USGS?

I'm not the only one that writes about this travesty. Heres a post I've copied with permission of the author and worth a read!

"This is embarrassing. The scientific community should be ashamed.




This group of scientists is so inbred if some of its’ members would have children together physicians would probably warn them of the risk of birth defects. If this isn’t collusion what is? This "independent review" is the equivalent of a bunch of elementary school children grading each others papers. ("hey look we all got "A"s)



This is a group made up of exclusively "bird people" who see everything through the prism of birds. The problem is the park was created for the enjoyment and recreation of the people. Not just a select group, but all the people. And that means multiple forms of recreation, not just bird watching. What these people and their obsession remind me of is when in the movie "Forrest Gump" Forrest meets the Mississippi shrimper Bubba. Bubba is obsessed with shrimp and shrimping, and everything he seeing he somehow relates to and of shrimp and shrimping. So it is with our bird friend "Bubbas".



By their own admission in the USGS report there were ZERO nesting plovers reported in CHNSRA from 1902-1960. This included a time period in which plover population rebounded in the 1940’s and there was no development on the Outer Banks. Why no nesting? Obviously the conditions naturally present, provided very marginal nesting conditions compared to the prefered areas to the north. They then refer to 4 nesting pairs in the park by 1984 with their numbers peaking in 1989 at 15 pairs with nesting pairs declining since. Let me connect some dots for the birders. They also mention in this report how the Northeastern population went into decline until efforts were put in place during the 1980’s to improve their natural/native nesting areas in the Northeast. I’ll go slow birders, when one nesting area gets compromised/degraded, the birds are likely to emigrate to other nesting grounds (Cohen August 2009), so with development in the 1950s-70’s in the Northeast areas, the birds expanded their nesting grounds to what is naturally less desirable/productive nesting areas, like CHNSRA. When the preferred natural nesting areas further north were upgraded, they emigrated back, reducing the nesting population in CHNSRA. If you look at the big picture it’s pretty obvious. The base number of nesting population of plovers at CHNSRA is ZERO!



The lead author of this "report" Jonathan Cohen published some more recent science (as cited above) where he talks about populations emigrating from one nesting area to another. He also talks about the removal of grasses and creation/restoration of quality habitat including using beach nourishment projects. This is not unlike proposals "pro access" people have been suggesting for years at the point. This study also starts out with an interesting comment

"The threatened population of Atlantic Coast piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) has increased under intensive management of predation and disturbance. However, the relative importance of habitat quality, nest predation, and chick predation in population dynamics and reproductive success of this species are poorly understood."



http://www.wildlifejournals.org/perlserv..



Cohen makes another observation of note in his August 2009 study: "Restored breeding sites that attract plovers will not contribute to overall population recovery if reproductive success is poor and such sites may become ecological traps (i.e., locations where settlement cues are not coupled with fitness benefits; Robertson and Hutto 2006)."



In other words, we may be doing more harm than good for the plovers by trying to attract them to nest in an area that is naturally not productive for them. We might better their success by discouraging nesting at CHNSRA so that they will emigrate further north to areas where they would naturally have better reproductive success. How does this get glossed over?



Also missing in the USGS report is the little known actions taken by none other than Walker Golder and the NC Audubon during the late 1980’s-90 to use audible calls and decoys to encourage the very birds they cite as being in decline to nest on dredge spoils. By simply moving the nesting location a few hundred yards all the birds drawn to the spoils from the park reduce the nesting counts in the park! Little information is available about this action.



This is a disgrace and the "science" should be scrapped. This almost makes "Vogelsong" look credible. Bottom line, the CHNSRA was formed for the people and the management of it should be directed by the people and not some "bird politburo"."

Thanks Denny!

The contents of this post and a whole lot more can be found at:
http://www.islandfreepress.org/

Tight Lines,

Wheat

A New Nobel Prize?

I think there aught to be a new Nobel Prize. Maybe we need to start our own  committee but we'd call it the Lack of Nobility Prize, charge the winners a million dollars and put them in the stocks and pillory for a week. The over all winner gets tarred and feathered and run out of town just like during the 18th century.
Just like the real Nobel Prize, there would have to be different categories. I propose one to start and we'll add more later. The initial award would be for Whinery. This would go to someone who has whined above and beyond reason. Extra credit could be earned if the whiner spews forth lies, conducts deceptive practices, etc.
The first candidate, as an example, would be Nancy Pelosi.who in one fell swoop declared the majority of American citizens to be UN-American because of our opposition to gubment run health care. Lots of whine points for that one and she definitely gets the extra credit as well.
But there is another within whom the whine is strong. Yes folks, its none other than our favorite SELC attorney, Derb Carter This might have to be a group award as he represents DOW and Auto-ban, err. Audubon. We'll leave that for the committee to decide. And I don't know whether he's reading out of Pelosi's book or vice verse, but the resemblance is uncanny.
Lets look at what Derb has done and is doing to us.

• He has closed most of our Seashore without sound science or any science. During the height of the season in 2009, 73% of the Seashore was closed to all ORV traffic and most of that to all visitors period.
• Our unemployment rate has jumped to 17.5%, highest in the state.
• Many businesses last year reported being off by as much as 60% from pre-consent decree numbers with an obvious loss of jobs.
• More expansive closures have been in place for a longer period  while Piping Plover numbers have actually declined as have turtle numbers.
• The extreme options that Derb and company are trying to force down our throats will mean additional job loss with an official  though probably understated  estimate of as many as 320 jobs lost with the implementation of these non science based protocols.

These actions "will probably affect small businesses disproportionately" aka. about 99% of the businesses on the islands.
Can you imagine that some people might not be exactly happy about this and are trying to prevent it?
Well apparently Derb has a problem with this. There was a status conference with our buddy Judge Boyle a couple weeks ago. Derb remarks that the intervenor defendants (those that represent you and me and responsible access) are exhibiting hostile behavior and that he was having difficulty dealing with the opposition.
Can you see the parallel with Pelosi? Yup, the whine is strong with this one.
Have to give Boyle an honorable mention for asking about getting rid of the intervenors and why are "we" even in the case.Here's why yur Honor...because "we" are the only party with legitimate standing in the entire lawsuit. Unlike Derb, we CAN show injury in fact.
Derbs even gone so far as to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request  to read all the emails sent from the intervenors to Dare County regarding access issues.
This stuff never ceases to amaze me.
Just leave a comment after the post as to who you think should get the award. I'll keep a tally for a bit and announce the winner later.

Tight Lines,

Wheat

Say What Judge Boyle?

Back in 2008 the Southern Environmental Law Center who represented th Defenders of Wildlife and Audubon filed a lawsuit in the Fourth Circuit, Eastern District, N.C., court of Terrance W. Boyle, Judge. As I pointed out before, this was in direct violation of their agreement to refrain from legal action once the "negotiated rule-making" process had begun. Considering that all of the folks that were legally appointed to participate in this process met the previous summer within the bounds of the Seashore, these guys really broke the rules and should have been tossed out of the process. Obviously NPS wanted this lawsuit to continue else that would have happened. As discussed earlier, they filed a false claim and could not show real harm or "injury in fact" which should have precluded them from filing any suit but Judge Boyle let that slide too. So from the git go, "laws" were being broken.
What was devastating to the people who come to visit this amazing place and the residents of the islands was that within five minutes of the beginning of the "scheduling conference" in Boyle's courtroom, and without hearing any testimony, hizzhonor declared that he was prepared to shut the entire Seashore to all access for three years via the injunction that SELC requested. And if that doesn't blow your mind, he went on further to question whether those that represented pro access..aka, you and me, even had a right to be in the courtroom. SAY WHAT? We're the only people in the entire room that can show harm done and you have the audacity to question our standing? Lives are being affected here your Honor, Jobs are being lost (including my own) business are having to close and you wonder if we have standing? Did you get your law degree online? Oh thats right, Al Gore hadn't invented the internet yet, sorry.
So, during this conference SELC and NPS admitted that they had been involved in negotiations to resolve the issue. Excuse me folks but this is a direct violation of the Federal Administrative Procedures Act (FAPA) as any agency of the gubment that enters into negotiations with a non governmental organization (NGO) must publish the fact in the Federal Register and allow for public comment. This was not done and Boyle didn't call them on it. Go figure.
The consent decree and its provisions represented a significant departure from previous park management policy which also requires the completion of a process dictated by the National Environmental Policy Act. (NEPA) This requires an environmental impact study/ statement, an economic impact statement and a period of public comment, all of which was ignored. Whats amazing is that last year, Mike Murray, Superintendent of the Seashore was quoted in a Raleigh, N.C. newspaper as stating that in fact the consent decree DID represent a significant change in previous management policy.
Such begins the story of the violation of federal law that has resulted in so much economic devastation and the potential loss of a future for the children of the families that live here.
All without cause, all without the ability to show harm, and all at the expense of the taxpayer.
Believe me when I tell you this is just the tip of the iceberg...

Consider this picture which demonstrates the disdain that NPS feels for "we the people". While our economy goes into the tank at taxpayer expense, a federal employee (NPS) goes shelling on a beach closed to all pedestrian and vehicular access. Note that this within a closure designated for the federally protected Piping Plover and that virtually all scientific studies show that pedestrians bother these birds. But those rules only apply to those of us that pay these peoples salary.

The Slaughter

One of the things you experience around these parts is salt. It coats everything especially when the wind blows for a good while. There's times when the truck gets coated so thoroughly that you have to use the  washers and wiper just to see to drive. But from time to time we get a rain shower like we did this morning and all is good.  Probably by this evening though I'll need another car wash; such is life on the island.
I'm going to take a short break from the law aspects of this issue to tell you about something else thats equally disturbing to most everybody I know.
Fair warning: If you like animals and respect wildlife as we do, this is probably going to tick you off.
The primary focus and argument about wildlife protection at the Seashore has been about sea turtles and a bird called the Piping Plover (charadrius melodus), specifically the Atlantic coast breeding population which is listed as threatened under the ESA. Don't panic about the bird as it is approaching a moment when it will be eligible for delisting in a few years. Don't kid yourself though, the environmentalists wont let that happen because if it does, their cash cow, aka your tax dollars, will dry up. I'll deal with the reality of these animals in another post soon.
Whats true is that virtually 100% of all turtle and plover mortality at the Seashore has been due to storms and/or predation. Obviously NPS cant do anything about the storms but they do choose to "play God" when it comes to predation. That's a heck of a choice to make for an agency that is required to maintain a viable natural ecosystem within the "primitive wilderness". Its not just NPS either USFWS likes to play God too. In both cases they do it with a vengeance.
A few years ago at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge somebody decided that the Canada geese that were present were a nuisance.. Some were "resident " geese while the remainder were migratory birds who just happened to pick the wrong place to nest. Once these birds nest, they begin to molt or shed their feathers and cant fly. USFWS decided that they were eating the grasses that other birds depend on.
Solution: wait for the molt and herd them into a special tractor trailer where they were all gassed ala a Nazi concentration camp. The death toll was literally thousands.
Predators utilize the natural brush that grows at PINWR for cover.
Solution: annually burn the brush to the ground destroying all life contained within as well as habitat for these animals.
NPS on the other hand takes a different approach and sets leg traps throughout the Seashore.
Result: literally hundreds of animals are killed here annually. Last year 788 mink, fox, otter, raccoons, opossum, nutria, dogs and cats were slaughtered by NPS. Yes, this includes peoples pets as traps don't discriminate.
These traps are located all over the Seashore, not just where the turtles and plovers are. And NPS has gone out of their way to conceal this effort though they must, by law, make the record public and the numbers are staggering and revolting. Is there any wonder why our community bulletin boards are filled with missing pet fliers?
Just one more fine example of your tax dollars at work. How these people sleep at night is beyond me.

Tight Lines,

Wheat

Authors note, My murdered critter figure is wrong its actually 828 total but I cant find the '09 figures right at hand.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area Predator Removal



2002-'07, 305
2007, 232
2008, 291
2009, ?
Totals through 2008, 828

Source: 2007 & 2008 CHNS Piping Plover annual reports

I wish I had a flash drive for my brain where I could store all this information and remove it when I wanted a break from the issues. It would be so nice to go for a while without thinking about it. But a lot of peoples futures are at stake, including my own, and the result is that I can rarely get the subject off my mind. At least I'm not alone.
 We're under assault here by an enemy that has no issue with distorting the truth and even outright lying to achieve their goal of driving all of us from these beaches. And in spite of the claims made by those that wish us gone, there is to this day, no peer reviewed science that supports their position. None, zero, zilch, nada. Oh, they're rife with speculation..could have, may have, might possibly, perhaps, we really don't know, we think etc. is all they have ever put forth because thats all there is.
After the 2007 Interim Management Strategy was put into place, NPS began a process called Negotiated Rule making wherein, at least in theory, the "stakeholders" sit down and work out some kind of plan to manage, in this case, the Seashore. The participants were all "appointed" by the Secretary of the Interior and met for the first time in the summer of '07. Part of the deal was that the various parties to these negotiations would refrain from taking any legal action during this process. That agreement was violated in October of the same year by the Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife and the Southern Environmental Law Center when they filed an intent to sue (as required by law) NPS. The actual lawsuit wasn't filed until the rule making process began, a violation of their agreement. Filing an intent is not filing a lawsuit. Its like the difference between thinking about going to the store and actually doing it. NPS allowed them to continue to participate in the process none the less.
The lawsuit they filed sought an injunction which would have closed the entire seashore to all access for a period of three years. The claims they made were twofold. First, that NPS was in violation of federal law because they did not have a final rule in place to manage ORV use at the Seashore and the other being that the 2007 IMS didn't go far enough to protect wildlife.
What a joke..or would have been a joke if it hadn't landed in the court of one Judge Terrance Boyle.
You see, executive orders aren't federal law. They're basically inter-agency directives dictated from the president to somebody within the gubment. The supreme court (SCOTUS) has ruled that they may carry the weight of federal law but the constitution makes no provision for the executive to author law. Its part of the separation of powers that we all learned about in civics class back in the day.
Secondly, their claim of harm was based upon pure speculation which according to SCOTUS is not enough to grant standing in federal court. (see Lujan vs. Defenders of Wildlife 1992) You've got to be able to show real harm or "injury in fact" to be able to sue the gubment and they didn't have that ability and by admission of certain "scientists solicited recently by the Audubon Society, still cant. But Boyle granted them standing none the less.
All of this resulted in something called a consent decree or as I prefer to call it, the "Decree of Forced Consent" The "ins and outs" of this travesty of justice and its impact I'll deal with on the morrow.
This boy has to eat and read and digest an 810 page Draft Environmental Impact Statement just published by NPS. Yee Haw!

Tight Lines,

Wheat

Back To The War

Back in the late sixties when most folks didn't have color TVs, there was no internet and such, a movement began in this country that redefined how many folks looked at the environment and the place of human beings within. And much like any other political issue, you had people that voiced opinion that ranged from one extreme to the other. Some of the most extreme environmentalist views even advocate the extermination of humans from the planet. That extreme reminds me of Al Gore, who flies huge jets across the world  and burns enough energy to warrant a $23,000 bill every month to heat/cool his house all the while yelling at you and me about global warming. Good job Al..What a way to set an example. But I'm not going to get into that issue...what I will deal with is bad science or a distinct lack of any science to prove the issue...any issue. So along comes Congress and they pass a bill called "The Endangered Species Act" or ESA for short. It probably wouldn't have been a bad bill if our representatives had actually put some thought into it or even read it before the vote. As mentioned before, among other things, it provides "we the people" the ability to sue the Government forcing same to provide protection for various and sundry species. That too is not such a bad concept until it leads to abuse. And that abuse comes in the form of environmental lawyers who sue us, we, the people, for profit.
This relates to the Seashore because in 1972, Richard Nixon signed  Executive Order (EO) 11644 which required NPS to establish formal rules governing the use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) within National Parks. Brought about by environmentalist pressure, this was due primarily to the unregulated use of ORVs within the western parks (as in western USA) but it applied to all of the units managed by NPS. No issue with that on my part. So, the various units of the park Service had ten years to promulgate a "plan" specific to each place. Each of these plans is required to satisfy provisions contained within the Federal Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. But also, they are required by law to take into account the reasons for which these various areas have been established which according to published NPS policy, must, by law, be taken into account first.
In 1978, a Draft Interim Management Strategy, or plan, was established by NPS for the Seashore. It included provisions for traditional access as well as wildlife protection under which NPS operated for almost 30 years. The problem was that the plan was never entered into the Federal Register. Once the plan was finished, it was sent to the Atlanta offices of NPS and nobody knows what happened to it. At least thats what they claim. Either way, it was clear to NPS that a formal "rule" was needed to satisfy EO 11644.
The pressure on the folks that utilize this resource as well as NPS started in earnest with the likes of one Lawrence (Larry)  Belli, Superintendent of the Seashore who was ousted from his position and sent to Atlanta to run concessions as I recall. Well he didn't apparently like selling hot dogs and sued NPS for his job back..was bought off with your tax dollars and apparently moved back up here somewhere. I guess thats what happens when you forget what your job is.
Jump ahead to the latter half of this decade and we have a new superintendent by the name of Mike Murray. He came here after effectivly shutting down Cape Cod National Seashore. Most of us listened to what he had to say and wanted to believe because we care so much about this place. He reportedly spent alot of time on these beaches as a child and at his "meet and greet" meeting at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club stated that in his opinion, ORVs were a traditional form of access to the seashore. Well thats true Mike, but at this point, most of us are convinced that you came to this place to shut it down to all access, ORV or not. I would so love for you to prove me wrong.
In 2007 NPS followed the law and went through a NEPA process to formulate another interim strategy that would manage the Seashore until a final rule was in place. This process involved input from user groups, the gubment and environmental groups as well. As a thoroughly vetted process, it was entered into the Federal Record in the summer of that year. And then the shit hit the fan and we're still reeling. Jobs have been lost, businesses have been closed, millions of our tax dollars have gone to waste...it goes on.
I need a break, this ticks me off...back in a few

Tight Lines,

Wheat

Long ago I came to the realization that this place is addicting, very, very addicting. The beaches, the water, the wildlife and the folks that make up the community of those that live here and visit all combine to create a phenomenon that nobody I know can get enough of. But then I suppose Congress was counting on that when the Seashore was established. To the casual observer, Its got to be astounding. Imagine yourself sitting out at Cape Point watching a Drum bite in the fall. Here ya have a bunch of folks standing in the water, shoulder to shoulder, being pounded by the waves, often over their heads, with these 12 plus foot long fishing rods weaving in and out of each other like some choreographed ballet. All in the quest of that elusive 40 plus inch long fish. A fish that will be tenderly released back to the water. Then a few minutes later you hear these same wader /spray jacket clad, ruff and tumble, dressed for combat folks, standing around discussing recipes that would put any five star chef to shame. If its not that, it might be bird habitat and breeding behavior or conservation issues, beach dynamics...you name it. Many a soul has walked away astounded by the depth of knowledge possessed by this band of brothers and sisters. Its a "family" thing that can only be experienced first hand.
These are the same folks that go out of their way to ensure that this place is cared for as it is. That to, is part of "the magic" that is this Seashore. Did you know that the park Service has no clean up crew for these beaches? They don't need one. There are no overflowing trash cans here, no sand sifting "beach combines" to remove litter. These aren't needed either and never have been. And its all because we do it. That's why to this day, these beaches are still repeatedly referred to as pristine. Pretty amazing, huh?
Perhaps one of the most astounding examples of this ongoing effort occurred a couple years ago. There was a storm offshore that ended up washing a container full of ceiling fans from the deck of a ship at sea. The container broke open and spilled its contents into the ocean. That meant thousands of cubic feet of styrofoam was washed ashore in pieces. It literally covered the beaches and was so thick in spots that from a distance, it looked like a heavy snow. The day after it happened a bunch of environmental students showed up from East Carolina University, and the day after that, contracted employees from the shipping company showed up to help out. Problem was, by the time these folks arrived, the job was done; by us. Where was Audubon, The Defenders of Wildlife and the Southern Environmental Law Center? Where was the Cape Hatteras Bird Club and Neil Moore? Where was Sydney Maddox? Nowhere to be found, thats where. Nope, we did it ourselves and without having to be asked. I should point out that Cyndy Holda from NPS, one of the cast of characters that is trying to remove us from these beaches, did go from tackle shop to tackle shop begging for assistance. Imagine that. Apparently we can be of use from time to time.
Don't get me wrong, there are NPS folks that agree that whats going on here is beyond ridiculous but increasingly, they are few and far between. And I haven't even touched upon the real issues yet.

Tight Lines,

Wheat

Wednesday Go To Meeting, Followed By Same Tomorrow.

You should have seen this place back in the 80's and early 90's. That's back when the Seashore was busy. Friends and families from all over the States, Canada and Europe flocked to the Seashore to enjoy the surf, fishing, boating, and just about anything fun and responsible you could imagine. Yea, there were a few dim-whits, and still are from time to time but that's true with society as a whole. One of the most remarkable things that occurred here was the clearing of about 90 acres of vegetation around the "dredge pond" at Cape Point, the most popular and often the most productive surf fishing waters anywhere in the world, literally! Anybody that gazed upon what happened once that land was cleared cannot possibly forget it. Literally thousands of birds came to roost and breed in that environment. There were so many birds that the sky looked like a white tornado. A friend of mine described it quite succinctly back in '06 as "something straight out of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom". I guess it was a bit too successful because NPS let the vegetation grow back and pushed the birds out of one of their ideal habitats, a protected area with an ephemeral pond. Everybody showed up to breed there, terns, plovers, oyster catchers, etc. The first NPS report shows tremendous success while the latter by Marcia Lyons muffles through and claims failure even though we still had the "wild Kingdom" stuff going on. In any event, NPS effectivly destroyed what had been prime habitat. And while that was going on (the destruction) Marcia and her husband Jim managed to get an entire swath of beach closed to all but pedestrians that is vital to the purpose of the Seashore. Must be nice to have your own beach on public lands to walk yer dog.
So, quietly, closures began to appear on the beaches. And really, nobody had an issue with it. After all, we don't have issue with the wildlife and being surrounded by the birds, turtles, seals, whales, dolphin and porpoise, is all part of the magic that makes this place what it is.
Every year since, these closures have grown, more and more people have been denied access to the areas of the seashore they like the best and all without any tangible benefit to the wildlife the "darkside" claims to want to protect. I know they'll toss out numbers claiming that nesting is up...but wait till I explain how that works and when I do you'll see right through it.
What is true is that the people that choose to visit this remarkable place are being denied access without sound, peer reviewed science to support the claim of harm to wildlife and the other result is that the hardworking people of the islands are trying hard to figure out how to feed their families. Just how many people can you employ when your business is off 60% for the year because of these unwarranted closures?

Have a meeting in a few and will likely post again this evening...like I said, its a long story.

Tight Lines,

Wheat

Welcome To The War

The war began years ago. Quietly, employees of the National Park Service fixed their eyes upon the island that make up this Seashore with the intent of driving all but a select few from these beaches. To combat this effort, groups like the Outer Banks Preservation Association ,the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association, the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club rose with questions and from time to time, even lawsuits, in an effort to, as the motto of of OBPA states: "Preserve, Protect, not Prohibit".
These guys are the unsung heroes that have worked for years and years to make sure you and your family have access to this Seashore. Read the history of the 101'st Airborne Division at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge and you have a reasonable idea of what these folks have been dealing with the last three decades. Unlike the environmentalist groups, broad funding, media attention and political backing have been fleeting at best. Then again, we're not making a living by incessantly suing the federal government at taxpayer expense. All across this land, environmental groups sue the "gubment" and profit due to a provision contained within the Endangered Species Act which allows for civilian lawsuits. You and I pay these people upwards of $500 an hour for their time with our tax dollars What do they accomplish here with our hard earned monies? Well, nothing that benefits the wildlife they purport to protect. But they did wrack up a set of bills WE paid to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. And if you include the cost of the draconian restrictions placed upon the Seashore in terms of implementation, the figure jumps into the millions of dollars. And all for what?
To force us off these islands without the ability to show that we harm the wildlife. To create their own version of what this place should be without the science and peer reviewed studies to back up their claims.
Again, welcome to the war..."I have yet begun to fight!!

"illegitimi non carborundum"

Tight Lines,

Wheat

The Wind

A couple decades and change ago, I had the enviable position as an apprentice at the Geddy Foundry at Colonial Williamsburg.  Having started working for CW at 10yrs, this was an entirely new extension of all that history I had crammed into my head over the years. Almost twenty years of my life were spent working for CW and I don't regret a moment of it except leaving. Thankfully, examples of my work are still extant and tangible, if only in pictures.The concept of the crafts (later called trades) program was to preserve the skills and knowledge of the trade so that they could be passed to future generations. The concept was simple. Learn to do this the way it was done back in the mid 18th century using the same tools and technique available at the time. Pass this information and skill onto successive generations of craftsmen and demonstrate to the public while at the same time, teaching the history of metal work and life in colonial Virginia to the public. Always though, preservation and education were the focus. What comes around goes around its said and here I'm at it again.
I'm reminded of this because the master of the shop while I was there was Sven Dan Berg. He and I both shared a strong love of sailing and the Chesapeake Bay. Anybody thats ever spent enough time on that water knows that the weather can turn on you at the drop of a hat. Dan used to get a kick out of talking about the wind as described to him once by a fellow from Mathews County (on the Bay) Va. Throwing on a heavy Mathews accent, he'd declare "it was blowin so hard it took 15 widow women to hold a rip saw edge to the wind". I still laugh at that one. I'm also reminded of this because right now the wind is rippin across this island and is pushing water into places it doesn't normally go except when it blows..lol..which is standard fare down this way.
That's just one of the reasons we have our houses set on sticks, kinda like docks you live in. And do they ever shake. You know you're on the island when the wind is blowing and you literally have waves in your toilet. Surfs up Tidy Bowl man!
Tis the same wind that shapes this place, changes the shoreline and makes being out on the beach an absolute struggle for fisherman, swimmers, and wildlife alike.

The people came just as Congress knew they would. Not in droves as we're a bit isolated and don't have many of the amenities, particularly shopping and night clubs, the swank motels and such that can be found up in say, Nags head or Kitty Hawk.  I remember riding down here with a girlfriend many years ago and asking her "where the hell are you taking me?". Little did I know at the time that many moons later my love of this place would become such that its almost impossible to get me to leave the island these days. Moving here was just an extension of the love I had already developed. You see, this place is magical. You need spend but one night out on this beach watching the Milky Way cross the sky with the sound of the surf as your "music" and you're hooked for life. Not only do we get treated to some of the most awe inspiring sunsets and sunrises but we traverse a beach that changes virtually every day, often dramatically. In the course of a single day, literally acres of this beach can shift or disappear entirely until the sea deposits it elsewhere. There is no question who is in charge here, we're all at the mercy of the ocean, the very entity upon which most of us rely on to make a living. Directly or indirectly, our lives are tied to the sea and the beaches it creates. This is also true of the wildlife that exists here.
Spend enough time here and you'll get to know the other part of "the magic", the people. Certain environmental groups would have you believe that we're nothing but an out of control, beer swilling rednecks that have nothing better to do than run over wildlife and destroy the beach by driving over the dunes and such.  Really Derb, Jason and Sid? Show me the proof!
That's not what we're about and that's not who we are. On the contrary, you could just about pick any profession you can think of and odds are I know somebody that fits the bill. My best friend for example, is a molecular biochemist. Others include engineers, a heart surgeon, teachers, salesmen, craftsmen, law enforcement and firemen, soldiers, sailors and airmen, just to name a few. We come from all races, ethnic backgrounds and all walks of life. And we come here because of the magic. Just last year, Jimmy Buffet was here for a while and wrote about it in his blog. Richard Dryfus has fished along side us at Cape Point as well. Yep, its a pretty diverse bunch.
One of the most amazing things that I've ever seen per se, is that every single soul I have ever talked to that frequents this Seashore has "the moment". I know because it has and still does happen to me. Somewhere along the road to this amazing place, we experience a point where the entire mind, body and soul just relax as though all the stress and troubles of life just immediately exit, leaving a pure sense of peace.

Our seashore is under attack without cause or harm being shown by those that would wish us off these beaches.

Tight Lines,

Wheat

So, back in the day, as mentioned before, the residents of the islands were justifiably concerned as to their future were the Seashore to actually come about. Yes, there was an "if" involved because Congress only gave the Department of the Interior (DOI) ten years to acquire the needed land to form this place else they would lose all claim to the land in question. They failed but kept the land anyway. Eventually a fellow by the name of Conrad Wirth enters the picture as director of the National Park Service.(NPS) Among his various responsibilities was to foster the inception of the nations first National Seashore which Congress had renamed Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area. (CHNSRA) Mr Wirth understood what Congress intended this place to be and also understood the impact that it would have on the villages and residents. His letter to the residents, published in the Coastland Times,(still in print) outlines some of the concerns and the way that NPS and DOI were going to alleviate those worries. Among the notable parts of his letters, he discusses expanding the boundaries around the villages to allow for further growth necessary to accommodate future visitors, the continued right for residents to hunt and the constructon of beach access ramps that would allow everyone vehicular access to the beaches in such a way that the dune line would not be damaged. That's right folks, so that people could drive their vehicles onto the beach; something that the environmentalists hate. Excepting themselves of course. But more on that later. He also promised that "we the people" would always have access to these beaches.
And so eventually the Seashore was "developed" for recreational activity and dedicated for that purpose and "we the people" began to arrive and view this place and share in it's wonders.

Tight Lines,

Wheat

I suppose I should apologize for injecting so much "dry" information into my ramblings but the issues that brought the Seashore, island residents and the visitors to this amazing place are complex and I've yet to find a suitable "Cliffs Notes" way to present them. To understand where we are now, we have to look at the past which describes the road travelled to arrive at the present. Whats key here was the intent of Congress as this Seashore was established. That intent was/is clearly explained through the enabling legislation and various amendments passed by Congress since. All of this stuff is part of the "Organic Act" aka. Title 16 United States Code in its assorted manifestations. The bill that "established" the Seashore was passed by the 75th Congress and originated in the House as HR. 7022. Here Congress establishes for the Park Service a dual mandate for the Seashore that essentially divides this area into two parts; one for recreational purpose and the other to be "reserved" as primitive wilderness. To date, the vast majority of this place falls into the latter category leaving just the beaches for recreation. The villages that are surrounded by the Seashore of course were exempt as they were extant prior to the inception of this legislation and include (N.to South) Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo (~22 mile gap) Avon (~8 mile gap) Buxton, Frisco (~4 mile gap) and Hatteras. One must then cross an inlet by ferry to reach the Island of Ocracoke where on the far end is found the village by the same name. All in all, across the some 70 odd miles of islands only a couple thousand people call this place home. And whats happened to this place is nothing short of a world class travesty. We are being raped by the Park Service, the court of a judge who is clearly lost, by way of unwarranted environmentalist lawsuit(s).
Not wanting to emulate those that would rob us of our access to this seashore who prefer in their various legal ramblings, I present the pertinent portion of the enabling legislation in whole. Note the "except for" exemption that National Park Service and the assorted enviro groups would prefer you ignore as they do as often as possible.
Except for certain portions of the area, deemed to be especially adaptable for recreational uses, particularly swimming, boating, sailing, fishing, and other recreational activities of similar nature, which shall be developed for such uses as needed, the said area shall be permanently reserved as a primitive wilderness and no development of the project or plan for the convenience of visitors shall be undertaken which would be incompatible with the preservation of the unique flora and fauna or the physiographic conditions now prevailing in this area.

So that's where it started.

Tight Lines,

Wheat

Of History

This is a pretty neat place to live. Having grown up in Williamsburg, Va., I was immersed from the tender age of ten into the world of history. After all, that's where this nation began. Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown are all within a few miles of each other and offer the ability to study the history of the nation right up through the Battle of Williamsburg in 1862. At ten years I began my study and to this day am still rather fascinated by all that occurred over time in this small area.
Coming to Hatteras became just a variation of a theme. Roanoke Island, site of the famous "Lost Colony" is just a bit over an hour from here. A little further up the road and you'll find Kitty Hawk, sight of the fist powered aircraft flight. Just a few miles offshore from where I sit lie the remains of the U.S.S. Monitor; the ironclad that engaged the C.S.S. Virginia (often mistakenly referred to as the Merrimack). From here Marconi made the first intercontinental "wireless" transmission and of course these waters were a haven for pirates to include Blackbeard himself who was killed not far from here.
History is like a river through time where most study the river itself. But along the banks are the lives of everyday people whose day to day comings and goings are generally overlooked in the telling. Hatteras is no exception. Here, the names of families are not just preserved by an occasional sign along the road but by the families themselves; some of whom have been here long before the American Revolution. And that's no small feat especially considering the severity of the storms that wrack the islands every year. To this day, some of the older homes on the islands have trap doors in the ground floor which would be opened during severe weather to allow the ocean to drain from them as the storms subsided.
So how do you survive on this isolated ribbon of sand from generation to generation? Well, you fish and farm and hunt and fish some more. Of course living smack dab in the middle of the infamous "graveyard of the Atlantic" means that salvage of cargo, ships wares and timbers became a part of life as well. A hard life fraught with danger at every turn. Back then, and within living memory, the beaches were the highway. In fact, just a couple years ago when NCDOT decided to repair the bridges along Rt. 12 on Ocracoke, the only way one could get from Hatteras Inlet to O'coke village was by driving the entire distance on the sand.
Things began to change in 1937 when Congress passed the enabling legislation that led to the creation of the Seashore. And rightfully, the residents of the islands were concerned as to what impact this would have on their lives.

Tight Lines,

Wheat

The Beginning

So, I live on this sandbar, a ribbon of sand, about 35 miles from the mainland as the crow flies. Things here tend to be a bit on the quiet side which suits my nature I suppose. Most of the infrastructure to be found on the mainland doesn't exist here. We have no Walmarts, McDonalds or 7-11's, thats all about 70 to 100 miles away. No massive motels or huge theme parks will you find here. To find that, you have to go north to Nags Head and the other towns that make up what many consider to be the "Outer Banks". Ahh, but there's a secret...and it only begins when you cross the Bonner bridge across Oregon Inlet and wind your way down the one road into this amazing place. What saved Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands from such development was Congress passing an enabling legislation in 1937 which created the nations first National Seashore to be administered by the National Park Service without derogation of the mission, established.. The thought was that the people from both near and afar, needed a place unique among places where they could come and get away from the stress of every day life. Even then, it was recognized that this place offered particularly good fishing, swimming, sailing and other recreational activity. But now, in spite of repeated congressional amendment establishing that this place was set aside for recreation, we are being hammered by environmental groups, the Park Service and one Judge Terrance Boyle who collectively seek to destroy our economy and drive all of the American people from this seashore that was set aside by law for the enjoyment of future generations.
As I look out the window, clouds stream in from the Gulf Stream less than a dozen miles away (today) and the promise of rain, again, looms upon us all. At least its warm enough to have the windows wide open.
There's much more to say and I hope you'll be there to listen and perhaps help save your seashore from this unwarranted encroachment.

Tight Lines,

Wheat