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Hearing on Race Point Beach Closures
There was a hearing about Race Point Beach closure at the Provincelands Visitors center. Did anyone go? (I couldn't make it). If so, what can you tell us about the proceedings?
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They have a ACE in the hole.
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I was there. It was a dog and pony show. They are mandated by law to have a public forum and period of comment on anything they do. They also have so many hurdles to leap, in the form of varying government agencies, wildlife protection groups and user groups that to do as little as possible while giving the perception that they are actually doing a lot is the real status quo.
The Park Services system of rotating park superintendents and head rangers around the country may work for them but it really doesn't work for us. Having people come in from forest parks and urban parks to run the seashore and thier lack of experience with the complexity of the beach environment hurts the way things are done and certainly thier learning curve time never catches up to the problems at hand and how to really deal effectively with them. We will get somekind of alternative access but really that accesswill be just a token and the only thing that it will accomplish is that the NPS will be able to say, "look we kept the beach open" ( yeah two tenths of a mile at high head, big deal) Meanwhile the gay community has done a boffo job of retaining Wood End as thier private beach and south of Longnook, where Plovers don't find any suitable habitat for breeding remains close for no real reason. Lastly the Advisory group as a whole is dysfunctional with some members ( like P-Towns rep) not showing at all and is so diverse as to be flacid) |
100 SCV's in 2/10ths of a mile is a joke, they opened 1/10th on S. Race last summer and if you weren't there before sunup all the beach goers had all the spots. what a nightmare. Bottom line is we will never win or have the rights we once had.
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Has any of the surfcasting community ever thought of approaching Cape beach access in a different way? I've had the pleasure of fishing up that way for a few years now - I always wondered if it would be advantageous to ask for more satellite parking areas to access the beach instead of asking for beach driving access. I might be striking a nerve here - but if you think you're losing what you have - might be time to re-think the access issue. What do you think Steve?
DZ |
There is enough Beach for everyone, But it seems every year to be less, You pay to drive the beach but Its the Birds or whatever . Soon they will say the Seals. More parking area good idea but more Beach to drive on even better. It's the Beginning of the End , THEY Don't want us on the Beach.......................
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And Flap is right about the NS rotation of their management.. bring in somebody from Central Park in NYC, or someplace in Utah.. WTF they know about the seashore? And what does it matter? They are rotated out by the time they just start to figger it out. I'm not advocating giving up, bombard them with email, snail mail, phone calls etc., but just know, the true agenda, and that you are probably talking to walls. Could not get out of work yesterday, or I would have been there. The mbba just dropped some big coin on some top notch enviro/access lawyers, to get into the mix, I hope this goes some place in the right direction. |
I couldn't make it either. Funny how in the 60's the Seashore was to preserve the beaches for our enjoyment for all time. Beach access was free. We could drive to Long Point and Wood end without running over "cowboys". Cheese I'm pissed!
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I was at the meeting and what I got from it was that they try to use any excuse not to allow anyone into a area. Some of the things said were, we have to do an impact study, the hill is to high for trucks to climb, people will have to drive across a wetted area that is recovering,we have a management plan and we have to protect the birds. Someone did bring up the satelite parking.:bc:
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Good attendance for winter, about 150, MBBA, regular folks but also Sierra Club and birders, but most for more access.
Most of the meat of the meeting was on why they could not do someting, versus why they could. Why nots: Herring Cove to Wood End was due to a 2005 washthrough that wasn't healed yet, as well as high "beachgoer" traffic. BS on the washthrough as each winter heals everything, as pointed out by someone. I brought up the fact that ORV traffic out there could actually help the Seashore in policing the activities of those out there in the hills (don't know th epolitically correct way of saying it!!!) but they don't want to touch that one. My feeling is great digital shots to newspapers, Congressman, etc of that activity would sure put alot of pressure on them to do something. Herring Cove toward Race Pt light - possibility, not alot of plover activity but they are adverse to that, I think, because it would reduce available parking $$$$ in that lot - $15/car/day. But that is still on the table for future. Opening up old access roads off of the telephone pole route - deemed not ecologically right, too much damage to vegetation and habitat for the minimal additional access it would create. Thats BS because they don't know how much access it would create until the birds actualy plant themselves down, if they congregate in one area, then maybe another access route would be good. Best for last - use old Exit 8/Dune Shack Rd - some critical "wetlands"there (then why do they let Art's Dune Tour use it????), they don't want to upset the Dune Shack residents ( they have fu$%#@ed them enough already, but 2000 seasonal permits versus less than 100 residents??), and as a Ranger "slipped" and said "their ace in the hole was" the route was very hard and dangerous, operationally unsafe", we said what about the other access routes - Race Pt South, Coast Guard etc - they were just as hard and people could access them. Bottom Line - "when less then 1/2 mile of total beach was open to ORV", they want to get approval to exercise any one of the following three options, just one, not 2, or all 3: 1. open High Head South to Head of the Meadow prior to July 1 2. open High Head north to Exit 8 prior to July 21 3.open Coast Guard beach in Truro for day time use. (needs Truro ok) Obviously, any of those options could be eliminated if birds are present. Our put was if any of the beach is closed, open up those and other areas, maintain the status quo - if you close a 1/4 mile, open up another 1/4 mile, at least tempoary. The ORV sub-committee who chaired the meeting are meeting Monday to finalize recommendations to Cape Cod Seashore Advisory Commission, meeting next Friday at Wellfleet Headquarters. Flap is right, sub-committee seems to be in dis-array - Ptown member never goes to meetings, although I am not sure they ever have meetings, and I will follow that one up with the Ptown selectmen. We shall see, it is pretty fricking frustrating. On the one hand I want to say they are at least looking at some options but on the other hand they are truly rejecting good alternatives - Wood End, more accss off the pole Road, Exit 8 for bulls%$#& reasons, which leads you to believe they don't give a $^^%^$#. |
sounds depressing :(
it's like it's a trial or something:bsod: |
You know, and I am not advocating this, but wouldn't be funny if everyone just drove on the beach?
What would the rangers do, call out the National Guard because a bunch of fishermen were fishing? I know it won't work but the reasons you guys posted are the reasons some of us old guard don't fish the Cape anymore. Just to many beach goers, seals, closures and rules and regs and not enough fish. It's a damn shame because we are the ones who kept the beach going for so many years. Our permit money funded the whole thing. Now the "bird" people feel like they are entitled to the whole shoreline and we are the "bad guys". Screw 'um. There's better fishing in RI now anyway. So you walk and jump rocks. |
I think I am pretty much done paying to "NOT" go out on the Race fishing! I understand when Flaptail says we need to continue on paying for the permits and making our presence felt.....but the fishing down there is not worth the price of admission nevermind the plovers and the seals and the mung!!! I do think the seals are the reason the fishing is suffering but it is compounded by the other issues I mention and its just not worth the trip there anymore! I got ocean 20 minutes from my house and the fishing is a boatload better than at Race Point! I got out there 2 times this season for $150.00 and not that it was my fault....the dang birds had it closed until the week before Labor Day and when I did try to hoof it out there say from HOM.....there were so many seals it was ridiculous!!! I usually have better fishing on the backside beaches anyway so there is where I will go!:wave:
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The fishing will back for beach bound casters, maybe this year, but it will be back. Lastly if you really know how to fish the beach you understand that nothing is ever to be taken for granted. I cannot tell you how many nights this past season I sat quietly and watched a lot of trucks hit the beach before dark and by ten or eleven I was all alone. Come the wee hours when the fish would finally show it was me and whoever was with me as far as we could see. And remember that ceratin beaches fish better at certain tides and sometimes for just a short period and if you cannot take the time to figure it out than you will never be successful. And lastly as echoed to me this past Saturday by one of the best coomercial bass fisherman to ever run the Cape sands since Arnold Laine, "there is just so much to know that you will never learn it all in one lifetime." But without being constantly at it you are doomed to failure. Larry, you know I love you brother but two trips cannot judge a season. The more people who stop getting permits he more the ebach will be closed to our access. Just think how good a season it would have been if we had access to Wood End this year? No real reason for it to be closed. Who will fight for it if we give up? |
i for one will keep buying the permit.no matter how bad the fishing is.to those that say there was no bait the last two years they obiviously didn't spend much time on the beach.two years ago there was a steady stream of peanuts along the RP beaches.this year not as many but sand eelwere about 50 yards out.in august there were schools of bass cruising around under the kayak most days, they just wouldn't hit anything.if you don't mind catching bluefish i would say fishing was pretty good. don't think there was a day were i didn't catch at least one but most days it was between 10 and 30.
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I'll keep getting the permit. Have met to many good people and new friends to stop. Yeah, the fishing wasn't as good, the seals sucked, and I had to do more walking then years past, but I still managed to find fish on a pretty consistant basis from shore. So what the heck!
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If I know me....I will get one anyway because I will feel naked without it!:bgi:
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Personally, I don't have the time, energy, or interest to fish there any more for reasons already enumerated(primarily time, though). As far as there being no fish there, that's b.s. That area is highly cyclical with regard to the surf fishing.Someone said 2007 could be the year and I agree. It may not be the year, either. When the surf was bad, we used boats and always found big numbers of fish out there.Why they don't eat the beach is beyond me, but if you keep at the place, you will get your rewards. When? I don't know.
The pressure to close the place down has been constant since the late 70's, its nothing new, either.The antis seem to be winning the war though, unfortunately.The guys who show up at these meetings to preserve our access deserve much credit.They are the primary reason we have any access at all right now, little as it is.I would guess with time the deep pockets will win out.Not sure if a little sticker revenue will change people's minds.I forget the breakdown, but the sticker revenues offset only a portion of the operating expenses. Its cheaper to shut everything down than keep it open, last time I checked. That's what we are up against. 3000? or so permits times $165=$495,000. Don't know the expenses, but they would have to be more than 1 million.Either way the place probably runs at a loss.Someone chime in if you have the actuals and correct me if I'm way off. |
Not trying to recreate the mess we had up there a few years ago, but, sticker sales are important, lack of sales to those in charge = lack of interest.
A clear example of this, in my town, this year, they saw a drop in the # of permits for Nauset Beach, and a drop the year prior... they are already factoring running the town without the revenue from the sticker sales, diminishing it to 0 income :eek:, projected out over the next 3-5 fiscal years, and some of the bean counters that run this town, are already saying what a savings it would be to the town to not have it, personel, (pay and bennies etc.) equipment, ( depreciation and maintenence etc.), etc. ... they even talk of it like it would be a Good Thing!.. I am sure the Park Service bean counters would look at a diminished sticker income the same way. Buying a sticker, while it doesn't have the same bang for the buck it once did, is still a way, of telling those in charge, to Keep It Open! |
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It might be worth a couple :smash: stickers to maintain "interest". Investment sort of... |
Nauset
2006 sticker for non residents was 180 bucks (ouch!)
http://www.town.orleans.ma.us/pdf/de.../orvinfo06.pdf Access, depending on bird closures, etc., would be from main lot--> south, almost all the way to Chatham inlet, (fenced, but you can park and walk to it).. almost all the front beach, and access to some Pleasant Bay beaches, a little over 8.5 miles usually, from main lot to the last fence. Spring and Fall best for access, and fishing usually. (the only advantage of a Resident sticker in the access north to Nauset Inlet (approx 2.5 miles).. but that usually closes from Memorial Day to July 4th.. sometimes longer) Unlike The NPS, ya can take a cruise almost anytime during the winter months at Nauset, as they leave it open all year.. nice diversion on a Sunday afternoon in January or February.. (low tides best :eek: :D) |
I look at it this way:
Membership in Mass. Audubon : Family $ 50, Protector $ 150, per year Conservation Law Foundation: Basic Membership $ 30, Century Club- $ 100 per year Sierra Club: Regular $ 25, Contributing $ 150. I have been a member of two of these organisations and I don't give a rats arse if anyone is going to bash me about it. They are WRONG on the beach access issue. Open up the whole Seashore to what it was because from what I have heard the whole closure thing has been a government mess up from day one, ie. poor managment ,shortsightedness, and an illegal closure to boot. If access groups had equal education and financial support as the anti groups back then, I am certain everything would NOT have gone down as it has. Now we are fighting back. Anyway, some years I buy 3 stickers, and some, like last, it is one. Some years I paid for Race Point , Nauset, and Sandy Neck and only saw Sandy Neck, twice, with the wife and kids, in the daytime. I think we have to put our money where it talks. These groups- and they do good work most of the time- have hundreds of thousands of members.We have how many men and women who are here now and will be here should OSV travel become just anyother fad? Don't get NEGATIVE. It is the National Seashore which has to operated under certain rules. We have a documented legal and historic right to oversand access. All we need is a George Soros and his money on our side and the tune will play differently. |
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Back Beah, where did you get your info.. last time I checked they were worried they would make money at the Seashore, (which, they cannot, by Law, at best they can break even, being a Federal agency, it is better for them if they run at a deficit.. so they can get more Fed $ the next fiscal year).
Nauset is still turning a "profit" for the town's general fund, even with diminished sticker sales.. the Park Dept. still has to fight the fin-com for their money, even tho, they are the dept. that generates that revenue. Could it be just that a town runs a beach more effecient than the Fed's do? :huh: That wouldn't be too hard to believe ;) Maloney :D.. someone will be hitting you up for a donation to the Legal Fund to offset your other donations ;) :wave: |
Steve, I think that the powers that be here are counting on the Pochet washover being the determing factor as when to pull the plug on the south side.. they have already stated that they will keep the north open, forever.. :D
The truly sad part is, the boards in Orleans and Chatham are too busy playing Hatfield and MacKoy to truly come to a workable solution. Also the board in my town, is truly Clueless, regarding the beach... |
No mater what happens I will be buying my stickers this year, The race point light house was closed for over 6 weeks in prime season, this is a loss of about $500.00 a day, they took a huge hit.
I use my permits in the spring and fall, I don't go in the daytime so, and this year most nights I would see no one other truck out there from long nook to race north. In the daylight hours it is bumper to bumper. It seems to me that it is turning into a beach goers SUV place to go. fishing doesn't seem to be the main reason to be there anymore |
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I remember the day the NSS was dedicated by Bobby Kennedy with Ted Kennedy in tow. I saw them land at the middle school in this old freikin helicopter that was a stones throw from the Visitor Ctr. on route 6. Things changed that day and have been changing ever since to that wonderful area. We used to drive anywhere we wanted to. Start at Coast Guard beach and head north or just drive to Nauset Inlet the other way. My neighbors had a camp on North Beach that we stayed at quite often. Nobody ever, ever bothered you. The last time I went out there was with a guy who worked at a tackle shop in North Eastham in the early 80's and there was actually a police officer running radar, writing tickets, on the inside road. I think at some point the only vehicles out there on the race will be the shuttle buses driven by the park ranger. I think some of us here are lucky that other folks like flaptail have an unabiding interest in keeping open the beaches that he takes the time to learn about the goings on.
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I'm estimating the sticker income for CCNS stickers based on their cost and # of stickers. As for expenses, I don't know what it costs to run the OSV portion of the park, but would guess it is significantly greater than sticker revenue.Not sure if they break it out that way so anyone could interpret it and make an informed argument pro/con. The more I read and hear this stuff, the more I love Rhody...... |
I will buy my sticker next year and every year until they stop selling them. That year, I will be arrested at least once for going out on the beach anyway.
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The formation of the Cpae Cod National Seashore was a truly great thing. Think about it, what would it look like on the outer cape if not for the seahores protection?
We just have to make our feelings and wishes known to the CCNS/NPS. Groups like the Sierra Club, Wildlife Defense Fund, Audobon Society ( who's local director made a point of telling everyone how there is new "scientific" evidence that orv use is detrimental to the seashore ecology). Fieherman historically never ban together as well and as organized as the groups opposed to us and what we enjoy do. That needs to change. Gob bless the MBBA for coughing up the dough and making the commitment to fight this legally. FW would be surely proud. We need to bring on a younger generation to pick up and carry the banner when we no longer can, a cursory glance through the crowd at the meeting Saturday was depressing. It was like a senior citizen club meeting. This cannot go on. Everyone needs to get involved if they want to see a change. Your money pays for the park, it's employees and funds the wildlife studies and the laws derived from that. The NPS has to be reminded that they work for us and that we. all of us are the rightful owners of the park therefore we should be granted tyhe rights to vote on it's use and regulation. The advisory committee is a good ol boy network. Being appointed by sitting memebers is reprehensible. Membership on that committee should be by popular vote and ballot. With each interest whether scientific, fisherman, orv enthusiast or conservation and law enforcement being put to the public scrutiny and vote. That committee is a sham. There are corridors closed for no good reason and the public comment in a public forum should not be squandered by reason of time allotment by NPS officials who are there begrudgelingly and don't want to really hear what they will hear. Goverment agencies are funded by the public domain and as such are public servants not above the public in anyway shape or form. They work for us and should work with us, if they don't they should be taken to task to defend thier actions and sent packing if the wrong people are in the wrong place. |
Working on figuring out exactlty who are on the committee's Flap, and how one gets on those committee's as well. Fricking disgrace as to the Ptown rep on the ORV committe, found out today she has attended 1 meeting in about 5 years. But that says it, who knew?, and now that we know how does one go about changing it, but working on it.
As far as buying a permit next year or not folks, if we just say %^$# it, then the Seashoe will look at it, say the revenues don't support ORV access, and continue to shut it down. I can piss way $150 real fast, but I think spending it on the permit sends a message, and still does give us access. I sound like a broken record, but e-mails etc to all interested parties, attendance at meetings like last Sat., and support to MBBA and their legal fund will continue to keep the spotlight on this issue. Without voices, the access will truly go away, birds or no birds. |
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I understand your point of view. Seeing you are a business owner and this stuff impacts you and your local economy directly, there is no reason not to battle it. What's happened with many of us is that the $150 dollar permit isn't where it ends. Most people travel 2-3 hours to get out there and want some type of certainty upon arrival that they will be able to access the fishing grounds. I used to make a lot of one-two night trips out there, but won't anymore. Lots of people in my position too.People aren't planning vacations around the beach in the same numbers as they were a few years ago. Factor in the gas and other expenses you incur, and its more like 300-400 for a couple days of parking lot fishing and listening to everyone bitch. Not worth it by any means in my mind. I have the canal,gansett, and wesport all within 1 hour of my home if I want to fish. No hassles in those places,either. You can find out who the committee people are easily.Google the CCNS advisory committee, and you can get the meeting minutes and names of all people involved. I did it yesterday. Can also get the operating budgets and all that stuff if you are interested from the same place. |
Your points are all valid ones, the same ones I say to the Seashore and Chambers of Commerce - the people won't come, when they have other options available to them without the hassles. The concern becomes what happens when access at an area such as Race Pt becomes smaller and smaller and then access just disappears. Now everyone goes elsewhere (and granted my Tackle Shop sucks the big kahoona!), and the crowds start to go up in those limited spots. Then another species shows up at another one of those spots, and it starts all over again, and that spot becomes diminished. Or, the enviro's (just the crazed ones) start targeting additional areas - talk to the folks at Hatteras. Before you know it, overall access is almost nothing.
I guess that's why it's really good that the MBBA is looking at this issue with the larger East Coast organizations, looking at the bigger picture. My put is to keep up the fight, any number of ways. If one wants to buy the sticker to show support, great, if one wants to donate the $150 to MBBA legal fund that's great too, go to meetings, write letters, e-mail, phone calls and so on. P.S. - thanks for the google advice, I will do that!! |
Flaptail and FishonNelsons hit the nail on the head. The number one most important thing that has to be done is to stay involved and go to the meetings. That means you :point: ...MBBA is setting up a legal fund and people absolutely should donate. But the key is that everyone has to participate in some fashion for this to work.
Some guys say "Ahhh the hell with it, I'll fish Rhode Island. Less hassle." You've got to be kidding me, the access in RI is ten times tougher than on the Cape. In RI you make secret deals with people, pay during a specified short time interval for a pass to park on a public street and park at other places wondering if your car will get towed. We lose parking every year and when there is a meeting at a town hall to voice concerns, nobody shows up except for the token few like DZ and now maybe Bob M from RISAA. And those few who show up have trouble just finding out when the meetings are in the first place. You hear statistics like there are 1,000,000 fisherman who come to MA and 300,000 to RI. Meanwhile nobody shows up when they take away our access, that's sad. :doh: Staying home because you were "too busy", "had something to do", "painted plugs" or "went fishing" hoping that someone else would carry the ball is not good enough if you really care about your fishing. Once the access is gone it's pretty much gone for good. Show Up at meetings, donate to MBBA, or participate like Fishon suggested, but do something. Together in numbers we can make a difference but we need the participation from all, and there's no excuse for us not to get it. Ed |
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Can someone post the email address, mailing addresses,& phone numbers, and the most important points to out line in a letters/email, lets make it easy to get to these people so we can let our presents known.
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MBBA Legal fund
Well.. as the former Chair of the Legal Fund Replenishment Committee for the MBBA, (this is not a new fund, been one there for years, and moneys have been spent out of it for years, for access, but not at the current level) I'd like to say Thanks to all those that are out there suggesting that folks donate to the fund. The "War Chest" that the club members have built up over the years, is being used to pay the legal tab of the enviro/access Law Firm hired to look into what we can do to keep the MA beaches open.
MBBA is also afiliated with UMS, and numbers (memberships) are key also, the more the better. It only costs ten dollars for a new membership, so you might want to consider that, if you are thinking of contributing to the MBBA legal fund. www.mbba.net, there is a form you can download, fill out, enclose that all important check, and mail it in. Membership is open to all, as are donations to the Legal Fund :btu: you don't have to join to donate, but please consider it. BTW.. gonefishin and myself are in the process of building plugs for access.. we wil donate these plugs to the Legal Fund Replenishment committee, and at the clubs spring meet at Scussett beach there will be a table set up, a 10 dollar donation to the fund will get ya a plug. |
Plugs for a cause. Thanks ,again, Karl.
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When the price went to $100 I said thats it for me!! And I am glad I did, this is all BS!!
The outer beaches are now owned by the seals and birds!! And they get it for FREE! I now a boat only guy and fish much better places with out filling there pockets for noting!~!~ I am all for a drive on!! that will get something done!! Have the media there! They wanted to close the Bass river bridge too fisherman this summer, everyone got toghter and jammed the bridge, the result was that plenty fished there all summer with out trouble. Lets pick a date and all hit the beach!! Make it a dam parking lot!! The rangers won't even be able to get on to do anything about it!! |
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