The day started @ the Light House Parking Lot where we all met and Signed in. The first person I met was a Mr. Petersen I saw he was wearing a Blaze orange hat as was I. I commented that it was a good idea to be wearing the orange because it was hunting season and I would hate to see anyone get hurt. Told him not a lot of people hunted the Island but there are a few Die Hards that do.
By Eight o’clock There were a few folks from Wisconsin and a Couple from Michigan and a couple from Chicago. After introductions were made we headed to ramp 43 to take a look @ the pond down there. In the picture every one that was wearing a Blaze Orange Hat was part of the event staff.
After a Brief period of watching the pond, the Leader decided it was time to move to the NPS Camp Grounds. A lot of the Campgrounds is still under water and one member of the group asked me if we had a lot of rain. I explained to him that they were no longer allowed to Drain the area because of Enviro-MENTAL extremists, and lawsuits. They commented that it must get real buggie here, I laughed.
From there we parked @ the parking lot that used to be used for the Band Shell that Sunday Services were offered years ago @ the Camp Ground. Band Shell is long gone along with the Sunday Services, seems like today we get less for our money than we used to. I remember staying @ that Camp Ground and paying 6 dollars a night. Friendly Rangers and Sunday Services. The Good Ole days.
The plan was to Hike to the Pond behind the Point with a brief stop along the Beach to Look @ the Birds. While we were standing on south beach, I made the comment in front of the Group that “I was glad that they held their Birding Festival now and not between March 12th and August 28th, because they would not be able to be standing where they were now standing due to beach closures.” One of the Nice lady’s from Michigan, replied, “What do you Mean Beach Closures? We could still walk here..” I told her, “No she could not. Closed means Closed to Humans..” She responded, ” Who’s Doing That?” I looked her in the eyes and pointed back at her and said, “YOU ARE..” Baffled, she said “How am I doing it when I don’t even know about it?”. I asked here if she was a member of the Audubon Society, she replied “YES” I told her thats how and went on about the Lawsuit..And what her group and other are doing to this Island.. She was appalled, and said she was so sorry..
I told them that in all of Buxton, last year, this summer, that 2/10’s of a mile was what was open.. No more than a CUL-DE-SAC.. They all were appalled, and could not understand why. I told them welcome to my world..
One of their Leaders from USFWS, was commenting on how people flush Birds while on Foot but the same bird is not spooked by Vehicle’s. I asked her where she was during Reg-Neg, that we would have loved to heard someone from them say that.
One of the things that you all can do where ever you live is go to there meetings, confront them with the facts, they do not like this at all. If we all do our part the truth will get out. Go to meetings in your town, go to their events, go to there Bird Counts. Bring the Facts with you the Truth does not Lie, only CHEAP SPINELESS ENVIRO-MENTAL LAWYERS DO..
All in all it was a very un-eventful event. What I do not understand is how an entire group of folks is Lied to by their leaders, here are some of their quotes from their web site.
HWY. 12, our only route off the Island. Without a 4 WD, you would be stuck on this Island until the Road is fixed. The Beach is isted as NC HWY 12 and is used in times of emergency as such. This happens quite often and Community Citizens have made emergency medical runs for insulin and other medial needs in the past, where Gov’t Vechicles will or can not go. The modifications of our Trucks, is essential to keep them above the Salt Water that sometimes inundates our Island.. Lets see you get through this stretch of road in a Prism.
Well it’s plain to see if you have ever been here, which it easy to see, Kevin has not.
“Hello C’birders,
I am a lurker who has been to Hatteras Island a number of times to vacation/bird. My family has always really enjoyed the Outer Banks as a vacation destination, who wouldn’t? But after our trip to OBX in 2008, I felt unwelcome. Every restaurant and shop had Pro-ORV propaganda sitting on the counter. Seeing “Piping Plover” on the menu at Diamond Shoals is hilarious too. At one point, while WALKING out to the point and the salt marsh, we had some fisherman DRIVING on the beach flip us off.
I know that it must be fun to drive your truck out to the beach and fish. Fishing is fun, but when I fish, I walk to my destination. Why is that such a difficult thing to do? Barely any of the beach is closed to pedestrian traffic. Most of the beach closures are closed to ORVs”.Dan WeberAthens, Ohio
Jokes on you Dan, Closed means Closed. A resource Protection Closure means closed to humans period dot, no human access what so ever. Another thing you don’t know Dan is that if you put a resource protection closure in one spot, let’s say for fun- Ramp 43, from dune to the water, then have a resource protection closure at the beginning of another spot, say beginning of Ramp 49 from dune to water, no mater how large the closure is, you have just shut down the entire beach to Human Access from Buxton to Frisco. So, you can still report that the middle is open, technically it is, but it is inaccessible to humans, semantics and manipulation of the facts is alive and well..
And did I mention the American With Disabilities Act, some folks are less fortunate then you and I to be able to walk, some are confined to wheel chairs.. Some got that way serving our country, is the park not for them too??????
“First off, as I recall, the beach closure was not inacted
by the birding community nor was it intended to be a rebuke to fishermen.
“If closing the beach to
vehicles is a burden to fishermen, it’s an equal burden to birders. Under
the new rules, neither party is able to engage in their respective
activities by vehicle and both may do so on foot”
“ One of the great things about this country is the right for people to make
fools of themselves” Mike Tove Cary, NC
Ya did a good job at that Mike, as far as the Birding Community not starting this I suggest you ask Pat and Neal Moore that one. While your at it ask Marcia Lyons as well, they did start all this by inviting the DOW, SELC, The Sierra Club, The Blue Water Coalition and all the people that are destroying a traditional way of life. These folks even stayed at the Moore’s house during reg neg. NO conflict of interest there at all.. Some one should dig through their expense reports and see if they claimed lodging on them, that would be illegal, and frowned upon..
Subject: Re: planned disruption of Wings Over Water
From: “Ken Yount” <kenyount AT bellsouth.net>
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:31:51 -0400
I'm sure Will will not leave this up for long, but I must respond. There are
two sides to this issue and you are only getting one very biased opinon. I
would really like to say a lot more, but I'm trying to learn to control my
temper. Ken Yount
Ken gets it..
Subject: Re: planned disruption of Wings Over Water
From: Scott Jackson-Ricketts <scottjr AT ls.net>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:04:59 -0400
To Derb and all,
I live in Virginia, subscribe to this post, and am very familiar with
Hatteras and the Outer Banks. Also, I am a birder, not a hunter or
fisherman. Compromise is called for in all of the shared treasures,
and more importantly, a common language. Those natives of the outer
banks feel that their culture and way of life are being attacked, a
thing that is happening across the landscape of our country right now.
They are right in many ways.
If we are to advocate what is obviously a shared interest, we NEED TO
FIND the language central to these issues, and not stomp upon one
another like fenced bulls.
Derb, you have your job, whose causes I support...but I also
understand and support the culture that has an historic claim to the
Carolina shores. Sharing the most incendiary remarks from your files
does not make one thing better. In fact, your are playing right into
the hands of a misguided culture war. If you think I don't know of
what I speak, your are wrong.
Again, with enormous respect for what the law center does, and against
all odds, I implore those with the tools, to stop fueling the fire,
when so much is at stake regarding what is left of our collective wild
places.
Scott Jackson-Ricketts
Grayson County, Va.
Scott Gets it…
Here’s a gem, folks this stuff is real, this is what these people believe…
Subject: RE: planned disruption of Wings Over Water
From: Quent Lupton <seagull722 AT hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:35:17 -0400
A few remarks:
The National Seashore is owned by the nation, not the locals, be they birders
or not. Any decision needs to be made at a higher than local politics. Let both
fishermen (fisherpeople?), ORVers, and birders nationwide contribute to the
debate. They all pay for the resource.
ORV use is neither cultural nor historic. Whaling and human trafficking both
have longer and more established traditional aspects on the outer banks. I'm
not an advocate for any of the above. Fishing has a long history, but vehicular
use on beaches is relatively recent. No one is threating the right to fish,
sunbathe, or bird. How we do each of these without conflicting the other usages
- that is an issue. And we do have established laws protecting wildlife and
recreational opportunities which offer a great set of guidelines. If the park
service put the law first (endangered species act, migratory bird treaty, etc),
then all groups would be held to one standard. If you want to bird a particular
spot - be prepared to haul your scope out there. If you want to fish a
particular spot, be prepared to haul your gear out there. Realistically, the
law favors neither group. Birders have the right to wheel themselves to the
spot of their choice - just tends to be counter productive. The larger picture
is against ORV and other vehicular use (greater disruption, larger access areas
needed which reduce dune area, etc.). However, whaling and slavery have a
richer and more consistent history than recreational birding- but birding is a
less intrusive activity.
Protest has its place, but tends to draw the extremes, which galvanizes each
side. If you want to spend the effort towards advocacy, then consider expending
that energy towards something different; like writing your elected
representatives. Also, spend your money as you normally would. These things
guide policy.
Birders do need fisherpeople and hunters - lots of land is paid for by their
activities, and that land is important for many bird species. The outer banks
may be a little different - there isn't a lot of area to go around. I am on the
side of preservation. But I ask that both sides argue their points to the Park
Service and to elected officials - don't get into a shouting match against one
another. Also, spend your money where it has a local benefit, and point out to
the retailers why you are there. Business people can be your greatest ally or
your worst enemy.
And for those of you who enjoy both aspects - what is your opinion? Do we have
vocal minorities and a silent majority? All of us should have our viewpoints
expressed and considered.
good luck to all. don't slash my tires.
Beach Driving New huh..... REALLY
These are direct quotes, Slavery, REALLY…. Don’t slash my tires ……are you serious ..You would have to show up first….Some of these guys are a scary lot for sure ….Why would you donate to a cause that the Leader of the Cause DOES NOT HAVE THE BALLS TO SHOW UP AT HIMSELF!!!!!!! PRATICE WHAT YOU PREACH!!!!!!
I would have thought to be a leader by definition, one must be out in front leading, but I guess I was wrong. I would love to go to WAR with a Leader Like that.. Go get ‘em boys and he turns tail and runs the other way.
There were more pro-access than against over on their web sites, the truth does not lie. More and more people are seeing right through the lies an deceptions of the SELC and DOW. I am just a little no-one, with a little blog, and I got their full-on undivided attention, one must ask themselves, WHY? Because their Lies are unraveling, and the truth is getting out, they can’t control this form of media, and that scares them…
Let me now say I’m a birder and I’m a fisherman on the Outer Banks. Both
groups can coexist, along with the birds, on the Outer Banks if a
little, just a peep, of common sense is used. Unfortunately in the past
couple years common sense is no where to be found.
There have been many lies told, and that continue to be told, throughout
this whole process. First, that both parties agreed to the interim plan
is untrue. It was close the beach or agree to the plan. There isn’t much
agreement there.
How many wild animals have been killed in the past two years on Hatteras
in order to try and protect the birds?
How many times has it been stated that trucks are running over plover
nests? Has there even been a SINGLE case of this? I don’t think there
has been.
What is the number one KNOWN killer of beach bird nesting on Hatteras?
Predation by other animals.
Has anyone bothered to mention an increase in nesting birds on the
sandbars just off Hatteras? Nope…
Why have the conservation groups been unwilling to attend meetings about
the new ORV plan if there is so much concern for the resource?
“Many of those who have stood up for birds and other wildlife on Cape
Hatteras National Seashore have endured threats to their person, threats
to property, property vandalism, nails in their driveways, wanted
posters, and other acts.” Is that two or three in that many enduring
threats? Of those how many have forced confrontation? Yup, some of them
have.
Turtles have great protection in the old plan. Everyone should know
that. The new “close the beach” plan adds no additional protection. Does
closing miles of beach offer more protection than closing the turtle’s
nest site and path to the ocean? Nope.
It is a hot topic and there isn’t an easy answer, however closing the
beach definitely isn’t part of the answer. How many nesting birds does
Texas have and how many miles of their beaches are closed to vehicles?
Many more birds than us, and almost no beach closed.
Interestingly, last time I posted a response to a beach access post I
got more in support of my post than against. People want common sense”.
mike johnson
burlington, nc
Here is my favorite pasage from Derb,this is after all his buddies on his own website Carolina Birds, got all over him about posting this on his and every other birding site on the East Coast. YA see they knew that he was making something out of nothing long before he realised that he was being PLAYED…
“In response to the appropriateness of my posting. Carolinabirds is about “birds and birding in the Carolinas.” Cape Hatteras is perhaps the top birding area in North Carolina. Wings Over Water is the principal birding festival in North Carolina. Many on Carolinabirds attend Wings Over Water every year. I think the posting is appropriate. And if you want to defend the despicable plans to disrupt the Wings Over Water festival by intentionally and illegally harassing birds and other wildlife and visitors on the federal Refuge and Seashore, I am all ears. And law enforcement will be all eyes”.
Derb Carter
Chapel Hill
Funny, to be all eye’s and ear’s one must attend said event, only LE I saw was an undercover UWFWS cop, who went on event as a leader, but you and your cronies were no where in sight. Well, we now know who is full of RHEOTORIC and Sir, it is not ME…Don’t worry, you and yours will get plenty mo’ chances to see me, EYE TO EYE, FACE TO FACE - as I am not going away, and I will HAUNT you till my Dieing Day….
KNIGHT to Queen’s Pawn CHECKMATE….
Well I guess that the Ole Spin Doctor got SPUN, and it was my pleasure.. Guess I ain’t that dumb after all, got him to show his Colors (Yellow-in case ya were wondering) just like is favorite bird, The Yellow Belly Sap Sucker. And he cried the Sky was Falling, all over a “DUMB REDNECK” in a “Jacked Up Truck” that was full of RHEOTORIC and MACHOISM. Next event will be their Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 27, here is the contact information as listed on their web site.
North Carolina Christmas Bird Counts and South Carolina Christmas Bird Counts for 2009–2010
| Take part in National Audubon’s 110th Christmas Bird Count this season. The count period runs each year from December 14 through January 5. Look through the list of counts below and join the fun! If you’d like to participate in a count, contact the organizer listed in the table. |
Cape Hatteras, NC
Pat Moore 252-995-4777
BEST THIRTY BUCKS I EVER SPENT
Don't let them rest, apathy is not our friend...
JAM IN YOUR FACE, Get USE TO IT !!!!!!
These Normal everyday folks that are part of these Bird Clubs have no idea where their money is being spent, and how harmful it is to our Island Life. I spoke to each and everyone about this issue and do ya know something, they think its as ridiculous as all of us do. 
