United Mobile Sportfishermen
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Negotiated Rulemaking Update
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Over the past four plus years representatives from UMS have been involved in the process of creating a long term ORV plan for the
Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Earlier this week there was a one day meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee that is in the
process of Negotiated Rulemaking. During this process, all stakeholders negotiate a consensus agreement that will in theory
become the preferred alternative in the list of options that will be sent out for public comment and eventually lead to a final rule for
ORV driving in the park.
The process thus far has been painstakingly slow and UMS representatives report that extreme environmental groups are frequently
either un prepared for meetings or are engaged in a deliberate attempt to delay or derail the process. Evidence of this opinion
continued at this last meeting when these same extreme environmental groups failed to meet a deadline to submit a proposal for
designating r outes and areas. This proposal was to be given to technicians from Dare County NC that were gracious enough to
work over a weekend so that the full committee would have GPS based maps showing proposals of the pro access, pedestrian and
environmental positions on the committee. The failure of the extreme environmental groups to do so confused the meeting agenda
and resulted in less work getting accomplished.
With three weeks until what is scheduled to be the final meeting of the full committee where negotiation can occur, the committee
decided to form an Integration Subcommittee which will meet in an attempt to bring a document of consensus to the full committee
for a vote at the final meeting scheduled for Feb 26 & 27. The members of this committee are Warren Judge (Dare County NC),
Carla Boucher (United Four Wheel Drive Assn), Larry Hardham (Cape Hatteras Anglers Club), Jim Keene (North Carolina Beach
Buggy Assn), Jim Lyons (representing pedestrian groups & two anti ORV private homeowner groups), three reps from the extreme
environmental position and Mike Murray (NPS Superintendant). The thought is that by narrowing down the committee from thirty
voices to these nine, there is a better chance of negotiating a consensus agreement that all sides "can live with".
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