babies on their dash to the sea. The club has argued that a well-maintained back road may be in the baby turtles' best interest. Few people would drive the beach at night if they thought the back road was safe.
So far, though, that argument has gone nowhere. The board decided, then, that, if the Park Service won't do the job, maybe it will at least allow us to give it a try.

Club helps Willis staff
The DIFF Club in October gave $1,000 to the staff of Alger Willis Fishing Camp to help pay their expenses after the hurricanes. Some of staff suffered flood damage from the hurricanes and all had to do without paychecks while Alger Willis was closed for repairs. The club's donation was a small gesture to help those we consider to be part of the family.

DIFF plates for sale
They're here. Club license plates showing the lighthouse and a turtle with the club's motto ¾ "We Brake for Turtles" ¾ are available to all members for $5 apiece. The metal plates are in two colors ¾ black and red ¾ and also note that the owner is a member of the DIFF Club.
The plates will be available for sale at the Annual Meeting in Pineville on Feb. 26. You can order them by sending your name and address and a check for the plates to DIFF, P.O. Box 531, Pineville, N.C. 28134
 
Work trip up in the air
The club's annual spring work trip to Davis Island is somewhat up in the air at the moment because of the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Great Island Camp and the retirement of a key board member.
The Park's Service, in its new amendment to its management plan, proposes replacing the current cabins with modern duplexes.

The DIFF Club, if the National Park Service approves, will try to maintain the back road this year. The club's board voted in December to spend up to $1,000 to rent a grader for two weeks and to pay someone to operate it. The club would grade the entire road in the spring and again before the annual fishing tournament in the fall.
The club has paid for minor maintenance in the past, but the board decided to finance a more extensive effort this year because of the Park Service's refusal to maintain the road. What little maintenance the agency has done in the past has been limited to the area around the lighthouse. Much of the road was in terrible shape after last year's hurricanes, and the Park Service did nothing to improve conditions.
Numerous discussions with the Park Service over this issue have gone nowhere. Board members noted at the December meeting that maintenance of the road was the park's responsibility, and a few remembered that the agency promised to use long-term parking fees to maintain the road. The board, though, decided that maintaining the road wasn't only good for members but also for the critters with whom we share the island.
Loggerhead sea turtles nest on Davis Island. The females waddle up the beach at night during the late spring and summer to lay eggs. The babies hatch at night and scurry into the surf. The Park Service's biologist have expressed fears that vehicles on the beach at night could deter the mommas from laying eggs or crush the

Contiued on next page