Many of you might be coming to visit Goose Rocks Beach soon, maybe for the first time since the lawsuit by a few homeowners was filed against the Town of Kennebunkport. Welcome back–last night the full moon was huge, rising out of the ocean at twilight, a crisp night that followed a gorgeous late spring afternoon. Low tide stretched out forever, as the spring storms this year seemed to elongate the already wide strand between the two rivers.
So far I have only seen one Private Property sign, beyond those legitimate signs on the West End around the plover nests. Please respect the nesting areas as you always have, keeping dogs on leashes up that way and sitting well below those areas.
With regard to Private Property signs–the beach remains status quo, exactly like last year, until the lawsuit comes to some type of conclusion, which means enjoy Goose Rocks Beach the way you and your families always have. Please don’t sit on rocks or play in the fragile sand dunes, and of course respect that stairways down to the beach are indeed private property and access should be clear.
But make no mistake–no one can make you move from a particular beach area, and there is NO private/public designation on our beach. You may be asked to leave by some of the people in the lawsuit, but last year the Town of Kennebunkport police would simply ask you to move on, but if you chose not to, that was the extent of the interaction. Status quo has been the Town’s position, and until anyone tells us otherwise, last year’s experiences with open beaches to play and sunbathe remain the same!
As always, please pick up after your stay, be aware that folks stroll the beach at night with low visability so ask your kids to fill in their holes before you leave–that can be as much fun as digging them! Please ask your kids not to collect hermit crabs if they can’t ensure their health–they are fun to look at and pick up, but they are part of a wonderful ecology system and putting them back under water while they’re alive is the best way to keep them around for future generations.
We don’t mean to preach on this website, but with a fight to keep the beach available to us all comes a responsibility. Common courtesy is a perfect guideline–we know the Kennebunkport officers that patrol the beach will take care of any illegal behavior, but the little things are important, including (and maybe especially!) picking up after your dog–free litter bags at two locations on the paths.
Finally, we appreciate all the support for Save-Our-Beaches, and while it may be natural to be angry at those that want to deny access, we are fighting them legally and with a growing number of members with Save-Our-Beaches. Two great places to visit this summer have been great friends of this fight, Brandy’s on the Rocks and the Goose Rocks Dairy. Let’s keep to the high road this summer and respect one another.
We don’t want to give any of the dwindling number of homeowners in this fight any ammunition this summer as they have invented enough to go around for years. I hear the same stories about giant holes dug and left to endanger poor residents, although everyone telling me about them mentions a different neighbor, and these take on urban myth proportion. I hear about rude children jumping up and down on dinghies, although I’ve never seen that, and it’s natural to check out all the cool things at the beach. I’ve heard about homeowners that can’t walk down their stairs to the ocean because their steps are blocked, and I have to call foul on that one–who sits in front of steps when there is so much free area?
So end of sermon, but we speak because we have fought long and hard all winter to keep things as they have been, and now ask that we all do our part as we enjoy the beach. Don’t let a few taint things and give the lawsuit people any ammunition–smile if you run into one of them, politely encourage them to feel free to invite the officers to come chat, and hold your ground if you choose to, or move if you prefer not to have a confrontation with your kids around. Maybe it’s ok to ask them what makes them so sour!
But above all, wear your Save-Our-Beaches pins, hats or shirts, and we’ll share some places to get these things, soon on our website as well as in some retail locations! Show your colors, stand firm, but enjoy yourselves–Goose Rocks Beach is a place to get away from everyday strife and turmoil, and we hope your visits are as warm and peaceful as they have always been, and it is wonderful to see the beaches full of happy families again this year!