The Battle Over a North Carolina Beach Continues

Having grown up on Hatteras Island, I find this article to be the epitomy of an obviously closed-minded, self centered, and overrated individual who claims to be a journalist. Mr Williams, if you had done your research (as any mediocre journalist would know to do) you would know that the "redneck motorhead beach bully thugs" you refer to are actually some of the greatest proponents to the conservation of wildlife you will ever find. You failed to mention in your "article" the dozens of locals that walk the beach (after DRIVING to their favorite spot) on a very regular basis very early in the morning to exercise themselves and their dogs that will place driftwood and/or beach debris around a sea turtle nest to mark it so others will know it's there and keep clear. You would have mentioned the surfers waitin on the dune for the sun to come up, capturing an injured bird and abandoning their epic early morning surf session to make sure the bird got the care it needed. Maybe you would have a story about the commercial fisherman watching their mortgage payment, truck payment, and dinner swim off into the sunrise because because they refused to disturb the sea turtle that made the beach for a rest from his swim. I can tell you these kind of stories because I've lived them on Hatteras Island. Yes, I was the guy that marked that turtle nest from the night before. I was the one that cared for that bird instead of enjoying an early morning surf session. I was the one that skipped dinner and necessary payments for a day so that a weary Loggerhead could catch a rest in the middle of his long swim. The people of Hatteras Island know that the wildlife is a very integral part of the tourism industry that drives their economy and do more than their part to ensure those resources are protected. That being said, you also failed to mention the other ways in which (and I'm going here now) the "eco-terrorist wildlife thugs"are "protecting" these poor defenseless plovers. What about the inhumane traps they are using to trap the fox, the possom, the raccoons, oh yeah and the occasional family dog which they call predatory species. Maybe you could have touched on the "enforcers" in trucks on the beach hunting these predators in rather close proximity to the open areas of beach where families with children get to witness their "conservation" efforts. Possibly the boats patrolling the soundside doing the same would make for a little substance in your poorly written, inflammatory article. But that wouldn't wouldn't have made the space constraint you were working with. I understand. Oh yeah, it might have enlightened Audubon's readers and membership to the truth about saving a bird that is only endangered here on Hatteras Island.
In closing, I can say that I understand the threats claimed to have been received.I do not condone any of the irrational behavior but I do understand it. So Mr Williams please open your mind just a little and take a look at what is happening to this community and its economy before writing another one sided article that will only "add more fuel to the fire". And yes, this is destroying the economy of the lower Dare County region. You can lie about the facts but the facts don't lie.

What I found was a little disheartening. I've been loyal to the island and choose it as my vacation destination of choice over all other locations. I chose it because it was one of the few places left where I could find a long stretch of beach with no one but myself and the people I chose to come with within several hundred yards. No one to bother us, no one we could bother. We don't "joyride", cut donuts in the sand or bastardize the beaches in any way. Yes, we drive on the beaches, and we find a spot, and stop there for the day. We swim, we play games, we sunbathe, we do some fishing, and we enjoy all there is to offer, including the wildlife. We are those VA plates you described in your article. But you have really missed the mark assuming we'd be ok with parking and walking many miles in the hot sand to find that remote stretch of beach. We bought our ORV pass this year. I could have done alot with that $50 on my vacation, but I chose to spend it on the pass so that we could do what we came to do, and that is enjoy the beach. You see, we have a toddler, and a dog who also very much enjoy the beach. They also need food, water, and shade while on the beach on a hot day. And my son enjoys playing with his sand toys on the beach, and he wears a life jacket at all times while going in the water. We also need sunscreen, towels, chairs, etc. We don't have the funds to rent oceanfront. This is why we love Hatteras. We can easily take all of those things to the beach, and not have to rub elbows with hundred of others, and not have to worry about someone being afraid of our 120lb chocolate lab. We don't have to make several trips on foot to and from our soundside rental to get all of the items we need to enjoy our day. And should a storm come up...quick cover is available. This year things were a little different though. We paid money for the first time ever, and were denied access to our favorite area....South Beach. Sure, we could have walked a few miles in the hot sand with a toddler and a dog, but would that have been an enjoyable vacation experience? Probably not. I think you are maybe confusing South Beach with the Frisco ramp 49...South Beach is almost entirely closed, year round, to ORV's, and virtually inaccessible on foot for a family such as ours on foot. I didn't see ANYONE on that stretch of "pedestrian only" beach the entire week I was there, with the exception of a few that had driven to the edge of the enclosure and walked a few feet and set up a chair. And not only that, but what was left, both Cape Point, and Ramp 49 in Frisco were densely crowded. More crowded than I had ever seen this time of year. Or heck anytime of year with the exception of Oregon Inlet on a holiday weekend. It really kinda defeats the purpose of why I loved coming there. Not only that, but a handful of restaurants that I wanted to try, that I remembered from all of my previous trips down...gone! Out of business...for at least 3 years now I was told. Sure, not all businesses are gone...but enough for it to be noticeable. I'm failing to see what good these changes are making for the economy of the island, and the overall feel of it. Rules and changes were needed, and the animals need protection, but the year round closures, the closing of the inlets and spits, and that huge stretch of South Beach are overkill. The consent decree was better than what we have now. I feel awful for those people that enjoy doing what we do at the beach, but can't come later in the season when more beaches are open because their kids are in school. They are paying top dollar for an experience that has become more crowded, and I'm sure it's worse during those peak weeks. It's people like us who will eventually tire of it and go in search of new places where we can enjoy solitude, and abandon Hatteras. One last thought, in all of my years vacationing there, rarely, if ever, have I seen people driving like maniacs, running over animals, almost hitting pedestrians, any of the things you've mentioned in your article. I saw some of those things happening last year in Carova, when we were displaced by Irene. Sure we don't have to pay to drive the beach up there, and it's beautiful, and the horses are amazing...but we all came close to getting hit by a speeding car at one time or another, and the beaches were PACKED. I enjoyed it up there to an extent, but returned to Hatteras this year because it is NOTHING like that. And never has been from what I've seen.