What is the point of a National Park anyway?
Good question. I actually worked pretty closely for a few years on a project in the Canaveral National Seashore. The NPS left me with the strong impression that their goals were multi-fold, but primarily it was to preserve areas under their supervision for generations to enjoy. Yes, enjoy. Think Yellowstone, etc. Unless things have changed, I still believe they encourage visitation/participation within National Parks, not exclusion.
I could be wrong, but I would feel better if I saw first hand a document from the NPS stating otherwise, before I drew that conclusion.
Is there a link to the original NPS document that demonstrates a strong desire/intent to limit mooring to only ten in the area of concern, no exceptions?
I understand people's tendency to be nervous about possibly losing access. I fall into that category often myself.
However, I looked through all I the information I could find that was provided by the NPS regarding BiscayneNP. I saw on multiple occasions statements that referred to public use and enjoyment as a goal.
Quote:
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The purpose of this plan is to increase the protection of marine natural and cultural resources while enhancing visitor enjoyment of these resources, as well as to protect human health and safety through the appropriate use of mooring buoys, aids to navigation, and informational signs. Vessel groundings can be dangerous. Vessel groundings, improper anchoring, and visitor crowding in or near sensitive habitats can cause considerable damage to seagrass beds and coral reefs. It can take years and even decades for seagrasses and corals to recover from grounding and anchoring damage, and in some areas, they may never grow back; instead forming sandy areas, such as by the Sand Key sandbar. The park is reviewing its current navigational and mooring system to determine whether moorings and navigational markers should be removed, relocated, or increased in number to protect marine resources and provide for the enjoyment of park resources such as reefs and shipwrecks. The park is proposing appropriate criteria and standards for establishing future mooring sites, as well as defining desired conditions for mooring sites and navigation. The park is also proposing to formalize and expand the Maritime Heritage Trail in order to facilitate access to historic shipwrecks and other submerged archeological sites, by installing mooring buoys and providing diver cards and brochures for each of these sites.
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I also got the impression that they wish to preserve the area for future generations (probably the NPS primary mission) by not allowing boats to beach themselves and limiting anchor setting/pulling in sea grass beds within NP. Hopefully that can be accomplished without diminishing use too much.
It's not my area (I don't ride there), and maybe I should keep my mouth shut. But instead of taking such a hostile/negative tack right off the bat, maybe try a more moderate approach stating concerns and offer to lend advice to help reach a resolution? In the end, you are dealing with people (the NPS is composed of them). Most people I have found respond more positively to an idea when not initially placed in a confrontational setting.
If this has already been done, and the NPS is showing evidence of wanting to exclude citizens at any cost, I apologize for my post.
Hopefully concerns can be addressed and solved. Good luck.
Scott Fears