By Connie Sage
The executive committee of the North Carolina Republican Party on Sunday unanimously endorsed a resolution supporting legislation that would restore public access to Cape Hatteras beaches under the Interim Management Plan.
The resolution backs legislation introduced by Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., in January that would reinstate the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area plan "until the National Park Service establishes a long-term management plan."
"It's good news for the people here," said Peregrine "Perry" White, vice chair of the Dare County GOP.
Republican leaders statewide pledged to support the bill.
Some 1,700 people attended the state GOP convention over the weekend in Raleigh, where they elected former Raleigh Mayor Tom Fetzer chairman. More than 250 members of the group's executive committee met Sunday.
The so-called off-road vehicle, or ORV, issue prohibits access to areas of beaches on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands to protect turtle and shorebird nesting and pre-nesting areas.
It has pitted environmentalists against local residents and businesses that say they are being hurt economically by the closures.
In July 2007, the National Park Service adopted an interim plan to protect national resources while providing public access to the beaches
After environmental groups filed suit in U.S. District Court, in April 2008 the interim plan was modified, resulting in the closures.
According to the Park Service, the temporary closures are necessary to protect threatened and endangered species, including piping plovers, American oystercatchers, colonial water birds and sea turtles. Posted areas are closed to vehicles, pedestrians and pets.
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Obviously the Federal Court (the ones that decide what is the law)disagree with you Wheat! I am sure that wall to wall trucks is just fine and a little bit of garbage never did any harm.
Lawrence
there's a big difference between a judge signing off on an out of court settlement and the judge actually ruling on a case. Boyle did the former, not the latter. And one day Boyle will answer in court to his decision to give the plaintiffs standing because NPS never violated the law and the claim of the interim strategy not going far enough to protect wildlife was pure conjecture and not based on "injury in fact" ; something the Supreme Court requires. Check Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555 (1992)There's not much point in going through the details as you obviously wont be bothered to check the facts. By the way, it's the job of a federal judge to interpret the law, not write it. There's this thing called the Constitution that prevents that. You may have heard of it. As to your assertions regarding trash and "wall to wall" trucks, you must be thinking of somewhere else as that is not the case here. I have at my disposal thousands of photos that will assert my authority on this issue.
I checked my facts Wheat
Your ranting is at best self serving. Obviously even Congress doesn't agree with you nor do the Federal Courts. Check the current NPS directory, it is easy to find and it doesn't include the word recreation in the areas title. the word appears only in the allowed activities part. I used to go to Hatteras Island quite often however it has become wall to wall vehicles with big tires and loud exhausts. The litter is disgusting. If you think this is good for such a pristine environment you are kidding yourself. This issue has been left unaddressed for a long time and now it is time to pay up. Sort of like the waterman in the Chesapeake Bay that can no longer crab.
sorry lawrence
But at a REG-NEG meeting the Seashore Supt along with the DOI lawyer told us that the legal name actually included Recreational Area (RA)and that they had to use the full name in any legal documents and dealings. They further indicated that RA was dropped in informal non-legal reference to the Seashore as an admin expediancy so all Seashores were referred to the same. Cape Hatteras is the only Seashore with RA in its name.
Hopefully you have looked further down to some other info I have provided for your reading pleasure attached to another of your posts.
You are dead wrong on the RA issue.
C'mon Lawrence, I'm not ranting.
I'm just telling you the truth! 16USC459 was passed by congress and signed into law by the president. The NPS directory is moot. You need to look into the law that created and named the seashore to include the NPS codified federal regulations. Once you've done that you'll understand what congress meant when they said "The authorization of activities shall be conducted in the light of the high public value and integrity of the National Park System and shall not be exercised in derogation of the values and purposes for which these various areas have been established, except as may have been or shall be directly and specifically provided by Congress." What this means is that NPS cannot legally derogate from the recreational mission of the seashore without direct and specific authorization from congress...which they do not have.
So no, you haven't checked either the facts or the law relevant to the seashore and the issues at hand. Fair warning: I do know the issues and the law..want to play again?
Please gentlemen, resorting
Please gentlemen, resorting to name-calling only invalidates every issue you express. I realize it's difficult to debate the concerns that one holds so passionatly, only to feel insulted when those same concerns are trivialized. The residents of Hatteras Island are not only fighting for their beaches, they are fighting for their lives. Their business' are failing, families are being torn apart as loved ones must leave to find work elsewhere, and many are working 2-3 jobs just to feed their families. They sacrifice day and night, because family, community, and the heritage they cherish do dearly, are the things they hold closest in their hearts. I realize it's a difficult concept to grasp for outsiders, but perhaps it's these strong ties that makes Hattreras, truly Hatteras. We remind you of a time when you DID know your nextdoor neighbor's name, your school teacher sat in the same church as you, and proof of ID was never asked for when writing a check. They've been lied to, and no one seems to care. They trusted people, and that trust has been ripped away. A man's word, or handshake, is now as worthless as the paper it's written on. The Beliefs that our Country was built on, m
More incorrect information
The National Park Service directory lists Hatteras as "Cape Hatteras National Seashore". There is no reference to recreation in the name although provisions allow for recreational activities. These activities do not take priority over the natural welfare of the area and are regulated as needed by the NPS.
Lawrence, last time I checked,
Congress writes the law and NPS is obligated to follow it. Title 16 USC 459 states " said area shall be, and is, established, dedicated, and set apart as a national seashore recreational area for the benefit and enjoyment of the people and shall be known as the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area..” In fact, as late as 1972 the NPS brochure about the area included the full and legal name of the seashore. In fact, recreation was determined to be the dominant activity at the seashore which is born out by a host of documents relevant to the establishment of this area, congressional intent and the understanding of same by NPS which for decades directed their activities and created the seashore we fight to regain. Bottom line is that the seashore was acquired and developed for primarily recreational purpose, not for wildlife. The consent decree and current NPS management practice are illegal because they blatantly violate a host of federal laws. NEPA, FAPA and the Organic Act to name a few, but not all.
and lawrence
Go here and read the very first para. It might open your blinder limited eyes and your hearsay limited ears. Note it's from an NPS site.
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/unrau-williss/adhi4l.htm
also lawrence
Here for your further homework assignment is a link to the early history of the Seashore, again produced by NPS.
Don't fall asleep over it
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/caha/caha_ah.pdf
Fabricated statistics.
I have yet to see any reports showing a decline in turtle populations due to predation. Almost every turtle death I have seen are due to man made instances such as boat strikes and nets. ORV's should be banned. We have enough carnage with vehicles on the paved roads without extending it to our pristine wildlife areas. Also its not just the wildlife,every time I walk the beach and kick up a beer can or see countless cigarette butts and bait packages in the sand squashed in the deep tire ruts created by these vehicles it makes it impossible to feel sympathy for those kept from driving on the dunes and beach. I am glad the NPS is taking positive steps to protect these areas.
incredulous comments!
first of all we dont and are not allowed to drive on the dunes.That comment alone tells me you have fallen prey to hearsay and need to visit and see what this place is truly about. The ORV community that utilizes this resource values this place and goes to great extent to protect it. Thats why NPS to this day needs no beach clean up crew; because we do it for them. And because we do, these beaches are described as "pristine" and consistantly selected by "Dr. Beach" as some of the best in the nation. Hardly the "redneck" trash pit that many would have you believe.
Turtles: 45% of all turtle nests laid within the seashore between 1987 and 2007 were lost to storms and predation, none to ORVs. 100% of turtle and plover mortality= storms and predation, not ORVs. ORVs have nothing to do with nets or boat strikes and where did you get that info anyway? Check the facts Lawrence, check the facts. While you're at it, take a look at the science, the real science, you know, peer reviewed stuff. And while youre at it, check where your tax dollars go..might help
Cleanup
And I ain't never seen one of the environs out there helping with the cleanups.
So Lawrence if you are so concerned about the beer cans and butts, come on down. We'll supply the trash bag for you to use.
CHNSRA RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, CONTINUED
Quite simply the benefits do not justify the costs.
1. Piping Plover productivity actually decreased under the Consent Decree (average fledge rate during the 2005-2006 Prototype Management period 1.0, fledge rate during 2007 Interim Plan Management .67, and fledge rate during 2008 Consent Decree Management .64).
2. The active nests for American Oystercatchers as of the second week of June have remained relatively constant under all management strategies (19 in 2006, 16 in 2007, 18 in 2008, and 19 in 2009).
3. Sea Turtle nesting activity continues to vary widely but has held steady at 10-15 percent of the NC state total.
--------------------------------
NPS 2008 Annual Piping Plover Report, Table 5b, p. 9.
NPS Resource management reports for 6/10/06, 6/14/07, 6/12/08, and 6/10/09. The reports do not give the number of breeding pairs but during a reg. neg. meeting it was reported that there were 24 pair in 2007 and 23 pair in 2008.
NPS 2008 Annual Piping Sea Turtle Report, Table 2, p. 7.
CHNSRA resource management
CHNSRA is not a Wildife Refuge. Pea Island was specifically set aside as a Wildlife Refuge and is managed solely to protect wildlife.
CHNSRA is a recreational area. Even at that NPS is mandated to protect wildlife. NPS and its visitors have always supported reasonable resource protection measures. Most recently, NPS operated under a prototype of the Interim Plan in 2005 & 2006 and the Interim Plan in 2007. In 2008, the Piping Plover population nearly doubled, as did the juvinile population of the Oystercatchers. Turtle nest numbers were up as well. Now Derb Carter of SELC attributes these population increases to the massive and longer lived closures of the Consent Decree. Considering the fact that at the time Mr. Carter made these comments, the Consent Decree had not been in place for even one full breeding season this assertion is rediculous. In point of fact, the population increases are more appropriately attributed to the resource management polocies of 2005-2007.
As for productivity, as demonstrated below there had been little if any improvement under the Consent Decree, which has 31% of the beaches closed to all and over 50% of the ORV beaches closed. Quite si
Mr. Lawrence,
Your assertion that the seashore is a wildlife refuge is incorrect. A wildlife refuge exists within the boundaries of the seashore( Pea island) but the seashore was in fact established for recreational purpose and all areas suitable for that purpose were to be used as such. The areas unsuitable for recreation were to be reserved as primitive wilderness. The true legal name of the seashore is in fact: Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area. The closures here are illegal according to congress, you know, the folks that created this place. Look up Title 16 USC section 1a-1 and you'll see why. All these closures have accomplished is to devastate an economy, cost the American people millions of tax dollars and deprive us of the ability to enjoy our recreational area. Look at the numbers Lawrence and you'll also discover that bird and turtle numbers are down again in spite of earlier, larger closures; while predation has skyrocketed. Everybody lost here, even the wildlife!
to hatterasnc:
You are incorrect in your comments about no endangered or threatened species in these areas. Every sea turtle is on the federally protected list and they have to come ashore to nest and lay their eggs. This is one of the main concerns being addressed by the closures.
there you go again
freeandopen....see, there you go again...you say "Our beaches are not only closed to ORVs but to Pedestrians. No driving NO walking Look but don't touch."
When people read this, they believe you and they stop coming and you become a prime contributor to the very thing you claim to fear - that there will be no tourists "and that means thousands of people out of work"
If you really cared about tourism, you would tell the truth...that SOME of the beach is closed to ORV's and pedestrians, SOME of the beach is closed to ORV's and open to pedestrians and SOME of the beach is open to both ORV's and pedestrians. You would tell the truth about what percent of each is available and you would say that despite the fact that you disagree with the current policy, it doesn't mean tourists can't come to the OBX and have a great vacation.
But instead you lie. Why? Because you are just like the politicians you despise...you'll say whatever it takes to advance your cause. And quite clearly your cause isn't tourism and work, but your ideology.
actually, both sides have merit
freeandopen and livehereworkhere both have valid points. I live here and work here too and daily am confronted by frustrated visitors who complain about the closures. I also field quite a few phone calls about the subject as well. Perhaps the most telling example of the effects of these draconian closures comes from an informal survey done by The Cape Hatteras Business Allies last year where a full third of the respondents said they would not return until the beaches were open the way they used to be, another third said they would wait to see what happened and the last never responded to the question. This is reflected in the fact that visitation did not pick up last year until the closures began to disappear. To late to save many businesses and jobs. But many a vacation was ruined before that. Free and open access is what the law says we're entitled to and it's a shame that a biased federal judge allows a bunch of taxpayer money hungry lawyers and environmental groups profit while we suffer and lose access to this incredible place.
PLEASE Get The Facts
lawrenceb82104 Please go to sites and read the history of the Outer Banks. The Island people gave their land and were PROMISED the beaches would always remain open to all. Our beaches are not only closed to ORVs but to Pedestrians. No driving NO walking Look but don't touch. This area was not set up to be a bird refuge but a recreaction area, and of course open to the commerical fishermen. Pea Island 18 miles was set aside for wildlife. ALL of our jobs depend on tourism and they come to enjoy the beach, no beach no tourist and that means thousands of people out of work. How would you feel if tomorrow morning you go to work and the gates are bared and you are suddenly unemployed, all because someone saw a bird near the property. A bird that you have loved and cared for your whole life. The people here love all the birds and wildlife in general. BUT Guess what, LISEN UP Animal lovers, Audubon,Defenders of Wildlife pick and choose what animals live or die, sorta like Hilter. They have killed thousands of critters. Racoons, possum, fox, feral cats, pet cats and dogs. HOW MEAN can they be. Couple of years ago they Gassed hundreds of the Geese living in the Refuge (Pea Island). The peop