Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Hatteras National Seashore | |
---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
Location | Outer Banks, Dare County & Hyde County, North Carolina, USA |
Nearest city | Nags Head, North Carolina |
Coordinates | 35°18′13″N 75°30′41″W / 35.30361°N 75.51139°W |
Area | 30,351 acres (122.83 km2)[1] |
Established | January 12, 1953 |
Visitors | 2,862,844 (in 2022)[2] |
Governing body | National Park Service |
Website | Cape Hatteras National Seashore |
Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a United States
Once dubbed the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for its treacherous currents, shoals, and storms, Cape Hatteras has a wealth of history relating to
Administrative history
Cape Hatteras National Seashore was authorized by Congress on August 17, 1937.
Ecology
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina would have a dominant vegetation type of Live oak/Sea Oats Uniola paniculata (90) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).[6]
Rodanthe has one of the highest rates of beach erosion on the Outer Banks.[7]
Visitor centers
There are three visitor centers, each located on a barrier island. The visitor centers offer information about the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, ranger programs, and a bookstore.
- The Bodie Island Visitor Center is located in the north, adjacent to the Bodie Island Lighthouse, which is open for tours seasonally.
- The Hatteras Island Visitor Center and Museum of the Sea is located in the Cape Hatteras Light keeper's quarters, in Buxton, North Carolina. Exhibits include the history, maritime heritage and natural history of the Outer Banks and the lighthouse.
- Ocracoke Island Visitor Center is located in Ocracoke Lighthouse.¨¨
Beach conservation
This section may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. (November 2022) |
In October 2007,
The Park Service was found not to be in compliance with an executive order requiring the establishment of policies and procedures regarding off-road vehicle (ORV) use on the National Seashore, failing to implement management plans to adequately protect the shorebirds and sea turtles nesting in the park. The Defenders of Wildlife have claimed that the use of ORVs on park lands has degraded the habitat used by the nesting birds,[9] many of which are also federally protected species.
Many of the beaches and beach access points were placed off-limits to ORV[10] use during the months when the birds are nesting. This became a contentious issue among some residents and users of Hatteras Island as ORV access is considered by some to be an important part of regional culture and economics,[11] despite a 2008 study that found that only 3-4% of annual visitors to the National Seashore are ORV users.[12]
In January 2012, the National Park Service instituted its new, and final, ORV management plan. Twenty-eight of the seashore's 67 miles are set aside as year-round ORV routes, with only 26 miles designated as year-round vehicle-free areas for pedestrians, families, and wildlife. The remaining 13 miles of seashore are seasonally open to ORVs. For instance, during the first week of July 2012, while less than 20 miles of the beaches are accessible by ORVs, an additional 31.6 miles were open to pedestrians, meaning 78% of the Seashore was open to visitors in some form.[13] The plan also proposes new parking facilities, ORV ramps, and water shuttles to increase visitor access to beaches.[14]
Climate
According to the
Climate data for Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC (1981-2010 Averages) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 52.4 (11.3) |
54.0 (12.2) |
58.8 (14.9) |
66.5 (19.2) |
73.8 (23.2) |
81.1 (27.3) |
84.7 (29.3) |
84.2 (29.0) |
80.4 (26.9) |
72.5 (22.5) |
64.2 (17.9) |
56.4 (13.6) |
69.2 (20.7) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 45.7 (7.6) |
47.1 (8.4) |
51.9 (11.1) |
59.8 (15.4) |
67.5 (19.7) |
75.5 (24.2) |
79.5 (26.4) |
79.0 (26.1) |
75.1 (23.9) |
66.5 (19.2) |
58.0 (14.4) |
49.8 (9.9) |
63.0 (17.2) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 38.9 (3.8) |
40.3 (4.6) |
45.0 (7.2) |
53.1 (11.7) |
61.3 (16.3) |
70.0 (21.1) |
74.2 (23.4) |
73.8 (23.2) |
69.7 (20.9) |
60.6 (15.9) |
51.8 (11.0) |
43.2 (6.2) |
56.9 (13.8) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.14 (131) |
3.91 (99) |
4.66 (118) |
3.84 (98) |
3.62 (92) |
4.01 (102) |
4.87 (124) |
6.79 (172) |
6.31 (160) |
5.12 (130) |
4.82 (122) |
4.17 (106) |
57.26 (1,454) |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
72.3 | 71.9 | 70.5 | 70.5 | 73.7 | 76.8 | 78.7 | 77.3 | 74.9 | 72.0 | 73.8 | 72.2 | 73.7 |
Average dew point °F (°C) | 37.3 (2.9) |
38.5 (3.6) |
42.6 (5.9) |
50.2 (10.1) |
58.8 (14.9) |
67.7 (19.8) |
72.3 (22.4) |
71.3 (21.8) |
66.6 (19.2) |
57.2 (14.0) |
49.7 (9.8) |
41.2 (5.1) |
54.5 (12.5) |
Source: PRISM[16] |
Climate data for Cape Hatteras, NC Ocean Water Temperature (3 SE Cape Hatteras National Seashore) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 49 (9) |
46 (8) |
52 (11) |
59 (15) |
68 (20) |
74 (23) |
78 (26) |
80 (27) |
77 (25) |
70 (21) |
58 (14) |
55 (13) |
64 (18) |
Source: NOAA[17] |
See also
References
- ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved December 26, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
- ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9780160932090. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
- ^ "A Global Salute to Mellon's Gift".
- ^ Binkley, Cameron (August 2007). "Cape Hatteras National Seashore Administrative History" (PDF). The Creation and establishment of Cape hatteras National Seashore. National Park Service. p. 39–40. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 3, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)". Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ^ Kozak, Catherine (November 4, 2022). "A cycle of septic repairs, washouts on park service beaches". Island Free Press. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ "US Park Service faces suit for failing to manage beach driving on Cape Hatteras National Seashore". Defenders of Wildlife.
- ^ "NC State University Study Directly Links Beach Driving to Bird Mortality on Hatteras" (PDF). Defenders of Wildlife.
- ^ "Beach Driving at Cape Hatteras" (PDF). Defenders of Wildlife.
- ^ "ORV Access Environmental Impact Position Statement" (PDF). Coalition for Beach Access.
- ^ 6 Industrial Economics, Inc., "Economic Analysis of Critical Habitat Designation for the Wintering Piping Plover," prepared for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Sept. 23, 2008) at 2-12 – 2-13, 2-17
- ^ "Cape Hatteras National Seashore – Weekly Beach Access Summary July 5, 2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ^ "National Park Service Finally Issues Rules for Responsible Beach Driving on Cape Hatteras". North Carolina Audubon. July 2, 2015.
- ^ "USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map". United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ^ "Water Temperature Table of All Coastal Regions". Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
External links
- "Cape Hatteras National Seashore". National Park Service
- "Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving Station: Home to Unsung Heroes". Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan. National Park Service at the Wayback Machine (archived April 30, 2008)
- "Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum".
- "Cape Hatteras Access Preservation Alliance".
- "Saving Hatteras Surf Fishing". KeepAmericaFishing™. at the Wayback Machine (archived April 6, 2011)
- "Guide to records (correspondence files) from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. at archive.today (archived February 22, 2013)
- United States Code