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Walk it, don’t drive it
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Posted on Aug 06 2008
Going to the beach? Please walk it, not drive it.
Going to the beach with family and friends is always the best outdoor activity especially since our weather’s been beautiful lately.
Most of us have done an excellent job in picking up after ourselves, bringing an extra plastic bag to collect our garbage and some have even expanded family outings to include a beach cleanup before and after the food fest and day-long swimming. Unfortunately, we still fall short in protecting our environment when we use our vehicles on the beach.
Driving on the beach negatively impacts our resources, especially turtles, and coral reefs. These impacts include destroyed vegetation, sand compaction, beach erosion and pollutants entering the shoreline.
Here’s a quick lesson to help you remember not to D.R.I.VE on the beach:
D – Cars drip oil and gas that pollutes the sand and ocean.
R – ruts in the sand, caused by driving, destroy turtle nesting sites.
I – it is also illegal to drive on the beach.
VE – driving on the beach destroys vegetation. Roots hold soil and keep it from eroding into the ocean.
In 2002, Coastal Resources Management teamed up with NMC-CREES, Fish and Wildlife, DEQ, and Public Safety, raising awareness about the law prohibiting beach driving. Since then, awareness efforts were expanded and school representations are ongoing. Two sites, Wing Beach and Obyan Beach, have benefited from limited vehicle access, seeing an improvement in water quality, increased vegetation and thus, restoring the reefs and enhancing the beaches for turtle nesting.
While other popular beaches do not have constructed parking areas such as the type at Obyan Beach, there are, however, natural boundaries in place that discourage driving on the beach which we should all respect.
As the summer slowly comes to an end, enjoy our clean waters and help protect them by not driving on the beach. [B][I](COCO)
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