November 2008 Letters to the Editor |
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New Letters to the Editor....11.19.2008 8:15 am
Beach Access Issues I have not read all of this stuff about the ORV rules, and I am probably posting way too quickly. Here are my thoughts in the meantime. I come to the beach to relax. We even carpool. Along comes a large SUV. Oh, boy, the exhaust fumes. It parks on the beach. Oh, boy, oil, antifreeze and air-conditioner coolant dropping off the bottom of it. Why is it that people just have to drive down a beach? I thought this is supposed to be a special place, a get out of the rat race type place. Cheryl Harper Salyersville, Ky. Scenic byway management plan Hopefully, Hatteras locals will see this for what it is -- more tourists, more commerce, more rape of the land. Tim Dorsey North Royalton, Ohio World War II on the islands I read your article (on the History Page) with a great deal of interest. This is an area of interest I have had for many years. Having grown up in Raeford, N. C., I was afforded the opportunity as a child to see a lot of events pertaining to World War II training take place. I didn't know what was going on until later in life, especially seeing the Gliders come over my house as they were training for D-Day, I guess. I became interested in the activities off the coast of North Carolina when I lived in New Bern, N. C., during the mid-‘60s. People who were natives of the area and much older than myself would tell me about watching the ships burn off the coast from the widow's walks on the roofs of the older, taller homes. I was also told a story about two mini-subs captured near Cherry Point by nets and paraded through town on military trucks. However, the next day they were gone with no further mention of them. True? Probably not true, but still mysterious just the same. Again, I enjoyed your article. John H. Lester Rocky Mount, Va. New Letters to the Editor....11.10.2008 8:15 am Beach access issues Jim and Paula Brown Since we will now have a new President, maybe it is time to elevate the discussion (negotiations) from the Department of Interior - Park Service to the President's Council on Environmental Quality. It is becoming increasingly clear that Superintendent Mike Murray may be intimidated and may not have sufficient management skills to appropriately resolve the issue in a fair and open public forum, run only by the Park Service.
The push to have South Point on Ocracoke decreed as a
"wilderness study area" is troubling. It goes without saying that
those groups affiliated with the Southern Environmental Law Center are working
the system to have their own private recreational area established at Ocracoke
Inlet. And as long as like-minded entities and individuals remain in bed with
the SELC, Defenders of Wildlife, Audubon Society, and the National Park
Service, they too can be members of an exclusive, elitist club and are invited
to come along, with a Park Service escort to boot. It is alarming that people
will likely be shut out of South Point, arguably the most esthetically
appealing vista on the It breaks my heart, for the sake of not only my children,
but others as well, and their futures here, that when it comes to the history,
heritage, and culture established here more than 300 years ago, and entrusted
to the Park Service to preserve, the Park Service bureaucracy and their elitist
friends will without consideration or apology, sell out the heritage every time.
That remains the biggest casualty of this travesty. Judge Boyle as much
admitted it when the consent decree was declared, as he was at a loss to
suggest how the heritage can be preserved. Danny Couch
A small storm causes big
trouble Being eight hours away, we love your Web site. Picture 19 on your slide show (on the Local News Page) shows the vast amount of erosion that has taken place over the years. I’m sure, if you can find a photograph, your readers would like to see a picture of the same area with a lot of beach in front of all the houses. Keep up the good work!
If these photos don't make you a believer nothing can.
Unbelievable! I don't recall reading about this devastation in our local paper;
The St. Petersburg Times.
An excellent article. Just read it tonight as my wife and I are in this week on annual vacation in Frisco, which is timed with the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club tournament. We and our two terriers love to slowly drive along the beach and watch the tournament activities. Great reporting! Dann Campbell As a 3 1/2 year
former Norma Huber Diving on sunken German subs A most interesting account of diving German submarine wrecks
(on the Island History Page). I suspect that you might find richer pickings
from World War II, and even World War I, in the Severn estuary in the southwestern
approaches of the
New Letters to the Editor....11.03.2008 9:15 am Beach Access Issues The National Park Service Gestapo is a major threat to community safety. The outrageous tactics used to give the anti-beach driving kooks a default win in the ORV controversy are an insult to common sense. Reports and photos of massive blockades and number of vehicles put out show the deck is stacked against North Carolina residents, beach fishermen, and visitors without the big money to pay for an extended legal fight. Throw out all NPS managers and extremists Tom Hardin Charlotte, N.C. When I read what the enviros propose in their subcommittee reports I see that they want an area of the seashore declared a wilderness area. There is a 13-mile long area perfect for this, Pea Island. To add to that, three area south of Bodie Island Lighthouse to the Coast Guard Station on the sound side of Bodie Island would also fit this requirement. Jim Harris Southern Shores It’s smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, and deception in the issues of critical habitat for piping plover. Shall I go on or does this answer most of anyone's questions? They want to take it all away 24/7, 366 days a year, accounting for leap year. Also, the real problem between the two groups represented in negotiated rulemaking is that the people-haters only want to take, and take, and keep taking until there is nothing left, which leaves the open access groups no choice but to refuse to give up anything. The people-haters stated objective is to eliminate people from their own beaches, why would they leave any flexibility in their proposal? The sham that the Park Service is trying to foist on the public is that they are neutral, when in fact they are just another arm of the people-haters. Don't give up, don't give in. Your fights are being trampled by a well funded, determined minority. Look for any opportunity for publicity you can find (that is legal). What would Martin Luther King do? Bert Smith Richmond, Va. I feel that the government does not want us living here on the Outer Banks. I think this is just the beginning of the end of life on the banks. When the islands were given to the government, it said access would always be allowed. Now that this access is being denied, it is time to close the park. Let us learn how to kick the Park Service out and take control of our destiny. The time is now. Chad Speedy Avon Margaret Peele celebrates her 95th birthday Thank you for both of your stories on the life of Miss Margaret. I grew up in Hatteras from 1973-1975, when my mother owned the former Billy Mitchell Restaurant, then renamed the Sea Shell, where I believe Miss Margaret’s daughter, Mona Walters, worked at as a cook. Reading both of Miss Margaret's stories has been such a pleasure in that it reminds all of us that age is to be revered and not dissed, as the generations of today often do. Like in China, gray hair is a sign of knowledge and evidence of one at whose feet we should sit and to whom we should listen. Bless you for recording and preserving a snippet of Miss Margaret's life story, while shining light on the simplicity, yet hardship, of times of past. Sandy Koster Williston, Fla. Happy Birthday, Miss Margaret. I enjoyed reading about your early life at Hatteras. Like you, I treasure memories of growing up at Hatteras and the life as it was before our island was "discovered." Of course, as you also pointed out, change, brings improvements --some good, some not. You are truly a lovely, gracious lady. May God bless you and yours. Mary Burrus Williams Buxton Margaret, happy belated birthday. Wish I had known about your party. I sure would have attended, Just to give you a big hug. Your memoirs bring back memories to me. I remember one time Uncle Cecil Ballance wanted me to work with him. I was just a young lad then, 1953 I believe was the year. Mona was just a baby, and we made her a bedroom off the kitchen, if my memory is correct. We also placed new shingles on the roof. We walked home for lunch, as neither of us had a car. By the way, there are 20 years different in our ages. May you have as many more birthdays as you wish, and, yes, send me an invitation for the next one. With all my respect and well wishes. Jack Willis Frisco I just wanted to say thank you for being a part of this special day for Grandmom Margaret and the family. The slide show is absolutely beautiful, and the article brings a tear to my eye. As you can tell Grandmom is a wonderful, caring person, and I am so blessed to call her my Great-Grandmom! She is an unbelievable lady and the backbone of our family. Carrie Barley Hatteras Thank you for the wonderful job on Mother's birthday party. Thanks for capturing the memories with all of the pictures! Donna Peele Hatteras Thank you so much for the coverage of Grandmom's 95th birthday! As always, your article is great, and Donna Barnett's slide show is a real treat. My family has truly been blessed to have this special lady in our lives for so long. Not many children can say they know their great-great-grandmother, as my granddaughter Laya can. Thanks again! Margie Easley Hattteras Coast Guardsmen rescue sailboat Seth Osterfeld worked a miracle through all odds, with his fine crew. The Lord was with them. Ginny Tucci Homestead, Fla. The highest praise to our USCG – heroes once again. God bless them all! Sabra Kovalscik Grassy Meadows, W.Va. God bless my son and the entire crew at Station Hatteras Inlet. You are all special. I am fortunate to have met most of you and keep you all in my prayers. Kat Watson Sunset Beach, N.C. Thank you for a very interesting story regarding the Hatteras Inlet Coast Guard Life Boat Station rescue. Years ago, I was stationed at Ocracoke, first on the Cape Current and later, at the Life Boat Station. During that time, the general public was largely ignorant of the search and rescue missions of the Coast Guard and the many times small boat crews ventured into "harm’s way" to assist and bring to safety those in distress. Keep up the good work, as the Coast Guardsmen and women are very deserving. David Lucassen Fairhope, Alaska Frank and Fran’s red drum tournament Having followed this tournament with friends for 30 years, it’s now nice to see in video and have on line. It was sent from a friend in Buxton. Great link. The Boswells Punta Gorda, Fla. Bodie Island Lighthouse misses a chance for new windows Oh well, we tried. I just hope a piping plover doesn't nest near the Bodie Island Lighthouse! Howard Webster Walkertown, N.C. A small storm causes big trouble The ocean is like fire -- an amazing friend but a terrible enemy. Thanks for the report, but I am sorry to see all the damage. I am an Australian surfer and had your link sent by an Aussie friend who lives in your area. Kiwi White www.kiwiwhite.com Port Lincoln, South Australia Having lived a few years in the village of Hatteras right after Isabel and through Alex, I understand some of what happens. We never get news out this way about the weather on the island, except through friends. This was an amazing article and slide show. Carrie Reynolds Charlotte, N.C. Our friend from North Carolina forwarded us your article about the ocean damage to Rodanthe. Very nice coverage and the pictures were dramatic. We rented the house swallowed by the ocean, Caramore, this past summer but had to leave in mid-week as the pilings became exposed. We had rented this house last year, and there was about 50 feet of beach between the house and the surf line, so we returned for another summer rental. When we showed up for our week, high tide was crashing under the front of the house, which caused us some concern. During the second day there, we noticed that during high tide, water receding along the angled beach face was literally flowing under three or four pilings by a few inches. The management company obviously moved us to another beachfront home, but we found it rather peculiar that they let us move in for the week’s rental without apparently having looked at the structure. A few weeks after that July vacation, our Raleigh friends who split the house rental with us received a call from whom I recall was the lawyer for the insurance agency of the owners. The attorney actually was pushing his opinion that the house was rentable. When we asked him if had visited the house, he sheepishly declined, so we suggested he take a Saturday drive to Rodanthe, then call us back. Needless to say, he never called to discuss his opinion further. As a gray-haired, licensed civil engineer from New York who has practiced in the environmental field for many years, it always amazes me that the local zoning/planning boards allow homes to be built so close to the surf line when we all know that the ocean is constantly “rearranging” the beach. Oh well, we just rent the homes, the owners are taking the risk for construction, along with the total pool of individuals contributing payments for “beachfront insurance.” Jeff Akins Poughkeepsie, N.Y. NOAA diving on German subs My dad, Harold O'Neil Scott, was in the Navy and was stationed off the coast on Ocracoke Island during World War II. He built the boxes that were use for the D-Day invasion, which had sound systems that sounded like soldiers marching, airplanes flying over, tanks moving, etc. He also lost part of his hearing from mines that exploded when he was out on patrol of the mine field that was setup to defend the coast of North Carolina. Were the sinking of U-boats from mines and running aground? My dad never told us about the boxes until I was 16 because he was told not to. On one of the Big Picture News Clips, they told about it, and he decided it was okay to tell us about it. Don Scott Green River, Wyo. |
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