Keeping it Positive – Trail-care in Conservation Areas
Damaged Grasstree at Ferny Forest
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) have asked the club to help redirect the over-enthusiastic trail fairies onto permitted trail-care activities coordinated by the QPWS and the Sunshine Coast Trail Alliance (SCTA).
In addition to the tree cutting and unsafe technical trail features the particular concerns are as follows:
- The Spare Parts trail that runs alongside Radar Hill Road in the Parklands Conservation Park. Even though it’s an amazing effort the trail is unsanctioned and simply unsustainable and has been closed by QPWS.
- Overzealous pruning of sensitive plants during trailcare activities. Specifically the cutting back of Grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea) and ferns within the trail networks. This isn’t a maintenance requirement and vegetation removal must be supervised by a ranger.
2017 will be a big year with new trails being built and existing trails undergoing maintenance. The Bushrangers, SCTA and QPWS are working closely towards quality outcomes for the local MTB community and other trail users and the above activities only serve to undermine this work.
Currently QPWS have identified a few maintenance activities at Ferny Forest if anyone is interested in helping out. They include fixing a few wet areas (you may have noticed some new piles of bluestone along the trail) and a few stumps that need to be removed. Additionally, plans for the new bridges in Parklands are underway. If you would like to help please forward your details through to info@bushrangers.org and we’ll let QPWS know.
Trail-care notifications and Adopt-a-trail projects
On a related note we are currently working with QPWS and SCTA to get a trail-care roster and an alert system setup. So you can sign up to this and whenever a trail-care event is set you’ll receive an email or text message.
Another idea on the table is to set up an “Adopt-a-trail” system where you can volunteer to look after a particular trail for awhile. You will be responsible for keeping the trail in good condition and in return you get the fame, glory and appreciation from all the riders that use it. So stay tuned for that!
Stay safe, Keep Riding!
Bush Rangers Committee
