Coast Guard Parties on Closed Beach!

[TimS]

First, keep in mind, I don't make the news, I just let ya in on it when it feels important! Here's an email I just received, concerning Cold Springs Inlet and the beaches there.

I've been keeping this under my belt for about two weeks now but after receiving another e-mail from a Seapoint Village resident concerning a Coast Guard party out on the closed Two Mile beach area, I want everyone to know about it.
On July 4th, the Coast Guard had a party on the beach near the Cold Spring Jetty with a huge bonfire, scores of people and many over-sand vehicles. This is the exact location of the only nesting pair of Piping Plovers, where their eggs were stepped on by a USFWS volunteer.

On July 1st, at our protest of the USFWS/Coast Guard closure of Two Mile beach and Cold Spring Jetty, Commander Shue of the Coast Guard cited numerous reasons, including highly classified "security" reasons and safety concerns as to why the public would not be allowed on the beach or jetty even after USFWS opens its beach on October 1st after the nesting Piping Plovers have left.

Yet, three days later, the Coast Gaurd holds a highly visible party right in the nesting area of the Piping Plovers and in what it calls a high security area.

I first learned of this party through Rich Deneger, a reporter for the Atlantic City Press. He contacted me a told me he was looking into the Coast Guard, that it was based on an eye-witness report of a Seapoint Village resident. Today, I received an e-mail from another resident of Seapoint Village who mentioned the Coast Guard bonfire and party and how he felt it was a "giant slap in the face" from the Coast Guard.

I'm in absolute agreement with him. In fact, I'm angry about how Commander Shue misinformed me directly when saying, that not even his own people (Coast Guard Personel) would be able to use the beach/ jetty at Cold Spring. I guess Commander Shue and the Coast Guard believe they can do what ever the like and that they can easily dupe Fisherman without suffering any consequences.

You can bet that I will be calling Congressman LoBiondo and Congressman Saxton tomorrow.

Please note: Congressman Saxton sent a representative to the July 19th USFWS hearing to side in favor of keeping beach buggy access open on holgate. Given that it is an election year, please write or call him to thank him for his efforts and also ask him to include year round pedestrian access at Two Mile Unit.

Congressman Saxton
Ocean County
7 Hadley Ave.
Toms River, NJ 08753
(732) 914-2020
http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Congressman LoBiondo
5914 Main Street
Mays Landing, NJ 08330
1 (800) 471-4450
(609) 625-5008
Fax: (609) 625-5071
E-mail: lobiondo@mail.house.gov

**** ******
Thank You.

I removed the name of the sender until he tells me it's ok to use his name here.

So how 'bout that, you like apples? How'd you like them apples? Protect the Plovers, close the beach...then have a huge party with trucks/cars and bon fires!

TimS

[Al K]

I don't know if this is related or not, but I saw a similar thing at Gunnison Beach on Sandy Hook a few weeks back. As I walked through the entrance area, I noticed several vehicles parked there. Then as I got on the 'boardwalk' and headed toward the beach I saw a bright light out toward the water. As I got closer I realized it was a fire. Then as I approached, I saw a bunch of people having a party. They had a bunch of wooden pallets with them and would throw one on the fire as it died down. I didn't bother them and they didn't bother me. The thing that annoyed me was that you're not supposed to be out there after dark unless you're fishing, and fires are not allowed (as stated on the large sign by the entrance booths). So these people must have had connections - maybe they were NPS people and their families or maybe CG people. I don't care if they have a bonfire on the beach, but I have a feeling that if some regular Joe tried it, the authorities wouldn't look too kindly on it.

[Rumble Fish aka Poppy]

This is the future boys and you all better take heed... One by one, beaches and jetties are and will be closed by the government... Don't think this is an isolated incident–its not! In the past thirty years more and more east coast beaches have succumbed to outright bans or strictly controlled access for the fishing public... Sure there have been a few beaches that were actually opened to the public in the last quarter century, but far and away there have been more closures and restrictions... Look at Cape Cod–30 years ago a fair amount of beach access from Chatham Inlet up to Race Point...and all were welcomed; out-of-staters, etc... Today–forget it!

As for Cold Spring Harbor/Cape May Inlet in south Jersey–this is serious! The beaches and jetty area were opened to the public for as long as I can remember... Our family fished those areas back in the 50s and 60s... Even then, as I recall, it was run by the US Coast Guard, but public access was never denied although the Coast Guard had it's main deal (base) on the north side... Those beaches and especially the jetty and inlet are some of the finest Striper fishing spots in south Jersey...and now they are closed because of a couple of birds ...

Does not surprise me that Coast Guard parties on the north beach now that it is closed to the public...they now get to keep all the goodies for themselves–how considerate! And this is no different than the south jetty... The south jetty is supposedly off-limits to the public altogether, yet on any given day I will see some fishermen out there... Why? Oh, you can fish it if you are a retired government worker–military type... So I see, all my hard-earned tax paying money that supports these retired government workers and paid for the building of the south jetty, can only be used by the retirees... A jetty that I argue should also have access for the fishing public... Oh wait, they can't do that on the south side. Access would have to be via the auxiliary base... I forgot; government secrets and all!!! BS–they did it on the north side since the 50s! ...

This beach/jettty closing stuff is for real, guys... Our days of good access could be numbered!

Rumble Fish aka Poppy

[cowhunter]

Talk about Double Standards......

[TimS]

It sickens me. Just how do we as taxpayers put up with this? If we all pay for the maintenence of a jetty, beach, or breakwater...why should it's use be limited to any one group? The other day I was in Spring Lake and saw a big sign just where you walk off the boardwalk to the sand, it said:
SURFING ONLY!!!
What kinda crap is that? All of Spring Lake is open for bathers, except one small beach for fishing. And you'll find people swimming there and you'll find people surfing there...on the fishing beach. But now they are telling fishermen, bathers, and crab rakers that this one (prime) beach is for surfing only? Gonna have to lock me up on that one...so I raked there...and nobody bothered me...but had there been a lifeguard on duty, he'd have given me an ear full.

The fishermen are being squeezed harder and harder with access issues. I got nothing against surfers, not a thing...except for when they decide that the break where I'm fishing is better than the break where they are surfing and they start surfing all around where I'm casting...and they see the lure hit the water and give me the arms in the air look like I'm doing something wrong. 'Scuse me, I'm gonna continue to cast there...just cause you surfed on into the hole I've been fishing, don't expect that you have some God given right of way. Uhh...I better stop, gettin' a little stoked here

TimS

[John B]

Surfing Only? Are you kidding? The only signs I've ever seen in "No Jersey" that had anything to do with surfing said "No Surfing". Where is this sign, I need to take a look at it.

I've been on both sides of the surfing/fishing issue. I've been fishing and had surfers paddle out right in front of me, and I've been surfing and had fishermen come onto the beach and start to fish there. In all honesty, I've seen the second scenario more than the first. There are no clear cut surfers are always right and fishermen are always wrong (or vice cersa) solutions. It really depends on the circumstances.

------------------
John B
mako@bellatlantic.net

[J Powers]

Add to this nonsense the closing of beaches at night by the local authorities because kids go out there at night and party. I've got three public beaches within casting distance from my front door that are gated at 9:00pm. Just great! Rather than control these kids with a few arrests, the town decides it's off limits for everybody - including me the shorn taxpaying sheep !

[catman]

Frank Daignault pointed out in "Twenty Years On the Cape" that the more tax dollars devoted to the parks/beaches, the more restricted the access becomes! I've never seen it fail. I always used to vote for the parks service taxes until I realized this!