Meena, this is exactly the kind f discussion I was hoping to instigate. I am not against a change in policy, but I am for enforcement of policies. Dr. John Van Niel Professor of Environmental Conservation Director, East Hill Campus Finger Lakes Community College ________________________________________ From: Meena Madhav Haribal [m...@cornell.edu] Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2014 5:59 PM To: John VanNiel Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] MNWR Caspian Terns and pedestrians on the Wildlife Drive :(
Hi John and all, My question to you is were the birds disturbed by so many people being out. I have been to MNWR for more than 20 years. When I started birding MNWR there was no restriction of being in the car. We could walk around on the drive. I have been to many NWR refuges, nowhere there was restrictions as to be in car. I have seen shorebirds and other birds from as close as few feet from me. Birds get used to human beings if we are not shooting them or harassing them. So why there is so much fuss about disturbing the non_existing birds on the wildlife drive. I am for the one who believe in opening the drive to foot traffic. I agree if someone is harassing the birds they should be stopped. If someone is digiscoping that means birds were far anyway, so why complain about them? I vote for wildlife drive should be open for foot traffic! Cheers Meena John VanNiel <john.vann...@flcc.edu> wrote: Many Caspian Terns along the Wildlife Drive at Montezuma this afternoon. I very much enjoyed trying to photograph them in flight. (Now the rant..) What I did NOT enjoy were all the people out of their vehicles. Every single person in the five cars ahead of me were out of the vehicles. A young couple were digiscoping with a nice spotting scope on a tripod. Another woman with a large telephoto lens was parked in the middle of the drive and was excitedly taking photos. Two elderly women were down at the edge of the water snapping pictures of the mallows in bloom. I could go on.... I moved to Seneca Falls 19 years ago and have been a regular visitor since. I cannot recall a year when the foot traffic was as bad as I have seen it this year. There are two signs that instruct visitors to stay in their vehicles that drivers pass before entering the drive and a third reminder after the big left turn before Benning Marsh. However, I can understand how visitors would miss seeing them. I think this is a problem that needs a solution. I would like to speak to the Refuge staff formally about it. If anyone would like to join me or have me relay his or her thoughts, please contact me offline. Thank you for your time. Dr. John Van Niel Professor of Environmental Conservation Director, East Hill Campus Finger Lakes Community College ________________________________________ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
