Jeep Hill ACT Gone

[Mattlux69]

As are heaps of tracks and hills in ACT area.
Went out yesterday and half of them are flattened or gone.

[zookjedi]

what ? we were heading out there this weekend bloody hell its getting boring around here.

is it closed of or have they graded it ?

[buddha]

recce needed this sat

[Zute]

Bring drag chains. Toyota tough near Condor creek apparently has had logs placed across it again and dirt mounds graded.
Why is it OK for State forest to rip the sh*t out of the ground, but 4 wheeling is environmental terrorism. Is it just so no one can see how there miss managing the forests.

[CanberraMav]

You had better bring a excavator if you want to get access to the tracks. They have piles huge mounds all the way up the hills not just bottom and top.

I dont know what they are trying to accomplish??

[buddha]

cool, making new tracks for us.

[Vineboy]

May even be worth a trip over.

[zookjedi]

maybe the government realized the tracks were getting alittle tame and thought they'd help out by making us one big tuff truck comp track down here in canberra

who needs an excavator , i got low range and a big 4.5 ltr engine , oh and a cat key so we can use there equipment to rectify the problem

[Zute]

Gee, a 4.5 should get the Zook moving

[j-top paj]

more tracks to play on

[bogged]

I dont know what they are trying to accomplish??

possibly keeping 4wders out?

[CanberraMav]

Bogged wrote:

possibly keeping 4wders out?

Yea but they only blocked off some and not others. The ones they did block off were inaccesable by most 4wders so i dont see the point. Now everyone will be driving the limited tracks that are left over and they will be trashed in no time. (especially when the snow comes)

I would have though it was better to have slightly damaged tracks than to have big piles of bulldozed rubbish everywhere.

Wait till the next bushfires come through. There will be no access for fire crews.

Plus the idiots graded all the tracks just before winter. If they were doing it to maintain the tracks they did it at the wrong time. Wait till the 150mm of bulldust sitting on top of the road gets snow on it.

[Zute]

Saw the Bull dozer working today in the rain, placing tree trunks across the access road to jeep hill. This is also the acces to the back of the wild life reserve across the cotter. I wonder if there is any plan in place or is the dozer driver just doing this off his own bat ?

[bogged]

Yea but they only blocked off some and not others. The ones they did block off were inaccesable by most 4wders so i dont see the point. Now everyone will be driving the limited tracks that are left over and they will be trashed in no time. (especially when the snow comes)

100% same thing happening all over the country... close numerous, leave 5 tracks, which get hammered to fuckin bits, then close them cause they are unpassable..

[Mowie]

Saw the Bull dozer working today in the rain, placing tree trunks across the access road to jeep hill. This is also the acces to the back of the wild life reserve across the cotter. I wonder if there is any plan in place or is the dozer driver just doing this off his own bat ?

Should of gone up and asked the bloke.

If he was only doing the job cause his boss told him so he may of been happy to spill the beans on the current situation

[Zute]

He lives not far from me. Might go place some trees across his driveway.

[zookjedi]

they only do what the rangers tell them to , most of the time they don't agree with the tracks etc getting bulldozed ,

had one operater come across a track that the dirt bike riders made with jumps etc out of everyones way etc the operater saw the amount of effort etc that they must have put into it and couldn't see why it needed to be dozed so asked the ranger if it'd be ok to leave it , surely not so flatened it was and later thru the week the operaters own vehicle was broken into and two stroke oil poured all over the interior , its not the operators fault .

some times they put trees etc across tracks to keep there machinery safe whilst working in the area due to the amount of vandalism and diesel being stolen .

all in all its the rangers that tell them when and where , i was fixing a D9R when the ranger came up and told the operater once it was going "to rip up the roads behind us " and sure enough just like that there gone .

[mattc]

Buddha, that short side track on the side of Corree you led before JAD a couple of years back is blocked now too (reported about a month or more back) .....I drove it in Feb and it was way way overgrown, fallen trees etc. Cleared it enough to get through and then forestry come along and destroy it??? No overuse, no erosion, and now no fun :(

[mattc]

Hi all,

Courtesy of ACT Forests....

Dear Matt,

Since 2003, ACT Forests have been implementing a program of reducing the number of roads and trails on our estate. It has been identified in numerous research projects that a significant proportion of all run-off and sedimentation originates from our roading network. In 2004, government priorities changed to ensure above anything else, that the environment of the lower cotter catchment was managed to reduce any adverse effects on water quality in the Canberra water supply area. The draft Lower Cotter Catchment Management Plan also supports this policy. It is planned to reduce the existing trails over time by approximately 30% in the catchment. Consideration is obviously given to fire management, weed control, recreational users, etc, when making the decision to close any particular road.

Recently, ACTEW through their service provider Ecowise, has been implementing this policy by systematically closing some roads and trails, as well as maintaining and sometimes upgrading other roads. The map of which roads are being closed is not a public document, but we can show you this map and further explain our intensions. Stephen Alegria (Project Manager of the Lower Cotter Catchment)or myself work from Stromlo office of PCL on Cotter Road. Please give me a call before coming over. PeterB

[physh]

I don't understand why those maps can't be public knowledge.
Don't they have to provide maps etc for the Territory Plan anyway, which is a public document?

Anyone wanna put a Freedom of Information (FoI) request in on behalf of Recreational Users of the ACT Forests...?


While I can appreciate that the priority is to retain the quality of water from the water catchment area...



Used to be great living so close to the Brindies - but these days I might as well just go for a drive down a dirt highway, last trip I did to the brindies I didn't even have to put it in Low range, there just isn't anything there any more... :(

"road decommissioning of approximately 100 km of road;"

and

"Forestry operations have lead to a high density of roads in the lower Cotter. Several studies have found roads to be a major, if not dominant source of sediment to streams in catchments used for plantation forestry and timber extraction. The removal and better drainage of roads is likely to have a beneficial impact upon water quality in the LCC in the short and long term (Rustomji and Hairsine, 2006)."

Have a look at
http://www.environment.act.gov.au/__dat ... _final.pdf

and

http://www.environment.act.gov.au/__dat ... _final.pdf
anything not red-dashed has potential to be closed. :(

3.11 Access for recreation and other uses
Prior to the 2003 bushfires, the LCC was a popular recreation area for a range of activities including high impact pursuits such as car rallies, trail bike riding and four wheel driving. The LCC was available for day-use recreation with only the foreshores of the Cotter Dam closed to public access. No camping or overnight facilities were provided. Picnic areas and the camping area in the Cotter precinct below Cotter Dam are popular for picnicking and sightseeing. This area however, is not included in the study area for this plan.
The main activities that took place in the LCC include:
• horse riding (including equestrian events);
• mountain bike riding (including down-hill mountain biking events);
• fishing;
• swimming;
• picnicking;
• car rallies;
• trail bike riding;
• dog exercise (including dog sledding events);
• four wheel driving;
• recreational driving;
• walking, bushwalking, running (including fun runs and similar events); and
• events – e.g. rogaining, orienteering.

The 2003 bushfires caused significant damage to the catchment and most of it was temporarily, unsafe or unsuitable for recreational use. The number of visitors entering the catchment is gradually increasing as the landscapes recover and the amenity improves. The Environment Protection Authority has not authorised car rallies in the catchment since the fires and it is unlikely that such uses will be permitted until the vegetation has recovered and road infrastructure is at a suitable standard.
Visitor impacts are typically physical in nature, but it also may be social whereby the experience of other visitors is affected in some way.

4.1.3c) Revise the modified road network plan for the catchment to be consistent with the recommended change in land use policy. Roads are a major source of sediment to streams and a progressive reduction in the number of roads will result in considerable improvement to water quality.
The road network will be determined primarily by requirements for fire management operations. (See Map 7 Indicative Road Map for roads required for fire suppression.) Roads that are additional to fire suppression requirements may be retained if they are needed for management purposes such as:
• fire fuel management;
• revegetation and restoration programs;
• weed control;
• soil erosion control measures; and
• water monitoring.

A greater level of management access will be required while rehabilitation work is being undertaken. Access roads will be progressively closed as vegetation re-establishes and restoration work completed.

0-1 year
EACT (in consultation with ESA and ACTEW)
(2007) for road plan.
Review plan annually.

0-20 years
(2026) for progressive closure of roads.
EACT with ACTEW

4.1.3d) Close, remove, rehabilitate or upgrade roads that are a direct source of sediment to streams. Priorities for road closures and rehabilitation will be those that:
• occur in erosion hot spots;
• are in areas with erosion susceptible soils; and
• are located in riparian areas and are not required for management purposes (see Map 3 Soil Erodibility and Erosion Hot Spots).

[physh]

I guess they're not just doing it to be pricks, after all I do enjoy having water to drink.


But I'd still like to know which tracks they're closing!

[DSzuke]

The map of which roads are being closed is not a public document, but we can show you this map and further explain our intensions.

But I'd still like to know which tracks they're closing!

you've been invited go and have a look.

At least they will talk to you unlike some other government land managers

[Zute]

If a creek flows into the cotter dam and a road runs near by, it will be closed. Except for Brindabella rd. It might finally get sealed to the circus.
So every track east from Mt franklin, Picadily to Mt Coree and Blue range track.

[Ezookiel]

They gave out maps at our recent club meeting when we had a Ranger come and speak to us, it didn't seem to be anything real secret.
Other information from the Ranger included.
They are putting amenities in at Flea Creek including more camping areas toilets, picnic tables, etc,
Upgrading many of the roads to allow a float with D9 or some such Dozer on it, to be able to get to many of the places in the event of a fire. They will therefore close those roads during the day mon-fri while they are widening them, improving radius of some corners, and clearing foliage, but apparently will have them open for the weekends.
And some other things that I don't remember exactly, but they seem pretty happy to talk to us about their reasons and plans, and there's a MOU that you can have a look at that has been prepared in consultation with a group of representatives from 4wd clubs or some such thing as well, which has a passing reference to allowing access to locked areas for volunteer work by clubs etc, so there may still be the ability for a club to get access to locked areas in return for a bit of road building or repairing, or foliage clearing or the like. Which is all the more reason to be a member of a club.

[Luxisgood]

Guys,

its BS. just like Kowen being closed unless you get a key.

http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/PDF ... ations.pdf

The above link is a 6mb PDF map download... on the website it publicly states to contact the relevant offices to find out how to get a printed copy.

After 15 phone calls I got told to use a plotter or take it to a printer!!
The HQ in Sydney told me it was internal info and he got the shiz when I pointed out it was on a public website offering it to the public....

Honestly Parks and Wildlife annoy the hell out of me, they are not friendly and they never answer my question:
"If you are saving it for future generations, which one are you saving it for?"

they won't tell you 'when' they will let you back in there....