Thursday, March 5, 2009

Will the Piping Plovers and Sea Turtles Win?

Let's hope the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Park Superintendent can prepare a plan to protect the Piping Plover and Sea Turtles that can satisfy US District Court Judge Terrence Boyle. Apparently, a committee charged with developing a plan could not.

At stake here, from the environmentalist's point of view, would be close NC Route 12 to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic and let nature take its course. That option isn't viable as we all know the Outer Banks depends on tourists for much of its fragile economy.

We've been to the seashore sanctuary several times over the past few years and have encountered areas that were off limits to humans. These sites were confirmed Piping Plover nests and brooding areas and I can't say it was an inconvenience to me to let them have their own space.

There has to be a happy medium for the engangered species and humans to exist.

2 comments:

Old Sidney and his 8 Track said...

North Carolina just needs to build what people really want. You put some nice casinos behing the dunes, use the extra money to build better dunes! You can move the Plovers and the turtles down the beach somewhere, they'll find someplace. And people have something fun to do, besides sit there and fish, and look at the turtles and Plovers.

Dirtman said...

There has to be enough Croatans left on OBX that you can rally while we are there this summer. Maybe you can become their leader and lobby for a tribal casino in Buxton.

Indian Law would supersede NPS rules and even the pesky environmentalists would be tossed out.