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January 2012

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From:
linda whyte <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
linda whyte <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 8 Jan 2012 20:17:20 -0700
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I doubt that new Security hires are informed about the whole Snowy Owl
scenario. I was once questioned by personnel, and was well-received when I
explained the situation. However I was alone, and had only binoculars. I
suspect the real issue today was the number of folks gathered in one spot,
with scopes and cameras, in close proximity to the road.
Perhaps MOU and Audubon MN need to do some educational PR work with Airport
Security. Besides teaching about the owls, we could point out that
"suspicious types" are less likely to be up to no good when surrounded by
loyal citizens with binoculars who could bear witness against them. We
could all also exercise more cautionary discretion about keeping our visits
brief, and our numbers down to 4 or so, at a time.
I don't believe that the road can be regarded as any more private than
other airport roads, aside from maintenance roads. The "public" needs
access to UPS and FedEx to do business with them; I know of folks who have
brought their business mail directly to at least one of these facilities.
Linda Whyte

On Sun, Jan 8, 2012 at 7:46 PM, Terence Brashear <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I find this interesting behavior since I went out on the runway with one
> of the airport police a few years ago to photograph Snowy Owls.  He was
> very polite and gracious.
>
>
> Terry Brashear
> Hennepin County, MN
> http://www.naturepixels.com
> birdnird AT yahoo.com
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: James Griffin <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Sunday, January 8, 2012 6:21 PM
> Subject: [mou-net] Snowy Owl @ MSP Airport
>
> Snowy was seen perched on bldg just before UPS on Cargo Rd between 3:30
> and 4:30 this afternoon.  A small group of us were detained by local Police
> who asked for our ID's and inquired as to the reason for our presence.
> When I told them we were looking at a bird he was dismayed and told us that
> we were in a secure area and photography was strictly forbidden. Only 1 of
> us had a camera and we were quick to point out that we were looking thru
> bins and not cameras.  He also seemed confused by the fact that non of us
> had ever met before today.  "How did we know to come to the airport?", he
> asked. In unison we replied that we read about it on line @ this site. I
> told him that had he been 15 minutes earlier he would have encountered a
> much larger group. At this point there were 2 police cars and 2 officers
> asking questions.  After running our ID's they returned them and thanked us
> for our cooperation.  All in all a not so unpleasant experience except for
>  the fact that he informed us in no uncertain terms that we were
> trespassing and Cargo Rd. was private for use by employees of local
> companies only.  We were instructed that future transgressions would not be
> tolerated.  My question, which I kept to myself, is: If the road is private
> shouldn't it be posted as such?  When I left the area I stopped at the
> intersection with Longfellow and could not find any sign denoting
> restricted access.  The bird is there but it might be difficult to walk
> anywhere without attracted unwanted attention from the authorities. FYI
> they said they were responding to a report of suspicious behavior. I got my
> Snowy for the year so I'm happy but concerned about future forays.  Good
> birding to all !
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