I went offshore yesterday for the first time ever. A heck of a ride out but the sea laid down and we got into some blue fin Tuna after a long and hurried ride north through the Gulf Stream. So with the one fish we could keep, 157 pounder, we headed back. This time, I got to see the Island from Buxton through Hatteras.
What struck me was the great expanse of empty beach because of the closures; which this year, are immense. And the sickening part of the whole thing is they've barely even started shutting you and me off this Seashore. There is much more to come folks.
A lot, but still to few people are fighting hard to save this Seashore from the land-grab and we need help. Right now its all about public comment on the proposed NPS alternatives. In the next week there will be workshops held to help folks understand what this mess is and video of these gatherings will be available. Lots of good info here folks. If you cant attend, please watch the video. And please remember, keep the emotion in check and slam them with facts. And there's plenty of those.
My favorites being these...more to come though.
1) the Enabling Legislation (16 USC 459 ) which reads (in part):
“except for certain portions of the area, deemed to be especially adaptable for recreational uses, particularly swimming, boating, sailing, fishing, and other recreational activities of similar nature, which shall be developed for such uses as needed, the said area shall be permanently reserved as a primitive wilderness and no development of the project or plan for the convenience of visitors shall be undertaken which would be incompatible with the preservation of the unique flora and fauna or the physiographic conditions now prevailing in this area . ..”
2) NPS Organic Act (16 USC) in part:
“The service thus established shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and reservations hereinafter specified by such means and measures as conform to the fundamental purpose of the said parks, monuments, and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
3) the important one (16 USC 459 1a-1) in part:
“The authorization of activities shall be construed and the protection, management, and administration of these areas shall be conducted in light of the high public value and integrity of the National Park System and shall not be exercised in derogation of the values and purposes for which these various areas have been established, except as may have been or shall be directly and specifically provided by Congress.”
To borrow a section or two from the Coalition for Beach Access position statement,
"The enabling legislation for the Recreational Area, clearly excepts areas “especially adaptable for recreational uses, particularly swimming, boating, sailing, fishing, and other recreational activities of similar nature”. This 1978 act was passed six years after the Executive Order requiring ORV plans and, it continued to authorize the exception of recreational areas as defined in the enabling legislation."
"It is imperative that ORV use be recognized for exactly what it is: A historical means of access to an area especially attractive for recreational opportunities. The use of an ORV is not considered a recreational activity in this Recreational Area. These recreational opportunities sought, allow the public to enjoy the Seashore’s resources and values.
Denying access to recreational opportunities, many of which are specifically protected in the Enabling Legislation, denies the Seashore’s current visitors the opportunity to enjoy the park’s resources and values and denies future generations the opportunity to enjoy the park’s resources in direct violation of Park Services Management Policies. The vast stretches of undeveloped shoreline between villages are a major attraction for visitors. Closing as little as 20% of the 68 miles of shoreline forces more people into smaller
areas, increasing the potential for user conflict and diminishing the attractiveness for visitors. It is unreasonable to expect, or attempt to provide, a beach wilderness experience with over two million annual visitors on only 68 miles or shoreline. The recreational activities (edit) are activities that do not cause harm or impairment to the parks resources or values, nor do they cause “unacceptable impacts”. All of these recreational activities are historic and traditional uses and meet the requirements outlined in the U.S.C. Code"
So there's some more stuff for you to contemplate. More to follow.
Tight Lines,
Wheat
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
No Big Surprise
Its no wonder this stuff is so frustrating. I'll let Irene Nolan tell you the story.
http://islandfreepress.org/PivotBlog/pivot/entry.php?id=86#comm
These folks should run for congress.They obviously break any rule they choose to meet their agenda just as congress through the Constitution under the bus. Yep, these folks would fit right in.
Tight Lines,
Wheat
http://islandfreepress.org/PivotBlog/pivot/entry.php?id=86#comm
These folks should run for congress.They obviously break any rule they choose to meet their agenda just as congress through the Constitution under the bus. Yep, these folks would fit right in.
Tight Lines,
Wheat
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Closures And Nesting
I hate to say it but I'm beginning to wonder if 2010 is going to result in near 100% closure of the Seashore. I drove to Avon today and was astounded by the size of the closure between Ramp 38 and Buxton. 38 will be a cul-de-sac shortly. A friend writes on his blog that the closed area between 43 and 44 has been expanded and it sounds like Ramp 45 is almost closed. Its only April 7th.
And check this out. You don't think NPS wants to turn this Seashore into a highly regulated "Disneyland"...just got this in the email this morning...
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkId=358&projectId=30061
If you just heard a loud noise, it was probably my head exploding.
So we're in pre-nesting season and all of the imagined and real birds have come to do their bird thing. And so the closures grow. Nesting will begin and NPS will begin a tally of nests, pairs of birds, eggs, chicks, fledged chicks etc..
Derb always touts increased nesting as a sign of success with the consent decree in place. But what does it really mean? Well, he cant tout Plover numbers and he cant tout Oystercatcher numbers so he goes for "the other colonial waterbirds". That would be Least Terns (LETE) for example. This would be a bird whose numbers reportedly increased last year. But wait...over and over again in the LETE counts you see the word "approximately" when at the end of the year they give a finite number. I wonder how that works!
Its the nest count that you really need to pay attention to and here's why:
Lets say that we're standing on the beach and 100 pair of terns come and build their nests. NPS will record 100 nests on their tally sheet under number of nests this year.
Along comes a wave that wipes out all 100 nests. NPS records this event also. The birds come right back and re-nest. BUT, the math changes. Now the NPS record will show 100 pair of terns but the number of nests is now 200 even though this is 100% re-nesting. If it happened again, the nest tally would jump to 300 in spite of the fact that only 100 nests actually exist..
This is the BS we deal with in this fight to save this Seashore. One more example of the government railroading the American people without cause.
I hope you'll join this fight, we need all the help we can get.
Tight Lines,
Wheat
And check this out. You don't think NPS wants to turn this Seashore into a highly regulated "Disneyland"...just got this in the email this morning...
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkId=358&projectId=30061
If you just heard a loud noise, it was probably my head exploding.
So we're in pre-nesting season and all of the imagined and real birds have come to do their bird thing. And so the closures grow. Nesting will begin and NPS will begin a tally of nests, pairs of birds, eggs, chicks, fledged chicks etc..
Derb always touts increased nesting as a sign of success with the consent decree in place. But what does it really mean? Well, he cant tout Plover numbers and he cant tout Oystercatcher numbers so he goes for "the other colonial waterbirds". That would be Least Terns (LETE) for example. This would be a bird whose numbers reportedly increased last year. But wait...over and over again in the LETE counts you see the word "approximately" when at the end of the year they give a finite number. I wonder how that works!
Its the nest count that you really need to pay attention to and here's why:
Lets say that we're standing on the beach and 100 pair of terns come and build their nests. NPS will record 100 nests on their tally sheet under number of nests this year.
Along comes a wave that wipes out all 100 nests. NPS records this event also. The birds come right back and re-nest. BUT, the math changes. Now the NPS record will show 100 pair of terns but the number of nests is now 200 even though this is 100% re-nesting. If it happened again, the nest tally would jump to 300 in spite of the fact that only 100 nests actually exist..
This is the BS we deal with in this fight to save this Seashore. One more example of the government railroading the American people without cause.
I hope you'll join this fight, we need all the help we can get.
Tight Lines,
Wheat
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Shuttle
A few years ago a few good friends and I sat out on Cape Point on a clear night and proceeded to freeze our collective hineys off and watch the ascent of the space shuttle as it left the Florida coast. To say that this was an awesome event would be a gross understatement. One of our friends had satellite TV in his slide in camper so the dozen or so folks out there had the luxury of watching the countdown, launch, ascent and then the neat thing happened. As the shuttle made its way east, it flew through the constellation Orion and they started the main engine shutdown countdown...hearing the call and watching that point of light disappear as it was travelling at 15,500mph made the whole evening worth it, frozen or not.
This morning, I got to see the whole show all over again with the addition of watching the space station cruise by a few minuets before liftoff. This time though, it was shorts and a t-shirt from my deck with a cup of fresh java to toast our heroes as they began their adventure. Missing were my fellow veterans of that frosty night on The Point but this morning they were sitting at home taking care of their new baby Boy (FHB and Pirate in Training). And that's when it hit me. If NPS and the rest of the darkside get their way, this young child will never experience the wonders that can be seen from the Point.
And that's just wrong.
Tight Lines,
Wheat
This morning, I got to see the whole show all over again with the addition of watching the space station cruise by a few minuets before liftoff. This time though, it was shorts and a t-shirt from my deck with a cup of fresh java to toast our heroes as they began their adventure. Missing were my fellow veterans of that frosty night on The Point but this morning they were sitting at home taking care of their new baby Boy (FHB and Pirate in Training). And that's when it hit me. If NPS and the rest of the darkside get their way, this young child will never experience the wonders that can be seen from the Point.
And that's just wrong.
Tight Lines,
Wheat
Sunday, April 4, 2010
More Sound Science
It always interests me to go to assorted websites and read the arguments between pro-access and anti- access folks. Some of the posts there are priceless and do a wondrous job of outlining just how ignorant of this Seashore and biased some of these folks can be. Of course, in prospective, they get their information from the spin doctors at DOW, Audubon and SELC whose collection of lies, half truths and misrepresentations abound. NPS is no stranger to these tactics either though they tend to be a bit more restrained, sometimes.
Yesterday at 8am I was in yet another meeting that involves digesting and responding to the NPS 810 page Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This thing is short on common sense, long on horse poop, and chock full of graphs of one sort or another. Reminds me of Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant. If I hadn't cooked my brain reading American Oystercatcher studies this day I could tell you what page to look for as I discuss a particular pie chart that an astute member of our crew discovered. I'll have to come back and do that later.
The NPS does fly overs on the holidays, spring, summer and fall, the purpose of which is to count vehicles on the Seashore. In this particular pie chart, the numbers for the 4Th of July are shown with a comment made about observations. The comment claims something to the effect that most of the vehicles they sighted were seen at Bodie Island Spit, Cape Point and I believe Hatteras Inlet.
HUH? All of these areas were closed to ALL human activity! No trucks, no pedestrians, nothing except NPS observers. Either somebody is so full of ( ) you could smell them a mile away or NPS had one heck of a party. The scary part is, I wouldn't know which way to bet, not anymore.
Tight Lines,
Wheat
Yesterday at 8am I was in yet another meeting that involves digesting and responding to the NPS 810 page Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This thing is short on common sense, long on horse poop, and chock full of graphs of one sort or another. Reminds me of Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant. If I hadn't cooked my brain reading American Oystercatcher studies this day I could tell you what page to look for as I discuss a particular pie chart that an astute member of our crew discovered. I'll have to come back and do that later.
The NPS does fly overs on the holidays, spring, summer and fall, the purpose of which is to count vehicles on the Seashore. In this particular pie chart, the numbers for the 4Th of July are shown with a comment made about observations. The comment claims something to the effect that most of the vehicles they sighted were seen at Bodie Island Spit, Cape Point and I believe Hatteras Inlet.
HUH? All of these areas were closed to ALL human activity! No trucks, no pedestrians, nothing except NPS observers. Either somebody is so full of ( ) you could smell them a mile away or NPS had one heck of a party. The scary part is, I wouldn't know which way to bet, not anymore.
Tight Lines,
Wheat
Heres a good read that takes a look at what happened here last year. This comes from the Outer Banks Preservation Association or OBPA.
http://www.obpa.org/
Tight Lines,
Wheat
NPS Resource Management Field Summary Reports – Synopsis
The first full season under the Consent Decree
The 2009 bird-breeding season at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore experienced better than normal nesting weather. Temperatures at the Seashore were cooler than normal. No tropical storms or nor’easters flooded the islands. Normal rainfall amounts fell. Conditions suggested better than average results might be expected. Actual numbers reported by the NPS through August 7, 2009 indicate results have not been better, and in some cases are worse, than in 2008.
In the case of the piping plover (PIPL), 2009 compared to 2008 recorded fewer breeding pairs (9 vs. 11), fewer hatched eggs (19 vs. 22), and fewer fledged chicks (6 vs. 7). The Consent Decree went into effect on May 1, 2008, after the arrival of the PIPLs for the 2008 breeding season. The results for 2008, and for 2009 (the first full year under the Consent Decree) have shown no improvement from what was experienced under the Interim Plan in effect in 2006/2007. The 2009 fledge rate of .67 per breeding pair matches the 2006 results.
American oystercatchers (AMOY) nesting results for 2009 were also worse than in 2008. Assuming all remaining chicks as of August 7 successfully fledge, 2009 will record 14 fledged chicks compared to 17 recorded in 2008. AMOY’s do not breed until four years of age, so the increase in the number of breeding pairs in recent years should be attributed to management policies prior to the Consent Decree.
Results for black skimmers and other colonial waterbirds for which closures are established have not yet been quantified by the NPS. The turtle-nesting season is still in progress with nests and false crawls numbers to-date similar to what were experienced in 2008.
Observations suggest that black skimmers continue to nest in limited numbers on the seashore with the Consent Decree having no noticeable improvement. However, as in 2008, skimmers have nested in great numbers on Cora June Island. David Allen of the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission said there were “over 100 black skimmers” and some common terns on Cora June Island after viewing pictures this summer. Although only 500 yards behind the Hatteras Village ferry docks, Cora June is not technically part of the Seashore and therefore is excluded from the NPS statistics. Also, approximately 250 to 300 black skimmers, 30 common terns and 300 least terns have been observed nesting on the beaches south of the Oregon Inlet groin on Pea Island. However, this area is also excluded from the results reported by the NPS because it is managed within the Pea Island Wildlife Reserve, even though it is a part of the Seashore.
The results have not supported the closure policies dictated by the Consent Decree. In fact, factors other than ORV or pedestrian activities have had a more significant impact on results. The NPS recognizes that predators are responsible for significant loses of bird and turtle eggs and hatchlings. Since 2002, over 800 predators have been trapped on the Seashore. Numbers of trappings have increased substantially over the past two years after the NPS hired a full-time trapper. Some have surmised that predator activity on the beaches may have actually increased as a result of the Consent Decree due to the absence of ORVs and pedestrians. Another factor negatively impacting the breeding success of all shorebirds is the loss of habitat due to vegetation growth that has occurred in areas used for nesting in prior years. The absence of ORV activity as a result of closures during the non-breeding season (September thru March) has contributed to the unchecked vegetation growth in these areas. A third factor that negatively impacts results is weather. Storms did not impact the bird-nesting season in 2009, and it remains to be seen if storms (combined with the NPS policy of not relocating turtle nests from at-risk locations) will negatively impact the 2009 turtle hatches.
When costs are considered, the appropriateness of the Consent Decree is even more questionable. Thru 8/16/2008 (only three and a half months after its implementation), the NPS spent $316,000 more than what would have been spent under the Interim Plan (per Supt. Mike Murray) and continues to incur incremental costs during 2009 (aprox. $300,000 to $400,000). As a result of the Consent Decree settlement, the plaintiffs were paid $100,000. These costs are real, but the cost to the U.S. taxpayers does not even approach the cost to the economy of the islands, nor the diminished quality of the visitors’ experience at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
http://www.obpa.org/
Tight Lines,
Wheat
NPS Resource Management Field Summary Reports – Synopsis
The first full season under the Consent Decree
The 2009 bird-breeding season at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore experienced better than normal nesting weather. Temperatures at the Seashore were cooler than normal. No tropical storms or nor’easters flooded the islands. Normal rainfall amounts fell. Conditions suggested better than average results might be expected. Actual numbers reported by the NPS through August 7, 2009 indicate results have not been better, and in some cases are worse, than in 2008.
In the case of the piping plover (PIPL), 2009 compared to 2008 recorded fewer breeding pairs (9 vs. 11), fewer hatched eggs (19 vs. 22), and fewer fledged chicks (6 vs. 7). The Consent Decree went into effect on May 1, 2008, after the arrival of the PIPLs for the 2008 breeding season. The results for 2008, and for 2009 (the first full year under the Consent Decree) have shown no improvement from what was experienced under the Interim Plan in effect in 2006/2007. The 2009 fledge rate of .67 per breeding pair matches the 2006 results.
American oystercatchers (AMOY) nesting results for 2009 were also worse than in 2008. Assuming all remaining chicks as of August 7 successfully fledge, 2009 will record 14 fledged chicks compared to 17 recorded in 2008. AMOY’s do not breed until four years of age, so the increase in the number of breeding pairs in recent years should be attributed to management policies prior to the Consent Decree.
Results for black skimmers and other colonial waterbirds for which closures are established have not yet been quantified by the NPS. The turtle-nesting season is still in progress with nests and false crawls numbers to-date similar to what were experienced in 2008.
Observations suggest that black skimmers continue to nest in limited numbers on the seashore with the Consent Decree having no noticeable improvement. However, as in 2008, skimmers have nested in great numbers on Cora June Island. David Allen of the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission said there were “over 100 black skimmers” and some common terns on Cora June Island after viewing pictures this summer. Although only 500 yards behind the Hatteras Village ferry docks, Cora June is not technically part of the Seashore and therefore is excluded from the NPS statistics. Also, approximately 250 to 300 black skimmers, 30 common terns and 300 least terns have been observed nesting on the beaches south of the Oregon Inlet groin on Pea Island. However, this area is also excluded from the results reported by the NPS because it is managed within the Pea Island Wildlife Reserve, even though it is a part of the Seashore.
The results have not supported the closure policies dictated by the Consent Decree. In fact, factors other than ORV or pedestrian activities have had a more significant impact on results. The NPS recognizes that predators are responsible for significant loses of bird and turtle eggs and hatchlings. Since 2002, over 800 predators have been trapped on the Seashore. Numbers of trappings have increased substantially over the past two years after the NPS hired a full-time trapper. Some have surmised that predator activity on the beaches may have actually increased as a result of the Consent Decree due to the absence of ORVs and pedestrians. Another factor negatively impacting the breeding success of all shorebirds is the loss of habitat due to vegetation growth that has occurred in areas used for nesting in prior years. The absence of ORV activity as a result of closures during the non-breeding season (September thru March) has contributed to the unchecked vegetation growth in these areas. A third factor that negatively impacts results is weather. Storms did not impact the bird-nesting season in 2009, and it remains to be seen if storms (combined with the NPS policy of not relocating turtle nests from at-risk locations) will negatively impact the 2009 turtle hatches.
When costs are considered, the appropriateness of the Consent Decree is even more questionable. Thru 8/16/2008 (only three and a half months after its implementation), the NPS spent $316,000 more than what would have been spent under the Interim Plan (per Supt. Mike Murray) and continues to incur incremental costs during 2009 (aprox. $300,000 to $400,000). As a result of the Consent Decree settlement, the plaintiffs were paid $100,000. These costs are real, but the cost to the U.S. taxpayers does not even approach the cost to the economy of the islands, nor the diminished quality of the visitors’ experience at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Well friends, looks like all that research, filing and cross filing has killed my old flagship desktop so now I'm driving a new beastie that arrived this day in a box only slightly smaller than a washing machine and almost as heavy. Pretty scary for this old IT guy when he opens up the case to see the goodies and finds an entire panel made to accommodate eight hard drives...wow! Now if only I could teach this thing to fish!
Speaking of fishing, this place could bust loose any day. We've got gobs of 64 degree water pushing up from the Gulf Stream and with days of SE/SW winds on the way, the big critters wont be far behind. Dave, if your going to stop by, this is the week to do it!
Closures are up all over the place and rumors of closures abound. Just like last year, earlier, larger, and in the end, no benefit to the critters but one hell of a smack to all of us. I see where the president of Audubon (Auto-ban) was nice enough to write Dare County (where most of the Seashore is) to tell us all of just how happy we should be that they are taking such good care of the Seashore for us. Something tells me it didn't come with a check to replenish the food bank down here that's already straining with a 17.5% unemployment rate. Yup, we're all just so happy that your actions have destroyed our way of life and the future of the kids around here. Fitting that your "society" is named after a guy that shot and killed every bird he could.
So we're in the middle of this fight and are now faced with an incomplete DEIS that we've but a few weeks left to comment on. 810 pages of stuff that outlines just how screwed we are. I'm pretty sure my first comment is going to be an objection to the requirement of comment while the DEIS is incomplete because the federally required economic impact study is not yet finished.
This thing is damn right stupid. Piping Plovers are the only threatened bird at the Seashore. If the Plovers are around you can bring a dog into the Seashore on a six foot leash but they want to make it so no pets, namely dogs, are allowed ANYWHERE in the seashore during American Oyster-catcher breeding season. This stinks worse than the Denver stock show.
Great, we get stuck with Obama-care and Derbcare all at once.
If you're interested, some sites to help keep your beaches free and accessible:
http://www.obpa.org/
http://www.preservebeachaccess.org/
I'll be posting more sites and some useful stuff to help with your DEIS comments asap
Tight Lines,
Wheat
Speaking of fishing, this place could bust loose any day. We've got gobs of 64 degree water pushing up from the Gulf Stream and with days of SE/SW winds on the way, the big critters wont be far behind. Dave, if your going to stop by, this is the week to do it!
Closures are up all over the place and rumors of closures abound. Just like last year, earlier, larger, and in the end, no benefit to the critters but one hell of a smack to all of us. I see where the president of Audubon (Auto-ban) was nice enough to write Dare County (where most of the Seashore is) to tell us all of just how happy we should be that they are taking such good care of the Seashore for us. Something tells me it didn't come with a check to replenish the food bank down here that's already straining with a 17.5% unemployment rate. Yup, we're all just so happy that your actions have destroyed our way of life and the future of the kids around here. Fitting that your "society" is named after a guy that shot and killed every bird he could.
So we're in the middle of this fight and are now faced with an incomplete DEIS that we've but a few weeks left to comment on. 810 pages of stuff that outlines just how screwed we are. I'm pretty sure my first comment is going to be an objection to the requirement of comment while the DEIS is incomplete because the federally required economic impact study is not yet finished.
This thing is damn right stupid. Piping Plovers are the only threatened bird at the Seashore. If the Plovers are around you can bring a dog into the Seashore on a six foot leash but they want to make it so no pets, namely dogs, are allowed ANYWHERE in the seashore during American Oyster-catcher breeding season. This stinks worse than the Denver stock show.
Great, we get stuck with Obama-care and Derbcare all at once.
If you're interested, some sites to help keep your beaches free and accessible:
http://www.obpa.org/
http://www.preservebeachaccess.org/
I'll be posting more sites and some useful stuff to help with your DEIS comments asap
Tight Lines,
Wheat
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