[birdky] FYI: From VA-BIRDS via TN-BIRDS -- Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel a ccess issues

Thanks to Wallace Coffey for forwarding the below note to TN-BIRD. Some of
you who scan other state's listserves were probably aware of this issue, but
I was not until reading Wallace's forward of Ned Brinkley's post from
VA-BIRD.

Certainly something we should monitor here as a template for potential
issues here in TN and KY ... as many of you know we have had some access to
places like Ky and Barkley Dams restricted post 9/11. 

I hope the forwarded format comes out in a readable manner.

bpb, Louisville

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

TN-Birders:

The following is a report on today's meeting in Eastern Virginia dealing
with countinued birding access at the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel. The
three most important birding islands are proposed for closure to birders and
others June 1 in response to homeland defense security issues. 


This is more than an eye-opener of what is on the horizon for all of us one
way or another. The birding community has pulled togehter an impressive
effort. Individual self-serving agendas have been set aside so strong and
objective solutions may be found. 


The Virginia people are handling a challenge openly and in a strong and 
structured way. Thye are demonstrating public communication skills. 


This speaks well for teamwork, unselfishness, focus and understanding 
everyone's rights to know and to have abundant information. 


------------------ BEGIN FORWARD------------------------------

From:  VA-Bird listserv

The hour-and-a-half initial meeting this morning between representatives of
the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission (Chair Kellam; Commissioner
Collins; Commissioner Buckle), CBBT Security (Chief Pruitt), CBBT Public
Relations (Ms. Smith), and five birding/ conservation groups (CVWO: Bob Ake;
VSO: Teta Kain; CCB: Mitchell Byrd; VDGIF: David Whitehurst; ABA: myself)
went smoothly. It was designed as a small meeting purposely, so that
everyone would have a chance to air views and ideas about how birders might
continue to enjoy the privilege of birding the three northern islands but
within a new dispensation that 
would satisfy concerns about security. The old method - to present a better
or fax, with license and registration of the driver only - is clearly off
the table.  If a protocol for continued access is possible, it will
apparently not be as flawed, from a security standpoint, as that one.

The bird/conservation group, after listening to the genesis of the decision
to rescind the privilege made last month from Chief Pruitt and Chair Kellam,
presented a page-long list of ideas specifically designed to satisfy
concerns about security but also to continue daily access to the full
perimeter of the islands, such as we enjoy now.  Many of these ideas came
from contributors via this listserve (many thanks); others came from highly
placed officials in Homeland Security, the State Department, the private
security sector, and the Transportation Safety Administration (thanks to
those people as well). The Northern Virginia crowd really has an impressive
set of connections to such people, as well as to state and national
political figures and their aids; thanks to all of you who pulled strings
quietly to raise this matter, which Governor Warner and other key figures
are now aware of.

It was heartening that both Commissioner Buckle and Commissioner Collins 
asked clear, helpful questions about what specifically we like to do on the
islands and what value it has for us, both as hobbyists and as 
conservationists. David Whitehurst also enlightened them about the
ecotouristic context as well. Both commissioners seemed very much to
understand our interests here by the end of the meeting.  In coming weeks,
we need to make sure that all other commissioners do as well.

The meeting concluded at about 11:40, and the next meeting of this group is
set for 21 April. In the mean time, the CBBT people will be interviewing
security people at other sensitive facilities in Virginia about their
procedures for permitting access. For our part, the bird/ conservation
people are charged with presenting, in advance of the next meeting, a
written plan for access, or set of plans, that we believe would satisfy the
imperative of security on the northern three islands.

We have already made great headway in defining, in general terms, what the
procedures in such a plan might be, with the help in particular of Homeland
Security people, who are most familiar with threat scenarios for the
northern three islands.  What we will have to do now is to flesh out our
outline with concrete suggestions: computer software used in identifying
people or maintaining a database of permitees; hardware/ software used in
communicating with officers in the field; search procedures and the
equipment and training required for their implementation; and so forth.

This task will require more discussion with local law enforcement 
representatives, military security personnel, and airport security
specialists, who will have the most up-to-date information on how to
administer a program that oversees access to sensitive areas.  

We do not yet see a light at the end of this tunnel, as it were, but we were
given no reason to assume that the CBBT people have ruled out the
possibility of our maintaining some form of access past 1 June 2005 (the
official end of the birding program as of today).  The next full Commission
meeting is 11 May, at which time it's expected that there will be a vote on
the matter. If anyone reading this works in the technical end of law
enforcement, or is friendly with someone who does and who might be willing
to advise a group of bird/CBBT people on both methods and technology, we'd
love to hear from them!

Our mood is still optimistic.  While I believe that it's possible to craft a
solution we're all happy with, our challenge is to convince Security folks
that it will be both efficient and effective. To that end, I would ask,
humbly and with no authority whatsoever, on the part of the people working
on this problem that we as a birding community refrain from
side-conversations with Security personnel about this matter for the next
six weeks or so. This is simply so that the people working to formulate a
plan for all of us that would permit the greatest amount of security AND
freedom for birding not be undermined. It is easy in particular for
lower-ranking officers to confuse what they hear 
from birders on the CBBT with what they're hearing from superiors and around
water coolers, and at this critical time we do not want to send mixed
messages. 

It's fine to keep birding as we've always done, for now, but it's best not
to try to sell dozens of different versions of access scenarios in an
uncoordinated fashion - this cannot but muddy the waters.

Thanks again to all for helping out.  We'll post on this again after the
next meeting.  

Best
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA

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