Retraction,or putting a finer point on it. . .

More on Hatteras Island. I read a disturbing article today concerning renewed efforts of the Autobahn Society to increase restrictions on Hatteras Island. They may be taking things a little too far. I need to do some more research. But, to keep the conversation going in the mean time. . .

My gripe with Hatteras locals' protest signs is not that it is wrong to protest when you feel you are getting screwed. I just want to encourage protest that will get you somewhere. Implying that you'd love to make a meal out of the animal a preservation society is trying to protect. Not helpful.

I'm going to do a little research to see what exactly the Autobahn and SELC are up to. But I'll inject my opinion here. National parks are important. They are part of the public trust. However, untrammeled wilderness and regulated land are two different things. I don't hold Hatteras Island and its beaches in some special regard, just because lots of people love to use them. The fact is there is a huge highway bisecting them. This is not irreplaceable Siberian Tundra. This is a special and delicate environment, but a changing environment. The plovers are just as likely to have their habitat destroyed by weather as humans. Perhaps, why they are not truly a native species. So give them a fighting chance take away the trucks. I get it.


What I don't get is complete disregard for one half of the Park Service's mission. If you want to develop respect for nature, allow the public to experience it. Also, on a socially scientific note: Users of park service land are self-selecting. Someone willing to walk several hundred yards over hot sand to enjoy a pristine beach is not your run-of-the-mill trash leaver. SUV users,who throw their beer cans out their windows have been eliminated when you eliminate the trucks. No one is going to walk half a mile to litter. It's just not in the litterers nature. Littering is lazy. You've taken the lazy out of the beach when you make me walk.


Now, if I walk to the beach, and it's just little old me and my special lady friend out there, and no one is around. I might have the urge to run around naked for a little while. But that's what solitude is all about. And that's what National Parks are all about. Solitude, not nudism. But you get my drift.

So, a little research, and I'll be back to you with more info.

Marc