Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s 2008 annual reports for protected species and a report on the status of off-road vehicle management plan and negotiated rulemaking have been released and are available to the public on the park’s planning Web site under the Interim Protected Species Management Strategy.

The following reports have been posted:

•    2008 Piping Plover Annual Report with appendices
•    2008 Sea Turtle Annual Report with appendices
•    2008 Seabeach Amaranth Annual Report
•    2008 Colonial Waterbird Breeding Summary
•    2008 American Oystercatcher Nest Data
•    Status of Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan and Negotiated Rulemaking with appendices


The Park Service has regularly prepared annual reports on nesting success of birds and turtles, but it is required under a consent decree signed by a federal judge last April 30 to provide certain reports to the parties in a lawsuit over the park’s protection of natural resources and to all the parties involved.

The consent decree requires what must be included in the reports and that they be submitted by Jan. 31.

There are 29 different documents included in the reports on piping plovers, sea turtles, seabeach amaranth, and the ORV management plan and negotiated rulemaking.

They are detailed and include history and background information on managing the resources and ORV rulemaking.

There is a lot of information in these that will actually be some interesting reading for the folks interested in the park’s natural resources and ORV use on the beaches.

To read the reports, go to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=358&projectId=13331&documentID=25800