(Cape Hatteras, N.C.) Over 17,000 signatures have been collected for an online petition on Change.org to remove the ORV rule recently implemented by the National Park Service. Quoting the petition, "This Recreational Seashore was set aside and dedicated 'for the benefit and enjoyment of the American People.' With the new 'rule' in place, an enormous loss of income will occur on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands as a result of closures and new restrictions. These new restrictions will have the effect of limiting commerce within the National Park Service fostered, tourism based, economies now extant within the eight villages surrounded by the Seashore." Support for the petition is growing just as Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC) introduced H.R. 4094, legislation that would restore reasonable pedestrian and motorized access to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area, on March 5th. The bill would overturn the final rule implemented by the National Park Service (NPS), as well as the 2008 U.S. District court approved Consent Decree. Both the Rule and the Consent Decree excessively restrict human access to the Recreational Area. The bill would reinstitute the Park Service’s 2007 Interim Management Strategy (IMS) to govern visitor access and species protection in the Recreational Area. The Interim Strategy was backed up by a 113-page Biological Opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which found that it would not jeopardize the species of concern, namely piping plover and sea turtles. H.R. 4094 has been referred to the House Natural Resources Committee for further consideration. To view and/or sign the petition,
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