Posted on 06/04/2008 10:04:16 AM PDT by Rebelbase
There hasn't been any national press on this, just local and regional media articles, so it's time to bring it to FR.
Anyone planning a visit to the NC Outer Banks to visit the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and then walk or drive out to the Point? Tough luck. Portions of the beach are verboten territory until later this fall after a few birds eggs hatch.
Significant portions of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore have been closed to SUV and pedestrian traffic due to a compromise settlement between the National Park Service, the Defenders of Wildlife and the Audobon Society.
The NPS was ordered 40 years ago to create a comprehensive ORV(off road vehicle) plan and never did. They implemented their own rules but never filed anything in the Federal Register. The the DOW and AS filed suit earlier in the year claiming the lack of an ORV plan was threatening two bird speicies, the American Oyster Catcher and the Piping Plover. Neither species is on the endangered list.
A complacent Federal Judge ordered both sides to settle. The risk of not settling was the complete closure of these beaches to SUV traffic so the NPS swallowed the massive restrictions the environmentalists were proposed.
Second act of vandalism results in another expansion of buffer
Included in the settlement are punitive measures that result from Vandalism or violation of closed areas. Already there has been an increase in the closure size when someone knocked down several boundary markers. If the closure expansions take in an access ramp then it basically closes entire sections of the seashore to public access.
Recreational fishing and tourism have been affected. A friend of mine told me a local tackle shop had already laid off staff due to slower business.
The locals and recreational fisherman are not taking this laying down, there has been a vigorous activism but it is falling on deaf ears, particularly from elected officials from the state(Gov. Easley, Sen. Burr and Sen. Dole) who claim "it's a Federal issue" and are lethargic about watching a tourism economy get strangled.
A couple of instances of activism, The Audobon Society's field rep was run out of a local bake shop by the owner and was also heckled out of a local grocery store last month and,
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during the Memorial Day weekend, Thousands of flyers explaining what is happening were distributed by volunteers to beach visitors at the access ramps.
Birds, fishermen clash over beach access
Memorial Day visitors will face unprecedented beach closures
Closed areas include both ends of Ocracoke Island, Both ends of Hatteras Island and Hatteras Point, the South end of Pea Island under the Bonner Bridge and several areas scattered throughout the seashore beaches.
This insane decree combined with $4/gallon gas is going to kill tourism on the Outer Banks.
Hatred for humanity.
This is about restricting an outdoor way of life and recreation and reforming it into the image the enviro nazi’s deem appropriate.
Good discussions found the the following forums:
http://forum.reddrumtackle.com/
http://208.109.66.101/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=1 (Tradwinds Tackle)
OT, in the 12 yrs. since I've been there building has increased way too much and is way too crowded, and this was during the 2nd week of September. The island has lost it's charm, for me anyway.
Problematic is that the ecotards are accomplices of, and give cover to, the career politicians in their Big Government agenda.
This is exactly what they did on Assateague Island in Virginia in the 90’s. Closed April 1 to September 1 each year, due to piping plovers nesting. I don’t think it has had much effect on the numbers of birds, but it hasn’t had much negative effect in tourism either.
Assateague is much closer to major population centers than are the Outer Banks and will continue to have a steady stream of visitors.
But it hasn’t really impacted the number of baby plovers hatched (maybe 20 in a good year).
I see “OBX” stickers on every other vehicle around here (upstate SC). I wonder if any of them bother to keep up on stuff like this.
Please, spread the word!
“I was down there 12yrs ago, and there was a portion that was closed to all people for the nesting birds.”
That was under the old Park Service regulations. No one had any issues with that except the environmentalists. The closures have increased significantly under the settlement.
“I see “OBX” stickers on every other vehicle around here (upstate SC).”
IMO, a lot of those are fashion statements for folks who go once a year and stay in a condo in unaffected areas (Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, etc).
Ping and NC ping alert.
Not quite as good as running out of town on a rail, but it's a start.
L
Still trying to decide if we're coming down this year. It's tough being down there in a mini-van. The temptation was too much last year and I wound up getting towed off. The wife was not as upset as I thought, I guess she knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Again, good luck.
I was there early in May and saw a lot of signs saying "NO AUTO BAN, NO AUDUBON."
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