Sorry but I know the other thread is old and tired. Read it all please.

It looks like the back side of Huguenot Park will reopen to allow driving this coming weekend. The rope line on the front will remain in place for about three more weeks. There will be a new line of temporary ropes and posts 2200 ft north of that line. The area in between will still allow pedestrian traffic from both sides. The city is pressing to do this because they want to open up the area for jet skis so they don't have to launch in the surf around swimmers. Both rope lines will come down at the end of the month. then we will be able to drive to the point again. Please be aware that we will have more people inside the roped area and more jet skis on the water. STILL DO NOT KITE between the rope line on the atlantic side and the zone 12 lifeguard. Thanks to all who have helped spread the word about the restricted areas of the park and to the kiters who were careful to avoid them.
There may be a new problem. For many years the navy base dumped trash over the jetty into the area where surfers like to ride. 5 people have been injured badly enough to go the hospital. There are all kinds of sharp debris exposed by the changing beach. Some estimates of the area affected say it could be as big as an aircraft carrier! Right now they are deciding who will and when it will be cleaned up. It may take a year to remove all the trash. so far its only rusty metal and spent 30mm shell casings. The area is posted and it would be a good thing to avoid.

Thanks for the update Paul......glad it's just a little rusty metal and shell casings

no doubt there might be some trash dumped but don't blame it on MY navy! My experience goes back 30 years and at that time WE were not allowed to dump within 30 miles of any coast line.

so...the city has dumped thousands of dollars into turnig a paradise into an eyesore---pvc poles and yellow polly rope cannot be eco friendly anywhere. I expect to see a mobile home there any day! the city spent millions in building concessions for the 3 birders who come out and take pictures. but in there recent beautification project, their drastic price hikes, and their gestapo management plan, they have turned off the thousands who once spent their weekends there. just a matter of time before the red ink will cause the city to vacate the sand bar. WE have found other places just as nice as the pond... if the bird'ers succeed in closing the park, then that huge sandbar will be wide open to all to freely use as it once was..as it is with all other sandbars in the area...as long as there is access... (my opinion only)
Thanks Paul for keeping is informed. I appreciate the work you do for all of us.

So lets get this straight......The navy did dump trash on the area we now use as HP. They have photos of it and even say it might be a dumping ground as long as an aircraft carrier. 30 mm shell casings and things with identifying emblems and insignia have been found there. Even navy issue flat ware from old ships has been dug up. or uncovered. much of the stuff dates back to WWII. Several people have told me they have seen it for years off and on. I saw some of the debris myself. The military has always been one of the biggest polluters. In a way its in the nature of what they do. The problem is that no one wants to take responsibility for the clean up which could take a year or more and cost a bunch.

Lets also be clear that the city does not want or ever did want any changes in the way HP was operated. The changes come from the Acquired Recreational lands Committee in Tallahassee. The bird lobby along with the FWC pushed for the restrictions we now see at the park. The price for the management plan was 6 million dollars paid to a company called England, Timms and Miller. It was authored by environmentalists who had only one agenda. If the birders are successful in their bid for control of the park you wont be able to go there anymore. there will not be any access. Make no mistake the FWC will patrol the park and the gates will be closed. You will only be able to see it as you pass by on the bridge. I do believe that the birds need protection in some way and to some degree. We can all thank the idiots that deliberately drove through a flock of flightless baby birds several years ago for the pointed attention of ARC and the bird lobby. The city is in a no win situation and all we can do is salvage as much as we can.
Concerning the price hike. The .50 price of admission was insane. Three bucks a car is not unreasonable and I am told for the first time in some years the city has operated the park in the black.
So tell me the places that are just as nice as the pond. Can you kite safely there on any wind direction? Any tide level? does it offer flat water riding right next to waves? Can you drive right up to where you will kite. are the beaches just as wide? does it have waist deep water and no current? Is the bottom as clean? Around here where else can someone learn the sport in such a safe place? The pond itself sucks. Rancid water, oysters and slippery mud that will stain a kite are just a few of the attractive features of the pond. Its not even good on most wind directions. The last time I even spent ten minutes kiting there was two years ago. The rest of the park is fantastic though. Its almost like a kiter designed it that way. Its good for beginners and advanced riders. It would be a terrible loss to not be able to go there anymore.
I have an idea...... You , me and a whole bunch of other people are fed up with the push, push, push of the Adubon People and the FWC. The birds have received enough
protection in HP. E-mail your city councilman E-mail the Adubon Society e-mail the FWC and let them know what you think.

Yesterday I went to the Florida Open Beaches meeting. This group is a non profit organization set up to protect access to beaches across the state. They are calling for the support of all people who are interested keeping the use of our beaches open to the public. They will begin having regular meetings and want to invite anyone interested to attend. They have started a facebook page and will be posting the schedule of events there. They have some but may need additional help with a web page and video production. Their hope is to have a well organized, well educated and well versed following who will stand up for the access to our beaches. If you are interested you can contact Bob Taylor at njsurfer@bellsouth.net Whatever you have to offer in this fight will be appreciated. Just joining the facebook page and spreading the word would be great. Once all the paperwork is in place they will begin taking donations. The first funds will be used for education with flyers, shirts, video and web production.

It became clear at the meeting that there was (is) a very small group of people who have an agenda to remove the human presence as much as possible from our beaches. One of the hot topics is driving on the beach. Also at the meeting a brief answer from The City Of Jacksonville's own legal department was discussed. It concerned the use of the Migratory Bird Act and the Endangered Species Act as a means of removing and restricting the human populations from Huguenot Park. Much of what has happened violates state and federal law and your rights to access. The brief gets down to the nitty gritty of responsibility and liability for the city and the people of Jacksonville.

Also of interest...I was talking to one of the bird people at the park today. That person said they were involved in the project to close the beaches in St Augustine as well. Its the same guys. They are organized and funded. They are the only ones who bother to go to the state capitol to attend meetings of ARC. Without opposition they will dictate greater and greater loss of access.

In our state and I would guess others, there are very confusing laws and governing bodies with many different jurisdictions that over lap. There are people who use that confusion and lack of understanding to convince the local governments that they have no choice but to comply with their wishes. Better education in our community about the rights and laws will force the truth to the surface.

Don't read this the wrong way. Florida Open Beaches is not an anti environmentalist group. They value highly the need for protection of our beaches. They understand the need for occasional restrictions to protect our wildlife resources. Founding members are highly sensitive to environmental preservation. There is even agreement that some measures forced upon the city, while not legal, were necessary to protect flightless baby birds at HP. But they also understand that there is an extremist movement set out to steal your access from you. Florida Open Beaches seeks an educated middle ground that will ensure rights of access and the protection of the environment at the same time. It is possible.

Our Coastline is diverse. Each area has its own set of circumstances which require adaptive and flexible management procedures. One area may need special seasonal restrictions and another only yards away may not. There is no one blanket solution. There should also be no one group that decides without due process or review what is best for the rest. Huguenot Park and the beach areas around Matansas are current battle grounds but everyone in the state should take notice. The battle will come to you eventually or it may already be happening where you live. If you sit back and allow the loss of access without question you may never get it back.

Ok....the manager will be opening the north point this coming week. You will be able to drive to the point and park. Be aware that there may be some very soft places and people will be getting stuck more. The BB birds can all fly now and it will be a while before we need to watch out for the next round of closed access areas. That having been said there is a new development. Because the bird lobby wants to keep people from driving on the shoals north of the park there is now a line of posts with signs that could be a hazard to kiters. It stretches across the point and may be in the water on very high tides. Fortunately the language in the HPMP has been changed so kitesurfers will be allowed to access all the areas inside the park. The big losers are the dog owners. No more dogs on any of the beach in the park. The public meeting to address these changes will be on Sept. 3 at First Coast High School.