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wood fires at Arapiles 11-Jun-2011 At 12:00:56 AM jezza

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On 10/06/2011 Doug Bruce wrote:
>Thanks for the link. Did you not read the document carefully? This quote
>in the introduction: " there may be local variations for aspects such as
>dogs and fires. If you are unsure, check with the local park office or
>ask a ranger - they’ll be happy to help" makes it very clear that things
>can change from time to time, depending on what local rangers deem appropriate
>for a particular park.

I don't see your point. For Arapiles, there are certain dates where you have the _right_ to light a fire. During this time, a ranger can't arbitrarily tell you to put out the fire. It's a pretty big deal to change these dates. There's a recommendation being put up to do just that. Isn't that what this entire thread is about??

>For example, I think the extension
>of fire restrictions is a reasonable - thereby fair - and logical outcome
>of what has been happening with fires at Mount Arapiles

OK, so what do you reckon has been happening with fires at araps? I'm there often, and I really don't see what the big problem is. Don't subscribe to the poo-piling, bonfire building scaremongering. Most people are responsible, and climbers care about the environment.

Does the recommendation incriminate campers and fire makers? No, it doesn't say that anyone is doing anything wrong! What it does suggest is that people who make fires might collect wood, and that wood collection probably affects biodiversity. Conclusion - get rid of fires!

This is well meaning, but it isn't logical because there are other factors that affect biodiversity in the park. To put it another way, there's no proof that people are collecting wood to an extent that it has any significant impact whatsoever on biodiversity. And there's no proof that reducing the time we're allowed to have fires will usefully reduce the amount of wood collected - if any wood is actually collected, I'm sure most of it is collected during the coldest months anyway. We're still allowed to have fires then!!

It's also illogical because there are ways to reduce wood collection directly. I've already mentioned some
- inspections / warnings
- fines
- selling wood
- signage

Do you see my point? Anyway I'm off to see these poo piles first hand - I will try to send photos.