This Land, Your Land

The News & Observer reported today that new rules about driving on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore to be released Monday will set permit fees at $90 to $150 for an annual pass and between $30 and $50 for a seven-day permit.

A 2008 consent decree requires the National Park Service to limit driving on the beach at Hatteras to times that do not conflict with nesting and spawning seasons for endangered species. The agreement, which settles a lawsuit brought by various environmental groups, also closes pedestrian access to specific areas of the seashore for bird breeding season from mid-March to mid- to late-August and for turtle nesting until early November.

Weekly closure notices are available each Thursday in season at www.nps.gov/caha/parknews/newsreleases.htm.

Most drivers taking vehicles out onto the beach at Hatteras are fishermen, a park spokesman told The N&O.

In addition to buying a permit for each vehicle you want to take out to the beach beginning February 15, "permit holders will be required to watch an instructional video," The N&O says.

The Park Service will update maps and provide other information about obtaining permits at www.nps.gov/caha in the coming weeks, according to the newspaper.

The N&O's Crosstown Traffic blog has a .pdf of the 82-page NPS final rule designating off-road vehicle routes and authorizing limited ORV use within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.