TarCane44

just returned from first trip to OBX and fell in love with it.  It's an amazing place.  Thanks for your advocacy of the area.

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The DOW has sent out an email alert to all their members (see below) to contact their Senators/Congressmen or women/Reps to oppose what we are trying to do, therefore it's imperative that EVERYONE, if possible send notices to everyone you know from all over the US, asking their Government Officials to co-sponsor our folks (Burr/Dole/Jones from NC) in support of HR6233/S3113 TODAY. Also send a CC fax or call to Senator Elizabeth Dole as she is the one who needs to go before Congress to introduce this bill. Emails don't really get looked at, mail takes too long...so go with the faxes preferably but phone calls will work. Help get the word out there & stop them in their tracks with all their lies. Don't let us loose by one vote on the floor. Make this a call to action now.

Link from DOW on their website:

http://www.defenders.org/newsroom/p

r...l_seashore.php


Email Alert sent out to their members:

"The threatened piping plovers of Cape Hatteras National Seashore already face lots of obstacles to breeding and survival. Now add three more: North Carolina's two U.S. senators, Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole, plus U.S. Rep. Walter Jones."

The News & Observer (Raleigh), June 15, 2008

Two Steps Forward, One Leap Back?


You can help protect imperiled loggerhead turtles like this by taking action now.

The emergency plan to protect wildlife at Cape Hatteras National Seashore is working.

Don't let Congress turn back the clock.

Take action now to let your elected officials in Congress know that you oppose this short-sighted legislation.



Help spread the word. Forward this message to friends and family who want to ensure Cape Hatteras is protected for future generations.

A few months ago, a federal judge approved an emergency plan to protect the fragile ecosystems of Cape Hatteras while the Park Service develops long-overdue driving rules for these special beaches -- a huge victory for wildlife and the people who care about protecting this amazing place.

Now there's legislation on the table aimed at overriding this plan and turning back the clock on Hatteras.

Take action now to let your elected officials know that you oppose this bill - and to show you support science over special interests.

Anyone who's ever been to Hatteras cares about protecting it for future generations. But the truth is, the Cape Hatteras we all know and love could disappear forever if we don’t protect it now.

If this new federal legislation passes, it would be an enormous step backward for Cape Hatteras and a return to the failed management strategy that has degraded these special beaches and forced the shorebirds, turtles and other imperiled wildlife that depend on them to pay the price.

Not only that, it would set a dangerous precedent by attacking the laws that safeguard our parks and seashores.

These beaches -- and the imperiled turtles and birds that depend on them -- can't afford to take a step backward: they're in crisis now. Take action now to oppose this short-sighted legislation.

On any given day during peak season, as many as 2,200 vehicles line Cape Hatteras's long string of shoreline. During nesting season, these vehicles may damage or destroy the nests of already-imperiled shorebirds and turtles, pushing them closer to extinction.

In the last decade alone, birds that were once common on these shores have declined by an average of 86%.

The court-approved emergency plan has put much needed protections in place and is the result of collaboration and consensus among local residents, environmental groups, scientists, fishers and a coalition of ORV groups called the Cape Hatteras Access Preservation Alliance who all share one goal: protecting this special place.

And it's working. Since some of the most sensitive areas were closed to vehicles, birds like the piping plover and the American oystercatcher have been bouncing back.

We all know that Cape Hatteras is worth protecting. But some elected officials in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are bowing to pressure from special interests to turn back the clock on wildlife -- and risking the long-term health of Hatteras in the process.

Basing decisions on how to manage Cape Hatteras on the desires of a handful of special interests would be a disservice to the wildlife and natural resources this national seashore was established to protect -- not to mention the thousands of locals and visitors alike who enjoy these beaches every year.

That's why it's so important that they hear from you. Take action now to let your elected officials know know you oppose this legislative ploy and support the current path to progress.

With your help, we can protect this cherished natural treasure and the imperiled turtles, shorebirds and other imperiled wildlife that depend on it to survive.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Mary Beth Beetham
Director of Legislative Affairs
Defenders of Wildlife


The Facts about Beach Driving and the Emergency Plan:

Under the emergency plan, more than one third of the Seashore's 66 miles of beach remain open for driving, and about 83% are open to pedestrians, according to the National Park Service's June 5 access report.
Only about 18% of the beach is closed to provide emergency protection for some of Cape Hatteras's most sensitive areas; the other closures are based on routine seasonal or safety needs.
The emergency plan was developed to be flexible, with temporary closures that can be lifted and reopened to vehicles once wildlife is no longer using certain areas. Already, some areas have been reopened this season.


****LIES, LIES, LIES More Junk Science--More like 18% is open if that....What areas have been re-opened????? I think they got this backwards. So get your faxes or phone calls out today....JODY


ALSO CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9kKppSGz-c

Recent email - still need help, doesn't matter if you live in Minnesota, Wyoming or Arizona, please give your Pleacast.

Once again, a decision was not made April 11, 2008 on the injunction to close large portions of Bodie Island, Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island to both vehicular and pedestrian travel. As of last Friday, there is a compromise on the table. Today, April 16th, there should be a decision on whether this compromise has been accepted. Just so everyone knows, this issue is about the TEMPORARY injunction. It's just the beginning of a battle that will continue for several more years, so PLEASE DONATE AND SUPPORT THE BEACH ACCESS LAWSUIT. Once beach access is gone...it's gone forever! Get it.

THINGS YOU MUST DO TO SUPPORT FREE AND OPEN BEACH ACCESS:

1. Make a PleaCast

2. Post www.savehatteras.com on any forum, blog, website you possible can! Forward this email!

3. Call / Email everyone on the call list.

4. PLEASE DONATE!

5. Repeat 1-4.

Michael Lancsek

Another update - from another great website Pierandsurf.com

For Immediate Release:
April 11, 2008
Contact:
Public Relations Office
475-5900
darecountypr@darenc.com


Beach Driving Negotiations Stall

Dare County, the National Park Service, Defenders of Wildlife, and the National Audubon Society were unable to reach an agreement this week on parameters for beach driving in the Cape Hatteras National Recreational Seashore.

Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society are Plaintiffs in a lawsuit for a preliminary injunction that would prohibit beach driving in the Cape Hatteras National Recreational Seashore. Last week Judge Terrence Boyle continued the hearing to allow time to finalize a settlement known as a “consent agreement” between the parties.

Negotiations went into the evening on Wednesday, and lawyers for all sides had reached agreement on parameters for a resolution to present to their respective clients. They had agreed on buffers for nesting birds that would create opportunities for recreational access. Those buffers may have caused closures depending on the movement of the birds, but the opportunity for access would still be available.

On Thursday when the two sides met to finalize the details of the agreement, it became clear the Plaintiffs were not willing to agree to the terms discussed in previous meetings. The National Audubon Society and Defenders of Wildlife expanded the size of buffers they were willing to accept to a size that would effectively eliminate opportunities for access and eliminated 5 of the 6 areas of concern from consideration.

Since the changes proposed by the Plaintiffs on Thursday evening essentially eliminated opportunities for access, Dare County and the other Intervenors could not agree to those terms. Talks toward an agreement were terminated, and a date for a hearing has not been set.

Well folks, thanks for the efforts. Again, please continue to spread the word and get the PleaCasts sent out. I just found out that Toyota gave 20 million to a special interest group taking part in the injunction of off-road vehicle access at Cape Hatteras and the OBX.

For more information check out: http://islandfreepress.org/

Thanks again and please, if you go through the PleaCast above, give me a short shout out so I know how many folks are participating. Good luck and God bless!

i can't tell you what you should to do ..i say make it that the out of staters can-not go out there in their suv/trucks whatever it takes to save that great part of the state and the east coast i know cuz i know...now i live on Cape Cod up in Ma and the out-of-staters trash the @&*^) out of the place and the beaches.. the obx is one of the coolest places i've ever been growning up or otherwise please stand up and save that great place for you and the next in line

Tarcane been going to OBX for 15 years now would hate to lose any attraction at all. I'm not able to contact the senator's in NC but I will do all I can to talk to others that own houses there so they can have thier voice heard. I Have a few friends here in OH that own property there. If there is anything else I could do let me know.

Here's a great link for you to vote on an online poll - Should beach driving be banned at Cape Point and six other prime fishing spots along Cape Hatteras National Seashore?

It currently sits at 95% of the voters stating they do NOT want to ban off road vehicle access at Cape Hatteras and across the Outer Banks! Please vote, officials may see this poll! Also don't forget to PleaCast from the original blog. Thanks!

Thanks big Sis! Please submit the PleaCast and tell as many people as you can about what is going on at Cape Hatteras and the Outer Banks. I grew up fishing there with my Dad once in the fall and once in the spring and I want to make sure that I can do the same with my children!