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LiveCam at
Zion National Park . Utah
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Towers of the Virgin
About This Camera
LiveCam at
Zion National Park . Utah
Jul
17
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From our weekly perch on the cliff overlooking Simpson Reef we watched as several people decided to walk out and get a closer look at the marine mammals on the rocky reef. Most likely they were unaware of the penalties and fines for such a violation. We decided to let the authorities know this was happening for the safety of the people and the marine mammals. Sorry to say, none of the authorities were available to observe the violation and enforce the laws. The violations are clear, first it is a "taking" of a marine mammal "without a permit." under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. A human action has caused a marine mammal to "change its behavior."This law is supposed to be enforced by the National Marine Fisheries Service which has one enforcement officer for Washington and Oregon. Second, the offenders are above "the high tide line on a rock surrounded by water at high tide" which is a definition of Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Area; both of which are closed to "all public use".
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Bottomline, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of protection for this protected sanctuary along the Oregon Coast.