Monomoy and Morris island access

[Slipknot]

They're at it again people

I copied and pasted this from another site. Please attend if you can, we can't let them take more fishing access away from us.







Future of Fishing at Monomoy May be At Risk

A week ago, a group of us from this board and two others met with the management of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge to discuss pending issues that will come up at next Tuesday's Public Scoping Meetings.

Apparently, there is a move afoot to ban overnight fishing on Morris Island and to sharply curtail access to the north and south Monomoy Islands for fishing. This would be a serious blow to the thousands who fish there each season. The meeting next Tuesday will be the first of several that will be held before a new 15-Yr. Conservation Plan is written to govern management on the islands. More information is available at: http://monomoy.fws.gov/plan.html

If you are concerned about fishing access at this refuge, we urge you to attend the 7 PM Session in Chatham or the one in Sudbury April 7th. A new plan for Noman Land Island is also being developed and there will be a meeting at the Community Center in Chilmark on April 6 from 7-9PM also.

If you cannot attend, please send a letter to Bill Perry, Refuge Planner, E.MA.Nat'l.Wildlife Refuge Complex, 73 Weir Hill Rd., Sudbury, MA 01776.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PUBLIC SCOPING MEETINGS
Toward creation of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.

The staff of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge will host public scoping meetings on April 5, 2005 from 11 AM to 1 PM at Eldredge Library and from 7 PM to 9 PM at Chatham HS Cafeteria. Also, at Town Hall in Sudbury on April 7 from 2 PM to 4 PM.

Meetings will include a brief presentation of the Comprehensive Conservation Plans for Monomoy & Noman’s Refuges followed by small working-groups and will end with an opportunity for questions on the issues identified by the working groups.

Please come and help shape the future of the refuge.

[JohnR]

Slip & Flap

What can we do?

Everyone else - who would have an opportunity to go to one of these meetings, especially Sudbury?

[keeperreaper]

It'll be a sad day if and when we lose access to the island. Who is going to the meeting?

[JohnR]

I have Day Care pickup duties (which causes me to miss half of the meetings I intend to go to)...

This is important that we have representation as rec anglers. I also think this is a good opportunity for the central and western mass anglers that fish the cape to show up and represent at the Sudbury meeting as most often the meetings are located in coastal communities and far from convenient for those folks...

[capesams]

the cape cod salties already have a rep. going...it's been an on going item for a few month's now.

morris island for the most part is private,,very little parking...and you'll find there's just to much $$$$ living there for any group to fight it.

monomoy I feel is everybody uses it or no one//// now I'm talking about walking over the dunes to get where your going to fish...I beleive they won't kick you off the flat's when fishing if you come by your own boat.

like everything else now there's just to many people using what little sand is left...expect alot more closing's ,, the cape just isn't large enough to handle the horde's that come every year now.

[Flaptail]

I will be at the Chatham High School meeting. As I posted before there are a number of issues here. Morris Island access at night, I believe will not go away. There is a very ardent group of new money landowners that want the access stopped but the real deal is that they can say all they want but the fact remains that the shore around most of the island is US Government Property and there for wildlife based activities not private cocktail parties.

The issues for the Comprehensive Conservation Plan ( which will take three to five years before it is actually enacted) arre primarily human usage versus wildlife use and the needs and concerns are, by the USFWS mission statement, the primary goal. But the mission state,ment also contains text that preserving traditional wildlife based uses such as fishing, shellfishing, hunting and other things like birding etc., must be continued wherever and whenever possible. You cannot hunt on Monomoy proper (dry land) but you can hunt adjacent to the island ( for migratory ducks etc. ) from a boat. You will never ever get the right to hunt on land there back due to the protected species that use it as a breeding colony are many and many of them are borderline as to successfully coming back or not from the edge of disappearing. ( piping plover numbers are way up according to the USFWS and we should be told when they will be taken from the protected list)

There is a study as to the relationship to wildlife based activities on the flats. Being covered by several feet of water at high tide I beleive that for them to try to regulate them as they do the beach to the dunes and all the dry land that makes up the refuge is really grasping at straws and needs to be reinforced as such. This is where input from the user groups involved (read: sportfishermen/shellfishermen) need to get involved more seriously.

On North Monomoy there is a trail or "corridor" that is available for fishermen/birders/day hikkers etc. can traverse across the island. This is something I want to see instituted foir the lower half of the south island. This would give access to shore based fishermen to the surf fishing to be found there. Also I want to see night fishing allowed on the southern half of the south island as well.

When South Monomoy and South beach finally due connect I want to see that the CCP contains some protocol for the use of that new land mass. South Beach is under the control of the National Seashore and Monomoy under the control of the USFWS. Two different Goverment agencies and two different mission statements. We need to make sure that each side understands and supports the use of the beach when this does happen as it surely will.

Remember that all the uses for the refuge are wildlife based uses. Fishing depends on fish. Sunbathing/swimming/jet skiing and para sailing are not a wildlife based use.

[capesams]

the town of chatham already has a lawyer in tow that has been working right along to protect the town's interest's..fishing,clamming etc.

[BasicPatrick]

I happenned to bring this up with a noted fishing friendly political operative after a meeting with senator O'Leary this afternoon. My friend tole me that Ma Audobon wants "Wilderness Status" for the refuge. A good question is would that play out like the interior refuges of this country that have been granted "Wilderness" status? These allow hunting and fishing but prohibit other kinds of recreational uses.

Going to try ands make the Sudbury meeting.

[Flaptail]

I attended the meeting last night in Chatham at the High School. All in all it was a very good meeting as for as getting a message to the folks from the USFWS that a number of activities need to stay in place on the refuge.

1. Most importantly that the historic shellfishing industry, comprised of generations of Chatham residents, be allowed to continue there despite the wilderness designation. That is good for the town economically and is one of the last vestiges of commercial fishing left on the Cape. If the flats of Monomoy were to be taken away from them it would devistate the families that count on it for thier primary source of year round income and those that supplement the already low wages that the cape is known for with commercial shellfishing. A lot of folks are just "making" it on the Cape with this supplemental income. If it went they would be forced to leave the place they and thier ancestors have called home for generations. The Cape is not just a playground for the well to do, vacationers and well off retirees. There is a working class that must be supported here before and a traditional way of life that once made the cape so charming and attractive disappears altogether here.

2. Access to Sportfishermen must be maintained and in some cases increased. Morris Island access must be kept available to those who wish to fish at night. The southern half of South Monomoy should be made available to shore fisherman and those who want to surfcast at night there. The question of authority of the island and south beach msut be discussed before the two join which they surely will by all accounts.

3. The islands ecosystem and wildlife must come first but that the "Big 6" uses mandated by congress in 1997 must be maintained which include hunting and fishing within in compatible limits to the wildlife there.

The USFWS Monomoy personnel reminded everyone that stopping shellfishing on the flats and sportfishing are not on thier radar screens. Quite the contrary. They freely admit though the wilderness designation is quite clear about no commercial use within the boundary lines of the refuge, they have and will continue to ignore the ruling. They understand the consequences to the town's ecomnomy and will do all they can to protect that as well as the refuges wild inhabitants.

Finally someone was able to address the seal issue and they ( the USFWS) have no jurisdiction over seals. All issues with seals should be directed to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Some guardedly conceded there is a concern about them.

It was a well thought out and run meeting. At one point we all divided into groups and went to seperate classrooms with a facilitator and rep form the USFWS to form a list of question to be out forth before the entire assembly before the meeting adjourned. I believe the USFWS people want to have the refuge remain as it is and let the public have as much access to the refuge as can be possibly allowed under law and within the context of thier mission statement and I find that a big relief.

I will continue to monitor the progress of the CCP and report progress and developements for this very special place.

TTFN, Flap

[JohnR]

Thanks Elvis, errrr, Flap for the participation and the update

[Bronko]

Thanks for keeping us up to date Flaptail. Your efforts are appreciated!

[J-golden]

good news. if the town knows what's good for it, it'll always take a stand on our side. just think of all the money poured in the Squire while waiting on a tide .

[outfished]

Originally Posted by BasicPatrick

I happenned to bring this up with a noted fishing friendly political operative after a meeting with senator O'Leary this afternoon. My friend tole me that Ma Audobon wants "Wilderness Status" for the refuge. A good question is would that play out like the interior refuges of this country that have been granted "Wilderness" status? These allow hunting and fishing but prohibit other kinds of recreational uses.

Going to try ands make the Sudbury meeting.

Ma Audobon doe's not allow hunting on its properties in Ma. Most other states Audobons do. WTF? Ma Audobon was a primary supporter of the ant-trapping laws passed a few years ago. Anything that they get involved in I find very suspicious

[Flaptail]

Monomoy has been designated a wilderness area since 1976 plus/minus a year.

[Bazza]

Just got back from the Sudbury evening meeting ( there was also an afternoon meeting), only about 25 people attended tonights, and 6-7 of the people were working for fish and wildlife. Some may wonder why have the meeting in Sudbury: Great Meadow Wildlife Refuge is located in the town, and they are the same people who run Monomoy and other wildlife refugues in the eastern part of MA.

The meeting covered issues: as discussed by Flaptail ( very well summerized), how the Management plan will work, how it is still in the beginning stages.
Key Topics:
-Shellfishing
-Fishing Recreational and Commercial Guides boat and shore
-Birds- nesting ect.- There were some people were very concerned about the killing of coytoes to protect the nesting tern eggs
-Morris Island- 24 hr fishing, parking, ferries,access
-South Beach to Monomoy if joined who controls it
I brought up seals at the end, and the guy mentioned a few years ago 3000, now as many as 5000

[Slipknot]

God job Bazza

Thanks everyone.

good report Steve, that sheads a little more light.