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Stand Your Sand Day June 4

Teresa avatar
SoWal Guide
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Stand Your Sand Day, Love Your Lakes, Love Your Parks! | Saturday, June 4, 8:30am
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Stand Your Sand, Love Your Lakes, Love Your Parks!

STAND YOUR SAND! (Parks open at 8:00, walk starts at 8:15)
Won't you join together on June 4th for Stand Your Sand and have a walk on the beach? Join hands and walk 10 miles from the east and 10 miles from the west and enjoy South Walton's Beaches to establish our customary use for all. If you don't want to walk 10 miles you can join in at any point along the way. Suggested starting point at Topsail State Park from the west and Camp Helen State Park on the east at 8:15 a.m.. Let no barriers or signs impede us on our beaches on this day or ever. This, to claim the Beaches of South Walton from the dune line to the water line for the customary use for all to fairly and equitably use and enjoy for eternity. "This sand is your sand, this sand is our sand"

LOVE YOUR LAKES!
Celebrate and enjoy our fragile Coastal Dune Lakes along the way and join up from the east and the west at Grayton Beach for Coastal Dune Lakes Day! Walton County's Coastal Dune Lake Advisory Board (CDLAB) is hosting a celebration of South Walton area coastal dune lakes on Saturday, June 4, 2016. The event will be held at Grayton Beach State park from 10:00 a.m. til 3:00 p.m. Celebrate Coastal Dune Lake Day at Grayton Beach State Park Jun 4 | SoWal.com - Insider's Guide for South Walton Beaches & Scenic 30A.

LOVE YOUR PARKS!
Celebrate and support your State Parks for the treasures they are. We are so fortunate to have so many amazing State Parks along South Walton's beaches. Show your support for your beach Parks on June 4th and pay the entrance fees that keep them thriving. Start your walk at Topsail or Camp Helen State Parks and finish at Grayton Beach State Park

Join hands for our sand and walk the walk for OUR beaches.
Join hands to embrace and protect OUR fragile Dune Lakes.
Join hands to celebrate and support OUR State Parks.

On your walk in STAND YOUR SAND consider traversing and ignoring any and all barriers, signs, ropes and chains that are in violation to the Walton County Beach Activities ordinance "(Items left on the beach overnight will be discarded. (Ordinance 2013-04 Section 22-54) "Obstructions also include fences, ropes, chains, or signs unless properly permitted by county, state, and federal agencies as appropriate.".

Reserve the right to stop on any portion of the dry sand for a rest to stay properly hydrated to ensure good health and to enjoy the view. Please do not litter. Please behave responsably and leave only your footprints. Please be respectful of beachfront homeowners and avoid confrontations. Be respectful of the Walton County Beach Activities ordinance. Do use and enjoy the beaches as people have for centuries.

The walk on the beach is in no way an official event of any kind; It is only an idea. All people have the free will to choose to act on an idea or not. We all have the right to walk on the beach; no permit needed.

IMPORTANT: Please be aware and avoid any contact with post and roped off sea turtle nesting areas. Also near and within the State Park boundaries and inlet/outfalls avoid crossing or trampling posted and roped areas that provide barriers to protect nesting shorebirds and waterbirds.

Stay hydrated water stations will be placed at marked beach accesses along the way. Wear appropriate sunscreen, headwear and clothing for protection from the sun.

After the walk meet up at Grayton Beach State Park and celebrate our beaches, State Parks and coastal dune lakes for COASTAL DUNE LAKE DAY! Celebrate Coastal Dune Lake Day at Grayton Beach State Park Jun 4 | SoWal.com - Insider's Guide for South Walton Beaches & Scenic 30A

June 4 is also National Trails Day

FB event page | for updates on event, comments, etc

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Edited

Replies

81
MRBS avatar
Beach Lover
#77
no just no. advertising on beach. no no no. insult to injury. I'm so thankful for y'all who took a stand today. to see that on top of all the conundrum, wth? bud to nip, sharply.

I anticipate that someone might say wouldn't you rather have a sign advertising beach services rather than row of empty chairs all day? I'd rather neither. the onion has many layers. next up: pedicures on beach signs?
Dave Rauschkolb avatar
Beach Fanatic
#781
With all the lighting it was scary out there yesterday but we had an amazing day on the beach. Thanks to all who support the customary use of our beaches. We will all be eagerly watching the Walton County Commissioners next move to pass the revised beach activities ordinance that will make the beach front homeowners remove the no trespassing/private beach signs, fences and ropes. Later this year they must pass a solid, defensible customary use ordinance. We applaud their efforts but they must not waver on this. The economic well being of our economy and our image as a civil place to live and visit is at stake. Since it appears the Commissioners won't vote on the Customary use ordinance until the fall we have lot's of time to prepare for another walk on the beach on a fine, clear fall day with no lightning is in sight. FB_IMG_1465084130260.jpg
Dave Rauschkolb avatar
Beach Fanatic
#791
So, how'd the protest go?

I bet about 8 or 9 people, including children actually showed up.

That accounts for about the same number of posters on SoWal that support the Trespass March.



The lightning definitely affected numbers. We had nearly 200 walkers planned to attend. When we do it again right before the County Commissioners actually vote on the Customary Use ordinance in the fall I expect we will have several hundred take the walk. Nothing like a gorgeous, dry, clear fall day for a walk on the beach with 500 of your best friends.

Screen Shot 2016-06-05 at 5.36.24 AM.jpg

In the mean time I will be working with beach front homeowners and locals to keep the pressure on the Commissioners to improve the enforcement of the beach activities ordinance. Some people are being slobs and behaving badly on our beaches we all need to come together and educate anyone and everyone that we don't tolerate bad behavior or activities on our beaches.

Edited

Dave Rauschkolb avatar
Beach Fanatic
#81
The signs, chains and ropes must come down! Thank you Commissioners Cindy Meadows, Celia Jones and Sarah Commander for standing up to your other two Commissioners and the lawyers and the beach front homeowners!!

"Let no barriers or signs impede us on our beaches on this day or ever. This, to claim the Beaches of South Walton from the dune line to the water line for the customary use for all to fairly and equitably use and enjoy for eternity. "This sand is your sand, this sand is our sand"
carson avatar
Beach Fanatic
#82
The signs, chains and ropes must come down! Thank you Commissioners Cindy Meadows, Celia Jones and Sarah Commander for standing up to your other two Commissioners and the lawyers and the beach front homeowners!!

"Let no barriers or signs impede us on our beaches on this day or ever. This, to claim the Beaches of South Walton from the dune line to the water line for the customary use for all to fairly and equitably use and enjoy for eternity. "This sand is your sand, this sand is our sand"

The message is simple, be respectful, don't be an ass. If people can manage to control themselves then there is no need for chains and signs. Good job SoWal, finally got it right.

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