North Carolina

The National Park Service is holding public meetings this week - including one today in Kill Devil Hills and one Thursday in Hampton - to gather comments on its controversial plan for managing access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore for off-road vehicles, pedestrians and pets.

The park service's 810-page document, which includes one preferred option among six alternatives, seeks to provide access to the Outer Banks beach for off-road vehicles, surfers, anglers and others while protecting habitat for birds and turtles. The effort to find a balance between recreational use of the seashore and protection of its wildlife has provoked strong reactions and emotions on both sides.

Catherine Kozak

Dare County wants residents and property owners to come to scheduled off-road vehicle hearings to make comments - and they're hoping they'll be the right kind.

The county has mailed more than 11,000 post cards about a hearing to comment on the draft ORV management plan for Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Somewhere in the National Park Service's 810 pages of proposals for managing off-road vehicles at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, there's a workable compromise that will displease all the parties involved.

Perhaps, as the contentious debate revs up again, that's precisely where all sides should agree to meet in the end.

Catherine Kozak

The much-anticipated Cape Hatteras National Seashore off-road vehicle management plan proposal includes closing large sections of beach - including the most popular recreational areas - to humans in order to preserve birds, turtles and beach plants.

A 60-day comment period opened last week, but even usually opinionated bloggers are not sure how to respond to the 2-inch-thick, 810-page tome, which includes one preferred plan out of six alternatives.
It's a balancing act for the Park Service between providing access to the beach for ORVs, beachcombers, surfers, swimmers, anglers and birdwatchers, and providing protected habitat for vulnerable birds and turtles as required by law.

Steve Welker

MORGANTON - A select committee of citizens and public officials soon will begin trying to resolve the sometimes conflicting interests of people who like riding ATVs and motocross bikes and their neighbors who object to the machines' dust and noise.

The Burke County Board of Commissioners appointed the committee to study off-highway vehicles' use. The committee's first meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. March 30 in the commissioners' meeting room, 110 N. Green Entrance E.

BUXTON, N.C. — A proposal from the National Park Service would allow vehicles year-round access to 40 percent of a popular Outer Banks beach.

A plan released on Friday said drivers would be able to use 29 miles of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with some limits during the breeding periods of sea birds. Off-road vehicles would be able to access another 23 miles of the 68-mile seashore during some parts of the year.

About 16 miles would be permanently closed to vehicles.

The new rules are an attempt to settle a dispute between environmental activists who want to protect seashore animals and outdoors groups who want access to the beach for recreational activities.

The government will have public hearings on the matter and has proposed several other alternatives to its preferred plan.

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Source:  http://www.wlos.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.nc/32db3f4c-www.wlos.com.shtml

Rob Morris

Before we made the Outer Banks our permanent home, spending a week or two in Buxton was a summer tradition.

Cottage Avenue became a familiar part-time neighborhood where we would see many of the same people every year: my sister and her family, the Hastingses, the local family at the end of the street and Dave.

As the off-roading season comes to an end at Brown Mountain Off Highway Vehicle trails, the Trail Jammers Club is taking initiative by cleaning up the 5 miles of trails available to four-wheel vehicles.

Starting at 9 a.m. Sunday, the club will pick up trash in the main parking lot, then will move onto the trail, club member Mike Burrell said. The club has invited the public to join the endeavor.

Donna Swicegood

Two people were charged with trespassing in response to complaints about damages to crops and property in northern Iredell County.

Jeremy Eli Nicholson, 20, of Mocksville, and Cody Allen Riddle, 17, of Harmony were each charged with trespassing, while a third person,George Alan Redding, 18 of Harmony was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.