YOU SPEAK OUT! Here are many of your comments. Thank you! Hundreds! If you wish to add yours, please do so with the form at the bottom of the Home Page.
From Sylvia Timbers, Director Action Tomales Bay, to Newspaper Editors:
Many local hunters actiontomalesbay.org has talked to support not hunting in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve — at the exact entrance to the Giacomini Wetlands— opened in 2008 and created at a cost of $10.5 million with 10 years work going into it. Tomales Bay is recognized as one of 25 most biologically rich but threatened areas in the world (including 13 endangered and threatened species) and one of 100 Globally Important Bird Areas with 98 bird species. Scientists, residents and visitors in growing numbers support ending hunting at the exact flyway entrance to the Wetlands, in the same spot popular with hikers and kayakers, and a residential community. Hunting was a very minor issue prior to 2008 and there was no reason for this initiative (otherwise we would have organized years ago!!) 91% of California’s wetlands have been destroyed by development. Now that the Giacomini Wetlands is there for the migrating birds (and bald eagles, otters, federally endangered clapper rails, black rails, ospreys, egrets and more) the hunters have found out and show up most of the 100 day ‘season’, when hunters are allowed to kill 7 ducks and 30 geese- 37 birds per hunter per day permitted for the 100 day ‘season’. Last year hunters were there most days and for the first time there was poaching in the Giacomini Wetlands. Noise is the very least of our concerns (despite how the SF Chronicle article misrepresented this). There are no ‘newbies’ in our group- most of the members have lived here over 40 years. Hunting was a marginal issue for all the years prior to the Giacomini Wetlands sanctuary opening in 2008. A bit of history: the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve was established by California in 1968 on behalf of its citizens to protect the this area and its wildlife due to its high value as a wetlands refuge with no hunting allowed. At that time the now Giacomini Wetlands was a dairy farm. A special exemption to the Reserve regulations to allow waterfowl hunting was established only after a local hunting group hired a lawyer to petitioned Fish and Wildlife (formerly Fish and Game) to create a special regulation allowing hunting there. The vast majority of CA’s 119 Ecological Reserves do not allow hunting. Everything has changed now that the Giacomini Wetlands has been created!! We are working to end hunting in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve and return the TBER to its original purpose and intention as a sanctuary for wildlife, in harmony with its immediate neighbor, the Giacomini Wetlands refuge.
FROM YOU!
I grew up in a hunting family. We hunted for ducks, geese, deer, rabbits, quail, doves, pheasants. I still love the taste of the speciality dishes my Mother taught me to make. But I oppose hunting ducks and geese in Tomales Bay, particularly near the wetland preserves. When there is no sport or challenge or hardship to hunting, when your prey is a magnificent v-shaped flight of ducks, or a tired pair of geese coming down for a rest, when there are houses nearby with kids inside, when the local culture values the bird for their magical beauty, when you have just set aside a wonderful habitat for these remarkable creatures, there is no room for hunting. Let the hunters go somewhere else, where there is some challenge to their sport.
Point Reyes Area Resident
While I understand the sentiment around traditional hunting in this area, the conditions have changed. The existence of a new refuge, to encourage restoration of bird populations to levels existing prior to the "traditional" depredations of the twentieth century (that reduced counts to a tiny fraction of the historical numbers) -- and also to attract more visitors who appreciate nature in a new way -- has turned the hunting zone into an anachronism benefiting the old habits of a few. Where I came from, hand fishing (grabbing by hand the very large catfish spawning under the river banks) was a tradition, too. It is illegal now, because it undermines fish populations. A few still insist on doing it, but that doesn't make it any less outdated or counterproductive. Likewise, hunting birds in the flyway for an area of bird population restoration isn't very sporting or considerate, and takes much more from the area, in a number of ways, than it gives back.
Point Reyes Area Resident
I understand that noise is a concern for Mesa and Inverness Park residents, but would prefer that a community solution that respects all recreational activities in TBER is reached. I support the continued opportunity for waterfowl hunting in TBER.
Bay Area Resident
I was awakened by the sound of gunfire on weekend when visiting family in Inverness. I used to live in Sacramento and would visit several times a month in the fall and winter. It was horrible to wake up to that noise at 6 am. I still visit every weekend coming now from Novato. I worry about the safety of people on the Bay in boats and swimmers. The Bay is very small compared to hunting preserves in rural areas without homes and people on the water. Thank you for helping the community and visitors!
Marin County Resident
It is not appropriate to allow hunting in Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve. I am an Inverness resident. I use that marsh for bird-watching and wildlife viewing. Birders contribute way more to the local economy than hunters. Hunting here causes serious safety issues.
Inverness Resident
Waterfowl hunting is an entirely inappropriate activity within or adjacent to the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve land and waterway.
Bay Area Resident
It is totally inappropriate to have hunting so close to a major national park. Also It sounds like these birds truly are "sitting ducks" and have no choice but to go through this area. I'm not against hunting, per se, but surely it shouldn't be here.
Bay Area Resident
When I moved to Inverness Park almost 15 years ago, it did it not even occur to me that people would be killing migrating birds in an area surrounded by residences, a national and state park and visited by millions of nature and bird lovers. Back then there were only a few duck blinds and sporadic shooting. All that changed in 2008 with the opening of the Giacomini Wetlands and the creation of a sanctuary for local and migrating birds and other wildlife. With almost all of California’s wetlands destroyed over the years (over 90%), more and more birds are finding their way here and, obvious to anyone within earshot (and according to Fish and Game) the hunters have clearly figured that out. In growing numbers they set up floating lines of ducks-in-distress decoys, hide behind camouflage nets, wait with scopes and dogs at their encampment at the narrows the birds funnel through to reach the wetlands we created for them – an ecological trap. The hunters don’t even have to move— they lie in wait, the birds come and they blast away. Times have changed here– all agree to that. While minimal, occasional hunting in this part of Southern Tomales Bay was perhaps a longstanding appropriate tradition in decades past, now in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve it is simply wrong. I've heard that some local hunters see hunting in the TBER as unjustifiable: at the gateway to a wildlife sanctuary, surrounded by a substantial residential community greatly disturbed by the shooting and ever more visitors. The TBER is a thriving wetlands 9 months a year… let’s extend the sanctuary protection to include it too: welcoming the birds we lure here with food and shelter, not shotguns and death.
Inverness Park Resident
For years we've been disturbed by early morning shootings during waterfowl season. With more people living near the hunting area and more visitors to the park for a variety of reasons, hunting is not compatible. And to permit hunting in the relatively small Ecological Reserve next to the park's restored wetlands is insane. Ideally, the reserve managed by the State Department of Fish and Game (now:Wildlife) should be a part of the restored wetlands, giving waterfowl and other wildlife a larger and safe haven in this bay side environment which could afford more enjoyment to residents and park visitors. Hunters have larger and more open areas in other parts of California to pursue their activities.
Inverness Resident
I think that hunting in the TBER is completely inappropriate with the ecological health of this area. It is patently unfair to invite birds into a wetland designed to support them and then shoot them on the way in and it has a negative impact on most of the rest of the wildlife that find refuge here. Additionally, the sounds of shooting day after day, for over 3 months every year, is incredibly stressful for most of the people within earshot. All of this is for the benefit of a tiny fraction of the population causing all this chaos and they can go somewhere else. Let's come up to speed Tomales Bay.
Point Reyes Resident
Hunting in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve is not appropriate in the year 2012. What was right five generations ago is not right today. Our world has changed. We don't live in the wilderness where hunting for food is a necessity. The Inverness side of the bay is residential and the bay is used for recreation by thousands. Like it or not it's a different world. We live in a park not a wilderness... and it doesn't look like we are going back anytime soon. Hunting in the TBER is not a moral issue but one of safety and noise.
Olema Resident
Please stop the hunting here. I am woken up at 6:30 a.m. on weekend mornings when the hunters start shooting. It is a horrible way to wake up in the morning, with images of birds falling out of the sky in my head. The peace of this area is shattered with the hunting. It is too close to residential areas here, plus hikers and kayakers for shooting guns. Also it is a wildlife refuge and it does not seem appropriate to be luring the birds in only to kill them. It seems that hunting should be done in more rural, less populated areas.
Inverness Park Resident
I am a previous owner of a kayaking business located on Tomales Bay. From 1985-2004 I took kayaking guests along the southern end of Tomales Bay to teach natural history and environmental issues of the marsh and bay habitats. During hunting season I was unable to offer tours in that area because the shooting noise would be too uncomfortable for the paddlers and also I was afraid of a potential hunting accident. As there is the increased interest among locals and visitors to explore this new reserve, either by land or water, I think it is most appropriate to have the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve free of waterfowl hunting.
Former Inverness Resident
When I moved here three years ago it would never have occurred to me to first research whether I was moving to an area that encourages hunting of any sort. I remember hearing those first gunshots in October of 2010 with complete disbelief. This is such a peaceful, beautiful place that the incongruity of killing birds as they attempt to enter their own sanctuary is unfathomable. Let's all of us who oppose this travesty do everything in our power to put an end to it. As soon as possible.
Inverness Park Resident
The National Park Service spent considerable money to purchase the Giacomini ranch and begin to restore it to the former wetlands. The Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve located just north and adjacent to the restored wetlands is managed by the Calif. Department of Fish and Game which allows the shooting of waterfowl in this area during hunting season. How does this make sense? The Giacomini Wetlands Restoration project provides habitat for thousands of waterbirds in the peak fall and winter seasons only to have hunters blast away at them as they fly through the T.B.E.R. For noise reduction, safety of hikers, photographers, canoeists and kayakers, this hunting has to end. Signed- Inverness bird lover for a more peaceful environment.
Inverness Resident
It is unbelievable that hunting is allowed in such close proximity to hikers,boaters, recreational parkland and homes. It is unsafe and only a matter of time before a tragic accident occurs. This is a HIGHLY populated area. It is incredibly disturbing to hear the gunshots, day in and day out, from before sunrise to sunset. This is a peaceful area, and the sound of gunshots bounce off of the water at an alarming rate, the sound piercing our homes in a way that is incredibly disturbing. I can't begin to describe how disturbing it is to hear the constant barrage of gunshot.
Point Reyes Area Resident
With more and more hunters comes more and more danger to residents, visitors, and other wildlife. Few (if any) hunters will be able to differentiate among protected species, either, and, although individual Fish & Game officers are very dedicated to enforcement, there are not NEARLY enough of them to guarantee appropriate safeguards to humans and the environment. It's wonderful to see the community banding together to protect itself and the animals! Good going, Tomales Bay!
Bay Area Resident
People come here from all around the world to see the beautiful birds here. They do not come here to see them shot out of the sky. For those of us who are residents, it is especially disturbing to see some of the beautiful birds we see every day shot and killed.
Point Reyes Resident
Shooting of any kind is a bad idea close to so many people AND so close to a reserve!
Point Reyes Resident
The Tomales Bay Reserve should not be subjected to or be co-opted into the killing of the birds that seek the sanctuary of the Reserve and thus diminish the appeal and charm of our community. It is simply wrong to kill the birds in our Reserve!!
STOP THE KILLING!
Tomales Bay Area Resident
As a person who loves identifying and watching the animals and birds of Pt. Reyes, I am against assigning areas where it is OK to kill them. I don't live in Marin County, but I kayak and hike there often with my wife, stopping to buy food and shop at local stores. I will not go there during any kind of hunting season. Do not allow duck hunting in the reserve.
Bay Area Resident
Please stop waterfowl hunting in the TBER. Thank you.
Bay Area Resident
Hunting in the Ecological Reserve has become even more inappropriate with the creation of the adjacent Giacomini Wetlands as part of the National Seashore. The Wetlands is increasingly being used by the public for recreation and enjoyment of the burgeoning wildlife in an area easily accessible for public use. It is also a resource for education of children, particularly during the fall as migrating ducks and geese return. There are many areas in Northern California available for seasonal bird hunting that do not share these special characteristics.
Bay Area Resident
My husband and I have lived on the Inverness Ridge for 12 years. We were never happy about the hunting season! I am a vegetarian and completely opposed to hunting in general, unless needed to feed low income families or to supplement food on the table for those strapped for money occasionally. This is a very dangerous situation now due to the Wetlands project and the number of people who now come out here. And, of course the noise is most unsettling.
Please stop waterfowl hunting in the TBER. Thank you.
Inverness Resident
Totally inappropriate for this area. I fully support your organization and your effort to stop this abuse of our wetlands.
San Anselmo Resident
I live near the lower end of Tomales Bay and have been impacted by the noise of shooting over the years. This is a totally incompatible use in this area and I have been amazed it has continued this long.
Tomales Bay Area Resident
I visit Pt Reyes often and had not idea about the hunters shooting wildlife. Thank you for taking up this effort.
Bay Area Resident
I'm a very regular (12-20 times/year) ecotourist at Tomales Bay and the Pt Reyes region. I often rent a house or cottage for up to a week at a time. In the winter my visits there are primarily to view the migratory waterfowl at the southern end of Tomales bay. The sounds of guns completely destroys that experience for me, let alone what it does to the shrinking opportunities for the migratory birds to rest, feed etc. Hunting here, in my opinion, is completely antithetical to everything that surrounds this spot. It doesn't belong here. There are ample opportunities for hunters elsewhere in the bay area and surrounding region. Leave this one alone, please!
Bay Area Resident
I am totally opposed to waterfowl hunting and urge that it be banned in the area.
Bay Area Resident
I wake to the sound of gunshot in the early hours of a dark November morning and pull my head under the pillows to block out both the noise and the image of roughnecks in waders and fur lined caps firing on defenseless waterfowl. It's an image from an ancient novel that doesn't belong here. Thank you for taking up this challenging issue.
Tomales Bay Area Resident
While I support the activity of hunting for ducks and geese in general, allowing shooting in close proximity to residential and sanctuary lands is neither safe nor in keeping with the intent of sanctuary.
Bay Area Resident
I cannot believe people are killing birds in West Marin!!!!!!!!!!
Stinson Beach Resident
All life forms--birds, humans, other mammals, etc.-- who live at or visit Point Reyes National Seashore, Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve and nearby precious places should be safe from human hunters.
Bay Area Resident
Thank you for your excellent work...I'm hearing the gunshots at sunrise when I walk at Chicken Ranch Beach. It's shocking to the nervous system, as the sound carries so well across the bay.
Inverness Resident
I support restricting the hunting where visitors would be allowed.
Bay Area Resident
There are plenty of private lands and reserves to accommodate hunters, who, as a class, are pretty well off, considering what they have to lay out to shoot one duck.
Bay Area Resident
Most hunting areas, even if located next to some kind of preserve, are usually miles away from residential and business areas. The Pt Reyes area has changed dramatically in the last 50 years. What may have been acceptable at one time when this area was sparsely inhabited and rarely visited by outsiders is no longer so with the current proximity to hundreds of year-round homes and thousands of visitors each year. And many of those visitors are birders who come to the wetlands to view the fall and spring migrations. Think what it would be like to be doing something you loved; gardening, watching the opera, strolling through an art gallery, shopping, whatever, and to have it suddenly disturbed by dozens of shotgun blasts firing away day after day at that thing that you love. That is what it is like for those of us who enjoy the solitude and the wildlife of the Pt Reyes area. It is like being under siege on a daily basis for over 3 months each year. It is no longer appropriate to allow duck hunting in this location.
Point Reyes Resident
This hunting has got to stop! Not withstanding the impact on local wildlife, especially the water fowl, the odds are that as more and more visitors frequent the area someone is eventually going to get shot. Then what happens? Does someone just say, "Oops. Sorry about that."
Inverness Park Resident
Thank you for this beautifully presented website, and the initiative to reconsider sane standards of care for this recovering resource. Shooting in TBER sounds reckless and an unforgivably callous betrayal of wildlife refuge intent. Is it not clear that many species are increasingly dependent on sanctuaries for survival? Certainly, re-evaluating the balance of beneficial uses for this relatively new and evolving human-agricultural-natural system is called for. I urge ending, or establishing the strongest measures to restrict, hunting in and around TBER. Alternative opportunities must exist for exercising skills and camaraderie during conscientious tracking and establishing dominance over prey objects. Is artisanal game meat marketing part of West Marin's food subsistence plan?
Point Reyes Area Resident
I don't think people need to be killing waterfowl in TBER. I think that the ducks and geese should have the right to live un-endangered by hunters. The mixed use of the land also seems to me to be a hazard to other human beings. How can there be shooting of animals allowed so close to recreating people? Regardless though, of the people being in danger, I am against the killing of the waterfowl. Thanks.
Point Reyes Area Resident
This is completely ridiculous, and shameful, that hunting would be allowed anywhere near the Point Reyes National Seashore, which is a world-renowned refuge for wildlife. What is really going on here...? It's time for humans to honor the intelligence of animals, which in many cases, is far superior to our own. The sound of the guns every morning is very disturbing to me. Because each one means the death of an innocent being, just for the "sport" of killing. I urge everyone to consider what it would feel like to be hunted for sport.... that someone would be enjoying your moment of suffering. It is time for killing and suffering to end for all beings. If you don't want to suffer, then do not cause suffering for others. Wake up, humanity, wake up.
Inverness Resident
It is a totally inappropriate use of the land created with public money. The park wants wilderness at Drakes Estero, but then to allow hunting on the wetlands seems counter intuitive. Many visitors must be dismayed.
Point Reyes Area Resident
I feel that hunting is inappropriate anywhere. Giving permission to hunt in an Ecological Reserve is unbelievable. It has been very hard to hear the shooting noise from where we live. Impossible to have a nice day knowing that some incredible beings are dying because some people just want to make "sport". I hope this is not going to happen this year and ever again. Thank you for putting up this page. May those who like to kill open their hearts.
Inverness Resident
I am generally against hunting. It is a sport of killing for the thrill of killing. It's not necessary for feeding anyone in our present day.
Bay Area Resident
Good for you for doing this! I hope this stops the hunting season here dead in its tracks forever.
Point Reyes Resident
Due to increased population density, and due to decreasing wildlife habitat, duck hunting should be phased out, at the minimum, or preferably, just completely stopped. Immediately, I feel duck hunting hours should be curtailed, early AM to 10:00 AM. Of course, I have safety concerns for any situation. I have adapted to shooting noise through the years.
Point Reyes Area Resident
I've read (the) petition in favor of continuing to allow hunting in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve but (the) arguments overlook some crucial issues. We could start by simply considering the meaning of the area's name: "Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve". Doesn't this name imply protection for the creatures living there? It certainly seems so to me! Secondly, the significant increase in bird populations over the past several years is undoubtedly due to the restoration of the Giacomini Wetlands. In other words, we've created an environment that wild birds are drawn to, so--according to your skewed logic--we should be free to kill them. Thirdly, this is a populated recreational and residential area. Hunting in this area presents real dangers to hikers, kayakers, and residents. There is also a significantly negative psychological impact upon people hearing these gunshots all the time--both from the intense noise and from recognition of what the noise is from--killing the beautiful birds that we have lured into the area by our restoration of the Giacomini Wetlands.Even if your arguments might support hunting in some other areas, those arguments do not support it here. HUNTING SHOULD *NOT* BE ALLOWED IN THE Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve.
Point Reyes Resident
I have lived in Inverness for over 30 years, first in First Valley and now on Edgemont Way overlooking the bay. When we first arrived here it seemed that West Marin was more remote, with many fewer tourists along the bay, but duck hunting season was still a heart-wrencher for me. Hearing the sounds of shots ringing out early in the morning when all is blessedly still and quiet, with animal life and human life still at rest, was a source of great dismay for both me and my husband back then. It remains the same today, but with the added horror of the high potential for some person being injured by a stray bullet so close to homes, hiking paths and favored kayaking waterways.
Inverness Resident
It is shameful to spend the time, money, and efforts to return the Tomales Bay wetlands for bird and wildlife use and then allow shooting of the creatures when these same creatures try to find sanctuary there. It is simply creating a trap for the very wildlife that is seeking to find a safe refuge there. Please see the larger picture. The migratory and resident birds and animals have smaller and fewer refuges and should not be preyed upon when trying to use what is created for them to survive. Point Reyes Area Resident
I am greatly concerned about the gun shot noise that will pierce my ears from sun up to sun down for the next hundred days. I have traumatic stress syndrome and this ungodly uproar severely affects me.
Inverness Park Resident
Many local hunters actiontomalesbay.org has talked to support not hunting in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve — at the exact entrance to the Giacomini Wetlands— opened in 2008 and created at a cost of $10.5 million with 10 years work going into it. Tomales Bay is recognized as one of 25 most biologically rich but threatened areas in the world (including 13 endangered and threatened species) and one of 100 Globally Important Bird Areas with 98 bird species. Scientists, residents and visitors in growing numbers support ending hunting at the exact flyway entrance to the Wetlands, in the same spot popular with hikers and kayakers, and a residential community. Hunting was a very minor issue prior to 2008 and there was no reason for this initiative (otherwise we would have organized years ago!!) 91% of California’s wetlands have been destroyed by development. Now that the Giacomini Wetlands is there for the migrating birds (and bald eagles, otters, federally endangered clapper rails, black rails, ospreys, egrets and more) the hunters have found out and show up most of the 100 day ‘season’, when hunters are allowed to kill 7 ducks and 30 geese- 37 birds per hunter per day permitted for the 100 day ‘season’. Last year hunters were there most days and for the first time there was poaching in the Giacomini Wetlands. Noise is the very least of our concerns (despite how the SF Chronicle article misrepresented this). There are no ‘newbies’ in our group- most of the members have lived here over 40 years. Hunting was a marginal issue for all the years prior to the Giacomini Wetlands sanctuary opening in 2008. A bit of history: the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve was established by California in 1968 on behalf of its citizens to protect the this area and its wildlife due to its high value as a wetlands refuge with no hunting allowed. At that time the now Giacomini Wetlands was a dairy farm. A special exemption to the Reserve regulations to allow waterfowl hunting was established only after a local hunting group hired a lawyer to petitioned Fish and Wildlife (formerly Fish and Game) to create a special regulation allowing hunting there. The vast majority of CA’s 119 Ecological Reserves do not allow hunting. Everything has changed now that the Giacomini Wetlands has been created!! We are working to end hunting in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve and return the TBER to its original purpose and intention as a sanctuary for wildlife, in harmony with its immediate neighbor, the Giacomini Wetlands refuge.
FROM YOU!
I grew up in a hunting family. We hunted for ducks, geese, deer, rabbits, quail, doves, pheasants. I still love the taste of the speciality dishes my Mother taught me to make. But I oppose hunting ducks and geese in Tomales Bay, particularly near the wetland preserves. When there is no sport or challenge or hardship to hunting, when your prey is a magnificent v-shaped flight of ducks, or a tired pair of geese coming down for a rest, when there are houses nearby with kids inside, when the local culture values the bird for their magical beauty, when you have just set aside a wonderful habitat for these remarkable creatures, there is no room for hunting. Let the hunters go somewhere else, where there is some challenge to their sport.
Point Reyes Area Resident
While I understand the sentiment around traditional hunting in this area, the conditions have changed. The existence of a new refuge, to encourage restoration of bird populations to levels existing prior to the "traditional" depredations of the twentieth century (that reduced counts to a tiny fraction of the historical numbers) -- and also to attract more visitors who appreciate nature in a new way -- has turned the hunting zone into an anachronism benefiting the old habits of a few. Where I came from, hand fishing (grabbing by hand the very large catfish spawning under the river banks) was a tradition, too. It is illegal now, because it undermines fish populations. A few still insist on doing it, but that doesn't make it any less outdated or counterproductive. Likewise, hunting birds in the flyway for an area of bird population restoration isn't very sporting or considerate, and takes much more from the area, in a number of ways, than it gives back.
Point Reyes Area Resident
I understand that noise is a concern for Mesa and Inverness Park residents, but would prefer that a community solution that respects all recreational activities in TBER is reached. I support the continued opportunity for waterfowl hunting in TBER.
Bay Area Resident
I was awakened by the sound of gunfire on weekend when visiting family in Inverness. I used to live in Sacramento and would visit several times a month in the fall and winter. It was horrible to wake up to that noise at 6 am. I still visit every weekend coming now from Novato. I worry about the safety of people on the Bay in boats and swimmers. The Bay is very small compared to hunting preserves in rural areas without homes and people on the water. Thank you for helping the community and visitors!
Marin County Resident
It is not appropriate to allow hunting in Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve. I am an Inverness resident. I use that marsh for bird-watching and wildlife viewing. Birders contribute way more to the local economy than hunters. Hunting here causes serious safety issues.
Inverness Resident
Waterfowl hunting is an entirely inappropriate activity within or adjacent to the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve land and waterway.
Bay Area Resident
It is totally inappropriate to have hunting so close to a major national park. Also It sounds like these birds truly are "sitting ducks" and have no choice but to go through this area. I'm not against hunting, per se, but surely it shouldn't be here.
Bay Area Resident
When I moved to Inverness Park almost 15 years ago, it did it not even occur to me that people would be killing migrating birds in an area surrounded by residences, a national and state park and visited by millions of nature and bird lovers. Back then there were only a few duck blinds and sporadic shooting. All that changed in 2008 with the opening of the Giacomini Wetlands and the creation of a sanctuary for local and migrating birds and other wildlife. With almost all of California’s wetlands destroyed over the years (over 90%), more and more birds are finding their way here and, obvious to anyone within earshot (and according to Fish and Game) the hunters have clearly figured that out. In growing numbers they set up floating lines of ducks-in-distress decoys, hide behind camouflage nets, wait with scopes and dogs at their encampment at the narrows the birds funnel through to reach the wetlands we created for them – an ecological trap. The hunters don’t even have to move— they lie in wait, the birds come and they blast away. Times have changed here– all agree to that. While minimal, occasional hunting in this part of Southern Tomales Bay was perhaps a longstanding appropriate tradition in decades past, now in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve it is simply wrong. I've heard that some local hunters see hunting in the TBER as unjustifiable: at the gateway to a wildlife sanctuary, surrounded by a substantial residential community greatly disturbed by the shooting and ever more visitors. The TBER is a thriving wetlands 9 months a year… let’s extend the sanctuary protection to include it too: welcoming the birds we lure here with food and shelter, not shotguns and death.
Inverness Park Resident
For years we've been disturbed by early morning shootings during waterfowl season. With more people living near the hunting area and more visitors to the park for a variety of reasons, hunting is not compatible. And to permit hunting in the relatively small Ecological Reserve next to the park's restored wetlands is insane. Ideally, the reserve managed by the State Department of Fish and Game (now:Wildlife) should be a part of the restored wetlands, giving waterfowl and other wildlife a larger and safe haven in this bay side environment which could afford more enjoyment to residents and park visitors. Hunters have larger and more open areas in other parts of California to pursue their activities.
Inverness Resident
I think that hunting in the TBER is completely inappropriate with the ecological health of this area. It is patently unfair to invite birds into a wetland designed to support them and then shoot them on the way in and it has a negative impact on most of the rest of the wildlife that find refuge here. Additionally, the sounds of shooting day after day, for over 3 months every year, is incredibly stressful for most of the people within earshot. All of this is for the benefit of a tiny fraction of the population causing all this chaos and they can go somewhere else. Let's come up to speed Tomales Bay.
Point Reyes Resident
Hunting in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve is not appropriate in the year 2012. What was right five generations ago is not right today. Our world has changed. We don't live in the wilderness where hunting for food is a necessity. The Inverness side of the bay is residential and the bay is used for recreation by thousands. Like it or not it's a different world. We live in a park not a wilderness... and it doesn't look like we are going back anytime soon. Hunting in the TBER is not a moral issue but one of safety and noise.
Olema Resident
Please stop the hunting here. I am woken up at 6:30 a.m. on weekend mornings when the hunters start shooting. It is a horrible way to wake up in the morning, with images of birds falling out of the sky in my head. The peace of this area is shattered with the hunting. It is too close to residential areas here, plus hikers and kayakers for shooting guns. Also it is a wildlife refuge and it does not seem appropriate to be luring the birds in only to kill them. It seems that hunting should be done in more rural, less populated areas.
Inverness Park Resident
I am a previous owner of a kayaking business located on Tomales Bay. From 1985-2004 I took kayaking guests along the southern end of Tomales Bay to teach natural history and environmental issues of the marsh and bay habitats. During hunting season I was unable to offer tours in that area because the shooting noise would be too uncomfortable for the paddlers and also I was afraid of a potential hunting accident. As there is the increased interest among locals and visitors to explore this new reserve, either by land or water, I think it is most appropriate to have the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve free of waterfowl hunting.
Former Inverness Resident
When I moved here three years ago it would never have occurred to me to first research whether I was moving to an area that encourages hunting of any sort. I remember hearing those first gunshots in October of 2010 with complete disbelief. This is such a peaceful, beautiful place that the incongruity of killing birds as they attempt to enter their own sanctuary is unfathomable. Let's all of us who oppose this travesty do everything in our power to put an end to it. As soon as possible.
Inverness Park Resident
The National Park Service spent considerable money to purchase the Giacomini ranch and begin to restore it to the former wetlands. The Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve located just north and adjacent to the restored wetlands is managed by the Calif. Department of Fish and Game which allows the shooting of waterfowl in this area during hunting season. How does this make sense? The Giacomini Wetlands Restoration project provides habitat for thousands of waterbirds in the peak fall and winter seasons only to have hunters blast away at them as they fly through the T.B.E.R. For noise reduction, safety of hikers, photographers, canoeists and kayakers, this hunting has to end. Signed- Inverness bird lover for a more peaceful environment.
Inverness Resident
It is unbelievable that hunting is allowed in such close proximity to hikers,boaters, recreational parkland and homes. It is unsafe and only a matter of time before a tragic accident occurs. This is a HIGHLY populated area. It is incredibly disturbing to hear the gunshots, day in and day out, from before sunrise to sunset. This is a peaceful area, and the sound of gunshots bounce off of the water at an alarming rate, the sound piercing our homes in a way that is incredibly disturbing. I can't begin to describe how disturbing it is to hear the constant barrage of gunshot.
Point Reyes Area Resident
With more and more hunters comes more and more danger to residents, visitors, and other wildlife. Few (if any) hunters will be able to differentiate among protected species, either, and, although individual Fish & Game officers are very dedicated to enforcement, there are not NEARLY enough of them to guarantee appropriate safeguards to humans and the environment. It's wonderful to see the community banding together to protect itself and the animals! Good going, Tomales Bay!
Bay Area Resident
People come here from all around the world to see the beautiful birds here. They do not come here to see them shot out of the sky. For those of us who are residents, it is especially disturbing to see some of the beautiful birds we see every day shot and killed.
Point Reyes Resident
Shooting of any kind is a bad idea close to so many people AND so close to a reserve!
Point Reyes Resident
The Tomales Bay Reserve should not be subjected to or be co-opted into the killing of the birds that seek the sanctuary of the Reserve and thus diminish the appeal and charm of our community. It is simply wrong to kill the birds in our Reserve!!
STOP THE KILLING!
Tomales Bay Area Resident
As a person who loves identifying and watching the animals and birds of Pt. Reyes, I am against assigning areas where it is OK to kill them. I don't live in Marin County, but I kayak and hike there often with my wife, stopping to buy food and shop at local stores. I will not go there during any kind of hunting season. Do not allow duck hunting in the reserve.
Bay Area Resident
Please stop waterfowl hunting in the TBER. Thank you.
Bay Area Resident
Hunting in the Ecological Reserve has become even more inappropriate with the creation of the adjacent Giacomini Wetlands as part of the National Seashore. The Wetlands is increasingly being used by the public for recreation and enjoyment of the burgeoning wildlife in an area easily accessible for public use. It is also a resource for education of children, particularly during the fall as migrating ducks and geese return. There are many areas in Northern California available for seasonal bird hunting that do not share these special characteristics.
Bay Area Resident
My husband and I have lived on the Inverness Ridge for 12 years. We were never happy about the hunting season! I am a vegetarian and completely opposed to hunting in general, unless needed to feed low income families or to supplement food on the table for those strapped for money occasionally. This is a very dangerous situation now due to the Wetlands project and the number of people who now come out here. And, of course the noise is most unsettling.
Please stop waterfowl hunting in the TBER. Thank you.
Inverness Resident
Totally inappropriate for this area. I fully support your organization and your effort to stop this abuse of our wetlands.
San Anselmo Resident
I live near the lower end of Tomales Bay and have been impacted by the noise of shooting over the years. This is a totally incompatible use in this area and I have been amazed it has continued this long.
Tomales Bay Area Resident
I visit Pt Reyes often and had not idea about the hunters shooting wildlife. Thank you for taking up this effort.
Bay Area Resident
I'm a very regular (12-20 times/year) ecotourist at Tomales Bay and the Pt Reyes region. I often rent a house or cottage for up to a week at a time. In the winter my visits there are primarily to view the migratory waterfowl at the southern end of Tomales bay. The sounds of guns completely destroys that experience for me, let alone what it does to the shrinking opportunities for the migratory birds to rest, feed etc. Hunting here, in my opinion, is completely antithetical to everything that surrounds this spot. It doesn't belong here. There are ample opportunities for hunters elsewhere in the bay area and surrounding region. Leave this one alone, please!
Bay Area Resident
I am totally opposed to waterfowl hunting and urge that it be banned in the area.
Bay Area Resident
I wake to the sound of gunshot in the early hours of a dark November morning and pull my head under the pillows to block out both the noise and the image of roughnecks in waders and fur lined caps firing on defenseless waterfowl. It's an image from an ancient novel that doesn't belong here. Thank you for taking up this challenging issue.
Tomales Bay Area Resident
While I support the activity of hunting for ducks and geese in general, allowing shooting in close proximity to residential and sanctuary lands is neither safe nor in keeping with the intent of sanctuary.
Bay Area Resident
I cannot believe people are killing birds in West Marin!!!!!!!!!!
Stinson Beach Resident
All life forms--birds, humans, other mammals, etc.-- who live at or visit Point Reyes National Seashore, Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve and nearby precious places should be safe from human hunters.
Bay Area Resident
Thank you for your excellent work...I'm hearing the gunshots at sunrise when I walk at Chicken Ranch Beach. It's shocking to the nervous system, as the sound carries so well across the bay.
Inverness Resident
I support restricting the hunting where visitors would be allowed.
Bay Area Resident
There are plenty of private lands and reserves to accommodate hunters, who, as a class, are pretty well off, considering what they have to lay out to shoot one duck.
Bay Area Resident
Most hunting areas, even if located next to some kind of preserve, are usually miles away from residential and business areas. The Pt Reyes area has changed dramatically in the last 50 years. What may have been acceptable at one time when this area was sparsely inhabited and rarely visited by outsiders is no longer so with the current proximity to hundreds of year-round homes and thousands of visitors each year. And many of those visitors are birders who come to the wetlands to view the fall and spring migrations. Think what it would be like to be doing something you loved; gardening, watching the opera, strolling through an art gallery, shopping, whatever, and to have it suddenly disturbed by dozens of shotgun blasts firing away day after day at that thing that you love. That is what it is like for those of us who enjoy the solitude and the wildlife of the Pt Reyes area. It is like being under siege on a daily basis for over 3 months each year. It is no longer appropriate to allow duck hunting in this location.
Point Reyes Resident
This hunting has got to stop! Not withstanding the impact on local wildlife, especially the water fowl, the odds are that as more and more visitors frequent the area someone is eventually going to get shot. Then what happens? Does someone just say, "Oops. Sorry about that."
Inverness Park Resident
Thank you for this beautifully presented website, and the initiative to reconsider sane standards of care for this recovering resource. Shooting in TBER sounds reckless and an unforgivably callous betrayal of wildlife refuge intent. Is it not clear that many species are increasingly dependent on sanctuaries for survival? Certainly, re-evaluating the balance of beneficial uses for this relatively new and evolving human-agricultural-natural system is called for. I urge ending, or establishing the strongest measures to restrict, hunting in and around TBER. Alternative opportunities must exist for exercising skills and camaraderie during conscientious tracking and establishing dominance over prey objects. Is artisanal game meat marketing part of West Marin's food subsistence plan?
Point Reyes Area Resident
I don't think people need to be killing waterfowl in TBER. I think that the ducks and geese should have the right to live un-endangered by hunters. The mixed use of the land also seems to me to be a hazard to other human beings. How can there be shooting of animals allowed so close to recreating people? Regardless though, of the people being in danger, I am against the killing of the waterfowl. Thanks.
Point Reyes Area Resident
This is completely ridiculous, and shameful, that hunting would be allowed anywhere near the Point Reyes National Seashore, which is a world-renowned refuge for wildlife. What is really going on here...? It's time for humans to honor the intelligence of animals, which in many cases, is far superior to our own. The sound of the guns every morning is very disturbing to me. Because each one means the death of an innocent being, just for the "sport" of killing. I urge everyone to consider what it would feel like to be hunted for sport.... that someone would be enjoying your moment of suffering. It is time for killing and suffering to end for all beings. If you don't want to suffer, then do not cause suffering for others. Wake up, humanity, wake up.
Inverness Resident
It is a totally inappropriate use of the land created with public money. The park wants wilderness at Drakes Estero, but then to allow hunting on the wetlands seems counter intuitive. Many visitors must be dismayed.
Point Reyes Area Resident
I feel that hunting is inappropriate anywhere. Giving permission to hunt in an Ecological Reserve is unbelievable. It has been very hard to hear the shooting noise from where we live. Impossible to have a nice day knowing that some incredible beings are dying because some people just want to make "sport". I hope this is not going to happen this year and ever again. Thank you for putting up this page. May those who like to kill open their hearts.
Inverness Resident
I am generally against hunting. It is a sport of killing for the thrill of killing. It's not necessary for feeding anyone in our present day.
Bay Area Resident
Good for you for doing this! I hope this stops the hunting season here dead in its tracks forever.
Point Reyes Resident
Due to increased population density, and due to decreasing wildlife habitat, duck hunting should be phased out, at the minimum, or preferably, just completely stopped. Immediately, I feel duck hunting hours should be curtailed, early AM to 10:00 AM. Of course, I have safety concerns for any situation. I have adapted to shooting noise through the years.
Point Reyes Area Resident
I've read (the) petition in favor of continuing to allow hunting in the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve but (the) arguments overlook some crucial issues. We could start by simply considering the meaning of the area's name: "Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve". Doesn't this name imply protection for the creatures living there? It certainly seems so to me! Secondly, the significant increase in bird populations over the past several years is undoubtedly due to the restoration of the Giacomini Wetlands. In other words, we've created an environment that wild birds are drawn to, so--according to your skewed logic--we should be free to kill them. Thirdly, this is a populated recreational and residential area. Hunting in this area presents real dangers to hikers, kayakers, and residents. There is also a significantly negative psychological impact upon people hearing these gunshots all the time--both from the intense noise and from recognition of what the noise is from--killing the beautiful birds that we have lured into the area by our restoration of the Giacomini Wetlands.Even if your arguments might support hunting in some other areas, those arguments do not support it here. HUNTING SHOULD *NOT* BE ALLOWED IN THE Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve.
Point Reyes Resident
I have lived in Inverness for over 30 years, first in First Valley and now on Edgemont Way overlooking the bay. When we first arrived here it seemed that West Marin was more remote, with many fewer tourists along the bay, but duck hunting season was still a heart-wrencher for me. Hearing the sounds of shots ringing out early in the morning when all is blessedly still and quiet, with animal life and human life still at rest, was a source of great dismay for both me and my husband back then. It remains the same today, but with the added horror of the high potential for some person being injured by a stray bullet so close to homes, hiking paths and favored kayaking waterways.
Inverness Resident
It is shameful to spend the time, money, and efforts to return the Tomales Bay wetlands for bird and wildlife use and then allow shooting of the creatures when these same creatures try to find sanctuary there. It is simply creating a trap for the very wildlife that is seeking to find a safe refuge there. Please see the larger picture. The migratory and resident birds and animals have smaller and fewer refuges and should not be preyed upon when trying to use what is created for them to survive. Point Reyes Area Resident
I am greatly concerned about the gun shot noise that will pierce my ears from sun up to sun down for the next hundred days. I have traumatic stress syndrome and this ungodly uproar severely affects me.
Inverness Park Resident