Letter to the S.E.L.C.

To: Derb S. Carter, Jr. Director, North Carolina Offices, and whomever this may concern. Hello, My name is Peter Graves Roberts and I am seeking the NC Senate seat for District One. I am running an unsupported and unfunded Independent campaign to try and raise awareness about several issues directly affecting my county (Dare), as well as other issues such as failing nuclear facilities and hydraulic fracturing in other regions of my beautiful state. I will be clear. These are my issues with you: (1) the frivolous attack through the exploitation of legal loopholes you have undertaken has caused a very serious danger to the people of Hatteras Island. (2) your methods of "defending wildlife", including, but not limited to the blockage of a new Bonner Bridge, as currently planned by NCDOT and (3) the fact that through your efforts over the last decade have in fact set the subject of true environmentalists back, many, many years. To elaborate, and clarify my objections to your practices: Many of my fellow residents of Dare County agree with many of the aspects by which you continually block the construction of a new bridge in the current location. I concede, after many years of studying the works of Dr. Stan Riggs and working myself in the sector of environmental education, that a bridge in the same place would inevitably end in the same circumstance as we are now facing. I do not agree with the plan, in full, proposed by the NCDOT to replace the bridge as currently planned by NCDOT; however, I am at the point of placing my individual notions on the back burner for now as the citizens of Dare Co. and specifically Hatteras Island need immediate resolution to this problem and those within the NCDOT, North Carolina State Legislature and our representatives in the U.S.Congress have failed to reach a satisfactory agreement. As I understand, the plan as currently constituted by NCDOT would provide for a thirty-year bridge. If built now, this bridge would serve as nothing more than a "band-aid" in the opinion of many; however, if built, it would rectify the dangerous reality of losing the invaluable link between the southern townships and the northern Outer Banks. The recent closure, albeit short, cause nearly fatal consequences to residents living on Hatteras Island and I blame your organisation directly for this. I am not alone. I consider myself a conservationist. I have volunteered to help Network For Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.). I have acted on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in discovering and roping off endangered nesting sites for Least Terns, and I have spent countless hours over the last decade working the Northern beaches, educating thousands of visitors to our area about the unique geology and ecology of our extensively bio-diverse ecosystems, namely the Currituck Sound region. It brings me much sadness to see comments on social media every time a picture of a Snowy Owl is posted from the beaches of Hatteras, only to be followed by comments such as " I hope they eat all the Piping Plovers they can!" This such outrage is, in my opinion, a direct by-product of not only the frivolity with which you haplessly block progress for the residents of Hatteras Island and upper Dare County, but also the killing of ALL non-native species under the guise of the "re-wilding" campaign led by one of your major contributors The Defenders Of Wildlife. I will state again clearly; your organisation has very much contributed to the hatred of wildlife that would have otherwise gone unnoticed by most of our residents and visitors if you did not continually cite legal precedent set by C.A.M.A. and others, to block any development in the Oregon Inlet area. We are fed up. As part of my campaign I have begun emailing and calling every elected representative within our State Legislature and our U.S.Congress. I am David, if you will, and you are a "collective" Goliath, so to speak. My only ambition is to expose the ones within your organisation and our elected offices for the charlatans you truly are. My eyes have been opened after defending the very principles you and your organisations stand for. In closing, I would like to state again, very clearly, that in my opinion, and that of many concerned, ecologically minded residents of Dare County, that you are doing nothing more than giving the case of environmentalism a seriously bad reputation, and completely sabotaging the efforts of TRUE environmentalists state-wide. It is very disheartening that those within our state and U.S. offices have allowed this to go on for a decade; and I implicate our current Governor McCrory and all else involved in trying to do things "on the cheap". I have separate agendas for exposing the ills within their ilk and those of the NCDOT. I have just begun. DO NOT expect this to be a passing message. My supporters are many and are ready to see you fail, ultimately in your agenda to "re-wild" Hatteras Island and force all human residents off so that it may become a playground for the likes of your cohorts. Lastly, regarding the case of nesting turtles and bird species; I have personally witnessed the moving of turtle nests in Carova when laid in a dangerous area for the survival of the hatch-lings, and this could be done in the Oregon Inlet area as well. As for the birds, I do not feel that if construction begins on a new bridge, even as currently planned, the birds would have any problem nesting a few hundred yards down the coast. We have over 200 miles of coastline. Keep in mind the dredge spoil in Oregon Inlet now referred to as Pelican Island. They have adapted wonderfully and have thrived in that man-made location. No progress can be made until you step back, abandon your ruthless pursuit of the agendas of powerful NGO's such as D.O.W., and others whom you represent, and you come to terms that the reality of this volatile situation is met with cooperation from all sides, environmentalists, businesses, and our representatives. I have quite a few bones to pick with the latter as well. I would thank you for this opportunity to reach out, but I have the suspicion that this will just be thrown in the recycle bin along with the petitions and complaints from many individuals and groups who share my opinion. Please, let us govern ourselves. Respectfully Submitted, Pete Roberts. Pete Roberts for NC Senate, District One, 2014.