For years folks have used off-road vehicles to negotiate some of the farther reaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. And for years the National Park Service failed to develop a management plan for those ORVers. And now it's time to pay the piper.
On April 3 a federal judge will consider a request by Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society to restrict ORV access to South Ocracoke, Hatteras Spit, North Ocracoke, Cape Point, South Beach and Bodie Island Spit for up to three years because of the presence of piping plovers, which have been considered a "threatened" species under the Endangered Species Act since January 1986.
The lawsuit contends the Park Service has run afoul of the National Park Organic Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the enabling legislation for the seashore, and the Park Service's own Management Policies by implementing an interim ORV management plan and failing to produce a long-term management plan.
The National Park Service’s Interim Plan and the ORV use it allows are substantially harming – and will continue to harm – important populations of endangered and threatened sea turtle species, threatened, special concern, or significantly rare bird species, and a threatened plant species, as well as other natural resources, serenity, and other recreational uses of the Seashore generally, reads one of the claims.
On Saturday, in a protest against the conservation groups, an estimated 200 ORV supporters showed up in a gale at Cape Point on the seashore to attend a rally.
In Sunday's editions of the Charlotte Observer, meanwhile, outdoors writer Tim Higgins satirized the situation by looking into the future to listen to a conversation between a young boy and his grandfather over why they no longer fish at Cape Point.
What's unfortunate is that the Park Service might have avoided this situation by acting sooner on developing a management plan for ORVs.
Comments
Snow bird,
You strike me, per your comments, as someone who doesn't get off the couch much. Forgive me if that stings but in order to offer a valid and informed comment on the current situation at Cape Hatteras National Recreational Park you need to have been there at least once.
Do you live in a typical suburban neighborhood? How’s the wildlife doing? Are all the birds, insects, Turtles, snakes, worms and squirrels under stress and threatened by all the vehicle and pedestrian traffic that is typical in a suburban setting? Perhaps we should file a lawsuit to stop all vehicular and pedestrian traffic until an environmental impact study can be completed. Surely such a staunch defender of wildlife would be willing to give up your home and neighborhood on the slight chance that there might be a species of animal that is endangered by your impact on their environment.
I would suggest that the patrons of Cape Hatteras National Recreational Park are far better stewards of the environment than you and your neighbors are of theirs. Visitors to Cape Hatteras National Recreational Park don't dump insecticides and fertilizers on the ground to enhance the unnatural beauty of their environment. Most if not all are respectful and deeply appreciate the natural wonder and beauty of such a dynamic and special place.
My suggestion, for what it's worth, is for you to stop bloviating. and learn both sides thoroughly before offering up such a slanderous and unsubstantiated point of view.
Have a nice day.
Snowbird said: "Your crocodile tears don't slay me for I have seen enough damage in my own backyard from ORV's...and that angers me with tears."
Well, the choice sounds clear to me - focus your efforts on your own backyard and stay out of ours. Ours has been doing quite well long before you or I were impacting anything.
What is really not emphasized enough in any ofthtese posts is the extreme detrimenatl effect to those humans living on the island. And last time I checked our Heavenly Father placed humans on this earth to be the top of the pyramid, so to speak. It isn't just a few tackle shops that might go out of business. The entire economy of the island is based on the tourist industry and the greatest majority of that is based on surf fishing. Ride around and look at the rental homes, especially in the off season. The great majority of them have ORV's parked in their driveways with all the gear for surf fishing. The economic effect will begin wiht the tackle shops and like a domino will effect the rental industry, the restaurants, the motels, the other types of stores. People will be suddenly without jobs. As more and more businesses close, people who are native to the islands will be forced to leave the island altogether and that will begin to have an effect on the schools, the medical community, the public service agencies and obviously, the real estate industry.
One must consider that Hatteras Island is a unique recreational area. It isn't just a running 60'ish miles of government owned land. There are 8 villages interspersed along that line of national seashore recreational area. Those villages were there BEFORE the land was given to the government..long before. You cannot now go in there, some 50 years later and take away everything that these people need to survive. It would be comparable to the formation of Yellowstone around 8 individual towns and then shutting off access to those towns. What becomes of the people? Are thier lives and their histories so insignificant?
There is a marvelous history and culture to Hatteras Island that few people take the time to know. The natives are mostly descendants of shipwrecks off Diamond Shoals who scratched out a living on a sandbar. It is the home to submarine battles from WWII just off the coastline and before that the island played a pivotal role in the civil war. Some folks believe that Hatteras Island is the final destination of the Lost Colony and there is a great Native American Museum on the island to honor it's true original inhabitants.
What a shame and a loss when the island becomes simply a ghost town due to the lack of access to the beaches that draw the visitors there time and time again.
Doomsday? You bet 'ya. And anyone who doesnt believe that this is what the island will become has absolutely no idea of what Hatteras island is about and what make it work.
Snowbird06
I see the army coming after me but I won't flinch on my stand to help protect and stand for the preservation of all fur, fin and feather. I expect negative attacks coming at me, but that's part of the flack one takes for taking a hard stand. So, be it! As I said before, I did work in a similar environment like Cape Hatteras, but it was destroyed by over zealous politicians, planners and developers. So, I care about your backyard and other beautiful places (called our "crown jewels") and besides what makes your place so special that others can't debate and SHARE what can be (or at least contribute) done for the common good for the general environment at the Cape. Don't we all share the same common good to protect the environment from greed, rape and pillage? My back yard is your back if your willing to SHARE...and there's no need to be snotty about this Anonymous.
I have spent a lifetime outdoors as a government employee, backpacker, mountain biker and mountain climber. I'm definitely not elitist in any sense of the word, nor a professional tree hugger, or a hardcore Earth First member, but a concerned private citizen who truly wishes to see the Cape develop a major masterplan that meets the basic needs for it's wildlife to survive without undue harm, and with hopes that it would meet the common needs of visitors. Like Rodney King once said: "Can't we ALL get along"!?
So Snowbird...what do you suggest be done so that we can ALL get along?? because i completely agree with you.
Snowbird06
I simply advocate let the courts decide the case and await for the decision and proceed from there. Perhaps ad-hoc committees can dissect the decision and hash it out intelligently with some guide lines that we ALL can live by. I'm all for sport fishing when a decent environment can be provide without hassling the wildlife in it's natural habitat. In fact, out here in California we lost the salmon industry due to "poor resource planning"...and hopefully this won't be the case at Cape Hatteras. I think Big Red has done some good homework on the subject here on this blog and would be a good point man to take it one step further...how about it Big Red!? The ball is in your lap now!
It will be interesting if Judge Boyle takes into consideration the argument that the Intervenors for Dare & Hyde Co in NC that the Judge has no standing in dictating ORV management required by the Executive Orders. Their argument is he can order the Park Service to follow the Orders & develop a plan, which is being done with public input and thru NEPA as required by law. The Plaintiffs state the NPS has failed to develop a formal plan, which past superintendents have failed to do, but why should current park users suffer for their negligence?
Active management by Superintendent Murray resulted in the best plover fledging in years, despite the sub-optimal habitat. As in years past, eggs & biddies were lost to storms and predation, not to ORV users. And the least terns, which are claimed to have disappeared have found a wonderful, and successful nesting site on a spoil island in Hatteras Inlet.
If it were about the birds, NPS folks would shoo the birds away and hope they find Portsmouth Island and Cape Lookout National Seashore where there are miles of ideal habitat with excellent sound-side foraging areas for the chicks. Or create foraging areas around The Pond at Cape Point which has been off limit to ORV's for years.
I'm fascinated with the mantra of oil-dripping ORVs. I've had a 4X4 since '73 and beginning with a Subaru Wagon in '83 I haven't seen the first drop of oil in my driveway.
And Superintendent Murray's staff did an exhaustive job researching the name of the Seashore. And as pointed above, on the books it is still formally known as Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area.
Finally as for the Organic Act and “Primitive Wilderness”, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge snapped up a big piece of the north end of Hatteras Island and is the most man-modified section of the Island - berms , impoundments, controlled fires, extermination of resident Canada Geese, etc, etc. Other than a few ramps, minimal paved parking areas, a few campgrounds (no complaints about these) and the areas around the Lighthouse, the land in the Seashore has remained in a primitive condition with the ORV tracks on the beach rubbed out regularly with storms.
You keep asking the question how can vehicles be good for the beach environment. This is really not a valid point. You might ask the same question about yourself and anyone else. How is any human activity or even our existance good for the environment? What thing do any of us do that actually improves the natural environment? The point is you limit your adverse impact. I have been going to the outerbanks for over 20 years. I can tell you for an absolute certanty that my vehicle has always left with more trash than we brought. Most of the time it is trash that has washed in (I assume) from the village beaches or boats. I have seen and done it my self, people chase a windblown piece of trash 50 yards down the beach. The vast majority of beach drivers follow all regulations and are good stewards.