According to the Island Free Press (www.islandfreepress.org) on June 11, Senators Elizabeth Dole, Richard Burr and U.S. Representative Walter Jones introduced legislation into the Senate and House of Representatives that would set aside the consent decree that mandated that the Park Service operate under the interim plan that turns the management of the Outer Banks over to the Southern Environmental Law Center, Audubon Society and Defenders of Wildlife.        

Quite simply, this legislation would return the Outer Banks seashore management back to the Park Service and away from the grasp of environmental groups.   

This is positive news for those who have not taken this consent decree lying down.  The good folks of the Outer Banks have been taking a proactive approach to this dilemma of closed beaches and it looks as though it's working.

There is also a great story on the Island Free Press Website about the June 11 "Stand in the Sand" that raised over $16,500 for the Cape Hatteras Preservation Alliance, which is an umbrella organization of beach access groups.   

We'll keep monitoring this situation in the Outer Banks and post relevant facts as they happen.