If you would like to learn more about the NPS proposed plan for beach access (and of course you would...since this plan involves ALL beach access, including pedestrian, not merely off road vehicle access), the info. below which I received in email today will be of interest. (I will post the link to the video replay mentioned below if/when I receive it.)
This Wednesday, April 14th at 7 PM instead of the regular Ocracoke Civic and Business Association meeting, there will be a workshop on what is contained in the 650 page document from the National Park Service regarding the draft environmental impact statement. This is the beach access document. This document is open for public comment until May 11th and there will be a public hearing on Monday, April 26 at the Ocracoke Gym with the NPS to accept public comments. Since this document is so large, the workshop this Wednesday is designed to help everyone become familiar with what is contained in the environmental impact statement and how it will affect you, your lifestyle, your customers, and visitors so that you are informed and can make effective comments at the NPS public hearing.
David Scott Esham and Gene Ballance spent numerous hours and days during the past couple of years attending the Negotiated Rule Making meetings to have Ocracoke represented for this draft document. However, even with their and others input, there are areas in the draft that are still of some concern. David Scott has listed some of these areas in the email below. The plan that is adapted will be in place for the Seashore for the next 15 years. So even if you kayak, pick up shells, walk your dog, bird watch, surf, star gaze,or fish on or off the beach-this concerns you. Please plan on attending this meeting Wednesday to learn more and how you can make your voice heard.
For those who don't live near the Outer Banks and are unable to attend the workshops, A video replay will be available on-line later next week.
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Who is sponsoring this meeting? Is it someone from the government's side, or a group representing the environmental concerns, or the National Park Service, or is it perhaps groups opposed to most, if not all, beach regulation? Or perhaps it is unbiased (doubtful)? All who intend to go should know who they are listening to!
I believe the meeting was conducted by the National Park Service, but am not 100% sure of that (I wasn't able to attend). The purpose of the meeting, as I understand it, was to provide information regarding the contents of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and how to comment on that statement, should you desire to do so.
Actually, the meeting was conducted by three groups who oppose the National Park Service's plan to regulate access to the beaches.
I'm not sure what the three groups were who conducted the meeting, but the statement that they oppose the NPS plan to regulate access to the beaches is a bit of an oversimplification. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement put out by NPS and currently open for public comment actually outlines multiple options for access to the beaches (NPS has a preferred option, but other options are covered in the document). There are groups who oppose some of the options, and provisions of other options, but I don't know of any organized group which opposes any and all regulation of access to the beaches.
You can read more about the DEIS at the NPS site: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/03/draft-environmental-impact-statement-orv-use-cape-hatteras-national-seashore-released5479
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