Assateague Island Needs Your Help Now

The powers that be (National Park Service) are looking at long-term management plans for Assateuage Island.  The NPS is working on long-term plans (50 years) for many of our parks and Assateague falls into that category.  Rising sea levels with more and more major storms and the fact it is a barrier island is a big concern.

Bill Justice president of the Assateague Mobile Surf fishermen and Bruce West, President of the Delaware Mobile surf fishermen clubs are asking that people take a look at the proposed solutions and send in your public comments.  They and myself prefer choice number 3, with some changes in the language.  As we all know things in government are taken literally so you have to spell out everything otherwise it gets lost int he shuffle or “interpreted” and we all know how well that works out.  There is a limited amount of time for public comment, you have less than thirteen days.  The deadline is May 1st, 2106.  I have copied the letters of both presidents below to save you time searching.  A list of the management plan documents can be found at this link, there are a lot of documents and it will take some time to go through them all.   You can send your comments to …

Assateague Island National Seashore
ATTN: Assateague CMP Comments
7206 National Seashore Lane
Berlin, MD 21811

VIA fax: 410-629-1023, ATTN: Assateague CMP Comments

If you would like to make your public comment online use this link for a list of projects.  The ASIS General Management Plan link is the one we are most concerned with, but you will have to send in your comments to the emails listed in the letters below.  The public presentations are over.

From the Desk of the AMSA President Bill Justice …

Call for Action Requested before May 1st, 2016
Assateague General Management Plan Comments
As everyone knows AMSA has been very involved over the past several years in the GMP process.
Many steps have been completed and now the document is in the final phase. This plan is the guidelines
the National Park Service will use to manage the island for the next 40 to 50 years.
AMSA representatives have attended and spent many hours in meetings and workshops over the years
that led up to this time. AMSA asks everyone to please send in their comments on how you would like to
see the island managed in the coming years.
Let us tell you a little about the GMP, it is almost a 700-page document that offers four alternatives
which will govern the NPS on how they manage the island. After much consideration, AMSA has
considered each of the alternatives that have been offered. The legislative committee and AMSA’s
Board of Directors has been meeting and discussing all of the alternatives in-depth. They agree that
alternative 3 is the better alternative. However, that being said, AMSA would like to see some
consideration for changes within alternative 3.
First, the word “consider” is found 206 times within the GMP, one of which is where the white
(carsonite) marker is to be relocated each year. The GMP states “the NPS will consider
repositioning the marker each year”. Please include in your comments that the carsonite
markers in the OSV Zone are to be moved each year to allow maximum beach driving area in the
future. If this doesn’t happen, as the island rolls over itself, eventually the ocean will touch the
carsonite markers and there will be no room for vehicles to drive east of the carsonite markers.
Second, there is mention of a wilderness designation on Assateague Island a total of 252 times
within the GMP. AMSA strongly opposes a wilderness designation on the island due to the
instability of the island. AMSA feels very strongly that the island has never met the requirements
desired for a wilderness designation over the past 35 years, so therefore the idea should be
abandoned and never be revisited.
Third, the NPS has a desire to acquire the state-owned bridge and redesign the entrance to the
island which will move the fee area to the mainland. AMSA does not support this cooperative
with the State of Maryland and the NPS concerning the bridge acquisition. AMSA’s greatest fear
is the losing control of the bridge which could mean the federal government might not free up
funding to do any repairs to the bridge and deeming it impassable.
Fourth, the wording “OSV will continue until conditions change”, needs to be reworded to say
“until irreversible natural causes prohibits the safe use of the OSV Zone on the island”.
Last but not least, a clear definition should be inserted in the GMP about the desired ferry that is
mentioned within the document. It speaks of a passenger ferry that would lead to the island.
AMSA would like to see a public vehicle ferry in the description instead of the passenger ferry as
it is currently written.
Please, when you send in your comments, try to include these suggestions and ask for the changes to be
made in the GMP. Any or all of these could remove your presence on the island/OSV in the years to
come.
Your comments should be directed to:
Debbie Darden
7206 National Seashore Lane
Berlin, MD 21801
deborah_darden@nps.gov
Also please send a copy to: 
US Congressman Andy Harris
212 W Main St
#204B
Salisbury, MD 21801
bill.reddish@mail.house.gov
The Congressman has asked that he be copied on any and all comments as he and his staff have been
monitoring the GMP process very closely during his tenure representing his district.
In closing, this is your chance to speak up and be heard one final time. If you truly love Assateague and
its recreational opportunities send in your comments, PLEASE. Take an hour and write your comments.
Tell your friends to send in their comments. It is our hope that recreational beach goers will stand up
and be heard. You can’t sit here silently on this one people, or you just might lose your OSV access on
our beautiful Assateague.
AMSA Board of Directors
Should you have any questions feel free to contact:
Bill Justice
AMSA President
(302) 236-4333
amsapresident@verizon.net
president@keepersofthebeach.com

DMS President Bruce West has made the following statement:
It is critical that we ALL SUPPORT AND RESPOND to AMSA’s stand on this GMP.
AMSA has worked on this for a number of years and have made their decision for present… and for future generations to come.
This pertains to many user groups that enjoy the wonderful resource the man above has provided us; yet, there are others that want to do away with the privilege we now have.
PLEASE respond and support AMSA’s option on the future of beach access at A.I.
It is sad that others want to do away with Beach Access altogether and it will be worse if we don’t RESPOND AND SUPPORT AMSA in this time of need for present and future generations.
The ball is in our court.
PLEASE, read the AMSA response and respond with your comments now!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Thank you.
Bruce West