lake down the Speed River and all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The Speed River is a beautiful river and the forests that surround its banks are often home to many trails and fun things to do. However, being on the river is just as fun! Although the Eramosa River is the preferred river to paddle, the Speed River can be a fun challenge in a canoe or a kayak.

Author’s note: I have kayaked the Speed River a handful of times and have quite enjoyed the experience when the water level is right (except when I got very muddy and wet). However, it can be dangerous sometimes when the water is rough. Always wear a life jacket!

Human Impact on the Waterways

Location: Rock pile on side trail

Activity: Look up, look down, now close your eyes. What do you hear? This spot on the map brings you right near the Speed River, and if you listen closely you can hear the water flow.

Pollution in the Waters

Although our river is beautiful, full of life and ecosystems, it is struggling. It is battling with pollution and is sick from the amounts of garbage within it. Glass bottles, plastic bags, and old wire can be found floating at the top or sunken down into the mud.

Question: Why is this happening? Why do you think there is garbage in our river? 

For a long time our city’s rivers were used as garbage dumps. People of Guelph are finding trash dating back to hundreds of years ago in our rivers. Although it is cool to find historical items, it isn’t cool that trash is on our rivers. 

So why is keeping garbage out of our rivers so important? Garbage and having pollution in our rivers is bad because it affects animals in the water like fish and frogs. Plastic destroys habitats and kills many animals. The bad chemicals in plastic and other garbage is not good for any ecosystems, and it can cause a lot of damage!

How Can We Help?

So what is something you can do to help the river and animals? Personally, I believe that it is really important to produce very small amounts of garbage. Not littering is a huge help! If you have garbage make sure you are putting the waste in the right place.

Native Species

Location: On the side trail beside the river

This point on the map will lead us to a patch of beautiful white Canada Anemone. They have small white flowers with bright green leaves.

Taking a Closer Look

Activity: Take a closer look… How many petals do they have? Do they have a scent? If you would like, you can take a few minutes to look, smell, and feel the plant. If you brought a pencil and paper with you, draw the flower!

Question: What do you notice about the leaves? They are large and almost look like a flower in themselves. 

This North American native flower pops up every year around spring time. This plant attracts many different little critters like  lygus bugs  and  froghoppers ! They are most often found in large groups, and they tend to grow well in woodlands and moist areas.

So why are native plants important? Native plants support a wide variety of insects as well as providing a source of protein to many animals and attracting a large range of different species of birds! These native plants also support pollinators, like bees and birds. Therefore it is important to make sure that we don't trample native plants that are growing here since they are so important in our ecosystem!

Question: Have you seen clusters of this flower anywhere else along the route?

Rehabilitation

Location: Partially cut down forest

Question: There are so many cut down trees in this area of the forest. Why do you think they had to cut them? Was it maybe because they are getting too tall, or because there are too many of them? 

Question: Do you think this forest was always here? When do you think it came to be? Was it man made or was it produced naturally?

Activity: The purpose of the logs is to create habitats for animals. Could you make your own habitat out of small logs and sticks? Remember to be safe, always work with a parent/guardian, and try not to disturb the forest floor too much.

A Deep Dive on The GRCA’s Project and Goal

The Grand River Conservation Area (GRCA) manages many of the local parks in the Grand River Watershed. When Guelph Lake was created in 1974, GRCA started a project to reforest this area. Originally it was just fields and farms, but they successfully created this beautiful forest you stand in right now after 100,000 trees were planted in 1980. That’s a lot of trees!

If you look around, you can see that the forest doesn’t have very many different tree species. This is called monoculture, which is when an area is mostly one species of plant. Low biodiversity makes the forest weak, because it’s limited species variety makes it a good target for destruction by outside elements. The GRCA is aware of this, and to make the forest more diverse they introduced many new tree and plant species. This will make the forest into a better home for many different animals! However, in order for new species to grow, sunlight needs to reach them on the forest floor. The pine trees in this forest are very tall, so over the 2018/2019 winter the GRCA cut down 25-33% of the trees in this area. Now there is lots of sun! They also planted many more species of trees to increase the biodiversity and left logs on the ground for animals to live in. The forest you are standing in today is a lot healthier than it was a few years ago!

History and Culture

Location: At the beaver dam on the side trail beside the river

What Happened On Our River Before We Were Born

Question: Have you ever been to Guelph lake? Maybe for a bike ride or paddle? 

Did you know that Guelph lake is fake? Well, maybe not fake, but not natural! Way back in 1974, there was no Guelph Lake, it was only the Speed River and where the lake is now was farmers fields, houses, roads… but the river flooded a lot and would damage the properties that were near the river. So it was decided to build a dam and create a lake so that the GRCA (Grand River Conservation Authority) could control the flooding. The dam creates electricity for Guelph, as the water is let through the holes in the dam the water rushes past propellers that spin and make electricity!

It’s Beaver Time!

In front of you is a beaver dam, this one is pretty new, it was built over the last two years! The beavers cut down trees and drag them into the river  then pack mud around them to build the homes. Can you see how the dam has made the river wider and raised the water level in this area? Just like the Guelph Lake dam!

Activity: Can you find sticks to build a dam out of? Try twigs from the ground! Do you think it would hold the water back? As you continue along the trail see if you can count how many trees have been chewed by beavers, they look like sharpened stumps!

Fun Fact: The Speed River is not called “The Speed” because it’s exceptionally fast! Way back when Guelph was being built, the people that were in charge of finding good places for cities found our lovely river. They had to come up with a name that made the very normal river seem extra great! They decided on “The Speed River” to make people think it was really fast which would make it better for mills and transportation!

Connection to creeks and rivers

Location: Fallen logs on the shore of the river

What Our River Does For Us And What We Do For Her

You’ve made it so far! Have you learned a lot about our river so far? Good! Well now we’re gonna get personal... 

Question: How do you think you are connected to our river?

You probably aren’t getting your food home from the grocery store by canoe, and we already know that we don’t get our water straight from the river. So how are we connected to our river? What does it do for us and what do we do for it?

Well, our connections to our river can look like a lot of different things. Maybe you’re connected to it because of the fun things you do here, like catching crayfish or  riding your bike or climbing the trees around it. Or maybe you feel connected to the river because it feels like a really good friend that always cheers you up on bad days.

Question: Why do you like spending time by our river? What do you think is your connection? 

Giving Back to the River

Whatever our connection is to our river, we need to remember it goes both ways. If we want to enjoy our rivers we need to protect them too. This means we have to do our best to keep them clean, making sure we aren't littering. Respecting them by being careful not to hurt the things that live in or around the river, plants or animals! After that, it’s kind of up to you!

Activity: Now is a great time for a snack! While you eat, you can sit on the log over the river. Can you close your eyes and see how the river feels to all of your senses? What does it smell like? Can you hear it? Take this time to think of how you could thank the river for all the things it does for you! Maybe you could say it, or do something nice like pick up trash in the area or just sit and be grateful for our beautiful rivers!

Invasive Species

Location: Main trail surrounded by garlic mustard

Here we have a patch of Garlic Mustard! These plants are tall and green with little white flowers at the top and leaves that are shaped like spiky triangles. 

Question: When you pick a leaf and crush it between your fingers, what does it smell like?

The History of Garlic Mustard

Guelph’s forests are home to thousands of different plants, and most of them are good for our local ecosystems! However, some are not so welcome and are known as invasive species. Garlic Mustard is an edible herb that was brought to Canada all the way from Europe. Due to its fast growth rate, the plant spreads out of gardens into Canada’s greenspaces and began to take over the forest floor, poisoning other species with toxins in their roots. Those toxins also stop herbivores from eating them, which means the plants have nothing stopping them from growing everywhere. We have to work hard to remove them so other plants can thrive, such as the Trillium, which is Ontario’s official flower! 

Question: What other native plants do you think might be hurt by Garlic Mustard?

Activity: Garlic Mustard picking! You can begin to pull the plants up from the roots and out of the soil. We don’t want to waste the plants, even though they are invasive, so you are going to make some braids with them! You can make a Garlic Mustard fairy wand, a fishing pole, or a crown if you wrap it in a circle.  If you don’t feel like making a braid, how about a bouquet? Whatever you choose, both the forest and I thank you for helping the environment to stay healthy!

Other Invasive Species

Sadly, there are many other invasive species in our forest, such as Purple loosestrife and Giant Hogweed. They have many different harmful effects on the other plants, and they can create problems for the arborists who are trying to keep our green spaces healthy and happy. Luckily, we know what these plants are called, what they look like, and how to get rid of them safely so the forest can continue to grow.                                                                                                            

Hidden Creeks

Location: The mouth of Monkey Bridge Creek, downstream of the small bridge

Welcome to the creek! This creek doesn’t have an official name, but some people call it Monkey Bridge Creek after an old bridge that used to be all the way upstream. Take a moment to pause and listen to the water bubbling by. What other sounds can you hear? Are there any birds chirping, bugs buzzing, critters scurrying about? Try to name 5 different sounds! 

Author’s Note: There is a pair of logs that crosses to the other side of the creek! You can use either one to walk across and explore. Make sure you have permission to cross, and that you do so slowly and with someone else watching. If your parent/guardian is uncomfortable with this, don’t worry! You can go back to the metal bridge on the path, cross to the other side, and walk along the creek that way.

Activity: Let’s do a scavenger hunt! For the sake of keeping our creek and forest safe and as undisturbed as possible, you don’t need to pick anything up, just find it! If you can’t find something, it might be on the other side of the creek. 

Can you find…

A yellow flower

A fish

A fern

A wooden teepee

A really big stone

The uncovered root system of a tree

A Y shaped stick

A purple flower

A fallen leaf

A piece of bark

For the last item, you can pick it up. You are going to use this piece of bark as your boat. If you can’t find any bark, a leaf or stick will work as well. Throw your boat as far as you can into the area where Monkey Bridge Creek meets the Speed River. Watch as it floats away, and think about how far it will go. Waterways are all connected to each other, either directly or through a watershed, and your boat may end up floating all the way to the Covered Bridge in Downtown Guelph, or even further down our watershed, all the way to Lake Erie!

Conclusion

Location: Fork in the main trail

Congratulations, you have completed your adventure! You have learned so much about the river and the forest on its banks. Feel free at this point to return to your favorite spots and spend more time with some of the activities. Keep exploring!