Subject: From 4WD Vic President
Dear all
I attach my article for Trackwatch next issue.
I urge wide distribution
Michael
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
OTWAYS CLOSED TO FOUR WHEEL DRIVERS
Have I got your attention – I hope so because VEAC, the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council has been instructed to determine the boundaries of the new
Otways National Park. There is no discussion about whether there should be a new National Park but how big. The present plan is to close all the land south of the Princes Highway from Whittlesea to Cobden down to the coast.
The part about this plan that I like the most is that the Association was not even invited to sit on the reference committee which surprisingly enough has amongst others the VNPA and the
Otways and Geelong Environment groups. There is no representation for prospectors and miners, horse riding, bee keeping, trail bike riders, campers and other community groups.
I would also not be to concerned having regard to many issues that are being dealt with by the Association and Land Managers except for the result of the
Lorne-Angahook Management Plan which has eliminated all four wheel driving and made that park into a 2 wheel drive visit to a pine posted picnic spot for only one section of the community.
Four Wheel Drive Victoria totally opposes the creation of a National Park in this area and the extension of the
Lorne-Angahook to
Otways plan.
Some of the issues:
¨ Economic detriment to area both to local communities, commercial operators (chamber of commerce),
recreation and farmers.
¨ Great plan no money to manage. Parks Victoria is responsible for National Parks without significant increases in State funding the parks can only be closed.
¨ National Park prohibition on four wheel driving, horse riding, trail bike riding, bee keeping, camping (except in over exposed limited area- permit required), wood collecting, farming.
¨ National Park prohibition on logging destroying biodiversity of forest ecology. No logging, no fuel reduction, no fire and no wood removal creates old forest. Only one ecosystem lives in old forest. Presently many ecosystems reside in a forest with changing environment.
¨ Track closure.
¨ No camping and certainly no vehicle based camping.
¨ Scientific information ignored.
What has happened in
Lorne-Angahook and the
Otways Park is what WILL happen for the BIG PLAN. All recreational activity as we know it today will be stopped. From an Association point of view it is hard to understand why this plan is being pushed to the exclusion of wide consultation when there appears to be no mandate as the matter was not a policy issue for the last election. The Government’s previous published position was to make
Lorne-Angahook a National Park. Never the less the Government is responsible to all Victorians. The Association also represents a large group of recreationalists and we too have the right and the obligation to ensure that access to our parks and forests is available to all user groups.
The real way to make a difference is to write a personal letter to the Premier and the Minister for the Environment and YOUR local member to oppose the creation of this National Park. If you live in
Mildura or Gippsland there are very interested independent members of Parliament. If you need an address to write your letter log onto
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mps.html . Have your club get involved in meeting with your local member of Parliament and letting them know your
views as
well as writing individual letters.
It is interesting to consider that our Association has worked very hard with Parks Victoria to develop a memorandum of understanding to ensure that we have access to the Parks and Forests for all user groups. Victoria and the south east in particular has huge visitation from many and varied groups of people this plan will surely have the desired effect of stopping thousands of visitors and restricting everyone to GAGA land where you only hear and see what the State what you to know. Maybe Orson Welles was right?
Michael Coldham