Comments due May 11 on Cape Hatteras Plan

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Sea Turtles and Nesting Birds Need Your Help!
Deadline to Comment is Today, May 11th

 

Time is running out to take a stand for the rare birds and sea turtles that nest at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  We have until TODAY, Tuesday, May 11, to send in comments that will safeguard rare birds, such as Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers, and endangered sea turtles that have been threatened for too long by unregulated off-road vehicles (ORVs) at Cape Hatteras.  ORV groups have rallied their supporters around the country to make their comments and we need your support if wildlife stands a chance.

The National Park Service is accepting public comments in a proposed management plan (called a Draft Environmental Impact Statement or DEIS) for Cape Hatteras National Seashore on North Carolina's Outer Banks.

***TAKE ACTION***

Send your public comments today and urge the National Park Service to protect the rare birds and sea turtles for which Cape Hatteras is famous and to ensure equal access for people who choose to visit the Seashore on foot.

Through this plan, the National Park Service hopes to resolve the long-standing problem of  largely unregulated ORV use on the beaches of Cape Hatteras. The impacts of this problem have been clear: plummeting wildlife populations; decreased access for those wishing to enjoy vehicle-free beaches; and the dominance of one user group's desires over the interests of the majority of park visitors.

For too many years, the interests of ORV groups, which represent just a small, but very vocal, percentage of Cape Hatteras visitors, have outweighed the interests of the two million people that visit this dynamic seashore every year. As the Park Service's DEIS points out, what is decided now will guide what happens at Cape Hatteras for decades and will set a precedent for other national parks.

Some local citizens who vocally advocate for beach driving have implied that only they have a valid opinion about how Cape Hatteras is managed, labeling others as "outsiders." The National Park Service needs to know that people all over the country support management at their national parks that balances recreation and wildlife protections over the demands of one special interest group.

Unregulated beach-driving has taken its toll

As a unit of the National Park system, Cape Hatteras has been required for decades under federal law to establish ORV guidelines that minimize harm to wildlife and natural values of the Seashore in accordance with the best available science.  The lack of an effective vehicle management plan at the Seashore contributed to an 84% decline in the number of colonial waterbirds (birds that nest in a group) breeding at the Seashore between 1997 and 2007.

A recent change in management at the Seashore demonstrates that, given a chance, wildlife can rebound.  Under a new science-based management plan, the number of nests laid by colonial waterbirds more than doubled in 2009 compared to 2007.  And the two years under the new plan have seen a record 112 sea turtle nests in 2008 and 103 nests in 2009, compared to 82 in the 2007 season prior to the implementation of the plan.

In establishing a final plan for Cape Hatteras, the Park Service must follow law and science in guaranteeing adequate space and protections for wildlife.  The Park Service can do so while still allowing responsible beach driving in some areas so that all visitors can fully enjoy this national treasure.  The final rules should improve public access to the beaches for pedestrians and people with disabilities by adding boardwalks, parking spaces, and public facilities to enhance visitor enjoyment in balance with wildlife conservation efforts.

***TAKE ACTION*** 

Submit your public comments today!

Paper comments have to be postmarked by May 11 (not recieved), while electronic comments have to be recieved by the 11th.
"Bulk" comments, paper or electronic, are not being accepted, nor is the NPS accepting regular emails. Rather, electronic comments have to go to the PEPC site.

Thank you for taking the time to speak out on behalf of Cape Hatteras and all of our National Parks and the birds and wildlife that depend on them.