I was there and left early after I saw all the birds flying from the island, I had no idea some dude was tromping around over there. I would have been in his face for sure.
BTW I just came from there a couple hours ago and no sign of him, it was pretty slow though and getting windy. I never seem to do much good there when it's windy.
Yes I was there also today and it started out great and then this idiot came with his canoe.. I drove 4 hours for nothing! Thanks you very much. I just don't get it. First he went on the hidden side and scared all the birds and then decided to come up the side we can see. He scared everything away and then decided to tie to the rocks and hide behind a bush... What happened to common sense?
In the words of Ron White...........you can't fix STUPID! We need to keep posting shots of these Bozos along with their tag numbers if known. Too bad there weren't a series of "capsize" shots to finish this series.
pepperman wrote:
Well today was another bust!!!!! Today we had another Self-Centered, York County, Pennsylvanian photographer ruin it for everyone else! This guy decided to not care about the wildlife or anyone else there to photograph them and take a motor boat as far up the shore as possible (right below the towers that the eagles perch on) and try to tie his boat there to get that one shot!!! It amazes me how self absorbed some people can be. It appears that in a very short period a precedence has been set! Very Sad! I wonder what he was thinking This guy is supposed to be a proffessional but I don't see anything proffesional in behavior like this....Show more →
The one time I went to the Dam, someone anchored a small boat just pass the no boating sign. The eagles stayed perched the towers, and only one went fishing. After reading this, I now understand why the eagles were less then active.
Well they say things come in three's so I wonder who the next moron will be to step up to the plate? I caught a nice cold over the weekend and decided not to go to Conowingo today. I'm glad I didn't waste my time nor my health.
Hopefully these yahoo's wise up soon. By the way he also has a phone number to be reached on his cavewolf.com website.
We have made some progress handling the guy with the kayak.
correction The Officer is with the MD Natural Resources Police not the MD State Police. Got that wrong from the caller ID when he called. Sorry to have temporarily mis-creditted the help we are getting for the Eagles.
As some of you know, I have been following up on this with with MD DNR, MD Natural Resources Police, and FWS. We have a DNR Police Officer who is now involved and following up on this. He's a guy interested in wildlife and knows the area well. He was sent the photos of the Kayak Invader along with his car license number.
I just got an email from him filling me in on what has transpired. As promised the Officer has followed up with this today. He spent a lot of the afternoon today at the Dam. And he met with Exelon and their guards. The officer has the guy's name and address and gave that to Exelon. As I understand it Exelon will "post" the island and enforce that no trespassing. Additionally the "gentleman" will be contacted regarding his behavior. Further activity like this will lead to arrest under any of three statutes.
So it's not perfect. But we've done something to protect "our eagles" in the future.
Thanks to all here who helped me get the information to pass along. And keep taking pictures of any violators. Get good area and facial shots, car and license plate numbers. If you feel you can do so safely, let the jerks know they are disturbing wildlife and that that carries a fine and jail time. If you can muster it, a polite approach might work better.
And we can call the Maryland Natural Resources Police dispatch in AA Co 410-356-7060; reference their police's current involvement and that you are seeing another violation.
Keep up the good work guys!! I wanted to get up their today, but it wasn't in the cards. Probably good thing I didn't. I have low tolerance for people that disrespect and encroach on wildlife.
We've gotten the jerk #2 now also. Yes "Canoe Boy" was met by MD Natural Resources Police yesterday !!
I got an email update last nite from Sgt Kelso, MD Natural Resources Police, confirming that he was able to find the "Canoe Boy" yesterday. And the issues of his actions and his natural resources violations were "discussed" with him. So now there is action taking place on Jerk #1 and Jerk #2. And we have Exelon involved with their guards instructed to take action on these kinds of things.
Basically both these jerks have now been identified and official contact made or in progress. While that can't make up for the birding trips they ruined or the hunger & stress which our feathered friend suffered, it is a positive step in stopping it from happening again. And we now have a decent and developing relationship with MD DNR.. That helps a lot.
We still need to publicly identify Jerk #1. So if you know him, let us know either in a post or a PM to me. I will also forward any information on any additional incidents to Sgt Kelso.
We do make a difference when we take a stand on this kind of behavior; making their bad acts public is a deterrent; and getting this info to the appropriate Natural Resources authorities does get results. Then by following up with as in this case with MD DNR, we help assure that action is taken and we support those who have the authority to take action.
So let's keep this let's keep up this kind of watchfulness. And a big thanks to all of those who have helped with these issues.
And I think we all extend our thanks to the MD Natural Resources Police and especially to Sgt Kelso. His follow thru has been great, prompt and professional.
You can contact MD DNR Police thru 410 356 7060 and 410 360 8888. Those #'s reach the Maryland Natural Resources Police dispatch in AA Co. Tell them you are calling about the continuing issue of NR violations at the Conowingo Dam.
A quick note: We also have allies amongst the legitimate fishermen there. So we want make sure we don't alienate them over the bad acts of others. They can be a good set of eyes looking for for people who interfere with the eagles & their fishing.
That's such great news, Rodney. Thanks so much for working on this and for posting the updates.
These guys ought to be ashamed of themselves. First of all, for having such complete and utter disregard for the well-being of the animals they are photographing. It casts a lot of doubt on ANY wildlife photography they have done and what might have been involved, what ethics they might not have followed. Second, it shows them to be so self-centered as to not care that they ruined the day for all of the other photographers & bird-watchers who were there. Lastly, it proves that they have no CLUE about how to be good wildlife photographers, because the best ones take the time to LEARN all about the animals they want to shoot so that they know how close they can get without disturbing them.
Thanks again Rodney and many thanks to Sgt. Kelso & the MD-DNR!!
WOW Rodney that is great!!! I just got info on someone else who might help us if needed: Glenn Therres is an Associate Director of DNR's Wildlife and Heritage Service in this area and has also been forwarded this information!
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