The Myths and Realities of the Government Shutdown
There is just one topic of conversation on the island right now: the beach closures that began Tuesday morning as a result of the Federal government shutdown. Rumors abound, but never fear, the Current is here to sort through the mess.
Here's a list of shutdown FAQs, which we'll add to as needed.
Is the beach closed? Yes.
The Park rangers received orders to shut down the Seashore on Monday morning. It's a National Park and all National Parks are closed for the duration of the government shutdown. Also closed are the Visitor's Center, the ORV permit office, the NPS docks, and the NPS boat ramp.
The campers at the NPS campground were given 48 hours to vacate. They will be gone by noon today.
The multi-use walking/biking path and the large NPS parking lot are still open. But please remember, it's a walking/biking path. (Or jogging/running/skipping, etc.) Golf carts are prohibited now and always from leaving the village and using the path.
Can I walk on the beach?
Officially, no. That's what the park rangers have to tell you. The Seashore's chief ranger, Paul Stevens, put it this way, "The mandate we have from Washington is that everything's closed to all visitors."
He also added, "We have not ticketed anyone for walking on the beach."
The beach is beautiful, the weather's great. Plenty of people have been enjoying themselves out there, exhibiting their American spirit of independence. There are 16 miles of beach, and not many rangers on duty. (Our neighbors to the north at Island Free Press posted a story titled "Folks who want to go to the beach are managing to get there.")
Planning to enjoy a walk on YOUR National Seashore? We recommend discretion, common sense, and courtesy.
Will I get a ticket?
We can't guarantee that you won't, but so far, the Seashore rangers have only issued ONE citation. It was here on Ocracoke, issued to a couple who drove a truck around the chain barrier at the lifeguard beach, up and over bushes and vegetation, and ended up in the parking lot. They never actually made it to the beach.
They received two citations – one for the park closure violation and the other for driving off the designated roadway. The latter violation would've earned them a ticket any time of year, and had nothing to do with the shutdown.
Walk, or bike, or get someone to drop you off! Again: Discretion. Common sense. Courtesy.
Our NPS rangers live here and they love the beach, too. They don't want to close the park, but they have no choice. They are also working temporarily without pay. (They'll get their paychecks retroactively. When? They don't know.)
"This closure couldn't have happened at a worse time," said Ranger Stevens. "It's the fall fishing season, the water's still warm, the weather's beautiful; it's frustrating for everyone."
How about the ferries? Can I get to Ocracoke? Yes, the ferries ARE running! The ferries are state-run and the Federal shutdown will have “absolutely no effect on ferry service,” reports Tim Hass of the NCDOT.Blame the confusion on the weird coincidence that the ferries started transitioning to a fall schedule on October 1. There are indeed fewer ferries running, but that was always the plan. The Cedar Island and Swan Quarter ferries are on their off-season schedule now; the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry will stay on its summer schedule until October 8th.
The only possible glitch in ferry service could perhaps be the dredging of the inlet, which is an Army Corps of Engineers project, funded by the Feds. As of yesterday, the dredge was still dredging. Tim promises to send a timely press release if that situation changes.
Update: I talked to Tim this morning and he reported that the dredge is working today in Hatteras Inlet. The word he got from the Hatteras ferry operations is that the dredge will be there through Saturday. We'll post another update when we learn more.
Can I drive down Highway 12?
Yes! Highway 12 is open and it's still just as beautiful and accessible as it was September 30th. Yes, the lifeline to Hatteras and Ocracoke passes through National Park property (that's why it's so scenic), but it is a state highway, and not subject to closure.
Is Ocracoke airport open?
Update: We originally reported that the airport was open. After some alert readers commented (see comments section below), we got more information.
According to Paul Stevens, the airport is officially closed. NPS asked the FAA to send out a Notice to Airmen about the closure. Ocracoke's airstrip is open only to military and government aircraft, and pilots needing to make an emergency landing because of, for example, a mechanical problem. I forgot to ask if desperately wanting to visit Ocracoke is a valid emergency.
The helipad is used for emergency medical transport, and it is open.
The chain at ramp 70 (the airport ramp) is positioned after the parking lot.
Has this ever happened before?
Yes. During the Federal government shutdown from Dec. 15, 1995 – Jan. 6, 1996, NPS was ordered to close the park and responded in the same way, chains across the parking lots and ramps and all.
17 years ago is a long time and memory gets foggy, but the reason most people don't recall that beach closing is because it was December and January. Visitation was low and the campground was closed for the season. Ocracoke did not feel a significant economic impact from that shutdown, but other National Parks areas certainly did. It's estimated that the '95–'96 shutdown cost gateway communities about $14-million a day in lost tourism revenue.
'Way back in the 90's, there were no social networks, webcams, websites, or newspapers keeping the off-island public informed about daily life on Ocracoke. Unless you were here, you'd have no reason to remember the beach closures.
Are people still coming to Ocracoke?
Yes, and no.
Kari Styron at Ocracoke Island Realty says that they've been fielding lots of call from people inquiring about canceling their cottage rentals for next week.
"Actually, they can't cancel; our policies won't let them," she said.
Vacation insurance doesn't help the disgruntled callers.
"They can get to the island, the house is fine, so the insurance won't cover this," Kari said. "We're trying to work with homeowners, to see if we can offer renters a later arrival date if there's availability."
OIR's staff carefully explain the shutdown's impact on the beaches to all their callers.
"Some people are upset, some are understanding, some have said they're coming anyway, some have said they're not coming," she said. "This time of year, we get lots of fishermen – telling them about the beach is not a whole lot of fun."
The cottage rentals remain 30-40% occupied this week, which is pretty good for October. It remains to be seen what next week brings, as people decide whether to make the trip to Ocracoke.
"We were looking at a good fall until this happened," Kari said.
"This is worse than a hurricane," Melinda said. "With a hurricane, we have more information and know it will end."
October is the most popular surf-fishing month of the year.
"It's beautiful weather, and the best fishing on the East Coast this time of year," she said. "The fact that the same number of rangers are still here and no one can access the beach legally is ridiculous."
Tradewinds is also talking to a lot of confused and angry customers.
"The numerous phone calls we are fielding should be the responsibility of the NPS," Melinda said. "But people are calling us for information."
The Suttons hope the shutdown will end soon. "This is the month when we actually start making money. The rest of the year just covers bills. So for us it is a direct hit to our family income," Melinda said.
