Nerf Herder
Wheel size expert
From this thread: http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/sho...Park-(Menai)-MTB-Trail-building-Thread/page60
As quick back ground, Volunteers from both the general riding community and the Sutherland Shire Cycling Club have been working with ANSTO and Sutherland Shire to regain access and formalise trails following the shut out by ANSTO in 2010.
We have been conducting monthly trail days for 2 years and have built new single track, as well as rationalise and convert trails to be more sustainable and more MTB specific.
A parcel of land was identified by Council Staff as appropriate for MTB, and is deemed as Share Usage within current lease agreements with the Sydney Clay Target shooters Club. This obviously conflicts with our people actually sharing access. The Lands are also designated as high conservation which precludes use of fire arms.
Anyway.
We would greatly appreciate your help in writing a personalised email as follows.
- If you have access to MTB mail groups, facebook pages and groups and other MTB related social media. we would greatly appreciate sharing this call to action as we need to demonstrate the level of demand and usage both Local and interstate.
Please email a personalised comment to councilors of your ward, the Mayor and staff with regards to
i) the delays with securing a lease agreement with ANSTO
ii) disappointment with the amount of work we have completed on rationalising trails and converting them to a sustainable footing, on lands we were advised as shared usage in a conservation zone, only to be disrupted by the gun club.
iii) The rules seem to be different for Gun Club and MTB where the gun club can just mow down Critically Endangered Ecological Communities, were we have to wait for years to get relevant surveys and studies completed by staff.
iv) Ask if we are just better off creating unapproved trails and enjoy riding, rather then work within Council's frame work
Its important to note that shooting is not allowed in a conservation zone.
The lease agreement with the gun club states that the lands are for shared usage
All of which conflict with our current usage.
v) Lifting the priority that staff have to finalise legal agreements with ANSTO could lessen the conflict between groups
As the gun club lease expires in 2015 we ask that the club be relocated to the unusable lands previously used by the Holsworthy barracks artillery range
Council emails
swilliams@ssc.nsw.gov.au, cprovan@ssc.nsw.gov.au, kschreiber@ssc.nsw.gov.au,kjohns@ssc.nsw.gov.au, tlcook@ssc.nsw.gov.au,pblight@ssc.nsw.gov.au,hawada@ssc.nsw.gov.au, pscaysbrook@ssc.nsw.gov.au, tcroucher@ssc.nsw.gov.au,cpesce@ssc.nsw.gov.au, dsteinwall@ssc.nsw.gov.au,bwalton@ssc.nsw.gov.au,ptowell@ssc.nsw.gov.au, jriad@ssc.nsw.gov.au, mayor@ssc.nsw.gov.au, ssc@ssc.nsw.gov.au ssimpson@ssc.nsw.gov.au
CC:
Kevin Seymour <KSeymour@ssc.nsw.gov.au>, Kirin Lindop work <KLindop@ssc.nsw.gov.au>, Brendan Graham SSC <bgraham@ssc.nsw.gov.au>, Perren Delacour <pez_d75@hotmail.com>, adavid@bmorc.com, ssorc@hotmail.com
Rep email dated 25 Sep 2014.
Dear Mayor and Councillors,
Further to our letter dated 26 Aug 2014. I am writing to express concern over the threat to mountain biking access in the designated shared usage lands west of Mill Creek, and to raise the issue of unlawful land clearing practices in the area.
Our community working group, which has engaged with both Sutherland Shire Council (SSC) and ANSTO, has worked for over four years to secure authorised and ultimately formalised MTB access to lands bounded by ANSTO, SSC, the Gandangara LALC (previously crown lands), NPWS and other Commonwealth holdings.
We have been working with Council and have obtained approval to work within the Mill Creek Conservation Park, as well as secure access via lease agreement to Federal Lands, managed by ANSTO. As part of this engagement the MTB community and staff also engaged local conservation groups such as the Menai Wild Flower Society.
Additionally, Council staff undertook an exhaustive land titles and boundaries search to ensure our proposed trail network would be within approved boundaries compatible with our intended use – recreational cycling. We highlight this to show our holistic approach working within council's work processes, ultimately leading to Council's approval to progress with a formalised trail network for both walkers and riders in the area.
It is our understanding that lands west of Mill Creek is defined as shared usage in the current Gun Club lease. The lands in question are within a designated conservation park, which excludes the use of firearms, and is deemed for shared use, whether by walkers, riders or other recreational users. Existing fence lines highlight buffer zones, but it is obvious that there are many conflicts with this existing agreement, which is due to expire in 2015
We would like to point out that our working group and members have fully embraced working with Council, where previously the culture had been to build unapproved trails – we have worked within Council's processes to obtain formal access to enhance both environmental sustainability and long term sustainability of the trails and lands we pass through.
The MTB community have worked patiently and diligently with Council, Conservation groups and ANSTO to address environmental and access concerns. We have invested several thousand volunteer hours over two years to rationalise, convert and build trails that take into account Critically Endangered Ecological Communities (EEC), only to find that Council have placed a low priority on the formation of legal agreements with ANSTO to secure trail access and delaying our efforts and access to trails previously open to riders. Similarly, it appears that existing lease holders are being allowed to indiscriminately destroy via clear cutting these same EEC that we have painstakingly worked to conserve after input from both Staff and Conservation groups.
We have requested your assistance in our letter dated 26 Aug 2014 to increasing priority on the formalisation of agreements with ANSTO, and wish to bring this matter to your attention again.
We now request that council consider the many conflicts with the current gun club lease and shared use of public lands that seems to exclude all other user groups due to safety reasons. We also ask Council to enforce management of EEC under commonwealth legislation and seek to prosecute those responsible for unlawful and unapproved clearance of Critically Endangered Ecological Communities along established fence lines and beyond. Finally we request again that the Mayor and Councillors lift the current priority level of the formalisation of MTB trail networks within ANSTO lands and instruct staff to finalise legal agreements as a matter of priority.
Should you have any questions we again offer to meet with you the Mayor, the General Manager and Councillors. We look forward to your reply and action to address obvious conflicts with current lease agreements and Council resolutions to formalise Mountain Bike trail access in the Mill Creek area.
With thanks
Alan David
NSWMTB
adavid@bmorc.com.au
Mill Creek MTB Volunteer Committee
Appreciate if we could sticky this on the front page for the next 3 weeks please.
As quick back ground, Volunteers from both the general riding community and the Sutherland Shire Cycling Club have been working with ANSTO and Sutherland Shire to regain access and formalise trails following the shut out by ANSTO in 2010.
We have been conducting monthly trail days for 2 years and have built new single track, as well as rationalise and convert trails to be more sustainable and more MTB specific.
A parcel of land was identified by Council Staff as appropriate for MTB, and is deemed as Share Usage within current lease agreements with the Sydney Clay Target shooters Club. This obviously conflicts with our people actually sharing access. The Lands are also designated as high conservation which precludes use of fire arms.
Anyway.
We would greatly appreciate your help in writing a personalised email as follows.
- If you have access to MTB mail groups, facebook pages and groups and other MTB related social media. we would greatly appreciate sharing this call to action as we need to demonstrate the level of demand and usage both Local and interstate.
Please email a personalised comment to councilors of your ward, the Mayor and staff with regards to
i) the delays with securing a lease agreement with ANSTO
ii) disappointment with the amount of work we have completed on rationalising trails and converting them to a sustainable footing, on lands we were advised as shared usage in a conservation zone, only to be disrupted by the gun club.
iii) The rules seem to be different for Gun Club and MTB where the gun club can just mow down Critically Endangered Ecological Communities, were we have to wait for years to get relevant surveys and studies completed by staff.
iv) Ask if we are just better off creating unapproved trails and enjoy riding, rather then work within Council's frame work
Its important to note that shooting is not allowed in a conservation zone.
The lease agreement with the gun club states that the lands are for shared usage
All of which conflict with our current usage.
v) Lifting the priority that staff have to finalise legal agreements with ANSTO could lessen the conflict between groups
As the gun club lease expires in 2015 we ask that the club be relocated to the unusable lands previously used by the Holsworthy barracks artillery range
Council emails
swilliams@ssc.nsw.gov.au, cprovan@ssc.nsw.gov.au, kschreiber@ssc.nsw.gov.au,kjohns@ssc.nsw.gov.au, tlcook@ssc.nsw.gov.au,pblight@ssc.nsw.gov.au,hawada@ssc.nsw.gov.au, pscaysbrook@ssc.nsw.gov.au, tcroucher@ssc.nsw.gov.au,cpesce@ssc.nsw.gov.au, dsteinwall@ssc.nsw.gov.au,bwalton@ssc.nsw.gov.au,ptowell@ssc.nsw.gov.au, jriad@ssc.nsw.gov.au, mayor@ssc.nsw.gov.au, ssc@ssc.nsw.gov.au ssimpson@ssc.nsw.gov.au
CC:
Kevin Seymour <KSeymour@ssc.nsw.gov.au>, Kirin Lindop work <KLindop@ssc.nsw.gov.au>, Brendan Graham SSC <bgraham@ssc.nsw.gov.au>, Perren Delacour <pez_d75@hotmail.com>, adavid@bmorc.com, ssorc@hotmail.com
Rep email dated 25 Sep 2014.
Dear Mayor and Councillors,
Further to our letter dated 26 Aug 2014. I am writing to express concern over the threat to mountain biking access in the designated shared usage lands west of Mill Creek, and to raise the issue of unlawful land clearing practices in the area.
Our community working group, which has engaged with both Sutherland Shire Council (SSC) and ANSTO, has worked for over four years to secure authorised and ultimately formalised MTB access to lands bounded by ANSTO, SSC, the Gandangara LALC (previously crown lands), NPWS and other Commonwealth holdings.
We have been working with Council and have obtained approval to work within the Mill Creek Conservation Park, as well as secure access via lease agreement to Federal Lands, managed by ANSTO. As part of this engagement the MTB community and staff also engaged local conservation groups such as the Menai Wild Flower Society.
Additionally, Council staff undertook an exhaustive land titles and boundaries search to ensure our proposed trail network would be within approved boundaries compatible with our intended use – recreational cycling. We highlight this to show our holistic approach working within council's work processes, ultimately leading to Council's approval to progress with a formalised trail network for both walkers and riders in the area.
It is our understanding that lands west of Mill Creek is defined as shared usage in the current Gun Club lease. The lands in question are within a designated conservation park, which excludes the use of firearms, and is deemed for shared use, whether by walkers, riders or other recreational users. Existing fence lines highlight buffer zones, but it is obvious that there are many conflicts with this existing agreement, which is due to expire in 2015
We would like to point out that our working group and members have fully embraced working with Council, where previously the culture had been to build unapproved trails – we have worked within Council's processes to obtain formal access to enhance both environmental sustainability and long term sustainability of the trails and lands we pass through.
The MTB community have worked patiently and diligently with Council, Conservation groups and ANSTO to address environmental and access concerns. We have invested several thousand volunteer hours over two years to rationalise, convert and build trails that take into account Critically Endangered Ecological Communities (EEC), only to find that Council have placed a low priority on the formation of legal agreements with ANSTO to secure trail access and delaying our efforts and access to trails previously open to riders. Similarly, it appears that existing lease holders are being allowed to indiscriminately destroy via clear cutting these same EEC that we have painstakingly worked to conserve after input from both Staff and Conservation groups.
We have requested your assistance in our letter dated 26 Aug 2014 to increasing priority on the formalisation of agreements with ANSTO, and wish to bring this matter to your attention again.
We now request that council consider the many conflicts with the current gun club lease and shared use of public lands that seems to exclude all other user groups due to safety reasons. We also ask Council to enforce management of EEC under commonwealth legislation and seek to prosecute those responsible for unlawful and unapproved clearance of Critically Endangered Ecological Communities along established fence lines and beyond. Finally we request again that the Mayor and Councillors lift the current priority level of the formalisation of MTB trail networks within ANSTO lands and instruct staff to finalise legal agreements as a matter of priority.
Should you have any questions we again offer to meet with you the Mayor, the General Manager and Councillors. We look forward to your reply and action to address obvious conflicts with current lease agreements and Council resolutions to formalise Mountain Bike trail access in the Mill Creek area.
With thanks
Alan David
NSWMTB
adavid@bmorc.com.au
Mill Creek MTB Volunteer Committee
| Alan David Sylvania Heights | Justin Brown Grays Point | Perren Delacour Heathcote Vice President Sutherland Shire Cycling Cub |
| Mark Bailey Jannali | Dan Greenwood Engadine |
Appreciate if we could sticky this on the front page for the next 3 weeks please.