DID you know that it’s against the law to drive on the beach?
The CNMI Constitution prohibits driving vehicles along the beach but not too many individuals are aware of it, and this prompted Northern Marianas College and other government agencies to launch an awareness campaign.
Called the “Walk It, Don’t Drive It,” this campaign aims to educate the public on the ill-effects of driving on the beach, and to entice them to contribute to the preservation of the environment.
Kathy Yuknavage, environmental health specialist at NMC’s Cooperative Research Education and Extension Service, said the Department of Public Safety will be giving out citations to those who will not comply with 9 CMC Section 8507(b) which prohibits driving on the beach.
Yuknavage, along with the NMC-CREES soil and water management program staff, gave a presentation to DPS on the “Walk It, Don’t Drive It” campaign yesterday afternoon.
“Public Safety Commissioner Edward Camacho is interested in having his managing staff learn about the environmental impacts of driving on the beach so they will be able to inform the public why it is against the law,” Yuknavage told Variety.
Yuknavage said drips or deposits of oil and gasoline pollute the sand and the lagoon.
The ruts caused by tires in the sand also destroy turtle nests, Yuknavage added.
Further, driving on the beach destroys vegetation and causes erosion, she said.
The campaign is supported by the Coastal Resources Management, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Division of Environmental Quality and the Department of Public Safety.
Joaquin D. Salas, acting CRM director, said the collaborative efforts put into the “Walk It, Don’t Drive It” campaign is a “powerful way” to overcome CRM’s personnel and funding limitations.
“The program’s immediate results in raising awareness and creating positive change in policy among several government agencies are commendable,” Salas said in a letter to Yuknavage.
Salas said CRM is responsible for maintaining the ecological integrity of the coastal zone in the CNMI.
“Driving on beaches is probably the greatest direct negative effect on this zone,” Salas added.
