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View Full Version : The Mounds: Its different now


eric8669
2012-02-03, 08:28 PM
For those of you heading to the mounds for spotting you may notice something a little different. Sometime during the past week there was a fire, not sure how it was caused or why. Most of the brush beyond the mounds has been burned away and now is open and accessible for spotting. Some of us were out spotting this afternoon and took advantage of the new views.


Can you say NO MORE TREES....
PhilDernerJr
2012-02-03, 08:29 PM
Wow, the trees are gone?

Who's the arsonist that I have to make a statue of?! ;)
gonzalu
2012-02-03, 08:32 PM
As long as the views FROM the mounds is improved, I will be very happy. Not sure I like being closer but under the flight path ...
Cary
2012-02-03, 08:37 PM
Nice work, Manny! :tongue:
eric8669
2012-02-03, 09:17 PM
The trees are still there, but you can go beyond the trees now. Its all open.
eric8669
2012-02-03, 09:21 PM
The actual mounds still have an obtructed view, but you can now walk about 400ft east of the mounds.
fk6065
2012-02-03, 09:23 PM
There was a large brush fire there Monday afternoon around 1:20PM. It took about 90 minutes to extinguish. It burned away a large area of thick brush leaving approximately 100-150 yards of burned flat ground open.

The easiest way to access the area is to walk down to the end of the mound and follow the burnt area in.

Just be careful if you stray from the blackened area you can easily sink into the marsh. Sinking up to your knees is easy.

Also if you go out into the burned out area you may want to wear old shoes as the ash is going to pretty much ruin whatever you are wearing. Also if you tape your pants legs closed this will prevent the ash from going up your pants and you winding up with black sooty socks and legs.

During the fire they were on the 31's not the 22's.
yankees368
2012-02-03, 09:46 PM
I wonder if this had anything to do with my Rockaway Turnpike was randomly and mysteriously closed in that area early this morning, causing traffic chaos.
Zee71
2012-02-03, 09:51 PM
Rockaway Turnpike was closed to some watermain break from what we've heard. When I was heading for Bayswater this morning there was a ton of traffic all being diverted to Brookville Blvd if you were heading west.
yankees368
2012-02-03, 10:06 PM
Rockaway Turnpike was closed to some watermain break from what we've heard. When I was heading for Bayswater this morning there was a ton of traffic all being diverted to Brookville Blvd if you were heading west.

My mom was stuck on Peninsula for 30 minutes before someone told her to turn around because Rockaway was closed near the runways. A watermain break would make sense, I guess.
NIKV69
2012-02-03, 10:28 PM
Rockaway Turnpike was closed to some watermain break from what we've heard. When I was heading for Bayswater this morning there was a ton of traffic all being diverted to Brookville Blvd if you were heading west.

Yep it was, there was still some standing water visable when I drove to Hobe and back.



As long as the views FROM the mounds is improved, I will be very happy. Not sure I like being closer but under the flight path ...

You are not even near the flight path, from the soccer field it seems the flight path is closer than it is. Once we walked out the flight path was still a ways.
chrisparypa
2012-02-04, 12:18 AM
Nice work, Manny! :tongue:

I think Mark did it not Manny... :) actually I wouldn't be surprised if they both did it.....
gonzalu
2012-02-04, 12:20 AM
You are not even near the flight path, from the soccer field it seems the flight path is closer than it is. Once we walked out the flight path was still a ways.

Well, it sounded better than it seems to be (for me anyway) ... I want to be up on the mounds itself with no trees... so I guess it is business as usual. I wouldn't even mind the trees but the stupid little bushes that get all over your shot near the path! ugh...
gonzalu
2012-02-04, 12:21 AM
I plea the 5th Amendment to the constitution! :cool::tongue::rolleyes:
PhilDernerJr
2012-02-04, 01:28 AM
I wonder if this had anything to do with my Rockaway Turnpike was randomly and mysteriously closed in that area early this morning, causing traffic chaos.

4 days later? Nah.
megatop412
2012-02-04, 12:48 PM
Wow, the trees are gone?

Who's the arsonist that I have to make a statue of?! ;)

LOL, a bronze statue of a spotter
threeholerglory
2012-02-04, 05:00 PM
so if i'm reading this correctly, the trees remain but you can get out to the marshy area no problem. If the trees were to magically disappear overnight would it just be considered collateral damage?

*wheels are spinning*
PhilDernerJr
2012-02-04, 05:23 PM
Keep in mind that is a federally protected area. Cutting down those trees would land you in federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison.

And Eric....no pics of the new mounds?! Come on man!
eric8669
2012-02-04, 05:26 PM
Its not really that marshy. Where the fire was is flat and mostly dry, just a lot of ash.
PhilDernerJr
2012-02-04, 05:40 PM
Enjoy it while you can, guys. Once it warms up, I suspect it will all grow back.
NIKV69
2012-02-05, 01:27 PM
Enjoy it while you can, guys. Once it warms up, I suspect it will all grow back.

Hey we will at least get the summer out of it once that light gets ideal. It doesn't look like the fire was severe enough to destroy the roots but hey for now it's EPIC!
Gerard
2012-02-05, 01:34 PM
Not to be an alarmist but I'd be careful over there. Was this fire an accident or deliberately set? You might just get a little more attention from the boys in blue because of that. Just saying.
eric8669
2012-02-05, 02:05 PM
Enjoy it while you can, guys. Once it warms up, I suspect it will all grow back.
I don't see anything growing back for some time.

manny and I were over there early this afternoon, he will have some video up later today.
gonzalu
2012-02-05, 09:29 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0YtlhtMxLQ
NIKV69
2012-02-06, 12:59 AM
No closeups of the Budweiser 40s? Come on!
gonzalu
2012-02-06, 01:05 AM
I only really noticed a couple of cans of Coors Lite and some light trash but that was about it. We only ventured to the rim of the burned out area. It smells like crapolis in there with the mix of stagnant water and burned ash etc. ugh... but the views are worth it. It is almost like shooting SXM from the bar :tongue:
eric8669
2012-02-06, 01:11 AM
I only really noticed a couple of cans of Coors Lite and some light trash but that was about it. We only ventured to the rim of the burned out area. It smells like crapolis in there with the mix of stagnant water and burned ash etc. ugh... but the views are worth it. It is almost like shooting SXM from the bar :tongue:

yup, just like SXM, minus the beach, bar, topless woman, etc.... we do get a few more planes though. :)
NIKV69
2012-02-06, 01:32 AM
It smells like crapolis

What is that? I didn't smell anything when I was there.
eric8669
2012-02-06, 01:43 AM
What is that? I didn't smell anything when I was there.

actually it kinda smells like rotten eggs and ash, I try not to concentrate on the smell, and just focus on the planes then its not too bad.
gonzalu
2012-02-06, 09:46 AM
What is that? I didn't smell anything when I was there.

Your olfactory must be damaged because there is a serious smell in the air down there. But like Eric said, you soon forget about it when you get to shoot and pan smoothly across the frame without breaks!
NIKV69
2012-02-06, 11:01 AM
Your olfactory must be damaged because there is a serious smell in the air down there. But like Eric said, you soon forget about it when you get to shoot and pan smoothly across the frame without breaks!

What are you guys Bloodhounds? I worry more if it's a rainy spring the mosquitoes will be terrible but it is a gift to be able to shoot there.