Summary: Birders are NOT permitted to walk towards the spit from the
Triadelphia pipeline area where the Sabine's Gull is being seen. There
is a "No Trespassing; No Fishing" sign posted on a tree near the shore
that indicates where you should stop.
Details: When you follow Joe's directions and walk out to the
Triadelphia pipeline area accessible via the Greenbridge boat ramp, you
see a large sand spit to your left. There is also a No Trespassing sign
right next to the pipeline indicating you can not walk towards the
spit. The spit can easily be scoped from the pipeline so this is
usually not a problem, but this afternoon a group of non-local birders
walked past the sign to the base of the spit. People should avoid doing
this for two reasons:
1. This is a drinking water reservoir, and they take trespassing
seriously there. The entire Greenbridge boat ramp area is closed off
for a significant portion of the year, and they might well decide to
close the trail to the pipeline permanently if they find people are
ignoring the signs.
2. When the birders went past the No Trespassing sign this afternoon,
this emboldened a group eight non-birders (fisherman and their families)
to also walk past the sign and actually walk onto the spit, flushing
birds. If people do that, the spit will no longer be a hot spot for
rare birds. The fact that people don't go out there is doubtless one of
the reasons we do get rare birds there.
Jim Moore
Rockville, MD
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