Beach Access and Park Issues
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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.  
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U.S. Geological Survey coastal erosion study is coming to Cape Point

There will be many interesting pieces of equipment and plenty of activity on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore beach near Cape Point next month. It will all be part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s ongoing research on Carolina Coastal Change Processes.

You can find out more about the project at a special National Park Service Know Your Parks citizen science program series presentation by the researchers on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Avon Fire Station.  
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Audubon Society solicits scientists to support beach closure

Approximately five dozen scientists have signed on to a letter drafted by Audubon North Carolina which solicited signers to add their support in asking the National Park Service to adopt the "highest degree of protection" listed in the US Geological Survey's management protocols that include full year round closure to all recreation - both ORV and pedestrians - of Bodie Island Spit, Cape Point, South Beach, Hatteras Spit, North Ocracoke and South Ocracoke.

This is an article by Sandy Semans, editor of The Outer Banks Sentinel.

Read the story at http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2010/01/27/top_stories/tops339.txt




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.
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Ocracoke Lighthouse gets some ‘cosmetic’ work

It's short and rather stout, has no fancy markings and can't be climbed.

But the Ocracoke Lighthouse, the state's oldest continuously operating beacon, is beloved among the Outer Banks lighthouses for its simplicity and its charming village location.

And it's getting some work done.

Rehabilitation of the 1823 tower's interior, which began recently, will include replacing cast iron railings on the balcony, repointing the brick mortar, replacing rotting window frames and repainting.

By Catherine Kozak from The Virginian-Pilot.

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/12/ocracoke-nc-lighthouse-undergoes-repairs


Coastal storm causes some problems for seashore beach access

The strong northeaster that swept up the East Coast over the weekend has left impressive aftereffects in its path on the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  Park visitors and ORV users will encounter noticeable differences in ocean beach and dune conditions and caution is advised.  
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State Sen. Marc Basnight urges support of bill to overturn consent decree

In an attempt to gain more Democratic support for a bill to set aside a consent decree that now dictates off-road vehicle access to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, state Sen. Marc Basnight has sent a letter to members of North Carolina’s Congressional delegation.

In the letter, dated Oct. 28, Basnight, a Democrat from Manteo who is President Pro Tempore of the state Senate, urged the state’s Democrats to support  H.R. 718 that would set aside the consent decree and would return management to the National Park Service’s Interim Protected Species Management Plan.  
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Volunteers needed to help stranded sea turtles this winter

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is offering two volunteer training sessions for the Sea Turtle Stranding volunteer program’s fall/winter sea turtle season.  Under the direction of Sea Turtle Biological Technician Michelle Bogardus, the goal of the Sea Turtle Volunteer in the Park (VIP) program is to respond to “cold-stunned” stranded sea turtles along the ocean and soundside beaches of the seashore and adjacent communities. 
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Turtle season 2009 brought a light study, volunteer program, and a few surprises

With 104 sea turtle nests laid on the beaches of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, this year’s nesting season fell just short of 2008’s record-setting 112 nests, but it’s been an exciting and important season nonetheless, one filled with some new developments and a few surprises -- both pleasant and unpleasant.

Two of the biggest developments this year have been the start of a three-year, grant-funded study aimed at analyzing how different types of artificial light affect hatchling orientation and the introduction of a “nest watch” volunteer program.  
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Bodie Island and Ocracoke lights will be turned off for renovation work

The National Park Service will temporarily turn off the familiar blinking lights of Bodie Island and Ocracoke lighthouses in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, beginning Monday, Sept. 28, until renovation work at the two sites is completed. 
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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.  
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NPS issues 2008 reports on birds and turtles and status of ORV rulemaking

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.  
   ....Read more




Jones re-introduces bill to set aside consent decree on ORV access

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., re-introduced legislation in the House of Representatives yesterday that would set aside a consent decree and reinstate the National Park Service’s interim strategy to govern ORV use on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore until there is a long-term rule.

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Beach access group and Dare and Hyde counties plan to sue over piping plover habitat designation

Cape Hatteras Access Preservation Alliance (CHAPA) and Dare and Hyde counties have notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that they intend to file yet another lawsuit over the issue of the designation of critical habitat for the piping plover. In their Dec. 2 notice of their intent to sue, the parties claim that the designation violates the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other federal environmental laws.  
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Park Service releases its management alternatives for ORV use on the seashore

The National Park Service has released its management alternatives for off-road vehicle use on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  Park officials hope that the negotiated rulemaking committee will add one more alternative.  The Park Service’s management alternatives would normally not be released to the public until next fall when the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be ready for public review. However, the seashore superintendent said that he thinks releasing the alternatives almost a year early will benefit the negotiators. 
Read more....




Beach-driving advocates wary of new rule on critical habitat for wintering plovers

After seven years of court fights and compromise, more than 2,000 acres of seashore along the Outer Banks were deemed critical wintering habitat for piping plovers, a rare shorebird.

Beach drivers now wonder how the designation will affect them, and groups that oppose it want federal regulators to reconsider the move.

Article by Catherine Kozak in The Virginian-Pilot.

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/10/outer-banks-beach-driving-advocates-wary-rule


FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CRITICAL HABITAT:

Guest column: A critical look at designating critical habitat for wintering piping plovers

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has given notice that it intends to designate four popular areas of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore as critical habitat for the wintering piping plover.  Dr. Mike Berry writes that this designation has some significant implications for the national park, the public, and the villages on the Outer Banks.   ....Read more

http://islandfreepress.org/2008Archives/06.02.2008-GuestColumnMikeBerryCriticalHabitat.html

 



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