Today is the day

As many of you know I spend a great deal of time on the North Carolina Outer Banks (though not as much time as I would prefer (though I greatly prefer to keep my current job)). A minor battle has been brewing between the citizen of the Outer Banks and the Defenders of Wildlife regarding the best use of the Hatteras National Seashore. For as long as there have been residents on the North Carolina Outer Banks there have been vehicles that have used the sand as a means to get from point A to B. People first walked on the beach, then used horses, then horse drawn carriages and later automobiles. In fact it was not until 1962 that a road was built on what is known as the North Carolina Outer Banks. Before 1962 people got around using the beach and North Carolina's traditionally excellent Ferry Systems.

Fast forward some 46 years. For all this time North Carolina's beaches on the Outer Banks have been free and open for all visitors. We aren't talking about being able to simply turn off the existing highway at any point, plow over the dunes in your Hummer to a point where you would like to stop for the day and let the children destroy everything in sight. No, no, no, no, no. There are designated beach access points for vehicles and you must use these access points to get out on the beach and you cannot drive through the dunes. Doing so will raise the ire of locals and guarentee your picture will be taken and forwarded to the National Park Service who will happily deliver a hefty fine to the offender.

In this way the beaches have policed themselves for decades. Groups such as the NC Beach Buggy Association, among others, have help keep the beaches clean and ready for use for fishermen, families, locals, out-of-state visitors, in fact any person who wanted to enjoy some of the best stretches of undeveloped protected seashore left on the East Coast.

All that is about to change. Last summer an idiot from Virginia decided they wanted to get out on the beach and get drunk; ship of fools, carload of idiots, what can do you? In doing so these people from up North were arrested and charged with Driving under the Influence. Being as these people were arrested within the boundaries of a National Seashore a Federal Judge, also out of Virginia, simply decided to shut down all access to North Carolina's beaches because the National Park Service "did not have a plan to deal with these contingencies".

The NPS scrambled, filed and injunction, and kept the beaches open. However environmental groups sensed blood in the water and went for the throat. Knowing they could close the beaches for good, probably without ever having set foot on these beaches themselves, money started pouring in to the fight from "green groups" looking to try to make a difference so they can feel better sipping their lattes and eating their tofu.

Ok, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but being a citizen of the Outer Banks, this is how it feels. The locals are trying to fight the good fight and keep the beaches open as many towns such as Buxton and Hatteras are defendant on tourism that open beaches bring. Every year local fishing tournaments bring in thousands of people and millions upon millions of dollars.

Perhaps this was our undoing. The beaches have steadily increased in popularity; I have seen increases in traffic and beach uses in the decade I have been enjoying the outer banks. Ten years ago it was rare to see a license plate from out of state. Now you can't turn around without seeing a tag from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, etc, etc.

While the "green groups" would like to portray us, the citizens of the outer banks, as heartless bastards foaming at the mouth to dig up and crush developing baby turtle eggs the truth is, as usual, a bit more complex. Are birds disappearing from the Outer Banks? I'm not sure. Birds were here a decade ago and they are here now. Besides if I understand things correctly, birds nest in the dunes, not directly on the beach (below the high tide line? Come on, get serious. That's a hell of a fast developing bird to build a nest, lay and hatch an egg, and raise young in the six hours between high and low tide).

The same goes for turtle nests. And nothing makes mention of how nesting areas are protected. Many people, myself included, enjoy the wildlife and biodiversity of our state - including species found on the shore front. When turtle nests are identified they are roped off and closed. I am totally in support of this.

But today looks to be D-Day. Both "sides" in the argument have "reached and agreement". Some of the beaches are going to close; there is no way around this and no stopping it now. The only question is what stretches of beach and how much? "The Word" should be coming down shortly and I am quite sure the fallout will be swift and scorching. Problem is most of the hard-core fisherman on the Outer Banks see any closure as "the first of many". I tend to agree.