THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 22, 1995 TAG: 9504220283
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
State and federal officials on Friday called a truce to a bitter conflict that has raged for nearly 30 years over access to False Cape State Park through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Park and refuge representatives meeting in Richmond on Thursday and Friday agreed to a one-year planning process to hash out a long-term solution to the access dispute. They set a deadline of March 1 to reach an agreement.
In the meantime, the refuge will proceed with plans to close most of the refuge to the public next winter, but with modifications that will accommodate many park visitors.
Both sides walked away optimistic.
``We didn't settle all our differences in two days,'' said Gary Waugh, state parks spokesman. ``There was a certain amount of venting and putting some things behind us. We agreed to try to become more open in trying to talk about our problems.''
Robert Shallenberger, chief of refuges for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said, ``We're committed to put past differences behind us.''
The controversy over access to False Cape, a barrier spit that is cut off from Virginia Beach by Back Bay refuge, escalated last year when the wildlife refuge restricted public use of its interior trails, or dikes, from November to June to protect migrating waterfowl.
Those dikes, used by hikers and bikers, are the main access to the park. False Cape also used the dikes to bus visitors to its environmental education center. Private vehicles are prohibited.
A refuge study concluded that public use of the refuge disturbed the birds that flock there to rest and feed in the winter.
The seasonal closure forced park visitors to travel 10 miles round trip on the beach to reach the park. The beach is a more formidable route because of sand, tides and weather. The only other access is by boat.
Under Friday's agreement, the closure will be in effect December through February, the months when the park's environmental education center is closed.
During those months, the park and refuge will jointly sponsor monthly bus tours for the public through both facilities. Additionally, the park will be allowed two round trips per day to transport visitors in state vehicles along the beach.
It's the first time the refuge has allowed the state to drive into the park visitors who are not participating in scheduled environmental education activities.
``I'm so happy to see them come up with some new ideas here,'' said Fred Adams of the Sierra Club, who is co-chairman of an ad hoc citizens group that was formed to offer some solutions. ``It shows some willingness to really sit down and brainstorm it.
``Now coming to a final solution - that's going to be hard.''
Mary Heinricht of Southeastern Association for Virginia's Environment and a member of the citizens' group, said, ``It sounds like they're listening to the citizens and their concerns. Hopefully they will include some citizens on their committee.''
The state and federal agencies last met in August and agreed to a one-year planning process to try to accommodate birds and people. The state believed, as a result of that meeting, that the seasonal closure would not be implemented during that year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, however, said that was never the agreement, and the agency closed the gates Nov. 1.
Since then, state park officials had refused to meet.
The two were pressured back to the negotiating table by the citizens' group and by U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, who introduced legislation in Congress to force a resolution. ILLUSTRATION: Map
by CNB