Saturday, October 23, 2010
Dogs and Snowy Plovers on Linda Mar Beach
Nov 8th, the city council will vote on how to handle protection of the Snowy Plover on Linda Mar Beach. The open space committee is attempting to get dogs banned for this protection. They are pushing hard. They have already inundated the city council with letters and presentation at council. The parks and rec dept and a sub committee (including POOCH) wants to use signage, fencing (along the walk way), and education. (This approach has been very effective at many places including the Coal Oil Point Beach (http://coaloilpoint.ucnrs.org/SnowyPloverProgram.html).
Dogs are just one of many things that will disturb the Snowy Plover and are just the first of many bans planned: Events, fireworks, too much human traffic etc.
If we do not demonstrate support for this more rational, inclusive method of protection, there is a good chance that dogs may be banned completely from the beach (i don't mean just off leash, I mean not allowed at all or anywhere north of the restrooms).
Please write the city council (( o'connellk@ci.pacifica.ca.us ),- address it to all city council members) and come to the city council meeting Monday, November 8th at 7PM 2212 Beach Boulevard, second floor).
Remember, it is not just us locals that love that beach - (so spread the word to all your neighbors, facebook, email); but it is also many visitors (with dogs)who come to Pacifica because of that beach. If you own a business, or know of folks who own businesses in Pacifica and understand what shutting that beach down to dogs and their owners will mean,,,get them to also participate in the letter writing and speaking at the council meeting.
PLEASE GET FOLKS INVOLVED IN THIS DECISION
Bev Kingsbury
Canine Behaviorist
Pawsitive Thinking
http://www.pawsitivethinking.com/
650-888-4743
Using the S.C.A.L.E. to balance your dog and excel in training.
Read about it: SIT, DOWN, STAY: DOG TRAINING SO EASY A HUMAN CAN DO IT
Submitted by Jim Alex
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
38 comments:
I agree with Jim Alex that the Coal Oil Point beach is an excellent model for us to follow!
Some background: In March of 2006 the California Coastal Commission banned dogs and horses at the beach of the Coal Oil Point Reserve. But then UCSB submitted a new plan that was approved that allowed dogs on the beach IF the Santa Barbara County leash law was ACTIVELY enforced. Did the "dog friendly" plan work? No! So then additional signs were posted and docents monitored the beach to ask owners to voluntarily leash their dogs. Did that work? No!
So starting March 1, 2009 UCSB Police officers were stationed between Coal Oil Point and Ellwood beach. Now police officers "interact" with owners of off-leash pets and issue either warnings or citations. In addition, docents are present to continue providing education and outreach will request police assistance to insure adherence of the leash law. Does this work for you?
Is it realistic to station a cop on the beach? Pacifica Five-0's already at the minimum legal staffing limit allowed, so I don't know where they're going to get the money/personnel for this.
A ridiculous waste of money for another non-existant problem. Stupid and totally unneccessary. Ms. Kingsbury is correct, 1st it's the dogs, then it's the people. Actually the dogs come with people so yes folks they want to ban you from the beach! What about all those businesses at Linda Mar? How do you think they feel about this? Just what Pacifica needs, another anti-business, anti-people, manufactured enviro crisis. Close part of the beach and you cram everybody into what's left. They'll just drive right on by once the tunnel opens. And after all that money was spent to make it nice and bring visitors in. Where's the Chamber on this? Knock off the parties and get to work. Hold the beach People!
I see, as soon as anything is proposed that even curbs dog owners to take even the smallest possible compromise it's "no go". Well then. let's make it a zero-sum game and see who prevails.
Anonymous@1:39 It's not a compromise. It's an anti-business, anti-people take over. The dogs are just convenient. We have leash laws and they should be enforced but if you think the people of Pacifica will give up the beach for
some pet project of the usual few then you are mistaken. There are no protections now and there haven't been any so it would seem the proposed signs and education are a reasonable compromise. And for a problem that does't exist! Go too far and you will create a backlash. I seem to recall that paid parking at Linda mar was going to pay for ranger to educate and enforce. What happened to that.
Okay, I don’t generally like to do this, but I think it’s time to weigh in on this before you humans go too far. What is it with you guys, anyway? Do I have to spell it out for you, for “MY”-sake? GOD…DOG…GOD…DOG… Get it? And don’t blame it on the Pacifica School District. Please! I mean what do these creatures have to do for you before you will give them a break? They guide you. They service you. They protect and defend you. They love you. And you won’t even give them a crappy beach area to play on! What am I going to have to do for you guys to figure it out - part Calera Creek? Hell, there’s already so much sludge in there from your sewer plant that even you can walk on it…
“ME” knows I’ve made many mistakes. Allowing that aging actor with a bad toupee to play me in the movies was one of them. Should have been Brad Pitt or that good looking black actor (can’t remember his name) on “Without a Trace”. City Councils and the committees/sub-committees they appoint are/were a mistake. No matter how good their intentions are when they start out, they ALWAYS end up with “ME” Complex. Believe me, there is only room for one of us up here in the clouds. The current order of the food chain was a mistake. Should have put dogs above humans. Kinda like “Planet of the Apes” but with dogs. Shoulda-woulda-coulda…
I just don’t get it with you people in Pacifica. I bend the rules and give you more than your fair share of natural beauty (e.g., ocean, hills, flora, fauna) and yet all you can seem to manage is one star on Trip Advisor! Wassup wit dat? And now you want even more rules: “No dogs on the beaches”. Give me a break! You guys can’t even handle the Ten Commandments and how many thousands of years have they been around?
I know I may be expecting too much out of you. I mean, if you had any brains at all you would no doubt be living in Hillsborough or Atherton. But stop taking your anger and frustrations out on your “best friend” before you really piss me off.
All for now.
G
Amen to that.
This is so ridiculous. Talk about scary. Happy Halloween.
Ridiculous? More damage to our meager economy,
less beach for us...ridiculous.. But this is Pacifica and the issue is on the City Council agenda November 8. Stay tuned.
I thought it was the warming ocean waters was what is endangering the snowy plovers.
Please give a break. We are allowing the environmentalist to destroy the environment?
Where is the money coming from? The answer is from our pockets.
Just take a look at Mori Point. They are disturbing the hills. It looks ugly.
There is something behind the whole issue about preserving the environment.
And, those roads cut into Mori Point are not even structured to allow passage of firetrucks when needed in an emergency.
Save the date. November 8. Council meeting. That's the date you could lose your right to use Linda Mar Beach. Watch the anti-business, anti-people idiots once again invent a problem, find a bad bad solution, and damage an entire town. It isn't about the dogs. It's about idealogy and the elitist environmental agenda. They've done it before. Stop them. Linda Mar Merchants, Chamber you better pay attention!
The EPA and other anti-business green plants before people groups are doing this to keep themselves in business. It has nothing to do with protection of animals/habitat and environment.
Pacifican's and their best friends have always enjoyed a longtime tradition of sharing the beach. These anti-animal and people laws will hurt the culture and lifestyles of locals. There's got to be a law against doing that.
If this city council passes these laws, they will go down as the council that killed our culture.
We never had snowy plovers at linda mar, it's all a ruse.
Linda Mar has always been an urban beach, humans, dogs (running free), all kinds of shore birds including Snowy Plowers.
Snowy Plowers come to Linda Mar Beach and other coastal beaches to hang-out (roost) from about early July 1st until April. This is not a beach where Snowy Plovers generally have babies and care for them (nesting).
Snowy Plovers are so "threatened" by humans they also hang-out at and near Taco Bell.
AHa! Now we know how the radicals achieve their oppressive goals.
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/epa-looking-hire-environmental-justice-c
EPA Looking to Hire 'Environmental Justice' Coordinator for $53,500-$84,146 a Year; No Degree Needed
Monday, October 25, 2010
By Susan Jones
I say let Fish and Wildlife figure it out -- it's their species and their rules.
Brilliant. A bird preserve on Linda Mar Beach. Well, maybe it is a good idea because Pacifica has so much money and assets to give away. We can afford to give up the beach. Cram everybody in to half of it. Cozy. Sure, let's have somebody else make the decisions for Linda Mar and Pacifica. Get rid of those pesky visitors and their dollars so we can have the place all to ourselves. Well actually so the birds can have it..in no time at all the rest of us will be banned from the whole thing. Lord save us from these fools and their manufactured problems.
when they came for the dogs i said nothing
when they came for the surfers i said nothing
when they came for the people on the beach i said nothing
when they came for me, the birds laughed
exactly and they are on their way
I'm against the ban, but comparing not being able to walk dogs on a beach with the Holocaust is just plain stupid.
lighten up Francis
havent you ever heard of sgt hulka's law??
Stupid is trusting others to take care of the things that are important to you. Eternal vigilance.
Live and let live. The dogs have the whole town, the birds only have the only space they can use. But that's taken away, day by day, by all of us -- it would be so easy to share the beach and let these birds survive. Let's do it!
"Live and let live. The dogs have the whole town, the birds only have the only space they can use. But that's taken away, day by day, by all of us -- it would be so easy to share the beach and let these birds survive. Let's do it!"
this flies in the face of all the information available about snowy plovers. wishful thinking is the currency of choice in pacifica and has driven the town into the ground. i didnt hear you whining when they built the bike path through the plover nesting ground, did i?
The plovers are livin' just fine on Linda Mar Beach thanks. Pacifica's not doing so good but these fanatics don't care. These people won't be happy until it's a broken down shell and we are almost there folks. Run off the people who use that beach and you run off the people who keep our businesses going. Cut the beach in half like they want and what's left will be so crowded we won't be able to use it and visitors will just pass us by. And that's just the beginning. Don't be fooled it isn't the dogs they want gone--it's you and me. Their motives aren't noble, they are selfish. City Council will decide Monday night Nov.9. Speak up.
Plovers Monday the 8th City Council. Protect YOUR beach.
Maybe we can ban Seagulls, Crows & Ravens, Hawks, Quail etc
Next we can ban the surfers and fisherman.
Amazing none of the so called Pacifica enviromentalists came out and denounced the City Council during the 7.5 million gallon "tar ball" spill.
Can we say hypocrites!
Oh wow they are going to ban us next
Not just yet lil'fishy. It looks like council-or 5 people who looked a lot like them-actually made the right decision for Pacifica. A 5 to 0 vote to accept staff recommendations. No dog or people bans and no giving those godlike plovers half of the beach. Unbelievable but I saw it myself. Details to be worked out and money to be found but wow. Who were those people up there on the dais?
City council "dogs on beach" ruling was no surprise from my view. Linda Mar beach is an existing, established urban beach. The results from last night's city council meeting include: we keep what we already have, except for eventual enforcement of the "dogs on leash" laws, educating the public, posting signs and fences around the Snowy Plover dunes area (above Crespi Drive), and (after-the-fact) follow-up consult with US Fish and Game for any further suggestions or advisement.
Credit for research and measured sanity goes to our Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission (they do important work in preservation of this city ongoing). City council moved this issue forward with a fair result, as Anon 12:41am mentioned, (however following 2 long years, and after the election).
POOCH citizens group and their friends deserves a whole lot of credit for their 4 year, ongoing effort to maintain and improve conditions for our dogs, including the support of "humans, dogs, and snowy plovers co-existence on Linda Mar Beach." If you want to get involved with them, here's their POOCH website.
The "Open Space" committee recommendations and those of their friends were again extreme. Their interest was in limiting or excluding human and dog access to half or all of Linda Mar Beach-- while at the same time advancing a new breeding program for Snowy Plovers on Linda Mar Beach. Yikes!
Friends of the "Open Space" committee who spoke were some of the same people who worked diligently to "Restore Sharp Park", meaning tear-down Sharp Park Golf Course and the seawall berm in that area. The initial mission of the "Open Space" committee had something to do with hillside preservation years ago. Following completion of at mission, similar to other committees, shouldn't this committee be shut down?
One other comment. I was surprised to see Len Adams represent the Beach Coalition in supporting the extreme position of the "Open Space" committee-- on the other hand, here's the connect: Pacifica's Environmental Family. Over the years, Pacifica's Environmental Family has done a lot of good work, then there is this.
Yes, score one for us peeps and POOCH but there's no money to do anything other than signs
so that will probably have to be it. And that is enough when you consider there is nothing there now. Paid parking revenue could help down the road but unclear if the city has a green light on that from the state. The fencing costs money we don't have but why worry. Mother Nature doesn't like ugly fences on the beach. OS is a silly little group of smug people with time on their hands. Council should stop pandering to them. Pay off for a few votes now/future?? But basically a very good, common-sense decision. So far.
this law should not pass. long as the dog is on a leash the owner has control. dogs love the beach and not alot of people are agenst the dogs. its the people who wanna roin our joy who want this law to pass so keep da dogs on da beach!!!.
Amen brudda.
how do dogs bother the snowy plover? Does anyone know what the real issue is here? We have the same problem in Australia. The eggs are laid in open sand space and the chicks just lie on the sand. When there are dogs in the area, the birds dont sit on the eggs but fly about to lead the dogs away from the nests. There are only 50 Hooded Plovers left in the world. I dont know about snowy plovers, but extinction of species matters. Any ideas why the birds need protection? Does anyone know what difference it would make to the system when another species is extinct?
maybe we should ban the surfers, fishermen, beach lovers, dogs, fish, sea gulls and snowy plovers and just let people walk on the wonderful revnue producing Saint Vreeland trail and look at the beach. We can dam Pedro Creek cause the fresh water dilutes the salt water and preserve the sand. Maybe we can ban all the people in Pacifica also and just leave the town to Saint Vreeland
Post a Comment