[Paddlewise] Fw: Jet skis banned at Cape Hatteras

On  R.B.P. today............
-----Original Message-----
Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle
Date: Thursday, April 29, 1999 6:13 PM


>Seashore bans personal watercraft
>
>The park service responds to complaints about personal watercraft in the
>Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
>
>MANTEO -- Citing overwhelming opposition to
>jet-powered personal watercraft, federal officials will ban the speedy
>little
>vessels from about 160 miles of Outer Banks shoreline in the Cape Hatteras
>National Seashore.  Beginning May 17, the craft will be prohibited on
>ocean beaches and along most of the National Seashore's sound side
>shoreline from Nags Head to Ocracoke. They will still be allowed on private
>property in seaside villages where private companies rent and sell them.
>
>The ban includes sandbars along Oregon Inlet that have become prime
>launching and landing sites for PWC riders in the summer. During a survey
>July 4, 1997, a park ranger on the Herbert Bonner Bridge
>over the inlet counted about 200 PWCs in the area, Chief Ranger Jeff Cobb
>said Wednesday.   He said the park service has received numerous complaints
>from  fishermen and others about noise and interference from PWC riders.
>"That's probably the leading cause of complaints in the summer,"
>he said.
>
>But Bill Meredith, who sells and rents PWC in Nags Head, said the ban goes
>too far and would unfairly restrict people who ride the craft responsibly.
>He said the federal agency could establish a permit system that would allow
>PWC users to operate within the Seashore, with those who violated operating
>rules having their permits revoked.   The craft -- known by trade names of
>Jet Ski, Sea Doo and Wave Runner -- have become widely popular in recent
>years, but some communities have moved to restrict their operation because
>of complaints.
>
>Legislation pending in the General Assembly would set a minimum age of 13
>for PWC riders.  According to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, 102
>of the 251 boating accidents in the state last year involved PWCs. Five
>people died in PWC accidents, the commission said.   Seashore officials
>said the ban came after a review of scientific, sociological and
>demographic data and a public comment
>period in  February and March.  Seashore Superintendent Bob Reynolds said
>the response was about
>11-to-1 against PWC use.   "When you factor in user conflicts with the
>threats to safety, resources and park values, only one conclusion can be
>reached:
>PWCs must be prohibited," he said.
>
>Of 1,034 persons who responded, 948 opposed continued PWC use in  the
>Seashore. While some opponents said they would accept some form of PWC
>regulation, most favored a total ban. Of the 1,034
>respondents, 280 were Dare County residents or landowners and most -- by a
>10-to-1 margin -- opposed PWCs.  Meredith, operator of a PWC business since
>1985, scoffed at the reliability of the park service's opinion poll. And he
>suggested a survey  taken during the winter, when fishermen are the primary
>beach users, would be different from one in summer, when PWCs are active.
>The closing will prohibit launching or landing PWCs on any ocean or sound
>side beaches in the Seashore -- an area that takes in about 80 miles on
>each side of the islands.


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