Corpusfishing.com

[CastnBlast]

Guys, this could be really, really bad should they try to go with option 3-4; their language suggests the direction they are trying to go which is not good at all. We must oppose this with every ounce of effort we can. We need to make sure our state and federal elected officials hear from us on this issue. I will do what I can to have the City Draft a Resolution, and get the Texas GLO involved as well. Here is what I received:



(Corpus Christi, Texas) - The purpose of this project is to reduce current and potential future impacts of vehicle use on visitors, park employees, and wildlife resources on the beach in the park. The need for this action stems from concerns about increasing four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicle use on the beach and the observed effects of that use on the safety of park visitors, park staff and volunteers, and wildlife, including sea turtles, birds, and mammals. Increasing trends in the number of 4WD vehicles on the beach, as well as the number of visitors and nesting sea turtles on the beach have been observed. Visitor/vehicle conflicts and accidents have been noted, and beach debris that presents a collision hazard is always present. Finally, several bird and sea turtle species that can be affected by beach vehicle use have been listed as endangered or threatened since the beach vehicle speed limit was first established, so that disturbance to these species is of greater concern. As a result, the park is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to examine alternative methods for protecting visitors, staff, and wildlife on the beach, from accidents with passing vehicles.

The Beach Vehicle Environmental Assessment scoping brochure will be available to the general public on the National Park Service’s planning website: Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC), (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/) on Monday July 26, 2010 through August 25, 2010. The scoping phase will mark the first phase of this project. We encourage you to send us your thoughts and ideas by August 25, 2010.

Four alternative restoration actions are being evaluated:
• Alternative 1 would be no action.
• Alternative 2 would implement a seasonal 15 mph speed limit for the entire beach beginning at the occurrence of the first Kemp’s ridley turtle nest observed within the park or April 15—whichever is earlier—through the end of the Kemp’s ridley nesting season
• Alternative 3 would implement a 15 mph speed limit from March 1 through November 30 for the entire beach. Outside of these dates (i.e. from December 1 through February 2, the speed limit from MM 2.5 south to Mansfield Channel would be 25 mph.
• Alternative 4 would implement a 15 mph speed limit for the entire beach year-round. This alternative would protect all resources year-round by limiting the speed limit along the entire beach to 15 mph, which is also consistent with the speed limit on state beaches.

In order to arrive at any determination an Environmental Assessment must be prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to provide the decision-making framework that analyzes a reasonable range of alternatives to meet project objectives; evaluates potential issues and impacts to Padre Island National Seashore resources, staff, wildlife and visitor safety. Your comments will be considered as we develop the Environmental Assessment. Please note that names and addresses of people who comment become part of the public record. We will make all submissions from organizations, businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses available for public inspection in their entirety. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this at the beginning of your comment. We look forward to hearing from you.

Juan Rodriguez
Chief of Interpretation and Education
PO BOX 181300
Corpus Christi, TX 78480-1300
361-949-8068 (Work)
361-949-9951 (Fax)
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Vegetarian (n)...Old indian word for bad hunter

[Capt Mike Singleterry]

Boy....as if we couldn't see this coming for the past 3 years.


Mike

[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

I write EA's for a living. the last alternative is almost always the preferred alternative. look, they even vindicate the 15 MPH year-round alternative by mentioning that it will be in line with the speed limit on state beaches.

Its over, ladies and gentlemen. The park will reduce the speed limit to 15 MPH year around and there's little to nothing anyone can do about it at the stage.

don't get me wrong, go ahead and turn in your comments, but you'd better have a dang good reason why the faster speed doesn't impact birds and turtles (they smartly tied it to several endangered species, basically invoking the Endangered Species Act, which is probably why they're writing it.)

you're right Capt Mike, like we didn't see it coming.

and believe me folks, this is the beginning of the end of driving on PINS period.
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[Big Ed]

My goodness, what a supprise!!!!!. What a shame that these bureaucrats don't care about the people who use the resource.
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Big Ed
San Antonio

"A word to the wise ain't necessary. It's the stupid ones who need advice.", Bill Cosby

[SurfinSapo]

Don't folks use 4x4's during the beach cleanups? Need more info from CAC.
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[frayed]

So what is CACs response? I'd like to see the data on 'increased 4x4 traffic' that is ruining the beach, the justification for the change in policy.

I've amended the EA, Option 4 slightly to help with the project.

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Alternative 4 would implement a 15 mph speed limit for the entire beach year-round, which is the same limit already imposed on TX state beaches thereby creating no additional burden to beachgoers from contiguous TX beaches. This alternative would protect all resources year-round by limiting the speed limit along the entire beach to 15 mph, prevent the carnage, destruction and horror that is observed routinely on PINS today, saving the lives of not only park users, their children and children's children, but most importantly of our beloved, cute, non-native, artificially supported population of sea turtles.

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bastages! And here I thought national parks were set aside not as nature refuges but as a place for people to enjoy.

Singleterry called it all along. The turtleheads will not rest until people are banned from their park.
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Jeff

Get Busy

[UnderDog]

Alternative 0 - Enforce current existing speed limits.

None of the other alternatives will work because the people that cause the problems are the ones that break the law. (and well past 25mph)
Just this past week we had groups of trucks pass between where our Jeep was parked (up high in the weed line) and where we were fishing (down low near the water) going at least 40.
Any unenforced speed limit is worthless because the only ones that obey are the ones that already do.

[delliott00]

They've gotten smarter. Instead of slamming the door on our freedoms and causing a lot of angry and mobilized voters, they close it a few inches each year and hope that its not enough to rile people up. Before you know it, its closed and people have lost the opportunity to speak up. But sadly, I think Pork is right, its too late. They have already decided to do this. Unless somehow you can get a wholesale change in management, its a done deal.

Soon the only way down there will be via boat.

Hopefully they won't springboard from this to an offshore fishing ban along PINS.....

But, for now at least, give me a nice day offshore and I'll run the 68 miles from Packery to Mansfield Jetties in <2hrs and get the fire and camp set up for y'all....
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-Dave

'06 Century 3200WA, F250s, aka "SuperFishal"
'02 Mitzi 15 Skiff, Yamaha 40
Hobie Outback Angler (his)
Hobie Sport (hers)
Hobie Adventure Island (wind powered!)

[Capt Mike Singleterry]

[rawlbay]

Hate to give up on it, but I put this one in the lost cause file.

In my experience, the uninitiated (read that vast majority) think that 15 mph sounds too reasonable. After all, to them, the entire beach is exactly the same from Port Aransas to Port Mansfield. They have never been down a stretch of highway beach where you cannot see another person. They simply do not understand how slow 15 mph is in this environment.

They believe surf fishing involves white poles, upside down spinning reels, and 99 cent Wal-Mart double drops. They believe it is accomplished by taking the aforementioned products, pulling up to the first unoccupied beach parking spot, and tossing a line, while the kiddos dig giant pits in the sand, which they invariably never fill in.

They also think that these turtles are indigenous and have been procreating on these sacred turtle sands since humans were working on the whole opposable thumb thing. If not the foregoing, they at least believe that these turtles have some natural business on the Padre Island National Seashore.

I don't know why you can't talk sense to folks about this turtle thing, and I don't know why you can't convince folks to just put their damn shopping carts in the cart corral instead of letting them sail across the parking lot at 20 knots.

But, c'est la vie. Hopefully the rangers will exercise some discretion on the wide open portions of the south end.

[topdog15]

[Ol Sanch]

I have years of good times on that beach. But I've been done with the people that run it for a while and, sadly, haven't been there much because of it. Without some political influence on the people higher up than Joe E, the turtleheads are just going to do whatever they want. But that crap is politics. And I don't want to get political, I just want to catch big fish.
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Do you even fish, Bro?

[critter getter]

I haven't saw much of the CAC lately whats up with this?????????????

[Fishin Rod]

I only have 1 thing to say Move the Turtle program to Matagorda That Is All

[larry meinert]

CAC protest begins after South Beach is closed to fishermen and campers. L