Moss landing / monterey wierdness

  Please Post and Distribute:  ***COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT***Monterey Bay National
Marine Sanctuary Seeks Volunteers for Kayaker Outreach Program


TeamOCEAN is a kayaker outreach program designed to reduce wildlife disturbance
in the marine sanctuary while providing interpretation on the water.

TeamOCEAN offers:

    Training in natural history of local flora and fauna
    Kayaker safety classes for all volunteers
    Techniques on how to approach other kayak enthusiasts and educate them on
proper viewing techniques for local wildlife  
    Volunteer hours for kayaking in Elkhorn Slough or Monterey

If you are interested in volunteering, please come to an
informational meeting:

    March 8, 2006
    7:00 p.m.
    Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary office
    299 Foam Street, Monterey (corner of Dickman and Foam Streets)

Please RSVP to:
Lisa Emanuelson at (831) 521-9512 or by email to Lisa.Emanuelson@...

More information:
http://montereybay.noaa.gov/educate/to/welcome.html

--     Rachel T. Saunders  Community & Public Relations Coordinator  Monterey
Bay National Marine Sanctuary  299 Foam Street, Monterey, CA  93940  Phone:   
(831) 647-4237  Fax:      (831) 647-4250  E-Mail:    rachel.saunders@...
Website:   http://montereybay.noaa.gov



Their technique for approaching better involve a helmet in my case...   

Yeah.  We were out paddling a couple of years ago and could not get one of their members to leave us alone.  In her opinion we had no right to be there unless she had cleared us.  That was just this one.  The others have seemed reasonable.

ahhh....finally I get to use my flaregun    

I gotta figure out how to put a "KEEP YOUR DISTANCE" sticker visible on my yak  

proper viewing techniques

what this means to me is = a subdued lingcod or cabezon nicely secured on my game clip. 

Wait, if you have fish (i.e. wildlife) on board, don't they (by their own rules) have to maintain their viewing distance from you?

Brian

Unfortunately my family's had to deal with that type of nature activism before, with an anti-hunter.
Long story, short version.  Activist -1 leg, by means of a 14year old and a 20ga. My brother saved the guy with a tourniquet, and took him to the hospital. (no cell phones back then.)
Official ruling, unfortunate circumstance. No charges filed...

Flairegun sounds good to me

Supersoaker could be fun too... that way you can lure 'em in nice and close then let them have it!  I'd like to see them complain about that too...

"boo hoo... Mr. Lotillia got me all wet when I was on my kayak... boo hoo". 

Techniques on how to approach other kayak enthusiasts and educate them on
proper viewing techniques for local wildlife   

Mooch could teach the class I heard he was viewing some wildlife on the jogging path around Lake Chabot on Sunday.

Okay, here's another idea. Maybe we can quietly tie some rockfish to the back of their kayaks and watch them paddle around like crazy trying to avoid the seals that they keep getting too close too.


Maybe, I just need to get out of the house and go fishing.

 Just paddle by like mad, yelling and screaming while towing a semi floating fin and watch them paddle like hell and land their boats on the precious preserve! Then educate them on how it is bad to destroy fragile wetlands. =)

-Brian

Related but not really...my good friend George is an AVID hunter.  He has a spot in the Trinity Alps where he regularly goes in pursuit of trophy bucks.  About 5 years ago he hiked in a few days before the start of the season to scout.  He finds the buck of his dreams.  It is in the same spot every morning.  He beds down near the spot the night before the season starts.  He is a hardcore guy, and at this point has now been away form his basecamp for about two days watching this buck....he can barely sleep he is so excited.  The morning of opening day arrives. As first light he can hear a weird sound way off in the distance.   He has no idea what it is but he is freaking out on it spooking his buck.  He gets in position...the buck is already up and with its head turned towards the sound...within seconds the buck bolts and then stops less than 100 yards from George.   George, who is a serious marksman takes the EZ kill shot and the buck falls straight to the ground...he is thrilled.  He goes to the buck and begins to field dress it. 

The sound approaches rapidly.  It turns out to be a PETA/anti-hunting protest with hikers banging pots and pans to scare off the animals...it worked!  George was never happier than when he was able to thank them for driving the buck within EZ range.  The PETA crowd was furious.  George, being the funny kind of guy he is, asked if any of them would help pack it out    They declined. 

So when did common sense die anyways?

Ever play kayak tag?? Ramming speed, full steam ahead!

Related but not really...my good friend George is an AVID hunter.  He has a spot in the Trinity Alps where he regularly goes in pursuit of trophy bucks.  About 5 years ago he hiked in a few days before the start of the season to scout.  He finds the buck of his dreams.  It is in the same spot every morning.  He beds down near the spot the night before the season starts.  He is a hardcore guy, and at this point has now been away form his basecamp for about two days watching this buck....he can barely sleep he is so excited.  The morning of opening day arrives. As first light he can hear a weird sound way off in the distance.   He has no idea what it is but he is freaking out on it spooking his buck.  He gets in position...the buck is already up and with its head turned towards the sound...within seconds the buck bolts and then stops less than 100 yards from George.   George, who is a serious marksman takes the EZ kill shot and the buck falls straight to the ground...he is thrilled.  He goes to the buck and begins to field dress it. 

The sound approaches rapidly.  It turns out to be a PETA/anti-hunting protest with hikers banging pots and pans to scare off the animals...it worked!  George was never happier than when he was able to thank them for driving the buck within EZ range.  The PETA crowd was furious.  George, being the funny kind of guy he is, asked if any of them would help pack it out    They declined. 

So when did common sense die anyways?

I don't know about George, but I might have experience "temporary insanity" after putting in all that effort only to lose the buck of a lifetime to a bunch of PETA freaks.  They're lucky he got his buck.

Good story.  My hunting buddies will get a kick put it.

Several years I was hunting for pheasant  at Mendota wild life reserve. I moving through the bush when all of a sudden there's people coming at me yelling hi and saying things like maybe it's not a good day to hunt. Wasn't hard to figure out who they were. I'm told them that kind of behavior could get them shot.  One young lady ask me if I was threatening them. They were beyond reasoning so I left. I stoped at the ranger station and let them know Peta was around. Next thing you know a truck load of rangers were heading in the direction of the Peta group.
Come to find out what those folks were doing is illegal. If you wanted to press charges you could,
 if you make them stick. Peta would have to pay for everything from your gas to ammunition , as well as go to jail. I never saw any Peta folk there again.
I I've been wondering how long it would take for them to get around to us. If we see them on the water we should make a good impression. And I will--right after I yell there's a rattler in the water and start thrashing the water wildly with my paddle. I will then pursue my imagenary snake towards them. As he climbs up on their kayaks I will then try to club him and defend my new friends, as he is invisible and hard to find ,I will have to hit him a lot to make sure I get him. I will have hopefully by then made a good and lasting impression.

PETA is lucky George didn't pull a Cheney.

one day at bandcamp...

one day i was at carmel river beach heading into the water and a woman shouted "hold on, hold on..." then piped out of her pie hole "what do you think you are doing with those (gesturing to my spearguns)" i said i am gonna get me some fishes! she said its a "preserve" and that it was not allowed. I clarified and told her if she had her rule and regs straight she would realize this is a preserve for invertebrates and crustaceans so unless i go yankin on a octopus, crab or a snail i should be ok.. she turned red. i asked if she ate seafood and she said yes piping in with "i get mine at Safeway". I shamed her for that telling her "there you are supporting commercial fishing and all its destructiveness". she asked to see my fishing license and i showed her and she said "good luck". I headed in grumbling cuss words to myself.

My wife was askin me "what took so long...." as i was losing WAF points talking to the rule undercover DFG ruleskeeper.

i went diving and got myself a nice 32 inch lingcod that morning and i owe the woman a big fat thanks! without her i would have entered in the middle of the beach and swam left to the rocks. instead i entered at the south part and saw a nice ling sitting in 25 feet of water.

God works in mysterious ways and its true that every person you meet in your lifetime will affect you in ways that you never imagined.

Thanks be to God!

Amen!