| Cape Hatteras National Seashore | |
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IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
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| 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 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.
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The National Seashore was authorized on August 11, 1937, and established on January 12, 1953. Cape Hatteras National Seashore 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.
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 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.
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