A New Rule Balances Wildlife and Off-Road-Vehicle Use on a North Carolina Beach

The Beach at Hatteras is a National seashore and recreation area.
It was never intend to be a wildlife refuge.
Pea Island is on Hatteras Island and it is a wildlife refuge.
BTW Pea Island moves the turtle eggs to a safe location on the other side of the sand dunes
to protect the eggs from predators and high surf. This procedure is also used at Padre Island in Texas with enormous success.
This is not a place where wild dune buggy s race and stuff, but family's use 4 wheel drive vehicles to access the beach and enjoy the nature and wildlife. We love to watch the plover for years they never seem to bothered by us.
The destruction by the waves and wind are significantly worse than a few tire tracks in the sand.
Access is not practical for the average pedestrian.
Pleas stop the attack on a way of live for us that do live near Hatteras.
We can all coexist.

As for what is open, Hatteras Island has 40 miles of beach front. Appoximately 8 miles is open to ORVs. With 3 of those access points being little more than glorified sand parking lots--cul de sacs and bumper to bumper parking.

Approximately, 4 miles of low density beach is open to pedestrian access either via designated parking areas or by walking through ORV areas. There is more but since it is sandwiched between closures and since the only parking would be on the soft sand shoulders of highway 12 (sometimes in violation of no parking signs) and with long walks over dunes and through thick brush with tics and snakes I didn't count it.

Approximately 14 miles of high density beach is open (the villages and the life guarded area at the old light house site). This is not by any means wild and pristine, unless you consider sun tan lotion, blankets and umbrellas wild and pristine.

Bottom line, only 4 miles of wild and pristine beaches are available on Hatteras Island. Prior to the 2004 when the park started this nonesense one could enter the beach via an ORV route and ride to any number of areas where very few people could be found or ride to an area that consisted of many people, fishing, swimming, picnicing etc. and partake of the comradarie available in the more heavily used areas. Now, due to the vast restriction on the amount of beach front available, all but 4 miles is either closed or so crowded that you might as well be at any number of other beaches that are earier to drive to.

And don't tell me about Pea Island--as everyone of the people quoted in your article have repeadedly stated that Pea Island can't be included in the evaluation of the proportion of areas designated for non ORV use. Why? According to them, because Pea Island is not part of the park and because it is too far to travel if you live or visit in the villages of Hatteras Island. If the 13 miles of Pea Island did count, the NPS and environmental groups would have to admit that this plan is NOT balanced.

This is a far far cry from a factual reporing job here Anna. You begged and begged to get people to interview for this "piece" and the one buisness owner you interviews was so upset at your writing job that she complained to your editor to remove it but they did not. Someday you are going to apply for a job outside your Audobon worls and when they see this drivel you will not behired based on your lack of journalistic integrity.

here's the truth said "last year Dare County had record receipts and bed occupancy rates last year "............northern dare county might have had record rates but not hatteras island which is distant and separate. a break down by town tells a different story.

Although I live in central North Carolina, I am from and my home is coastal North Carolina. I have enjoyed recreational activities, such as fishing on Cape Point and surrounding areas, since I was a small child before the Oregon Inlet bridge was ever completed. In the mid ‘70s dad finally bought a place to live in Buxton and finally we were in fisherman’s paradise with a place to stay whenever and for life --so we then thought.

As the years progressed, we never lost the desire to fish the area when we visited Dad. Even in the dead of winter, we’d go oyster-tonging in the sound. After I was married, my wife had never seen such a place for recreational fun on the beach. In the years to follow, my daughter came to love the place and relax with such admiration for the freedom of driving on the beach, taking in what nature had provided. Ever since I can remember Hatteras Island was always promoted as "The Fisherman’s Paradise," promoting tourism -- but not now. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, my dad, brothers, and friends enjoyed many-years and many hours towing the 16-foot aluminum skiff to the Point. To us, it was not only fun of a lifetime but, it was dinner too.

In June 2002 the ol’ aluminum skiff took its last journey to the Point with dad. My brother and dad launched in the Hook on the Point, hoping to catch dinner but, shortly after leaving shore, dad had a heart attack, so my brother beached the boat. But, Dad -- Tootie as many in the area knew him -- passed away later that evening at Albemarle Hospital. From that day on, the Point has somewhat been to us sacred ground.

All of my family continued enjoying the area with numerous spring, summer and fall visits right up until Thanksgiving – three to five days at a time, sometimes staying on the Point until sunset. And in 1937 (or there about) when all this land was donated to the National Park Service, this is exactly how the land and miles of beaches were intended to be used. Shortly after dad passed, my wife and her family started going for a week’s stay in June and then July. However, in 2008 all nine of them were rudely run off the beach mid-week by the Park Service for what we all know today as the ill-fated, brainless decision made by a judge that has demonstrated plenty of book sense but not a single gram of common sense whatsoever. Some may even question if he even has the authority to put such restrictions or alter land use that our ancestors donated intending for it to be used without restrictions.

Since 2008, I now visit only once or twice a year because Hatteras Island just isn’t a fun place anymore. My wife’s family has not returned a single time since 2008. Over the past few years, I have continued to see the areas declining economic health. I look at Judge Boyle in many respects as a doctor who obviously has the power to alter the areas economic healing process but chooses to care not. We have always approached beach driving with respect for wildlife. However, it has become a sad day in America when a human authority figure allows a bird to become the basis for an areas economic death.