I will post comments in three parts, as my past comments have been too long
and rejected for distribution on this listserv probably because of their
length.
Part 1
There are several points to keep in mind when discussing birders' access
(past, present, and future) to the CBBT:
1) Our access to the southernmost island has not changed. Security there has
been increased, in several respects, to monitor all those on that island on a
continuous basis, birders included. We have always been welcome on this
island. Many excellent birds for Virginia have been found on this island, even
if
the Harlequin Ducks are more regular on Islands 3 and 4.
2) The privilege to spend time on the northern three islands - to which no
one but birders has had access historically (fishermen have not been allowed to
fish there and so must purchase or hire vessels to take them there) - has been
changed to increase security of the islands, the naval and commercial vessels
that transit the channels, and the tunnels below the islands. We are still
permitted to bird on these islands, either through an annual permit for people
who are taking data ($50) or a one-time permit for those who are engaging in
recreational birding. For the latter, individuals or groups must pay $50/hour
to have security personnel accompany them. If you have a group of 4 in your
car, and you want to see Harlequins, eiders, Great Cormorants, Purple
Sandpipers, etc. - which takes about an hour - your cost is $12.50 per person.
And you
have to arrange your visit about 10 days in advance (there is some
flexibility here). Everyone who has tried this has been satisfied that the
current
system works - if there are dissatisfied people who have tried it, they have so
far kept their dissatisfaction to themselves.
3) The privilege to be on the northern three islands - which is available *
only* to birders, still - can be revoked at any time by the administration of
the CBBT, which is a separate district (not in a county or city). It is an
entity not easily influenced by local or state lawmakers (to whom staff and
administration do not answer), by "influential" birders at the national level,
or by
arguments about the positive economic impact of birding for the Eastern Shore
or Virginia Beach. Their task is to make the transportation facility safe
and efficient.
4) The preservation of some continuing privilege to bird the northern three
islands (thanks in large measure to Mitchell Byrd's efforts) was hard won,
involving extensive research into security issues, the reading of various
technical manuals, and long meetings with CBBT personnel. It is incorrigible
to
belittle this effort and its (at least partial) success.
5) In order to begin to work *back* toward greater freedom of movement on the
islands (which now have locked security fences on them), we need to be
mindful that insulting the CBBT security personnel and administration will not
be in
our best interests. By "insult", I mean: a) insinuating that their
intelligence is low because they have somehow failed to recognize that shoppers
and
boaters might be terrorists in disguise, b) suggesting that their motivation to
eliminate birders or reduce their numbers on the northern three islands has
ulterior motives not connected to the security of the facility, and c)
insisting
that birders "obviously" pose no threat to the facility and certainly no
greater threat than other users.
Parts 2, 3 to follow.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA
