Illegal kayaking...say it ain't so!
 

From this morning's Conway Daily Sun editorial page, a kayaker disturbing a nesting loon. And not a power boat in sight!

The point?

The common denominator when it comes to stupidity is always the Capain, not the type of vessel.

what's really going on?
 

Something's wrong with the photo. There is a line going from the head of the loon toward the kayak. Is he trying to rescue the bird from a snag?

Loons don't nest in the middle of the lake, so where's the nest here?


Also, it doesn't look like he's really a "kayaker", just a guy using a kayak to get out to the bird (his leg is up on the deck). ;)

The Text that Goes with the Photo from the paper:

No peace for expecting mother as she sits on nest
To the editor:
Wildlife’s Greatest Threat: There is no peace for this expecting mother as she sits on her nest, day and night, all the while floating on a man-made raft at the west end on White Donkey in Tamworth. On the 7th of July while walking on the trail that leads from the south end of the beach and swimming areas I came upon this scene. Her mate was nearby watching a senseless encroachment of an endangered species. Motel and hotel rooms offer a placard that you can hang on your outside doorknob. “Please do not disturb.” - Mel Chute, Chocorua

Sorry, forgot to include the photographer's caption:


To the editor:
Wildlife’s Greatest Threat: There is
no peace for this expecting mother as
she sits on her nest, day and night, all
the while fl oating on a man-made raft
at the west end on White Donkey in
Tamworth. On the 7th of July while
walking on the trail that leads from
the south end of the beach and swimming
areas I came upon this scene.
Her mate was nearby watching a
senseless encroachment of an endangered
species. Motel and hotel rooms
offer a placard that you can hang on
your outside doorknob. “Please do not
disturb.”
Mel Chute
Chocorua

But the type of vessel IS mentioned.

There is no agenda at work here.....just move along.....

I say we ban them!!! I am contacting my rep I want a Bill brought before the legislature! We need to let the government know that we are AFRAID, and FEAR for the well being of our ENDANGERED species!

Whats Wrong With That Pic??
 

Unbelieveable....

Not only is the dumb*ss harassing a Loon on a nest.... but where is his PFD? What happens if the Loon lunges or attacks and knocks him into the water? How will a speeding GFBQ canoe see him in time to avoid a collision?

I say we require all canoes, kayaks, sailboats, and other non powered watercraft purchase a $10 "preservation" sticker.... money to be used by the NHMP to educate these heathen on proper boating safety & environmental responsibility!!

Woodsy

Yeap!
 

I agree with Woodsy.

Make it mandatory that nonpowered vessels captions wear flourescent orange life vests to protect the innocents!

Let's not jump to conclusions here solely based on the photgraph and attached news article. The article is based on the photo and it did not include any interview of the kayaker. Possibly the kayaker was attempting to remove a fishing line or plastic trash remnant from the entangled loon? One's preconceived thoughts can prejudice what you see in this photo.

Looking at this photo, the kayaker could be attempting to untangle the wild loon from floating debris such as a six-pack plastic.

Isn't there a loon preservation and rescue group located in Moultonboro. What would a photo of a loon rescue person look like?

Looking at the photo, what do you see?

Boats or People
 

Hey WBB,

Which do you mean?;)

I mean Kayaks and Canoes! Can't ban people, well maybe, but that is another topic. Loons taste like chicken, so I wouldn't ban them! Just Kidding, kidding.


Disclaimer: I have never nor do I intend to eat Loon, It was a joke, actually I have seen a bumper sticker with that on it.

FLL....didn't you read Skips post?? There was an eyewitness and he was doing exactly what the picture shows.
Bear Islander.......imagine one of those hateful,reckless kayakers tormenting your little Daisy on her nest with 8 little eggs.

In the famous words of Howie Carr...
 

How many more, Mr. Speaker...How many more?? :D

But wait, there's more .....
 

OMG, you are correct sir ! There's more going on here than initially meets the eye. That's no snag, it's a lasso !! The boater has lasso'ed the poor bird to tow him around the lake. :eek: Worse than that, he's using some recreational kayak. If only it had been a sea kayak then the imprisoned loon wouldn't have had to work so hard ..... ;)

Nope. Obviously, the loon has caught a kayaker in her trap with which to feed her young. I hear kayakers taste like granola. (c'mon, it's a joke);)

This is the kind of mindless, senseless, arrogant act I've come to expect from the pardy not at all paddling crowd. Harassing birds, probably disturbing turtles, all in the name of self-serving interests.

That poor bird looks absolutely terrified in that picture, as anyone would be had their 150' space been violated. :eek: I'll bet the poor bird had to endure many minutes of fright as the kayak headed straight for her, probably not even aware of the impending encroachment. The kayaker could have slowed down, but it's not their nature, never has been. The kayaker is probably coming back from the local quick stop, with the day's beer supply.

Loons have rights too! :rolleye1:

And yet even more ...
 

Turtles you say .... well I can't disprove that but let me add that it's worse than you think. Lookee here.

Poor old protected mantee, needlessly run over by the kayaker with his knife sharp blade edges. Sure, sure it has nothing to do with the lake nor is it in the state of NH but that doesn't matter. It still looks bad. Oh, the humanity !!!! ;)

And before someone else does it ...
 

Did I say humanity .....

Those blubbery lards are absolutely everywhere down South. They are going to end up as endangered as the mosquito :laugh: As far as I'm concerned, protecting manatees is like protecting Eurasian millfoil, another pest from another far away land.

Now if we could only convince Fish & Game to stock the lake with Great White Sharks...maybe we could "Thin the Kayak Herd", making the lake much safer for us "Cowboys". :laugh:

I notice that kayak has no flag. It also looks like no PFD.

Safety devices
 

Clearly the kayaker bears the brunt of the blame for paddling faster than his ability to see the loon. But the bird also contributed to this violation by failing to use all of the safety equipment that is available on the market today. As Exhibit A I offer my new invention: a bright orange colored globe-shaped latex rubber device that is filled with helium and tethered to the bird. I call it the Backoff Alert for Loons -- or BA Loon for short.

I love the seaplane pilot picture. I read the article that was with it. Basically the guy in the kayak said that he wasn't worried, they often come by and check things out but they wouldn't bother him. Funny that's exactly what that bear guy said in Alaska before the bear ate him and his girl friend.

Totally enjoyed reading the above posts.... just what the doctor ordered!!!:laugh::laugh:

Thank you for the Hindenburg and white shark post. We need more threads like this one to keep it fun.

Just ask Chief Brody
 

Great Whites eat powerboats also........

Yeah, but only if you're trying to catch them. Since we "cowboy" powerboaters travel at breakneck, lightning speeds at all hours of the day and night, there's no way a great white will ever catch us. Pity the poor kayaker that can't paddle fast enough.:emb:

I am sure there is a kayaker or two we know that could out-paddle a shark! ;)

Stealth Kayaks should be banned.
 

I'm with you WeirsBeachBoater. Ban those dangerous things.

Those stealthy kayaks and canoes glide so quietly through the water that they can sneak up on loons or people. If you swim or snorkel you could wind up with one of them bearing down on you. The poor loon never had a chance.

There ought to be a noise law. The minimum allowable noise you have to make on the lake. With that protective law the loon would have had advance warning of the approaching kayak as would swimmers and snorkelers.

They are already protected by the go fast be loud boats. Loons can hear those coming and the GFBLs go so fast that the loons does not have time to be disturbed.

Never mind the shark, always go kayaking with someone slower than you?

We know one for sure that would claim to be able to outsmart,outdebate, outcondition,and certainly not the least of all,out whine that darn shark!

I can out wine any shark! A Hewitt cab would go nicely on the lake.


Oh, you said whine. Never mind. ;)

The amount of kayak bashing on this forum continues to amaze me. This is supposed to be a place for all boaters - yet the powerboat owners seem to think that there’s nothing wrong with constantly putting down paddlers here. No wonder that I’m only one of the few paddlers who is brave enough to post here. And I get jumped on every time that I stand up for paddlers. And please don’t try to tell me that this is just a joke – because I’m not laughing at your insults. This is nothing more than prejudice - and it is wrong.

This thread was started by making an accusation that is based solely on a poor quality photo and on the opinion of the photographer that the kayaker’s action was “senseless encroachment of an endangered species.” First of all, we don’t know why the kayaker was there, so there's no proof that it was "senseless". For all we know, he may have been there to help the loon. What ever happened to “innocent until proven guilty?” Secondly, loons are not an endangered species (http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wild...gered_list.htm).

And, before you guys that are suggesting that we should ban anything that posses a threat to loons, you really should understand where the main threats come from – because you’re actually advocating banning yourselves.

From The Loon Conservation Committee http://www.loon.org/research.html#causes

“Results of our mortality studies have shown that lead sinkers and jigs are the primary cause of death of adult loons, while boat and personal watercraft collisions account for more chick deaths than any other cause.”

“Loss of breeding habitat as a result of shoreline development is one of the main causes of the reduction in loon numbers throughout New Hampshire.”

"This is nothing more than prejudice - and it is wrong" Kind of like painting all powerboaters as evil, loon killing, paddler hating monsters?

Listen to your own advice.

Heh,heh,heh.......After all the heat that GFB's have taken over the years,now Evenstar is all indignant because one of his Kayakin' buddies was BUSTED.....and don't give me that "poor quality photo" excuse.....there was an eyewitness to the crime.I've never seen a GFBer torment and distress a poor nesting loon mom like that .Probably the eggs never developed because of that thoughtless act. Kayaks and canoes should fitted with a warning bell to warn wildlife of their presence.How many more loons must suffer?

Evenstar

Let them have their fun! They are still smarting from their big loss. For a time they will enjoy trashing kayaks, nitpicking supporters posts and turning every thread into a speed limit debate.

So they will search the internet for funny or embarrassing pictures and stories about kayaks, canoes and so on. Let us show them we are gracious winners and let them enjoy their jokes.

It's only fair. Remember two years ago when we lost..... actually.... on second thought.... we took it like adults.

Now you're actually accusing me of stating things that I've never even posted! Please get you facts straight before you make accusations against me. Show me where I've ever made negative comments about ALL powerboaters. I have made it very clear that I have nothing against powerboats, and I have never even suggested banning any type of powerboat from the lake. It's the attitude and the ignorance of SOME powerboat operators that I have trouble with.

1.) The photo is poor quallity.
2.) There's no evidence that the kayaker was not attempting to help the loon. Someone's opinion alone, about what they think that they saw, isn't evidence that a "crime" took place. Did the eyewitness or anyone else ever question the paddler?
3.) I'm a she. And I don't even know the person in the photo - so he is hardly one of my "Kayakin' buddies." All my kayaking buddies paddle sea kayaks.
4.) Since this event did not occur on winni, using the rules of the anti-speed-limit-members, it is irrelevant to this forum.

I was totally ignoring this thread - until posts started being directed at me personally - that's crossing the line in my book.

Yes we did.

I beg to differ but if you took it like an adult , why did the whining continue till you BS'd the politicians into passing it:rolleye2:

Let it go gentle folks. There are enough hijacked threads moved into "Speed-limits" already. Stop the baiting - stop the biting!

Kayakers....GUILTY as charged.......Think about this fact! GFB's prowl the broads and the rafting hangouts.....while the evil kayakers invade all of the quiet little places where wildlife tries to hide.They disturb nesting birds,turtles beaver colonies,spawning fish....even frogs and tadpoles get bumped out of their nests as the kayakers power through the shallows.No little bay or cove is safe from them.....they pride themselves on being eco-friendly but the opposite is true....they invade and disturb the very creatures that they so pride themselves on preserving.