Recovery work at closed Bald Rock, Boonoo Boonoo and Basket Swamp National Parks is continuing following February's bushfires, with efforts focused on making visitor areas safe to reopen, National Parks and Wildlife Service advises.
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Progress is being made, however, with Basket Swamp and parts of Boonoo Boonoo set to reopen next Thursday, July 4. Public access will be reopened in Boonoo Boonoo to Robinsons Cabin, Platypus Hole picnic area, the River Walk, and the Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area.
The camping area and Morgans Gully in Boonoo Boonoo will remain closed due to the fire damage, as will Bald Rock until further work has been completed.
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A number of Tenterfield Shire Council staff and councillors met onsite with NPWS staff recently to see how work is progressing to reopen to the parks to visitors.
NPWS staff and those of the Office of Environment & Heritage have been working to assess the impact to the park ecosystems. NPWS ranger Dirk Richards said an essential but time-consuming part of the recovery process is assessing visitor safety at various locations, with many trees close to picnic areas, walking tracks and campgrounds needing work to reduce the potential risk of injury from tree or limb fall.
"Whilst these parks remain closed we ask the public to respect the park closed signs and not enter these areas for their own personal safety," Mr Richards said.
"The environmental road to recovery in these parks will be very much influenced by the weather in the coming months and years. Germination of grasses and growth from root stock are encouraging signs in spite of the continued drought conditions in Tenterfield Shire.
"NPWS and Office of Environment & Heritage staff are working to assess the damage to the park ecosystems through a variety of methods, including targeted flora and fauna surveys, camera surveillance of pest species and remote sensing analysis of fire severity.
"Snapshots of ecosystem recovery will be taken at six months, 12 months, and two and five year intervals to track the recovery of the unique ecosystems in these parks."
Mr Richards said the temporary closures presented an opportunity to visit one of the other national parks in Tenterfield Shire such as Mt Mackenzie Nature Reserve, Torrington State Conservation Area or Currys Gap State Conservation Area.
