Page 1588 - Week 05 - Thursday, 8 May 2008
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possible damage to the environment by heavy equipment transport provision. We heard and witnessed from TAMS rangers issues raised during the consultation process for the plan regarding possible damage and how this hinders control over weeds spreading through the park due to soil transfer as well as erosion problems. Well, most of the committee heard the evidence; Mrs Dunne was absent.
At Pryors Hut we learnt of its history, its current use, and the work of Pryor in horticulture with the use of arboretums. We learnt of the work done by rangers and the ACT government at the sphagnum bogs. Over the drought years and through the 2003 fires, the alpine bogs were almost destroyed. Well, some of us heard the evidence; Mrs Dunne was absent. We learnt of the work done by Amanda Carey in restoring the bogs over many years. She was a dedicated ranger and a keen environmentalist. Amanda passed away a little while ago, and she has left a strong legacy of environmental protection for the park. Amanda’s contribution is recognised each year at the National Parks Association symposium with the presentation of the Amanda Carey award. That will be held this Saturday.
From the bogs, which we learnt were part of the natural filtration system for Canberra’s water supply, we travelled through the deep wilderness of the park, down to the Cotter Hut. At least, some of us did; Mrs Dunne was absent. At Cotter Hut we were met by Lisa McIntosh, who described in detail the events of the night before when a family of mountain bikers had become lost. Lisa and the team, alongside AFP and Emergency Services, found the group at around 3.00 am and returned them safe and sound to the Mount Clear campground site. Rangers were pleased with the performance of their equipment—including the trunk radio network, Mr Pratt—and the support of AFP and Emergency Services during the operation.
Not only had our rangers been up all night providing a unique service for our community; they came to us the next day to pass on their knowledge to the committee. On top of that, Lisa also catered for all of us for lunch, including Mrs Dunne, but unfortunately she was absent.
At Cotter Hut we learnt about the other issues for the park that were raised during the consultation period. There were issues such as feral plants—St John’s wort, for example. That is sometimes brought in with visitors or wild horses. We learnt of the history of the Cotter Hut and its unique position at the very top of the catchment. That catchment provides, as I mentioned, the water supply for Canberra—the very reason, we were told, that Canberra was chosen as the site for Australia’s capital. We were also informed at Cotter Hut of the feral and wild animal control programs, in particular the wild pig program. This, we understand, is Mrs Dunne’s pet issue in the park. It would have been nice if Mrs Dunne had been there to hear about the success this program is having and about the new bait system that is being introduced. Unfortunately, she was absent.
From Cotter Hut we proceeded down through Bendora to the Orroral Valley, where we were advised of the tracking station history and, more importantly, the Aboriginal history in this area. We were told about the use of the area by sporting groups, runners, cyclists and bushwalkers, and their submissions to the draft plan. Mr Speaker, we were also informed of the tragic death of the cyclist at Fitz’s Hill last year that you
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