A KITCHEN, the front end of a car and a mattress are not the sort of things you expect to find in the middle of a forest.
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As part of their regular clean-up missions in Kinross Forest on Sunday, members of the Central West Off Road Bicycle Club (CWORBC) were shocked to find the area had become a drop-off point for a range of household rubbish.
CWORBC president Scott Charlton said it was “unfortunate” so many things had been left at the site since the club’s previous clean-up four months ago.
“It’s a situation that continues to frustrate locals and forest user groups, as most of the rubbish can be dumped for free at the council tip located lest than three kilometres away,” Mr Charlton said.
“Mountain biking is actually very credible in terms of looking after the environment.
“The club ensures that every trail we build in the forest meets the high standards of the IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association).
“In practice, this means that the trails leave a small footprint and create no erosion problems.
“Taking out the rubbish from the forest is just another way we can look after an area we get a lot of enjoyment out of”.
Mr Charlton said he was concerned the continued dumping of rubbish at the site would bea turn off for visiting mountain bike enthusiasts.
“It does take the gloss of it,” he said.
“We sell these things as a package for people to come and enjoy the tracks, and they’re a lot more impressive if they’re nice and clean.”
While club members were able to remove most of the dumped items, the large sections of cars had to be left behind.
Mr Charlton said not only bike lovers used the forest. He said it was a popular place for other residents including the runners club, the orienteering club, walkers and horse riders.
“It’s a very exciting time for CWORBC, the numbers of mountain bikers has grown incredibly thanks to the quality of the local tracks,” he said.
“Kinross Forest has gained a great reputation not only locally but as a top-class venue for riders from all over the state.”
The clean-up comes in the lead-up to the Ginger Ninja 250 which last year hosted over 250 riders from across NSW.
There are still places available for the race that kicks off on Sunday, February 10 and details are available at the club’s website at: http://cworbc.org.au.
tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au