THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 1, 1995 TAG: 9412300216
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Government officials have stalemated over an access conflict between False Cape State Park and Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, so a group of concerned citizens will attempt to step in and offer solutions.
A daylong workshop, ``Citizens for Solutions,'' will be held at 9 a.m. Jan. 18 at the Virginia Beach Central Library. The workshop, hosted by the Virginia Beach Audubon Society and the Sierra Club, is open to the public.
For 20 years, state and federal officials have clashed over access to the state park. False Cape State Park is an isolated barrier spit in the southeast corner of the city. The only way to reach the park is through neighboring Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
But this year, the refuge closed its interior dikes, or trails, from Nov. 1 to June 1, and began requiring park visitors to trek five miles down the beach to reach the park. The refuge has determined that hikers and bikers using the trails disturb the wintering waterfowl that they're charged to protect.
Park officials consider that unreasonable and want permanent deeded access through the refuge. Park and refuge officials met in August to try to negotiate a resolution, but because of a misunderstanding as a result of that meeting, they've refused to meet again.
The conflict also has taken on political overtones as Gov. George Allen has used the park access issue in his fight with the federal government over what he considers excessive regulation.
``Local people know the local situation and are best qualified to define solutions, not battle a resolution,'' said George Jessen, of the Virginia Beach chapter of the Audubon Society. ``We don't have a political ax to grind.''
The managers of the park and the refuge will open the workshop by each providing a one-hour presentation on the issue. It will be followed by a discussion of the issues and suggestions for solutions by the citizens in attendance.
Jessen hopes the group, made up primarily of conservation and environmental group members, will generate a list of solutions for state and federal officials to consider.
Park and refuge representatives will not take part in the discussion portion of the workshop.
``We felt that we are so entrenched in this having negotiated for 20 years, that we would only bring a ``what's new under the sun attitude'' to it and it would not be conducive for what they want to do,'' said Gary Waugh, a state parks spokesman.
``Who knows, maybe they'll come up with something we haven't thought about.'' MEMO: For more information, call Jessen at 481-0351 or Fred Adams of the
Sierra Club at 467-2775.
by CNB