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My Blog
THE BIIRRDDDSSS!!! August 4, 2005 - 10:11:28
Hello all, On Monday I was introduced to a website called "Frank and Frans". It's for a small family owned fishing store near the park here. Why was I introduced to this? This is one of the many vocal websites that talks about the areas of the beach that area closed to protect the Piping Plover (an endangered species). Why are people pissed off about the closures? Well let's see: RE: Hatteras Closure Overall posted by XXXXX Is it not possible for these birds to be relocated? At the cost of $27,000 a bird - they could probably be cloned, raised in a lab and set free in protected areas favorable to both bird and man. When it was written, the ESA probably did not envision that advancements made by science would be able to prevent the extinction of a species. Perhaps, it's time for a change and the ESA should be rewritten. HE WANTS THEN TO RELOCATE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES FROM APRX. 1.2mi OF BEACH! RE: Hatteras Closure Overall posted by XXXXX This is really B.S.. I think the National Parks Service is getting out of hand with this bird issue! They need to start thinking about how much money tourist and locals spend on vacations and fishing Hatteras Seashore. If not for the tourist there would be no need for the N.P.S. The birds and turtles would take care of themselves.This is just another ploy For the National Park Service to try and keep us off the beach with 4- wheel drive vehicles. First of all the tourists are coming regardless and the annual summer season revenue has already surpassed last years. May I also point out that a total of 6.1miles are completely closed off to everyone and there are still 31miles of beach open to ORVs and the other areas closed to ORVs are for safety because there are beach front houses. I would also like to point out that the tourists are the ones renting these beach front houses. Cape Hatteras was not set up as a National Park posted by XXXX When the department of Interior began Cape hatteras National Seashore it was a Notional Recreational Seasore, not a Natioanl Park. We want that National Seashore back. When and why did the name change and begin the unbalanced friend of feather and enemy of flesh and fun. Shame on them!!! Do I really need to explain this one out? Come on people. The stupidity of the people here is just beyond comprehension. Regardless, I will agree on one aspect that the NPS has been poorly managing the park. The pervious administration here has been allowing all areas of the park to be open. There have been no closures here for almost a decade. Open beaches were a factor in the diminishing Plover populations which is why there is such a strong push to put up closures in order to save the remaining birds which migrate here. However, the recent events (such as a change in administration and a couple of law suits from some environmentalists groups) have also contributed to the closures. I would like to point out that there are approximately 6 miles of bird closures, 31 miles of pedestrian beach area (where no vehicles can go), and 30.5 miles of all access beach area. Now, the general feeling is that the NPS will start creating nothing but closures with out an ORV management plan and just start cutting vehicle use on the beaches. Due to the negligence of the pervious NPS administration there has been no ORV Management Plan established for such an instance/emergency as the need to have to put up resource closures. However, what the plaintiff fails to realize is that Cape Hatteras National Seashore is one of the last remaining National Seashores which allows even vehicles to go on the beach, let alone with out a permit. Now, where I come is the as the GIS Specialist that needs to make the maps of all the beach access areas (exactly where the All Access, Resource-Bird Closures, and Pedestrian/non-ORV use areas are). This is quite the controversy because there have been maps filtering around for awhile now that the fisher men have been making using their odometers (not exactly accurate) to measure the distances. The map I have been making is pretty accurate but not enough for me to stand up in court and say their accurate so I’ve been told to take the mileages off the map as well as other odds and ends. In fact, so many people have gone over the map now and have picked it apart so much that it really can’t be that accurate anymore. Anyway, the recent development is that the map has finally been approved, passed clearance, and inspection. So, it has been put out with a press release and is on the website for all the public to see. With the public view comes the public comment. This morning as I go through my daily monitoring of the websites that have something to say about the NPS, what do I find? Links to my map; my work in the middle of a war between public and federal domain with several hundred million dollars in law suits on the line. The next step I've been taking in updating the park is installing software which is compatible to the GPS units (hardware) being used in the field. So, I running around the park in a government vehicle installing and teaching people how to use these GIS programs. I am persistantly surprised how computer-illerate people can be who work in a science field like biology or ecology. Anyway, in other news, beaches are awsome. I'm probably going miss the shore like crazy when I get back. There is much more to talk about but I actually have to get back to work now. Have a good one ya'll. KAJE HAVE A HAPPY BIRTHDAY *HUGS* - Kid |
