The Tomifobia Nature Trail, jewel of the Eastern Townships, is transferred to the Massawippi Conservation Trust
Ayer’s Cliff, December 16, 2025 – Les Sentiers Massawippi and the Massawippi Conservation Trust (MCT) announce the transfer of the Tomifobia Nature Trail. The Tomifobia Nature Trail is a 19-km multi-purpose trail between Ayer’s Cliff and Stanstead. Les Sentiers Massawippi, a non-profit organization founded in 1990, developed the Tomifobia Nature Trail on a former railway line in 1993. By becoming the owner of the land, the Massawippi Conservation Trust (MCT) and the Massawippi Foundation are committed to ensuring the protection and maintenance of the 19-km multi-purpose trail and its surrounding properties in perpetuity.
Richard Violette, President of Les Sentiers Massawippi, emphasizes that “The preservation of the Tomifobia Nature Trail is essential as a protected, historic, and natural public corridor for safe cycling, hiking, and nature observation.”
“We are very grateful to the members of Les Sentiers Massawippi for entrusting us with the perpetual protection of this multi-purpose trail of significant heritage and environmental value,” Margot Graham Heyerhoff, founder and President of the Massawippi Foundation and a Trustee of the Massawippi Conservation Trust.
The Massawippi Foundation was founded in 2011 and is the not-for-profit fundraising arm of the Massawippi Conservation Trust. The MCT is a charitable conservation entity that owns, conserves and protects properties in the Massawippi valley in perpetuity. The MCT also builds and maintains trails open to the public, and supports education and research on the lands. The trails include Scowen Park Trail, Massawippi Trail (Saint-Catherine-de Hatley), Burroughs Falls Park Trail, and now the Tomifobia Trail.
Accessible year-round, the Tomifobia Trail is open for activities such as cycling, hiking, running, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and birdwatching. Leashed dogs are welcome.
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CONTACTS:
Helene Hamel
Executive Director
Massawippi Fondation, Massawippi Conservation Trust
819 679 5081
Richard Violette
President
Les Sentiers Massawippi
819 820-5670
