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

There's yet another angle to ecotourism: political.. Increasing ecotourism
produces increased eco-awareness, which produces a growing political
constituency that will favor preservation over increased economic production.
As Dave mentions, regulation becomes more appropriate as ecotourism increases,
but it's not all bad.

Also, different species have different needs in terms of nesting and hunting
habitats. The evolution of the Great Blue Heron, var. highwaytwentysixus has
been a case in point. This variety nests in extremely inaccessible creek
canyons bordering a developed, flat, valley, but feeds almost exclusively on
frogs in the median swale of Highway 26, an extremely heavily travelled freeway
in the heart of "Silicon Forest". Thus these birds have two territories: one
for nesting, in which the main competition is from other herons and the bald
eagles (who hunt on Sauvies Island), and another for feeding, in the center of
the freeway, where they have learned to not tangle with vehicles (two
fatalities in five years in a population of the 18 pairs that I know as
individuals).

This is one of the good questions, with no clear answers. My own behaviour is
to be aware of what's going on and not intrude or approach intentionally. I see
plenty up-close and personal without making any intentional moves.

Roger

Dave Kruger wrote:

> Philip Wylie wrote:
>
> > For one thing Dave, I personally advocate seasons appropriate for
> > Eco Tourism, the same as there are seasons for hunting.
> > Spring time, when water foul are nesting (laying eggs, hatching
> > and nurturing) would be a time for wisdom not to intrude upon
> > their domain.
>
> Good suggestion.  In my area, there are hundreds of Canada geese which
> nest in/on the islands mentioned in my original posting.  They are in no
> way endangered (at least that seems to be true for the subspecies
> nesting here), and it appears that the USFWS has adopted a "hands-off"
> attitude re:  travel/day visits to Refuge lands during nesting season.
> (Some areas are posted off limits at all times of the year, but this is
> typically not enforced.)  Worth noting is that the restrictions apply to
> LAND, not water, which is all "navigable" here.
>
> Someone (stuck in a hotel on the Gulf, if I recall correctly) detailed
> the behavior of great blue herons, which "flush" a hundred yards or so
> along a shore as a paddler parallels it, repeating the behavior until
> the end of the heron's "territory."  This is the sort of conflict --
> low-level and really pretty darn benign in the grand scheme -- which
> could have subtle (to us, but maybe not the heron!) negative effects on
> wildlife, particularly if there is a parade of gentle paddling
> intruders, and not just one or two.
>
> That's the sort of thing a Water Trail can make much worse.  What do
> others see as the trade-offs?
>
> I'm ambivalent about Water Trails.  Mostly, I feel they tend to bring in
> more folks, albeit nice folks, and conscientious ones who don't throw
> beer cans about.  But, they remain, *more folks.*  On the other hand,
> without the support of the general public (particularly duck hunters),
> there would not be any USFWS National Wildlife Refuges.  And, the
> "exposure" to the character and value of protected areas engendered by
> use of Water Trails probably helps build political pressure to keep what
> wildlife refuges we have.  So, I do not see the promulgation of Water
> Trails as a black-and-white issue.
>
> It's for darn sure my own behavior is not consistent on this.  I'm
> perfectly happy to travel to other places and snap up (greedily!)
> literature detailing access to cool places to paddle, and lots of those
> places have wildlife-harassment problems similar to the ones here.
>
> I'd like to hear more from folks who have wrestled with this.  Thanks to
> all (my flame shield is eroding a little, but still intact).
>
> --
> Dave Kruger
> Astoria, OR
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