Tourist schemes hindering lake access?

Press, 27 November 1987, Page 4

Tourist schemes hindering lake access?

Continued free access to lakes and rivers is concerning North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society members. Development proposals such as the Ryton Station tourist scheme are making members uneasy, and they are concerned that access to lakes in the area will be restricted. “We sportsmen like to think we can have free access for fishing and shooting,” said the society’s president, Mr Roger Knowles, at the annual general meeting on Wednesday evening. “Until now there have been no problems with high country farmers. They are marvellous to us and very tolerant” With the tourist ventures, however, members did get a bit suspicious and the society would be keeping a close watch on proceedings, he said. Some members said they wanted the society to print a booklet showing public access routes. This was not the job of the society and it was up to each individual to negotiate access with the particular land owner, said Mr Knowles. There had been problems when the society had negotiated access which had been used by others and made the society unpopular, he said. The society was slack on the issue of public entry, said another member. Signs saying “anglers’ access” which were put up by the Salmon Anglers’ Association was work that should have been done by the society, he said. Habitat protection was the number one concern, said Mr Knowles. There was no point getting excited about access to places where wetlands had been drained and rivers affected by abstraction.