Stand Your Sand, Love Your Lakes, Love Your Parks!

[Dave Rauschkolb]

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.

During Stand Your Sand traverse and ignore 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

 

[Teresa]

Thanks Dave. Beautiful way to enjoy our beaches and bring awareness to our parks, lakes and beaches. And preserve our access to enjoy them as we've always done.

 

[seabythegrove]

Maybe we could do a "Boycott Seaside Day" - one of the original and biggest violators of
barriers, signs, ropes and chains (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.".

 

[30A Skunkape]

Maybe we could do a "Boycott Seaside Day" - one of the original and biggest violators of
barriers, signs, ropes and chains (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.".

You are confusing Seaside in general with the group of Seaside homeowners who have become territorial on the beach. There are no restrictions on Seaside beaches that abut the public areas, ie, in front of Dave's restaurants, if that is what you are getting at.

 

[Dave Rauschkolb]

Maybe we could do a "Boycott Seaside Day" - one of the original and biggest violators of
barriers, signs, ropes and chains (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.".

Seaside has a wide open public beach behind Bud & Alley's.

 

[John G]

This sounds like an organized riot against Private Property.

I hope your group behaves and I can tell you that as a previous supporter of your Better South Walton Program and the incorporation efforts, I am now not interesting in supporting you or your group.

You are clearly instigating conflict. Disgusting. Yet you make no mention of WHY these barriers have been erected. It's required by the WCSO SOP.

During Stand Your Sand traverse and ignore 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.".

 

[Dave Rauschkolb]

This sounds like an organized riot against Private Property.

I hope your group behaves and I can tell you that as a previous supporter of your Better South Walton Program and the incorporation efforts, I am now not interesting in supporting you or your group.

You are clearly instigating conflict. Disgusting. Yet you make no mention of WHY these barriers have been erected. It's required by the WCSO SOP.

During Stand Your Sand traverse and ignore 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.".

Thank you for your comment "John G"

It is important to be good neighbors and sharing the resources we hold dear here in Walton County is critical to the well being of our citizens, visitors and economic interests.

You are mistaken in that I am representing, with my idea, any other person or organization other than myself; I have always encouraged people to enjoy the beautiful beaches here, doesn’t everyone? All I have done is proposed an idea for people to go to the beach as they always have and take a walk.

Here is language referring to participants behavior for the walk: "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." I would hope those opposed to Customary Use will in turn be respectful and "behave" as you mentioned.

All of the beaches of South Walton and Florida have been customarily accessed and been uninterrupted in their human use for centuries. We all hold dear our connection to our beaches and I have nothing but respect for all those who defend their rights to use and enjoy the beaches as we always have.

Also, it is critical that both in perception and reality that the sandy areas of The Beaches Of South Walton are open for all to enjoy; our very tourist driven economy is dependent on this perception and reality. Any threat to our beach supported economy is no less a threat than a major hurricane and even worse in the long term in my view. As a business owner in South Walton for over 30 years I take that threat very seriously.

You have only my best wishes John G for you to enjoy the beaches and their view as we all do and always have.

Dave Rauschkolb
Private citizen, beach lover, property owner, business owner

 

[Dawn]

Thanks Dave! @John G conflict is what you live for. You're too chicken to do it in person.

 

[Teresa]

Many thanks to people like Dave who know and love our community and always work to preserve, protect and improve it for all of us and for the future of our beach town.

 

[Porkchop]

Dave, Thank you so much for publicly "sticking your neck out" on this incredibly important issue. You hold the moral high ground regardless of what any deeds, surveys, ordinances and signs might say.