nps closes hatteras inlet today

[Steve Coleman]

more *&^*&$ crooked stuff

per rdt thread

[Possum]

Another brick in the wall.

[Possum]

Two new vandalism incidents have resulted in expanded buffers at shorebird protection areas in Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Both incidents, discovered over the weekend, are being investigated by National Park Service law enforcement personnel and were evaluated by park management on Monday, March 30.

One incident occurred at the northeast end of the Hatteras Inlet spit prenesting area, located just south of the southern terminus of Pole Road, where 17 bird closure signs were destroyed. The second incident occurred at the west end of the South Beach pre-nesting area where two posts and a barrier rope that provided a clear closure boundary at the edge of the intertidal zone had been removed and were missing.

The court ordered consent decree mandates that if a confirmed deliberate act that disturbs or harasses wildlife or vandalizes fencing, nests, or plants occurs, NPS shall automatically expand the buffer by 50 meters on the first offense, 100 meters on the second, and 500 meters on the third.

As a result of the expansion at Hatteras Inlet spit, approximately 0.1 mile of beach south of the southern end of Pole Road is closed to access. However, the Pole Road remains open. On South Beach, access has been reduced by 50 meters on the west side of the current resource closure.

NPS law enforcement personnel continue to investigate these two incidents. If anyone has information about any of these violations, please call Dare Community Crime Line at 252-473-3111. Destruction of government property and entering a resource closure are federal criminal violations, each subject up to a $5,000 fine and up to six months imprisonment.

For up-to-date information on currently open or closed areas, check the Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Google Earth maps at: http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm

[ocracoma]

Originally Posted by Steve Coleman

more *&^*&$ crooked stuff

Amen!

[Dogfish Daze]

Was down on Ocracoke last weekend through the first of the week and experienced first hand the results of the previous vandalism to the closure on the South End of the island. Last season we experienced the closures along Hatteras Island that eliminated not just ORV traffice but anyone, including pedestrians.

It should be noted though that the areas first closed (without expansion for vandalism) clearly demonstrate the absurdity of consent decree governing these issues. Stopped to fish on Ocracoke's South Point at the end of the dune line. Stepped off the distance from the highest water mark to the bird closure - 14 yards. 14 yards of beach available for passage at high tide (or less with more extreme tides) and hundreds of yards of barren beach roped off for the birds.

Everyone needs to help police this issue. Everyone also needs to contact their Congressmen to support H.R. 718 which would reinstate the Interim Management Plan govering off road vehicle use in the Cape Hatteras Seashore Park. This issue is definitely not about the birds though that is the most convenient means for the environmentalists to achieve their goals. It is clearly a recreation v. segregation issue.

We all need to work together to keep the beaches free and open to everyone.

[Possum]

The ESA provides for protection of nesting birds.It doesn't provide authority to attract birds to a specific area....which is exactly what the prenesting closures and expanding buffers are designed to do.

[Drumdum]

Originally Posted by Possum

The ESA provides for protection of nesting birds.It doesn't provide authority to attract birds to a specific area....which is exactly what the prenesting closures and expanding buffers are designed to do.

Yeap,couldn't agree more,something like "creating habitat"..

Actually when you get right down to it these closures do nothing but allow dune grass to grow in these areas... These plovers and other birds that nest in areas away from the grass,because of predators,will not nest there.. They will move on down closer to the shore to nest,thus expanding closures....

[Woodduck]

http://www.angelfire.com/indie/words...yme/index.html

Check out the pictures how they catch the birds, harass and disturb their nesting.
I guess if you wear a uniform, the birds don't mind.
Talk about a double standard.