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| Negotiations for Beach Driving Stall | |
Dare County, the National Park Service, Defenders of Wildlife, and the National Audubon Society were unable to reach an agreement this week on parameters for beach driving in the Cape Hatteras National Recreational Seashore.
Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society are Plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction that would prohibit beach driving in the Cape Hatteras National Recreational Seashore. Last week in federal court, Judge Terrence Boyle continued the hearing to allow time to finalize a settlement known as a "consent agreement" between the parties.
Negotiations by the attorneys representing all the parties went into the evening on Wednesday, when they reached agreement on parameters for a resolution to present to their respective clients. They had agreed on buffers for nesting birds that would create opportunities for recreational access. Those buffers may have caused closures depending on the movement of the birds, but the opportunity for access would still be available.
However, on Thursday when the two sides met to finalize the details of the agreement, it became clear the Plaintiffs were not willing to agree to the terms proposed by the attorneys. The National Audubon Society and Defenders of Wildlife expanded the size of buffers they were willing to accept to a size that would effectively eliminate opportunities for access and eliminated five of the six areas of concern from consideration.
Since the changes proposed by the Plaintiffs on Thursday evening essentially eliminated opportunities for access, Dare County and the other Intervenors could not agree to those terms. Talks toward an agreement were terminated, and a date for a hearing has not been set.
Article from the Outer Banks Sentinel
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