Comment Deadline on Cape Hatteras Draft ORV Management Plan/DEIS is Tomorrow

Shawn Tabb | May 10, 2010 | 0 Comments

BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT!

Comment Deadline on Cape Hatteras Draft ORV Management Plan/DEIS is Tomorrow

Dear Action Alert Subscribers,

Apologies for the short notice, but the National Park Service will close public comment tomorrow on a plan that could eliminate motorized access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area.

The folks at Preserve Beach Access and United Four Wheel Drive Associations are both doing yeoman’s work in keeping this area open. PBA’s website has a page with a lot of additional information and detailed analysis of the Park Service’s Plan.

Please take a minute to send the National Park Service comments. We have another one of our INSANELY EASY three-step action items below.

Thanks in advance for your action.
Brian Hawthorne
Public Lands Policy Director
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 102

Help Keep Cape Hatteras Open!

Beach enthusiasts NEED to comment during the Draft ORV Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), and if you have ever been to Cape Hatteras, we need you to comment regarding your experience.

BRC’S THREE-STEP ACTION ITEM
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SEND YOUR COMMENTS:

NOTE: Please be polite and, if possible, make your comment letter as personal as you can.

STEP 1: Click on the following link, which will take you to the NPS comment webpage.
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?parkID=358&projectID=10641&documentId=32596
Read and follow the instructions for completing the Comment Form.

STEP 2: Use the comments suggestions below as a guideline for your comments. Cut and paste is okay, but try to make your comment letter as personal as possible.

STEP 3: Take just a minute to add a bit about where you live, any visits you have made to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, how often you go, how long you have been riding in the area and/or how important the area is to you.

Once you have completed your comments, click the “Submit” button.

COMMENT SUGGESTIONS:

The NPS must formulate a plan that is consistent with the legislation establishing Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area. The enabling legislation for the Recreational Area states, in part, “said area shall be, and is, established, dedicated, and set apart as a national seashore recreational area for the benefit and enjoyment of the people and shall be known as the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area”. Therefore, it is important to balance resource protection with reasonable access for recreation.

Corridors are a vital tool in providing access while managing resources. They provide a small path around temporary resource closures in order to provide access to open areas that would otherwise be blocked. Corridors should be permitted throughout the seashore during the entire breeding and nesting season including ML-1 portions of SMAs. These corridors would provide valuable access without impairment or damage to protected resources.

Buffers, or closures, are important management practices for species recovery. However, to have long term benefit for the wildlife and the visiting public, buffers must be based on peer-reviewed science For example, the Piping Plover, a species classified as threatened and not endangered, is given a level of unprecedented protection in Alternative F. A 1,000-meter buffer in all directions represents over 771 acres. The DEIS does not cite any peer-reviewed science in supporting such closure. A more appropriate & effective buffer would be 200 meters.

Birds that are not listed as endangered should not be afforded the level of protection given to ESA (Endangered Species Act) protected species. Instead of 300-meter buffers for these birds, a more appropriate buffer would be 30 meters. Also, all birds in the same ecosystem of the seashore should be counted. This includes all the many birds on the dredge and spoil islands located just yards away and within sight of the seashore.

The National Park Service should consider turtle management practices successfully used in other federal and state areas to achieve nesting success. More proactive measures include relocating nests to more desirable locations, which is routinely and successfully done in other areas.

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national (non-profit) trail-saving group that represents over 600,000 recreationists nationwide The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) season is beginning. Federal employees, please mark BlueRibbon Coalition and Check #11402 on your CFC pledge form to support our efforts to protect your access. Join us at 1-800-258-3742 http://www.sharetrails.org
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As a non-profit, grassroots organization funded primarily by membership dues and donations, we greatly appreciate your support. Visit http://www.sharetrails.org/make-a-difference-now to help fund our efforts to protect your trails!