The Powerline Trail is reached by taking Maci Road from Highway 1, following Maci Road until you see a large gravel parking lot. It’s right at the gate to the Living Forest RV Park. Park here and walk further up the road until you see a gated road to the right; there is a way through here. You are now on the Powerline Trail at the mouth of the Naniamo River. This is a very well-used place for dog walking. So be ready to be greeted by dogs of all breeds looking for a head rub or two.
If you are there at dusk, keep an eye out for California Quail. I never fail to see them when the day is ending. As you head down a small hill, you will see an incredible series of ponds off to the right. It’s such a beautiful area with grass that must be 10 feet tall. It was teeming with life until the Bullfrog ( Rana Catesbeiana).
These bullfrogs are voracious eaters that breed quickly. In ideal water conditions, they can go from egg to tadpole in as little as 5 days. In 2000, bullfrog tadpoles were noticed in a small tributary of the Chase River in Nanaimo, and soon after, over 1000 tadpoles were removed from a small stormwater retention pond! Female bullfrogs lay floating egg masses containing up to 20,000 eggs. In some summers, the females may lay two batches of eggs, which take only 3-5 days to hatch in warm water. Therefore, it is imperative to destroy the egg masses as soon as possible.
For several years, GBEARS volunteers continued to remove adult bullfrogs, egg masses, and tadpoles from the pond in the headwaters of this small tributary. Our objective was to prevent bullfrogs from becoming established in this pond, but it soon became apparent that they were already well established in the surrounding area and would continue to re-invade the pond each winter and spring indefinitely. With no funding support for the costs of ongoing removal or a more comprehensive control and management program in the area, we eventually had little choice but to reluctantly abandon further removal and control efforts. This is a shame.
From this point on, you have options on trails. There is a sweet trail that follows the river shore. This trail ends with a short uphill scramble to get back onto the Powerline Trail. The road trail will take you back to the ponds, or you can go further, but I have not, so I can tell you nothing about it.