Does anyone know the rule for surfing in a federal wildlife refuge? It is currently closed because of piping plovers. So anyway I was walking with my feet in the water, I paddled out on the side that was open to the public and the current took me down past the closed section. The intern for the FWS who was working there at the time, who I also went to school with told me I'm not allowed down there but I figured since my feet were below the mean high water line I was legal, she wasn't really sure about that and said no I wasn't allowed even if I was walking in the water. Does anyone know the answer to this? It is in New Jersey but its federal land so i'm not really sure what rules apply.
In NC its a "leave no footprint in the sand" law. You can do whatever you want in the water. Dunno bout NJ but these issues are infuriating and confusing. Bottom line is dollars to no surprise. Southern environmental law, defenders of wildlife, auduboun society are a few of the real villains down here. The more they push their own misguided plover agendas and b/s legislation through with massive, relentless lawsuits the less anything makes sense to tax paying beach goers. Its not your ranger/interns fault she cant explain this crap. No one can.
