February 2009 Letters to the Editor |
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New Letters to the Editor....02.23.2009 8:15 am
Beach Access Issues
Once again, Dr. Michael Berry's calm, analytical and authoritative approach has produced a treatise of great worth. (Guest column on Beach Access Issues and Commentary pages) This deserves the widest distribution and discussion, and can serve help us all to focus on our final arguments. Crunch time is upon us as regards Reg-Neg. See y'all this week at Fortress Wright Memorial. Fred Westervelt Ocracoke Dr. Michael Berry has again written a well- balanced assessment of the situation going on during this Reg-Neg process. After viewing the videos available, the one sidedness on the part of some of the representatives is truly appalling. Common sense would dictate a majority of all these issues, and yet except for a few sitting at the table and the coordinators managing the process, the lines have been drawn in the sand. Freedom is being slowly being chipped away. This situation will surely revise how all national parks are accessed in the future. The locals understand this very well. Considering this has not been on the national news proves that the general public is not totally aware and will in the end be surprised as to the outcome of this situation. R. Voelcker Mechanicsville, Va. My first spring in I don't know how many years not fishing on the Outer Banks will be 2009. I just hate that my tax money supports something I can't use. I guess the mean-spirited people will get what they want! Wayne Church Pfafftown, N.C. We are just broken-hearted at what has happened to Hatteras. I don't get a lot of time off each year, but we always found time to spend a week there each year for the last 10 years or so. We'd drive over the ramps the first day, and it was like the weight of the world was suddenly lifted. I'll always remember the amazing joy on my children's faces when they would run and play on the beaches there. We took the opportunity to teach them how truly precious this place is. We went elsewhere last year because of the uncertainty, and from the news we're seeing now, it looks like our days in the Hatteras sun may well be over. It just breaks my heart. Roger Bohnke Yorktown, Va. It seems that the pre-nesting closures are a little optimistic. Why do pre-nesting areas include places that had no activity for two years in a row. With the economy the way it is, I would think that we could find a way to make this more people/ tourist friendly. I have made three group trips with eight to 12 for the last six years until last year. I only had enough people to make two this year, one so far. There is no doubt that these closures will have a bad outcome on the already depressed economic state. I have never seen a bird or turtle in line to rent a house or buy gas, food, bait, tackle etc. More closures equal more "going out of business” signs. Douglas Anthony Roanoke, Va. With the economy being in its present state, we must have our beaches open to the many vacationers who come here for one specific reason: to be able to drive on the beaches and fish, look for shells, etc. Without that right, many will find other seashores to visit and we lose so much in revenue for all our local population. After the collapse of the construction industry, must we also face the collapse of our tourism? Kay Sneed Kill Devil Hills If ever there was a time that prayer is needed for our islands, it is now. Now that Judge Boyle has opened the door by calling everyone who signed off on the consent decree back for a review, there could be a window of hope. We need to request everyone to pray that he will make some changes. I am contacting everyone I can to get them to pray for us and I hope you will do the same. Ask your churches and prayer groups to pray for Judge Terrence Boyle. United States District Court Judge Terrence Boyle has summoned the signers of the consent decree document that now controls the management of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area to a conference in Raleigh on March 3. Under the terms of the consent decree, those who signed off on the document were obligated to comply by the document as it stands and could not return back to the court unless there was a just cause to do so. However, according to consent decree, “The Court may modify any requirements of this Consent Decree” Supposedly neither side has called for this meeting. If that is true, Judge Boyle has some questions he wants answered. Hopefully one of these questions will be what the consent decree has done to the health and welfare of those who live on these islands. In the past year how many birds hatched on the islands? Does the number justify destroying the lives of the humans who remain on the islands after the birds fly away? Does it justify in these troubled times devastating the economy of Dare and Hyde counties? Does it justify causing homeowners to go into foreclosure because of the loss of tourism because of the beach closures? Is it worth hurting our children because businesses have had to layoff their mothers and fathers? Let us pray that Judge Boyle will consider the rights of all concerned and come up with some plan that will give relief to the unfair terms of the consent decree. People who live on these islands have always prided themselves on being law-abiding citizens. Even though we know that the consent decree is an unfair law that has destroyed our traditional way of life, we who live here, and those who come to these islands each year, have done our best to abide by the law. It is our sincere prayer that God will reach down and touch the heart of Judge Boyle and he will realize that he has the power in his hands to make the necessary changes in the consent decree that will bring relief to those who are suffering. Please Pray for Judge Terrence Boyle. Do like we are told in the Good Book. Pray for all that are in authority. Dewey Parr Buxton Raising funds for Hali Easley for play softball for USA team Great to read your publication and this article (on local news page). I will be suggesting to my daughter (in Frisco) and family to attend the fundraisers, and I will be sending money for raffle tickets. Dennis Daisy Bally, Pa. Buying foods grown closer to home Great article on the quiet revolution to buy foods grown closer to home on the Real Estate and Business Page. Do you know of anyone willing to do a community garden? I would love to have fresh produce grown on the island. Is there anyone to donate land use and people for their own garden plots? I grew up in Virginia with a large family garden. We grew everything from tomatoes, corn, beans, cabbage and canned just about everything. Just curious if anyone out there is willing. Stacie Almquist Frisco Still loving it after all these years I had to share why I live on Hatteras Island. Started my day today with the sighting of a seal basking in the sun at the Frisco Pier on the way for my walk around the Park Service Frisco Campground, where I saw seven deer. Continuing my walk across the dunes over to the beach, I spotted dolphins frolicking in the surf. How blessed am I. Still love it here after 35 years. Katie Oden Hatteras ‘Nights in Rodanthe’ I saw the movie “Nights In Rodanthe.” Is this a real bed and breakfast? If it is, it is beautiful, and I would like to visit. Linda Knight Euclid, Ohio We are very interested in renting the Serendipity (the Inn at Rodanthe from the movie, “Nights in Rodanthe”) for our 25th wedding anniversary in August. Would it be available for rental by then? How would we get on the list and what are the daily or weekly charges? Linda Porter Osceola, Iowa (Editor’s Note: Since “Nights in Rodanthe” came out on DVD earlier this month, we’ve had a number of inquiries about the cottage. It is not a bed and breakfast, and it has been for rent at times when storm damage can be repaired. Midgett Realty in Rodanthe handles the rentals. Click on the company’s ad on the front page of The Island Free Press Web site. More information about the filming of the movie and the house are available on the Web site at: http://www.islandfreepress.org/2008Archives/09.23.2008-TheFilmingfNightsInRodantheHollywoodCameToHatterasIsland.html New Letters to the Editor....02.16.2009 9:45 am Beach Access Issues Can anybody, I mean anybody, clear this mess up? I don't see help or interest from senators or congressman now that Dole is out. It seems like nobody really cares about the local peoples' livelihood. Nobody's on the side of those of us who have used the beach responsibly for years. We went to the beach, ever aware of the beauty and fragility of the area, stayed in the designated areas, didn't leave any trash behind (even carried other's trash off), enjoyed the fishing and the shells and went home at day's end. Overnight the winds and the surf combed the sand and leveled the ruts, leaving a new beach to be celebrated again the next day. What is so wrong with that? Soon only "nobody" will be at the beach. Bill Stavenger Chesapeake, Va. In the past, I have seen other proposals based on the best available science. The so-called best available science is generally based on casual observation, so I like to call it "conjecture.” Red Knots? What? Ray Seibert Annville, Pa. Man! That Walker Golder is some dude! His answers are always concise. His research is so good that he can produce "hidden" data at the last minute to further his cause. He's super-human, I tell ya! Hawk Hawkins Mechanicsville, Va. The problem here is it seems no one can come to an agreement, and we as visitors are waiting to see if we can fish. We need to know now so we can set our time off from work to come and enjoy the fishing on the Outer Banks. It's not like we can find out today and come tomorrow. Is there enough bird nesting in these areas to really affect the population with nesting going on other islands? It is hard for us in other states to see the problem when we come there and see none of this taking place. We spend time and money when we visit to the local people. It is their life, as well as ours, that is affected with nothing getting settled over a long period of time. Where is the thought of the local people who have made this area their home and depend on visitors to support them? We all need an answer NOW, not later. Are the birds the only one with rights or do we as taxpayers have the right to use our land and seashores? Stuart Bush Aylett, Va. Once again, big brother government steps in to limit freedom and ruin a wonderful thing. The people who visit and love Hatteras Island are not the type of people who are out to destroy habitat, pollute, or destroy the environment. Show some restraint in determining these rules. Have a little faith that people can and will respect Hatteras Island. Bill Young Slippery Rock, Pa. Please do some research and find out how the Army Corps of Engineers is able to destroy prime piping plover and sea turtle habitat on the north end of Topsail Island with their seashore preservation plans and why there has not been one objection from the Audubon Society or Defenders of Wildlife. How can this be? Why? I'll tell you why! Because the Army Corps of Engineers did it the right way. They have a 1,000-plus page impact study. Yes, a 1,000-plus page impact study. If the National Park Service had a 1,000-plus page impact study by professionals, DOW and the Audubon would not invest their "donated" financial resources and would move to the next money making legal matter, where they can make some headlines, gain more "donations" and destroy people's lives. I hope we all realize how the legal firms and their lawyers benefit from these environmental groups. Keith McCabe Newport Coast, Calif. New Letters to the Editor....02.09.2009 10:45 am Beach Access Issues While first impressions upon quick review (of National Park Service 2008 reports on nesting birds and turtles) can be erroneous, they can have a certain incisiveness. With apologies to Sir Winston Churchill, never have so many expended so much for so few. I shall leave to others any value judgments resulting from these reports. However, I am embarrassed for our environmental advocates, our judicial system, and our government. The cultural and economic damage done to our Outer Banks by this fiasco deserves not merely an apology, but also redress. Fred Westervelt Ocracoke Isn't it interesting that the National Park Service can point to gulls, crows, foxes, raccoons, minks, and feral cats, not to mention storms, as the chief reason for mortality of plovers, oystercatchers, and turtles that we evil ORVers are supposedly causing. Michael Porter Indianapolis, Ind. Congratulations Audubon and Defenders of Wildlife. You have successfully turned thousands of environmental nature lovers against your cause. Your true colors, bad science, and selfish attitudes are out in the open for all to see. We have also seen the same thing from a ''pedestrian group'' on Hatteras Island. The island gave them full employment and a retirement check each month but now they want their own private beach to go with it. ''Gotminers'' is what they are called Down Under -- greedy people who could care less about their own community. Their mirrors are not as clean as mine. Kim Mosher Buxton Could someone please tell me how many people belong to the made up ''pedestrian group''? Since when does a handful of people dictate the future of a national park or our land? This is getting more ridiculous by the day! My lawyers are laughing too. Kevin McCabe Buxton I attended one of the negotiated rulemaking committee meetings on Feb. 3. I made a presentation during the public comment period. As I understand it, there will be only one more meeting. First and foremost, we all need to thank David Scott Esham and Gene Ballance for representing our interests on Ocracoke. The process has been very arduous and time consuming. I suspect it has been most difficult for both of them, given the time demands and diverse positions of the stakeholders. Most of all, the process appears to have accomplished very little. I imagine they feel their time has been wasted. At the risk of sounding like a “know it all” and “being a Johnnie come lately,” it appears that the process will not produce an agreed upon recommendation to the park as to use by pedestrians and ORVs. From the Feb. 3 meeting, I gathered that the environmental advocates have even digressed further from consensus since the last meeting. It is my expectation that they now realize no consensus will come about, thus they are “staking themselves out” as to being as “restrictive as possible as to beach access,” thinking that the NPS will offer up something “in the middle.” With these groups being most restrictive, their thinking is that they will get more of what they want relative to negotiating with the NPS. Given that the historical use (prior to the consent decree) was not part of the negotiations (not on maps), it is evident that the NPS is leaning towards additional restrictions. In my view this is entirely unfair. In summary, it appears that the time has come to realize that the only recourse the open beach access groups have is to lobby the NPS to return the beaches back as to their historical use. The premise behind the argument being that the citizens, property owners, tourists, and businesses that use and rely on the park resources are not responsible for the regulatory quagmire the NPS has got itself into and cannot agree to changes that will in all probability negatively impact them from a social (personal use) and economic stand point. Business owners, just think about how many ORVs are in your parking lot? Citizens that are employed by businesses or provide services (cleaning, maintenance, and entertainment) and products (seafood, construction) all have a huge interest in how beach access is decided. The property owners who rent their cottages also have a tremendous stake in that rental income could be less and property values may go down. The potential loss of business that runs our local economic engine, in my view, is significant. It is my thinking that should the NPS not go back to the regulatory structure as to the historical use of the resources (use prior to the consent decree) that the users (businesses, citizens, and tourists, and property owners) should explore legal action as to mitigation and/or remuneration for loss of use (social and economic loss). The suit, if justified, should name the environmental organizations and the NPS as defendants. The NPS has always had to deal with the threat of a lawsuit from the environmentalists. It is now time for concerned citizens and business owners to use the same legal tool if available. It is time for the local stakeholders to recognize the seriousness of what is going on. Our economic and individual rights to use public resources are at risk. Finally, the historical method of lobbying through the “politicos” (local, state and federal) is all the resources we have outside the legal system. Contacting your political representatives is paramount. It is time to answer the call! H. Wayne Clark Ocracoke Bay scallop season now open Bay scallops are one of the finest seafood products to come out of any salty body of water, from the Windward Islands to Newfoundland, and one of the top 10 sweet and succulent flavors and textures from the bivalve world. I remember back in the early 1980s when they were fairly plentiful, I could eat about the top third of a gallon right out of the bucket -- raw! I used to pick up gallons of the 40/60 count scallops around Carteret County for the seafood company I worked for in Wrightsville Beach. I have had my own company, wholesale and retail seafood distribution, in the most southern corner of the state, for some 20 years, and I cannot think of a finer product to sell. I would regard these scallops as a select North Carolina deluxe item. I eat in excess of 300 pounds of primarily N.C. seafood per year, and I'm dying to put these scallops back in my meal plan again. If you think you eat more fish than me, call me. If you want to move some scallops further down in the state, call me. Jon Haag Haag & Sons Seafood Oak Island, N.C. Sales of foreclosed furnishings are a sign of the times What a great idea! I will be sure to visit this shop when we come to Hatteras the first week of April. Nancy Marsh Plantation, Fla. Monitor Marine Sanctuary I agree with John Pieno's opinion that the status quo is fine. We don't need to expand the sanctuary area. I've been diving for many years, and it's been my experience that most divers act very responsibly when diving wrecks and other sites. Anthony Catalona Kent, Ohio Jimmy Buffet drives the seashore beaches I've seen his boat, and I've read his story. And I think he is a pretty cool dude. Ray Seibert Annville, Pa. Ocracoke history and ghostly tales I cannot wait to purchase the book when I come in August. I have been vacationing there every year for 29 years. In 1980 we were married in Elizabeth City. We always stay in Hatteras but make sure we spend a day in Ocracoke. We love exploring and talking with the locals. After 29 years, we always find something new. I’ve been In love with the Outer Banks from day one. Jean Sabo North Huntingdon, Pa. A winter storm on the islands I enjoyed the story and especially the slide show. I grew up in Germany and Ohio, so snow is no stranger, but seeing it in combination with my first love, the marshes, in the pictures is a real treat. Thanks. Katherine Lamb Charlotte, N.C. Island Cooking I have just finished reading "Hatteras Blues" and was surfing the net looking for more content on the Foster family when I ran across this site. I would love to attend the fish fry, but, unfortunately, I usually visit my sister-in-law in the town of Duck in the month of October. I will be looking for the Albatross fleet this October. And, I will be trying some of the recipes. Joe Coniglio Londonderry, N.H. New Letters to the Editor....02.02.2009 8:00 am Beach Access Issues (Editor’s Note: This is a copy of a letter that the Cape Hatteras Access Preservation Alliance sent to Peter Sandbeck, deputy historic preservation officer in the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Copies were sent to federal, state, and local elected officials and The National Park Service. It an interesting approach to maintaining access to the spits and points on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. CHAPA seeks to identify spit and inlet beaches as traditional cultural properties, potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.) January 20, 2009
Dear Mr. Sandbeck, This letter formally identifies the spit and inlet areas and adjoining beaches of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area as Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs) held in importance by historically established Outer Banks communities. Further, these landscapes are thought to be potentially eligible to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). We have fully and carefully reviewed the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office Guidelines on the National Register in North Carolina (2008), and the National Park Service National Register Bulletin, Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties (rev. 1998), as well as Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as Amended. Based on our review, the landscapes in question are held: 1) to constitute a historic property; and 2) to constitute a TCP; and 3) potentially eligible to the NRHP. The landscapes identified as TCPs include, but are not necessarily limited to: 1) Bodie Island Spit and adjoining beaches; 2) Cape Point and adjoining beaches; 3) South Point of Hatteras Inlet and adjoining beaches; and 4) the North Point and South Point of Ocracoke Island and adjoining beaches. These are held in importance by Outer Banks communities and their use is central to maintaining the traditional life ways and identity of these communities. The National Park Service National Register Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Properties (Guidelines) clearly state that landscapes may be considered a historic property and thus potentially eligible to the NRHP: . . . a property may be defined as a "site" as long as it was the location of a significant event or activity, regardless of whether the event or activity left any evidence of its occurrence. A culturally significant landscape may be classified as a site, as may the location where significant traditional events, activities, or cultural observances have taken place. The Guidelines also explicitly state that TCP designations are not to be limited to properties held in importance by Native Americans or other minority groups: Americans of every ethnic origin have properties to which they ascribe traditional cultural value, and if such properties meet the National Register criteria, they can and should be nominated for inclusion in the Register [NRHP]. In setting forth criteria for determining what constitutes a TCP and evaluating a specific property’s significance, the Guidelines define potentially NRHP-eligible TCPs as: A rural community whose organization, buildings and structures, or patterns of land use reflect the cultural traditions valued by its long-term residents; A location where a community has traditionally carried out economic, artistic, or other cultural practices important in maintaining its historic identity. Based on the guidelines promulgated by the Department of the Interior National Park Service, the landscapes in question clearly meet at least two definitions for a TCP potentially eligible for inclusion to the NRHP. As TCPs, the landscapes and their historic patterns of use not only help maintain the traditional identity of Outer Banks communities (themselves unique cultural entities) but these same communities have historically been shaped by the long standing use of the beach landscapes. Outer Banks culture has historically been inextricably tied to the surf zone, and remains so today. The surf zone has traditionally sustained the island economy and culture through commercial seine net dory fishing, and also by way of recreational fishing and tourism all of which are accessed via personal motor vehicles. These latter activities have been ongoing for more than 50 years and are therefore considered to be of historic age. More importantly, the landscapes in question are held in importance by Outer Banks communities in a way that transcends heritage and the traditional economy. The Cape Point stands as a defining physical feature of the Outer Banks, which consist of narrow strip of land perched as much 30 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. The other landscapes equally comprise the transitional realm between island home and the sea. As such, they continue to provide island folk with a profound sense of place and function to help sustain the collective identity of their communities. It is requested that the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, on behalf of the Outer Banks Preservation Alliance, recognize the identification of said inlet and spit areas and adjoining beaches of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area as a TCP potentially eligible to the NRHP and provide a Study List Application as a first step towards a formal NRHP-eligibility determination. Sincerely, John Couch, President Outer Banks Preservation Association W. James Keene, President North Carolina Beach Buggy Association Larry Hardham, President Cape Hatteras Anglers Club I hope that H.R.718 (introduced into U.S. House of Representatives by North Carolina Congressman Walter Jones) will bring back some sanity to the problems with the ORVs on the beaches. The Park Service should be allowed to do their job, and they are well qualified to do the job. They need the support of our Congress. Let your representatives and U.S. senators know your wishes. Arthur Noyes Atlantic, N.C. A winter storm on the islands I have been wanting it to snow so bad here. We used to get really big ones but haven't had one in five or six years. You all actually got enough there that you could build snowmen/snowwomen. We had maybe an inch here, if that much. I went online to Teach's Lair, as I do every morning, the morning after the storm, and it blew me away when I saw all of the snow. The pictures on your Web site are awesome! Keep up the good work. Lisa White Morganton, N.C. Seals are the rock stars on winter beaches We really enjoy reading your paper. I just read about the seals that stop there during the winter months and was really surprised. We vacation there one or two times a year, and this is the first we've heard of it. I sure would love to see that! Also, was glad to see someone else getting some snow, we're tired of it already! Can't wait till spring! Thank you. Take care. We love Hatteras. The Temple Family Chester, W.Va. Remembering Carey LeSieur I met Carey 20 years ago as a fellow traveling nurse on Kaui, Hawaii. Her unique personality made her stand out in many ways. Fond memories of hiking, working, and playing together remain an important part of my life. We kept in touch by notes and e-mail throughout these 20 years. My big regret is not traveling to see her in North Carolina. What a joy to know her many friends are memorializing her and her work with this foundation. I will look forward to visiting the Web site frequently. Doris Chamberlain Montrose, Colo. Saga of the stranded sailboat in Avon Has the sailboat saga really ended? Lacy Austin Columbus, Ohio (Editor’s note: We hope so!) |
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