Click below to download the brochure (pdf format) offering tips & hints for driving on the Outer Banks beaches

(See attached file: 042709NightDrivingProhibited.doc)

National Park Service News Release
      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  DATE  April 27, 2009
      CONTACT: 252-473-2111, ext. 148

                     Nighttime Driving Restriction on
           Cape Hatteras National Seashore Beaches begins May 1

Superintendent Mike Murray reminds park visitor that beginning May 1, 2009
all Seashore beaches are closed to off-road vehicles (ORVs) between the
hours of 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in accordance with the court ordered
consent decree.  Enforcement of the restriction will begin at midnight on
April 30, 2009.  The 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. prohibition on beach driving
will remain in effect until November 15.  Under the terms of the consent
decree the National Park Service (NPS) may issue permits between September
16 and November 15 to authorize night driving on Seashore beaches between
the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and NPS retains the discretion to
limit night driving to certain areas or routes, based on resource
protection considerations.  As occurred in 2008, just prior to September
16, NPS will announce the availability of the night driving permits and how
to obtain the permit.  The permits will be available through November 15 at
no charge and with no limit on the number of permits.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore provides crucial nesting habitat for
loggerhead and green sea turtles, as well as the occasional leatherback.
Loggerhead and green turtles are currently listed threatened under the
Endangered Species Act and leatherbacks are considered endangered.  Sea
turtles typically lay nests at night between May and September, when adult
turtles come ashore to dig a deep nest cavity in the sand and deposit
around 100 ping-pong ball sized eggs into each nest.  While nesting, these
turtles are susceptible to being disturbed by human activity on the beach.
If a nesting turtle is disturbed, it may not nest at all, or may lay a nest
in a less than optimal area, resulting in the nest being washed out.  Once
laid, eggs will incubate in the sand for 50-60 days before the hatchlings
emerge and make their way to the ocean.  The hatchlings will use light cues
in order to find their way from their nest to the sea, making them
vulnerable to artificial lights from houses, piers, headlights, beach fires
and lanterns.  If disoriented by artificial lights, hatchlings may wander
away from the ocean and often die from exhaustion or predation as they
wander around the beach.  Although studies vary, it is estimated that only
1 in 1000 to 1 in 10,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood.  Ten to 15%
of the turtle nests laid in North Carolina are laid on Cape Hatteras
National Seashore beaches.  In 2008, a record 112 sea turtle nests were
located and protected at the Seashore.

The night driving restriction will be posted at all Seashore ORV access
ramps.  The regulation is enforceable by NPS law enforcement rangers and
violators are subject to up to six months imprisonment and up to a $5,000
fine.  To report violations, contact: Dare Central Communications:
252-473-3444.  For further information, contact the Chief Ranger’s Office
at 252-473-2111.

                                   -NPS-