Sea turtle closure at Cape Hatteras vandalized by vehicle

Written by The Virginian-Pilot

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Catherine Kozak

A protective sea turtle closure in Cape Hatteras National Seashore was vandalized last week, according to a news release from the National Park Service.

The incident was discovered Thursday morning about two-tenths of a mile northeast of Ramp 49 in an area open to off-road vehicle traffic, the statement said.

A vehicle had driven through fencing on one side of the turtle closure, continued through the black filter fencing at the nest site and exited through the perimeter fencing on the other side.

The nest did not appeared to be damaged.

As required in a court-ordered consent decree, the buffer was expanded 50 meters. If the vandal is apprehended from information provided by the public or through Park Service investigations, the buffer may be retracted.

Cyndy Holda, Park Service spokeswoman, said that it is the 11th vandalism of beach closures in the seashore this year. Of those, it is the second turtle closure that has been vandalized.

Source: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/sea-turtle-closure-cape-hatteras-vandalized-vehicle

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“As a rancher who leases public lands for cattle, I’ve seen my share of cut fences and rangeland damaged by ORV use. I’ve also experienced ORV trespass onto my private lands. But I’ve had no way to identify the culprits when reporting trespass or illegal ORV use to local law enforcement. Congress should require that ORVs used on public lands have visible identification plates or decals. Doing so would remove the anonymity enjoyed by ORV riders who are bent on breaking the rules.”

- Ambers Thornburgh, second-generation rancher from Oregon who grazes cattle on his private land and adjacent lands leased from the Bureau of Land Management