Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
teamracephotos
Registered Users Posts: 492 Major grins
Has anyone seen this before?
http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/MerrittIslandNWR-PublicNotice.html
Central Florida nature watchers / photographers I recently requested a special permit to stay in the refuge after dark. When doing so the Park Ranger informed me about the possibility of quite a large chunk of the refuge been closed to the public. "Site 2 has the potential to close all areas south of Haulover Canal to the public.” This would be horrible. MM
http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/MerrittIslandNWR-PublicNotice.html
Central Florida nature watchers / photographers I recently requested a special permit to stay in the refuge after dark. When doing so the Park Ranger informed me about the possibility of quite a large chunk of the refuge been closed to the public. "Site 2 has the potential to close all areas south of Haulover Canal to the public.” This would be horrible. MM
“I love not man the less, but Nature more.”
— Lord Byron
— Lord Byron
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Comments
This is a potential disaster. MINWR brings in close to a million visitors a year to the area. I know that our area needs to keep the space launch programs to advert an area wide financial catastrophe but there has to be another location. The loss of income to the area from the closing of MINWR would be significant.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
www.capture-the-pixel.com
“PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE ‘JAZZ’ FOR THE EYES…”
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If you follow the link I posted, at the bottom of that page is a email address where you can express your opinion. MM
— Lord Byron
They are looking at two potential sites#1 and #2. If site #2 is selected that could mean the closure of MINWR to the public. They are recommending that site A (#1) be chosen.
Whatever site is chosen will impact on and/or destroy wetlands. They will affect primary and secondary scrub jay habitats.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
“PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE ‘JAZZ’ FOR THE EYES…”
http://jwear.smugmug.com/
A little off topic if you don't mind. We booked yesterday to visit my wifes girlfriend in Cocoa Beach next week for 5 days. She can visit and I plan to go off shooting most mornings and early evenings and was wondering if this is a good time for shooting birds in the Merritt Island Refuge?
Hey Bruce,
The MINWR is usually good for a look but this has been the slowest year there for wildlife in the 4+ years I've been down here. A much better location for wildlife shooting is the Viera Wetlands.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thanks Harry,that was at the top of my list because I have seen some of the fantastic images you have produced from there.
If you want you can PM me with the date(s) and time(s) you're going to be at the wetlands and I may be able to stop by and guide you to some of the better shooting spots there.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
It made the NEWS Today
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-bk-wildlife022508,0,2129325.story
Harry
One of the main reasons I go to the MIWFR is I can bring my dog. Can I bring him to Viera Wet Lands? MM
— Lord Byron
I just got back from the meeting and it was quite interesting. Out of the 200 attendees 199 opposed NASA's plans. The one dude who semi-supported it was the Republican candidate for the local state assemblyman position. You could tell he was a Republican because he had a crew cut and also walked like he had a stick up his butt. He told us how great NASA was and that we should trust them. He also said that they didn't hold meetings like this in China.
The birders, photographers, fishermen, nudists, artists, hunters, NASA workers, volunteers from MINWR, and just plan folks all spoke out against site 2 in particular.
I asked the NASA reps and the rep from the company a series of questions.
I said that their study indicated that 200 jobs would be created. I then asked how many would be new hires and how many would be existing workers from the company's pay roll. Answer: we don't know. I asked how many jobs would be lost if MINWR was closed. Answer: we don't know. I asked, assuming site 1 was selected how many launches a year did they anticipate from that site? Their answer: we don't know. I asked if MINWR would be closed 3 days before a launch as it is now? Their answer: we don't know. I then asked that if enough launches were scheduled during a year and if they closed MINWR for 3 days before those launches then might not choosing site 1 effectively close MINWR to the public as choosing site 2 would? Their answer: we don't know
You could tell that their feasibility plan had considered all possibilities. :lol4
I had the sinking feeling by the end of the meeting that site 2 was a straw man. It was thrown in the mix so that everyone would be relieved when site 1 got selected. If they just proposed site 1 by itself it would have been opposed as much as site 2 is being opposed now. By making it the lesser of two evils they can slide by w/o the strenuous opposition they would have received otherwise.
Dogs are allowed in the Viera Wetlands.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Right now we need e-mails to NASA. The final Environmental Report will be released in July for public comment when round 2 will start.
The link I posted in my OP is not working right now. However the KSC link with the info is here. You can find newspaper articles here and here.
I was going to do a draft letter but if they receive 100 identical e-mails they will have no impact. I would suggest hitting some or all of the following points in any e-mail
*NASA has failed to study if they could use any of their existing unused facilities for the commercial launches. They haven't even considered using areas on the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
*The proposed new launch facilities may create a few hundred jobs but the jobs lost due to the closing of MINWR and other areas to the public would cause the loss of even more jobs.
*The environmental damage caused at either site would be a disaster. Once we lose these treasures we will never get them back.
*Over a million people make use of MINWR and the other areas yearly to view nature, bird, take pictures, boat, fish, and hunt. The loss of these facilities would cause irreparable harm to the Space Coast.
* Most important of all your own experiences. If you have visited MINWR tell them how what it meant to you. How much money did you spend during your visit, etc. Remind them that they "work" for us. It will be great if they build a commercial launch where millionaires can pay for a joy ride into space but there are more of us and we are important too.
The NASA e-mail is KSC-CVLC@nasa.gov The dude who should get it is:
Mario Busacca, Environmental Program Office
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Harry, Thanks for going to the meeting. I wish I could have taken off work to go... but times are tight. Maybe I will run into out a the wet lands some time. MM
— Lord Byron