Any of you guys read this? Looks like no more Elliott Key Sandbar!

[eddiemorales]

Got this from BoatUS, looks like the Park Service wants to end the party at Elliott Key!

Read this:

August 27, 2010
Dear South Florida BoatU.S. Member,

The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing changes to anchoring and mooring in Biscayne National Park. If this is an area that you or your friends enjoy, we encourage you to learn more about their plan and let the NPS know your thoughts before the deadline of September 3.
NPS wants to "reduce damage to park resources, enhance visitor opportunities, increase safety of navigation in the park, and improve the effectiveness of park operations." Their preferred plan "would exercise greater control of visitor access to and use of certain areas of the park, and expand access and visitor opportunities in others."

The proposal includes:

• Installing more moorings at various places in the park. (But there is little information on how many will be added, how they will be maintained, or how they will be paid for.)
• Restrictions on anchoring. Boats can use only NPS moorings in some areas, with no anchoring allowed at Stiltsville, Fowey Rocks, Brewster and Star Reefs, Sands Cuts Shoals, Elliott Key: Anchorage, Harbor and vicinity, and East of Keys.
• No rafting allowed while on a NPS mooring.
• A reduction or elimination of beaching of boats.
• More markers for channels, park boundary’s, Featherbeds, and hazardous areas.
• Additional educational signs and information for visitors.

To see the complete NPS Mooring Buoy and Marker Plan Environmental Assessment: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=353&projectID=26660&documentID=35247
Ready to comment?
NPS needs to hear your thoughts about their plan. We encourage you to also provide specific information about how your family uses the park, as well as any questions that you have about the proposal.
Please be aware that your entire comment will become public record, and can be made public to others. (This includes your address, phone, etc.) You can ask that personal information not be released (prominently at the beginning of your comment), but NPS won’t guarantee they will do so.

To submit your comments:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=35247
Write directly in the "comments" box, instead of attaching a word document.
Mail your comments with a postmark on or before 9/3/10 to:

Biscayne National Park
Attn: Mooring Buoy and Marker EA Comments
9700 SW 328 Street
Homestead, FL 33033
If you have a spare minute, we also encourage you to share your comments with your elected representatives in Washington, DC. To contact them:
www.boatus.com/gov/contact.asp
Please let NPS know your thoughts before midnight on September 3. These plans are only open for a 30 day comment period, so act now.
Let us know if you have any additional questions. Thank you for being a BoatU.S. Member!
Margaret Podlich
Vice President, BoatU.S. Government Affairs
GovtAffairs@BoatUS.com
703-461-2878 x8363
BoatUS.com/Gov

 

[Bucit]

That sucks! We had a similar situation a couple of years ago at Shell Island. It was a local party spot where you could beach your boat or anchor in the flats. The island was gulfside and a lot of fun but the city bought the island and turned it into a state park. Now you can't even have beer in your boat within 100 yards from it. Too bad, there are less and less places to boat around here. Hopefully yours will turn out better.

 

[tobnpr]

Is that the place where there's drunken fights all the time?

 

[petrosell]

The columbas day regatta one of the best boat partys in the country !! dam this sucks.

 

[eddiemorales]

Looks like they did a (red) about face!!!!!! No changes!!! Looks like they were "miss quoted" Who hoo...

Mooring Buoy and Marker Plan
The National Park Service has received many, many comments concerning the proposed Mooring Buoy and Marker Plan for Biscayne National Park. The purpose of this Plan is to enhance visitor enjoyment, increase safety, and reduce damage to park resources. Although there are many aspects of the Plan which are very popular, there are also important features of the plan which we did not make clear enough, and which have drawn a lot of concern.
We believe that both the park resources and the public would be well served by additional public discussion. Accordingly, the park will review and analyze all of the comments we receive during this round of public comment and then prepare an new draft plan. In a few months, after we’ve had the opportunity to revise the plan where appropriate, and clarify portions where needed, we will release a new draft for public comment.
I will take this opportunity to state again, this draft was not intended close down visitor access to Sands Cut. This draft also would not have prohibited anchoring along the western edge of Elliott Key, except for within several small mooring buoy fields. And finally, this draft would not have prohibited anchoring within the marked anchorage area during the Columbus Day Weekend event.
As the park reviews the current comments and prepares a new draft, we will try to reach out to additional groups who felt surprised by the current draft. Please feel free to contact the park, at 786-335-3623, if you would like a park representative to speak before a group or organization.
Finally, I want to thank all of the people who love this wonderful place and who have been engaged in how the park is managed. The National Park Service is mandated by Congress to conserve park resources while providing for appropriate visitor use. We would like to continue this dialog with members of the public as we move forward in this planning process.
Sincerely,
Mark Lewis
Superintendent

 

[jellyfish]

Looks like they did a (red) about face!!!!!! No changes!!! Looks like they were "miss quoted" Who hoo...

Mooring Buoy and Marker Plan
The National Park Service has received many, many comments concerning the proposed Mooring Buoy and Marker Plan for Biscayne National Park. The purpose of this Plan is to enhance visitor enjoyment, increase safety, and reduce damage to park resources. Although there are many aspects of the Plan which are very popular, there are also important features of the plan which we did not make clear enough, and which have drawn a lot of concern.
We believe that both the park resources and the public would be well served by additional public discussion. Accordingly, the park will review and analyze all of the comments we receive during this round of public comment and then prepare an new draft plan. In a few months, after we’ve had the opportunity to revise the plan where appropriate, and clarify portions where needed, we will release a new draft for public comment.
I will take this opportunity to state again, this draft was not intended close down visitor access to Sands Cut. This draft also would not have prohibited anchoring along the western edge of Elliott Key, except for within several small mooring buoy fields. And finally, this draft would not have prohibited anchoring within the marked anchorage area during the Columbus Day Weekend event.
As the park reviews the current comments and prepares a new draft, we will try to reach out to additional groups who felt surprised by the current draft. Please feel free to contact the park, at 786-335-3623, if you would like a park representative to speak before a group or organization.
Finally, I want to thank all of the people who love this wonderful place and who have been engaged in how the park is managed. The National Park Service is mandated by Congress to conserve park resources while providing for appropriate visitor use. We would like to continue this dialog with members of the public as we move forward in this planning process.
Sincerely,
Mark Lewis
Superintendent

GREAT NEWS!! I was about to sell my boat!!!!!!!

 

[trade wins]

Can anybody recommend any good snorkeling spots in Biscayne Bay/ Elliot Key area, will be down a few days before Reggatta and didnt want to have search for those special locations?