Of course.  But the question is, will it affect the population of
clams living below that area.  If they fed on sand flies, and the
sand fly population was drastically reduced in that area, it
would probably starve a lot of them to death.  But they don't,
they are filter feeders, and what's in the water will have a lot
more impact on the health of the population than what's on the
beach.  Vehicles certainly won't have "zero impact," but I believe
the effect will be negligible compared to the large number of
other factors that directly impact those populations.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Canada" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 1:24 PM
Subject: Re: Impact of beach driving on Donax


> My dumb question of the day:
> If two thirds of the beach (upper and middle) is a barren wasteland, won't
the
> lower third eventually be affected by this "dead zone"?  Isn't the overall
> health of a beach and the diversity of its organisms crucial to the
survival of
> all?
> Mary~
>