I did not suggest that the reasons for closing the other entrance were not valid. I did, however, state that TWO walkovers are part of Topsail's unit management plan. Now there is only one. If the walkover in question meets the needs that Topsail has expressed and benefits the community, I do not see what the problem is.
Do you have kids at Butler? You are correct they can arrange a guided field trip, however, they would have to be put on buses to go to the current Topsail entrance. With current budgetary constraints, the kids are lucky to get one field trip per year using a bus.
I am not as concerned about the long walk. If you go to the beach at Fort Panic on a busy summer day, it is a long, dangerous walk from where you have to park your car to the beach access and the bathrooms. Besides, the kids use the ocean for that anyway.