Ms Darling said the management plan – which prohibits inconsistent uses including motorbike and Mountain bike riding – would ensure the conservation park would be managed as a relatively undisturbed open forest in a landscape that is undergoing rapid growth.
“Mark Ryan lobbied hard on behalf of his community to keep Sheep Station Creek Conservation Park as an area free from inconsistent uses including motorbike and mountain bike riding.
“Under the draft management plan mountain bike riding was going to be allowed in the park – however after a concerted effort by the community led by Mr Ryan, it was identified that this could not be achieved in harmony with horse riding which people enjoy in the park now.
“The park will continue to provide a variety of low-key nature based recreation opportunities such as horse riding while conserving important natural values, including the high diversity of native animals, particularly birds and tree-residing mammals,” Ms Darling said.
“The park consists of 231 ha of open forest and was originally gazetted as an environmental park in 1977 and regazetted as a conservation park in 1994.
“It is important for the conservation of native plants and animals and includes identified sites of cultural heritage significance.
Mr Ryan said the park had a history of low-key recreation use, including bushwalking, nature observation and horse riding.
“When the management plan was open for public consultation DERM received forty submissions from park users requesting the government consider excluding mountain bike riding from the park because of safety considerations.
“Each of these submissions was considered and the government agreed that this activity had the potential to cause hazards to other users and the new management plan reflects this.
The landscape surrounding the park is being developed for urban and rural residential purposes and as this process continues, the park’s importance for both conservation and recreation will increase.
“While the management plan only affects the conservation park, it actively encourages cooperative management of adjacent lands and the creek system, together with integration with community based land management programs.
Copies of the 2011 Sheep Station Creek Conservation Park Management Plan can be downloaded from the Department of Environment and Resource Management’s website at www.derm.qld.gov.au.
