Chincoteague Reports

May 19, 2008 Briefing by NPS & FWS Regarding Assateague Island

Officials from the Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service convened a public information meeting at the Chincoteague Community Center on May 19, 2007 at 7:00 pm to present their plans for the Island and receive public comment. 

Approximately forty citizens attended the meeting.

Mayor Jack Tarr welcomed the public and thanked Lou Hines, Director of Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) and Scott Bentley, Superintendent of the Assateague National Seashore (ANS) and their staff members for preparing and presenting the public briefing.

Highlights of the presentation follow.

Parking Lot Status
Despite the nor’easter of last week, the parking lots will be repaired and open to the public by Memorial Day weekend.  The full capacity of 961 parking spaces will be available.  In order to complete repairs on the parking lots, crews have been diverted from other tasks.  Not all the cabanas and showers will be in place by Memorial Day.  All porta-jon facilities will be in place.

Life Guard Program
Two additional life guards will be on duty this summer.  A larger area will be covered by life guards.  A roving patrol up to the bike trail will be maintained with a life guard mounted on an ATV.  Last season life guards on Assateague performed twelve major rescues.  There were no fatalities.  Entrance fees to Assateague National Seashore fund $81,582 in the life guard program expenses

Protection Officer
One additional, seasonal protection ranger will be on staff this summer.  Entrance fees to Assateague National Seashore fund $24,895 of the cost.  This ranger will help with traffic control and law enforcement.

Boating Regulations
The presenters noted that if a conflict exists between regulations of the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service, the regulations of Fish and Wildlife regulations always prevail.  The speakers reviewed two detail maps that delineate areas where various types of boating are allowed.  Some boundaries will change as protect birds develop nests.  Boaters should request up to date information on boating regulations at the visitors center.

U.S. Coast Guard Station
Director Lou Hinds updated the status of the facility.

• All windows have been fixed
• Asbestos abatement is not finished, but little remains to be done
• Lead paint abatement has been finished
• The building was repainted two years ago, but will need to be repainted soon
• Load-bearing walls have been stabilized

The project needs about an additional $1million to complete work on the dock.  When that work is done the building will open to the public.  This is probably about two years into the future.

Summer Programs
This summer Fish and Wildlife Service personnel will give guided kayak tours of Tom’s Cove.  The fee is $10 per person.  Tours will focus on the cultural history and ecology of the area.

The Children in the Wood program returns during the last week of June. Sixteen children will spend a week discovering nature on Assateague.

Evening lecture programs at Bateman Center will return this summer.

Maryland Pony Herd
Superintendent Scott Bentley advised that an environmental assessment of the Maryland pony herd will be released in June.  The findings and recommendations of this study DO NOT APPLY TO THE VIRGINIA PONY HERD.  The findings will recommend a herd size of between 80 to 100 animals and set out a two to six year term to reach the goal.  Several options of how to reach the goal will be proposed.

Maintenance
Resealing and striping of the road to the beach will be done soon.  The National Park Service will reseal the bike trail too. Upgrades to the Tom’s Cove visitors center will be done.  New kayaks and snorkeling equipment will be available for the bay ecology and history program.

Parking lot maintenance will receive $230,000 from entrance fees to Assateague National Seashore.

2008 Fee Schedule
Random checks for possession of the proper pass will begin this summer.

Daily pass:  $5 per vehicle - includes beach parking
Weekly pass:  $15 per vehicle – good for seven days and includes beach parking
Duck Stamp: $15 – valid at all National Wildlife Refuges, does not include beach parking
Duck Stamp with parking:  $30
Interagency Pass:  $80 – valid at all federal recreation fee sites, good for one year
Senior Pass:  $10 (lifetime pass)
Commercial Buses 20 or fewer occupants:  $40 per day
Commercial Buses 21 or more occupants:  $100 per day
Over sand vehicle pass:  $70

When the fee booth at the entrance to Assateague is not staff, visitors are to make payment at the Bateman Center.

Planning
NPS and FWS will conduct joint meetings as they develop new comprehensive management plans for their responsibilities on Assateague.

Piping Plover Management
The goal in managing the piping plover population is to reach 1.5 fledged nestlings per pair of nesting bird and sustain that rate over five consecutive years.

Year        # Nesting Pairs        Average # Fledged Nestlings

2007            37                            1.95
2006            50                            2.29
2005            53                            1.64
2004            44                            0.86
2003            39                            1.98

Assateague Lighthouse
Approximately $1 to $1.5 million is required to complete restoration of the Lighthouse.

The order of work is:

• Replace iron decking at the top of the Light
• Re-glaze the windows
• Replace the floor in the lantern room
• Re-point the mortar on the exterior
• Paint the lighthouse

Within the next few weeks a protective wood structure will be attached to the entrance of the lighthouse to protect visitors from any material falling from the top of the Light.  The Light is safe inside.  However, the exterior iron work structure is not secure and could fall.

Fish and Wildlife has committed $200,000 to lighthouse restoration.  The Assateague Natural History Association will soon begin a capital campaign to help raise money for the project.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Notes by Bill Troxler

N.B.  These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting.  The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings.  These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

Fish and Wildlife Service Issues Economic Benefit Report on Refuges

In November 2007 the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued a report titled Banking on Nature: The Economic Benefits to Local Communities of National Wildlife Refuge Visitation. The report covers 2006 economic activity of wildlife refuges.

The USFWS press release announcing the report makes this point about the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR):

“Of the report’s 80 national wildlife refuges, The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia reported the most recreational visits (about 7.5 million) as well as the most jobs at 3,766, and generated the most economic return, at $315.4 million.  It also showed the greatest economic benefit, with $155.42 returned for every $1 budgeted expenditures.”

The press release compares CNWR with other national wildlife refuges.

Don Edwards San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge had more than 1.5 million visits in 2006 and returned $43.55 for every dollar of $1 budgeted expenditures.

Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge in northeast Delaware had more than 271,000 visitors in 2006 and returned $23.38 for every dollar of $1 budgeted expenditures and was responsible for 198 private sector jobs.

Muscatatuck in south central Indiana returned $21.56 for every dollar of $1 budgeted expenditures and was responsible for 48 private sector jobs

The full text of the press release may be down loaded here:
Download banking_on_nature_press_release.pdf

The full text of the report may be downloaded here:
Download banking_on_nature_2006_full_report.pdf

Note that the report is 382 pages long and is a 1.2M file in PDF format.

The full text of the report and other information about the national wildlife refuges is available at:
 National Wildlife Refuges

end - CR

May 2007 Briefing by NPS & FWS Regarding Assateague Island

Officials from the Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service convened a public information meeting at the Chincoteague Community Center on May 14, 2007 at 7 pm to present their plans for the Island and receive public comment. 

Approximately sixty citizens attended the meeting.

Mayor Jack Tarr welcomed the public and thanked Lou Hines, Director of Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) and Scott Bentley, Superintendent of the Assateague National Seashore (ANS) and their staff members for preparing and presenting the public briefing.

Highlights of the presentation follow.

Parking
•    961 parking spaces spread out through four parking areas will be ready for the public by Memorial Day weekend.  This is the same number of spaces that were available last summer.
•    Some temporary closings of portions of lots will be required after Memorial Day weekend to complete restoration work on the lots.
•    Storm damage to the parking lots during the past year cost $587,000 to repair.  This figure does not include any permanent salaries or equipment expenses from the budgets of The Park Service or Fish and Wildlife Service. Most of the expense paid for seasonal labor costs to do the repair work.
•    The average annual cost for beach restoration is approximately $165,000.
•    Surveys show that 87% of visitors to the refuge are non-local and stay an average of 4.6 days.  Both the Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledge how vital access to, parking at and programs on Assateague are to the economy of Chincoteague. 

Budget Reductions and Consequences
The current (FY 07) budget has placed great stress on the ability of the Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service to provide services to the public at historic levels.  During the FY 07 four full time positions have been eliminated.  This year the cost of providing lifeguards on the beach will be paid for out of funds collected as use fees on the Maryland portion of Assateague.

The total annual fee revenue required to fund beach operations (in FY 07 dollars) is $279,800.  Of these funds, $181,000 are earmarked for parking lot restoration following storms.  The balance supports life guard operations and routine parking lot maintenance.

A variety of cost-cutting measures are in place or under consideration including:
•    Elimination of the summer and winter newsletter
•    Possibility of closing the visitors’ center for some portion of the year after Labor Day and reopening before Memorial Day. (ed - Note this is a proposal.  Whether or not it is acted upon, and if acted upon the duration of closure, will not be known until the federal budget is in place.  That will be late summer or early fall)

Fee Proposal
Strong public opposition caused the Park Service to withdraw an earlier proposal to raise fees and institute collection system for those fees that would have been separate from the existing fee booths at the entrance to the Refuge.  The new proposal raises fees, but utilizes the existing collection systems.

Current fees are listed at this website:  FWS Current Fees FY 07

The proposed fees for Fiscal Year 2008 are:

            Daily    (NEW FEE)                    $5 per vehicle
            Weekly                                       $15 per vehicle
            Annual                                        $30 per vehicle
            Duck Stamp                                $30
            Golden Eagle                               $90
            Commercial Bus < 21                   $40 per day
            Commercial Bus > 20                   $100 per day
            Senior                                          $15
            Access Pass (disabled citizens)    $5
            Oversand Vehicle Permit             $100
            Archery & Firearm Application     no charge (was $5)
            Archery & Firearm permit            no charge (was $20)

Opportunities for public comment on the proposed fees will be announced soon.

Bike Trails
•    Swan Cove Trail that links the wildlife loop to the beach north of the northernmost parking lot will be open this summer.
•    The Swan Cove Trail will open as soon as public toilets and the solar powered 911 phone is installed at the beach end of the trail.
•    The expectation is that the Trail will be open for Memorial Day weekend.

Coast Guard Life Saving Station
•    Much of the renovation has been completed.
•    The dock at the Coast Guard Station is an historic structure.  Funding for its restoration has yet to be found.  The Station cannot be opened for use until the dock is restored.
•    Once opened, the Coast Guard Life Saving Station will be used exclusively for educational purposes.

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
•    Grasses in Chincoteague Bay have declined sharply since 2003 after making a steady comeback  since the mid-90’s
•    The ecological system of Chincoteague Bay is under stress from excessive nitrogen and phosphorus loads.  These promote algae blooms. Those blooms reduce the light that reaches submerged aquatic vegetation (SAVs) and their populations decline.

Piping Plover Population
The piping plover remains on the endangered species list.  To be removed from this list a species must have a five-year history that shows:
•    2,000 or more breeding pairs
•    1.5 chicks fledge per nesting pair
•    The population has genetic diversity (that is, it has not become inbred)
•    Long-term outlook remains good for survival of the species.

The most recent data on the piping plover dates to 2003 and shows that, since 1987, great progress has been made in aiding the comeback of the species.

        National Data                                                    1987            2003
                Number of breeding pairs                            790            1676
                Productivity (fledged chicks/ breeding pair) 1.04            1.29

        Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
                Number of breeding pairs                               46             147
                Productivity (fledged chicks/ breeding pair)    0.20          2.04

Programs
Information about programs is available at the Bateman Center and on line at:
Refuge Programs

Some highlights of this summer include:

    Memorial Day Weekend – Celebration of the 100th birthday of Rachel Carlson (author of Silent Spring and credited with launching the modern environmentalist movement).   

    June – Children in the Woods.  A week long summer experience for school age children

    August 18 – Sense of Wilderness.  A one woman show based upon Rachel Carlson’s life.

The usual summer programs of nature walks and interpretive programs will continue.

Questions From Citizens
•    Several surf fishermen requested that a portion of the beach be reserved for fishing so that bathers do not get entangled in the fishing lines and tackle.

Officials said that this would not be possible.  They reminded fishermen that the beach above the northernmost parking lot was open for fishing for a distance of two miles and that few, if any, bathers go there.  Officials also reminded fisherman of their full access to the beach.  Fishermen can get a free permit to access the beach twenty-four hours a day for every day of the year. 

•    Several citizens complained about closure of the hook and the management protection afforded the piping plover.

Officials responded that they acted under federal mandates and legislation that require protection of the birds.  The mission of the Fish and Wildlife Service requires that the needs of wildlife be placed ahead of those of visitors.

•    A number of citizens voiced concern about the possible closure of the visitors’ center.
Officials responded that the decision would not be made until late summer or early fall when the federal budget was known. 

•    Questions were raised about why the dunes were not regularly replaced
Officials responded that the expense was too great and that the ocean and shoreline dynamics were not sufficiently understood to do the job effectively.  What is known is that the southern portion of Assateague is an extremely dynamic shore region. 

The meeting adjourned at 9:34 p.m.

Notes by Bill Troxler

N.B.  These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting.  The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings.  These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.