This Land, Your Land

The National Park Service has confirmed that work to refurbish the Bodie Island Lighthouse will resume next month with completion anticipated in October.

Work was suspended last spring after the Park Service concluded it did not have the money to repair the extent of damage discovered after work had begun the previous year.

But this week's announcement of a $1.89 million contract award confirms Outer Banks Group Deputy Superintendent Darrell Echols' statement to the Outer Banks Voice newspaper in December that funds had been secured.

The work is to include the following renovations:

  * Restore deteriorated metal.
  * Restore components on the lantern level (support beams, masonry, railing/ladder).
  * Replace galley cornice segments.
  * Paint interior and exterior masonry.
  * Replace windows and glass on lantern level.
  * Paint all newly installed metals/wood.
  * Install fire suppression system and rehabilitate electrical power.
  * Install stair strengtheners.

The existing lighthouse, which stands near Oregon Inlet on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, is actually the third Bodie Island Lighthouse, each of which has had a troubled history.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the National Park Service have created an interactive map of the AT based on Google maps, that shows a variety of trail features.

In addition to Google's standard map, satellite and map/satellite viewing mode, the ATC's map - which includes the rest of the globe - can be viewed as a terrain map and as a USGS topography map. (Topo information is confined to the U.S.)

With a click of the mouse, users can bring up trail shelter locations, which with another click include a photo, capacity and amenities; plus parking and scenic vistas, which also include photos.

There are about 300 miles of the 2,181-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail in North Carolina or along the North Carolina/Tennessee border.

Unlike Google maps, the ATC map does not readily create emailable links or code for embedding portions of the map.

"While useful, this map is for general reference purposes only and not intended to replace the more comprehensive and accurate A.T. printed hiking maps, available from the ATC's Ultimate Trail Store," the ATC says.

Work on the Bodie Island Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which was halted in March, could resume soon, according to a report in The Outer Banks Voice.

National Park Service Outer Banks Group Deputy Superintendent Darrell Echols told the newspaper that funding for repairs to the lighthouse has been secured and a contract to continue the restoration could be signed in a matter of weeks.

A $3.09 million project to refurbish the lighthouse that began in December 2009 was halted in January 2010 when damage that exceeded expectations was discovered. After an extra $1.6 million couldn't be found, the project was shelved in March 2011.

The newspaper's report, which focuses on protection of the tower as it sits open to the elements, provides no other details, but Echols said an announcement on the particulars would be made soon.

Delayed work on the Bodie Island Lighthouse, below, could resume soon.

Rental cabins at Cape Lookout National Seashore can now be reserved online, the National Park Service announced Monday.

The 20 cabins at Long Point Cabin Camp on North Core Banks and the 25 cabins at Great Island Cabin Camp on south Core Banks are available from March 16 to November 30 next year. Reservations open at 10 a.m. January 5 through the federal recreation.gov service.

Park Superintendent Pat Kenney says in a news release the move to recreation.gov is in response to input from visitors about the current telephone-based reservation system.

Recreation.gov is the federal government's central reservation system for thousands of recreation sites. It requires upfront payment through a credit card and charges a fee for a cancellation.

A report released by the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association today says that, for the second year in a row, the likely erosion of necessary funding for America’s national parks will harm the parks, visitors, and surrounding communities and businesses.

If Congress' Super Committee fails to craft a debt-reduction deal that passes Congress, mandatory across-the-board budget cuts will have a drastic impact on national parks, which the report says are "at the tipping point."

"In the past two years, park visitation has been higher than it has been in a decade — yet national parks suffer from an annual operations shortfall of $500-$600 million, and receive $325 million less per year than necessary to keep an $11 billion maintenance backlog from getting worse," the NCPA says in a news release about “Made in America: Investing in National Parks for Our Heritage and Our Economy” (large .pdf file).

"Further cuts could mean fewer rangers to greet visitors, reduced visitor center hours, shortened campground seasons, closure of entrance stations and backcountry trails, fewer educational programs, and reduced law enforcement patrols to safeguard America’s heritage."

Across-the-board discretionary cuts of 9 percent that are to go into effect if the Super Committee fails would take about $231 million from the national parks budget, the NCPA says. "This would unquestionably be devastating for many national parks, visitors, and the communities and businesses that depend on them," the group adds.

A recent NPCA study found that every federal dollar invested in national parks generates at least four dollars of economic value to the public.

Among 10 case studies of parks, the 54-page report says a 10 percent cut to the Blue Ridge Parkway budget would "almost certainly mean the layoff of some permanent employees and the elimination of seasonal hires altogether, resulting in the closure of some of the Parkway’s facilities." With even a 5 percent cut, "the Parkway would likely have to shorten hours at its visitor centers and possibly close some."

One way park managers make ends meet is by turning to volunteers for help. At Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the system, the park has generated $2.48 million worth of work from volunteers for "a hefty return on the investment in salaries for two volunteer coordinators. Yet volunteer coordination activities are often among the first functions to be sacrificed when a park hits tight budget times — those staffers are often reassigned to more pressing duties."

Parks also have depended on entrance and recreational fees, and private philanthropy and partnerships with businesses to stretch their budgets.

"But not all parks charge fees, and smaller parks often are unable to collect significant sums even when they do charge fees," the report concludes. "While the vast majority of Americans are happy to contribute to the upkeep of their parks, there is a question as to whether taxpayers should have to pay twice to visit the lands they own — once with their taxes and once at the gate."

The National Park Service opened the North Core Banks road and resumed vehicle ferry access at Cape Lookout National Seashore this week, allowing vehicle traffic for the first time since Hurricane Irene tore through the area August 26-27.

The 20 Long Point Cabins are closed for the season and repair work continues in the cabin area, but tent and RV camping is allowed on the beaches. (The 21 Great Island Cabins at South Core Banks remain open through November 28.)

Roads between the beach and the ferry landing and sanitary dump station, and between the beach and the long-term parking lot and bathhouse are open.

In addition to roads, long-term parking, a fish-cleaning station, potable water, a sanitary dump station, and the bathhouse and bathrooms are open as of Wednesday.

The camp office remains closed, and gasoline, diesel and ice are not available.

"The island was subject to a tremendous amount of erosion and overwash from Hurricane Irene and there are still numerous hazards (such as old rusted-out vehicles, and pilings) partly buried in the sand," the National Park Service news release says. Drivers should "be very mindful of the signs designating where vehicles may operate."

In addition to damaging the Long Point Cabins, the storm's overwash eroded about 50 feet of beach and filled in the ferry landing with about 100 feet of sand.

Update: The National Parks Conservation Association says "the Parkway can preserve its integrity as a self-contained, scenic motorway separate from the regional highway system, rather than allow piecemeal road developments to transform the historic parkway into a commuter traffic route," by adopting the proposed general management plan, and calls for folks to speak out at the public hearings.

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The Blue Ridge Parkway is presenting options to the public for a new general management plan, the preferred alternative to which "emphasizes the original Parkway design and traditional driving experience, while enhancing outdoor recreational opportunities and regional natural resource connectivity, and providing modest improvements to visitor services."

Public hearings are set for November 2 at the Folk Art Center on the Parkway near Asheville, November 3 at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, November 9 at the Nelson Memorial Library in Lovingston, Va., and November 10 at the Brambleton Center in Roanoke, Va. Each meeting is from 3 to 7 p.m. and will feature exhibits that explain the plan.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Draft General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, available here, provides comprehensive guidance for perpetuating natural systems, preserving cultural resources, and providing opportunities for quality visitor experiences along the Parkway for the next 20-plus years, the news release says.

In the approach preferred by the National Park Service, Alternative B, "the parkway would be actively managed as a traditional, self-contained, scenic recreational driving experience and designed landscape," the plan's introduction says. "To support that experience, many of the parkway’s recreation areas would provide enhanced opportunities for dispersed outdoor recreation activities."

Under Alternative C, the Parkway would be managed in a manner "more integrated with the larger region’s resources and economy," the plan says. "More emphasis would be placed on reaching out to communities and linking to regional natural, recreational, and cultural heritage resources and experiences. The parkway would continue to be managed to retain the fundamental character of the traditional designed landscape and scenic driving experience. However, a variety of more modern recreational and visitor service amenities would be provided, primarily concentrated in visitor services areas. As a result, portions of some recreation areas would be redesigned."

Alternative A describes the Parkway as is, and is a "non-action alternative" for comparison purposes. As it is currently being managed, "there is not a comprehensive Parkway-wide resource and visitor use management direction for setting priorities. Resource and visitor use issues and conflicts [are] resolved on a case-by-case basis without the guidance of an agreed upon Parkway-wide management strategy."

Under the preferred alternative, about 9.4 percent of Parkway land would become part of "recreation zones" and accommodate "a wider range of trail-based recreational activities such as allowing mountain biking and horseback riding in some locations, or more hiking trails or trail improvements to accommodate more hikers. Recreational opportunities would focus on the outdoors and include organized group programs, self-guiding interpretation, nature observation, picnicking, hiking, backpacking, viewing natural and cultural resources, photography, exploring, and backcountry camping."

The proposal also suggests additional campsites, picnic areas, restrooms, and interpretive media, and "expanding visitor services from a six-month to a nine-month visitor season."

Increased recreational opportunities and development outside the Parkway in the Roanoke, Highlands and Asheville areas will increase visitation and congestion, the report says, but mitigation efforts described in the report would make them minor and localized in the long-term.

Comments on the plan can be submitted at any of the meetings listed above, or until December 16 online or by mail to: Superintendent Philip A. Francis, Jr., Blue Ridge Parkway, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803.

All remaining reservations for the season at the Cape Lookout National Seashore's Long Point cabins will be cancelled as the national park continues to deal with damage from Hurricane Irene, which struck in August.

There are 20 Long Point rental cabins on North Core Banks and their season was to go to the end of November. There are 21 similar cabins at South Core Banks that remain open.

The National Park Service also said in a news release Thursday that the Long Point ferry basin would be dredged, and that vehicle access to North Core Banks could be available by mid-November.

When it hit August 26-26, Hurricane Irene significantly overwashed the entire seashore, the news release says, "and overwash caused the greatest physical damage at the Long Point camp, eroding about 50 feet of beach, causing damage to cabins [and] cabin infrastructure, and filling in the ferry landing with about 100 feet of sand."

In addition to other work, the "back road" to the Long Point area has been graded, and marking the dune lines and remaining vehicle routes is underway.

The National Park Service said Friday it would build a passenger ferry depot on Front Street in Beaufort for service to the Shackleford Banks and Cape Lookout areas of Cape Lookout National Seashore.

A private firm will operate the site, which is to be located at the new Beaufort Town Hall (the former Post Office building) and Grayden Paul Park, according to a news release. Service is expected to begin in 2014 after contracts are let in 2013.

Currently, Cape Lookout is only accessible by private boats or private ferries.

The National Park Service decided in 2008 to develop a ferry service, and various options were presented for public comment last March.

Officials with the National Park Service say they've reopened all beaches and many ramps along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore after Hurricane Irene, but note that the southern half of the island and Ocracoke Island remain closed to non-residents.

Hatteras officials have found "damaged rooftops, water intrusion either through flooding or roof leakage in numerous facilities, scattered debris and tree limbs, and missing or damaged boardwalks, signs, posts and fencing materials," a news release says.

North of the breaches in N.C. 12, Coquina Beach and all its facilities have reopened, but the Oregon Inlet Campground remains closed.

Unless signs say otherwise, beaches are open to pedestrian access throughout the park. Here is a list of ramps open to off-road vehicles.

Cape Lookout National Seashore, including the lighthouse, is essentially open for day use. Some parts of Portsmouth Village and sensitive natural areas remain closed. Shackleford Banks has reopened for day and overnight use. There's still no water in the park except for bottled water sold at the visitor center.

The Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site near Manteo reopened Tuesday.

Recreation sites in Croatan National Forest remain closed, with no new information since Tuesday.

Five of the National Wildlife Refuges on the coast - Alligator River, Cedar Island, Mackay Island, Mattamuskeet and Swanquarter - have reopened, and Pocosin Lakes was to open today. Pea Island remains closed. Various roads, trails and boat docks at each re-opened site remain closed because of hurricane damage.

No update from Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, which is administered in Virgina, was available.

Goose Creek State Park and Dismal Swamp State Park are the only coastal state parks that remain closed. At Goose Creek, the Dinah's Landing boat ramp on the western bank of the creek has reopened, the Division of Parks and Recreation says.

Still no word about the state's 10 Coastal Reserves, though five were closed prior to the storm.