Harry: As a part time resident of Chincoteague I found your note disappointing
and troubling. There is no way to condone the behavior you reported. It does
highlight the depth of apprehension within the town about changes to the refuge
and national seashore. It also highlights the extent of the challenges facing
the refuge managers. The future of the town and the refuge are interlinked.
Aside from all of that... there are specific issues contained within the
alternative that are potentially important for those interested in the welfare
of wildlife and wildlife viewing. These issues are overshadowed by the tension
over parking and beach access. Most of the alternatives considered would
prohibit access (including walking access) to the service road north of the
wildlife loop. This includes the old fields and north and south wash flats --
some of the best birding areas on the refuge. At least one of the alternatives
would allow access to the current ORV area only for fishing -- making a
distinction between fishing assess and wildlife viewing. Option B -- the one
that is creating a lot of the controversy -- would potentially have
implications for wildlife (pro and con). It would increase traffic on part of
the wildlife loop and would expand the size of the ORV area. It would carve
out a new parking area. It would also reduce and eventually eliminate traffic
on parts of beach road.
There are no easy solutions here. As you point out -- in most winters, at
least parts of the parking lots are damaged or destroyed. In fact most of the
lots are currently closed due to damage from hurricane Irene. It is important
for the managers to get input from all of the users of the refuge. I second
your call for those that care for the refuge to take a moment to review the
options and express their views.
Bill
From: harryarmistead@xxxxxxxxxxx
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:22:41 +0000
Subject: [Va-bird] Chincoteague refuge staff under attack
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is under attack by locals for its
Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP), which suggests eliminating big parking
areas at the beach, moving them north on Assateague Island, instituting a
trolley service, and/or establishing a parking lot somewhere else.
Essentially those opposed, mainly islanders, see the refuge’s main interest
for them as maintaining a big parking area at the beach that they can drive
to.
I have it on good authority from a person with major responsibility (but not
on the refuge staff) that the refuge manager, Lou Hinds, has received death
threats, refuge staff have been spat upon in the local supermarket, and
islanders sympathetic to the refuge and its plans have been intimidated.
Every few years the beach parking areas are destroyed or seriously damaged by
storms, resulting in great expense and effort to reestablish them. Much as I
sympathize with the refuge, I would have thought they would have anticipated
strong opposition to some of the suggestions in the CCP. Perhaps they did and
have the courage to go ahead with them anyway.
If you want to comment on the CCP the deadline is October 31. Mail your
comments to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, ATTN: CCP Coordinator, P.
O. Box 62, Chincoteague, Virginia 23336.
You may also send them via e-mail. Go to: chinco.fws.gov to see how to do
this. Or else just Google “Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge”
This site also gives the full text of the CCP as well as the latest CCP
newsletter. For some reason I have been unable to open this on my computer.
This hostility is the same sort of syndrome that led to the shooting of
refuge manager John H. Buckalew in the mid-1940s and to the vilification of a
person I know at Cape Hatteras who spoke up for Piping Plovers. This latter
person had nails dumped in his driveway, was refused service at local
restaurants, and saw wanted posters with his photograph posted at local
businesses.
If these doings are not your idea of democracy then express your views as
suggested above, as well as to others in positions of power and influence.
Otherwise, we may end up in the hands of the Philistines and mob rule. I
can’t imagine how it feels to receive a death threat or other examples of the
hostility going on now.
-Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.
_______________________________________________
va-bird mailing list
http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird
Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of
Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO.
http://www.virginiabirds.net/
