I used to maintain trails for the Green Mountain Club, the precursor to the AMC. Trail erosion in winter or especially spring can result from surprisingly little foot traffic. I totally understand that aspect of the restrictions. Add horses and you have a huge quagmire that is impossible to use as a trail. The public then demands that the trails be repaired, or that one group or another be restricted (horse people vs. the world sometimes unfairly) so a compromise has to be reached in order to please every competing interest. Add budget cuts to the mix and, well, you know the rest if the story.
I worked at Equus magazine some years ago, and we actually had written a few articles on birds, horses, and competing interests.
So all I am saying is you can't please all of the people all of the time. That includes birders.
Frank Boyle
Rohrersville, MD
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 2, 2013, at 11:05 AM, Rick Borchelt <rborchelt...> wrote:
> The only thing that does not incur a permit fee for recreational use of WSSC properity is individual or small-group picnicking (or birding if you have a sandwich in your hand) in the designated picnic area. Large groups require a picnic permit. Hiking, horseback riding, fishing, boating, birding all require permits. So yes, it's an entrance fee that is waived for the picnic area.
>
> On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 10:34 AM, Jim Moore <epiphenomenon9...> wrote:
>> I think what many people find annoying or offensive about the fee is that it is characterized as a "birdwatching fee" rather than an entrance fee. Lots of parks charge entrance fees, but I'm aware of few if any that charge fees simply for watching birds. Birdwatching is a low-impact activity, and does not require the WSSC to incur any expenditures any more than simply entering the property � people who come on the property just to look at the water have the same impact as birders regardless of whether they also look at birds. So the very idea that there should be a fee for birdwatching seems incongruous, at least to me. I think most of us feel that no one owns wild birds, and the birds as well as watching them should be free activities.
>>
>> That said, the regulations indicate that fees are also required for picnicking and hiking. So overall this is pretty close to being an entrance fee; I guess the only thing you don't have to pay a fee for is if you come on the property just to look around � provided you carefully avoid looking at any creatures in the class Aves!
>>
>> Good (free) birding!
>> Jim Moore
>> Rockville, Maryland
>>
>> On 3/2/2013 10:15 AM, Leslie Starr wrote:
>>>
>>> On Mar 2, 2013, at 10:06 AM, Frank Boyle wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> In short: what's the big deal? Pay the fee and have fun birding.
>>>
>>>
>>> I haven't read all the details, so apologies if I am missing something. For me, the issue is not so much paying a fee but whether obtaining access permission will be too cumbersome for spontaneous visits.
>>>
>>> thanks, Leslie Starr
>>> Baltimore
>>>
>>>
>>>
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> Rick Borchelt
> College Park, MD
> preferred personal email: rborchelt |AT| gmail |DOT| com
>
> http://leplog.wordpress.com
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