Tokai and Silvermine to remain closed to the public

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Paddy Gordon just been on Cape talk. Tokai and Silvermine still to be closed for 6 to 24 months pending investigation by various experts regarding soil structure and the regeneration of the area. Cape Pine accelerating exit strategy due to the fire, exiting within months.

 

Areas will most likely be opened in stages according to the impact of the fire and their restoration of the areas affected.

 

So essentially no change.

 

Again... We are constantly communicating with parks in an attempt to get in asap.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I think Tubed has made some very valid points here and in some of his other posts - and I feel he has got a very good grip on the behind the scenes thinking of sanparks. It might actually be good if the tokai mtb committee can read through all the history between the public and the powers that be - they might not be that hopeful of what actually happens in the future and realise that a different tack might be needed.

 

In the past what was negotiated locally meant squat when the decision makers pulled their weight from up north - and tubes' point about the revenue stream has to be taken into consideration.

 

It is also NB to note that some of the past folk involved where ex-foresters, botanists and generally people that love the area and it's richness. I just feel that we don't need to cover all the same roads again and come up short.

 

The thing is - tokaimtb might have considered all this and read through all the history - we just just didn't know. Would it be possible to mail the past newsletters to those who have subscribed only now.

100%

 

We have learnt from the past, but a lot of our success now stems from a change in guArd (Sandra Hollerman) and the formation of tokai mtb and the table mountain mountain biking forum.

 

The committee is made up of passionate MTBers and is looking at working with parks To get a proper mtb venue. We also fit into their vision of the tokai precinct, in that they want a proper network of mtb trails to form a part of their offering.

 

Thinking of the newsletter thing on the history of tokaimtb and parks ... got a few ideas. Lemme just bounce them around and see if I can do something wWith them.

[(Deon)]

I think Tubed has made some very valid points here and in some of his other posts - and I feel he has got a very good grip on the behind the scenes thinking of sanparks.  It might actually be good if the tokai mtb committee can read through all the history between the public and the powers that be - they might not be that hopeful of what actually happens in the future and realise that a different tack might be needed.

 

In the past what was negotiated locally meant squat when the decision makers pulled their weight from up north - and tubes' point about the revenue stream has to be taken into consideration. 

 

It is also NB to note that some of the past folk involved where ex-foresters, botanists and generally people that love the area and it's richness.  I just feel that we don't need to cover all the same roads again and come up short.

 

The thing is - tokaimtb might have considered all this and read through all the history - we just just didn't know.  Would it be possible to mail the past newsletters to those who have subscribed only now.

Think it might be good to set them up as a blog entry. Knowing who wants and does not want what is possibly quite a bit of admin.. 

 

Thanks for suggesting. 

 

As Capitan says, there is a lot of history where mountain biking in the area is concerned but a lot was rebooted when Tokai was adopted into the reserve in 2005m, and then again in 2012 when head office moved into the area. The precinct plan is by far the biggest development to take place here since.. well, ever.

 

Will chat to Capitan to develop a summary of events for the site.

[(Deon)]

To be fair anything going on there is likely to be a slow moving process, and I for one don't want my inbox filled up with a bunch of rubbish because the committee felt they had to send out something.

Not a lot of newsworthy stuff but stuff none-the-less, mostly what people were seeing on the ground. Think during this time we were relying on Facebook and twitter to get all that trail building goodness out to you kind folk. Hey, it's all out there if ANYONE is interested. (Damn' caps lock acting up again.. must be a case of Dipslick )

[DJR]

...............(Damn' caps lock acting up again.. must be a case of Dipslick )

Funny man!

[Headshot]

The management of Tokai and the greater Table Mountain National Park, is simply is not a political issue, and we should not make it one. To see darker motives and agendas behind what was done, or not done, is no more than conspiracy theory, not based in fact.

 

As much as I hate the fact that SANParks do not listen much to the locals and take our money without ploughing it back into our beloved mountain, the reality is that it will probably be best to deal with the devil we know. Yes, I also would like the decision makers to be based in Cape Town and to have direct input from locals into things that impact on them. I also think they have made mistakes, but they have done some very good things since they took over - Cape Point revamp, Chappies Toll, Boulders, come to mind. Some things were done well, but seem to not work well - Hoerikwaggo Trail not used much. Some things were handled poorly - Tokai and mountainbiking, I think. For the future, they have some great plans, for Tokai among others. They are also following a sound and rigorous process in formulating their plans, as opposed to doing bits on an ad hock basis.

 

I think the City of Cape Town is not in a position to manage Table Mountain National Park effectively. They do not have the expertise or the staff to do it.   

 

As an alternative, Cape Nature is perhaps the best positioned to run Table Mountain National Park. They have the expertise, the staff and the track record running several reserves successfully. But do not think for a moment that they don't have their own problems or that they will automatically do a better job. What I like about Cape Nature is that they are based in the Western Cape and that their funds stay here. Whether they will listen to the locals any better than SANParks, is another question.

 

Privatize the whole of Table Mountain National Park? I don't like the idea! I mistrust big business just as much as government to do the right thing.

 

In my opinion, working with SANParks is the best way forward for mountainbiking in Table Mountain National Park. The days when we were free to do what we felt like, ride where we wanted and build wherever we wanted, whatever we wanted, are long gone, and will not return. A formal structure, and working within that formal structure, is the only answer. (Keep in mind that I find this difficult myself, as I am inclined to want to rebel and do my own thing, so I don't say the above easily.) 

DJR - it might surprise you to know that the city manages numerous nature reserves in the greater CT area. They have problems that SANP doesn't even know about - crime on a daily basis, destruction and vandalism etc etc.

[Headshot]

Hidden, it was!

 

Thanks for fixing. 

 

BTW - still feel like a bit of a douche for saying there needs to be one, when there is...

 

Well, more of a douche than I normally am. 

 

The newsletter should have gone out again after the fire and keep going out with updates even if its just to restate the status quo. Tokai MTB hasn't died with the fire as it may well appear to the subscribers. At the moment TMNP is doing a better job of communicating than we are.

[DJR]

DJR - it might surprise you to know that the city manages numerous nature reserves in the greater CT area. They have problems that SANP doesn't even know about - crime on a daily basis, destruction and vandalism etc etc.

I'm aware that they run small urban(ish)reserves like Rondevlei and others, and I'm open for convincing that they can do the bigger job.

 

My feeling was mainly that conservation is not a core function of the City of Cape Town and that it would fit in better with a primarily conservation orientated body.

 

Having said that, the City will always have to be closely involved because Table Mountain is smack in the middle of it and what happens on the mountain impacts on it. I understand that they have funded several safety initiatives as well as the baboon monitors.

[(Deon)]

The newsletter should have gone out again after the fire and keep going out with updates even if its just to restate the status quo. Tokai MTB hasn't died with the fire as it may well appear to the subscribers. At the moment TMNP is doing a better job of communicating than we are.

Oh, good suggestion. There will be a lot to talk about in the next instalment, that's for sure!. 

 

I'm glad you think Merle is doing a good job, she gets so much flak being head of comms at Sanparks. (TMNP)

Edited March 19, 2015 by (insert name here..)

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Oh, good suggestion. There will be a lot to talk about in the next instalment, that's for sure!.

 

There sure will. Hopefully we'll have more news than we do at the moment. Or, at least, more than has been made public already.

[tubed]

Without sounding overly dramatic, this is the proposed management plan to be set in place for the next 10 years to 2025. Thereafter it is set.

 

http://www.sanparks.org.za/conservation/park_man/

 

It closes for comment on 28 March 2015, this really is the opportunity to register and voice your concerns, failing which (and if current management style and strategy are anything to go by) riders will have largely to accept that mtb is not a focus of Sanparks for the peninsula.

 

I am trying to be positive about this, but in many ways it seems fait accompli that Sanparks are looking to rubber stamp their nationwide strategy for management of conservation areas, with the TMNP as a source of revenue, and in doing so they will restrict mtb to a small area which they will milk as much as possible. They are obviously aware that mtb on the peninsula is already restricted, so they have a captive audience with almost no alternative. 

 

I think the fee increase was symptomatic of their approach and our response, some moaned and threatened, Sanparks ignored and people eventually just accepted and paid.

 

[(Deon)]

Indeed. I think the message really did make rounds on all the other channels. Did you see this pic and the news reports on SABC..? 

 

Check, we are figherfighters! You can't see it here too clearly but that's me in the red running to the back where the flames were..

 

 

[(Deon)]

Without sounding overly dramatic, this is the proposed management plan to be set in place for the next 10 years to 2025. Thereafter it is set.

 

http://www.sanparks.org.za/conservation/park_man/

 

It closes for comment on 28 March 2015, this really is the opportunity to register and voice your concerns, failing which (and if current management style and strategy are anything to go by) riders will have largely to accept that mtb is not a focus of Sanparks for the peninsula.

 

I am trying to be positive about this, but in many ways it seems fait accompli that Sanparks are looking to rubber stamp their nationwide strategy for management of conservation areas, with the TMNP as a source of revenue, and in doing so they will restrict mtb to a small area which they will milk as much as possible. They are obviously aware that mtb on the peninsula is already restricted, so they have a captive audience with almost no alternative. 

 

I think the fee increase was symptomatic of their approach and our response, some moaned and threatened, Sanparks ignored and people eventually just accepted and paid.

Extended to May.. please hold, I'll check the date..8 May. 

 

The management plan is high level and written in broad strokes. Not intended for fine detail.. There are documents within each area covered in the 2015 plan that describe the activities in closer detail.

 

You'll see there is mention of this activity throughout. Only areas where mountain bike not permitted is Remote Core and High intensity leisure.. Low intensity, not sure (memory failing) unless we plan for skills park, pump track etc.. 

[Flowta]

Indeed. I think the message really did make rounds on all the other channels. Did you see this pic and the news reports on SABC..? 

 

Check, we are figherfighters! You can't see it here too clearly but that's me in the red running to the back where the flames were..

 

Tokai Manor_CapeFire.jpg

 

 

 

Couldn't resist

[i24]

Extended to May.. please hold, I'll check the date..8 May.

Hi "(insert name here..)". You clearly have an inside line into the anonymous operations of SANParks. Can you please help.

 

I would love to offer my input on this public participation process. I knew it was due to happen but I only discovered the details when it was mentioned on this discussion topic a few days ago, after the meetings had happened and just before the closing date. Not sure how I missed it, but I suspect it was not advertised very widely. I did not see it mentioned on the TokaiMTB web page, or their Twitter or Facebook channels. I don't think a public participation process was mentioned on at the TokaiMTB AGM. I did not see it in the "Wild Card" newsletter that gets e-mailed out. Nothing in the local press etc.

 

Any way I have now registered on this web page:

 

http://www.sanparks.org.za/conservation/park_man/forms/reg_form.php

 

But either the page is broken, or the person who's job it is to acknowledge/respond is not doing it. Maybe I should try register again?

 

Then there is a list of meetings that were supposed to be held between 2nd and the 7th of March. Do you know if they actually took place? If they did, where can we get hold of the minutes?

 

The web site still reads "Written comments are to be forwarded either via email or by mail to Andre Spies, PO Box 787, Pretoria, 0001, by 28 March 2015 for TMNP". If there is an extension to the closing date Ms Merle is not doing a very good job informing us.

 

I am trying to keep an open mind on this but I get the feeling that cyclists and members of the public are not regarded as "interested and affected parties" in certain quarters.

Edited March 19, 2015 by i24

[popcorn_skollie]

It's clear that a lengthy process will be required before any of us get to set foot in Tokai again. It's hard to idly sit by. I get that. I share the same frustration as everyone else. The proposed timeline is just preposterous. But as the general public, exercising patience is pretty much all we can do... for now. The TokaiMTB committee represents us all when liaising with SANParks. They speak for the entire mountain biking community who pay to ride Tokai regularly. They want what we all want. They will do what ever is required to try and accelerate the process. When the time comes. They will need our support in the same fervour with which we show our frustration now. Thats what im waiting for. Thats what i'm hoping for. Whether I have to show up for a public meeting to show support, sign my name somewhere, put some cash in the trail builders account or grab a spade. I'll be waiting