This Land, Your Land

Cape Hatteras National Seashore has published a draft plan for allowing off-road vehicles to drive on about 40 percent of the beach, according to a review of the document by the Associated Press.

About 16 miles of the seashore would be permanently closed to vehicles.

The proposal is the latest move forward in a dispute between folks who want access to the seashore for recreation, and environmentalists who want to protect threatened or endangered shorebirds and sea turtles that nest there.

"[T]he seashore's lack of an official ORV management plan led conservation groups a few years back to sue the National Park Service to protect bird and turtle nesting from ORV traffic," Kurt Repanshek writes at National Parks Traveler.

"That lack of a formal management plan has 'led over time to inconsistent management of ORV use, user conflicts, and safety concerns,' as the (draft environmental impact statement) notes, and nearly prompted a federal judge to ban ORV traffic entirely."

The DEIS contains proposals for improved access for vehicles and pedestrians, better parking, and vehicle capacity limits, according to Repanshek.

The AP report says "the 700-page plan said drivers would be able to use 29 miles of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with some limits during the breeding periods of sea birds. Off-road vehicles would be able to access another 23 miles of the 68-mile seashore during some parts of the year."

The National Park Service is accepting comments on the DEIS for 60 days from Friday.

Electronic copies of the proposal are available at the bottom of the page here. A limited number of hard copies of the DEIS will be available for distribution at the seashore headquarters or a copy may be requested, as long as supplies last, from Mike Murray, Superintendent, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, 1401 National Park Drive, Manteo, NC 27954. Copies will be provided to local libraries in Manteo, Kill Devil Hills, Hatteras Village, and Ocracoke.