CAMA not only sets state regula- 

 tions; it also requires local land-use 

 plans. The plans are crucial to some 

 development proposals, as the state 

 cannot grant a permit that would conflict 

 with a local land-use plan. Also, federal 

 permits must meet state and local 

 consistency criteria. 



Stick, the former CRC chairman, 

 wrote a handbook for public participa- 

 tion in land-use planning because he 

 saw too many communities use static 

 plans. "The land-use plans are the key to 

 the whole thing," Stick says. 



Counties are required to have plans 

 in place, but towns and cities are not. 

 Local enthusiasm for the plans varies, 

 and the CRC is reviewing the process. 

 "Some use land-use planning as a 

 sophisticated tool to implement their 

 vision," Jones says. 



Other communities simply meet the 

 state standard, then let the plans gather 

 dust. "They don't have a lot of day-to- 

 day impact on the growth and develop- 

 ment of a community," Kirkman says. 



For example, eastern Carteret 

 County has no zoning in communities 

 along Core Sound. While fishing 

 families have much to lose if pollution 

 diminishes water quality, these commu- 

 nities are skeptical of government 

 regulation, Kirkman says. 



Beach 

 Access, 

 Reserves 

 Added 



State officials love to speak of 

 successful CAMA programs, such as the 

 beach access and coastal reserve 

 programs. "We've had success in non- 

 regulatory areas that we don't get a 

 whole lot of credit for," Jones says. 



The ocean has always been 

 considered a public resource, but as 



Some coastal projects include the movement of sand. 



Division of Coastal Management 



beachfront property became more 

 valuable, access became more difficult. 

 The state initiated a grant program to 

 encourage communities to purchase 

 strips of land and build public walkways 

 over dunes. 



"We have such a tradition of the 

 public being allowed to use our beach 

 resources," Moffitt says. The 230 access 

 points often have parking and restroom 

 facilities, even an outdoor shower. 

 Orange and blue signs mark the access 

 points — and remind visitors of the 

 CAMA connection. 



The state is also fighting a lawsuit 

 filed by Currituck County property 

 owners, who dispute the tradition of a 

 public right-of-way along the sandy 

 beach from the first line of vegetation to 

 the high-water mark. "We will continue 

 to ensure that the public has access to 

 the beaches," Moffitt says. If the state 

 loses the suit, visitors may not be able to 

 walk along the beach at high tide 



without going on private property. "It 

 would be a huge negative impact on 

 tourism," she says. 



CAMA also established a system of 

 estuarine reserves, including Buxton 

 Woods and Bald Head Woods in 2,000 

 acres of maritime forest. "We are able to 

 preserve those areas — the ultimate pres- 

 ervation is to purchase it," Jones says. 



The reserves are designed for 

 education and other low-impact uses. The 

 state plans a ninth reserve in Tyrrell 

 County. The site, which will double the 

 acreage in the reserve system, includes one 

 of the last stands of Atlantic white cedars. 



Challenges 

 Ahead 



What of the next 25 years of coastal 

 development? 



"The challenges for the future are 

 immense," Moffitt says, citing a need for 

 developments that are both environmen- 



24 HIGH SEASON 1999 



