Trail wreckers

[skybustim]

Thanks mate. I've sent an email to the local council although the havent replied and that would of been a month ago.
We are trying to get something going on our groups facebook page, PG downhill crew.

Why keep going on about writing to the local council, when everyone here has said that it is Parks Victoria. It is like writing to QANTAS and what happened on a Virgin Blue flight, wrong people, gets filed in the 'tell someone who cares file'.
If you are this keen, then get advice, I know you are trying here, but listen to what people have told you, from those who have dealt with this sort of thing.
Do a search on the forum, there have posts similar, see how these people have gone about getting what they want.
Be mature in your approach to the authorities, demonstrate to them that you have researched the history of the area. Why did Parks vic aquire the land, has there been anything published regarding the proposed use of the land etc. There is an old saying 'fore warned is fore armed'.
If your still at school maybe aproach someone about doing this as some sort of project for a subject you are doing, could get some credit.
But do some research before coming on here and bleating about vandalising public property and then sooking when it gets returned to the way it Parks Vic want it to be. Also consider that if you are caught building the jumps without permission you may be prosecuted, you can't dump trash in a park and you can't go around digging them up..try doing it to a footy oval and see what happens.

 

[clintbtt]

Plenty Gorge park trails

Here little dude, check this link. Its a working bee at the gorge. I know the trails you ride, I was a regular up until last year, and they do need some maintenance/tweaking. Turn up to this event, or if you are a little shy, give them a call on the number provided and speak to someone and get some guidance on do's and don'ts. Give them a proposal, in their language. Provide a map with GPS co-ords to make it easier. Speak about benefits of creating and maintaining dedicated MTB trails. Get them on side and reap the rewards.

http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1whatson.cfm?event=2497#results

Page 2 is where most of the trails are. Print it and draw where you want to fix/maintain/plan to ride.
http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources05/05_2202.pdf

 

[Ridenparadise]

Interesting to see this thread reactivated. I hope there has been some positive progress on this after all the attempts at educating the OP.

In fairness to him and others in the same boat, it does seem odd that Parks and councils change things as they please, put in poorly designed dirt fireroads or increase runoff with paving etc but we are supposed to feel like environmental vandals for digging a hole and making a hump! Don't know about the park in question, but here we have trails overgrowing with vegetation despite being used all the time. Admittedly some are really bad now after recent heavy rains caused a lot of damage, but they were always badly designed, mostly falline trails exposed to severe runoff. The good ones cause very little impact and certainly less than legal firetrails in the area. Like I said, if they were not used a lot they would disappear within a year with no trace.

The legal trails issue remains one weighted against the rider and I just don't see that changing with this minimalist attitude to our environment. Look at Qlds floods (most of the land affected will be better for it in 6 months - sorry to all who are suffering) and tell me why a bike track is an environmental problem? No don't tell me - I do trail maintenance with our club and I have heard it before.