Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area | |
---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 526: Unable to find the specified location map definition: "Module:Location map/data/USA relief" does not exist. | |
Location | Outer Banks, Dare County & Hyde County, North Carolina, USA |
Nearest city | Nags Head, North Carolina |
Area | 30,319.43 acres (122.6984 km2) |
Established | January 12, 1953 |
Visitors | 2,260,628 (in 2005) |
Governing body | National Park Service |
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area preserves the portion of the Outer Banks of North Carolina from Bodie Island to Ocracoke Island, stretching over 70 miles (110 km). Included within this section of barrier islands along N.C. 12, but outside the National Seashore boundaries, are Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and several communities, such as Rodanthe, Buxton, and Ocracoke.
Once dubbed the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for its treacherous currents, shoals, and storms, Cape Hatteras has a wealth of history relating to shipwrecks, lighthouses, and the US Lifesaving Service. The islands also provide a variety of habitats and are a valuable wintering area for migrating waterfowl. The park's fishing and surfing are considered the best on the East Coast.
Administrative history
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area was authorized by Congress, through enabling legislation, on August 11, 1937, and established on January 12, 1953. The enabling legislation can be found in Title 16, Sec. 459, of the United States Code. The National Seashore Recreational Area is co-managed with two other Outer Banks parks, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and is headquartered at Fort Raleigh.
Closures
In October 2007, Defenders of Wildlife, along with the National Audubon Society, sued the National Park Service at Cape Hatteras National Seashore for not properly protecting shorebird and sea turtle species that nest on the beaches of the Park.[1]
The Park Service was allegedly not in compliance with an executive order requiring the establishment of policies and procedures regarding off-road vehicle use on the National Seashore, failing to implement management plans to adequately protect the shorebirds and sea turtles nesting in the park. The Defenders of Wildlife have claimed that the use of off-road vehicles on park lands has degraded the habitat used by the nesting birds, many of which are also federally protected species.[2]
Many of the beaches and beach access points have been placed off limits to off road vehicle[3] use during the months when the birds are nesting. This has become a contentious issue among residents and users of Hatteras Island as ORV access is considered an important part of regional culture and economics.[4]
The National Park Service has until December 2010 to create a new management plan after ongoing studies are completed. They then have until April 2011 to implement this new plan.
See also
- Cape Hatteras Light
- Bodie Island Light
- Ocracoke Light
- Ocracoke Island
- Hatteras Weather Bureau Station
References
- Cameron Binkley, The Creation and Establishment of Cape Hatteras National Seashore: The Great Depression through Mission 66. Atlanta: U.S. Department of the Interior, 2007.
- The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
- ^ "US Park Service faces suit for failing to manage beach driving on Cape Hatteras National Seashore". Audubon North Carolina.
- ^ "NC State University Study Directly Links Beach Driving to Bird Mortality on Hatteras". Audubon North Carolina.
- ^ "Beach Driving at Cape Hatteras" (PDF). Defenders of Wildlife.
- ^ "ORV Access Environmental Impact Position Statement" (PDF). Coalition for Beach Access.
External links
- "Cape Hatteras National Seashore". National Park Service
- "Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving Station: Home to Unsung Heroes". Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan. National Park Service
- "Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum".
- "Cape Hatteras Access Preservation Alliance".
- "Saving Hatteras Surf Fishing". KeepAmericaFishing™.
- "Guide to records (correspondence files) from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore".
- Uscode
- IUCN Category V
- Protected areas of Dare County, North Carolina
- Protected areas of Hyde County, North Carolina
- National Seashores of the United States
- Outer Banks
- North Carolina outdoor recreation
- Protected areas established in 1953
- United States National Park Service areas in North Carolina
- Mountains-to-Sea Trail