Buxton, N.C.
On both sides of the beach there was the Atlantic Ocean, frothing and frenzied by a lurking storm. Winds blew steady near 30 mph, with intermittent hard shoves of 50 mph. Leaden skies dumped rain in furious spells that ceased as suddenly as they started.
Cape Point on Saturday morning was an unlikely gathering place for hundreds of people, arriving in a stream of about 100 off-road vehicles. And they didn't come to fish.
The quickly organized rally on the sandy elbow of the Outer Banks, renowned for its wild openness and premier fishing, was intended as a show of force in the face of efforts to close popular beaches in Cape Hatteras National Seashore to recreational traffic.
"It's amazing what people will do to save their beach," said organizer Rob Alderman, sporting a yellow slicker and pants tucked into boots, his rain-dampened face dusted with sand.
Beach drivers accept seasonal closures of beaches, he said, but they are now deeply worried that they may not be able to drive on those beaches for years - or ever again. That would be a major blow to the tourism-based economy, to recreational fishing and to the passionately defended Outer Banks tradition.
"Other than the lighthouses and the ferries, what else do they have down here? What else do they have other than fishing?" asked Jennifer Perry, who drove six hours from Willard, N.C. "They'd lose a lot of income if they'd block it off."
Two environmental groups, the Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society, last month filed a request for a preliminary injunction against beach driving in the most sensitive bird-nesting areas on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.
The request is asking the judge to restrict ORV access to South Ocracoke, Hatteras Spit, North Ocracoke, Cape Point, South Beach and Bodie Island Spit for up to three years.
A hearing is scheduled for April 3 in Raleigh.
"We're assembling as a plea to the judge and the public to not punish the ORV users for the mismanagement of the National Park Service for the last 30 years," Alderman said.
Hurriedly taking advantage of a lull in the storm, nearly 200 people posed for photographs at the triangular tip of Cape Point. Some tightly held on to American flags that stood starched in the powerful southwest wind.
Alderman, a Buxton resident who runs the Web site "Hatteras Island Fishing Militia," said the assemblage was intended to send a message that recreational access to the beach is critical to the economy and well-being of the Outer Banks - for beachcombers, surfers, swimmers and bird-watchers as well as fishermen.
Originally, Alderman said that the plan was to line up the ORVs 900 feet across to spell out "PLEASE HELP US," for an aerial photograph. But high winds made it too dangerous to fly.
The bad weather, however, did not stop people who came from Maryland, Virginia, all over North Carolina and even some Northeastern states.
Al Adam drove more than seven hours from his home west of Philadelphia.
"I contribute to the Audubon Society; I'm an avid fisherman," he said. "I own a home in Salvo. So, obviously, I have a personal interest as well as a financial interest.
"I travel the East Coast from Maine to Key West, and this is a jewel here. There's nothing that the four-wheel-drive vehicles can do to this beach compared with what nature can do."
Kevin McCabe, a Buxton resident, said beach drivers regularly pick up trash on beaches and go out of their way to protect birds and turtles without anybody telling them.
"These people out here - they're the real environmentalists," he said.
From the days of his childhood in Richmond, his family has driven regularly on Outer Banks beaches, Mike Stokes of Kill Devil Hills said. As an adult, he said, he drives "probably 100 times a year" on the beach to fish or to enjoy playtime with his family.
Stokes made a point of using the same rod his grandfather had used at The Point to fly an American flag from the back of his pickup.
"This is the surf fishing mecca of the world," he said. "And that's not overstating it at all. We're not anti-bird. We're pro-fishing. It's our sanity."
Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com
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Driving on Hatteras
I was fortunate enough to have been introduced to Hatteras, and Buxon in particular, at age 12. My older brother and his friends all came down for the summers. I am 43 years old and have been down 2 or 3 weeks every year without a break. In all of that time I have never seen any behavior that would lead me to believe that beach driving has any impact on the wildlife of the National seashore. There might be a few more people on the beach, but they are still very mindful of the nesting sites and the restricted areas. My son started driving on the beach last year and it would be a crime to have that priveledge yanked away. He was tought, just as I was, to respect other people, animals and all property he comes in contact with. It is a tradition in my family, as it is with countless other families, to come and enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of Hatteras. I hope that good sense, and not environmental extremeism, will dictate the outcome of these court proceedings. My family's future vacations would suffer tremendously, as would the economy of the best area of the East coast if they get their way.
Save the Beaches
Most of my childhood summers were spent on the shores of Cape Hatteras with my family fishing, surfing and enjoying the beautiful beaches. My family taught me early on how to be a responsible visitor to the beaches. Now as an adult starting my own family those principals have stayed with me and I hope to pass them on to my children someday.
As a biologist, I understand the importance of respecting the wildlife, however, I have noticed that through the years the amount of beach available to humans as dramatically decreased and many residents and visitors alike have accepted this change out of respect for the wildlife. I believe this argument the environmentalists have begun is unnecessary and makes me question whose rights are of more importance: animals or humans? Everyone I know and have met who do operate their ORV on the beaches of the Outer Banks treats the area like they would their home. If these so called environmentalists would take a weekend and venture out onto the beaches of Cape Hatteras and witness first hand the types of people that are utilizing this privilege they would think twice.
Share the Beach!
Closing the beaches to fishermen, surfers and beach-goers will dramatically impact the local economy. What about the welfare of the families that depend on the income these three groups pour into the local economy? Have we forgotten about the humans that will be affected in this situation? What about all the rental owners that won't be able to fill their rental properties? Nature and man can live peacefully together. Boundaries should be set to protect wildlife from *reckless* behaviors. However do not punish the masses for the faults of a few. Support the Outer Banks and do not close the beaches.
ORV Access at Hatteras
Actually, Their is probably more closed areas then driving areas. It is strictly prohibited to drive between the toe of the dune out generally to the east or to highway 12 except in designated access roads. So if you think of it that way, their are huge protected areas.
I support ORV access at Cape Hatters. I spend money their regularly in support of the local economy.
don't close the beach
I don't have problems with the organizations that are trying to close the beaches. I like birds and raised one that fell out of a tree until it became mature enough to live on its own. However, I am against their trying to close down the beaches to driving. I have not seen any evidence supporting a complete shutdown. I can tell you that I'm one person that won't be supporting the economy on the outer banks if I can't drive on the beach - it's the only real reason I have for going down there. I generally try to get to Ocracoke once a year and visit other beach accesses numerous times a year (Hatteras, Oregon Inlet, and North of Corolla).
Plenty of beach
Conservationist types always seem to be too extreme. Like the previous poster, I am very careful to do the right thing when traversing the beaches of NC - I don't drive on the dunes, pick up after myself and others, and don't disturb the locals (wildlife).
There are hundreds of miles of beach in NC, so is there not enough for each side to leave the other alone?
Where's the balance?
Why not share the beach? At Assateague Island in Maryland half the beach is open to vehicles and half is closed. At Cape Hatteras only 4 miles are closed seasonally for bird protection and a few bits and pieces for swimming. Where is the balance? I went to Hatteras to walk on the beach and watch the birds and the waves, but it was dominated by beach vehicles. I have never gone there again, and I haven't recommended it to anybody. Millions of people who want a quiet day at the beach will keep going elsewhere as long as this situation continues.
This is a rediculous goal by the tree huggers
I am a conservationist, and outdoors man, and a fisherman who fishes from the beach and a boat. I only keep what I can eat and release the rest. I pick up after myself and always leave the places I fish at from the beach cleaner than what they were when I got there.
One of my favorite places to fish is the "point" at Cape Hatteras. This is indeed the mecca of surf fishing and closing it because of the fears of a few would indeed be a shame.
They claim the birds are being disturbed why not invoke and enforce laws against that that instead? Also, I have never seen birds nesting adjacent to the high tide line where I normally drive when on the beach, the birds are up closer to the dunes. It would be SO EASY to stake out the areas not to be driven in with wooden stakes parallel with the dune line. A stake every 75'-100' would be sufficient. Why don't the bird huggers invest in such measures instead of paying lawyers? In addition, from what I read birds are in decline EVERYWHERE not just the beach.