We have good news to report today. The famous Cape Point is back open to all traffic. The fish are biting and the weather is nice so it’s a great time to be on Hatteras Island.
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We are very proud of Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman, Warren Judge, and Outer Banks Preservation Association President, John Couch, on their testimony for H.R. 4094 in Washington D.C. today. This Bill will change the Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s highly restrictive ORV plan that was implemented this year to the previous plan and also take away the Consent Decree rules that were brought on us by the environmental groups.
The Subcommittee will decide if the Bill proceeds to the entire Committee for voting. The webcast was shown live this morning and if you missed it can be played back here on the Natural Resources webcast.
If you support the progression of this Bill you can help by calling the members of the Subcommittee and asking them to vote in favor of it.
HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON
NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS AND PUBLIC LANDS
CHAIR Rob Bishop Utah 202-225-0453
Don Young Alaska 202-225-5765
John Duncan Tennessee 202-225-5435
Doug Lamborn Colorado 202-225-4422
Paul Brown Georgia 202-225-4101
Mike Coffman Colorado 202-225-7882
Tom McClintock California 202-225-2511
David Rivera Florida 202-225-2778
Scott Tipton Colorado 202-225-4761
Raul Labrador Idaho 202-225-6611
Kristi Noem South Dakota 202-225-2801
Mark Amodei Nevada 202-225-6155
Doc Hastings Washington 202-225-5816
Raul Grijalva Arizona 202-225-2435
Dale KildeeMichigan 202-225-6393
Peter DeFazio Oregon 202-225-6416
Rush Holt New Jersey 202-225-5801
Martin Heinrich New Mexico 202-225-6316
Betty Sutton Ohio 202-225-3401
Niki Tsongas Massachusetts 202-225-3411
John Garamendi California 202-225-1880
Edward Markey Massachusetts 202-225-2836
We ask that everyone who loves Cape Hatteras and wants to preserve our visitors experience and our way of life to help by calling these subcommittee members!
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This Friday, April 27th at 9am, a Bill (HR 4094) to overturn the National Park Service’s new rules for beach access at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area is scheduled for a hearing before the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands. You can watch it as it happens online Natural Resources Committee Live Hearing!
Warren Judge, Chairman, Dare County Board of Commissioners, and John Couch, President of Outer Banks Preservation Association will be speaking as representatives of our island for beach access.
The purpose of the Bill is to overturn the recently instated National Park Service rules, which include a $120 annual fee or a $50 weekly fee to drive on the seashore’s beaches. It would also negate a 2008 consent decree that settled a federal lawsuit against the park service for failing to implement a management plan ordered by a presidential decree in the 1970’s.
Instead, the Bill would re-instate the Park Services Interim Management Strategy governing access and species protection.
This Spring, we are experiencing the highest amount of beach closure to date due to areas identified for nesting or potential nesting sites. Areas have been closed for shorebirds that are not on the endangered list. The areas where nesting behaviors are observed are closed to both vehicles and pedestrians. Our Inlet beaches are closed permanently. We advocate responsible access and usage but not closure.
We urge you to contact as many of the Committee Members as possible if you share the concern of limitations to public access at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Please use the information provided to call the Subcommittee members. You do not have to live in their state to contact them. Ask that they fully support HR 4094!
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Legislative Hearing on H.R. 4094 and Oversight Hearing on “Access Denied: Turning Away Visitors to National Parks”
Friday, April 27, 2012 9:00 AMSUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS AND PUBLIC LANDS
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Friday, April 27, 2012
9:00 a.m.LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON:
- H. R. 4094 (W. Jones), To authorize pedestrian and motorized vehicular access in Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area, and for other purposes. “Preserving Access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area Act”
AND OVERSIGHT HEARING ON:
- “Access Denied: Turning Away Visitors to National Parks”
WITNESSES AND TESTIMONY:
Panel I
Witnesses are by invitation only. A witness list will be made available once it is confirmed.
BACKGROUND:
The National Park Service is pushing a new management plan at Biscayne National Park that will eliminate access to over 10,000 acres of sport fishing waters and dissuade visitation to other areas of the park. Fishing is an important economic activity that draws tourists and provides locals with an excellent outdoor recreational opportunity. Access to Cape Hatteras National Recreational Area has been severely limited by Park Service management and environmental lawsuits under the guise of species protection. Not only have vehicles been restricted from areas traditionally available, but in some areas pedestrian access was eliminated as well. Due to severe enforcement under the current management plan, local business have seen 50% declines and 19 families were recently put at risk when the Park Service denied access to a stretch of beach needed to retreat from the rising tides.
HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON
NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS AND PUBLIC LANDS
CHAIR Rob Bishop Utah 202-225-0453
Don Young Alaska 202-225-5765
John Duncan Tennessee 202-225-5435
Doug Lamborn Colorado 202-225-4422
Paul Brown Georgia 202-225-4101
Mike Coffman Colorado 202-225-7882
Tom McClintock California 202-225-2511
David Rivera Florida 202-225-2778
Scott Tipton Colorado 202-225-4761
Raul Labrador Idaho 202-225-6611
Kristi Noem South Dakota 202-225-2801
Mark Amodei Nevada 202-225-6155
Doc Hastings Washington 202-225-5816
Raul Grijalva Arizona 202-225-2435
Dale KildeeMichigan 202-225-6393
Peter DeFazio Oregon 202-225-6416
Rush Holt New Jersey 202-225-5801
Martin Heinrich New Mexico 202-225-6316
Betty Sutton Ohio 202-225-3401
Niki Tsongas Massachusetts 202-225-3411
John Garamendi California 202-225-1880
Edward Markey Massachusetts 202-225-2836
We ask that everyone who loves Cape Hatteras and wants to preserve our visitors experience and our way of life to help by calling these subcommittee members!
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The fishing community has lost a friend yesterday. On Friday afternoon Jose Wejebe of the popular TV show “Spanish Fly” perished in a plane crash in Everglades City FL. Captain Wejebe was not just a television personality hired to host a show, but was a fishing guide, world traveler, and avid sportsman who let us have a glimpse into his life each week.
Captain Wejebe even traveled here to Hatteras Island to fish with Captain Steve Coulter on the Sea Creature. They had a good day fly fishing for tuna in the Gulf Stream off of Hatteras and filmed an episode of “Spanish Fly” from their adventure.
Frisco Rod and Gun owner, Bryan Perry, had the opportunity to fish with Captain Wejebe in the Florida Keys several years ago while filming a video to launch Shimano’s Butterfly Jig line and said this about him, “Jose Wejebe was real. He was not playing a part, but really loved what he was doing and wanted everyone with him to have a good time too.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and close friends. We will miss what he brought to the sport of fishing. And we will miss being able to be a part of his life each time he went on a new adventure in the ocean.
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Here is the Frisco Rod and Gun Outer Banks Fishing Report for Hatteras Island:
Today was mostly sunny and warm. We had west south-west winds 15 mph and the temperatures were in the mid to upper 60’s. Well the water in Avon and Buxton are a little on the dirty side so the scattered speckled trout bite is quiet. Some sharks and skates on Cape Point and that’s about it. No boats offshore but there were some guys out commercial fishing yesterday and said there were lots of bait off of Avon a few miles out. Maybe those bluefin tuna will be under them. There are a few boats booked tomorrow, the weather does not look good for the trip though. Hard south-west winds 20-30 mph makes our inlet at Hatteras pretty hairy.
Today they have released the cost for those beach driving permits. They will be $50 for 7 days and $120 for the calender year. Below is some information with a link to more detailed info.
Information Regarding Cape Hatteras National Seashore ORV Final Rule
The final special regulation (rule) for the management of off-road vehicle
(ORV) use at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) was published in
the Federal Register on January 23, 2012 and becomes effective on
Wednesday, February 15, 2012. The rule designates ORV routes and
authorizes ORV use at the Seashore in a manner that will protect and
preserve the unique natural and cultural resources of this dynamic barrier
ecosystem while permitting the use of vehicles on Seashore beaches and
provide a variety of safe visitor experiences while minimizing conflicts
among various users. Under National Park Service (NPS) general regulations,
the operation of motor vehicles off of roads within areas of the National
Park System is prohibited unless authorized by special regulation.To provide more information about the rule and its requirements, the NPS
has prepared a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) information sheet and a map
showing designated ORV routes as well as pedestrian areas where ORVs are
not authorized. The FAQ and map are now available on the Seashore’s
website located at: http://www.nps.gov/cahaWhen the rule becomes effective on February 15, 2012, an ORV permit will be
required to operate a vehicle on the designated ORV routes at the Seashore.
Permits can be obtained beginning on February 15 at any of the three NPS
ORV permit offices located at Coquina Beach, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Visitor Center (Buxton), and the Ocracoke Visitor Center. These offices
will be open year-round, seven days a week, except Christmas Day, from 8:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with expanded hours on weekends and holidays during the
summer season. The cost of an annual permit (valid for the calendar year)
is $120. A 7-day ORV permit (valid from the date issued) will cost $50.In order to provide the public with ample time to obtain a permit, there
will be a transition period between February 15 and March 15 before the
rule is fully implemented and enforced. During the transition period, the
NPS will install new ORV route markers and information signs and begin
implementation of the species management measures that were identified in
the December 2010 Record of Decision for the Seashore’s Off-Road Vehicle
Management Plan / Final Environmental Impact Statement. Visitor contacts
during the transition will focus on informing the visiting public about the
ORV permit and other beach driving requirements under the special
regulation.For more information, see the FAQ posted on-line at:
http://www.nps.gov/caha; or call 252-473-2111 ext. 148.We have all of our In store Woolrich and Browning clothes on sale at 30% Off.
Come by and see us at Frisco Rod and Gun, located at 53610 Hwy 12, across from Billy Mitchell Airstrip and Ramp 49.
Check out today’s featured product:
Here is our Frisco Rod and Gun logo cap in the Super Flauge camo pattern. These are 6 panel, velcro closure caps with our Frisco Rod and Gun eagle logo embroidered on the front.
Frisco Rod and Gun is open year round, 364 days a year. Visit us in the store or shop online anytime at friscorodandgun.com