Portions of the park’s off-road vehicle corridor have reopened after being closed since June 10th. The corridor reopened along Pole Line Road from the crossover road and out to approximately six tenths of a mile of beach at Hatches Harbor in Provincetown. In addition, approximately one mile of the ORV corridor has reopened at High Head in Truro and two miles of the ORV corridor remain open at Coast Guard Beach in Truro for night fishing from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Vehicle access to the park's beaches was temporarily closed to protect piping plovers. Plover management at the park follows the guidelines developed by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the piping plover recovery team in 1996. These guidelines call for vehicle-free areas to extend at least 200 meters on each side of a plover nest for the first week after hatching, and after a week, at least 100 meters around the brood until the chicks fledge. In some instances, based on the behavior of the chicks, the buffer may need to be expanded.
Vehicle closures on portions of the beach occur every year, but this is the first time all vehicle access has been closed. During the negotiated rulemaking that formed the basis of the park's over sand vehicle program, the parties involved agreed to avoid adversely affecting plovers by adopting the recovery plan guidelines. Consultations with the Fish and Wildlife Service were done to see if other access options were available. Despite the park’s best combined efforts, no other option was available to allow vehicles on the beach without substantial risk of direct harm to plover chicks.
Media coverage has been high. Local businesses have also been affected due to the loss of revenue.
