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Seashore
Map With Numbered Ramps Click Here
NPS/Google
Earth map of resource closures Click Here
Frequently
Asked Questions: Beach Access Click Here
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 National Park
Service Weekly Beach Access Report
Cape
Hatteras National Seashore beaches are being managed under the terms of
the U.S. District Court approved consent decree. Park visitors can
expect to see resource closures for breeding shorebirds in effect to
varying degrees from mid-March to mid-to-late-August and sea turtle
nesting closures may occur until early November.
Each
week, the Park Service issues a beach access report that summarizes the
current status of access in all areas of the seashore. Updated news is
reported weekly in bold blue print. The weekly beach access report is
complemented by a Google Earth map, which is updated up to five times
per week as access conditions change. The latest Google Earth beach
access map can be viewed at: http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm.
Click here for the
current weekly report
Click here for
previous weekly reports
National
Park Service Weekly Resource Management Summary
Each
week, the Park Service issues a resource management field summary
that includes updates on nesting birds and turtles on the seashore and
other information such as violations of resource closures.
Click
here for the weekly report
Click here for
previous weekly reports
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 Access groups lose second effort to stop critical habitat for piping plovers
A
federal judge in Washington, D.C., yesterday denied a motion by the
Cape Hatteras Access Preservation Alliance (CHAPA) to block the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service’s latest attempt to declare parts of the Cape
Hatteras National Seashore critical habitat for wintering piping
plovers. ....Read more
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 Hatteras islander will run 50 miles to raise money for beach access and cancer patients
Hatteras
Island resident Bob Spangler has challenged himself to run 50 miles on
Friday, Nov. 26. The run will begin at the south end of the Bonner
Bridge over Oregon Inlet and end at the Hatteras Ferry Docks.
Spangler’s
goal in attempting this grueling effort is twofold. First, he
wants to use this as an opportunity to increase public awareness of the
fight to maintain access to the beaches within the seashore.
Secondly, he hopes to raise donations for two of his favorite
non-profits. He has issued a challenge to the residents and visitors of
Hatteras Island to donate $1 per mile completed, to be equally divided
between the Outer Banks Preservation Association (OBPA) and the
Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation. ....Read more
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 Park Service brings back sea turtle Nest Watch volunteer program
The
Cape Hatteras National Seashore is bringing back its sea turtle Nest
Watch volunteer program for the 2010 summer and fall season.
Under
the direction of Park Service’s resource management staff, the goal of
the Volunteer Park (VIP) Program is to ensure the success of sea turtle
hatchlings as they emerge from their nests and make their way to the
ocean. In addition, this program will provide visitors with a
valuable educational experience and neighboring communities an
opportunity to participate in sea turtle conservation and
management. ....Read more
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 Legal action taken to block development on Audubon land
The proposed sale and subsequent development of a 14-acre parcel of
virgin oceanfront property owned by the National Audubon Society (NAS)
in Corolla on the northern Outer Banks has stirred controversy and
prompted the state to adopt new legislation.
Now the sale and development issue has resulted in an appeal filed in
Currituck County Superior Court by Turnpike Properties against
Currituck County and PIR, the aspiring developer.
By editor Sandy Semans in the July 28, 2010 edition of The Outer Banks Sentinel.
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2010/07/28/business/bus157.txt
For other Outer Banks Sentinel articles on the Audubon controversy:
Audubon's action in Currituck inspires new state legislation
Despite controversy, Currituck approves special-use permit for Audubon land
Two wrongs don't make a right; but they do make a mess
Audubon opening door for high density project on northern Outer Banks
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 There will be no lifeguarded beach on Hatteras this summer
It
is very unlikely at this point that Hatteras Island will have a
lifeguarded beach this summer, according to Paul Stevens, chief
enforcement ranger for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
In
an interview yesterday, Stevens said he had remained hopeful that the
Park Service could make emergency hires to staff the lifeguarded beach
at the Cape Hatteras Light Station in Buxton. But with more than half
the summer gone, he admitted that time has run out. ....Read more
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 Cape Point re-opens to off-road vehicles
The
National Park Service re-opened Cape Point to vehicles today, a full
week earlier than last year. The east side of Cape Point is open to
vehicles from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily. Night driving is
prohibited from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m.
A
pre-nesting closure west of Cape Point on the South Beach is still
closed to pedestrians and ORVs, as is Ramp 45 behind the Cape Point
Campground. ....Read more
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 Park Service turns down SELC request for stricter night-driving regulations
Cape
Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent Mike Murray has denied a
request by the Southern Environmental Law Center to expand
night-driving restrictions after the death of a nesting loggerhead
turtle last month on Ocracoke.
The
turtle was crushed by an off-road vehicle, probably in the early
morning hours of June 24 when the beach was closed to ORVs under the
terms of a consent decree that settled a lawsuit against the park for
not having a long-term plan for off-road vehicles. That lawsuit
was filed by SELC, on behalf of its clients, Defenders of Wildlife and
the National Audubon Society. ....Read more
UPDATE: SELC demands more night driving restrictions and local groups offer rewards in aftermath of sea turtle death
There have been several developments in the aftermath of the death of a
nesting loggerhead turtle that was crushed by an off-road vehicle on
Ocracoke Island, apparently in the early morning hours of June
24. ....Read more
The Southern Environmental Law Center has sent a letter to Cape
Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent Mike Murray, demanding that
the night driving ban be expanded, that the seashore ramps be
physically blocked at night, and that the nighttime monitoring of the
beaches at night be increased.
Park Service seeking driver of ORV that crushed loggerhead on Ocracoke
The
National Park Service is seeking information from the public about the
death of a nesting female loggerhead turtle that was crushed by an
off-road vehicle during the night-time hours between June 23 and June
24. The turtle had crawled out of the ocean and attempted to lay
a nest between Ramps 70 and 72 on Ocracoke Island. It was hit by
an ORV and dragged about 12 feet, causing extreme injuries to its
carapace and plastron. ....Read more
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 Two suspects charged in fifth act of vandalism at seashore
Two suspects have been apprehended in an investigation by National Park
Service rangers into the fifth deliberate vandalism act of the 2010
season to resource protection areas within Cape Hatteras National
Seashore. ....Read more
Park Service reports a fourth deliberate violation of a resource closure
The National Park Service reported in its Resource Management Summary for this week that a fourth deliberate violation of a resource closure occurred on June 9. According to the report, a vehicle drove from Ramp 49 in Frisco through the South Beach pre-nesting closure and Cape
Point pre-nesting closure to Ramp 43 in Buxton. ....Read more
More vandalism closes more beach – this time on Bodie Island
The third
deliberate vandalism act of the 2010 season to a shorebird resource
protection area has resulted in an expansion of the closure located
nine-tenths of a mile south of Ramp 4 on Bodie Island Spit in Cape
Hatteras National Seashore. ....Read more
Vandalism closes Ramp 45 to all access
The second deliberate vandalism act of the 2010 season to a shorebird
resource protection area has resulted in the closure of all public
access to Ramp 45 area near Buxton in Cape Hatteras National
Seashore.
Ramp 45 had been closed to ORV access on May 21 when piping plover
chicks hatched in the area, but it was still open to pedestrian access.
....Read more
First vandalism of nesting season results in buffer expansion
The first
deliberate vandalism incident of a resource protection area during the
2010 shorebird breeding season has occurred, resulting in an automatic
expansion of the protected area. The incident occurred at the
north end of the resource closure located 0.8 of a mile south of Ramp
38, which is just south of Avon. ....Read more
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 Weather was challenging, but the Stand in the Sand III was a success for OBPA…WITH SLIDE SHOW
The
weather was hot and sticky – really hot and sticky for Hatteras.
The sun beat down unmercifully for most of the day on Friday, June 25,
for the third annual Stand in the Sand, the Outer Banks Preservation
Association’s annual fundraiser. Organizers also dodged a threatening
thunderstorm in the late afternoon, to end the day with at least
$10,000 to help the organization fight for reasonable access to
seashore beaches. ....Read more
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 Public comment period is open on proposed public boating access at Hatteras
The
National Park Service (NPS), in cooperation with the North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), is seeking public scoping
comment on the proposed construction of a new public boating access
area within Cape Hatteras National Seashore, adjacent to the U.S. Coast
Guard Station Hatteras Inlet. ....Read more
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 Guest column: Where is the truth on sea turtle nesting success?
After
the 2008 sea turtle nesting season, Southern Environmental Law Center
(SELC), the National Audubon Society, and Defenders of Wildlife (DOW)
first started claiming that the consent decree had improved sea turtle
nesting at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area (CHNSRA).
I
got upset because I had naively expected the whole truth and nothing
but the truth rather than propaganda from these presumed reputable
organizations. Unfortunately, even after they were told that sea turtle
nesting in 2008 was at record levels throughout North Carolina (highest
since 2000), they continued their spin on how the consent decree
improved nesting at CHNSRA. ....Read more
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 Park Service will implement seasonal closures, lower speed limit on May 15
The
National Park Service will implement the annual seasonal closures of
village beaches to off-road vehicle (ORV) use within the Cape Hatteras
National Seashore, beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 15.
In
addition, the beach driving speed limit is reduced from 25 mph to 15
mph in all locations open to ORV use, unless otherwise posted, from May
15 – Sept. 15. ....Read more
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 Park Service closes Ramp 23, south of Salvo
The
National Park Service has announced the temporary closure of off-road
vehicle Ramp 23, which is located approximately 0.3 of a mile south of
Salvo on Hatteras Island. The ramp is temporarily closed for
shorebird breeding activity, as prescribed under the terms of the court
ordered consent decree. ....Read more
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 Night driving prohibited on beaches from May 1- Sept. 16
Beginning
May 1, all Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches are closed to
off-road vehicles (ORVs) between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., in
accordance with the court ordered consent decree.
Enforcement
of the restriction will begin at midnight on Friday, April 30.
The 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. prohibition on beach driving will remain in
effect until Nov. 15. However, under the terms of the consent
decree, the National Park Service may issue permits between Sept. 16
and Nov. 15 to authorize night driving on seashore beaches. ....Read more
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 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is open for the
season
The
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will open to the public for climbing on
Friday, April 16, and remain open through Columbus Day, Oct.
Climbing fees for the Lighthouse will be $7 per adult, and $3.50 for
children under 12 and senior citizens. ....Read more
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 Park Service releases
annual reports for protected species on the seashore
The
Cape Hatteras National Seashore 2009 annual reports for protected
species and a report on the status of off-road vehicle management plan
and negotiated rulemaking were released last week and are available to
the public on the Park Planning (PEPC) Web site under the Interim
Protected Species Management Strategy project. ....Read more
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Cape
Hatteras National Seashore is being considered as a marine protected
area
The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National
Marine Protected Areas Center, in cooperation with the Department of
the Interior (DOI), has created a first-ever inventory of the
nation’s marine protected areas. This unique, comprehensive
inventory catalogs and classifies marine protected areas within U.S.
waters.
Thirty-two
sites, including 21 units of the National Park system and several
national wildlife refuges, have been nominated to join the national
system of marine protected areas (MPAs). Cape Hatteras and Cape
Lookout National seashores are among the national seashores listed in
the Federal Register last week. ....Read more
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Is Bodie Island spit owned by the Park Service – or not?
Who
owns Bodie Island spit? Most people would answer that the National Park
Service owns the spit of land on the north side of Oregon Inlet. But
that is not the answer according to Dare County records. ....Read
more
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Click Here To View
2009 Archived Beach Access Information
Click Here To View
2008 Archived Beach Access Information
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