MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE — Base officials are emphasizing its no trespassing policy on Browns Island and surrounding navigable waters near Hammocks Beach State Park and Onslow Beach because of the frequent live-fire training exercises conducted in the area and the danger of unexploded ordnance.
Military police and the Coast Guard regularly patrol the area and issue citations to trespassers that requires an appearance before the federal magistrate in Wilmington. Violators can be imprisoned up to six months and fined a maximum of $5,000, according to Camp Lejeune.
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Hurricane Florence exposed more previously buried unexploded ordnance on the island, which is one of the major Camp Lejeune impact areas used since the 1940s for military training, The Globe reports.
Travelers of the Intracoastal Waterway should know that the area between the south bank of Bear Creek and the north bank of Browns Inlet are base property and are strictly off-limits due to highly sensitive unexploded ordnance in the area, and if close to the island, boaters may not stop, tie up or disembark their vessels.
Bear Creek and Muddy Creek leading are open to unrestricted navigation but there is some risk in this area because of the possible presence of unexploded projectiles, according to Code of Federal Regulations.
Boaters may travel through Browns Inlet without stopping when it is not in use by the military, but for safety reasons, because of the presence of unexploded projectiles, any contact with the bottom of the waterways or any bottom disturbing activity is prohibited. Additionally, there can be no crab pots, fishing with bottom-dragging nets, anchoring or any bottom-disturbing activities anywhere in the vicinity of Browns Island.
