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One of the few public access points to Chesapeake Bay beaches may soon be off-limits.
Weir Point, located on Onancock Creek, has been a favorite spot for swimming and picnicking for decades. But changes are apparently underway.
On Sunday, representatives of the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation informed beachgoers that many common activities will no longer be allowed. A local resident who was at the beach says officers said the state has finally staffed the area and is now enforcing long-standing rules.
“They told us to take down our pop-up tent, even though we had a baby with us,” she told ShoreDailyNews.com. “No digging in the sand, no baby tents, no sandcastles — all because of wildlife concerns, like protecting nesting birds and tiger beetles. And starting next weekend, alcohol bans will be enforced.”
Weir Point is part of the Parker’s Marsh State Wildlife Refuge. It was donated to the state by the late Dr. John Robertson and later designated a protected preserve.
While the Eastern Shore boasts about 60 miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline, very little of it is accessible — or safe — for swimming and family recreation. That’s why many locals are frustrated to see restrictions tightening at one of the few beloved spots they have left.
In an official video on the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Shannon Alexander says activities that disturb the sand makes it less hospitable to wildlife that calls it home.
“These Chesapeake Bay Beaches might look like the perfect place to pull up and party for the day, but we actually protect them as Natural Area Preserves because they serve as vital habitat for rare, threatened or declining species,” she says. “Overuse of these places, or certain activities, like flying kites, dogs off leash, digging in the sand, erecting any kinds of flags or tents that disturb the sand can make it an inhospitable place for the creatures that call it home.”
