# Access meeting in hampton



## WALT D. (Dec 18, 2003)

I would request that the mods make this a sticky until the end of the week.

For those that are not aware, we have a great opportunity to show our support for beach access in the CHNRA (Cape Hatteras) 

Hampton, Virginia
Thursday, April 29, 2010 – 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Holiday Inn & Conference Center, 1815 West Mercury Boulevard, Hampton, VA 23666
(Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for sign-in, the meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.)


There is also a workshop being put on the night before by Frank Folb of Frank and Frans in Avon 

Frank Folb has now set up a Newport News VA Workshop at 6:30 PM 28 Apr at 

Sports Marine Super Store 
1071 J Clyde Morris Blvd 

Subject: DEIS WORK SHOP NEWPORT NEWS, VA / Posted by: Frank and Frans / 04/16/10 

Thanks to John Ewell and David Joyner we have a place to meet the night before NPS puts on their dog and pony show on the DEIS. We are fortunate that the workshops on Hatteras Island, Ocracoke and Kill Devil Hills have been completed and we have a video of the meeting that you can preview on http://www.preservebeachaccess.org if you want. I will go over the same subjects as the workshops already done and will leave plenty of time for questions. A donation jar will be at the front of the room to cover rental of chairs and sodas. 

We have rented 75 chairs and I hope we have standing room ONLY! 


Be in attendance Thursday night to show your support for our beach access if there is any way you can be there.

Walt


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

Hey Walt, thanks for shaking the cobwebs here. There's a lot of folks on this board that either don't care, or have given up on the whole Hatteras thing.

I sorta understand that sentiment in terms of how this has all dragged on and been such a source of frustration for many who utilize our nearby NC beach access priviledges. Something once commonplace has become very complicated.

Look folks, this really is your chance to be heard where "they" are required to listen.
Whether you speak or not (although you should say something), being there contributes to everyone's sense of power.

Fill the house!!!


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## Surfishn' Dave (Nov 16, 2005)

Glad to hear this. I will make arrangements to be there for this and look forward to seeing others there as well.


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## LarryB (Apr 29, 2002)

Thanks WaltD,

It would also be helpful if an address could be post so that those who may not be ablel to attend may contribute financially to the work that's being done. Who should checks for contributions be made out to?

All the best,

LarryB


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## WALT D. (Dec 18, 2003)

Larry,

Please follow the link, I'm sure any help will be greatly appreciated

http://www.preservebeachaccess.org/


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## WALT D. (Dec 18, 2003)

Looks like I'm going to be hung up at work; I don't know if I'll make it or not at this point. I hope that anyone able to attend will be there.


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## Advisor (Jan 12, 2003)

*Remove Stickey*

I sincerely hope the meeting went well and that our beach access is granted. The stickey is outdated so it's time to remove it.


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

Advisor said:


> I sincerely hope the meeting went well and that our beach access is granted. The stickey is outdated so it's time to remove it.


Thanks for your thread management advice. 

Please stop hoping and start doing. The comment period is open until May 11.

Please go here, consider the advice, and make a comment, in the appropriate manner described, on YOUR opinions of the DEIS. 

http://www.obpa-nc.org/position/assessment.pdf

Or go silent, it's up to you.


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

Oh, forgot to mention. The comment period ends this coming Tuesday May 11 at midnight.

Slide number 27 in the link I posted above provides information on how to provide written comment. Those ways described are the only ways to officially comment. This is very important if you have opinions and/or suggestions for the DEIS. If you've commented already, and would like to add anything, that is perfectly acceptable too.

Time is running out, comment early and often!


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

Today's the day, get em in before midnite.

Here's mine:

I am opposed to all of the alternatives presented in the DEIS because they are all flawed in the fact they diminish the existing visitor experience and do not recognizing the socioeconomic and cultural resource impacts.

None of the alternatives recognize the 12 or so miles of pedestrian only beaches contained within Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Yes, it is managed by the USFWS, but it is still contained within CAHA. This is a serious flaw.

Alternative A would require less restrictive wildlife closures, opening of interdunal roads, and free (or minimal cost) education and permits for ORV users in order for it to be acceptable.

Alternative B should be completely removed from consideration in this document. A court ordered consent decree, with arbitrary and capricious rules, that were not vetted properly in the NEPA process do not belong in this document as a viable alternative. Unprecedented wildlife closures, no pass through corridors, closures disturbance penalties, and unsubstantiated night time driving restrictions are all new rules brought on by the consent decree. How do non-NEPA vetted rules now become part of every alternative (except alt A), including the preferred alternative?

In the effort to manage wildlife at CAHA, pedestrian and ORV usage is being unfairly portrayed as a significant factor affecting nesting success of birds, even birds not even listed on the U.S. Endangered Species List. The proposed buffers for nesting birds are not based in peer reviewed science, and are not standards used anywhere else on NPS managed lands. In essence the public is being penalized where predation and storms are the true factors to lack of nesting success.

This penalization diminishes the existing visitor experience. Species on North Carolina’s list of concern certainly shouldn’t trigger closures like those species listed on the U.S. Endangered Species List. In addition, buffers for those species on the U.S. Endangered Species List are excessive, not based on peer reviewed science, and serve only to penalize the visiting public.

Night time driving restrictions are part of every alternative to protect sea turtles (except alt A), yet the science does not exist that proves night time driving affects the turtles. Pass through corridors for ORVs behind nests, any time of day or night, should be part of a preferred alternative.

Proposed year round closures at any points or spits should not be considered, particularly when suitable habitat is available elsewhere. This is another reason that Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge should be recognized in all alternatives. In addition, dredge spoil islands adjacent to CAHA should be recognized as suitable habitat, and any nesting success there should be attributed to CAHA.

Safety closures in front of the villages should continue from mid May to mid September and re open for the remainder of the time. This rule should also be consistently applied to the villages of Hatteras and Frisco. 

Also, the pet restrictions from March through July need to be removed from consideration because leash laws will prevent any incidents with pets.

The sound side access locations in the document seem to be lacking. A better and more complete inventory of sound side access needs to be included in the final document.

This Seashore is unique from all others in that multiple villages and communities exist inside the boundary of the park. Impacts to these town and communities are more acute then to surrounding communities whenever the Parks Service institutes rules. I don’t believe the alternatives in this document have properly evaluated the socioeconomic and historical and cultural impacts to these communities contained therein. The large ROI mentioned is too large to adequately assess the economic impacts to the villages. And very little is addressed in terms of historic access to the shoreline.

This National Seashore was created so many years ago with the national public’s diminishing access to the shoreline in mind, due to privatization of the beach. Its primary mission was people first. It was meant to be long open stretches of beach for those people not fortunate enough to live on the water. This document and these alternatives do nothing to further that initial goal. Instead, it seeks to chop up this National Seashore into little manageable pieces, where the visiting public and the people that live there suffer the most.

Please address these deficiencies in the final document. Or, put the “Coalition for Beach Access” position statement in as the preferred alternative. 

Thank you,


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## WALT D. (Dec 18, 2003)

Dr Bubba,

Thank you for your excellent comments, I certainly couldn't say it any better so I let you say it for me. I hope you don't mind that I used your excellent text as my comment to the NPS.

I'm glad I finally managed to get oit in before the deadline. 

We've still got a small window of time left if you're reading this tonight, please comment.


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

not a problem, Walt. I'm glad you thought that some of what I said was important and worthy.

This is just the beginning of what seems to be a long fight to maintain reasonable public access to our first National Seashore (...and Recreational Area).

The initial outcome will not be pleasant, expect that. Our comment now may seem futile, but it really means something in the long run, just watch.

I also ran across Dare County's comment, lot of focus on corridors and smaller resource closures: http://www.islandfreepress.org/2010Archives/05.07.2010-county_deis_position.pdf

Dare Chamber of Commerce, they like A, and point out the economic analysis flaws: http://www.islandfreepress.org/2010Archives/05.07.2010-OUTER%20BANKS%20CHAMBER%20OF%20COMMERCE%20COMMENTS%20ON%20DEIS.pdf

Senator Basnight and Representative Spear: http://www.islandfreepress.org/2010Archives/05.07.2010-DEIS%20comments%20--%20Basnight%20and%20Spear.pdf


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

Broken links are fixed in above post.

There will also be another comment period for the FEIS, probably mid-late autumn.
Everyone should think about what you may comment on if your questions and comments aren't addressed.


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