SELC Sues the National Park Service
The consent decree effectively ends the lawsuit SELC filed in October 2007 that sought to require the National Park Service to implement a plan to manage beach driving that would also protect the resources of the region. Such a reasonable management plan will continue to allow access to Hatteras by vehicle, but will rein in out-of-control use that is threatening wildlife, safety and the future of the Outer Banks.
The legal responsibility of the National Park Service to preserve natural resources on the Seashore and protect the area's wildlife and the safety of its visitors stems from both a 1973 Executive Order and federal regulations. More recently, a federal judge found that the agency had failed to adopt required regulations to manage beach driving.