Brooks Island/Marina Bay restrictions.

[beechman]

All,
The East Bay Parks District, who owns Brooks Island, is considering closing down the entire reach and installing buoys 50 yards out into the channel. That would be the end of our sweet butter spot, see picture below.

What is happening right now (this is from my friend Matt who is the caretaker of the island) is that the Caspian Terns (birds) that are the main reason for the bird sanctuary on the island, have decided to nest further up the reach, beyond the fence line.

If you are interested in trying to save this kite spot, please take action by contacting EBP (Link to EBPD comment page: http://www.ebparks.org/contact) and any one else who may have some influence (I wrote the Mayor of Richmond) as well as tuning in other kiters and getting them to write letters. My letter is below, you may use any part of it. Also my response from the mayor included a contact at EBPD, Mr. Bob Doyl bdoyle@ebparks.org please write him as well.

Thank you
bman

I am writing in response to a conversation I had with the park host at Brooks Island regarding the potential further restrictions of that park and surrounding waterway due to nesting Caspian Terns. As I understand it, EBPD is considering closing access to the remaining section of island. I have a number of protests to this. 1) I live in Marina Bay and this island is one of the reasons I do so. Access to that area for kite boarding, kayaking, fishing, nature walking and sailing is extremely important to me as well as many other people. 2) I cannot find any information that the Caspian Tern deserves special consideration. They are not on the US endangered species list, they are listed as LC by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or (prior to 2001) Conservation Dependent), and the National Audubon Society lists them “as small population size, otherwise no conservation concern.” 3) If a restriction must be put in place, please make it reasonable and only put it around the nesting Terns and only seasonaly. Their nesting area is very small and very seasonal, not requiring a total restriction of the entire island and waterway.

I remind you of the mission of the East Bay Parks District as quoted from your website:

“We will acquire, develop, manage, and maintain a high quality, diverse system of interconnected parklands which balances public usage and education programs with protection and preservation of our natural and cultural resources.”

The decision to restrict access to the Park does not represent balanced use. Please understand that I am very much in favor of protecting animals and habitat, but humans also deserve consideration.

In closing I request that at the very least, someone from EBPD contact me to discuss this issue. I would hope that in addition, a public meeting or an appeal would be made in a public forum in order to gauge the impact on the local community of any decisions regarding Brooks Island restrictions. EBPD is funded by our tax dollars, it is our land, we deserve a say in how our land is used.

William Beech
15 Sandpoint Dr.
Richmond, CA 94804

CC: Gayle_McLaughlin@officeofthemayor.net

[jbirdmarin]

but it's my favorite backdrop!

39929_1566723725947_8134698_n.jpg (86.17KiB)Viewed 4405 times

[Greg]

Speaking for those who can't DEFEND THEMSELVES , I say, HUMANS SUCK!!!!!
Gregory Burton Boyington

[Aloha]

I think as long as we respect the birds and also respect each other by not creating any unreasonable restrictions all will work in harmony

[Greg]

close your eyes and imagine this:

it's the COLDEST WINDY DAY ever, your sitting at home with your newborn triples watching TV..
SUDDENLY GOD RIPPS the ROOF RIGHT OFF YOUR HOUSE and the boney fingers of DEATH grip you by the throat and TOSS you AWAY like trash in the wind....

your children are there alone to dealing with the MOTHER OF ALL SHITSTORMS without so much as a blanket to cover their hairless bodies...

OPEN YOUR EYES, look around, see-
LISTEN to the wind in your ears,
THINK!!!

Remember: They are hide for good reason-
The Bird's don't stand up for themselves because they can't----

"thou I fly through the valley of the Shadow of Death, I fear No Evil-
I am the meanest MOTHER FUCKER in the valley"
L.M.G.

[behindThePeak]

???

[BAK_iphone]

He's more or less saying that generally speaking, globally and locally, in a general (and true I think) sense that people do animals more harm than good, typically for their own gain...or something like that...

[CdoG]

There is a hole other part to M.B.
the bummpy part, south not west
just kite over to the area out by the racetrack, the point
the cove
still lots of good kiteing ground to play

[kief]

BUMP>

AS happens this time of year MB starts to go off...daily,
so lets be proactive and stay 200 ft away from gull/now Caspian tern nesting area
(where rock jetty ends and beach starts,where all the birds are :) )
and stay off the strip part of the island entirely

Really a nice sign,and encouraging,that they've moved back in....
so give 'em some space

[Aloha]

Caspian Seagulls?