The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed closing a significant portion of Hatteras Island beaches in order to supply an appropriate habitat for the wintering population of the piping plover, an endangered species. "Wintering" can run from July to May.
The three closures would be:
- a significant part of Pea Island
- from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse jetties to ramp 49 (Frisco airport)
- the southern part of the Hatteras Inlet
Closures would mean no driving on the beach and no fishing. Walking along the beach would also be prohibited in the designated areas.
The piping plover is a small shorebird that winters along the coast of the U.S. from North Carolina to Texas, along the coast of eastern Mexico and on some of the Caribbean islands. We wrote an article about the piping plover in our March 2006 e-zine: http://www.halfvastenterprises.com/ezine/2006_mar/feat2.shtml.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is soliciting comments on their proposal. You have until July 30, 2007 to make your voice heard. For more details about the proposal, please visit http://www.fws.gov/nc-es/piplch/piplch.html. Send your comments about the proposal to ncplovercomments@fws.gov. - Shelby Kinnaird
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