Would you donate anything to Toowoomba Regional Council? 6 days to save bushland

Charles & Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve

On the 21st of January a petition was presented to the Toowoomba Regional Council, requesting that they re-locate a planned footpath through the Endangered Ecosystem* of the Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve at Highfields, to the existing roadside footpath precinct on O’Brien Road. 

The Council voted to respond to the petition by looking at a “Compromise” where  a replanned, shorter path would still go through the reserve, with the rest  relocated to the roadside .  We are told that the shortcut through the reserve will save money, with the proposed compromise path to cost $71000 to ratepayers whereas a footpath wholly restricted to the road reserve would cost $82000.
We are NOT happy with this Compromise!

This coming Tuesday the 18th of March, will see TRC Councillors vote on the "compromise" proposal.  It is suspected that the majority of councillors plan to vote in favour of the compromise.

The Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve of 4ha was gifted to the people of Highfields in 1993 by well known and respected residents and cattle farmers Mr Charles and Mrs Motee Rogers.  The land was donated to the people of the then Crows Nest Shire, and an agreement made with the Crows Nest Shire Council that this land would be protected and managed for future generations.  A mere 20 years later, the land is now managed by Toowoomba Regional Council, who should not be allowed to forget that its ratepayers are the true owners of the public land in their care.  Currently  despite being marked on TRC's recently released new town plan as "Conservation (Area of Environmental Concern)", we are now told that the land is not classed as a bushland reserve or a public park, but is a freehold allotment and TRC is free to sell it any time it chooses. Recent proposals by TRC to sell parkland in the city show that sale of this valuable land is a real possibility. 
The original hand-over records and agreements from Charles Rogers and Crows Nest Shire Council were requested by the public from the Crows Nest Shire Council Offices.  We were told that the Toowoomba Regional council went and removed those records some months ago.  Requests for a copy of the records from Toowoomba Regional Council resulted in the answer that the records had been “misplaced or lost!”

At the time this precious bushland reserve land was donated, it was worth several million dollars.   While it is obviously an ideal site for future development, Mr and Mrs Rogers' donation was clearly made with the opposite intention in mind. We feel that their wishes are completely in tune with those of a large sector of the Highfields population, who see their community, with its rural links and natural heritage, as something a bit different from just another suburb clustered around a commercial centre. 

The TRC Roads and Drainage department confirmed that O’Brien Road is earmarked on the future town plan for road-widening to 4 lanes and that the Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve will lose at least 20 metres of land for this road widening in the very near future.  We question whether such a wide road is necessary or desirable in this position.
We are unable to confirm rumours that plans for a library building and future car-park on Reserve land are already in the pipeline, and that the aforementioned future town plan, for release in five years time, shows no green at all where the Charles and Motee Bushland Reserve now stands. It is certainly true that the smaller the reserve gets, the lower its environmental value, and the easier it will become to justify yet more chipping away. If we let this first cut be made, we can be sure that further little cuts, such as mowing the undergrowth (such an important part of Reserve's preserved environment),  and clearing small areas such as that between a path and the reserve edge, will progressively reduce the ecological qualities of the reserve. 

WOULD YOU DONATE ANYTHING TO THIS COUNCIL???

What can we do?  With only 7 days until the next vote is made, and with council staff keen to get their footpath started, it is vital that the public speaks out about their concerns.
If you share our belief that this reserve, with its carefully preserved natural environment, is a vital component of the "heart" of Highfields, now is the time to let TRC know. Their vote next Tuesday is not just about a path. It gives permission for the thin edge of a wedge which could destroy the this reserve, bit by bit.
A brief email sent to all the councillors before next Tuesday's Council meeting would be timely. If we all do it, it may produce the desired result.

1.      
Things you can do:
1.      Contact the TRC Councillors and Mayor with your concerns By Email. (see links to their email addresses below. It's easy enough to state your case in a brief email and cut and paste it to all.  An example is provided below, or better still – write your own)

2.      Contact the TRC Councillors by TEXT Message (Copy and paste the text below and send to all councillor numbers provided)
2.      Sign the online petition for the original request for the footpath re-location & ask your friends and neighbours to do so also.
3.      Share this Email and its contents where ever you can.
4.      Encourage others to stand up for what is right and save this area from the destruction that will be its destiny if we do not act.

 Do you remember who you voted for?  Do you expect them to speak for the local citizens and for the publics property?  Remind them of the reasons you voted for them in the first place.

EMAIL EXAMPLE TO COPY & PASTE & SEND TO TRC COUNCILLORS:  "I ask TRC's Councillors to vote against the proposal to put any footpath, apart from the existing environmentally sensitive narrow gravel path, through the understorey of the Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve at Highfields. I do not support the view that the shortened "compromise" footpath proposal is acceptable. I ask the councillors to support the retention of the total area of the reserve as a complete ecosystem with all its component parts, from tall trees to understorey, as intended by its very generous donor, Mr Charles Rogers."

SEND A TEXT TO ALL COUNCILLORS:  "I ask TRC's Councillors to vote against the proposal to put any footpath, through the understorey of the Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve at Highfields. I do not support the view that the shortened "compromise" footpath proposal is acceptable. I ask the councillors to support the retention of the total area of the reserve as a complete ecosystem from tall trees to understorey, as intended by its very generous donor, Mr Charles Rogers."

Link to All Council’s Emails -   http://www.toowoombarc.qld.gov.au/about-council/councillors

Councillors Mobile Phone Numbers – Cr Mike Williams 0428 182 976, Cr Geoff McDonald 0499 774 276, Cr Ros Scotney 0427 578 264 , Cr Carol Taylor 0417 723 948, Cr John Gouldson 0499 774 273, Cr Chris Tait 0499 774 274, Cr Anne Glasheen 0408 718 720, Cr Sue Englart 0499 774 271, Cr Nancy Sommerfield 0499 774 278 , Mayor Cr Paul Antonio 0429 954 109 

Original Petition Address - https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/toowoomba-regional-council-preserve-charles-motee-rogers-bushland-reserve-at-highfields

Reserve Blog/Website – http://www.rogersreserve.blogspot.com

Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/charlesandmoteerogersbushlandreserve

(*For those interested, the reserve is regional ecosystem type 12.5.6, which is classified as endangered by the Qld. Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.)

I would sincerely like to thank everyone who has supported the petition to ensure the longevity of this precious bushland reserve in Highfields.  Your support and encouragement has shown the local community spirit at its best, and I am truly grateful to each and everyone of you.

Kind Regards,

Judi Gray

(Petition Organizer)

In conjunction with the “Friends of Charles & Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve”

Email:  rogersreserve@yahoo.com.au

Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve - O'Brien Road displaying allocated footpath zone.