Advocates of more reasonable beach access at Cape Hatteras National Seashore are anxiously waiting for the National Park Service?s proposed rule for off-road vehicles at the seashore. They are probably going to have to wait a while longer. The Park Service released its 2010 annual reports this week, as it is required to do under […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
Hagan, Burr, and Jones ask for more reasonable beach access
Three members of North Carolina’s Congressional delegation are pushing the secretary of the Department of the Interior and the director of the Office of Management and Budget to decide on a “more appropriate” balance between public access and environmental stewardship in the proposed rule for off-road vehicles at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. On Jan. […]
Local News | Full Article
Park Service releases its 2010 annual reports on protected species
By IRENE NOLAN By IRENE NOLAN The Park Service has released the Cape Hatteras National Seashore 2010 annual reports for protected species and a report on the status of its off-road vehicle management. The following 2010 reports have been posted on the park planning (PEPC) website under the Interim Protected Species Management Strategy project: Piping […]
Local News | Full Article
Pity the poor seabeach amaranthâ¦.It doesnât get any respect
In the years of discussion of off-road vehicle rulemaking for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, have you ever heard anyone utter the words, ?seabeach amaranth?? Have you heard anyone talk about seabeach amaranth at a public meeting, public forum, public comment session, or negotiated rulemaking committee meeting? Have you seen anyone railing against protections for […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
UPDATE….DOT makes quick work of clearing snow and ice
By IRENE NOLAN By IRENE NOLAN The North Carolina Department of Transportation is used to scraping sand off the roads of Hatteras and Ocracoke. However, over the weekend, maintenance crews had a rare chance to try their hand at clearing snow and ice. And most islanders give them high marks for their work. “DOT deserves […]
Local News | Full Article
SELC says Pea Island is endangered, but is it really?
Earlier this week, The Southern Environmental Law Center issued its list of the Top Ten Most Endangered Places for 2011. Number 4 on the list is the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on the northern end of Hatteras Island. It is one of three sites in North Carolina that are on the list. The […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
Winter at the beach isâ¦well ⦠COLDâ¦.WITH SLIDE SHOW
Winter at the beach has always been my favorite time of the year on Hatteras and Ocracoke. Visitors are few and far between. Traffic on the highway is almost non-existent. The few stores and restaurants still open are never crowded. You know almost everyone you encounter while doing errands in the villages. And everyone has […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
Thank you, readers, for more than 1 million visits last year
Last year was a good year for The Island Free Press, and we want to start this new year by thanking all of our avid and devoted readers. Many of you have been with us since our first publication in September, 2007 ? more than three years ago now. And many of you have […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
UPDATE: Bonner Bridge Record of Decision now available
The Record of Decision (ROD) on the Bonner Bridge replacement, signed off on by the Federal Highway Administration on Dec. 20, is now available. Dara Demi, lead communications officer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, says the ROD will be posted on two DOT websites next week and has not yet been posted only […]
Local News | Full Article
A closer look at final decisions on beach access and replacing the bridge
I continue to be amazed and astounded that two projects that will have enormous impacts on the future of Hatteras and Ocracoke and have been mired down in discussion, negotiation, bureaucratic wrangling, and even a lawsuit took a big step forward on the same day last week. On Monday, Dec. 20, the National Park Service […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
