Shark Point and Johnson Key Chickees

[MICHAEL JESTER]

I would like to introduce myself to the discussion group. My name is Mike Jester and I am the facility manager at Everglades National Park. It appears there is much misinformation about the camping structures and yes, I agree they are not as user friendly as those found in other areas of the park. What you may not know is the design of the structures was the result of having to obtain environmental permits/permission from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Coast Guard and the National Marine Fisheries. Bottom line, we were required to raise the structures to a minimum of five feet about mean high water, provide one inch spacing between deck boards, orient the structure east to west and relocate the proposed Umbrella Key chickee futher away from the Tin Can Channel to Shark Point (much shallower water). Unfortunately, the park was unaware of these requirements when we were conducting public meetings to get input for future uses in the park. The agencies which oversee these activities have responsibility for the protection of critical habitats associated with threatened and endangered species and safe navigation for the boating public. In order obtain the permits to construct the campsites, the park had the choice of making the required changes or not constructing the camp sites, which I must assume would have fructrated our visitors more than having the existing facilities. So, where do we go from here?

[toofaraway]

Xavier and Dizzy I fail to see anything productive at all about your comments. 

 

Think about it, the guy from the Parks comes online to try to offer education on the background as well as solicit input on making it better and you just rag on him.

 

As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.  I think you owe him an apology.

 

TFA

[Terry]

 

Mike, thanks for the chickees, ALL of them, they are very welcome structures to paddlers no matter where

they are or how they're built.  Can we be of help?  It's hard to organize volunteers for construction projects

like chickees but single day canoe trail projects to help clear your schedule are perfect.  Alligator Creek

needs clearing, the high numbered side of Noble Hammock Canoe Trail needs trimming as well as the

Nine Mile Pond Trail at the far turn.  Right now I'm spending my volunteer hours retrieving downed PVC

markers out of the mud and picking up toilet paper at popular piss stops along the Hells Bay Canoe

Trail.  If you could get the approvals, we could put together a volunteer crew all trained by Tom and with

experience on the Bear Lake Canoe Trail to take some of these jobs off your schedule.

Think about it. 

 

[yakmaster]

we'd also be available to assist in any chickee retrofitting you'd like to go with.

[Xavier Becquer]

My intention was/is not to rag on Mike. My point is that Everglades is a National Park and is to be enjoyed by everyone not just the few select few lunatics who are OK with wearing safety harnesses while setting up camp.  Of course we appreciate the chickees they are the only option for the most part. My intention was to point out that it's pretty lame that one governing agency needs the approval of 5 other governing agencies to basically build a 10' x 10' hut on the water. All that back and forth, all the paper work, all the politics and they manage to build something that deep down inside most of us know is totally user unfriendly and definitely not safe.

I'm basically new on this forum, but I was born an raised in south Florida and the great outdoors is and always has been my life.  I have been around long enough to know when politics gets in the way of common sense. Everyone these days is so worried about being politically correct that they forget to just do what is right.

These two chickees don't affect me one bit as i have enough sense to stay away. What i am worried about is what happens when the "smart" guys start redesigning the others? What happens when we all have to carry rope and ascenders to get to our sleep platforms in the sky? It's stupid.

I read an article this weekend that they are planning on burning 74 million to revamp the flamingo lodge, the camp area, the marina, and the visitors center. How many pearl bay type chickees do you think could be built with just one million if all the BS red tape was eliminated?

Shark point has way too many things wrong with it. I was looking at the pics again in disbelief. What happens when some of us are stuck out there in a thunderstorm and we are sitting on the highest point around with absolutely ZERO in lightning protection? I am not being a wuss. I am merely stating it the way I see it.  If you feel like your toes have been stepped on attribute it to the difference in our personalities and live on. If you think I am out of line that is why we have a moderator.

Happy Paddling.

[Ross Hancock]

I can't believe no one has yet to suggest raising the mean high water level of Florida Bay to make these chickees usable.

 

[Wayne Wells]

Might there be some mechanism that would facilitate sliding/winching a  canoe or kayak to a lower level, such that it isn't the full bench press to the upper deck. A lower landing structured along the lines of the two wood slides on each side of a boat trailer. You could slide your paddlecraft on to this section where it would be above the water. There might be a set of steps to the boat storage level to facilitate equipment access and restorage,. You could then easily slide the boat in to the water as desired.

Something along the lines of UHMW covered boards that start at near the water level but can slideup therails and be tied off,

[Swamp Hunter]

 "In order obtain the permits to construct the campsites, the park had the choice of making the required changes or not constructing the camp sites, which I must assume would have frustrated our visitors more than having the existing facilities. So, where do we go from here?"

 

 

Im new to canoing but not new to the Everglades. From what I am reading here, it appears to me all the chickees will eventually be this way, as they are rebuilt, and you have no choice but to be in compliance.  I think its great that you have solicited input to find a solution or make this unsafe situation better. Im sure the members here appreciate it.

 

I guess a boat ramp is out of the question lol?

[Xavier Becquer]

Ross it makes sense now. They were built this way to compensate for global warming and raising water levels due to polar ice melt. Lmao good one man!

[Swamp Hunter]

The man certainly didnt come online to be ridiculed and he did nothing to deserve it.

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

When I first heard about these new platforms I was really excited. When I saw the first pics when they were almost done I felt less elated, but had to check 'em out for myself! Thus I become one of the first paddlers to camp on them. I went solo, had a nice run surfing in towards them with the north west winds. Upon approach I took some time to check things out. In a shorter 15ft yak, I was able to easily get out using the aluminum ladder, even on close to low tide. thinking about how to get my gear out and up, I decided to walk the boat around the chickee using a bow line I had attached before launching. Boat ended up facing into the wind, parallel to the structure, right next to the portalet. This is the part where my little story branches of into a

SUGGESTION:: Please install some hand holds and foot steps in this area, Please!

Without these it was somewhat challenging to cling onto the structure with my right hand, as I emptied the hatches & tossed gear up with my left! However if this was imrproved with just a few strategically placed steps/holds, it would be relatively easy!!

Anyway after my gear was out, it was easy to just pull the entire yak onto the platform, again parallel to the catwalks. Once set up and chilling on top, you definitely feel the wind, however it's also awesome that you can set up a nice hammock .. I had the whole structure to myself (except for a #2 stop from a passing boater next morning). The view is fantastic, with Johnson Key due west maybe 1/4 mile.

I stayed into early afternoon the next day, and was actually impressed with the floor board slat spacing and height, and that it really does work to minimize shadows on the seabed!! I observed this for a couple hours at least. With a good 15 knt breeze, maybe seas 3-5, it's easy to see that if these platforms were much lower, they would get very wet esp. with NW weather!! 

 

I have to say a big THANKS for the Park NPS for providing this extra camping getaway opportunity right on the water in the 'Bay! How NICE is that!!?

With just a few simple improvements, can we PLEASE HAVE MORE of these throughout Florida Bay?! 

PLEASE!??

 

Some pics to share::

 

Surfing in!  Johnson Key and the platforms::

 

Full moon rising over Johnson Key::

 

 

Looking back at Flamingo (about 6 miles away)::

 

My camp next morning::

 

Sunset over the platforms (with more people it's a lot easier)::

 

Nearby Dildo Key:: (You know you always wanted to see it!)

[toofaraway]

Flex, nice report and nice suggestions for the NPS.  Seems like dialing this in better for paddlers is going to take some different trys but shouldn't be rocket science. 

 

Question:  can a fully loaded sea kayak be hoisted completely out of the water without structural damage from the weight alone?

 

[0uopvm9p50xla]

With all due respect, the "man" is not being ridiculed at all. You are confusing what appears on the surface to be somewhat asinine design with the chickee with a personal attack. If I were in his position I would appreciate straight talk.

 

There may be more than meets the eye however. Perhaps the design is more about withstanding hurricanes than anything else???