Comments by Craig Gillis

Loving Fitzgerald too much?

No, that’s not what I was suggesting at all. What I am talking about is letting the ranger know when a problem with another visitor is occurring. For example, I keep an eye on visitors that go past the cones on the beach near the park headquarters. Most turn back quickly when they see the seals begin to react but, with some, I’ve had to politely remind them of the need to keep a distance. So far, everyone I’ve experienced in that situation has shown genuine concern for the seals and quickly…

Loving Fitzgerald too much?

I completely agree that the county needs to provide more resources to the Reserve to better enable it to become a better host to visitors. The Reserve is a marine sanctuary but one that needs the support of the community in order to survive which is why visitors are important. I understand your analogy but I don’t think it fully applies to this situation. Yes, you do want to limit the impact of unruly guests but being too restrictive ruins the party for everyone. Wouldn’t it be better to enlist…

Loving Fitzgerald too much?

It is really disappointing to read some of these comments and experience the overt hostility against visitors to the reserve. So why are some commenters ready to characterize these visitors as villains when they simultaneously propose them as the source of new revenue? In fact, some people seem to take the real and perceived offenses of a minority of visitors so personally. Being so strident against visitors is only going to result in a lot of negative attention which, ultimately, means less funding…

Loving Fitzgerald too much?

The crowd at the reserve that day was definitely the largest I’ve ever seen but it was not mayhem. On the reef, an octopus was spotted nearby and there was suddenly an enraptured crowd of young kids surrounding the docent. To me, that scene is emblematic of the uniqueness of the reserve and why public access should not be limited in the way Sabrina suggests. I live two blocks from the reserve parking lot and I do not want to deal with parking stickers or similar restrictions that affects the quality…