Fellow Kiters,
I want to talk to you about kites vs birds. Specifically about kiters vs bird enthusiasts and how the bird enthusiasts can get kiters banned from the beach.
As kiters, we’re general members of the public when it comes to beach access. We walk in, or pay for parking stickers, gain access just like everybody else and use the beach for recreational purposes. We might know the smiling girl, posted up in a lawn chair at the entrance, but we rarely interact with park authorities.
The times we do interact with an official is when he’s telling us that we’re bad for the beach and we need to go home.
You’re doing your favorite thing in the world, wide smiled and ecstatic because you’re doing that which you love - FLYING A KITE UNTIL YOUR ARMS FALL OFF - then someone comes and tells you that you’re done! GO HOME!
So you think: “I’m done when the wind’s done ALSO I have every right to use these public lands to pursue that which brings me joy. Who do you think you are…you public servant! I pay my taxes!”
That's how tensions run high…whether I tell it to his face or think it in my head & the above example shows why we might not have the best relations with park authorities.
Who does have good relations with park authorities??
The bird enthusiasts...Some work for the parks directly or have friends who work for the parks and they know how to mind their P’s and Q’s and F*ck You’s when talking to Authorities.
The Audubon Society(A US bird conservation group) even does Lobbying with the government! They know how to keep the graces of people making the rules.
So when the question comes up: "Do we ban kitesurfing because birds are(allegedly) being distressed by the kites?” I think I know who the park supervisor will be backing.
This can be fixed so that we never get Banned and that we get a fair voice in the management of our parks & playgrounds!
Diplomacy from all of kitesurfers should be the first step.
BUT not all kitesurfers are diplomatic and, when tensions run high, this becomes even harder. Kitesurfers are passionate about our sport and we aren't the type that quit!
SO forcing us to quit will evoke some passions and emotions for sure.
This is not the way to make friends...especially friends that make the rules & the laws.
We need to organize:
-We should have a representative group(a Kiters Alliance) to speak on the behalf of all kiters - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
-We need to hire Lobbyists at the state capitol to make our Legislators aware that we exist! That the majority of us are highly functioning members of society: Doctors, Lawyers, Business Executives, Entrepreneurs, etc…
-We need one voice that will not call the Park Supervisor a D*******D because he’s just trying to do his job and keep his boss happy.
-Donations to pay the lobbyists fees will also help(those lawyers among us can also volunteer to help here)
-Signatures(ESP the Doctors, Lawyers & Business Executives), also Social Media Shares and General Support for this cause that affects us all.
Otherwise, one day, we might be looking at a sign telling us to Go Home!
Windiest Wishes
Rev. Vlad Alexandrescu
p.s. A note to Trols: Please know that your rants will not be read BUT filed directly into my FANBOX.
I will consider your 'running your mouth off' as a compliment.
Thank you for your emotions...misguided and lost as they may be.
Thanks for the heads up, Vlad. We do have a national body, Kiteboarding Australia, which is concerned with maintaining our access to beaches. But wildlife have rights too.
Super disappointing. We have a spot like that here in Sydney. Right in front of a bird sanctuary. Unfortunately its noob kiters following their mates that will get us booted. Have seen a kite or two end up in the trees, from sheer inexperience, and we have had our fair share of warnings. There are always two sides to the story, and so on the back of that we should always remember to kite within our limits and respect the local rules. I hope it all works out for you.
Select to expand quoteKIT33R said..
Thanks for the heads up, Vlad. We do have a national body, Kiteboarding Australia, which is concerned with maintaining our access to beaches. But wildlife have rights too.
Cool - I will check it out.
Wildlife certainly do have rights and I'm all about birds! I think my kitesurfing is the closest I can get to flying...something birds are naturally gifted with.
If only they could talk - we could sit around and talk about the wind for hours! 
Select to expand quotedaveisthekotz said..
Super disappointing. We have a spot like that here in Sydney. Right in front of a bird sanctuary. Unfortunately its noob kiters following their mates that will get us booted. Have seen a kite or two end up in the trees, from sheer inexperience, and we have had our fair share of warnings. There are always two sides to the story, and so on the back of that we should always remember to kite within our limits and respect the local rules. I hope it all works out for you.
Yes - noobs and guys who "fly off the handle"...every sport has them. We should(and often do) self regulate!
Thanks guys!
Really appreciate your thoughts - I am obviously trying to start this movement here in the US but it is a global problem we face and I want to see how others deal with it.
Keep it coming...
Much Love
Vlad
Hey Vlad, the Altona crew in Melbourne had a similar stint with the dog walkers of the area, at a popular kite spot called Dog Beach (not an official name btw).
The Mayor at the time, a transvestite, banned kite surfers from kiting in the area, and many dog owners were eager and quick to post anyone kite surfing there on their facebook page condemming the action and asking for action from the council.
What made me laugh about the whole situation was that the council did not have any juristiction below the water line, so technically you could pump up the kite on low tide, kite surf, pack up again and go before the tide reaches the beach!
I've heard some locals did this and - well nothing happened.
I guess some people see our kites and imagine all sorts of science-fiction scenarios:
like a kite flying on its own, hitting a dog, dog running wild, biting a child, child catching rabbies and later becomes a zombie and starts a zombie epidemic!
Seriously Vlad, get your mates and find a way to do what is YOUR right. Good luck
What about Birds distressing Kiters? I know of a few instances where Birds have either flown into a Kite and even heard whether it true or not where an Eagle had attacked a Kite.
I have observed many times at a local spot we kite near sandbars where there are Birds hanging out, they tend to just fly up and away from a passing Kiter and after that they simply just return to the spot. I am unsure if it's distress to the Birds as they have a tendency to fly up and away from anywhere they may be for anything and not necessarily because they have been disturbed by anything, in all my observations of them and/or watching docos of them. Many times near the launch/land areas where we may be, there are Birds that will come up and mill around up to about 5 or 10 metres away from our gear or ourselves seeming relatively unperturbed and just split of there own accord, when they are done of nosing around.
I guess there would need to be some hard evidence studies done into supporting any case. The usual practice by any lobby or power broker trying to push for any cause is to pay the right people off, situate stooge cronies in place of decision legislating, bias studies in ones favour, stifle any oppositions debates, discredit opponents and lie your teeth off. Sound familiar?
I would like to help but unfortunately, I am trying to fight a battle to preserve a local Kiting/Windsurfing spot from Multi Storey Development Proposals in an area that has been historically Zoned for only a 3 Storey Construction Limit Height. If the Developers get there way their Buildings will wind shadow and disturb wind patterns across a pristine and beautiful bay area that Windsurfers have been traditionally using for well over the past 40 years and Kiteboarders for well over the past 15 years.
The support your looking for Vlad, should come right from the top and that is the Manufacturers and the International Associations. I feel your right and this is only just going to become an ever increasing problem for our sport as many Wowsers and Whingers hate seeing others out there enjoying themselves and Pen Pushers that continually dream up more rules to control us all because that is the SYSTEM! 
Select to expand quoteVatos Locos said..
For free unlimited kiting across our mighty US of A
VOTE 1 TRUMP
Surely we can bring back the red thumbs just for this exception.
Select to expand quoteEternalNoob said...
Surely we can bring back the red thumbs just for this exception.
Surely y'all talk'n bout em green thumbs
Select to expand quoteVatos Locos said..sir ROWDY said...
Land of the free.
Y'ALL BELEIVE IT
are you at least using tunnell bear?
Isn't the pond (Tern Island) a nature reserve and bird sanctuary of some kind? I presume if greenies wanted to cause a similar fuss there, they could? 
Food for thought
Wasn't there an incident down in Mandurah Estuary or something between bird enthusiasts and windsurfers?
Select to expand quotedefault said..
Isn't the pond (Tern Island) a nature reserve and bird sanctuary of some kind? I presume if greenies wanted to cause a similar fuss there, they could? Food for thought
Wasn't there an incident down in Mandurah Estuary or something between bird enthusiasts and windsurfers?
No mate. We live in Rockingham. Locals (including local wildlife) have no rights here. Especially the pond is there for everyone to come and abuse. Our rates will increase for useless measure taken to try and fix the damage. And we will be fined instantly for walking our dogs outside of the dog beaches which we can't use in summer as they turn into kite beaches (Pengos).
On a positive note I noticed an increase in decent size snakes in and near all dunes, including Tern Island. So perhaps nature comes up with a solution to protect itself 
