This Land, Your Land

The state announced today that the Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve on Hatteras Island has finally reopened to visitors following cleanup from Hurricane Irene's damages.

Buxton Woods, one of 10 coastal reserves administered by the state Division of Coastal Management, comprises 1,007 acres on Hatteras Island between the northern border of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and N.C. 12. It is part of the largest tract of maritime forest left standing on the Carolina coast.

Division of Coastal Management and Wildlife Resources Commission staff members have cleared a variety of downed trees and other debris from the woods since Irene hit the Outer Banks August 26-27, the news release says.

The state Wildlife Resources Commission said this week that white-nose syndrome, a disease fatal to bats, has been found at a third location in North Carolina.

The disease, which has killed hundreds of thousands of bats in the East, was confirmed last week in Yancey County. It was previously discovered in a retired Avery County mine and in a cave at Grandfather Mountain State Park, which is also in Avery County.

Biologists think the fungus that causes the disease is inadvertently spread from cave-to-cave by spelunkers exploring infected caves. Most federal land management agencies, numerous states, private landowners and The Nature Conservancy, which owns several caves in North Carolina - such as the now-closed cave in Bat Cave Preserve - have closed public access to caves in an attempt to slow the spread of the fungus.

The fungus believed to cause white-nose syndrome has been detected on nine species of bats thus far in North America, the Wildlife Resources Commission says in a news release. In North Carolina, 17 species of bats are known to occur and eight of those are species on which the fungus has been detected nationwide. So far in North Carolina, three species have been documented with white-nose syndrome.

While there are no known direct human health effects of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, the impact upon humans, other wildlife and agriculture as a result of declines in bat populations could be substantial. Bats play a significant role as night-flying insect predators.

The WRC has a lot of additional information about white-nose syndrome, including a response plan, FAQs, video and photos.

If you have any thoughts about whether the National Park Service should build a free public boat ramp next to the Coast Guard station at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, you have a month to make them known to those in charge of the project.

The Park Service and the state Wildlife Resources Commission are preparing an Environmental Assessment for the proposed construction of two boat ramps, docks and approximately 40-60 parking spaces, and dredging to provide access into the Hatteras Ferry Channel, a Park Service news release says.

The ramps would be for boats that draw up to five feet of water and fit on trailers.

A 30-day "public scoping period," from June 15 to July 15, is a required part of the process to prepare an Environmental Assessment.

Comment online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/caha. Click on “Public Boating Access Area at Hatteras” to see the related documents. Or comment by mail to: Superintendent, Outer Banks Group, 1401 National Park Drive, Manteo, NC 27954. Your comments need to be postmarked by July 15, 2010.