Otways

I agree, I dont think it will happen, but it was on the OUterlimits4x4 list.

The start to all this was Monday, August 18, 2003

Subject: From 4WD Vic President

Dear all
I attach my article for Trackwatch next issue.
I urge wide distribution
Michael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

Small minority they may be, but because of the noise they make the pollies sit up and listen ....... and they act upon advice from these people because it's good to be seen to be green these days.
The anti gun movement is the same, make lots of noise, blame the licensed shooters for all "armed crime" irrespective of whether it was a shovel or a gun used in a crime, distort out of all proportion anything involving guns, and get the media on their side.
And the media fully live up to their reputation of not letting the facts get in the way of a good story, and there you have it, something for the stupid pollies to put forward as a platform for re-election ........
"Cut gun crime and save the forests"!
Seems to work every time. I do believe I'm becoming cynical!

Here is another source:

http://www.vafwdc.org.au/tracks%20issues.htm

You're right Brad, don't give them any excuse to stop access to beaches or bush. The amount of rubbish left around in even the most remote places can be disgusting.
In metro areas some of the blame can be put with local councils who refuse to take so much rubbish at the tips these days, unless you pay extra on top of yearly rates for the privilige of getting rid of it.
Many road side stops don't have bins now because it costs money to provide a collection service. That's all right with me but not for some people who just dump it and leave the site.
If you take it in, you should take it out, there'll be a bin at the next town to put it in.

all good in theory Alan but it just doesn't work does it ?
You & I and all the users of this site might be doing the right thing but every other bastard is destroying the place

Environment vandalism has been going on for ever Coops, I remember 20 odd years ago climbing to the top of a hill, North out of Telfer, with a mate, thinking we may have been the only ones to have bothered doing it. What a disappointment, bottles, cans, fag butts, bog paper, you name it, it was there.
But it's not just the happy campers, just look at the destruction by the biggest vandals of the lot, the mining companies.
They may well claim to be "environmentally responsible citizens" now, but if it wasn't for all the regulations bought out to stop them, they'd trash it and leave it as they did years ago.
We used to burn the oil waste, hundreds of thousands of gallons of it, because it was too expensive to backload it out to Perth. If it wasn't drained into the oil pond to await burning, we were told to drop the pick and cut a rip to drop the oil into.
And I bet it still goes on now!
I get depressed talking about it.