Brooks Island/Marina Bay restrictions.

[le noun]

I CANT wait to LAND my kite on the SANDBAR and take a FACEBOOK default picture.

Don't forget to add me on facebook so I can see it.

[wimboweb]

I CANT wait to LAND my kite on the SANDBAR and take a FACEBOOK default picture.

sarcasm...

in this case, almost as irrelevant as facebook itself...

[NCKite_Ryder]

Its tough to accept a "BAN" on access to a spot that has a monster oil refinery, an enormous shipping harbor, a polluted bay, and all within a megacity of destructive humans.... for what? Seagulls? I know there are probably other birds on that island but from what i saw it was just a bunch of annoying seagulls. When you kite by these birds (in the butter on their strip) they just squawk at you... they don't leave the nest.... the kites don't fly over them... the shadows don't spook them to death.

Let me guess we spook the egrets and the gulls swoop in on the eggs, right?

Personally I think their efforts would be more beneficial to focus on REAL threats to their bird sanctuary. Like the massive tankers that come into the bay and crash into the bridges spilling oil... polluting the shoreline and killing birds. Or maybe the 20,000 boats that idle through the area on a weekly basis.

ARE KITERS REALLY A THREAT?
or is it...

SHIT LIKE THIS
Blog Post: Dec 14, 2011

Two Oil Spills in Two Days - Further Update
Sunday, December 11, a WWII-era tugboat with as much as 52,000 gallons of fuel oil on board sank into Richmond's Inner Harbor. Oil was soon observed leaking into surrounding waters.The day prior, approximately 1,290 gallons of diesel fuel escaped from UC Berkeley's Stanley Hall into the storm drain system leading to Strawberry Creek, which drains into San Francisco Bay near Berkeley Marina

[Aloha]

That was sort of where I was going with it in the previous post NCK. Environmentalism is nice, but in a world of limited resources decision making unfortunately usually comes down to dollars and cents

Kitesurfers if anything would be allies in the push for favorable non-polluted conditions that would also benefit the wildlife. If you have human beings out in that water doing recreational activities (not to mention probably one of the most eco-friendly wind powered ones you can do) you have a strong advocate base that is adding economic value to the community and additional stakeholders for environmentally friendly conditions in the bay

It benefits our little winged friends in the process

Remove the recreational users and it's just birds vs. industry. Industry pockets are deep, so the spot could probably use all the stakeholders on the other side of that bench that it can get. That's what a community is all about

[le noun]

You bird guys already won anyway.
No more foie gras in California.

just kidding.
But I agree with nck and aloha, why attack one of the only non-polluting recreational activity? Are all the sail boats park in the marina forbidden to go out as well?
How about kayaks? Swimmers?
It seems to me like controlling the water quality and the noise generated by motorized boat should come first.
And like aloha said, water quality is definitely something that kiteboarders, as a community, could help, since we end up face planting in it when missing a trick or drinking gallons of it when body dragging back to our boards.
Just my 2 cents.
Now I'm gonna eat foie gras and feel better.

[jbirdmarin]

Hey if I get in trouble for sarcasm I'll never get to post anymore

I totally agree rec users can have a very positive impact on helping protect wildlife in a way that still allows for rec use - a bunch of organizations have been able to pull that off. My only point was if we point to commerce or economic value as being key factors, we kiters will get grouped with those polluter (=selfish enemies of the environment in most regulator eyes). The point about nasty water is also a really good one in terms of the overall health of those birds' homes. Unfort, the lobbyists of the oil industry won that battle, so yes, they've basically bought that right to pollute. (EPA's Superfund Law does not include petroluem, I wonder why...)

For Brooks, I think the wind direction helps us in terms of the argument about kites messing with shorebird nests and habitat. I would hope that a reasonable agent at EBRPD/USFS/Audobon/CAFG would be ok with is no direct access to the sandspit and keep kites 100 - 200 feet from the sanctuary, which pretty much already happens. A key point is the kiter in the water isn't the issue - it's the kite in the air that causes the bird stir.

[Greg]

Seagulls are EXTREMELY smart birds.. They are always WATCHING-
Just like a fishing boat, they know that if they follow kites long enough they are likely to find food.. (along the sand spit)

[spvone]

NCKite_Ryder, you have a valid point and I completely agree with you. Yes, MB is an industrial marine location with tons of environmental issues that need to be dealt with, but this concern is in regard to humans TEMPORARILY leaving the birds to do their thing. If we honor that request we will have access again once the voluntary ban ends. If we piss off the folks who dictate the rules do you think they will be sympathetic to our recreational activity? Come on folks, it's only for a few more weeks. Be patient please.

You can catch a lot more bees with honey than with vinegar.

[Greg]

NCKite_Ryder, you have a valid point and I completely agree with you. Yes, MB is an industrial marine location with tons of environmental issues that need to be dealt with, but this concern is in regard to humans TEMPORARILY leaving the birds to do their thing. If we honor that request we will have access again once the voluntary ban ends. If we piss off the folks who dictate the rules do you think they will be sympathetic to our recreational activity? Come on folks, it's only for a few more weeks. Be patient please.

You can catch a lot more bees with honey than with vinegar.

Even thou elimination is much CHEAPER then REGULATION, they will continue to attempt regulation because the Parks System is chartered to allow as much HUMAN access as reasonably possible- (however, they also are mandated to PROTECT WILDLIFE as well.... so you can be SURE the EGG COUNTERS are going to have ALLOT TO SAY about kiting if the number fall off)

[CdoG]

The Caretaker on the island has said he could BAN Individual kiters
he's jumped in his boat and come into the park to talk to kite offenders
seems fair to me ...hell maybe even issue a ticket$$
kite n like an aSs or just to full of one's self


Just give it a buffer zone and we can keep kite n here for years