Check Out the end of this article. More people trying to limit our access

[ffemtreed]

http://www.wboc.com/global/story.asp?s=6992024

08/28/2007 8:19 AM ET

ASSATEAGUE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, Md. (AP)- The roaming ponies and sika deer at Assateague Island National Seashore have become so plentiful they pose an ecological threat to the island.

That is according to a report out by a group that analyzes national parks.

The National Parks Conservation Association gives the national seashore a rating of 75 out of 100. The group notes that ponies are not native to the island and overgraze and hurt sand dunes. The group does not advocate for the ponies to be removed, but says the Park Service is right to look for ways to thin the herd.

Assateague ponies now number about 140, down from 170 in 2004. However, the herd numbered just 28 horses when the U.S. Park Service took over in 1968.

The report also points out water quality problems in the Chincoteague Bay and says the Park Service should consider limiting or ending permits for vehicle traffic on the beach.

[mdram]

ummm how does the beach traffic affect the bay? how many people actually go to that side?

[ffemtreed]

The more I think about this traffic thing the more and more it doesn't make any sense.

If beach traffic was causing problems (big if) with water quality, wouldn't the millions of vehicles that enter the park be the cause. I mean only a very small amount of OSV traffic is using the park as compared to the number of total vehicle that enter the park. They drive just as close if not closer to the bay water as the OSV traffic. How can you just blame the OSV traffic.

I am sure there a lot more things affecting water quality in a much bigger fashion than the OSV traffic.

Something just does not seem right with this article, I mean the beach traffic was just kinda thrown in at the end with no real point justifying it as a cause. Whereas all the other points this study made had numbers and justifications made.

Seems to me like a lobbying group got its fingers in the cookie jar here and persuaded this group to include some kind of statements that OSV traffic is harming the island, even if they couldn't justify it.

[ffemtreed]

http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs...708280302/1002

http://www.npca.org/media_center/pre...guereport.html


Very disturbing quote from the first article.

Carl Zimmerman, Assateague's resource management specialist, said the park is considering changes to the vehicle policy, and will announce new proposals for trimming the horse and deer herds later this year. Zimmerman agreed with main tenets of the report.

Here is the link to the full report -- I didn't get a chance to read it yet.

http://www.npca.org/stateoftheparks/...ague_csotp.pdf

[Bohica]

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. As to overpopulation by ponies and deer, don't they hunt the deer? And, if they sold off 1/2 the herd, they wouldn't have to raise the ORV fees next year. Even better, they could corral them at the campground and charge for drunken pony rides.

[mdram]

i contacted npca and have a copy of there press release

in .doc format, whats the bestway to post it.

from the email

Thanks for contacting me about this. Attached are our news release, a 1-pager on the report, and a link to the longer report. The water quality issues in Chincoteague Bay are related to onshore development and agricultural practices, and as best I know not related to the vehicle use on the island.
Link to report:
http://www.npca.org/stateoftheparks/assateague/

Please let me know if you have other questions after reviewing our report.

Joy



Joy M. Oakes
Senior Mid-Atlantic Regional Director

National Parks Conservation Association
Protecting Our National Parks for Future Generations 1300 19th ST NW, Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20036 202-454-3386/v 202-659-0650/f joakes@npca.org

[Bohica]

Roger, cut and paste.

[mdram]

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
August 28, 2007
Joy Oakes, Mid-Atlantic Senior Regional Director
National Parks Conservation Association
Phone: 202.454.3386

National Parks Group Reveals Significant Challenges to PARK Health at Assateague Island National Seashore
Invasive Species, Over-Sand Vehicles, and Nearby Development Threaten Park Ecosystems

Washington, D.C.—According to a new report released today by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Assateague Island National Seashore’s future health is threatened by non-native invasive species, heavy over-sand vehicle use, and polluted waters from adjacent land use and development. Funding and staffing shortfalls have affected nearly all facets of the park, including the preservation of its cultural treasures.

“The significant increase in national park operating funds now pending before Congress is sorely needed at Assateague and at all of our national parks to ensure they are protected, unimpaired, for future generations,” said Joy Oakes, NPCA’s Mid-Atlantic senior regional director.

According to NPCA’s Center for State of the Parks assessment, Assateague’s natural resources rank in “fair” condition, scoring an overall 75 out of 100 points. Key problems include contamination of bayside waters from nutrient-laden runoff from agriculture and residential development on the mainland; overgrazing by non-native feral horses and sika deer, which disrupts fragile island soils, interferes with dune formation, and reduces habitat for native species; and heavy demand for over-sand vehicle (OSV) use, which harms Assateague’s beach habitats for both resident and migratory wildlife.

“For Assateague’s spectacular natural environment to survive and thrive, we must work together to develop sustainable solutions that better manage the needs of park visitors, park neighbors and the park’s native wildlife,” said Oakes.

NPCA recommends that the park continue to manage the size of the feral horse population to protect the park’s health and to maintain a healthy herd. In addition, during the park’s long-range planning update beginning in 2008, the park must consider ways to balance heavy OSV use with negative impacts on park wildlife. The park and state and local area decision makers must work together to manage mainland development and agricultural practices in ways that protect the park’s high coastal water quality – a major draw for tourists and new residents alike.

The new assessment also finds that Assateague’s cultural resources are in “poor” condition, scoring an overall 58 out of 100. The park lacks any staff solely devoted to cultural resources management, which means historic structures, archaeological sites, and archives are not adequately maintained. For example, the Assateague Beach Coast Guard Station is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but the park has yet to receive funds to complete repairs from storm damage in the 1990s. An estimated $1 million is needed to make additional renovations and complete the nomination process.

“With the centennial of our National Park System fewer than ten years away, Assateague and all of our national parks must be fully funded to ensure the preservation of these American treasures,” said Oakes. “National parks should be a national priority.”

The National Park Service already has begun to address many of the challenges highlighted in NPCA’s new assessment. For example, the park successfully has used a contraceptive vaccine to reduce the feral horse population from a high of 176 to its current size of 140. In addition, the Park Service successfully has nurtured the seabeach amaranth, an endangered plant long thought to be extinct in the park, into a growing population. The park also offers more than 800 programs both on- and off-site each year that typically reach more than 160,000 people annually.

Assateague Island National Seashore consists of a 37-mile-long barrier island along the Atlantic coasts of Maryland and Virginia, and includes adjacent marsh islands and waters up to one-half mile from shore. The park encompasses 48,700 acres of land and water, offering an extraordinary beach experience that allows visitors to enjoy wildlife and outdoor activities in a beautiful natural setting. About 3.2 million people visit the national seashore annually to boat, bird-watch, fish, hunt, crab, clam, camp, ride over-sand vehicles, or see the horses.
NPCA launched the landmark Center for State of the Parks program in 2000 to assess the resource conditions of national parks across the country. To view a copy of the full report, visit www.npca.org/needdirectlink.

[Charkbait]

Yeah I think ya'll read it as it was typed. I read it to say "there are C bay water problems, and we'd like to pile on the ORV access train as well...here is an unfounded recommendation with no support or reasoning"

I think these folks are the least of our problems. Likely a blanket recommendation of all parks to discontinue ORV access, even though 4wd on the beach is totally different then other dirt off roading areas.

Having said that, with more and more groups piling on it will keep getting tougher to find objective folks to put in charge.

Unless they make it a no tresspassing beach I'll still fish it in my normal haunts, it will just be more expensive and more work to do it.

[Steve]

I guess we should all go live in caves so we don't affect any wildlife.
Why have ANYTHING if we can't go out and enjoy it.

Start taking pics of ppl riding the dunes and turn them in, that's about all we can do as a user of the park. Don't cut off access to all because of a few, aggressively go after the offenders. Put up a sign that reads $1000 fine for riding the dunes. Use the seasonal staff to help catch them.

As for the runoff, the former MD Gov Parasite Spendenning said he was going to implement a plan to reduce the nitrogen runoff from cultivated fields. Did it happen? Nope. This would have helped the back area of AI in VA too. VA & MD should revisit that idea.

Extend the hunting season and bag limit on the Sika. Sell some of the horsies. There are so many things that can be done instead of sticking their heads in the sand and saying no no no.

Pack out more trash than you came in with. Every time, no exceptions. Quit leaving piles of wood and fire pits exposed. Pack it out and fill it in. Walk 100 yards in each direction of your setup and pick up the trash. Just quit sitting around waiting for someone else to "fix" the problem.

Some of these things may seem small in comparison to the big picture, but it takes small brush strokes to create an entire painting. Pick up a brush!

[gonefishin]

In all of this the comment was made about the water quality in the chincoteague bay area ----- they need to look into the whole septic aspect of chincoteague island. There is NO wastewater treatment on the island, so with all the development and huge hotels and condos and townhouses where does all that sewage go?????????
I use to have a annual camp site at maddocks for years, I have since left because AIV constantly is restricting the fisherman, first thing that is cut off every year is the ORV, they have even moved the poles out so close to the water that a normal high tide is washing past them so you can't be out during high tide. Then if you try to park and walk out to fish the tourist try to croud you out and the rangers are no help at all, but if they get a hook in them they want to sue you. I have been down there when we only had about a 100 yards of beach open --- birds nesting --- but every half hour or so there was a park vehicle going up or down the beach, when I inquired about all that traffic I was told they were college students doing research, maybe if you are in college you have a special kind of tire that doesn't run over baby birds. I think before long all the tree huggers at AIV will stop all OSV use and then AIM will be the next target, I hope that I am wrong, I have gone to Assateague Island all of my life and have seen many changes and I see this coming.
One of the biggest things that has hurt the true fisherman is the advent of the SUV, now every tourist wants to go ride down the beach in their SUV.
LORD help us all

[Greenhorn]

That last line hit the nail right square on the head Gonefishin ! I can't believe how many people spend the money on the permit, ride to the fence turn around head off and not come back to next year .