ORV and National Seashore

[Sweetwater]

There will be a public meeting on July 18 from 5 to 7pm at the Provinceland Visitor Center in Provincetown, MA to explain the recent beach closures due to nesting bird activity. I understand there will be an opportunity for public input.

[Skitterpop]

an appearance of concern and nothing more

[Backbeach Jake]

I wish that I could make it. We have to make our appearance of concern. New job and no time off. If the beach is worth 150$ sticker it's worth the time. Besides you can fish after.. If you can do it, I urge you to, thanks.
If you do, look up Rich Wood of Nelson's, he's been passionately working his arse off in this deal and needs some backup. Plus, Rich is a great guy to talk fishing with Glad he's on our side.

[Skitterpop]

Sorry Fred... I really don`t know.... good info. Its a strange battle yet

[Karl F]

Originally Posted by Skitterpop

an appearance of concern and nothing more

A lot of folks felt the same with the meetings the NPS held to improve the handling of sticker sales. Input was gathered and applied, and a much better result came from it.

Hopefully, the same will apply here.

There will also be a joint meeting of the Chatham/Orleans Park commissioners, at 6 PM Wednesday, 7/12,in Orleans, at the Town Hall, to discuss similar issues at Nauset. Scott Melvin, the State Plover Officer, (the man behind all the closings), is supposed to be at the Orleans meeting. I hope he will appear at the NPS meeting, as well.

Let us all hope for positive results at all meetings, that will take place over the next several months, as I know there will be more.
Please...Keep emotion and finger pointing out of it. Staff at both beaches, are just doing as they are instructed, by Law. Proposals to keep both beaches open, were submitted, by the beach managers, but, were overridden by Mr. Melvin. Let us try to find out why, and how things can be changed, without the screaming match.

The towns have realized the financial impact, and they have been awakend from their slumber, now is the time for some positive action.

Kudos to Rich, and others involved.

[Flaptail]

I can't make both but will be at Tuesday evenings at 5pm at the Provincelands Visitor Center.

[Mike P]

From today's CC Times editorial page:

July 12, 2006

A compromise over piping plovers?
By JIM COOGAN
Overshadowed by the headlines about off-road vehicle restrictions and beach closings due to nesting piping plovers is a story that should illustrate the wider ramifications of reintroducing threatened animals to former habitats.

The Race Point Lighthouse keeper's house in Provincetown was restored about 10 years ago by volunteers of the American Lighthouse Foundation.

The building is rented out to people who come for a night or two to experience the natural beauty of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Normally, an ORV owned by the foundation delivers visitors and supplies via Pole Line road, a sandy dune track.

During the week of June 11, three plover nests hatched and the road was closed. Jim Walker, one of the onsite volunteer directors for the lighthouse, asked Park Superintendent George Price if his group could position a second vehicle closer to the building to meet guests who had to walk the approximate half mile in heavy sand across the no-vehicle zone. He was told that the mandated 200-meter circle buffering each nest could not allow it.

Walker offered to have a person walk in front of the vehicle to see that no baby plovers would be run over. Price told him that only a certified biologist could do this and there were not enough staff available. Faced with an inability to get people easily to the lighthouse, Walker and his volunteers closed the facility and refunded all reservation money.

''This is our peak season,'' said a clearly frustrated Walker. ''Everything we take in goes into maintaining and restoring this and other historic lighthouses. We stand to lose an average of $400 a day until these birds fledge. And we're told that could be as late as mid July. That's a whole month out of what is essentially a five-and-a-half month season.''

I called Price to see if I could get the whole story. As we talked, I could see that, indeed, he is in a difficult position. Clearly, he didn't want to see this lighthouse attraction shut down.

Initially, he even had Craig Thatcher, the North District ranger, helping with luggage transfer across the sand. But that effort couldn't be sustained because of the turnover of guests during the week. Price suggested purchasing a balloon-wheeled cart to pull supplies to the keeper's house. But as most of the guests are over 50 years old, that was not deemed a reasonable solution by the lighthouse people.

''When I brought these problems to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife people,'' Price said, ''I was told that compromise of any sort means dead birds. And my job is to carry out the law. We are personally liable for any actions that we take that might put these birds at risk.''

So here we have two good men and a valuable program stymied by preservation regulations that have no wiggle room. As of July 6, the lighthouse facility was still closed. It's a sad and frustrating situation. Environmentalists have consistently emphasized the endangered status of the piping plover.

But the federal government lists the bird as ''threatened'' in many parts of the country - not endangered. It is more than a subtle difference. The protection of this bird, while important, ignores the plight of those people who scratch out a living in the all-too-short Outer Cape summer season. It's simply cavalier to say, ''Oh, it's only for a few weeks each year.''

The real danger is that people who generally support conservation efforts will become radicalized. We are already hearing of ''salting'' of plover nesting areas with dead animals to attract predators to kill the birds. And the successful recovery of the plovers only means that without some long-term solution that addresses reasonable human concerns, ''the plover problem'' is only going to get worse. And that's not good for humans - or birds.

Jim Coogan is a retired history teacher who lives in Sandwich. E-mail him at coogan206@gis.net

(Published: July 12, 2006)

[Slipknot]

depressing Mike

[Skitterpop]

Originally Posted by Skitterpop

Sorry Fred... I really don`t know.... good info. Its a strange battle yet

Hey......................... I admitted my ignorance

Though I hope these meeting will help I still do not have much faith in them based on what I`ve read over the years and because of the strength of the laws and the major players of enforcement lack of incentive to change them.

Good luck to all concerned and informed

[derf]

When I brought these problems to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife people

i know we all blame the NPS for the plover bs but the people that have the final say is fish and wildlife ... and face it they don't care about anything else .
people just get in their way .....
jmho
derf

[Karl F]

July 13, 2006

Selectmen make vow to help plovers, beachgoers
By JASON KOLNOS
STAFF WRITER
ORLEANS - There is no hope of reopening access to the parts of Nauset Beach that have been closed to off-road vehicle traffic until piping plover chicks move out, likely in two weeks.

But Orleans and Chatham selectmen pledged last night to work as a collective body in their discussions with state and federal officials on ways to protect the threatened shorebirds while providing beach access to the public.

About 75 people attended the first collaborative meeting between the town boards since all of Nauset Beach south of the Nauset parking lot in Orleans and into Chatham was closed to ORV traffic for the first time ever three weeks ago.

Owners of oceanfront camps on the Chatham side wondered why there was not a way for ORV drivers and the birds to coexist. Several business owners followed with complaints that the ORV closures have cost them thousands of dollars.

Scott Morris, a representative from the Massachusetts Beach Buggy Association, said efforts to protect piping plover nesting areas have gone too far.

''We feel that with extensive monitoring and strategic traffic routing, keeping portions of the beach open during piping plover nesting season will be as successful as it has been for the last several years,'' Morris said.

Morris and others suggested working with lawmakers to create regulations that would allow towns to have more flexibility on their beaches.

Chatham Selectman Sean Summers said Chatham and Orleans should be proud of their previous management techniques and should take a stand against state and federal officials bent on protecting piping plovers without regard to costs imposed on local communities.

''We have left the doctrine of common sense here, because people have the equivalent right to some enjoyment of that beach,'' he said. ''Chatham and Orleans should never be the one to say, 'We'll close the beach.' ''

Scott Melvin, a zoologist with the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said state and federal officials are required by law to protect the habitat that supports the birds.

''It is also illegal to kill, harm or harass (threatened species) or alter their nesting, breeding, feeding or migratory activity,'' Melvin said, noting shoreline bird populations have slowly declined in Massachusetts.

Orleans Selectman John Hinckley Jr. asked Melvin whether there was any room within the law to alter beaches through dune building or fencing that could guide chicks away from areas where they could be run over.

Melvin said such efforts would create a barrier blocking chicks from getting to one area of their habitat to another that could impact feeding patterns.




In the case of Nauset Beach, young plovers have access to a wide beach area and must have access to both the ocean and the bay sides of the beach, he said.

The Chatham and Orleans selectmen likely will meet again in September to search for ways to prevent similar piping plover economic and recreational disruptions next summer.

Jason Kolnos can be reached

at jkolnos@capecodonline.com.

(Published: July 13, 2006)

[piemma]

Originally Posted by Sweetwater

There will be a public meeting on July 18 from 5 to 7pm at the Provinceland Visitor Center in Provincetown, MA to explain the recent beach closures due to nesting bird activity. I understand there will be an opportunity for public input.

It not the Feds so much as it's the tree hugging woosies. I believe the Feds are doing what is mandated by the law.

[Mike P]

The way I read it, get used to it. This will continue as long as Scott Melvin is in charge---he sounds like one inflexible bastard. The law, as I understand it, hasn't changed this year, and every year before this, Orleans found ways of keeping Nauset open.

Maybe I'll write in Sean Summers name for President in 2008

[tattoobob]

They opened the poll rd. today and alot of the race north is open
It is open from the poll rd to hatches. I am not sure what else they
opened today

[tattoobob]

Highhead is open to SCV's under 30 feet
If you can make the steep dunes

[fishonnelsons]

Two meetings this week.

First is special meeting of Ptown Bd of Selectmen who are bigtime pissed at Seashore. Meeting came about because about 30 of us pissed all over the place, in a nice way of course, at their normal meeting. Meeting is Monday at 5 at the Ptown Town Hall, and Supt Price will be there to answer the Boards questions.

Second is Prices meeting at 5 on Tuesday, at the Province Lands center on Race Pt Rd.

Need a ton of people to just show up, talk if you want but the more people the better.

"If you keep doing what you are doing, you keep getting what you get" If we do nothing, and don't try, we get squatzo. The more vocal we are in presenting rational alternatives, which Price HAS the authority to implement, the better our chances to get something done.

[Flaptail]

Fished the beach last night till the moon rose, caught lots of little fish and one small legal, it was nice to ride the sand rather than walk it. I was alone which was nice, place felt funny being deserted on a mid-July night beautiful night. Funny how they turn on and off so fast though, 2 hrs with a bend in the rod then zip, gone in a flash. Was fun though. Never had much faith in white needles, until now.
Water was very cold, but it was clean. No bait to be seen or heard.