August 14, 2012 (ORLEANS) _ For the first time since the first week of June – off-road vehicles are being allowed on Nauset Beach south of the main parking lot.

Nesting piping plovers forced the complete closure to off-roaders for the majority of the summer.

Orleans Park and Beaches Superintendent Paul Fulcher says they now have limited access from 9 am to 5 pm. Full access will be allowed once the final unfledged piping plover is able to fly.

Fulcher says the closure results in a yearly loss of sticker fees of nearly $450,000 – and even more than that in lost business for the town.