THE NEW JERSEY BEACH BUGGY ASSOCIATION FIGHTING FOR BEACH ACCESS SINCE 1954    

 
 

 

CAPE HATTERAS UPDATE and PLEA FOR ACTION

Eric Paulson

          NJBBA is at a very interesting point in access and political issues.  Our access is being threatened on a biblical scale at Cape Hatteras in North Carolina .  The deep pockets of the Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society are trying to essentially close most of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands to vehicle and pedestrian access.  Their lawsuit to close all potential nesting habitat for piping plover and other wildlife, threatened and endangered or not, could possibly spell the end of access at the seashore.  There would be very small areas available for access if the DoW and NAS are successful.  OBPA, NCBBA, Dare County and Hyde County are interveners in the lawsuit along side the NPS.  At the same tim e negotiated rulemaking is progressing to develop and adopt an ORV plan acceptable to all user groups.  On April 16 an agreement (forced) was reached between the parties.  A Consent Decree was sent to Judge Boyle of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina for his approval.  It maintains limited access, but imposes large buffer zones around nests and limits night tim e driving during the sea turtle nesting period.  Go to www.NCBBA.org or www.OPBA.org to see the maps of buffer zones and the consent decree.  Keep checking the NCBBA and OBPA websites for up to date information.

          On June 11, 2008, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and U.S. Rep. Walter Jones introduced legislation in the Senate and House of Representatives that would reinstate the Interim Management Strategy governing off-road vehicle use on Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS). The reinstatement of the original Interim Management Strategy, issued by the National Park Service (NPS) on June 13, 2007, would set aside current mandates and requirements which were put in place in the wake of a consent decree filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, that prevent off-road vehicle and citizen access to a significant portion of this National Seashore.

          These bills, S.3113 and H.R.6233, need our support.  The bills need sponsors.  Having a Senator or Congressman/woman saying that they support this bill doesn’t mean anything.  Your elected official needs to sign on as a co-sponsor.  That’s where the rubber meets the road.  The rest is just lip service.  Write your Senators and Congressmen/women about how you feel on these bills.  The best impact is a handwritten letter, next is a signed letter, then emails and faxes.  On the following page is a sample letter from the ASA.  Feel free to copy it, scan it, re-write it by hand, edit it- whatever you want.  Just send it in.  If you don’t know who your senators or congress men/women are they can be found in the phone book or at www.senate.gov or www.house.gov.  You can also send an email or print out a copy of this letter from the website at :

http://capwiz.com/keepamericafishing/issues/alert/?alertid=11575146&PROCESS=Take+Action

 Updated sample letters below:

Sample Letter Congressman/woman in support of bill H.R. 6233

(House of Representatives)

 

Dear Congress (man/woman) _____________,

 

As an avid angler on the North Carolina seashore, and your constituent, I am writing to ask that you co-sponsor H.R. 6233. This bill reinstates the Interim Protected Species Management Strategy (IMS) governing off-road vehicle (ORV) use in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area (CHNSRA). This would allow avid fishermen like me reasonable access to the beaches while still providing shorebirds and other species adequate protection.

Recreational fishing is one of the most enjoyable American pas tim es, and CHNSRA has some of the best surf fishing locations on the east coast – accessible only by ORV. However, a recent consent decree is prohibiting both ORV and pedestrian access to vast areas of the Seashore, preventing more than just anglers from enjoying this national treasure.

Despite the fact that the IMS was being implemented by the National Park Service (NPS) to protect shorebirds and other wildlife and a negotiated rulemaking committee was convened to developed a long-term management plan for the use of ORVs in CHNSRA to balance the resource needs of the shorebirds and appropriate access for ORVs and pedestrians, members of the environmental community sued the NPS claiming that the IMS was not protective enough. This resulted in the Consent Decree, which went into effect on May 1, 2008. Instead of allowing restricted, yet reasonable access to the beach, the Consent Decree has forced the NPS to implement vast beach closures that have also resulted in cutting off access to the most popular fishing spots, like Bodie Spit, Cape Point, and Hatteras Inlet.

The Cape Hatteras community, lifelong stewards of the CHNSRA, have all but been kicked out of the Seashore they call home. Visitors have cancelled their trips because they can no longer access the most popular portions of the Seashore. The entire economy of this historic beach community, which depends on tourism and ORV access, is now suffering undue economic impacts.


Please support passage of H.R. 6233 so the Cape Hatteras community can regain its voice in the Negotiated Rulemaking process, appropriate access to this national treasure can be preserved for our future enjoyment, and the economy and lifestyle of the entire Outer Banks can be saved. The IMS is a reasonable plan that protects wildlife while still allowing ORV and pedestrian access to all groups that use the beach, including fishermen, kiteboarders, birdwatchers, and families.

Thank you for your consideration,

 

Your Name

Sample Letter to your Senator in support of bill S.3113

(Senate)

 

Dear Senator _____________________,

 

As an avid angler on the North Carolina seashore, and your constituent, I am writing to ask that you co-sponsor S. 3113. This bill reinstates the Interim Protected Species Management Strategy (IMS) governing off-road vehicle (ORV) use in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area (CHNSRA). This would allow avid fishermen like me reasonable access to the beaches while still providing shorebirds and other species adequate protection.

Recreational fishing is one of the most enjoyable American pas tim es, and CHNSRA has some of the best surf fishing locations on the east coast – accessible only by ORV. However, a recent consent decree is prohibiting both ORV and pedestrian access to vast areas of the Seashore, preventing more than just anglers from enjoying this national treasure.

Despite the fact that the IMS was being implemented by the National Park Service (NPS) to protect shorebirds and other wildlife and a negotiated rulemaking committee was convened to developed a long-term management plan for the use of ORVs in CHNSRA to balance the resource needs of the shorebirds and appropriate access for ORVs and pedestrians, members of the environmental community sued the NPS claiming that the IMS was not protective enough. This resulted in the Consent Decree, which went into effect on May 1, 2008. Instead of allowing restricted, yet reasonable access to the beach, the Consent Decree has forced the NPS to implement vast beach closures that have also resulted in cutting off access to the most popular fishing spots, like Bodie Spit, Cape Point, and Hatteras Inlet.

The Cape Hatteras community, lifelong stewards of the CHNSRA, have all but been kicked out of the Seashore they call home. Visitors have cancelled their trips because they can no longer access the most popular portions of the Seashore. The entire economy of this historic beach community, which depends on tourism and ORV access, is now suffering undue economic impacts.

Please support passage of S. 3113 so the Cape Hatteras community can regain its voice in the Negotiated Rulemaking process, appropriate access to this national treasure can be preserved for our future enjoyment, and the economy and lifestyle of the entire Outer Banks can be saved. The IMS is a reasonable plan that protects wildlife while still allowing ORV and pedestrian access to all groups that use the beach, including fishermen, kiteboarders, birdwatchers, and families.

Thank you for your consideration,

Your Name