For years folks have used off-road vehicles to negotiate some of the farther reaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. And for years the National Park Service failed to develop a management plan for those ORVers. And now it's time to pay the piper.
On April 3 a federal judge will consider a request by Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society to restrict ORV access to South Ocracoke, Hatteras Spit, North Ocracoke, Cape Point, South Beach and Bodie Island Spit for up to three years because of the presence of piping plovers, which have been considered a "threatened" species under the Endangered Species Act since January 1986.
The lawsuit contends the Park Service has run afoul of the National Park Organic Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the enabling legislation for the seashore, and the Park Service's own Management Policies by implementing an interim ORV management plan and failing to produce a long-term management plan.
The National Park Service’s Interim Plan and the ORV use it allows are substantially harming – and will continue to harm – important populations of endangered and threatened sea turtle species, threatened, special concern, or significantly rare bird species, and a threatened plant species, as well as other natural resources, serenity, and other recreational uses of the Seashore generally, reads one of the claims.
On Saturday, in a protest against the conservation groups, an estimated 200 ORV supporters showed up in a gale at Cape Point on the seashore to attend a rally.
In Sunday's editions of the Charlotte Observer, meanwhile, outdoors writer Tim Higgins satirized the situation by looking into the future to listen to a conversation between a young boy and his grandfather over why they no longer fish at Cape Point.
What's unfortunate is that the Park Service might have avoided this situation by acting sooner on developing a management plan for ORVs.
Comments
The story that never gets told follows:
Last April, a huge storm overturned several containers on a freighter off the coast of North Carolina. These containers held boxes of ceiling fans. The ceiling fans were packaged in styrofoam. Now, as you may know, styrofoam floats and on a good Nor'easter, guess where the styrofoam goes? (A Nor'easter is a strong storm with a prevelant wind from the North East for thise of you not farmiliar)
Anyway, thousands of cubic feet of styrofoam landed on the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Recreational Area. A mere week later, most of the beach was clean of all debris except debris too small to be picked up by the human hand. The areas that were not clean were, you will never guess, the areas closed to ORV's.
So what happened, did the oil dripping ORV's just crush the debris? No, the sportsmen and beach goers who enjoy the area got out of their ORV's, took trash bags donated by the local tackle shops, picked up the debris along with any other trash they could find, put it back into their ORV's and removed it from the beaches.
Now, Snowbird, this is how the ORV's benefit the local eco-system. This was absolutely not the only time this has ever happened, in fact, it happens after every large storm. It also happens after large holiday weekends. The people who use the resource regularly, respect the resource and protect it more than any well intended person a thousand miles away could ever hope to do.
There absolutely should be rules governing the use of ORV's. There are idiots in every venture known to man. The key is to enforce the regulations in place and create a real policy for ACCESS. If you have ever seen the sunset from Hatteras Inlet spit or Ocracoke Inlet, you know it is a place to revere. If you have ever watched your 65 year old father land and release his first Red Drum, you know that access is needed for people his age to enjoy the resource.
The real protectors of this habitat drive ORV's. The bad news is, they are not as vocal as the well intended groups who only see Bubba in a truck. The next time you pick up a piece of trash on Hatteras beaches, help a baby turtle to the water, help a tourist get their vehicle free from the sand, release a beautiful fish, have someone make a picture and post it on the web. Post it everywhere, Audobon, D.O.W and every where else. Then see how many pictures of people doing something for the local environment contain an ORV with a rod rack on it.
If any of you doubt the reality of what I just wrote, meet me on Ocracoke May 10th and we will fish for a week. During that time, we will take a trash bag from my ORV and fill it with any trash or debris on the beach, we will catch a few fish, tell a few lies, watch some beautiful sunsets and who knows, you might understand our side too.
I want to know if you live in today's United States without using any fossil fuels? Do you grow all our own food, generate your own electricity, and produce all the goods you need for survival?
Didn't think so...
My tax dollars pay for Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and I'm going to recreate as I see fit while being a responsible steward and following park rules. Environmental extremist assults against the rights of the middle class Americans and access to our national parks need to stop now. Piping plovers aren't successful at Hatteras because the noreasters and ocean overwash destory their nest, not ORVs. If the piping plover can't evolve, then all the money, rules, and regulations of humankind won't save it. I have as much a right to drive to Cape Point and fish as you have to sit in starbucks, drink a latte, and post on your blog.
The surf fishing community at Cape Hatteras has done more to promote protection of the barrier islands, conservation of coastal fishing resources, and preservation of the Hatteras and Ocracoke Island lifestyle than DOW could dream about. The current NPS resource closures are more than adequate to balance the recreational and resource stewardship duties of the park. The Defenders of Wildlife is just money machine to enrich the pockets of a few by restricting the rights of many. If DOW really cared about educating people on conservation, they'd halt the suit, honor their responsibility to take part in a constructive negiotiatied rulemaking process, and spend their political capital where they can truely make a difference.
Understand, it's public sand.
Snowbird, if you look closely to the picture with the ORVs tight up against the water, have you asked yourself why? If you look you will see just behind the ORVs a row of carsonite stakes(symbolic fence) look carefully and you will see no ORV tracks in there. That fenced off area is the area reserved for the nesting shore birds. We give the birds way more beach than they want to use. The NPS has done a very good job of balancing the use of the beach. It is a shame that DOW & AS want to force an injunction to close what little beach we have left to fish in. The area depicted in the photo is Bodie Island Spit, or the north side of Oregon Inlet.
Justwannafish:
A good story, yes, that doesn't get told enough. I've seen lots of ORVers pick up lots of trash.
Unfortunately you forgot the other story that doesn't get told as much: the cargo ship that held all those bags of Doritos, and all the people who got to help clean that one! Too bad I missed it! :)
RangerChris,
In a sense you are correct there is a place and a time for everything.
Now for the part about this seashore being designated a Wilderness area. Never has been except in changing statements but not in reality.
One must remember that this seashore was given by the people of North Carolina 98% free of charge to the Federal Government with a few strings attached as has been stated above in other post.
A couple of these documented strings were that it would be forever open for recreational use as well as wildlife preservation.
That the residents of the island would have rights even above and beyond those that we were to enjoy so as to maintain their heritage and livelihood.
Pea Island which makes up a full one third of the CHNRSS on the other hand was to be a pure wilderness area but this has been intruded upon by allowing a main highway and walkover beach access by all parties during all seasons of the year.
When taking all things into consideration one must also realize that all access from one end of the island to the other was by beach road (surf line) before there was a park and after the formation till the late fifties when the paved road system was install (which still constantly shifts position)and beach road usage still occurs today in emergencies and washouts over vast stretches.
Now to answer Snowbird.
Orv's are neither good nor bad for the beach environment unless improperly used just as your auto is neither good nor bad for your home base environment. Both pollute, both ruin the ecology and both use precious resources in abundance and yes both kill, even when properly used according to our laws. If an animal gets in their path no matter whether it's an endangered Plover on the beach or a Hawk that flies into your cars windshield no matter where it occurs the animal is just as dead.
As far as delicate ecosystem we have no access to this as when driving on the beach we are limited to in practically all places a corridor of less than 150 ft from the low tide line in 90% of all areas and this area is constantly over washed in many cases. True the Cape Point, Oregon Inlet spit and Hatteras Inlet spit has slightly more than this but this only takes in an area of less than 2 total running surf miles proper and these areas are no greater than 250ft in depth once again from the low tide line.
I think one of the biggest problems is the lack of an implementation of an equitable even and fair plan encompassing the items in my previous post.
Snowbird you assumed that I was one conscientious sportsman. I'll take that as a compliment and yes I do love wildlife of all kinds and yes I do fish and hunt and also drive on the beach when fishing the surf but in a responsible manner. I think that when it comes to surf fishermen you will find that 99% of them do the same as I do!
Now some people will look at the photo that leads out this article and will see a mass of Orv's crowded around Cape Point and yes it's the same at Oregon Inlet's south beach. I look at the same photo and see something different. I see a mid summer gathering of individuals that come to the pictured area from all over the country to see and be seen. They mostly have no regard for wildlife or the environment because they haven't been taught that access is a privilege and not a right.
Now if you look closely you will notice there is maybe two or three people fishing out of the whole group group you see. Most are there to party and swim!
You won't see any locals or the folks I fish with or 98% of the guys and gals that fish the real fishing season from mid September to late May in the above photo because once again 98% of us don't like crowds and anything over four or five vehicles in a half mile or mile is a crowded.
The locals have a name for these people "Turon's or Skippie's" and it means what it infers, but alas they pay taxes just like I do.
Sincerely
Big Red
PS: Where you see those people and children swimming I have personally seen 6 to 10ft bitter sharks caught and released in that very same area while uniformed adults watched their children swimming. Go figure people. I don't even wade anymore past knee deep anytime of the year.
Snowbird06
I still don't understand how people can be so glued to there ORV convictions and yet feel so threaten when someone pops the simple question about preservation and conservation of wildlife...such as at the Cape. Some automatically label you as a extremist, a tree hugger and a environmental freak of sorts....a typical response and stance from the anti-environmental hate groups. I oppose to any massive vehicle corridor on most wetlands, beaches and bay inlands that are that close to waterfowl and wildlife (such as at the Cape). I have seen to much damage towards are wetlands, beaches and marshes over the years to think differently. I remain open minded to a balance approach to the Cape Hatteras long overdue environmental problems...especially regarding the OVR's.
Snowbird06
Thanks Big Red for your in put! You sound like a reasonable and decent man. I bet your one damn good sportsman too.
Snowbird and all who oppose ORV access at CHNSRA:
1. It's damn near impossible to fish there without an ORV, particularly at the best spots.
2. Access was promised to the locals and tourists when the land was given- that means fishermen, surfers, bird watchers, EVERYBODY.
3. You can't take a boat, primarily because the closures limit pedestrian access as well, ie you can't get out of your boat. That means no more bird watching, by the way.
4. The amount of birds killed by orv's is insignificant compared to predation and overwash.
5. 99.9% of the beaches on the east coast are off limits to orvs- can you not just leave this one alone, or are you not willing to compromise?
6. I was there the day the picture at the top was taken. I've rarely been around better people. It was a lot of fun- you should try enjoying our national parks. Isn't that what they were created for, not to be inaccessible refuges?
7. Unless you're a visitor to CHNSRA, why do you care? The safety of plovers? Come on, what makes a plover any more special than the cow that died for your shoes? Why do you see fit to glamorize one animal and kill others to protect it? As a sportsman, I have respect for ALL animals, even though I'm intelligent enough to see that some will die for the benefit of humans, and others will no longer live where habitat is unsuitable (plovers at CHNSRA, the squirrels that used to live where your house sits, etc.).
8. If orv's are the plight to birds, Pea Island should be covered with them, but it isn't...why not?
9. Please quit trying to impose your ideals about acceptable forms of recreation on other people... I promise not to try and shut you out of your favorite ____________, whether it's a mountain, beach, stream...whatever.
10. His name is TOM Higgins, not Tim.
Bird Dog