On Thursday 26 May, ACTEA and the Bicentennial National Trail attended a focus group run by a facilitator engaged to prepare options for a Vision Statement for the future of the Arboretum. There is a view that the Arboretum has grown by fits and starts and almost by accident but has reached the point where some plan for a future direction is required. Will it be about tourism or will it be about the trees?
The group in which ACTEA participated was one of a dozen such meetings. Ours consisted mostly of runners and cyclists, Canberra Off-Road Cyclists, Canberra Triathlon, Peddle Power, and a couple of bike trails builders. All groups had been long term users of the Dairy Farmers Hill area well before the concept of the Arboretum. We all raised the startlingly new concept, to the facilitator at least, that the Arboretum was not nearly big enough in area for all the things people seemed keen to cram into it such as accommodation, convention centres and tourism tat and still have space for active recreation for locals. There was also general agreement that any development should be confined to the existing built-up area in the north and the Lindsey Prior park near the Lake and that the unsealed fire trails should be permanently closed to private vehicles and reserved for recreational activities and peaceful enjoyment of the natural environment.
All well an good but it was clear that the cycling groups were very keen for new cycle paths, links to cycle highways and bitumen road racing, all of which would make life very uncomfortable for horse riders.
It is very important that as many equestrian users of the Arboretum fill out the Time to Talk public survey at http://www.timetotalk.act.gov.au/consultations/?engagement=future-of-the-arboretum-have-your-say. A copy of the Arboretum Survey is attached so you can see how important this is – for example the survey does not even mention horse riding as an activity. It is therefore important to make sure as many of your friends as possible fill out the survey and say why they like riding to and in the Arboretum and what is great about it for horses riders eg
- safe, quite roads
- horse yards
- the BNT connection between Cook paddocks and Equestrian Park
At the moment the Arboretum bans horse floats so having a designated float parking area could be a suggestions for things you would like if riding to the Arboretum is difficult.
The survey closes on 27 June.
We need numbers to keep our place in the future of the Arboretum! Let’s make sure that equestrian views are heard!