cfrw.us Blog

According to two blue-ribbon commissions, America’s oceans are in trouble. The commissions called for greater care in managing our oceans and greater involvement of American citizens in decision-making. Instead of following that lead, however, the National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing to weaken the nation’s bedrock environmental review and public participation law in fisheries management. The proposal opens the door for fishery managers to skip environmental review altogether and severely curtail the public’s right to have a say in how our oceans are managed. Take a moment to tell the fisheries service to throw its proposal overboard!

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Photos for CFRW by Alan Cradick

We got word late Wednesday that Senators Burr and Dole, with Congressman Jones, introduced legislation to overturn the negotiated settlement all parties agreed to related to Cape Hatteras management and return to the failed plan of last year. Even though one of the parties signing on to the agreement was representing the off-road vehicle drivers, it appears that disgruntled members among those groups pushed for this bill — a really bad precedent of Congress trying to overturn a court-approved settlement on natural resource management. The bill language and our response is below.

I just spent two days looking at virtually every available area of the National Seashore, ran into people who were driving and fishing there but also approved of the bird protections, and found room for all to recreate. I also saw great improvements in management approaches and more birds as a result.

PLEASE contact your congressman and both senators (go to web and google their names to find their web sites which usually allow you to call/email from there) and let them know this is not acceptable. Look for coverage in local papers and write letters if you can. We worked very hard to compromise on a science-based approach that all could live with (and agreed to!) in the final settlement.

Chris

***************************************************
Chris Canfield
Executive Director/Vice President
Audubon North Carolina
123 Kingston Drive, Suite 206A
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-929-3899; 919-929-4599 (fax)
ccanfield@audubon.org

The Act:

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. REINSTATEMENT OF INTERIM MANAGEMENT STRATEGY.
After the date of the enactment of this Act, Cape Hatteras National Seashore shall be managed in accordance with the Interim Protected Species Management Strategy /Environmental Assessment issued by the National Park Service on June 13, 2007, for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina, until the National Park Service issues a special regulation and long-term off-road vehicle management plan for the use of Cape Hatteras National Seashore by the public.
SEC.2. INAPPLICABILITY OF CONSENT DECREE.
The April 30, 2008, consent decree filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina regarding off-road vehicle use at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina shall not apply after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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Our response:
June 11th, 2008

Contact:
Chris Canfield, Audubon North Carolina, 919-929-3899
Derb Carter, Southern Environmental Law Center, 919-967-1450
Jason Rylander, Defenders of Wildlife, 202-772-3245

Legislation aims to strip vital protections from threatened wildlife on Cape Hatteras National Seashore

WASHINGTON – Legislation introduced today by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and U.S. Rep. Walter Jones (all of North Carolina) would allow the short-sighted wishes of small special interest groups to take precedence over the continued survival of the unique national resources that make Cape Hatteras National Seashore so special.

The bill threatens to return Cape Hatteras to a management strategy that had proven woefully inadequate in safeguarding our natural resources. The benefits of the science-based consent decree to Cape Hatteras’ threatened wildlife are already being seen in the increased number of birds using the seashore this nesting season.

“This attack on the laws that safeguard our parks and seashores could set a dangerous precedent,” said Jason Rylander, attorney for Defenders of Wildlife. “Basing the management of Cape Hatteras on the desires of a handful of special interests would do a disservice not only to the wildlife and natural resources the seashore was created to protect, but also to the thousands of visitors who travel to the seashore to enjoy those same resources each year.”

Legal action would not have been necessary if the Park Service had complied with the law and implemented responsible ORV management plans. In July of 2007, Judge Terrence Boyle ruled that the Park Service was not complying with the law in their management of off-road vehicle use on Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

“This bill would put back in place a failed plan to manage the natural resources of the Seashore and degrade a national treasure established for the enjoyment of all Americans, ” said SELC attorney Derb Carter.

The consent decree that is currently in place was based upon recommendations developed by the Park Service’s own scientists, and is the result of collaboration and agreement between all interested parties – including Dare and Hyde Counties and the Cape Hatteras Access Preservation Alliance – a coalition of Off Road Vehicle groups.

Over the past 10 years, the numbers of imperiled birds nesting at the seashore declined by 86 percent. Already this year the threatened piping plover has at least seven pairs breeding, up one so far from last year, and the American oystercatcher numbers have improved from 22 breeding pairs in 2007 to 33 pairs, according to National Park Service figures.

“Management under the interim plan was clearly not working, resulting in some of the lowest numbers of nesting birds in the history of the Seashore,” said Chris Canfield, Executive Director of Audubon North Carolina. “The consent decree represents an approach that was agreed to by all parties involved – including the Park Service, both local counties and representatives of the beach driving community.”

Even with the consent decree’s increased protections for natural resources, more than 22 of the Seashore’s 66 miles of beach remain open for driving, and almost 55 miles are open to pedestrians, according to the National Park Service’s June 5 access report. Just 12 miles of the beach are closed due to the need to protect natural resources; the other closures are based on routine seasonal or safety needs.

The consent decree also provides a great deal of flexibility, with temporary closures that can be lifted and reopened to vehicles once wildlife is no longer using the area. Already, some areas have been reopened this season.

“The consent decree is already showing signs of improving natural resource protection while still allowing abundant access for visitors. I just spent two days at the Seashore; Cape Hatteras remains a wonderful place for all to visit and enjoy,” said Canfield.

Cape Fear River Watch volunteers have picked up nearly 7,000 pounds of trash from local watersheds during the first 3 monthly clean-ups of 2008.

Go ahead. Read that sentence again. 7,000 pounds. Now consider that 2 of those 3 clean-ups took place in the cold rain. Granted, the volunteer crews did knock off at noon on the rainy days rather than the usual 1:00pm, but that kind of dedication is worthy of recognition and applause. Go ahead. Clap.

In addition to the usual assemblage of plastic bags, styrofoam cups, fast food wrappers, bottles, cans and discarded car tires, volunteers have picked up television and computer remnants, the discarded front door to somebody’s house, and a full and sealed IV bag. Enough trash had accumulated in a tributary of Smith Creek near Maides Park to effectively dam the creek. River Watch volunteers removed the trash dam and restored flow to the creek.

Where does it go from here? April’s clean-up is scheduled to take place at Greenfield Lake on April 19th (the Saturday closest to Earth Day.) Judging from the effectiveness of the River Watch volunteers thus far in 2008 and the experience of previous years’ clean-ups at Greenfield Lake, the City of Wilmington had best send more than one dump truck to remove the expected trash haul. The recent low water in the lake due to repairs to the outfall dam has shown that too much of the lake’s more than 5 miles of shoreline is strewn with trash. CFRW is hoping for/expecting a big turn-out to put a big dent in that mess. It’s little early to make real predictions, but so far the long range forecast is calling for sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. We’re due.
Greenfield Lake is one of the hidden jewels of Wilmington and it shines even more beautifully in the spring when the cypress begins to leaf, the dogwood blooms under the long leaf pine canopy, and the thousands of azalea bushes that ring the lake explode in color. It’s about the prettiest spot in the world to pick up trash.

As with previous years’ Greenfield clean-ups, this years effort will include both land and water components. Since so much of the lake’s shoreline is approachable only by water, many volunteers will be using canoes and kayaks to get where the trash lies. For those who aren’t comfortable plying waters of a lake with multiple 14 foot alligators in a tippy canoe, there will still be plenty of trash to pick up on shore. Sometimes it seems that azalea bushes exist solely to catch blowing McDonalds wrappers.

If you’d like more information about how you can help with April’s big Greenfield Lake cleanup contact either Bill Murray or Joe Abbate at River Watch. Until then, just consider that first number again, 7,000 lbs, and take your hats off to a great crew of volunteers.

Hog Waste has long been major concern of Cape Fear River Watch. Runoff from waste “lagoons” and sprayfields attached to Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) is a major contributor to river pollution. Cape Fear River Watch is taking its opposition to these wholesale polluters to the air. We will soon be flying regular observation flights over the Cape Fear River Basin looking for and documenting discharge violations. Volunteers are needed to fly as observers, to ground check reported violations, and to check local, county and state records for permits or previous reported violations.

Larry Baldwin, RiverKeeper for the Lower Neuse River will be coming to River Watch’s Environmental Education Center on Thursday, April 10th for two training/orientation/organization sessions at 3:00pm and 7:00pm to get this program off the ground. Anyone interested in any aspect of this undertaking is encouraged to come to one of these sessions. For more information, or to reserve a spot at one of these orientation sessions, call or e-mail RiverKeeper Doug Springer (910-762-5606, riverkeeper@cfrw.us)

If you find yourself in downtown Wilmington some rainy day, drop by Gregory Elementary School and have a look at one of the first Bottom Empowerment Group rain gardens installed by Cape Fear River Watch and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. A year after it’s installation the plants have taken root, the rough edges have rounded and it’s starting to look – if not like it’s always been there – like it’s supposed to be there.

This particular raingarden keeps polluted water from the school’s parking lot from running off into Burnt Mill Creek. Look for it on Ann St. between 11th and 12th. 

CFRW’s very own Joanna the Intern has been busy setting up recycling boxes around Wilmington where people can drop off old cell phones and used ink and toner cartridges. By dropping off your high tech recyclables at one of these stations you can help the environment by reducing the amount of material in the wastestream, keeping potentially toxic materials out of landfills (you do not want to know what kinds of heavy metals are used in those cell phones), and raising a few dollars for Cape Fear River Watch program activities. (Not a huge number of dollars, but it helps keep the lights on)

There are currently 5 drop off boxes. Refer to the map below to find the one nearest you. If you’d like to host a drop off box in your business, e-mail Joe Abbate.