March 6, 2003:
The Holgate meeting was held today in Long Beach Township. A good cross-section of local reps met with Dick Dyer of the USF&WS. Among them were Frank Panzone, Deb Whitcraft, Gene Pharo, John Koegler, Ken Smith, Jonathan Oldham, Mary Madonna, Jimmy Lamarra, Bill Huelsenbeck and the Long Beach Township Commission.
I chose not to attend and was not “boycotted” whatsoever, as some folks thought. Dick Dyer and other folks with the Service and Refuge have always been not just civil but very polite with me -- except for that time Atzert and I just about went after each other jugulars on the beach. Hey, I was no angel that day myself, believe me.
Anyway, I got a detailed report shortly after the meeting and things apparently ended with what might be called a gentlemen’s agreement that the whole mean high tide thing is a nasty legal issue with only the lawyers to gain should things go to court.
It’s going to come down to common sense usage, with the refuge unable to legally concede on its side and LBT, the state and fishermen unwilling to give in on their side.
It was left at a very understandable truce which, at least by my reckoning, will mean careful and courteous usage by mobile anglers and the need by the refuge to protect its prime property.
Is it kinda what we had in the past? Not really. In fact, not at all. It’s going to be far more micromanaged from here on out.
We will have to routinely drive nearer the water. That’s a given. The wet sand is out prime terrain – legally, and as agreed upon.
Can we go a tad higher up to avoid beachwalkers and such? Truth be told, that can likely be down well within the nebulous mean high tide line zone. I hope that the refuge informs their beachwalkers that they have the upper beach for their pleasure.
Can we just arbitrarily drive up near the dunes or even on the level beach sands because it’s flatter driving up there? No. Plain and simple.
When fishing the frontbeach, can you back up to leave a passage way for other vehicles to get by? Yes, if you’re not impinging ABOVE the nebulous mean high tide line zone. You know as well as me when you’re pushing the limit. Equally pushy will be the practice of parking in a way that forces other vehicles up too high. We just don’t have that luxury any more. I’ll be among those who let folks know if they’re creating a bottleneck.
If we want to maintain decent Holgate access there will be frontbeach areas we just can’t park and fish. I’m talking about the slews on the frontbeach, which are often high erosion zones meaning there isn’t enough space to park and allow other vehicles to get by legally. You can park down a ways and walk your rods back. Would you prefer having to walk in from the parking lot area? I think not, kimosabe.
What about traveling the beach at high tide? It can’t be done anymore, anyway. The erosion is horrendous. But how about a blowout tide when the rising tide isn’t making much of a move anyway? That run could be done within the mean high tide zone. It’s a no-brainer: If you have to go high to traverse the beach due to the tide, you can’t do it. Your tracks showing that you did go up there screws all of us.
Will we be fishing Holgate in buggies come fall? Absolutely. The thing is, if we want to actually enjoy Holgate, we can’t go with that “screw ‘em” attitude and pull numb nut moves like going way up high just to scoot down to the Rip before the tide has dropped enough for safe passage.
I believe that the LBTPD should be alerted to the subtleties of Holgate so they can be called in to straighten out any buggyists who don’t fly straight. The use of buggies in Holgate is to access fishing, wildlife and clamming areas, NOT for pleasure riding or idle cruising. I know that smacks of exclusionism but I personally feel the people who use Holgate for functional activities are very understanding of the unspoken rules and regulations, those just down cruising have virtually NO vested interest in preserving the tenuous agreements now constantly in play from the parking lot to the back flats.
Now let’s hope this erosion doesn’t make all these tweakings meaningless.
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