MTB Trailcare

Mountain biking is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, both in popularity and participation.

If you ride Nerang regularly you would have seen a giant increase in user numbers over the last year/s, both from mountain bike riders and walkers/runners.

Because we are now seeing such a high increase in traffic within the park, we need to change our attitude if we are to keep our park in good order.

The days where a little damage was ok are now over.

We need to look at this important issue from the following perspective... "For the same ammount of trail wear with increased visitor numbers, we need to have less impact per visitor".

What this means for us as Trail Users and Trail-care Volunteers...

1. Do not leave trash behind and do not ignore trash if you see it. instead pick it up and take it out with you.
2. Do not ride trails in the wet. If you are leaving trye ruts behind you then it is too wet to ride.
3. Attend at least one trailcare day each six months to repair the trails you have been riding/wearing out each week. (maybe do this with what would normaly be your riding time while waiting for the trails to dry out).

Below are some examples of what I have just spoken about, these are all from this afternoon when I went out after work for a quick bit of trailcare.

Trash found within the park.

It seems that each time I go out, I find new trash. I have found tryes, tubes, drink bottles, gel packs... the list goes on forever.

Please, if you see somebody littering, politely ask them to respect the bush they came to enjoy.

Tyre ruts from riding in the wet.

(These ruts will hold water and keep the trail wet, instead of having a smoth surface to allow water to sheet off the surface).

So today I spent even more time repairing our trails to restore the outslope within our drains.

Restoring unused trail.

A section that we worked on in previous trailcare sessions was left eroded on purpose to offer a rocky climbing line for those seeking a more challenging ride while heading further into the park.

We have never seen anybody use this line, despite being told, "Do not dumb things down because I prefer rocky lines". If a trail section is not used then it is an unnessicary scar on the land.

So today it was covered over with dirt from the repairs / drainage to restore the original shape of the hillside, and then covered over with organic debris.

*EDIT*

After talking with Louis yesterday, He has pointed out to me that there was one guy riding this line. He was using the berm as a jump and landing into the rocky section. I have removed the branches from this line.

It is not my intention to reduce the riding experience for riders in Nerang.
So if this change has done that, then I am truly sorry.

I got up extra early today and fixed this up before work.

Here is a pic of the trail line with the branches removed.

Trail closures might not seem like a very important issue. It is a big one.

Every square meter of land that we allow the park to recover from our previous use is another square meter of National park that we have to enjoy. This is not an MTB trail with trees either side, it is a National Park with an MTB trail system cut into it. We need to remember where we are and repair the park where ever we can.

If we work towards keeping Nerang-National-Park as a nice place to be, we will have enjoyable trails well into the future.

Happy Trails,

Ash.