Re: [Paddlewise] "Sharing"? No, it's *US*.

R. Walker wrote:
> 
> >   We *DO NOT* have some "right" to be here [George said this; snip]

> Rights are legal constructs.  People have a right to kayak / travel
> on navigable waterways [legal definition].  Thats just the way it
> is.

Good, thoughtful answer, Robert (?).  I don't have an answer to the
dilemma either.  George tends to get pretty worked up sometimes, but
he's basically a good guy.  I think he's a much nicer and more
reasonable person face-to-face thAn he is via this medium.

> I also wonder what kind of waterfowl you have that flee at a range
> of close to 1000 yards.   Waterfowl of all sorts down here on the
> gulf coast routinely ignore boaters and people up till you get within
> 50 yards or so.  This isn't just kayakers, its jet skies, bass boats,
> pontoon boats, etc.  In a kayak I can often get within 10 yards
> before they even bother to react, and even then its a "jee, I guess
> I'll swim a few feet" as opposed to "alert! alert! flee!!!"
> 
> I have to wonder what the heck yall did to make those animals
> react at that distance.  Maybe pink or orange boats with neon
> green paddling jackets???  Try wearing brown and grey.
[snip]

Well, George is terrible at anything quantitative.  In particular, we
were more like 100 - 200 yards away, not 1000.  And, yes, birds down
here do spook much sooner than birds where you are.  Probably a lot of
reasons.  We had our silhouettes partially obscured by tall weeds, but
they probably picked up on that.  Sometimes we can get pretty close
without spooking them.

> Lets put it this way, you can have ecotourism in kayaks, or you
> can have ecotourism in cruise ships and helicopters.  Choose your
> poison.  Cause you aren't going to be able to eliminate ecotourism.
> And you certainly aren't going to be able to ban boats on navigable
> waterways, whether kayak or 400 hp inboard/outboard driven go-fasts.

I agree with you 100%.  Practically any engine-powered craft is much
more intrusive than any paddlecraft.  And the "navigable waterway"
designation is one which probably needs to be looked at.  A good bit of
the water we crossed is navigable by 3 inch draft craft only much of the
day.  It's the channels that powerboats run.  Functionally, they can't
go where we do.  The problem is that the animals are getting squeezed
into ever smaller areas, and now sea kayaks are reducing that area
further.

I would not eliminate ecotourism.  I'd try to manage it so that its
impact is not out of proportion to the number of people involved.  Any
thoughts in that direction?

Let's keep in contact.  I liked your ideas.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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