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This needs to be passed to everyone you can
This is a notice for all residents and business owners in Dare and Hyde counties.
I am currently setting up a meeting for Thursday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Fessenden Center in Buxton.
This will be a public meeting to describe in detail all of the current access issues, including the request by environmental groups for a temporary injunction to close portions of the beaches to off-road vehicles, the lawsuit over the Park Service’s Interim Plan for managing the beaches, and the negotiated rulemaking process to devise a long-term plan.
Warren Judge, chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners, will be here to speak to us about these issues. We will be bringing all the current issues to the table and discussing what you might expect could happen to our beach access.
Over the past several months, I have heard numerous islanders and homeowners say that they have no idea about what is transpiring or that they believe it is not possible for any form of government to close our beaches. Unfortunately, the severity of the situation is greater than you know or believe.
The request for a temporary injunction will be heard on April 4 in U.S. District Court in Raleigh. If it is granted, Bodie Island spit, Cape Point and South Beach, Hatteras Inlet and the north and south points of Ocracoke will be closed to ORVs. You could be looking at full closures of these areas until the federal courts have heard the lawsuit against the Interim ORV Plan. If a judge decides in favor of the groups that have brought this lawsuit, there would be a full closure of all ORV access.
The time has come to learn about this situation or to become a believer that this could happen. Don't believe that your state government is coming to help you. Governor Easley has yet to show one ounce of support, and you will not even get a reply from Sen. Elizabeth Dole. Congressman Walter Jones and Senator Marc Basnight have both condemned the ruthless tactics of the special interest groups that are trying to take away your ORV access. However, the federal government supercedes the state government, and there is not a lot they can do at the moment.
So, if you want to hear all of the current information or just learn what is going on, then I encourage you to attend. I am working hard to put this together, and I hope to encourage a few other local leaders to come and speak about just how dire this situation really is.
If you are not a believer, just show up and we will make you one.
Sincerely,
Rob Alderman
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