Island Free Press ...Letters To The Editor

New Letters to the Editor....07.14.2008 2:45 pm

Shooting the Breeze: New dispatches from the beachfront

Airing down 101, the rest of the story :

One size does not fit all. What you air down to depends on tire size, tire type, and load on the vehicle. You can be in just about as much trouble airing down too much.

The below article is an example of how to optimally air down radial tires for best sand operation.

http://www.4x4now.com/sfjun96.htm

This approach will help you from airing down too much. When you really go too low in pressure, the center of the tread tends to concave in toward the rim, thus putting the weight on the tire outer edges. These edges tend to dig into the sand sort of like a very aggressive tread, rather than float over the sand. When running on the pavement, you will get excessive wear on the tire outer edges as well. You will also be more likely to break a rim seal at such low pressures.

When aired down, you can break a rim seal if you spin rapidly, especially if a lot of torque is being applied, as in towing.

I have watched a guy trying to extract another vehicle from soft sand. His rims spun enough inside the tires to actually burn rubber. Fortunately, only one seal was broken, and he was able to put on his spare to get off the beach. It is possible all his seals were damaged, even if only one failed. I've seen another similar incident in someone trying to extract himself from soft sand by continuing to drop the pressure and spinning.
Bottom line is that the 18-20 pound rule, while close for most of the vehicles seen on the beach today, is not necessarily where you want to be. For example using the above method my 4Runner with 265/70/R17s is best at 22 front and 22-24 rear, depending on load.

Ted A. Hamilton
(aka Salvo Jimmy)

Maybe everyone should get a permit to drive on the beach. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, we would go to Delaware and get a list of items to have in the car and the proper driving rules. Some people just won’t listen. I personally watched as several people got stuck this year only because they would not lower the pressure in their tires. I’m sure they had no safety items, as well. Maybe if everyone would pay attention, it would not give fuel to the groups trying to close our beaches who want to make us look like a bunch of fools.

Pat Conley
Avon

More on beach access issues

Once again I see Mr. R. Jackson of Asheville (Letters for July 7) questioning the veracity of the reports in The Island Free Press. It is simply amazing for me to understand what his problem really is, considering the tenacity he displays in this effort. Perhaps the real truth is not identifiable by Mr. Jackson or "his" truth is different and it is a burr under his saddle to be confronted by the facts. His answer is to discredit the source of fair information, throw a cloud over it, and continue to attempt to dissuade the public from its correctness.

I also find it curious that all enviros are left-wing Democrats. Really, Mr. Jackson, your blanket condemnation really reveals the narrow view with which you see the world as it is rather than what you would prefer it to be.

Your poll of the public is as scientific as the Voglesong report that was used in an attempt to close the beaches By the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was not peer-reviewed and was dismissed as invalid. You see more in the way of half-truths and omissions from the side you support rather than from the access groups. Read the transcripts, Mr. Jackson. Once again, sir, the facts and nothing but the facts. They appear to scare you and thus your continued attack against the bearer of the facts rather than their source. State your case with facts rather than innuendo and half truths. You mention the "majority" of visitors, business owners, and residents. What are the specific numbers, sir? What majority? The ones with which you communicate? Perhaps they are the "left-wing Democrats" you fear so much.

Finally sir, the law is not entirely on the side of the Audubon Society, the Defenders of Wildlife, and the Southern Environmental Law Center, but in the hands of an activist judge who invited those groups to pursue their course of action. It has been twisted from common sense to common disaster.

One must wonder about those thousands of people nationwide, good intentioned folks, who feel they are helping defenseless creatures but are really being duped into supporting the extreme elements of those societies. Perhaps that is your fear, Mr. Jackson, that they will find out what is really happening and change the agenda to a more humane one that takes into account the needs of humans also. There is room for sharing the resources of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Perhaps the legislation proposed in Congress will serve the public of all these United States and mandate a more reasoned application of hijacked environmental law.

Lawrence Cullen
Frisco

While I appreciate your efforts to be fair, I have to take offense at your defense of the parties who are trying to close the beaches on Hatteras and Ocracoke. Over the years I have learned that these groups have agendas that do not include fairness to anyone. Their attitude is more condescending than helpful. They feel that their opinion is fact and can very rarely produce fact to back their push for what they want. I find, in my humble opinion, that once they decide they want something, they will bully their way until getting what they want. They count on our kindness, senses of fairness and equality, to disarm us while they plan an attack to achieve what the want behind our backs. Then when we least expect it, they strike. Most of us don't even know how they got into the position to even demand a settlement! What gave them the right to demand anything? How did the U.S. government lose the right to manage our national seashore? And why am I paying a U.S. government employee to go out and watch birds for an eight hour shift?

My reply to your "in all fairness" talk is to ask for the answers to those questions above. Then, find someone in Congress or the Senate to realize our public property has been hijacked by private interests for their personal gain. Who do I write to help in this fight?

Michael Dente
Williamsburg, Va.

The guest column by Jeffrey Golding is an excellent post

Unfortunately, I fear that the National Park Service has itself been lobbied so extensively by the environmental terrorists groups that they, too, are too green. I have faith that we will regain access, but it will be very restricted. I believe this whole case will be a success for the environmental terrorists groups if they gain one square foot more of beach. The outcome will not be business as usual. There will be greater attention to all wildlife and more restrictions will come to bear. I honestly believe that everyone that loves these beaches needs to force the NPS to further "develop" the park as needed. The NPS operating legislation clearly states that areas of the park that are especially adaptable for recreation will be developed as needed. We need to counter act this environmental terrorist force with equal, if not greater, force to swing the pendulum of reason back to the sane side. I'd suggest a request to pave two lanes out to the breakers at the Point, erect structures for supporting the public's interest, such as tire inflation stations, bathroom facilities, fish cleaning stations, trash depositories, NPS towing and emergency services. Educational kiosks with video presentations to help educate the children on how important free access to our national treasures is and what they can do to maintain the parks and equality of access by all use groups. All of this is probably excessive, but the mere fact that we are entitled to these "developments" and can push them into being will swing the balance of power back to the side of reason.

I have vacationed on the island for 15 years. I have written to governors, senators, the Department of the Interior, and National Park Service. I have filled out the workbook, commented on the Federal Register, and donated to the cause, and I'm fed up.
I just returned from a week’s vacation in Buxton, and I came home a day early because of the closures. I am not planning to come back in 2009. I'll consider coming back in 2010 if the beaches are open to humans.

Thank you Island Free Press for providing us this resource to vent our frustrations.

Tim O'Neill and family
Severna Park, Md.

Thanks for all this paper has done to keep people informed of all that is happening. An article finally appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, but it was a very small excerpt from The Virginian-Pilot, saying that everyone was coping and the consent decree wasn't all that bad. I still am working very hard to pass the word about sending the letters to politicians, donating to the legal fund and buying T-shirts. Also, to tell people not to give up on their Hatteras trips as your businesses need all the support anyone can offer. We come down every fall, and will continue to do so. Thanks again for each and every bit of information that is published. Stand strong and tall.

Jill Marshall
Ashland, Va.

I returned home Saturday after a two-week stay in Hatteras village. While I am saddened by the impact of the beach closings on local businesses, I am even more upset by the disrespectful behavior I witnessed of some visitors to the island. Every night during our stay, we went for a walk along the shore. Every night, people were playing "flashlight tag" with crabs. Fun, except every person we passed flashed their light directly into our eyes! Keep the lights pointed down, people! On July 3, a group of about 10 adults and children were on the beach setting off fireworks after sunset. Most upsetting, however, was on July 4, before sundown. A group of eight teen-agers were drinking copious amounts of beer on the beach. They had dug a deep hole beside the wreck at the end of Flambeau Road and were tossing their empty beer cans into and around the hole. Being a former Girl Scout, I picked up and disposed of the cans left on the beach, but I would have needed a 30-gallon bag to remove the cans from the hole. When I went back an hour or so later, the hole had been filled up by the returning tide. The cans were buried. I kick myself for not saying anything to the teens, but I'm a 50-year-old, 5-foot-tall woman, and I wasn't about to start a confrontation with a drunken mob of entitled twits! I don't think the Park Service should be concerned with full-time law enforcement, but there is more damage being done to the environment in Hatteras than the dwindling numbers of some birds. People who can't behave themselves should be kicked off the beach.

Lori Peterson
Herndon, Va.

The guest column by Jeffrey Golding is a good article and to the point. I wish to make the concerns of my family and myself known. On average, my family or portions of it have been traveling to Cape Hatteras National Seashore since the mid-1970s. We started off camping in the Frisco campground in pup tents from the back of a motorcycle (my parents), to camping in family-sized tents (my parents, my brother, and myself), to camping in a camper/trailer, to finally renting a house for a week or sometimes two. In the houses we rent, my family (my father, mother, brother, myself, my wife, my aunt and uncle, and my two cousins) stays in one house, while my aunt's sister and her family (usually six to eight people) stay in another. In total, the number of people we bring to the area is anywhere from 15 to 20 people, depending on who can get the time off work to come. We average coming out from Kentucky at least once every two years or so. Here recently, it's been yearly.

This June, we came out despite the fact that we learned of the ORV access restrictions just two days prior when my uncle called to check with Frisco Rod and Gun about the fishing conditions. He was told that there was no fishing conditions because his favorite fishing spot (Cape Point) was closed down due to this ridiculous consent decree. So this year we came out anyway, and my father and uncle spent the majority of their vacation in the rented house, vowing not to return if the decree wasn't lifted. My wife and I are expecting our first child this week, and I was ecstatic about the possibility of bringing our daughter to the seashore next summer. However if things don't change, I will never get that pleasure. My thoughts and prayers are with the good people of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands who have welcomed us with open arms for 30-plus years. We have contacted our senators and representatives to attempt to gain their support for the legislation introduced regarding the area. We have also passed the word on to any person driving a vehicle with an OBX license plate or sticker on it. Thank your for publishing the facts in your paper and keeping us land-locked Hatteras lovers informed of what's going on. We just wish we could do more. Please keep up the good work and the good fight as well.

The Broderick Families
Georgetown and Carlisle, Ky.

I can't believe that the government would drop the ball on this like it has. The townships out on Hatteras Island don't have a lot to dip into when it comes to tax dollars. When you take away the access to the best fishing and watersports on the East Coast, then the economy is going to fall plain and simple. There is too much history for a far-left group to be able to deprive the locals, not to mention the far-away returnees (as far away as Canada, to say the least). My family vacations at Hatteras in the summer months, and I hope to someday be able to move there. If we as a state lose the ORV access, we will lose what this state has always been known for. I was in a local bait shop in Salvo for about an hour and the attendant said he usually has three people behind the counter at that particular time of the morning. He was the only one working because of the lack of patronage. One person came in during the time I was there, and all he wanted was directions. The places of business will not survive like this. Please keep the beaches open for ORV access. This is our heritage.

Alan Marlowe
Concord, N.C.

With the high cost of gas, there is no longer a reason to come to Hatteras if I can't use the beaches.

Thomas Jarrett
Trenton, N.J.

I am a frequent visitor and disagree with the closures. Is it possible, however, that the real villain is the Endangered Species Act or some other federal law? Do these laws require the closing of the beaches but have just not been enforced? Did the judge have a choice? Should these federal laws be the real target?

Rich Collins
Millsboro, Del.

What is wild is that the environmental special interest groups are able to come to people’s homelands and have areas closed to the natives. Cape Point is were we have always gone to do our fishing for many generations. They have closed off area to us, but they can come in to do their research and kill a baby chick. These are the predators that should be banned from the beaches. My family has lived on Hatteras Island for many generations. We have survived many hardships, and now people who are not even from here are completely dictating our way of life. Our beaches are the entertainment of this island. They are our best asset. Why are our elected officials taking their time to resolve this issue? These are America's beaches.

Sharon Peele Kennedy
Buxton

Windsurfers get upside down at Hatteras Loop Fest

I send my congratulations to all parties involved in this event. Having more events like this during the year could really help to draw more people to this area. I know there must be other people out there that have skills on the water but no place to go to display them. Keep up the great thrills.

Bill Bell Sr.
Etters, Pa.

Baby sperm whale stranded in Avon

This is a very interesting follow-up to my sister-in-law’s recounting this experience her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter literally observed while on vacation last weekend. I believe it is extremely wonderful that so much educational and medical research was enacted immediately, and this encounter will continue to be so thoroughly investigated. The impact this has on not only the health of marine life (which cannot be diminished, hopefully ever) but also to the onlookers’ knowledge of marine life itself is paramount. My great-niece is an extremely intelligent young child of 8 who will never forget this experience. Thanks for the excellent coverage and will look forward to reading about the necropsy pathology results in the future.

Sally Baker
Lutz, Fla.

New Letters to the Editor....07.07.2008 10:00 am

Guest column: The case for passing legislation

Being a regular (or should I say a former?) visitor to the OBX, I congratulate Mr. Golding on one of the best columns I have read. I have always enjoyed coming down to fish different areas of the beach because of the beach access. I would make at least four trips yearly, and for the past three years, I have brought my family for a full week. Unfortunately, unless things change, this will be the last year we return. I so much enjoyed Mr. Golding’s column that I read it three times and had my wife, son, and daughter also read it just to understand why we are deprived of the beach access that they so much enjoyed.

Mr. Golding brings out many issues that I was not aware of and states some statistics that were apparently overlooked during the hearings. It is my opinion that this article, along with all supporting documents, should be sent to the North Carolina delegation in Washington to further educate them on the negative impact this has on the economy.
Can anyone say just how many plovers and oystercatchers we are talking about to cause such an impact?

As I said, this will be the last year I/we visit the Outer Banks until such time changes are made. Being from Maryland, I guess we can always start going to Ocean City again. But it won't be the same.

John Eckes
Sykesville, Md
.

Mr. Golding's argument for returning control of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area to the National Park Service is well written, thoroughly researched, and thoughtfully presented. The data and facts Mr. Golding presented are concise, logical, empirically based, easily obtainable, and free of taint from illogical special interest groups, who are concerned only with preserving a number of species of birds who are not even endangered. Judge Boyle should be ashamed of his actions. It is an egregious violation of everyone's civil rights to arrive at a decision on ORV use without contemplating arguments from both sides.

Kudos to Mr. Golding on such a well-argued, fact-based article!

S. Salomonsen
Washington, Pa.

Jeff has summarized the situation with accurate information depicting the dilemma of park users as well as businesses that are dramatically affected. I commend Jeff for preparing this information that needs to be shared with every stakeholder and user of the park, as well as any official who can correct this situation.

Lynn Pendleton
Raleigh, N.C.

I want to thank and congratulate Mr. Golding for his detailed investigation of and research into the consent decree - beach access issue. It’s truly a shame that the interim National Park Service plan that was in place was not allowed to be used. It was working with the public agreeing and abiding to it. The Park Service negotiated rulemaking process was progressing with public input. Hopefully now we have the elected officials involved. There still needs to be an investigation, a Congressional hearing of how the extreme environmental groups "got" to Judge Boyle, as it is becoming clear that his decision was not constitutional. We need to get the bad egg out of the basket so this doesn't ever happen again - either in favor of the defendants or plaintiffs.

Mike Martin
Avon

The article in the guest column by Jeffrey Golding has convinced me that this whole thing about beach closures is not about the birds or turtles, but is all about the fish. If the Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, and The Southern Environmental Law Center could get a fish declared an endangered or threatened species and prevent all fishing on the Outer Banks that is what they would do. Since they can not do that, they have come in the back door with birds.

They have closed all of the best fishing areas. The areas that are open to ORVs and fishing are areas where very few fish can be caught. Come Sept.15, when the bird closures are supposed to be lifted, all of the best fishing areas will still be closed because of turtle nests. You won't even be able to get to the inlets to catch bait.
I wonder how many other people think like I do.

Alfred Rader
Shawsville, Va.

Mr. Golding’s guest column should be forwarded to all U.S. senators and representatives so they might know the truth and support passing of S 3113. Very good letter. Thanks, Mr. Golding.

David Mobley
Vandalia, Ohio

The Defender of Wildlife, Audubon, and Southern Environmental Law Center leadership and big-city editorial writers (albeit The Coastland Times is not big city) touting how the consent decree is responsible for nesting success is like a politician running unopposed and claiming re-election as a "mandate of the people." When predators, i.e. the competition, are effectively eradicated, as has been the case over the past sic years with the killing of foxes, possums, raccoons, feral cats, etc., how can there be anything but success? The consent decree hasn't had jack-squat to do with nesting success. Listening to that bunch is like listening to Bill Clinton saying "I didn't have sex with that woman."

Danny Couch
Buxton

Sound facts presented in well-written text. I doubt that Jason Rylander and his freshman-comp rhetoric can out-spin this column. If you love Hatteras, it's time to follow Mr. Golding's lead and take tell your elected officials to help take the beach back from special interests.

Derek Scott
West Chester, Pa.

I am with you all the way on this. Return the Hatteras beaches to the public. Let the bleeding hearts rescue and relocate the birds and their nests.

Neil Donovan
Wilmington, Del.

Jeffrey Golding’s guest column was so informative -- if only it could have been presented in court. I can’t help but wonder if our elected officials aren’t being held hostage by environmentalists.

Charlie Roughton
Buxton

Cutting off folks from the most famous places to fish/surf/shell/just visit on the East Coast is just another case of mismanaging our national park program. I am completely disgusted.

Capt. Dave Dietzler
Morehead City, N.C.

Mr. Golding, we thoroughly agree with your column and could not have said it better ourselves. Will you go to Capitol Hill and speak for all of us who love the seashore? We are writing to our senators and representatives today about the closing of the beaches. Will it take until the 2010 deadline to get the interim management plan of the NPS back? We sure hope not. What more can we do?

James and Sheri Taylor
Carrollton, Va.

We knew nothing about this issue until we came down for vacation in June. We’ve been coming for 23 years no. I am an animal lover and appreciate the closures – to a point, but this is way out of hand. How many people are losing their businesses? How many people are they driving away? I stopped at a tackle shop in Frisco, and we were asking where we could drive, and I was shown a newspaper article on the closures that really upset me. It was about how many animals were killed in order to protect the birds. Show this side of the story also.

The birds will certainly find another nesting area. There are more than enough protected areas already. As for the businesses and tourists, they may not come back soon enough to help the economy.

Open the Point at least. It is certainly a landmark.

Linda Mercer
Elverson, Pa.

The Park Service has done an outstanding job preserving the national treasure of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It seems as if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to overthrow the Park Service, which Congress commissioned to be caretakers of the park.

Sharon Kennedy
Buxton

Thanks for the most informative reading since this whole ordeal has surfaced. Jeffrey Golding’s last statement says it all.

Victor R. Hernandez
Hampton, Va.

Wonderful job of research and writing, Mr. Golding. If I had channeled all my efforts these past few weeks into a comprehensive dissertation on the problem, I don't think I would have done half as well. An article like this gives me hope that we may still persevere and reopen the beaches we all love. Hang in there about the job. I have been on disability leave for six months concerning my heart and just found that I may go back to work after my trip to OBX next week. If things have finally gone my way, they may go yours to.

Bert Smith
Richmond, Va.

This very informative column gives facts, numbers, and references that are easy to understand and follow. If this letter could be forwarded ( with Mr. Golding's permission) to newspaper editors, fishing columnists, etc., I believe more of "Jane and Joe Public" could fathom the truth about what is happening to our beloved beaches and could end up happening to national parks around the U.S. Maybe even our politicians could see the full scale of effects as not just beaches but could extend to mountainous areas, camping areas, and inland recreational areas that could affect their voting constituents as well.

Jill Marshall
Ashland, Va.

More beach access issues and comments

I have continued to read your paper and the editorials, comments, etc. In response to Ms. McCullough of Buxton in a letter posted June 2 -- little does she know whether or not I do have property on the island. And it is quite presumptive of her to assume because I am on the opposite side of the fence that I do not own property on the island. As a matter of fact, I have been a silent partner in many business and realty transactions on the island.
Her assumption magnifies the very point I wish to make about yelling that the sky is falling.

If anyone has ever had the unfortunate situation to be diagnosed with a rare illness or has had to undergo a major operation in the past 10 years, perhaps you have sought the forum boards to talk about the illness or upcoming procedure. I remember when my wife was getting ready to have a very risky surgery for an illness, and the message boards were full of "gloom and doom" and about the unsuccessful stories others have had. Concerned, I asked both doctors about what we had been reading on the message boards about the surgery, and they both replied, "Usually those who have successful surgeries are not on the message boards because they are out living happily and healthy lives. You are reading messages from a small percentage."

I share this story to point out a fact to your readers: To some islanders and some of the tourists who visit, the recent closures are upsetting. However, to the majority of people who are landowners and business owners and tourists, these closures mean little and are not affecting their decisions to visit Hatteras. (Just look at the increases in revenue for the month of May, and the increases in rentals that the realty companies are reporting, despite $4 a gallon fuel prices!) The majority of visitors, business owners, and residents are not on the message boards, and that is because that majority does not share the gossip, innuendo, and threatening verbiage that are posted in the many Web sites. In other words, only the people for whom the "surgery" was not successful -- which is a very small percent-- are on the message boards. They are leading others in to a trap of lies and untruths about the existing laws, who is responsible for what, and how to resolve the issue.

It really would be better journalistic practice if your paper would report the real facts about the consent decree. The local ORV group leaders signed off on this decree. No one made them do that. Yet they lead the people on Hatteras to believe they have been lied to.
Again, you could be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy by insisting the sky is falling. I went to four local restaurants last weekend, and each one said business is better than ever-- and much better than last year. I asked people on the beach and in Food Lion if they are bothered by the closures. The overwhelming response was "Not really.
We can still go on the beach with our kids" or "No. We had heard everything was closed and when we found out how much was open, we were thrilled!"

The law is on the side of the environmentalists. That is why the judge did what he did, because he enforces the law. He is a Republican and the "enviros" are left- wing Democrats. Rarely would they ever be on the same side of an issue unless the law supports both sides!

Perpetuating lies and misinformation about this is a very dangerous thing to allow. The more you let your readers be fooled by stories, gossip, and rumor, the greater a disservice you are doing to the people on the island and creating a lot of unnecessary hatred and anger.

A mob mentality can cause people great harm. Your paper should help by reporting real facts instead of catering to the few who are the "ones whose operation was not a success."

R. Jackson
Asheville, N.C.

The National Park Service has always done a fine job on the beaches. People who drive on the beach have a respect and a love for it and that includes the wildlife and plants. If anyone does get out of line, beach etiquette is quickly explained. We police ourselves. We certainly do not need people who have never been there telling us how it is. I have a question. What happens if a turtle eats a plover?

Marcie Riedel
Richmond, Va.

For the future of beach and natural environment lovers all over the country, we cannot let the enviro-extremists bully people and government into extreme and damaging policy. No one cares more about stewarding and maintaining the quality of the Cape Hatteras environment than the people who live, work, and play here. We must keep the fine tradition of beach-going alive here and in all national seashore and public areas across the country. Once the enviro-extremists get an inch, they will be closing off a beach near you and your children and high-fiving themselves at cocktail parties thousands of miles away.

Scott McCaskey
Norfolk, Va.

The Park Service believes that this latest act of vandalism happened between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.? Quite a large time span. They're quick to slap you with a fine for stepping into the ocean a few feet past the restricted area, but they're never around when the vandalism happens -- and what do they get to do then? Close more of the beach. How convenient. I wouldn't doubt that those who are for these closures are responsible for the vandalism. Perhaps maybe even a member of the Audubon Society.

Brandon Waterfield
Buxton

I find it very sad that a few bad people who are vandalizing can close the beach for everyone. If the park would enforce all the rules, this would not happen. This has been going on for years. You call about someone, and they do nothing. Now they are all gung-ho. It is wrong to punish everyone. The environmentalists could be doing this just to get all the beaches closed. The real people who enjoy the beach would never do this.

Pat Conley
Avon

Death of oystercatcher chick

"The chick will be sent off for a necropsy." What for? After an approximate two-minute "chase-and-capture" of a hatchling by a college student, could it be anything but blunt force trauma? To quote Charles Barkley, "I may be wrong but I doubt it." It'll be interesting to see what the NPS report says. About mortality rates of plovers and other shorebirds by their protectors, it reminds me of the old saying, "We have met the enemy, and it is us."

Danny Couch
Buxton

It seems that the Park Service and the experts should leave everything alone. They are killing more with there good intentions than the ORVs and pedestrians.

Pat Conley
Avon

Baby sperm whale stranded on Avon beach

My family and I witnessed this event. However, since we had children with us, we left before the whale died. Your article has answered all of our questions. Thank you for your in-depth coverage.

Jeanna Murphy
Roanoke, Va.

Cape Hatteras graduation

I am quite impressed with the colleges and scholarships of the graduating seniors. I taught at Cape Hatteras 1972-1976 and was proud of the numbers of kids going off to college my fourth year there. But this is great. The question is how many will return to be islanders when they are finished with their education?

And Don Bowers produced another great slide show. Remind you of another class, Don? Thanks once again for the show.

Lou Wengenroth IV
Middletown, N.Y.

July 2008 Letters to the Editor