Nauset News

[Karl F]

Fresh from CCtimes update:
(Knew it was coming, still sucks.)
Lower Cape beaches close to protect plovers

ORLEANS- In an unprecedented move,
many of the Lower Cape's ocean beaches are now closed to off-road vehicle traffic in order to protect the federally endangered piping plover.

Last night the town of Orleans decided to close its part of Nauset Beach, starting June 21.

For the first time ever, all vehicle access to the Cape Cod National Seashore's off-road vehicle corridor has been temporarily closed to protect piping plovers. Partial closures of the oversand route have been common in years past, but, as in Orleans this year, this time it's the whole enchilada.

The approximately 8-mile, off-road vehicle corridor runs from Race Point Light in Provincetown to Longnook Beach in Truro.

On June 7 Chatham police closed its portion south of Trail 7, also to protect the nesting shorebirds.

The roughly 8-mile-long stretch of beach in Orleans and Chatham is a mecca for thousands of beachgoers each year, most of whom drive there. The area is also home to more a dozen beach camp homes.

Parts of the beach usually close each year to protect the shorebird, but often there's a trail that ORV drivers can use to detour around the nesting plovers.

This year there are two piping plover nests located one-half mile from the Nauset Beach parking lot at the start of the off-road vehicle trail in Orleans.

The town says the piping plover eggs might hatch between June 21 and June 25 and the beach needs to be closed to adhere to state and federal endangered species laws.

The Orleans Park Commissioners last night voted to close all of that town's outer beach when the eggs hatch, estimated to be between June 21 and June 25.

The latest closure will be in effect from the time the eggs hatch until the chicks fledge, which normally takes 28-35 days. That means that all of the heavily traversed outer beach could be closed to vehicles through the end of July.

The town sells about 6,000 off-road vehicle permits each year to those wanting access to the secluded swath of beach. Those fees alone bring in more than $500,000.

It is likely that thousands of outer beach-goers from all across the country will be disappointed by this closure. If you bought a Nauset oversand vehicle permit this summer from the town and have an opinion about these developments, please call Times reporter Jason Kolnos at 508-916-0406 before 5 p.m. today.

[ThrowingTimber]

So you guys got like no beaches!!!! How many does flaptails skiff hold?????

[Karl F]

We are all coming to Rhody, I got a nice detailed map...

[ThrowingTimber]

All the fish are at montauk, under the "candle" or by the park

[Karl F]

I pulled my 16 footer, from my freshwater days outta the woods.. a lake boat, tho, not enuf freeboard, dernit...gotta admit, since the trip with Flap, I've been thinking real hard of doin' some horse tradin'... Steve, ya corrupted me

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Karl F

We are all coming to Rhody, I got a nice detailed map...

See you in RI @ 3am!

[Skitterpop]

Originally Posted by ThrowingTimber

So you guys got like no beaches!!!! How many does flaptails skiff hold?????

I wonder if the plovers could be trained to nest on rocks and all move to RI? ???

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by Skitterpop

I wonder if the plovers could be trained to nest on rocks and all move to RI? ???

I guess... but we WALK to fish. Keeps us lean and mean

[Skitterpop]

Originally Posted by JFigliuolo

I guess... but we WALK to fish. Keeps us lean and mean

I don`t drive on any beach and that hasn`t helped me from being a whale with two feet though I`m still mean

[Mike P]

From MBBA's website:

Updated 06/08/2006

Ladies and Gentleman,

Here is the latest report for Nauset Beach…

As of 6/7/06 Nauset Beach is closed to ORV traffic from trial 7 to the south barricade. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that the birds that are nesting at the Pochet wash-over will hatch some time this month (June) and therefore, pose the threat of closing ALL of Nauset beach to ORV traffic. This is something I can assure you that both towns are trying to avoid. If any alternative measures that the towns are submitting to the state are accepted, the towns of Orleans and Chatham will make the necessary changes to allow Nauset Beach to remain open to ORV’s.

I certainly understand the frustration that is starting to build with the numerous issues that are surrounding us due to the piping plover. As stated in an above post, the MBBA Officers, Board of Directors and general attendance at last nights meeting spent hours discussing what WE AS A ORGANIZATION can due to look deeper into what is going on with this threatened species. Several of us did not get home until after midnight last night. It’s obvious that we have a steadily growing issue on or hands and it is time to work together as a team. It’s a proven fact that power is in numbers and it’s time to do something about this.
My suggestion right now is to stay in touch with your beach reps., this is very important. Keep in mind that this message board is a great tool and thousands of people read our posts. Therefore, don’t let your frustrations out on this message board, give your beach rep a call or drop an email. Again, I can assure you, your organization and the local beach managers are trying there best to keep these beautiful beaches open for all to coexist and to enjoy.

Keep your head up and don’t give up…

Scott Morris, MBBA Nauset Beach Representative


It's time to do something about this? Discussing what they as an organization can do to "look deeper" into what is going on??? WTF have these guys been for the last 15 years? The time to do something was years ago

[CAL]

Whatever happened to survival of the fittest?

People with stickers should ask for a refund. Yeah, right.

[jkswimmer]

They did not do anything because their SCV areas were not effected the last two years were proof of the trouble the park service go to to get them on the beach. The fisherman that move around had no place to go. The question is will they still be allowed to sleap at Pilgram Springs?

[Mr. Sandman]

From my local paper...

Norton Point Beach reopened to vehicles

Dave Belcher, Trustees of Reservations Chappaquid#^&#^&#^&#^& superintendent, called on Friday and said the west end of Norton Point Beach was closed to vehicles to protect the only surviving plover chick from a nest of four eggs. Dave said high tides had washed away two eggs and the two remaining eggs hatched, but one chick quickly disappeared.

He estimated the closure could last up to 28 days -the time it could take for the chick to learn to fly. The chick never got the chance.

Yesterday, Dave called and said the chick was gone and the beach was open to permitted vehicles. There are more chicks about to hatch, however.

"This was only the first round," said Dave.

Those chicks will need all their survival instincts and a lot of luck to survive the abundance of natural predators along that stretch of beach.

[kippy]

The species should be eradicated...I dont think vehicles on the beach are a factor. If they cant survive too bad.

[partsjay]

Glad I didn't buy a sticker......been wanting to drive on the sand for a few years now....but with the kids...haven't had the time....now I have the time...and I can't do it....pretty soon it will be the canal...and thats it.

[Maloney]

There be a lot of natural predators down there. Mayby we get lucky. And even better, mayby the yahoos give it up!

[backbeach]

I thought the MBBA and the National Park Service had a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" policy. Isn't that why they asked MBBA to 'Roll Over'. Bummer you went in as a 'tight end' and came out a "wide receiver"

[Maloney]

So you have the MBBA as your target area? And what have you and yours been doing to advocate for beach access?

[backbeach]

Truth hurts, huh? Probably the same as most here, writing letters, calling state reps, petitions,voting, being active in sportsman's groups. I haven't tried making backroom deals with the folks that want to close the majority of the 30+ miles of outer beach so I can park a bus in a trailer park on the sand and get drunk; but then that gets done without me.... don't forget the bandaids for when the kids skin their knees in the Pilgrim Heights parking lot... The most accurate thing Frank Daignault ever wrote was about how the Park Service seduced the user groups of the beach...Like a couple of teenagers in a car, it all started with a hand upon the knee, with the same end result- we got screwed....

[Maloney]

So , lay it out for all of us to hear. Tell us your perspective, as we highjack this thread. Noticed you edited before my latest post.

[backbeach]

No, your right...MBBA has done a great job, that's why the access is so wonderful. Good thing we didn't get divided and conquered (SC over OS)... I've said enough- maybe We'll share a walk from a parking lot some night to the beach and talk of things more pleasant, like fishing. Good Luck, Tight Lines...

[Maloney]

enough said. tight lines.

[Karl F]

Fighting amongst ourselves only serves the antis.

Art's tours.. ask the seashore.. he does have a sweetheart deal with the park service, and perhaps someone else, but my memory is foggy on that.

Could the MBBA have done more? Absolutley... I am still a member, in spite of my differences with the philosophy... the camper contigent is the majority there.. and at a lot of meetings and hearings too.. where are the beach fishermen?.. if you were the majority, you'd be in charge.. either way... small group.. 1200 members. figure 300 of that is kids 300 spouses.. and still only the same 30 or so show up for the meetings... and individuals, I have done most of my letter writng and meeting going in that capacity, as my opnion, is probably no the same as the clubs... daytrippers, campers, dracula hours fishermen roaming around in pickups and SUV's... we all got the right to be there..and I've been guilty of being in all three groups

However... the Law favors the birds.. some kind of unity should come from all user groups... the antis, have foremed a coalition... unity.. srength in numbers.. they have the upper hand, their numbers are $$$, lobbyists, and Lawyers...and a lot more time in.

FIGHT them, not amongst ourselves.


or.. buy a boat

[Flaptail]

Originally Posted by Karl F

We are all coming to Rhody, I got a nice detailed map...

West, go west young man.

[Flaptail]

My buggy looks great with the skiff attached. Best fishing in recent memory, gets better each day. Tomorrow, it's wire in the channel and light tackle n' sluggos. Too many fish, bringing camera with me so you beach bums can see what a Surfcaster gone bad is up too.

Skiffin' gotta go Skiffin' it's the last resort.

The Snapple is already on ice Karl. Oh yeah, almost forgot to pack the suntan lotion and bandages for me roughed up and skinned fisngers. LALALALALALALA sKIFFIN' IS DA LIFE FER ME!

[Karl F]

June 16, 2006

ORVs face beach bans
By JASON KOLNOS and ERIC WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITERS
For thousands of lotion-lubed drivers over sand, the meccas of Cape Cod are going off limits.

The off-road vehicle destinations also are maternity wards for endangered piping plovers.

In what are being called unprecedented closures on multiple fronts, many of the Lower Cape's ocean beaches have been, or will soon be, closed to off-road vehicle traffic to protect the bird.

For the first time ever, all vehicle access to the Cape Cod National Seashore's off-road vehicle corridor has been temporarily closed to protect piping plovers. The approximately 8-mile lane runs from Race Point Light in Provincetown to Longnook Beach in Truro. The Seashore sells 3,000 annual and 400 weekly permits for access, which could be closed for three to four weeks.

Last week, police closed most of Chatham's portion of Nauset Beach to traffic - south of Trail 7 - for an undetermined amount of time.

And Wednesday night, Orleans officials announced they'll soon close the entire south end of Nauset Beach because two plover nests were found in the area. Orleans' ORV corridor along Nauset, called the Outer Beach, will be closed from the time eggs hatch - sometime between June 21 and June 25 - until the chicks fledge or move out, which could take a month.

''This is a very big deal,'' said Paul Fulcher, Orleans parks and beaches superintendent. ''The last thing you want to do is shut down a recreational area that thousands and thousands of people look forward to going to every year.''
The town's hands are tied, Fulcher said, because they must adhere to stringent state and federal endangered species laws.

Vacationers upset
''This is like pulling the rug right out from under my summer vacation,'' said Tony Dawes of Los Angeles, who has frequented the Outer Beach for years in early July with his brother and nephews.

''The Fourth of July is magical out there, but I guess they put the kaputz on that.''

Parts of the Seashore and Nauset Beach usually close each year to protect the shorebird, but there usually has been a designated trail that ORV drivers could use to detour around the nesting plovers.

Not this year.

''The birds have a fair degree of tolerance, and we set up safety buffers for vehicles while they're on nests,'' said Carrie Phillips, the Seashore's chief of natural resources. ''But once they hatch and we have chicks, the concern becomes about the possibility of a chick getting run over, so the buffers that we put around the areas where the chicks are get significantly bigger.''

This time, those bigger buffers linked together in ways that made a complete ORV shutdown necessary.

Word of the closures yesterday stunned dozens of off-road vehicle drivers, especially those who have frequented the Outer Beach for decades.

The 8-mile Nauset Beach that runs from Orleans to Chatham is a crown jewel, drawing more than 1 million people a year. Orleans sells about 6,000 ORV permits generating about $400,000 in annual revenue. Now the beach can only be accessed on foot.


'Cotton balls on toothpicks'
Erosion over the past few years has for the first time forced the closure of the entire width of Nauset Beach after piping plover chicks have hatched, said Scott Melvin, senior zoologist at the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, who coordinates plover conservation efforts.

Plover chicks - which he described as ''cotton balls on toothpicks'' - leave the nest within hours of hatching then scramble to the water's edge for food.

For about 35 days after hatching, chicks can run mad-cap all over the beach, making them vulnerable to vehicles, Melvin said. The erosion at Nauset has narrowed the beach, meaning the chicks can move back and forth across the entire beach from the shoreline of the open ocean to Pochet Inlet to the west, Melvin said.

Robert Prescott, director of Massachusetts Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, said Nauset has been the most under-performing beach for plover nesting pairs across the Northeast this year.

''The piping plover is telling us something. Either we're mismanaging the beach, there are too many people (using it), or there is something else (at work),'' he said.
Those who own camps along the Outer Beach in Orleans will have to boat or walk to their properties, while Chatham camp owners will need an escort to drive on a pre-designated path.

While Orleans is planning for the closures, Fulcher said the nests are still susceptible to predators and other external factors.


Closures come with cost
The closures pose a threat to Orleans' town coffers. Fulcher said the town could be out $125,000 if fewer people buy permits this year.

Area businesses, too, could lose money if people are forced to stay away from a very popular section of Nauset Beach in the height of summer.

Steve Burd, co-owner of Eldia Marketplace and Coffeehouse, said he depends on Nauset visitors who pick up snacks and drinks before and after their beach excursions.

''That beach is what I live for, and to take that away is unbelievable,'' said Tony Stetzko, a commercial surf fisherman, who added the Outer Beach is a key source of his income.




Stetzko said the town should investigate more equitable beach management techniques, such as increased fencing or hiring full-time staff to guide traffic away from nests.

Others - including out-of-towners who paid $180 for a Nauset ORV permit - said the town's no-refund policy is unfair.

Town officials said the possibility of closures is clearly spelled out in videos applicants are required to watch and handouts before permits are issued.

Jason Kolnos can be reached at jkolnos@capecodonline.com. Eric Williams can be reached at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. Staff writer Robin Lord contributed to this report.

(Published: June 16, 2006)

[ThrowingTimber]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

My buggy looks great with the skiff attached. Best fishing in recent memory, gets better each day. Tomorrow, it's wire in the channel and light tackle n' sluggos. Too many fish, bringing camera with me so you beach bums can see what a Surfcaster gone bad is up too.

Skiffin' gotta go Skiffin' it's the last resort.

The Snapple is already on ice Karl. Oh yeah, almost forgot to pack the suntan lotion and bandages for me roughed up and skinned fisngers. LALALALALALALA sKIFFIN' IS DA LIFE FER ME!

Youre a mess!!! Knock the snot outta em

[NIB]

Sounds like a nice deal.Sell as many tickets as u can an then close the beach because of 2 friggen salt sparrow nest's.What a joke..Anton is right. they should just hire someone to work the bird area..With a fenced off cage like area.if they cared so much about them.They would just move em hell without a cage the foxes wil get em anyways.If it was my area I would be pissed.& miles of beach closed the 4 of july weekend cause of 2 friggin nests.Wow.

[JohnR]

''The piping plover is telling us something. Either we're mismanaging the beach, there are too many people (using it), or there is something else (at work),'' he said.

Wouldn't the something else at work be coyotes, skunks, foxes, weather, and other predrators? Did any drwon in the 39 days of rain

[Karl F]

What a dilema for the Audubon guy, if a Black Gull ate the plover...
anyway..he is jockeying to take over the bird management... God Forbid...

to Clarify this situation a bit..

Nauset is NOT closed YET.
As soon as the birds hatch, projected time to be as early as the 21st, as late as the 29th, THEN, is when it will be closed for 28-35 days, whenever they fledge.
Updates are posted on the Town of Orleans Website.

The resident side is open for about 100 yards, 40-50 vehicles according to the town website.. forget that !