Popular fishing area cut off
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 27, 2008
Access to another popular fishing area on Hatteras Island has been cut off to protect nesting shorebirds.
National Park Service staff found an American oystercatcher nest with two eggs on Hatteras Spit, about 1.3 miles south of Ramp 55, on Friday afternoon, according to park service statement.
A 150-meter buffer area was created around the nest Saturday morning, closing the ocean shoreline and the Pole Road near the nest site. The buffer closed access to 1.1 miles of open beach to the south, the statement said.
Beach areas at Cape Point, Bodie Island spit at Oregon Inlet, South Beach on Hatteras Island and the north and south ends of Ocracoke Island are also closed to protect shorebirds, according to the park service.
The buffers are required under a consent agreement that settled a lawsuit challenging the lack of a long-term off-road vehicle management plan.
