Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 09:23:27 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Chris Starling Subject: Re: Fw: [de-birds] Open season on Horsheshoe Crabs - a nd birders? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Greetings, One day in late April I was stopped on the side of a Kent County (DE) road scoping a flooded field for shorebirds (many where around). There was a barn on the other side of the field (500 yards or so). I saw a black truck leave the barn and head towards me. It stopped and a young man (20-ish) told me he didn't allow this sort of thing around here and told me to leave. I told no problem (I was packing up anyway.) I took one last scan to finish my Glossy Ibis count and continued to Ted Harvey WMA. It didn't dawn on me that maybe he was a fisherman. I figured he just didn't want me to accidentally see his marijuana plants in the barn -kidding. There has been a lot of discussion about this subject on the Delaware list service. The following is my take on their plight. "This so called "war" thing with the local fisherman is ridicules and obviously a result of ignorance on the part of BOTH parties. We, as birders should be respective (not that we aren't) that these guy's livelihood is threatened by the imposed sanctions and that they are only venting in the only way that they know how. On the other hand the fisherman don't realize that it is not the birders who are responsible for the sanctions. It is the science and the population studies that prove that the over-harvest of horseshoe crabs is causing a population decline in the organisms that feed on their eggs. Perhaps instead of arguing about property boundaries or weather you have a right to be their we should try to speak compassionately and educate them as to what is up with the WHOLE situation. And let them know that you (we) understand their plight. As a MD fisherman (non-commercial, but I have many friends who are) I feel that this approach could be beneficial for both parties. Allowing this animosity to continue in this silent "you go your way and I'll go mine" attitude will never resolve this conflict. It's ironic that we have a blue crab population that is in peril partly because of exploding Mute Swan population in MD. The crabbers want the swan eradicated.......and so do (most of) the birders. -from what I've heard." Peace, Chris Starling North East, MD -----Original Message----- From: Steve Huy [mailto:Gabboon@AOL.COM] Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 2:53 PM To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Fw: [de-birds] Open season on Horsheshoe Crabs - a nd birders? That incident in Shenandoah sounds like an isolated incident with drunken idiots, not a "war" on birding. Keep your eyes open and don't bird near them. Call the police if they are a problem. The other incident is probably not likely to be common. One disgruntled individual that may not have said anything if not for the trespassing. Steve ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================