NC Lawmakers Take Stand Against New Outer Banks Access Restrictions
NC Senators Richard Burr (R) and Kay Hagan (D) and US Representative Walter Jones sent out a joint letter to the Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar that claims new restrictions will hurt families and businesses along the Outer Banks.
The lawmakers have asked the federal government about the possibility of providing corridors for off-road vehicles (ORVs) to pass through or around restricted areas in order to reach beaches that are still open.
"Because Hatteras Island has an average width of only 1,500 feet," the legislators wrote, "restrictions proposed by the NPS effectively close many areas in which there are no environmental concerns."
The lawmakers questioned a final environmental impact statement released by the NPS in November which recommends that ORVs be barred from accessing 26 miles of the 67 mile Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
"We are concerned that this environmental impact analysis does not appear to reflect the input of local residents and businesses," the legislators said in their letter. "An overly restrictive ORV management plan will further imperil the economic vitality of Dare County families and businesses already struggling under current management practices," the legislators wrote.
The new rules and the lawmakers' reactions are the latest in a long-running battle between environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts (including many fishermen) over access to the Outer Banks beaches and endangered species such as sea turtles and piping plovers.
The NPS was sued by environmental groups in 2007. Since then many beaches have been closed to the public and the NPS has developed the new plan, which satisfies the lawsuit but is extremely unpopular with Outer Banks residents as well as tourists and anglers.
"Beach access is critical to the Dare County economy," said Hagan in a statement released by her office. "The Hatteras community has experienced three summers with many beaches closed, and some local businesses may not survive another."
For more fishing articles see my blog A Dash of Salty and my website Surf and Salt.
Published by Jeffrey Weeks
Jeffrey Weeks is an award-winning NC newspaper columnist who writes about saltwater and freshwater fishing, southern seafood and cooking, hunting, popular entertainment, and sports. View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentI forgot, we may not have to wait. The same group who claims resource protection is necessary and is not hurting tourism has advocated a 17 mile bridge or a return to a ferry system--the latter didn't work in the 50's let alone now. Without an affordable replacement for the Bonner Bridge, the whole discussion may be moot.
Help us. Please help us now. Tell your representatives to support the request for beach access. Tell your representative to support any legislation that declare this single barrier island and the last remaining barrier island community as traditional cultural properties. Tell you representative to support any legislation which specifically designates this one barrier island as a recreational are for the people. The birds and turtles have much more than we do. We have a right to experience wide open beaches as well.
one summer but not for all 7 years. The only thing the last 7 years have in common is a big increase in beach closures due to more agressive resource management.
The lower level of visitation we have experienced during the past 7 years is having a major negative impact not only on the local economy but also on the quality of life for the 4,000 residents that live within the park's boundaries--that's right we have to traverse park property to leave our villages.
So what about the future? Based upon the past new and bigger restrictions can be expected to yield one thing, bigger reductions in visitation and revenue? Most likely the only way to prove this will be to wait another 7 years to develop a trend so that it can't be claimed that it was weather, gas, recession or whatever? I can hardly wait.
2003 is the year Hatteras Inlet was closed. It was the year NPS took such a hard line as to close it after Isabel--what maybe a half dozen villagers looking for some relief from the day to day grind of living without electric and water might want to go there for some relief or maybe just some food for the dinner table? It was the year NPS & USFWS tried to interfere with the restoration of vital services. Ok, so what does this have to do with tourism?
Visitation for the 7 year period prior to the hard line on resource protection (1997 through 2003) averaged close to 2.7 million. Subsequent to the 2003 hard line approach visitation dropped to 2.2 million and has stagnated at this level since 2004. This is a 17% decrease in visitation. There has been no bounce back. There have been no good years. Furthermore, the weather from 2005 to 2009 was great--no hurricanes and few storms, maybe this is why the wildlife has done so well. There was no rescession prior to 2009. Gas prices were up
Interesting article Jeffrey - I don't know the answers here - it appears there are no winners. cheers :)
Great report, Jeffrey!
excellent article; thanks for sharing :)
It is such a push-pull situation. When I was a kid, my parents owned a small motel on the Washington coast. They owned the beach rights to the meanderline (where the grass stops growing) though a US Supreme court case that they and several other landowners fought for. But there were also a number of maintained beach approaches (access roads) for the public to use, and even now, cars can drive all the way on the 26-mile beachfront when the tide is low. It turned out to be a win-win situation for everyone. In Oregon, the public has the right to all Pacific Ocean beachfront.
excellent work