Ride responsibly these school holidays

The Shire of Augusta Margaret River is urging mountain bikers to stick to sanctioned trails these school holidays in order to protect the local environment. Mountain biking is one of the region’s most popular sports and a great way for children to enjoy the outdoors.  However, the construction of illegal trails in local bushland reserves is a rapidly growing issue and Shire President Ian Earl said it was important young people were not contributing to the degradation of the environment in these important areas.  “Everyone is working hard to accommodate this fast-growing sport and we are lucky that there is a network of world-class sanctioned trails in Margaret River, with more set to open up soon,” he said. “But we want to remind people about the damage that can happen when people start building their own trails and jumps in the local bushland.” Without proper planning and environmental considerations, trails can contribute to loss of native vegetation, erosion and the introduction of weeds. This can be particularly damaging in fragile foreshore areas that are close to town, resulting in negative impacts to our local rivers and waterways. Nature Conservation's Wooditijup Bilya Protection Officer, Michelle Keppel, said “Spending time in nature is a wonderful opportunity for our local kids, and caring for foreshore areas by 'leaving the shovel at home' is one way we can all help protect Wooditjup Bilya”. As well as environmental threats, Cr Earl said unsanctioned trails, jumps and pits could pose a safety risk to other trail users. “We love seeing people being active and enjoying the natural environment, but we need to take care and make sure the bushland and other trail users are also considered,” he said. “So please stick to designated trails – like those in the Pines, Compartment 10 and the Creek Trails – and please leave the shovels at home.” For budding trail builders, a trail building workshop is being planned for the October school holidays, led by one of our talented local trail builders as part of the Shire’s RISE program. The workshop will educate young people about the right way to build mountain bike trails and how to be an environmentally responsible trail builder while providing some hands-on practical experience. Keep an eye out for this awesome opportunity!  For more information on illegal trail building, please see the Shire’s fact sheet.