From Melinda Sutton (Tradewinds Tackle Shop-Ocracoke)

Hello everyone-

The latest news on the beach access for Ocracoke just never seems to get better. The next Negotiated Rulemaking Committee meets Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 8-9 in Avon .

David Scott Esham and Gene Ballance are Ocracoke's representatives on the committee. Ocracoke needs your help! These two men need your comments or even better your attendance at this meeting to express your concerns about South Point in front of the committee.

This next meeting will concern two proposals. As quoted from Island Free Press-

"The subcommittee on ORV routes and areas has made two proposals for ORV access routes – one by environmental and pedestrian access groups and one by open beach access groups, advocates of ORV access. The two proposals could not be further apart.

The subcommittee members include David Goodwin, representing the Cape Hatteras Business Allies; Frank Folb representing Avon Property Owners Association; Jim Keene with the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association; Burnie Gould of the Cape Hatteras Recreational Alliance; Destry Jarvis, representing Natural Resources Defense Council and The Wilderness Society, and Sidney Maddock of North Carolina Audubon.
 
The beach access groups have emphasized keeping as much of the beach as possible open to ORVs by making increased use of interdunal roads that can take ORVs behind areas that are closed for nesting and more ramps for beach access during the nesting season. The latter will help with areas that have been open this summer but inaccessible because of full beach closures between the ramps and the open beach areas.
 
 The environmental groups have put a proposal on the table that includes more closures to ORVs year round – including Bodie Island spit, Ramp 27 to Ramp 30 between Salvo and Avon, Ramp 34 to the Avon Pier, all of the South Beach from Ramp 45 to 49, and the Hatteras Inlet spit. Closures to ORVs on Ocracoke would include the entire South Point from Ramp 72 to Ocracoke Inlet, which would become a “wilderness study area,” open only to pedestrians. Other proposals include year-round closures in front of some villages, such as Frisco and Hatteras, that are now open to ORVs in the off-season.

The proposal by the environmental groups would include leaving Cape Point open to ORVs, subject, of course, to natural resources closures in the nesting season. This summer Cape Point was inaccessible from early May until the end of July. In addition, all other areas open to ORVs would be subject to natural resource closures during the nesting season.

Both proposals include increased parking areas, and such additions as more public bath house facilities, and pedestrian boardwalks."
 
My understanding is that the environmental group is willing to leave open Cape Point if they can close South Point from the ramp out to the inlet. They would like the South Point area as it is more stable and does not erode away as Bodie Island and Cape Point.

With only a few folks speaking out against the beach access issue on Ocracoke, I guess they feel this will be an easy compromise, however, I am asking that you take a moment to reflect on how important access to South Point is for you, your family, or your visitors. We currently have lost the sound access on the back of South Point year around to access -both pedestrian and ORV- and I am afraid this will continue to include all of South Point if no one complains.

Let your representatives, David Scott Esham or Gene Ballance, know your thoughts but even better, plan to attend one of those days and get your voice heard before you are handed something you might not want to live with. Public comment is open both days at noon.
 
You can send emails/letters to me also at melinda.tradewinds@embarqmail.com and I will forward them onto a committee member.
 
Thanks to all of you for taking the time to help!