FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Bird eco tourism Minnesota ;-)

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

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Subject: [mou] "NO Birdwatching" signs
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2005 08:59:57 -0600
From: Mike Hendrickson 
To: MOU-Net 
Hello:

I been to Sax Zim Bog a lot this year and seen some changes in the past
weeks.  In the beginning  all the birders that came to this area were
doing everything they could to keep the residents happy.  I posted in
the past some  houses to avoid to stop at.  I  posted later on asking
birders, do not even bother stopping on shoulders of roads to glimpse
the birds in front of houses in Sax Zim Bog.

Yesterday I lost it. I was with a small group of birders and we were
moving along Co. Rd. 7 and saw some birds on the road. Yes on the road
and not in the residents yards or anything like that. We watched the
birds from the shoulder of the road with our flashers on. I noticed as I
looked over to my left there is a yard that is littered with small
fluorescents signs that say "NO BIRDWATCHING"!!  I looked at it and
realized I parked across from the yard where the woman in the past
claims birders are stealing her mail! Yes her mail.  Now that is funny!

So I sat there thinking "hold on here, I pay my taxes in this county, I
am parked legally, I got my flashers on, and were all in the car looking
at all the birds".  Now this lunatic woman and her neighbors are telling
me I can not stop on a public road and look at birds. They must think
the feeders they put up to attract the birds are THEIR birds and THEIR
property.  They should be the only ones to enjoy them.  So if the birds
land on the road to grit, They obviously feel they own the road as
well.  I decided I am not going to be bullied anymore by these paranoid,
HEE-HAW re-run watching bumpkins! I am NOT going to bend anymore to
them.  If I see birds on a public road in front of people's houses I am
going to stop and view these birds.

I am tired of these people driving over the speed limit on county roads
they feel they own.  I am tired of them stopping and giving birders the
"finger".  I am tired of them yelling something and spitting Copenhagen
at the same time!  I am tired of them stopping and shaking their heads
and then slam on the gas pedal like some wanna be Dale Earnahardt.  I am
just plain tired of these idiots.

The sax zim bog group is thinking about taking this area and make it a
wonderful place for birders to come. This group wants to build
boardwalks in the bog and pull offs for cars to park and turn around in
and they want to work with the community.  These are good ideas but I
know these country hay making, drug creating,  and pot growing people
are going to use the boardwalks and trails for their ATV's and they will
not listen to smart people because they feel the land is theirs to hunt,
poach and drive their sleds and ATVS all over on!  IF the any group
decided to buy one of them shacks and put a parking lot in and add a
bunch of feeders around the shack, the country bumpkins would come by
and destroy the feeders and spray paint their feelings about us on the
shack.

If it wasn't for nesting Great Gray Owls, Yellow Rails, Conn. Warbler,
Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Black-backed Woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadees,
Sharp-tailed Grouse and LeConte's Sparrow there would be no need for
birders to come here, BUT they do exist here and its a really easy place
to find these birds. Unfortunately there are backwoods paranoid people
out here that do not like visitors at all. There is no way in my opinion
to even remotely work things out with them.

As far as these signs in front of some houses along Co. Rd 7 "NO
BIRDWATCHING" that means no standing on the shoulder and stare at their
house or feeders but legally in my opinion if you are off the shoulder
safely and have your flashers on it is legal.  I asked a homeowner in
Two Harbors where he is hosting several Hoary Redpolls, if he is getting
complaints from neighbors and ect.. Oh by the way this guy is also a
sheriff. He told me as long as birders are parked safely and not
interrupting traffic, birders are allowed to park along county road
shoulders and view birds. So the people in Sax Zim once again feel they
own county road 7 and especially the piece of the road in front of their
houses. This is not true of course and birders in my opinion can view
all the birds they want from this road.  This is no different from
looking at owls along Co. Rd 7. I am still waiting for them to place
signs all  along Co. Rd 7 saying "NO OWL WATCHING" because the residents
have to slow down from 70mph to 50mph while they head to Eveleth to buy
more oven cleaner & other house hold chemicals, and dog food.

I am just tired of bending over for them, act nice to them and get
fingered at the same time while doing so. and also put on my "be a good
birding rep. smile on".  To me the only good people up there are the
residents of Cotton, workers at Wilbert's Cafe, the owner of Farmer's
Market in Meadowlands and the good people at Food & Fuel gas station in
Cotton.  The residents I am talking about are the ones that live in the
shacks, trailer homes and other houses in the backwoods of Sax Zim who
are life time members of Posse Comitatus and other militia groups.

Anyway the sad and funny issue about all of this is that these people
could of placed a drop box put in front of their houses and ask for
donations for feed. They could of made a really good profit each weekend
from all the hundred of birders that would of gave to them. I truly
believe there is no way to educate them or reach out to them. There
actions in the past months have shown me how they feel about strangers,
visitors and birders.

Oh I forgot there is one good guy who lives in the backwoods of Sax
Zim. I am sure some birders seen this guy, he the elderly man in bibs
that walks along the railroad tracks in the early morning and waves at
all the cars that drive by.  That guy is truly a diamond in the rough.

Mike H.

Michael Hendrickson
Duluth, Minnesota
Minnesota Birding Treks
---------------------------------END FORWARD---------------
Let's go birding....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN


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