VA Birders,
In September, I attended the American Birding Association (ABA)
International Conference in Panama. At our dinner-meeting the first evening,
the
Panamanian Minister of Tourism came to bid us welcome. He said he understood
that
in some places people with binoculars and spotting scopes were viewed with
suspicion. He had heard about the problems at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
islands, and that birders were no longer welcome there! He assured us,
however, that birders were very welcome in Panama, and he was delighted to have
us
there.
Shortly before we left on vacation last June, I received a "Dear Birding
Friends" letter from the CBBT's Director of Public Relations. I didn't have
time to comment on it then. Only much later did I learn that this letter
apparently was sent only to people who had written letters urging that the
islands
not be closed to birders. The most important points in this letter were as
follows:
1. Individual birders or groups of no more than 15 must be accompanied by
security staff at all times.
2. Individual birders and groups will pay in advance a fixed hourly fee of
$50 . . .
3. Reseachers and scientists . . . will be . . . issued a CBBT
identification card . . . annually for a fee of $50.
4. The Bridge-Tunnel will conduct a formal review of the procedures by
January 1, 2006 with the birding committee.
I have given considerable thought to this subject during the summer and
fall, and I have decided to share my views with other VA Birders before the
CBBT's "formal review" with its birding committee. Personally, I have no
problem
with the CBBT, a privately owned and operated facility, charging birders a
$50.00 annual fee to cover the costs of our birding the islands, but why should
"Individual Birders or Groups" be charged differently from "Researchers &
Scientists"? Aren't we all going to the CBBT islands for the same reason--to
bird?
On the other hand, perhaps all of us who have contributed to ornithological
research thru our participation in a breeding bird atlas, breeding bird foray,
Christmas Bird Count, or other studies such as the Cornell Feederwatch
project, could apply for the researchers' card.
If the problem is the cost of providing security, do the math: If 500
people signed up for passes at $50.00 (reportedly about 800 signed up last
year), that would add up to $25,000.00. That should be enough for the CBBT to
hire
someone to process us and escort us on the islands. We don't need top secret
security clearances to bird the islands; a check of government watch lists
should be sufficient to make sure we are not birder-terrorists.
In view of the new rules for birders, it seems fair to ask what other
measures the CBBT authorities have taken to improve security and safety there?
What have they done to increase security at the toll booths so that some
suicide bomber doesn't get thru and blow himself up in one of the tunnels?
We know that the U.S.S. Cole was attacked by a small boat. What is being
done to keep boats away from the islands and prevent a similar attack there?
What about Island #1? Has anything been done to screen people going on this
"public" island? Is any effort being made to check people going out on the
fishing pier to make sure no terrorist goes there with a portable rocket
launcher and fires at a boat in the shipping lanes between Islands 1 & 2?
I have only made a couple of trips across the CBBT since the new
regulations for birders went into effect, but I have not noticed any increase
in
security measures on either of those trips.
An article about feeding birds in a local paper this morning noted that
46 million Americans now watch birds, and that they spend $32 billion annually
on their hobby. The Panamanian Minister of Tourism knows that ecotourism is
good for his country and its economy. Some of us are old enough to remember
back to the days when birdwatchers were considered strange, and now,
unfortunately, it appears that birders are still viewed with suspicion in some
places.
One has to wonder what is really behind the CBBT authorities new policy toward
birders.
Good birding,
Val Kitchens
Arlington, VA
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