Centenary Trail
Parks and Conservation Service proposes a 100km long shared walk and bike track through a number of nature reserves including the Mt Majura and Mt Ainslie nature parks.
Information on the proposed trail alignment is available at the Territorial and Municipal Services website www.tams.act.gov.au; click on Centenary Trail to open the page. For further enquiries contact TAMSCentenaryTrail@act.gov.au or 6207 3703. Submission of comments on the proposal closed on Friday, 10 February 2012.
Mount Majura
The proposed route in the Mt Majura nature reserve follows mostly maintenance roads, except behind Mackenzie Street, where a shared bike and walk route is proposed through a narrow 100-200 meters wide strip of box-gum grassy woodland parallel to and between the existing maintenance roads behind the houses and the transmission line easement. This site represents one of the best preserved remnant Yellow Box – Blakely’s Red Gum grassy woodland within the reserve and is declared Critically Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Conservation and Biodiversity Protection ACT.
Mount Ainslie
The proposed route in the Mt Ainslie nature park includes the construction of a new multiuse track in pristine currently little accessed areas that provide habitat for declared species and that are important refuge sites for wildlife.
Concerns
Our main concerns relate to the construction of a trail through critically endangered box-gum grassy woodland, incursions of new tracks in conservation sensitive sites and the large scale events proposed for the Centenary Trail which carry a high risk to impact on wildlife and the natural environment of the reserves.
ParkCare comments on the proposed Centenary Trail
Friends of Mt Majura and the Mt Ainslie Weeders submitted the following comments on the proposed Centenary trail:
Friends of Mt Majura first comment, 21 December 2011: Click here (pdf, 449KB);
Friends of Mt Majura second comment, 10 February 2012: Click here (pdf, 19KB);
Mt Ainslie Weeders first comment: click here (rtf, 41KB);
Mt Ainslie Weeders second comment: click here (rtf, 35KB).
We are not alone with our concerns, view comments by other parkCare groups
Red Hill Regenerators: click Red Hill Regenarators Submission Centenary Trail 270112
ACT Trails Discussion Paper 2011-2021
Concurrently with the Centenary Trail proposal, Parks and Conservation Service commissioned CBRE Town Planning to develop a strategy for the management, use and construction of trails in the nature reserves and national parks. The Paper discusses the option to open and promote the nature parks for more recreation, large scale recreational events and tourism.
CBRE invited FoMM to comment; click here to view the comment. A public consultation will be conducted at an undisclosed time.