Race Pt Beach - Piping Plover/ORV Access Update

[fishonnelsons]

FYI - I just sent this out to my "Plover" distribution list. The Seashore has published it's "Enviromental Assessment" of their proposals to open up some more of the Race Pt area beaches should a "near total closure" occur due to Plover nesting, and they have agreed to go ahead with it.

However, this opens up another public input period. It's very important that as many e-mails get sent in supporting this, even though we may feel and even say that it's not nearly good enough. Reason being is that if we don't say anything, and the Seashore gets a few hundred e-mails, letters etc opposing this action from other groups, then the Seashore will be within it's rights to say "we asked the public, the only input we got was against our proposal, and therefore we will not proceed with it".

This just came out today, on the attached link, http://parkplanning.nps.gov , down the bottom of the page, "Documents Ready for Comment"



It’s 49 pages long, but the bottom line is they are still looking to open up a “few” additional area’s if Piping Plover closures result in “less than ½ mile of beach being open to ORV users”.



This starts the public comment period, and you can actually e-mail your comment to them right on that attached link. There will also be another public meeting, Sat., March 3rd, at the Seashore for comment. Remember – all feedback helps. If we/you don’t say anything, and hundreds of people who are against the ORV’s send e-mails in, the Seashore can take that to mean that the public doesn’t want to make any compromises and can essentially back away from the proposal.



My personal/business comment is that although it is a good thing the Seashore is trying to implement some actions should there be "near-total" closures, and thank you for that, I believe a whole lot more could be done without endangering the birds. Specifically, why wait until 7.5 of the 8 miles of beaches are closed before opening up some of the new areas - as soon as any of the 8 miles are opened up they should open up the new area's - maintain as much of the status quo as possible.



Please log onto that website and forward your comments, at the minimum it demonstrates that a lot of people are very much interested in this issue.

[chris L]

sent

baby steps are better than going backwards or no steps at all

[MAC]

done

[fishonnelsons]

Thanks guys, it just takes a few minutes but it does help alot.

[gone fishin]

Done!

[Slipknot]

"
My personal/business comment is that although it is a good thing the Seashore is trying to implement some actions should there be "near-total" closures, and thank you for that, I believe a whole lot more could be done without endangering the birds. Specifically, why wait until 7.5 of the 8 miles of beaches are closed before opening up some of the new areas - as soon as any of the 8 miles are opened up they should open up the new area's - maintain as much of the status quo as possible."

did you mean - as soon as any of the 8 miles are CLOSED, they should open.......... ? not opened?

I'll send them an email

thanks

[Swimmer]

Went there, did that.

[RickBomba]

Comment sent

[bassmaster]

please comment on this
thanks

[Karl F]

Read.. (Pages 6, 7, 8, brought back tons of bad memories)

Sent a wordy comment.. hope they read the whole thing.

[Maloney]

Comment sent.
Liked page 20.

[2na]

Important to keep this one going, guys. Everyone who fishes the Race and back beach, lets keep bumping this one up. Please - send a comment to the Seashore so that they know that we haven't forgotten about them. There is strength in the numbers.

[Slipknot]

This Sat. at 10 AM is the public hearing on this

be there and support access

thanks

[2na]

Our friends down south at Cape Hatteras need our help too. Here is the online comment form link to send a comment by midnight tonight Friday March 16-

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentF...cumentId=17542

It is important to all of you who want access to beach, whether it is the Cape Cod National Seashore or some other stretch of beach, it is time to stand up and be counted - if you think that 'someone else' will do it for you, you are fooling yourself. You can bet that the people who don't want us on the beach, because they don't want to see our trucks, because they don't want us being 'cruel' to fish, or whatever, you can bet that their comments have been sent. We need to band together and make our voices heard, or they are going to get you off of your beach. Get off your butt and send something.

Here is what I sent regarding Cape Hatteras:

My name is Michael Tribuna, and I am writing to you concerning the issue of ORV access to the Cape Hatteras National Recreational Seashore. It is important that endangered species be protected and reasonable efforts should be made to ensure the survival of any endangered species; however, it is also important that the taxpayers (and future generation of taxpayers) should also continue to have access to the national treasure that is our nation’s beaches and be able to experience them firsthand, rather than seeing them on an old documentary or reading about them in a book. I am a fisherman, and it has been my experience that fishermen are some of the most conscientious people who use the beach. For instance, I myself have many times picked up sea borne refuse, and on a National Seashore further north I have reported the presence of, and collected, cold stunned endangered Kemp's Ridley turtles, among other turtles, for rescue, and on many instances I have called the Ranger Station to report dangerous conditions and situations such as beached boats. As primary users, fishermen such as myself are the eyes and ears of the Seashore. In addition, fishermen contribute a great deal to the local economies and the history, legends and lore of the beach and the surrounding communities. For reasons such as these, it is important that any proposed management plan includes provisions that make continued ORV access a high priority.

The national seashore that I frequent the most, the Cape Cod National Seashore, is experiencing major problems with attempts at resource management. Efforts to protect bird species have been successful but extremely slow paced. This has led to the exclusion of ORV’s from the beach for large portions of the summer months; a situation, which is projected to continue into the foreseeable future and, it appears, far beyond. I appreciate the fact that the Cape Hatteras National Recreational Seashore is trying to address a difficult situation, but a solution such as restricting or prohibiting access of ORV’s would be draconian in nature. I hope that, if it comes to it, the Cape Hatteras National Recreational Seashore sees to it that alternate methods of protecting the endangered species of the Seashore are devised and implemented, even on a trial or experimental basis, because it is obvious that the methods used by the Cape Cod National Seashore place far to high a burden on the ORV community. Simply closing beach to ORV’s and not reducing the predation that cause the vast, vast majority of mortality of endangered species, or not providing alternate means of ORV access to unaffected beach, is simply not an acceptable solution.

I hope to one day be able to visit the Cape Hatteras National Recreational Seashore – it has been something I have been planning to do for a few years now. Please see to it that when I am able to do so, I will be able to have ORV access to the Seashore, and be able to contribute to the local economy and the Parks Service budget by visiting.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[capecodder]

PT,
Great letter. Let's hope they listen. Sent mine as well.

[fishonnelsons]

It's sent Mike

[jkswimmer]

I agree with Flap that the giant motor homes do not belong on the beach. Driving the beach was traditionally for fishing access not to have a cheap water front house.

[Backbeach Jake]

Those giant motorhomes are far from cheap. Again let's stay together on this. Divided we all lose. As long as the self contained have a designated area, let them stay. They have a tradition ,too. And while I'm at it, relatively speaking, They leave far less mess than the average fisherman. I stress average here. The piles of plug wrappers and bait bags are far greater under the RP Light than at the SCV area. That means that we fishermen aren't doing our jobs in educating and supplying peer pressure to our faction. UNITE OR LOSE.

[fishonnelsons]

This is why big business and I never got along - didn't play the political game and never could keep my mouth shut when my opinion differed from the bosses. However,,,,,

From a "where we are today" perspective, Karl is right. We have a certain amount of beach, there are certain rules, and letting big motor homes on the beach is allowed, regardless whether or not we agree with letting the big boys on. The big motor homes are fighting to keep their right to continue to go on the beach, along with keeping more beach access open for their chase vehicles to fish, enjoy, etc. Those without the big motor homes are fighting for more access - the same thing, we have the same basic goals.

Personal opinions are fine, but if they start to erode any concensus, dare I say teamwork, or joint efforts between those of us who drive oversand in pursuit of basically the same goal, then maybe the best thing to do is to keep those personal opinions to oneself, or in private.

God, I know this sounds like a slap on the wrist, but it's not, I'm just expressing my opinion about how we, as a combined user group, should move forward.

[Backbeach Jake]

There's one more small point I'd like to make. We (whomever we are) gain nothing by seeking the exclusion of anyone( whomever they are) We have only sought to exclude mutual support. Whether it be fishermen, SCV users, birdwatchers, lighthouse huggers, seal kissers, whom and whatever. We'd best band together or we'll all be off the beach.