Lessons learned at a very early age often leave a lasting impression. I vividly recall the story about Henney Penny; the chicken that was struck on the head then went around proclaiming the sky was falling. The story that had the greatest influence on this scribe was the one about the little boy who cried wolf. You might recall he cried wolf, not because of any danger to the sheep in his care but because he wanted attention. After numerous false alarms people began to doubt his sincerity so when the wolves really came calling no one responded. You can only cry wolf so many times before you loose your credibility and that is why we have to be cautious yet inquisitive whenever something sounds too good to be true or in this case legislation that leaves the devil in the details. People and agencies in charge of certain sectors should be extremely knowledgeable about the resources they are entrusted with. There has been an ongoing study and a rather unobtrusive attempt to pass a comprehensive Ocean Resources Management act that would give the Secretary of Environmental Affairs, in this case a person whose credentials and background (or lack thereof) in ocean management, marine biology and maritime affairs in general I am concerned with. This is the same administration under our present Governor that stole (robbed is more to the point) dedicated funds from the Fisheries and Wildlife Fund to build up the general fund. After a short but bloody battle they were forced to return those monies and when they gave it back they ceremoniously took credit for restoring the very same money they had stolen in the first place. You might begin to see where I'm going with this, I don't know them but I certainly don't trust them. Just because you own a kayak, walk on the beach and own a tide watch does not qualify you or your agency to make decisions that will affect the lives, livelihood and recreation of Massachusetts's residents and the millions of tourists that visit our state to enjoy our marine resources. At the time I was making inquiries about the theft of the dedicated funds I could not speak with the many friends and colleagues I've worked with in these agencies because there was a gag order in effect. When I finally did speak with someone from the office of environmental affairs it was a young man who didn't appear to know a great deal about what was going on yet he bristled about my referring to the lack of access to Marine Fisheries and Fisheries and Wildlife as a gag order but admitted those agencies were told not to comment on these matters and refer them to the office of Environmental Affairs. You can call it what you like but not being able to interview the experts in the aforementioned departments and being referred to someone who was quoting from the party line was not my idea of open and accessible government. Dealing with bureaucrats is usually difficult but dealing with those who are ill informed about issues other than what they are told to say is not the way to gain the confidence of your constituents. When former state Senator Bob Durand was secretary of Environmental Affairs his door was always open and he was highly qualified for the job. He was an experienced fisherman, hunter, outdoorsman, boating enthusiast and a true conservationist who was overseeing agencies responsible for the resources in that area. When I first began making inquiries about the proposed Act Relative to Comprehensive Ocean Resources Management I was told they had formed a working group and were proceeding cautiously because of the significance of such a major undertaking and so I waited for feedback from some of the members on the panel who I had worked with in the past. Managing resources you cannot see is at best a challenge and could be a disaster if not handled properly. I was also told there was no hurry because they were still in the working stage, that was until late Friday when I learned that the bill had been filed by Senator Rob O'Leary in the state senate. Now my concerns and those of every other consumptive user of our rivers, bays and waterways have been raised and we must act now or we could find several prime fishing areas designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPS"Z) locations where fishing and other uses are not allowed. There is no mention of MPA"S) or at least any I could find but once the hierarchy and structure are in place those items can be dealt with in the future. Now I can understand why conservation minded people might object to dragging and tearing up the sea bed but most of the dialogue I've heard about these proposals also included denying access to these areas to sport or recreational fishing to make it more palatable to all user groups. How can you equate the use of chains and dredges dragged across the seabed tearing up habitat to someone dropping a single line down in an attempt to catch a fish? We have numerous obstacles to overcome however if we allow this bill to become law with out major changes or our direct input we could find ourselves on the outside looking in. The state of Rhode Island was persuaded to pass the Freedom To Fish Act, which was I believe the first of its kind in the nation. This is an act that permits recreational or sport fishermen to fish in such areas if they are in fact created because they do not cause harm and access cannot be permitted unless it is proven that their presence does in fact cause harm to the area or the resources therein. The state of Massachusetts has been resisting those very same efforts in our state and I could only wonder why if at some point in the future it was not their intent to designate several areas of state and adjoining Federal waters as MPA's and shut out fishermen. Everyone at one time or another has heard of Stellwagen Bank a large area off the north shore of Boston that is a great fishing area and home of whales, dolphins, sea turtles and all forms of marine life. Friends who are on or who have sat on the Stellwagen Bank Advisory Commission are concerned that the well funded groups also involved in the process want this area declared a MARINE WILDERNESS AREA. While that sounds nice it would prohibit any form of human intrusion including whale watching and fishing. There is a very powerful message in one of the current gospels written at a time when lamp oil was difficult to come by. It suggests that no intelligent person would light a lantern then cover it with a bushel basket. That is the same thing as having an area such as Stellwagen Bank declared off limits. What if the area formerly known as the Fall River Reservation was given similar wilderness status? That would mean you could drive by (maybe) to look at the trees but bird watchers, hikers, hunters, fishermen and campers would not have access. That doesn't make any sense at all yet these wealthy environmental groups are advocating for such legislation. These groups are not conservationists but preservationists who would take all of our precious natural resources and prohibit us from enjoying them in a responsible way. Having read a copy of the most recent draft of the bill my main concern at this time is just how ambiguous this legislation is and the totality of the authority placed in the hands of the Secretary of Environmental Affairs. However restrictive this act might be you usually won't find the details unless you read between the lines. The Massachusetts Lobsterman's Association has its executive director, Bill Adler, sitting on the panel and a recent newsletter from that association referred to the proposed legislation as "A spider's web ocean plan." The newsletter expressed concern that the development of an Ocean Management Plan "that could be a new spider web of bureaucratic strands slowly emerging from the fog that has shrouded this whole effort (Ocean Management Plan) right from the start?" If they have concerns so should we and we should act on them. I'm not concerned with being viewed as an alarmist because I would rather be suspicious about such grand schemes than a person who sits idly by while legislation that would restrict the basic freedoms as we know them today are eroded a little at a time. No one at any level of government or state agencies was available for an interview over the weekend when all this came to a head so my research will have to wait until Monday but take this for what its worth. Our waterways do need protection but not from the average person who is usually the first to suffer from restrictions because they are the group less likely able to do anything to reverse them once they have been set in place. It isn't necessary to cry wolf but we should at the very least round up the sheep and keep a wary eye for the hidden fangs that might be lurking in this legislation