save our trails campaign

[DocMartin]

Here’s a message being circulated by email.

I post with caveat, that I don’t believe AFCD is major culprit in trail concreting and fencing.
– just in email to one of campaign organisers:

perhaps key culprit isn’t afcd, but local govts (district councils or whatever)

within afcd is i think some support for wilder trails; ideally, support rather than alienate these people.
Could highlight good trails, eg I’ve mentioned to a guy re new trail linking Tai O w Fan Lau – involved a stretch w rock steps (when maybe could have just opted for concrete)

Quote:

“Whether you are a mountain biker, trail runner, hiker or someone who simply loves to be outdoors this email applies to you. Please read and pass on to all similar-minded persons and try to help in any way possible.

SAVE OUR TRAILS CAMPAIGN

There seems to have been quite a bit of “insensitive” trail repair work by the Agriculture Fisheries Conservation Department (AFCD) over the last few months: Sir Cecils Ride, Lady Clementi’s, Yuen Tun Trail (Tai Lam CP) to name a few. It might be well-meaning, but the result is to ruin the existing character of the trails until they would be more suitable to a Central sidewalk than a Country Park hiking trail.

We would like to start gathering information on inappropriate trail maintenance that can be used later as proof that people are concerned that the trails are being ruined and the natural beauty of Hong Kong’s trails are being lost.

We are urging all people who use the outdoors to come forward and support us, by returning an email to the address below and pledging your support. We hope to show the governing bodies that there is a thriving outdoors community who do not wish to see the trails ruined.

Send your replies to:

[email protected]

Thank you.

OUR OBJECTIVES
To maintain transparency throughout this campaign, below is a list of the objectives that we hope to acheive:

To gather public opinion and support to keep existing trails in as natural a state as possible;
To raise awareness of Hong Kong as a destination for outdoors activities;
To clarify and influence AFCD’s decision-making policy on trail maintenance;
To encourage and work with AFCD on the correct maintenance of trails to safeguard them for outdoor sports

But it cannot be done alone: please give your support. Just pledging your support by e-mail will be very useful – if you would like to get more involved, perhaps by representing the interests of your particular sport or activity, please also let us know.”

無論你是爬山單車手, 越野賽手,行山人士或只是一個喜歡戶外的人,這封電郵與你有關. 請你閱讀後傳送給與你志同道合的人或幫忙

拯救我們的遠足徑行動

近幾個月, 似乎有些由漁農自然護理署主理的遠足徑維修工程不近人情, 例如金督馳馬徑, 金夫人馳馬徑和圓墩郊遊徑. 這原本可能是出於好意的, 但就令到它們失去了本有的特色, 直到它們變成像中環的街道,而不再是郊野公園徑.

我們現在正搜集不適當的遠足徑維修工程. 從而之後用作表達大家對遠足徑被破壞和失去香港自然景色的關注.

我們請求所有會到戶外的人站出來去支持我們, 請寄電郵到以下的地址來見證你們的支持. 我們希望向政府有關當局表達有一群熱愛戶外的人士不希望見到遠足徑被破壞.

請寄電郵到 :

[email protected]

多謝.

我們的目標

為維持這項活動的透明度, 以下列出我們的目標

收集公眾意見和支持去令到遠足徑能維持原有的那麼自然
提高對香港作為戶外活動的目的地的注意
解釋和影響漁農署對遠足徑維修工程的政策
鼓勵和與漁農署合作去制定正確的遠足徑維修工程,從而保護它們給予戶外運動愛好者

但這是不能依靠一個人的力量 : 請支持我們.寄電郵來見證你們的支持已是很有用了. 如果你想更投入參與 – 可能是代表你喜歡的活動的愛好者- 請告訴我們.

[Anonymous]

After following the thread and seeing evidence of trail concret’ing in Sai Kung, I should also like to add that AFCD is not to blame (all the time). Discussions should also be made with Home Affairs Dept (HAD), Water Services Dept (WSD) etc since many of these projects stem from District office level, without any considertaion to the environment. The good news however is that, if one can raise an objection and assist the involved department (if it affects a trail or stream etc) at an early stage, then fundamental improvements can be made to the design etc. A case study is the Sai Kung Association and a new road being re-designed with footpath and cycle track along a short stretch of stream.

[DocMartin]

email from Shaun Horrocks, one of the campaign founders:

Quote:

the more research we are doing the more we are finding evidence that it is the other depts that are to blame – although afcd are no saints their overezealous mainantence of trails (removing of all the rocks imbedded on lady clementis for example) are by far a lot less destructive than say the WSD

thanks for this

There doesnt appear to be an overall governing body that monitors all the different depts – this seem improbable but the EPD only seem to look at the bigger picture

[DocMartin]

email w campaign news

IF YOU HAVENT ALREADY SIGNED UP DO NOW!

there are over 200 members now – that would go a long way in
fighting this battle! come on guys do something for the community –
it will take 2 minutes!!!!

SAVE OUR TRAILS UPDATE

First and foremost THANK YOU all very much for your support

It has become obvious to us that this is a far bigger and more wide
spread problem than we first thought!

Wiith all the mails we have received – to date over 170 – it has
become clear to us that their are enough people out there concerned
over the urbanising of our country parks, that we should continue
with our efforts

i would like to state that in our first email that was sent out we
specifically targeted the AFCD as the culprits for the ruination of
the trails, we have lately learned that this is not nessesarily the
case. other departments such as WSD HAS are far more guilty.

Yes the AFCD have been over zealouss in places (lady Clementi’s to
name one) but overall they do some good work. It seems that they are
not the true gaurdians of our country parks and other departments
can go in there and pretty much do as they please. There seems to be
no guidelines or policy for what work is done, that is something we
would like to address.

You may be familiar with our objectives, but before we approach any
government bodies we would like to have a body of evidence. As it is
the holiday weekend im certain quite a lot of you will be using this
time to escape the claustraphobic confines of the city and head out
into our country parks. Im therefore urging all of you to please
take a camera and help us to gather evidence of poor or unwarranted
trail work – the more information you can provide the better. An
ideal situation would be if you actually have old photos of the
trail before the work was done, this way we can compare and contrast

It neednt be all bad – if you see some work that you consider to be
good please take that too, there is some good work going on out
there and we dont want to discourage it. In fact having photographic
evidence of good trailwork will also work to our advantage!

and finally

Please pass the email onto as many people as possible (without
spamming them) We really want to get the local community involved as
much as possible

Thank you
Shaun

[Author]

Posts