Canopy on the beach

There are many things that were fine in years past, that are deemed inappropriate these days. As our population grows (I'm not talking locally, but globally) we are learning to adapt our behaviours in various manners to handle this change. This happens to be a local instance of human adaptation, and it's an issue of whether our personal needs are more important that the greater good, whether for humans or for the environment.

I'm not going to argue the point except to say that during the time your family has been coming to SoWal, there has also been a huge explosion of growth, both in tourism & in new residents. In years past, it didn't make as much impact to the beach at all because there weren't tents/canopies lined up from one end to the other. They were very sparse. Now, the amount of canopies lined up makes it really hard to even understand why some people don't see why what wasn't an issue is now regarding leaving canopies and/or gear out overnight.

I am blessed to live near Topsail Preserve & only see 1 tent that actually stays up all summer. It's right by the dunes under someone's stairs. I wonder about its necessity because I have only seen someone use it 3 times last summer & once this summer. But everyone else at that access just comes with the bare necessities & takes most everything with them. And, yes, it's more beautiful to look down the stretch of sand between there & Sandestin & see just beach with people walking on it & enjoying the view.

Even then, I'm not "anti-canopy" at all. I'm "anti-canopy left up overnight." And from the posts from those speaking up about the issue, pretty much everyone you're debating with falls somewhere within that category.

Being the fact that we are discussing an area of land that resides between land and sea, the dynamics of human behaviour affect the local environment around us even more than in other locations inland. Not to say that human behaviour everywhere doesn't affect an environment, but our actions here DIRECTLY and IMMEDIATELY affect not only the land environment (sea walls, etc.) but the marine environment (turtles, etc.) as well.

Humanity accepting responsibility in even small ways such as this to be stewards of the earth we live on is only a win-win situation for us. I'm not saying everyone should be a "left wing environmentalist" as someone put it earlier, but just take notice of the choices that each one of us can make that truly can make a difference. This is one of those choices.

BTW, the "save the turtle crowd" you're talking about are some of the most involved people in this community in all areas that you can imagine.



And that was the beautiful CityMouse with the precocious, adorable little boy. SoWallers were in attendance! BTW Mimi counted 57 people total. Usually they get 25-30.

organicmama, I want to thank you for the very nice and well written response. I know that all of us (yes, I am part of the beach lovin? group) are good people and are passionate about our beaches. Please forgive me if I offended you or anyone else, as besides this blog I have never had the slightest argument with anyone in the Grayton and surrounding areas. We beach lovers are usually a very happy group. Once the "happy" is gone then the beach will never be the same. I may disagree with a few, but I will follow the law and of course remove my canopy at night and I suggest everyone do the same, as I know that several tourist not only leave their canopy at night, but also leave litter and other items that make areas look like Sanford and Son?s front yard. So, lets move on, have a group hug and hit the beach!

At the Huntsville airport over July 4th a child was killed by a canopy collapsing during what the weather station reported as a microburst. I never would have considered a canopy/tent being so dangerous. Several others adults included were injured.
I never imagined a beach umbrella dancing down the beach either.

. . . . . .

More people, more problems

That is it in a nutshell. We have all the tourists we need. I used to think more was better for business (selfish motive) but I have come to realise that more just brings more people who want to do business here. No real gain except in traffic and problems like beach clutter etc. It is hard to keep a good thing secret, but at some point the advertising is counter productive. Word of mouth works just fine and is all we need IMHO. I am sure the TDC is well meaning, but I would love to see us take better care of what (and who) is here already and stop endlessly searching for more, more, more. One tent on the beach did not seem so bad- one hundred and we all have a problem.

organicmama, I want to thank you for the very nice and well written response. I know that all of us (yes, I am part of the beach lovin? group) are good people and are passionate about our beaches. Please forgive me if I offended you or anyone else, as besides this blog I have never had the slightest argument with anyone in the Grayton and surrounding areas. We beach lovers are usually a very happy group. Once the "happy" is gone then the beach will never be the same. I may disagree with a few, but I will follow the law and of course remove my canopy at night and I suggest everyone do the same, as I know that several tourist not only leave their canopy at night, but also leave litter and other items that make areas look like Sanford and Son?s front yard. So, lets move on, have a group hug and hit the beach!

Hmmmm, you didn't offend me at all. Thanks for your response. No worries on this end.

I get a bit irritated (and then let it go) when the various "camps of opinions" on this board start name-calling each other. I'm not directing that at you or anyone in particular. It's just part of the dynamics of having a small live community that also has a small virtual community. The dynamics get funky.

We also represent to the rest of the world our beach community online, so when people start calling each other "morons," "trolls," etc. I do feel that it makes SoWal look very elitist and one-sided.

I was in Atlanta at the Stone Mountain Laser show this weekend, and I thought of this canopy discussion. (Stone Mtn. is a giant piece of granite which is the centerpiece of a nice park. It's famous for it's impressive summer laser show that is projected onto the face of the mountain.) For 25 years, people have gathered on the sloping hillside to spread out their blankets, eat a piece of chicken and wait for it to get dark enough for the show to start. It's a tradition. Everyone's whole purpose in being there is to get a good view of the mountainside/show. EVERYONE knows the deal is that you spread out a blanket -- it's obvious. Except there are those few (and you can spot them) who proudly set up their camp chairs right smack in the middle of the hill, effectively blocking the view of anyone within a few feet behind them. That might not seem like a big deal, but as darkness falls, EVERY SQUARE INCH of that hillside is covered with families and church groups and boy scout troops and college students trying to find a spot to sit and enjoy the show. And there sit the happy folks in their chairs, rendering unusable all that space behind them. I suppose in their world it's all about them being just a little more comfortable, and deserving their place because they got their first. (BTW, the elderly people who actually need chairs are often sitting politely around the edge of the field being considerate.)

Is it illegal to bring a chair to the show? No. Then why don't I do it? For the same reason I don't wear a giant hat and yap on my cell phone when I'm at the movies.

In my opinion, we could remove the turtle nesting question altogether and still make "our case." The beach canopies and laser show chairs may not be exactly the same, but the principle is. We're all just trying to find a nice spot where we can be wowed by the show. If I could, I would pay extra to get to a canopy-free section of SoWal beach, because I think canopies are space-hogging and make the beach look ugly. But I also realize that is only my opinion and no more valid than anyone else's. But if we would all follow the rules that are already in place and bring in our stuff, then at least we could all look forward to mornings and evenings when we could take in the view of nothing but beach and people. We were disappointed during our vacation this year that we didn't even get that.

txasmom, are you copying and pasting from a news article or something? Seems like we read that exact paragraph in one of the other seven pages.

We also represent to the rest of the world our beach community online, so when people start calling each other "morons," "trolls," etc. I do feel that it makes SoWal look very elitist and one-sided.

OM-

When I referred to Dr. NW as a "troll", it was not a personal insult. Had I referred to him as a moron, idiot, or something like that it would be different.

I was describing his behavior on the forum. "Trolling" is the practice of posting deliberately provocative comments, with the basic intent of stirring up s**t for the fun of it.

Constructive debate is fine, and I'm fine with people having opinions that don't match mine. But I don't care for trolling, and don't think it's at all elitist to point it out when I see it.

I am also disturbed when trolls get the emotional reaction they were fishing for, because, as you correctly pointed out, it does indeed make us look contentious and difficult to get along with. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

With 20/20 hindsight, the next time I see trolling, I'll do what I should have done this time - ignore it altogether and hope that everyone else does the same.

. . . . . .

Otter, don't give up on this thread just yet--jodi gave some valuable info in post #246. There's free beer under some of those canopies!

Otter, don't give up on this thread just yet--jodi gave some valuable info in post #246. There's free beer under some of those canopies!

:scratch: Hmmmmmm................... Note to self

OM-

When I referred to Dr. NW as a "troll", it was not a personal insult. Had I referred to him as a moron, idiot, or something like that it would be different.

I was describing his behavior on the forum. "Trolling" is the practice of posting deliberately provocative comments, with the basic intent of stirring up s**t for the fun of it.

Constructive debate is fine, and I'm fine with people having opinions that don't match mine. But I don't care for trolling, and don't think it's at all elitist to point it out when I see it.

I am also disturbed when trolls get the emotional reaction they were fishing for, because, as you correctly pointed out, it does indeed make us look contentious and difficult to get along with. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

With 20/20 hindsight, the next time I see trolling, I'll do what I should have done this time - ignore it altogether and hope that everyone else does the same.

Treefrog, I was hoping that wasn't going to be misunderstood. There are very valid reasons for feeling someone is being a troll and I have seen a few on this board in the almost 2 years I've been involved, but it's the flagrant name-calling that sometimes happens that really makes us look bad sometimes. Troll-like behaviour on all sides gets yucky. It wasn't necessarily a "troll" reference, but the tangeant that gets going because of the poster deemed a troll and then the subsequent reactions that occur.

Please accept my apologies for any misunderstanding.

Otter, don't give up on this thread just yet--jodi gave some valuable info in post #246. There's free beer under some of those canopies!

;-) You never know what you might learn here on SOWAL
But I decided to post a pic of the beach in P'Cola just before a storm with alot of lightning ran most people off the beach and canceled the Blue Angels show on Saturday. How would you like to come out to this sight on the beach ..........

how did they expect to see the air show?????

Sounds good except the email part. Here's the chair link - http://www.riobrands.com/beach/chair-SC529-50.htm#50

Thanks for the updated link; I had just typed what's printed on the backs of most of our chairs, but after linking to it, saw that it links to their luggage dollies. It looks like the spun off their beach chair line up (and the newest "key lime" model we bought at Sam's Club says www.riobrands.com )

BMB Regional Access area on 7/4/08:


The future Pensacola beach..."We don't need no stinkin' Blue Angels to have a crowd!";-)

Where's the BEACH???!!!!

Saw a program on the Travel Channel this weekend - Called Beachgoers Exposed - They call people who feel the need to put up tents - and bring a million things to the beach as "beach contractors". They poked fun at the idea of bringing so much to the beach and even remarked about the effort involved in removing it all at the end of the day.

From Texas too...

Just a note. This will be our families tenth summer trip to Sowal. This board has been the most helpful and informative tool on the area I have ever come across! We drive all the way from Austin, Texas. Since we have been coming to the beach for a while we have accumulated a lot of what I call "beach plastic junk". It used to be that my brother 'n' law and I would fight to see who would be the unlucky one to take the mess in their car. We finally pitched most of it and tell the kids if you bring it down to the beach you haul it back up at the end of the day. Now the stuff is limited to a football, frisbee and and maybe a pale and shovel for the little one's. We stay at Watersound and pay a little extra for the beach umbrella service. It's great. Thanks again for all the great info!!

Craig in Texas

Just a note. This will be our families tenth summer trip to Sowal. This board has been the most helpful and informative tool on the area I have ever come across! We drive all the way from Austin, Texas. Since we have been coming to the beach for a while we have accumulated a lot of what I call "beach plastic junk". It used to be that my brother 'n' law and I would fight to see who would be the unlucky one to take the mess in their car. We finally pitched most of it and tell the kids if you bring it down to the beach you haul it back up at the end of the day. Now the stuff is limited to a football, frisbee and and maybe a pale and shovel for the little one's. We stay at Watersound and pay a little extra for the beach umbrella service. It's great. Thanks again for all the great info!!

Craig in Texas

Thank you Craig for "getting it".

Maybe it's time to put a rule up that is similar to the food at the movies or at the MacDonald's Play area:

"Only food purchased here is allowed".

We could say: " only umbrella service purchased on the beach is allowed. "

Now, that could be a government rule--but, it would be private enterprise that would reap the benefit...and the government could ensure that the private beach service people removed everything, every night, or they would lose their license to operate on the beach.

Is this what it will take to keep our beach safe and free of clutter?

Jodifl--I think I was in the middle of that mess YEARS ago minus an umbrella, just a nine year old grandson and one chair! No, you couldn't see a thing, and I had heck trying to keep up with the kid, who was WELL beach savy, but wanted to know how he was suppose to see the planes? In the end, everyone who actually came to SEE the show ran to the waters edge, but could not get in (safety), so imagine the rest. My point, is the kid loved the show and I'm glad, he's seventeen now and can go again if.. he wants, WITHOUT grammyc ! And the other part of the point being, no matter what beach, for what reason, leave some room to see the sky and feel the beach, NATURALLY!

I think that having and ENFORCING the ordinance will do the trick. Once people learn the rule and start making decisions about what to bring/erect based on convenience, the oceanfront refugee camps should dissipate a bit.

I thought that the umbrella/chair services already faced losing their permits if they left items out?

Saw a program on the Travel Channel this weekend - Called Beachgoers Exposed - They call people who feel the need to put up tents - and bring a million things to the beach as "beach contractors". They poked fun at the idea of bringing so much to the beach and even remarked about the effort involved in removing it all at the end of the day.

would love to see this.