Deciding how, what, when, where 



The control of off-road recreational vehicles is 

 becoming a fact of life in the U.S. today. From the 

 deserts of California, to the mountain regions of 

 Colorado and the sandy beaches of Cape Cod, federal 

 and state resource agencies are beginning to limit 

 how, what, when and where ORVs can be used on 

 public lands. 



In making these decisions, resource managers are 

 also beginning to realize how much more must be 

 learned about the impacts of ORV use— both environ- 

 mentally and socially. Mere subjective observation is 

 no longer sufficient. 



University of Massachusetts researchers studying 

 the beaches on Cape Cod have established that 

 vehicular traffic disturbs the drift line of accreting 

 beaches where new dunes form. But how do these ac- 

 tivities affect shorelines that are already narrowing 



from the actions of wind and wave, such as along 

 much of coastal North Carolina? Are ORVs more 

 damaging to dunes and dune vegetation than the 

 trampling of human feet? 



And what about the impact of beach traffic on the 

 organisms which inhabit the intertidal zone? How do 

 ORVs affect beach creatures such as the coquina 

 clam, ghost crab and mole crab? 



Biologists know that unless protected, seasonal 

 nesting sites can be destroyed by vehicles driving 

 through bird colonies. On most public lands effort is 

 made to mark these areas and route traffic around 

 them. But how does beach traffic affect bird life dur- 

 ing the rest of the year? 



There is also the human aspect of ORV use. The im- 

 pact of seeing an ORV on a stretch of sandy beach af- 

 fects each person differently. For some it may be an 

 ugly reminder of man's technological encroachment 

 on natural areas. To others, it's a thrilling sight. How 

 do these reactions in turn affect the recreational ex- 

 perience? Are there ways to predict them? And, more 

 importantly, are there ways to manage the resource 

 so as to minimize user conflict? 



Scientists Doug Wellman and Greg Buhyoft of 

 Virginia Polytechnic Institute are currently studying 

 the impacts and potentials for conflict among ORV 

 and non-ORV users at Cape Hatteras National 

 Seashore. Through a series of questionnaires ran- 

 domly administered to seashore visitors during the 

 summer and fall, they hope to find out such things as 

 who are the major user groups of Cape Hatteras 

 National Seashore, how these users define a good 

 recreational experience and what are the kinds of 

 conflicts that exist between users. In addition, the 

 researchers will ask respondents to evaluate various 

 management schemes for ORV use to see how they 

 might affect the recreational experience. 



Finding the answers to all these questions won't 

 happen overnight. Many new questions will be raised 

 as more and more information is uncovered. But ul- 

 timately these questions and their answers will shape 

 the management of ORV use both at Cape Hatteras 

 National Seashore and throughout the country. 



The University of North Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Newsletter is published monthly except July and 

 December by the University of North Carolina Sea 

 Grant College Program, 105 1911 Building, North 

 Carolina State University. Raleigh, N. C. 27650, Vol. 5, 

 No. 3, March, 1978. Dr. B. J. Copeland, director. Written 

 and edited by Mary Day Mordecai and Virginia 

 Worthington. Second-class postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 

 27611. 



The process of turning 

 a plan into law 



There are numerous steps the park service's ORV 

 management plan must go through before it becomes 

 law. 



Although park officials had originally hoped to 

 have a new management policy in force this summer, 

 it now appears that a policy will not be ready before 

 late fall. 



Currently the staff at the park's headquarters is 

 reviewing and tabulating comments received during 

 public workshops held throughout the state in 

 February and March. Based on many of these recom- 

 mendations, another draft management plan will be 

 prepared. As with the previous plan, the draft will be 

 open to public comment for a minimum of 30 days. 



At the end of this period, regulations for the en- 

 forcement of the plan will be drafted by the park ser- 

 vice and submitted to the Federal Register as a 

 "proposed rulemaking." The proposed rules will again 

 be open to public comment for another 30 days. 



If, at any point in this process, major objections or 

 recommendations for improvement are made, the 

 park service may decide to revise the plan and hold 

 additional public hearings. 



If no major comments or objections are raised, the 

 regulations will again be published in the Federal 

 Register, this time as a final ruling. Thirty days later 

 the regulations become effective. 



Looking ahead: 



Marine Recreation Exposition— Memorial 

 Day weekend (May 27 and 28) at the Marine 

 Resources Center on Roanoke Island next to 

 the Manteo airport. A weekend-long exposi- 

 tion and demonstration of the various marine 

 recreational activities available along the 

 Outer Banks. Local businesses will be on 

 hand to provide displays and information on 

 such activities as camping, saltwater trolling, 

 bait rigging, on-shore and off-shore boating, 

 jet skiing, wind surfing, hang gliding and 

 scuba diving. The Coast Guard will host 

 demonstrations on boating and water safety. 

 Inside the center, visitors will have a chance 

 to learn techniques for cleaning, filleting and 

 cooking fish. For shell collectors and 

 beachcombers, there will be displays by local 

 artists of crafts made from material found 

 along the beach. 



To cap off the activities on Saturday there 

 will be a chicken and fish fry and an evening 

 of bluegrass and country western music. The 

 exposition is being jointly sponsored by the 

 Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, the 

 Dare County Tourist Bureau, the Marine 

 Resources Center and UNC Sea Grant. For 

 more information on the exposition or details 

 on how to reserve display space, contact Sea 

 Grant marine advisory agent Dennis Regan 

 at the Marine Resources Center, Manteo, 

 N.C. 27954, telephone: (919)473-3937. 

 Sanitary practice in seafood production- 

 May 22-25, 1978, Omni Hotel, Norfolk, 

 Virginia. A workshop for seafood processors 

 on current sanitary practices, techniques and 

 standards. Sponsored by Virginia Sea Grant 

 and the National Fisheries Institute, Inc. 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant College Program 

 105 1911 Building 

 North Carolina State University 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27650 



