Last July 4, law enforcement agencies announced a sharper eye on the wild partying tradition at beautiful, isolated Masonboro Island.
This year, no exception.
The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the N.C. Division of Coastal Management (DCM) want celebrators this Independence Day to exercise good behavior and respect for Masonboro, the largest undeveloped barrier landmass along southeast North Carolina, generally only reached by boat.
It draws hundreds of partiers every July 4, though in past years that’s meant a trashed landscape post-celebration and occasional talks among state officials of closing it off from the public.
“Over the past several years, unofficial Fourth of July parties have resulted in a growing number of arrests for underage drinking, fighting, boating violations, accidents and injuries,” noted the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources in a release this week.
But because authorities stepped up their presence on the island, and outreach prior to, July 4, last year’s partying was dramatically more serene, said observers including Masonboro.org volunteers who camped on the island overnight to help collect trash and encourage responsibility.
“It was probably the best one we’ve had in four years as far as people having a good time and being respectful,” group co-head Jack Kilbourne said at the time.
State regulators had similar observations.
“Last year’s Fourth of July at Masonboro Island was an improvement over past years,” DCM Director Braxton Davis said in a release this week. “Hopefully, this year’s continued law enforcement presence on the island and on the water will again be a deterrent to illegal activities and will help maintain visitor safety.”
A record from the sheriff’s office of 2013’s Masonboro blowout included 32 medical responses, with four serious but non-critical lacerations. Deputies documented 93 alcohol-related verbal warnings; other warnings went for careless or reckless boating, illegal boat-taxi services and disorderly conduct.
Some partiers were too drunk to remain on the island, reports said, and officers assisted them off.
Prohibited activities or materials on Masonboro include fireworks, loud noise, nudity, off-leash dogs, littering, and harming plants or soils. Visitors are also prohibited from leaving personal items there for more than 48 hours, according to a DCM guide to camping on the island.
General information about Masonboro is available here.
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Ben Brown is a news reporter at Port City Daily. Reach him at [email protected] or (910) 772-6335. On Twitter: @benbrownmedia
