Sweeping new rules took effect in February to restrict beach driving at the national seashore, which covers 65 shoreline miles on three barrier islands from south of Nags Head to Ocracoke. The rules provide safeguards for federally protected birds and turtles, and they set aside long stretches of shoreline for human visitors who want to get away from vehicles.
Permits are now being required for the first time: $50 for a week of beach driving, $120 for a calendar year. In the first five months, drivers have paid more than $1 million in fees for more than 14,000 beach permits.
Off-road vehicles are banned now from miles of Outer Banks beaches where they were allowed in the past. The spots most popular with surfers and surf casters, swimmers and shell collectors are off-limits for all or much of the year – both for vehicles and for people on foot. They include the broad spits where these narrow islands end at inlets, and the long Cape Point elbow that bends around the spiral-striped Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
“It’s the best beach in the world, but it’s closed over a couple of birds,” said Tom Barkalow, 47, a Nash County high school science teacher, who pulled a few sea mullets from the surf on a hot Monday morning.
He and his wife, Susan, basked in a sea breeze beside their pickup truck on a half-mile stretch of sand near beach access Ramp 43 at Buxton. This strip is popular and sometimes crowded because it’s the closest spot to Cape Point – which is almost two miles to the south – where vehicles have been allowed this summer. Barkalow spends 50 to 60 days here every year.
“People have been driving on these beaches since the 1930s,” he said. “And all of a sudden, they’re shutting it down. I’m going to keep coming down here until they tell me I can’t.”
Beach drivers argue that most of the Cape Hatteras seashore beaches are hard to reach on foot. They are fighting the new restrictions with lawsuits and legislation.
I found this article very interesting and timely. At a time when the National Park Service is advertising free entry days, new projects to encourage visitation by all Americans. NPS and the Department of interior continue to restrict open access to America’s Parks and Seashores. A statistic mentioned is a 19% loss in the time people spend at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area. Its no surprise to the families visiting America’s first Seashore Recreational Area because there are 74 miles of beach (June 15, 2012 Statistics)…..but:
· 17 ¾ miles are open to pedestrian and over sand vehicles.
· 44 miles are open to pedestrians only and in most cases require a walk over the dunes or ramp of ½ mile or greater to access the water.
Do that with small children or elderly family members carrying all your beach gear!! (not!)
· The remaining miles are closed to everyone or are water.
When you close the most popular areas of any Park or Seashore visitation time will decline. At Cape Hatteras the five most popular areas and most heavily used areas are closed to all visitors: Oregon Inlet, Cape Point, Hatteras Inlet, Ocracoke North and South Inlets.
Parks are a less popular hangout because of NPS and DOI systematically removing visitors from the Parks, Seashores, Monuments across the country……….Yellowstone- winter snowmobiles, Kings Canyon-back country horses, Big Cypress – off road vehicles, Biscayne Bay- boaters and snorkelers……….. .to name only the most recent. The NPS and DOI are managing Cape Hatteras beach access by lock and key.
Contact PA Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey……. ask them to support
Ms. Hagan’s, Mr. Burr’s Senate Bill 2372 to restore beach access at Cape Hatteras.