Table Of Content

1 wm^&* NATIONAL PAR$ SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Foundation Statement September 201 Cape Hatteras National Seashore North Carolina Cape Hatteras National Seashore Foundation Statement CONTENTS Introduction 6 Core Elements of a Foundation Statement 6 Description of Cape Hatteras National Seashore 7 Park Purpose 9 Park Significance Statements 10 Primary Interpretative Themes 12 Fundamental Resources and Values 14 Other Important Resources and Values 16 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 17 Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 40 Servicewide Legal and Policy Requirements 40 Summary 42 - Appendix A: Enabling Legislation Cape Hatteras National Seashore 43 Appendix B: Related Federal Legislation, Regulations and Orders 47 Appendix C: Inventory of Past Planning Documents and Future Planning Needs 48 Appendix D: Inventory & Analysis of Special Mandates and Agreements 50 Cape Hatteras National Seashore Foundation Statement Waterdepths DuckandCorolla. iSouthernShores North - 0-6feet (M0ortoe2thmeatne6rsf)eet sKittyHawk (over2meters) 1Kilometer5 ^KillDevilHills -WrightBrothersNational Memorial A /? i FirstFlightairstrip /[/ OFortNaRtalieoingahl Lfaakste „NGartoioHunpiaSlH,te?Paadrrqk!CucSaSerritvteirecseJockse,yasteRiPda"g|e, NagsHead O DareCounty tManted-', Regional 'WhaleboneJunction Airport InformationStation MannsHarbor; CoquinaBeach >z. Waq.nfcrhese Zc -°3Au\J^'VBiosdiiteorICsleanntder BodieIslandLighthouse o Marina") C ALLIGATORRIVER -z°. Op^Or\egonInlet NATIONALWILDLIFEREFUGE 3 —Sv-s. RefugevisitorCenter *fc *~^StumpyPoint X If 1/1 i1CSH/eihsrtvigirccieacmSUtaSa,tciooUnfmeiScaoving 1^ Rodanthe?-Fishingpier . Waves! ^ Salvor Lake /Vfattamuskeef Engelhard ^^ o0c) fJ/ £5 2 ^ < o n N. k«-3J|1 Uj *N <u 1 V **t>* 11 L> •» HisLtiortitcleUS.eSKr.ivUincfneeaSStkaaevtienotgnJ•/1 O 02) Avon ^|-Fishngpier Haulover Dayusearea' Buxton_ JHatterasIsland -VisitorCenter FerryService: A CapeHatterasLighthouse freeferryrunsdaily yHeatatre-rraosunadndbetween Hatteras,, 1BaiilrlsytrMiiptchell CapeHatteras Ocracokeislands. OVicsriatcorokCeenItselrand ">A*r c -v, CedarIsland s ^ viatollferry(2.25hours) Cape s OcracokeIslandairstrip USSMonitor LNaotoikoonuatl cr^OLocikgrhatchookuese NationaSlanMcatruianrey' Seashore tInlet Introduction Everyunitofthe nationalparksystem needsaformalstatementofitscore missiontoprovidebasicguidanceforallplanningand managementdecisions:a foundationforplanningand management. Increasingemphasisongovernment accountabilityandrestrained federal spendingmakeitimperativethatall stakeholdersunderstandthepark'spurpose,significance,primaryinterpretive themes,fundamentalresourcesandvalues,and specialmandates,aswellasthe legalandpolicyrequirementsforadministrationandresourceprotection. Theprimaryadvantageofdevelopingand adoptingafoundationstatementis theopportunitytointegrateand coordinateallkindsandlevelsofplanningand decision makingfromasingle,shared understandingofwhatismostimportant aboutthepark.Theprocessofpreparingafoundationstatementhelpspark managers,staff,and stakeholdersdeveloporaffirmanunderstandingofwhatis mostimportantabouttheparkandidentifytheadditionalinformationneeded toplanforthefuture. Thefoundation statementcanbeusedinallaspectsofparkmanagementto ensurethatthe mostimportantmanagementobjectivesareaccomplished beforeaddressingotheritemsthatarealsoimportantbutnotdirectlycritical toachievingtheparkpurposeand maintainingitssignificance.Thus,the developmentofafoundationstatementforCape HatterasNational Seashoreis essential foreffectivelymanagingthepark overthe longtermandprotectingthe parksresourcesandvaluesthatareintegraltothepark'spurposeand identity. Core Elements of a Foundation Statement Thefoundationstatementhasthefollowingelements: Theparkpurposeisthe specificreason(s) forestablishingaparticularpark. Aparkpurpose statementisgrounded in athoroughanalysisofthepark's legislation (orexecutiveorder) and legislativehistory,and mayinclude informationfromstudiesthatweregeneratedpriortothepark'sestablishment. Theparkpurposestatementgoesbeyond arestatementofthelawtodocument sharedassumptionsaboutwhatthelawmeansintermsspecifictothepark. Theparksignificancestatementsexpresswhythepark'sresourcesandvalues areimportantenoughtowarrantnationalparkdesignation. Statementsofthe park'ssignificancedescribewhyanareaisimportantwithinaglobal,national, regional,and systemwidecontext. Significancestatementsaredirectiylinkedto thepurposeoftheparkand aresubstantiatedbydataorconsensusthatreflect themostcurrentscientificorscholarlyinquiryand culturalperceptions,which mayhavechanged sincethepark'sestablishment. Primaryinterpretivethemesconnectparkresourcesto relevantideas, meanings,concepts,contexts,beliefs,and values.Theysupportthe desired interpretiveoutcome ofincreasingvisitorunderstandingand appreciation ofthesignificanceofthepark'sresources. In otherwords,theyarethemost importantmessagestobecommunicatedtothepublicaboutthepark. Primary interpretivethemesarebased onparkpurposeand significance. Cape Hatteras National Seashore Foundation Statement Fundamentalresourcesandvaluesarefeatures,systems,organisms, processes,visitorexperiences,stories,scenes,sounds,smells,orother attributesofthepark determined towarrantprimaryconsideration during planningand managementbecausetheyarecritical toachievingthe park's purposeandmaintainingitssignificance. Specialmandatesarelegal requirementsandadministrativecommitments thatapplytoaspecificunitofthenationalparksystem.Theyaremandatedby Congressorbysigned agreementsbetweenthe National ParkServiceand other entities.Theyare specifictothepark,andarenotaninventoryofallthelaws applicabletothenationalpark system. Description of Cape Hatteras National Seashore In 1937,Cape Hatterasbecamethefirstnationalseashore. Itwasdesignatedto preserve dynamicbarrierislandsand itsuniquevegetation,wildlifeand coastal processes,andtoproviderecreationandenjoymentforthepublic. Located withinaday'sdriveofseveralurban centers,Cape HatterasNationalSeashore isapopularvacation destinationthatreceivesovertwomillionvisitorseach year. Visitorscanaccessthenorthernentranceviaroadwaysand canreach thesouthernentrancebyferryorairtravel. Stretchingover70milesfrom northto south,Cape HatterasNational Seashorecrossesthree islands: Bodie, Hatteras,andOcracoke.Theislandsare linkedbyNorth CarolinaHighway 12 andbytheHatterasInletFerry.Although notpartofthepark,theislandsare also inhabitedbyeightvillagespredatingtheparkthatreflectthehistoryofthe OuterBanksregion. The areanow knownasCape HatterasNational Seashorehasalongand rich cultural heritage.The islandsthatmakeuptheseashorehavebeenhometo NativeAmericans,farmers,watermen,slaves,lighthouse keepers,surfmen,and manyotherswhose legacycontinuestoshapethecultureofthearea. Thepeople ofthe areahavewitnessedeventsthatinclude hurricanes,thedeath ofBlackbeard thepirate,CivilWarbattles,theconstructionofthenow-famous lighthouses,thebirthofthe U.S. CoastGuard lifesavingstations,hundredsof shipwrecks,BillyMitchell'stestbombings, Reginald Fessenden'sfirstradio broadcasts,thebuildingofdunesbytheCivilianConservationCorps,scientific stridesinweatherforecasting,German U-boatattacks,and much more. Though someofthe documentationofhistoryhasbeen lostthroughtime,the culturefound inthepeople,places,and storiescontinuestopersistandevolve. Today,popularvisitoractivitiesincludebeachcombing,swimming,fishing, hiking,camping,and learningaboutthe historyand naturalfeaturesofthe islands. Whileexploringtheseuniquebarrierislands,manyparkvisitors takeparticularinterestinCoquinaBeach,theCape HatterasLighthouse, andOcracoke Island. CoquinaBeach is hometothe ruinsoftheLauraA. Barnes,shipwreckedin 1921 dueto highseas.TheiconicCapeHatteras Lighthouseprotectsone ofthemosthazardoussectionsoftheAtianticCoast, anareaknownasthe"GraveyardoftheAtiantic"becauseofthethousands ofshipwrecksthathaveoccurred here overthepastthreecenturies. Because Ocracoke Islandcannotbe reachedviaabridge,itssmall harborvillagehas retained much offitsearlycharmand character. Each islandalso hasitsown lighthouse,unique indesignand history. Locatedatthe ocean'sedge,Cape Hatteras NationalSeashoreisshapedby ever-changingbarrierislandprocesses. Barrierislandsarenarrow,low-lying, dynamiclandformsthatrunparallelto oceancoastsandareconstantlyshifting and reshapingasaresultofwind,waves,storms,oceancurrents,andsealevel changes.Theseprocessescontinuetoinfluencethe islandstodaythrough theprocessesoferosion and accretion oftheshoreline,overwash acrossthe islands,andtheformation,migration,andclosureoftheinlets. Cape Hatteras National Seashoresupportsavastarrayofanimallifeinits aquaticandterrestrialhabitats. Inadditiontonativemammals,theseashore's reptiles,amphibians,and manytypesofmarineinvertebratesaresignificant componentsofthenativebiodiversityoftheislands. Life alsoaboundsintheair abovethepark;with 360documentedbirdspeciesusingtheseashore'shabitats fornesting,resting,orfeeding. Thepresentvegetationand ecologyontheislandsarearesultofbothnatural processesand humanactivity.Thenotableecologicalalterationsfrom human activitiesincluded: (1) coastal settlementand development, includingthe extractionofoakmaritimeforestsforshipbuilding; (2) earlyeffortsatmosquito controlandwaterfowlmanagement,which involvedexcavationofdrainage ditchesand construction ofwatercontrolstructures;and (3) construction andvegetativestabilizationofprimarydunesalongthelength oftheseashore. Today,plantcommunitiesincludebeachanddunesvegetation,wetland vegetation,shrubthickets,and maritimeforests. CapeHatteras National Seashoreprovidesaspecial opportunitytoprotecta widelydiversenatural communityand arobustcollectionofcultural resources, whilealsoprovidingaunique,unspoiled seashoreexperienceforvisitors. Cape Hatteras National Seashore Foundation Statement Park Purpose Theparkpurposeidentifiesthespecificreasonforthe creationofaparticular park. Purposestatementsarecraftedthroughacarefulanalysisoftheenabling legislationandthe legislativehistorythatmolded thecreationanddevelopment ofthepark. Cape Hatteras NationalSeashorewasfirstcreated inAugust 1937, whenthepark'sinitialenablinglegislationwaspassedand signed into law (seeAppendixAforenablinglegislationand subsequentamendments).The purposestatementreinforcesthe foundationforfutureparkmanagement, administration,and usedecisions. Basedonthereview ofpark legislation, previousparkmanagementdocuments,and discussionswithparkstaff,the planningteamgenerated thefollowingparkpurpose statementforCape Hatteras National Seashore: r Thepurpose ofCape Hatteras National Seashore is topermanentlypreserve the wild andprimitive character ofthe ever- changing barrier islands, protect the diverse plant and animal communities sustained by the coastal islandprocesses, andprovide for recreational use and enjoyment that is compatible withpreserving the distinctive natural and cultural resources ofthe nation'sfirst national seashore. Park Significance Statements Significance statementsexpresswhythepark'sresourcesandvaluesare importantenoughtowarrantnationalparkdesignation. Statementsof significancedescribewhyanareaisimportantwithinaglobal,national, regional,and system-widecontext.These statementsare linkedtothepurpose ofthepark,andare substantiatedbydata,research,and consensus.They describethepark'sdistinctivenatureand helpinform managementdecisions, focusingeffortsonpreservingandprotectingthepark'smostimportant resourcesandvalues. 10