On 10 Jul 1996, Jerry Blinn wrote:

[snip..]

> I'll assume that the Nisqually haying schedule is planned to protect
> grass-nesting species. (Does anybody know?)
>
Greetings-

this reminds me that Mike McMinn, former asst Refuge Director
at Nisqually was a guest on Bird Talk last year and said
that the Fed had ordered a national study of *use* of the
NWR's..this included such activity as haying and access for
people was on the list..I asked him if it was possible that
people could be excluded, and he replied that, while he
didn't think it was probable given the political ramifications,
that shutting out people was a possibility..

I told him at the time I was put off by the *race walkers*
who went by, elbows flapping, yelling at each other while
we were trying to find the bittern...i.e., the problem(s)
will not come from birders, but the the other folks who
are recreating and couldn't care less about wildlife..and
that's the point, I guess. The NWR's are set up to protect
wild life and not be little private birding preserves for
us.. :(

Mike is no longer there..(moved to the Keys, or the Glades some
place)..but, I wonder if restriction of use by people is still
on the table?

Anybody know about that one?

Tom