Canopy on the beach

[liquorqueen]

The authorities were told to allow the chairs and canopies during the 4th so I was told by a life guard. This morning in Grayton the beach authorities did come by and take all the canopies, etc. off the beach and said they will continue to do so. Many today were mad and said they saw the signs when I stated to them that the law was posted on the entryways to the beaches, but these same folks stated that they were "personally" never told that their items would be taken. (I believe they will know now.) I also believe that the rental agencies should let their renters aware of this policy if they do not. I know that the local Jr. Food Stores, Grayton General, Publix, etc. are racking up the cash with people buying replacement chairs, etc.

 

[tsutcli]

The authorities were told to allow the chairs and canopies during the 4th so I was told by a life guard. This morning in Grayton the beach authorities did come by and take all the canopies, etc. off the beach and said they will continue to do so. Many today were mad and said they saw the signs when I stated to them that the law was posted on the entryways to the beaches, but these same folks stated that they were "personally" never told that their items would be taken. (I believe they will know now.) I also believe that the rental agencies should let their renters aware of this policy if they do not. I know that the local Jr. Food Stores, Grayton General, Publix, etc. are racking up the cash with people buying replacement chairs, etc.

These people are beyond redemption.

 

[2bohemians]

The reason folks leave these canopies up for seven days is because they are generally a pain in the butt to deal with. After a day of blazing sun and fifteen beers, who wants to try to wrestle a contraption like that?

Take a couple umbrellas, leave that tent at home, and the problem is solved.

We think the reason they leave these things up, is because they can! Just like Fryday said, they left there canopy up the whole week and nothing happened. People see other people doing it, they try it, it works, so they bring more stuff the next night. We just can't believe the amount of stuff left on our beach overnight --- never remember it being like this before --- and to top it all off, one of the beach chair companies left their setup at the water's edge all ready to go for the next day ... even had a chain & lock around it ..... this does not send a good message.

 

[2bohemians]

oh ... forgot to mention the amount of kayaks ... it's crazy that people would leave these out overnight and so close to the water ....

it feels like a big portion of the stuff on our beach is the same stuff we've been seeing for a while now .... think it mostly belongs to rental homes in the neighborhood .... and quite frankly, perhaps the guests just don't care if someone takes it or not .... they didn't pay for it .... this kind of mentality is hard for us to grasp but it does exist .... just don't understand why people don't get it ... they come here for a reason ... because it's so pristine and amazingly beautiful -- it would seem like they would have a vested interest in keeping it that way!

 

[seagrovegirl]

Most vacation rental companies put the "remove it or lose it" flyers in the guests welcome packet. In my office, it is also posted on the check-in desk. Plus...it is posted at all public accesses....it's kind of hard to not be informed. IMO....I think there are those that choose to ignore the ordinance and now have to blame someone when their stuff disappears off the beach.

 

[buster]

I haven't tried it but I think if I left my Eureka tent on the HWY 98 shoulder or other public space such as Helen McCall Park or Eden State Gardens it would be removed. I don't think I would be surprised, or have any right to be upset, even though my existence creates jobs and continually pumps cash into the local economy.

 

[Auggie Gal]

We just got back a few days ago from our annual stay in Grayton. We were dismayed to see so many canopies left up (the frames), and other debris overnight within spittin' distance of one turtle nest area. Since this was our first time being there during the
July 4th week (and our last-next year will be back either earlier or later), we assumed things were being overlooked due to the July 4th crowds. Whatever the reason, it is something that hopefully will be enforced more strongly in the future. The other thing that really amazed me, (besides the large amount of "June grass", aka algae bloom), was the absence of dolphins in the water. Our last day there we finally saw some swimming off-shore. During my childhood in the Panhandle they were a common sight. I'm glad to see the Surfrider Foundation folks were doing fundraisers and awareness campaigns in the area. Those of us who are coastal dwellers need to be better stewards of our environments. We hope to be back in the fall; love that Gulf.

 

[seagrovegirl]

The dolphin have been hanging out in Tucker Bayou recently....maybe they headed north too...to get away from the crowds.

 

[scooterbug44]

Would they have moved away from the fireworks?

 

[Smiling JOe]

Clearly some of you value turtles over tourist. Well I have never seen a turtle give anyone a job, but, then I have not seen everything. I just do not understand why leaving canopies up overnight has been okay for years, but now all of a sudden it is not.

As for the enviormentalist comment, I did not think it was a slur or something that would be considered an insult by people who claim to want to keep the beaches pristine and in their natural condition. It certainly is not lazy, but I in no way meant to offend.

As I stated, I have already been down for my week, sorry to say. I loved every minute of it. I do not plan to let this stop me from coming and I will be back next year.

Fryday, I value the natural beauty of the beach over tourists who leave their crap on the beach. I also value my safety while on the beach at night. I don't need to be looking out for canopy guide-wires with night-vision goggles.

If you were as respectful as the people who didn't disturb your canopy, the beach would be clear crap at end of the day. Other people have made the effort to remove their stuff daily, and I applaud them. It is a great improvement.

Ten years ago, when you first began coming to the beach, there were much fewer numbers of people on the beach, and beach crap wasn't so readily available, so the beaches didn't look like a flea market. Today, the beaches do look more like a flea market than the Blue Wave Beach, which SoWal is proud to say it has been designated.