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Chapter Two

Sites of theCoastal Reserve

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Upland

DuneBeach Marsh

General HabitatsN

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S

0.5 0 0.5 Kilometers

Reserve Boundary

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CURRITUCK BANKSNCNERR COMPONENT

Rac

oon

Bay

Jenkins Cove

Ships Bay

At l ant ic O

ceanC

urri

tuck

S

ound

MaryIsland

Monkey Island

Corolla

Currituck Banks

25 SITES

The Setting

Remote and untouched by development,the Currituck Banks site is an excellentexample of an undisturbed barrier islandand low-salinity estuarine system. The sitelies in the northeastern corner of NorthCarolina, 10 miles south of the Virginiaborder and three-quarters of a mile northof the unincorporated village of Corolla.Bounded by Currituck Sound and theAtlantic Ocean, the site encompasses 954acres. Neighboring tracts are owned byThe Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service. Although managementof each property is separate, the combined2,807-acre area is used for research andeducation.

The site is located in Currituck County, oneof the five fastest-growing counties in thestate. The mainland of the county is mostlyrural, with several small communitiesdotting a landscape of farms, forest, andopen water. The county’s barrier islandcommunities, though expanding rapidly, arestill relatively small and difficult to reach.No roads exist north of the reserveproperty, and residents who live beyond the

Currituck Banks

town must drive along the beach to reach theirhomes.

While tourism and resort development hasstimulated growth of this area, most of theexpansion has resulted from peopleworking in the Hampton Roads, Virginia,metropolitan area moving into the county.Because of its location, Currituck County’seconomy has traditionally been moreclosely tied to Virginia than to NorthCarolina. The only town in North Carolinawithin 75 miles of the Currituck site that hasmore than 10,000 people is Elizabeth City, 20miles west of the site.

The abundant waterfowl and fisheries of

26SITES

Currituck Sound have made Currituck Countyone of the state’s most popular recreationalhunting and fishing areas, which is an importantaspect of the county’s economy. Also contrib-uting to the economy is the substantial touristtraffic that passes through mainland CurrituckCounty on the way to and from Dare County’sOuter Banks, one of the nation’s most popularvacation areas.

The History

Before the European settlement ofnortheastern North Carolina, the area nowknown as Currituck County was home tothe Poteskeet Indians. Although their mainvillage was located on the mainland, thePoteskeet hunted and fished in CurrituckSound and on Currituck Banks. Oystershells and pottery fragments have beenfound at the reserve site, indicating that thePoteskeet had some sort of encampmentthere.

In 1584, the English first attemptedsettlement in the New World on nearbyRoanoke Island. Despite the failure of SirWalter Raleigh’s “Lost Colony,” Englishsettlement was firmly established north of

Currituck, in southeastern Virginia. Englishsettlers began moving into the region bythe late seventeenth century, and survivedby farming and fishing. They lived on theCurrituck mainland and transported cattleand sheep to the Banks to feed on theabundant marsh grasses. While documentsof the period record several nonviolentdisputes over territorial rights with thePoteskeet in the early eighteenth century,the Poteskeet had virtually disappearedfrom Currituck by 1730.

One or more inlets through the CurrituckBanks directly connected Currituck Soundto the Atlantic Ocean. The Englishdocumented one inlet, known as MusketoInlet, in the 1580s at or near the reservesite. By 1680, shifting sands began to fillthe inlet and eventually closed it. CurrituckInlet was used to set the boundary betweenNorth Carolina and Virginia in 1663. By1828, New Currituck Inlet - the last of theinlets through the Banks - had closed. Thisbegan the transformation of CurrituckSound from a high-salinity estuarineenvironment to a low-salinity estuarineenvironment. The sound’s extensiveshellfish beds started to vanish, while new

ABOUT CURRITUCK BANKS:The site encompasses 954 acres. It is located 10 miles south of the Virginia borderand three-quarters of a mile north of the unincorporated village of Corolla.

27

SITES

estuarine species, submerged aquatic plantsand waterfowl began to appear.

The marshes and waters of CurrituckSound became well known throughout thenation as prime waterfowl hunting grounds.This led to the founding and constructionof several hunting clubs, the first of whichwas the Currituck Shooting Club, built in1857. Wealthy members of these clubsbought large tracts of land on the Banks topreserve waterfowl feeding areas and toensure a continuous bounty of geese,ducks, and other migratory game birds.Several of the architecturally interestingclubhouses that were built still exist,although they are used less frequentlythan in the past.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s,several small farming and fishingcommunities were established on theBanks. Following several shipwrecks in theearly 1870s, the U.S. Lifesaving Servicebuilt five lifesaving stations along theCurrituck Banks as well as the CurrituckBeach Lighthouse at Corolla.

In 1895, a post office was established in

Corolla, which gave the community a sense ofpermanence. Around 1900, a sturgeon gill-netting operation began in Corolla, but itssuccess quickly depleted the sturgeon popula-tion and the business disbanded within 10years. Net Scaffold Point, in the Reserve site,probably gets its name from this period.Farming and commercial fishing graduallydeclined on the Currituck Banks during thetwentieth century, while waterfowl hunting andsport fishing became even more popular.

Since World War II, real estate developmenthas played an important role in shaping thecharacter of the Currituck Banks. Severallarge tracts of land from the Virginia line to theDare county line have been subdivided forresort homes. Although the Banks remainsparsely settled compared with other parts ofthe North Carolina coast, the area is changingrapidly.

The Ecology

Throughout recent geologic time, CurrituckBanks has been a dynamic barrier landform,

ABOUT CURRITUCK BANKS:Throughout recent geologic time, Currituck Banks has been a dynamic barrierlandform, moving or “migrating” in response to sea level changes.

28

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moving or “migrating” in response to sea levelchanges (see page 17 ) for a more detailedexplanation of this process). While the Bankswas once a series of islands, it is currently partof a complex barrier spit that extends about70 miles from Virginia Beach to Oregon Inlet.Behind this barrier spit, extensive marsheshave built up from inlet deltas and overwashfans that were submerged by rising sea level.

Although at one time there were as many asthree inlets along Currituck Banks, theclosest opening to the sea is now OregonInlet, 45 miles south of the reserve site.After the last inlet closed in 1828, thesound gradually became what is nowvirtually a freshwater estuary. Water level inCurrituck Sound is mainly determined bywind direction and speed rather than lunartides. The water level is, therefore,relatively higher when southerly winds pushwater in from Albemarle Sound and lowerwhen northerly winds push water back intoAlbemarle Sound.

The average depth of the sound is five feet,while the deepest parts average slightlymore than 10 feet. Surface temperatures inthe sound range from about 40 degrees

Fahrenheit in January to an average of 86degrees in July. The mixing of warm GulfStream currents and cooler northerncurrents off Currituck Banks creates aclimate where northern species reach thesouthern limit of their ranges and southernspecies reach the northern limit of theirranges. As a result, a diversity of speciesfrom both regions is found here.

The climate, layout of the land, andremoteness of the area combine to give theCurrituck Banks site a wealth of plant andanimal life, as well as productive habitatsthat are still relatively pristine. The habitatsdescribed in Chapter Three that are foundwithin the Currituck Banks site are the oceanbeach, sand dunes, grasslands, shrub thicket,maritime forest, brackish and freshwatermarshes, tidal flats, and subtidal soft bottoms.

The Currituck site contains a rich resourceof commercial and game fish. Largemouthbass, yellow perch, tidewater silverside,pumpkinseed, and blue-spotted sunfish arethe most common species. Other gamefishes include white perch, pumpkinseed,

ABOUT CURRITUCK BANKS:The climate, layout of the land and remoteness of the area combine to give theCurrituck Banks site a wealth of plant and animal life.

29 SITES

bluegill, black crappie, chain pickerel andchannel catfish. Commercial fish catchesinclude white perch, catfish, carp, shad,herring, and eel. Except for crabbing,shellfishing is not commercially importantin Currituck Sound.

The site’s marshes serve as importantnesting and feeding grounds for numerousbirds, mammals, reptiles, and otherorganisms, many of which are described inChapter Three. Four animals listed by thefederal government as endangered,threatened or of special concern are foundin the vicinity of Currituck Banks, as are63 species recognized as such by statebiologists. Scattered nesting sites of theloggerhead sea turtle, a federally threatenedreptile, have been reported on the beachesof Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge,False Cape State Park and Currituck Banks.

Birds found in the area that are of specialconcern include osprey and three species ofshorebirds. The osprey population isthought to be increasing in CurrituckSound. Ospreys nest on channel markers,platforms, and in trees and are reasonablytolerant of people. The shorebirds of

concern - Wilson’s plover, black skimmer, andleast tern - have been found nesting within thereserve site as well. Piping plovers, which arethreatened, are seen occasionally, but are notknown to be nesting in the area.

Currituck Sound is located within theAtlantic Flyway and therefore attracts adiversity of migrating birds includingfalcons, ducks, geese, warblers, gulls, terns,herons, and egrets, as well as mainlandspecies, like the indigo bunting and bob-white. The site is especially important forwaterfowl: an estimated 6 percent of thewaterfowl spending the winter along theAtlantic Flyway and 32 percent of NorthCarolina’s wintering fowl are found onCurrituck Sound. Annual midwinter countsof the waterfowl on the sound from 1975to 1978 found 59,650 dabbling ducks,11,250 black ducks, 12,000 diving ducks,24,250 geese, 9,050 whistling swans, and59,325 American coots.

The area is an important breeding territoryfor wading birds such as herons and egrets.Several heron rookeries, or nesting areas, arefound along Currituck Sound. These

ABOUT CURRITUCK BANKS:Birds found in the area that are of special concern include osprey and threespecies of shorebirds.

30

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ABOUT CURRITUCK BANKS:The nearshore waters of Currituck Sound contain dense beds of aquatic plants, suchas widgeon grass, milfoil, tape grass and horned pondweed.

colonies reflect the health of the estuarinesystem because wading birds are the finalconsumers in many estuarine food chains.Changes in the health of the ecosystem, forexample those caused by a pollutant, will bereflected in the health of the birds.

Getting to the Site

N.C. 12 in Currituck County leads to anocean beach ramp within the reserve site;however, parking is only allowed on theocean beach. Access along the ocean beachfrom the north through Back Bay NationalWildlife Refuge and False Cape State Parkis limited to permanent local residents.The site can also be reached by driving upthe beach strand from Dare County or byboating across Currituck Sound.

Visiting the Site

A number of foot and jeep trails crisscrossthe Currituck Banks site, particularly in thesouthern half, and there is a VirginiaElectric Power Company right-of-way,which may be followed. The trails that passthrough the shrub thicket and maritimeforest provide the best access with the least

amount of potential damage to the habitats.Visitors should be careful to avoid wetdepressions, which are very vulnerable todamage from foot traffic. Freshwater pondswithin the site are good areas for educationand research.

The nearshore waters of Currituck Soundcontain dense beds of aquatic plants, suchas widgeon grass, milfoil, tape grass andhorned pondweed, which are typical oflow-salinity estuaries. Visitors should avoiddisrupting this fragile ecosystem.

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12US 158

Collington Island

0.5 0 0.5 Kilometers

Public Beach Accessï

¶ ReserveBoundary

KITTY HAWK WOODSNC COASTAL RESERVE

Curr it uc k S

ou nd

Burnt Island

Hay Point

LongPoint

Shellbank Point

Atlanti c Ocean

Albemarle Sound

Kitty Hawk Bay

Sloop Island

Kill DevilHills

Kitty Hawk Woods

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Kitty Hawk WoodsThe Setting

The Kitty Hawk Woods component islocated on the Outer Banks, in the centerof the village of Kitty Hawk. A series ofridges and swales gently rolls across thislandscape – the relics of dunes left by theAtlantic Ocean as it receded during thePleistocene epoch. The ridges support amixed evergreen and deciduous maritimeforest, while a swampier forest exists in thelow, wet swales. The transition where thesetwo habitats meet supports a great diversityof plants, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

Kitty Hawk Woods encompasses a total of1349.6 acres of maritime deciduous swampforest and marsh. The town of Kitty Hawk,with a conservation easement with thestate, owns 461.6 acres.

Like many of the small towns on the OuterBanks, Kitty Hawk’s economy is based ontourism. Some local residents also runsmall independent commercial fishing andcrabbing operations. Many of the familiesin Kitty Hawk have lived in the area forgenerations. They have a strong attachmentto the lands that their ancestors fished,

hunted, timbered, and used for livestock, andview the woods as a piece of heritage thatshould be preserved.

The History

Kitty Hawk Woods are what is left from alarger maritime forest that once includedKitty Hawk village and Southern Shores.Long before the arrival of Europeanexplorers and colonists, the woods werehome to Native Americans of Algonquianstock, who probably used the areaintermittently to hunt, fish, trap and gatherplants.

Although there were failed attempts by

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ABOUT KITTY HAWK WOODS:Kitty Hawk Woods encompasses a total of 1349.6 acres of maritime deciduous swampforest and marsh.

Sir Walter Raleigh to settle the area, thewoods reverted to its Native Americaninhabitants for nearly a century. It was notuntil the mid 1700s that Europeansettlement began in Kitty Hawk.

In 1874, the original Kitty Hawk lifesavingstation was erected on the beach just eastof Kitty Hawk village. During the nextyear, the federal government located aweather station nearby. In 1878 the firstKitty Hawk post office was establishednear the head of Kitty Hawk Bay, and alifesaving station was built four miles southin Kill Devil Hills. This sudden growth ingovernment facilities promised to increasecommunications with the outside world andprovide more varied means of livelihood forarea residents.

In the early 1900s, Kitty Hawk was acommunity of roughly sixty families. Dueto extensive wetlands, no residences appearto have existed in the reserve. Residentssubsisted largely from fishing, gardening,and tending livestock. Hunting in KittyHawk Woods provided an additionalsource of food and income. Also at thistime, several short-lived lumber companies

passed through Kitty Hawk to timber thewoods, but the area remained largely one of“impassable swamps and sand dunes.”

In the late 1900s, the Kitty Hawk WoodsPartnership acquired 1,400 acres, which itplanned to develop. In 1986, it offered tosell or donate a portion of the land to theState as a conservation easement, inexchange for a U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers permit to fill the wetlands. At thesame time, the Kitty Hawk Town Councilasked to negotiate an agreement with theKitty Hawk Woods Partnership to acquiretitle to a 462-acre tract. This would ensurethat future generations of Kitty Hawkcitizens would be able to enjoy it and havethe right to participate in decisionsconcerning its use and management.

The final agreement, completed in 1992,resulted in four separate parcels beingprotected for conservation purposes. Thetown of Kitty Hawk acquired title to the462-acre tract, along with conservationeasements on three other tracts ofundevelopable wetlands. The Division ofCoastal Management was given aconservation easement on the tract, which

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34

was then dedicated as a state naturepreserve. Soon afterwards, the Kitty HawkWoods Partnership went bankrupt. Thestate continues to acquire land with thegoal of linking the various tracts to create awildlife corridor.

The Ecology

Several inlets created by storms once cutacross the Currituck Banks, allowing tidalexchange of salty ocean and fresh soundwaters. By 1828, the last of these inlets –New Currituck Inlet – closed, and thesalinity in Currituck Sound dropped fromsalt brackish to fresh brackish water. Theresulting estuaries now serve as primarynursery areas for fish. Currently, the closestinlet to Kitty Hawk Woods is Oregon Inlet,23 miles to the south. Because of thisdistance, the movement (and therefore thesalinity) of the waters around Kitty HawkWoods are influenced by wind rather thanby tide, and the surrounding marshes floodirregularly. Brackish marsh may be foundalong the coast of Currituck Sound, whileboth freshwater and brackish marsh may befound along the banks of High BridgeCreek.

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The eastern edge of the forest is located aquarter-mile from the ocean, where a dunesystem runs parallel to the coast, ranging inelevation from 24-30 feet, and protectingthe area from wind shear and salt spray.The forest itself is located on a series oflow ridges and swales. A community ofevergreen and deciduous hardwoods knownas maritime deciduous forest is found onthe upland ridges. The broad swales, manyof which remain saturated with water year-round, support maritime swamp forests thatare dominated by thick stands of baldcypress. Maritime deciduous swamp forestsare known only to exist in fewer than fivelocations worldwide. Kitty Hawk Woods isone of the largest maritime forests on theOuter Banks, and the only maritime forestin the state where bald cypress dominatesthe swamp forest community.

Because of the location of Kitty HawkWoods and the variety of habitats itsupports, a great diversity of wildlife isfound at this site. Upland areas supportgray fox, raccoon, and white-tailed deer,while nutria, muskrat and river otter may befound in the marsh areas. The marshes alsosupport a high density of reptiles and

ABOUT KITTY HAWK WOODS:Kitty Hawk Woods is one of the largest maritime forests on the Outer Banks and theonly maritime forest in the state where bald cypress dominates.

35SITES

amphibians, including green tree frogs, south-ern leopard frogs, diamondback terrapins,water moccasins, and eastern king snakes.

Both resident and seasonal birds thrive inthe unfragmented forest cover of thereserve site. The woods are home towarblers, woodpeckers, hawks, wrens andother songbirds. Wood ducks inhabit thedeeper swales and isolated portions of HighBridge Creek. Herons, egrets, geese,ducks, swans, gulls and rails may be foundin the marsh. Rare species observed in thearea are peregrine falcons and sharp-shinned hawks.

Rare plants are found on the reserve aswell. The tree, hop hornbeam, is rare on theOuter Banks and only found in Kitty Hawkand Nags Head Woods. Southerntwayblade and wooly beach heather areboth considered imperiled in NorthCarolina.

Getting to the Site

The reserve is located in Kitty Hawk. It isbordered by U.S. 158 to the east, KittyHawk Road (SR 1208) to the south,

Currituck Sound to the west, and U.S. 158 tothe north. The forest is bisected in an east-west direction by Woods Road (SR 1206).

Public access is limited to an entrance tothe power line cut on Eckner Street. Thepower line cut is open to foot and horsetraffic. Visitors can walk on the interiorridges, which are accessible from the powerline easement by crossing swales. HighBridge Creek is accessible by kayak, canoe,and other small boats on the west side ofthe easement from High Bridge Creek.This tract is only open to foot traffic.

Visiting the Site

The Kitty Hawk Woods site includes rareand delicate habitats. Visitors are asked tostay on the designated trails; unrestrictedaccess to some sections of the woods hasresulted in damage to portions of thenatural communities by dumping, erosion,and compaction. Riders are asked to cleanup after their horses. The reserve is closedto the public after sunset.

ABOUT KITTY HAWK WOODS:Herons, egrets, geese, ducks, swans, gulls and rails may be found in the marsh. Rarespecies observed in the area are peregrine falcons and sharp-shinned hawks.

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NEW

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Orange Point

Catfish Point

Buck Island

Newport NewsPoint

No rthw

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TheFrying Pan

Alli

gato

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NC 94

¶ ReserveBoundary

EMILY AND RICHARDSON PREYER BUCKRIDGE NC COASTAL RESERVE

All i

gat

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iver

Buckridge ReserveEmily and Richardson Preyer

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Buckridge ReserveThe Setting

At more than 18,000 acres, the Emily andRichardson Preyer Buckridge Reserve is boththe largest single property in the CoastalReserve and its first inland site. Locatedapproximately 15 miles south of Columbia inTyrrell County, Buckridge is situated betweenthe Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes Na-tional Wildlife refuges.

The History

Tyrrell County was first explored and mappedin the 1580s by John White and the RoanokeIsland Company. This vast coastal area, at thetime referred to as “Albemarle,” was grantedto eight of the Lords Proprietors. Sir AshleyCooper was granted the “South Shore,” partof present day Tyrrell County. An Algonquiantribe, the Tramaskecoc, was the only group ofinhabitants of the Buckridge area during thistime period. This tribe lived along the AlligatorRiver near the point it turns north, most likelyin the vicinity of Grapevine Landing. There isvery little known of these native Americansother than that they used the area for hunting.

The first European settlement in TyrrellCounty, Fort Landing, was established inthe early 1700s in an area north of theBuckridge Reserve. During this time, lifein the “Great Alligator Swamp” — as theswamp forest of mainland Dare and TyrrellCounties was known locally — centered onfishing, farming and logging.

Logging became especially important ineastern North Carolina between 1880 and1920 after many of the old growth forestsof New England were harvested. One milltown in particular, Buffalo City, thrived onthe east shore of the Alligator River alongMill Tail Creek in Dare County. Between

Emily and Richardson Preyer

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ABOUT BUCKRIDGE:At more than 18,000 acres, Buckridge is both the largest single property in theCoastal Reserve and its first inland site.

1885 and 1925, Buffalo City was the largesttown in Dare County and the mill employedover 200 people. To keep up with the de-mand for logs by the mill, timber campspenetrated much of the Great AlligatorSwamp, including the Buckridge area.

As the 1900s approached, railroads weremaking their way into Tyrrell County. In 1908the Norfolk Southern Railroad bridged theScuppernong River and routed their line toColumbia, where a depot was constructedand existed until 1948. The Branning LumberCompany moved in during this time andinstalled a private railroad running from GumNeck, located just west of Buckridge, toColumbia. The railroad allowed TyrrellCounty to prosper with schools, movietheaters and improved infrastructure.

According to the 1940 Federal Census, thepopulation of Tyrrell County had reached5,000 residents and by 1949 there were 10sawmills in the county. Logging that tookplace after World War II required extensivedrainage that made farming possible on someof the areas adjacent to Buckridge.

In 1960 the West Virginia Pulp and PaperCompany employed over 200 people andeventually owned 150,000 acres of timberlands that encompassed approximately 50percent of the Tyrell County. In the mid-1970’s this land was sold to First ColonyFarms, Inc. that attempted to develop anagro-business complex in Dare, Tyrrell andWashington counties. One aspect of thisenterprise was the harvest and sale of Atlanticwhite cedar stands including those found southof the Frying Pan. However, First Colonywas not successful and the property was soldoff in the 1980s as numerous separate tracts,one of which was Buckridge. Tyrrell Countyarea then began to see an economic declineand many residents left the area to find em-ployment elsewhere.

Primland, Ltd. purchased the Buckridgeproperty in the early 1980s with hopes ofmining the deep peat soils to sell as a fuelalternative. Logging continued, including thecutting of remnant Atlantic white cedar, but thepeat was never mined. Some farming doesnot occur on private tracts within theBuckridge site, but extensive agriculturaloperations exist in the

39

surrounding areas where corn, soybeans andpotatoes are major crops.

The Ecology

This Reserve site is part of the East DismalSwamp, a wetlands complex that encom-passes more than 320,000 acres in Dare,Tyrrell and Washington counties. TheBuckridge site contains non-riverine swampforest with patches of peatland Atlantic whitecedar forests and pond pine woodlands. Bothcommunities give way to a tidal cypress-gumswamps and brackish marshes along theAlligator River. The canopy of the site isco-dominated typically by swamp black gum(Nyssa biflora) and red maple (Acerrubrum) with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) insome areas. Scattered remnant bald cypress(Taxodium distichum) and Atlantic whitecedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) standsoccur in deep organic soils, while sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) grows inthe rare mineral soils. The understory ofthese forests is dominated by young swampblack gum and red maple as well as red bay(Persea palustris). While most of the Atlanticwhite cedar has been cut in recent years, thereis a large area (nearly 5,000 acres) present

that may be the mostextensive contiguous example in the state.Black needle rush (Juncus roemerianus) isthe typical marsh grass found along rivershoreline. Buckridge plays an importantlandscape role in connecting the Upper andLower Alligator River wetland areas.

Both sides of the Alligator River have thegreatest extent of peatland communities inNorth Carolina and possibly the wholeeastern United States. These communitiesare quite rare outside of the PasquotankRiver Basin. This site also maintains habitatfor several animals listed by state andfederal agencies as special concern, rare,threatened or endangered. These speciesinclude the red wolf, bald eagle,red-cockaded woodpecker, black bear,Atlantic and shortnose sturgeons andAmerican alligator.

According to the U.S. Fish & WildlifeService Office of Migratory BirdManagement, the Buckridge Reservesupports three of the five highest priorityneotropical migrants that are dependent onsoutheastern forested wetlands of the

ABOUT BUCKRIDGE:The majority of the Buckridge contains non-riverine swamp forest with patches ofpeatland Atlantic white cedar forests and pond pine woodlands.

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ABOUT BUCKRIDGE:This site maintains habitat for several animals listed by state and federalagencies as special concern, rare, threatened or endangered.

coastal plain — black-throated green warbler,Swainson’s warbler and prothonotary warbler.

The Albemarle Sound and its tributaries arethe state’s most important and anadromousfish spawning areas. Also, the AlligatorRiver is designated by the N.C. WildlifeResource Commission and the N.C.Division of Marine Fisheries as a primarynursery area for striped bass, spot, croaker,American and hickory shad, weakfish and asa major spawning area for anadromousfish—principally river herring.

Getting to the Site

Buckridge Woods may be accessed by U.S.64, which connects with N.C. 94 in Colum-bia. Traveling south on N.C. 94, there arethree routes that will give a visitor access todifferent portions of the Reserve site, eachterminating in a boat landing. Approxi-mately 10 miles down N.C. 94 is the inter-section with Frying Pan Road that leads toFrying Pan Landing. Five miles farthersouth on N.C. 94, the intersection withGum Neck Road leads to a series of localroads. The western-most terminus of this

network is Grapevine Landing while thesouthern end is Gum Neck Landing. BothFrying Pan Landing and Gum NeckLanding are maintained by the N.C. WildlifeResources Commission. Although there isno formal facility at Grapevine Landing,local residents do use the site for launchingsmall boats. Buckridge may also be visitedby boat from the Alligator River.

Visiting the Site

The site is very remote and no publicfacilities currently exist. Hiking along theexisting roads and boating along theshoreline are the best ways to observe thenatural features. Insect repellant isrecommended during the warm months.Buckridge is closed to hiking during thehunting season – mid-October throughDecember.

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41

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NEW

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NC 12

0.5 0 0.5 Kilometers

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Marina>Ligthhouse

¶ ReserveBoundary

BUXTON WOODSNC COASTAL RESERVE

BaldPoint

Kings Point

Atla

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Oc e

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Pamlico Sound

Cape Hatteras

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

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Buxton

Buxton Woods

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Buxton WoodsThe Setting

The 825-acre Buxton Woods component islocated on Hatteras Island, one of thebarrier islands that form the Outer Banks.Housed within the largest tract of maritimeforest left standing on the Carolina coast,this area of pine and oak-covered duneridges is interspersed with maritime swampforest and unique marshy wetlands. Anaquifer beneath Buxton Woods provides thesole source of drinking water for theHatteras Island communities.

The Buxton Woods component is boundedon the south by the Cape Hatteras NationalSeashore and on the north by N.C. 12. Theadjacent towns of Buxton and Friscocomprise a typical barrier island communitywith a seasonal resort-based economy.Tens of thousands of tourists visit the areaeach year, and most of the locals earn theirincome through private and commercialdevelopment, service-related businesses,and commercial fishing.

The History

Buxton Woods is one of the few areas on

the Outer Banks that was inhabited year roundby Native Americans. A group of Algonquianslived just east of present day Buxton, andsustained themselves with hunting and someagriculture. English colonists arrived in theearly 18th century and the Algonquiansdwelled harmoniously amongst them, althoughthey dwindled to extinction by the end of the18th century.

The English settlers made their livingsprimarily by fishing and raising livestock,and allowed hundreds of cattle, sheep,hogs, and goats to graze freely throughoutthe forest. They also timbered much of thelive oak and red cedar to build boats. Bythe late 1800s the area had acquired a

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43

ABOUT BUXTON WOODS:The 825-acre Buxton Woods component is located on Hatteras Island, one of thebarrier islands that form the Outer Banks.

lighthouse, lifesaving station, weather stationand post office, increasing the amount offederal employment. In 1846, storms openedthe present Hatteras and Oregon inlets andincreased both trade and maritime traffic inthe area.

In the 1930s, people became aware of theimpacts of these human activities onHatteras Island, and acted to preserve theisland. In 1937, Congress authorized theestablishment of the 70-mile Cape HatterasNational Seashore to protect the area. TheNational Park Service and the CivilianConservation Corps worked to preventbeach erosion by erecting sand fences andplanting sea oats. Open grazing of livestockwas prohibited north of Hatteras Inlet,because it was believed to be the principalcause of localdeforestation.

In 1953, the Cape Hatteras NationalSeashore was officially recognized. The1950s and ‘60s also saw the constructionof N.C. 12 and the rise of the Herbert C.Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet,facilitating access from the mainland toHatteras Island. As a result, the economyrapidly shifted toward the tourist industry.

When developers proposed to build a golfcourse in Buxton Woods in 1986, localresidents formed a group called “Friends ofHatteras Island.” Concerned that theproposed golf course threatened themaritime forest and local aquifer, theyworked with the Sierra Club and theCoastal Resources Commission to have thewoods designated as a specialenvironmental district, subject to DareCounty development regulations. Thedevelopers abandoned their golf courseand sold the land to the State, which in turncontinued to purchase tracts in the bestremaining portion of the forest. Theaccumulated land was formally dedicatedas the Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve Sitein 1997.

The Ecology

The seaward edge of the forest is a shrubthicket community dominated by live oakand red cedar. Further inland, the forestconsists of a series of dune ridges which arestabilized by a maritime evergreen forestcommunity. Because of the heavy logging

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of red cedar and live oak in the 1800s, thecanopy is dominated by loblolly pine.

Between the forested dune ridges, broaddepressions support seasonally topermanently flooded freshwater marshes,called “sedges” after the grasslike plantsthat grow there. Cattails, sawgrass, wildrice and spike rushes are also commonplants in these ponds. Associated with thesedges are communities of woody plants,which are not quite tall enough to beconsidered true swamp forest, but too wetto be called shrub thicket. This communityis called maritime shrub swamp and ischaracterized by shrubs like red bay,dogwood, willow and wax myrtle as well assmall individuals of trees like red maple andloblolly pine.Non-woody plants that areable to tolerate the saturated soils includeroyal fern, cinnamon fern, lizard’s tail, andwater dock. It is thought that, in the past,natural and manmade fires occasionallyburned through the woods, inhibiting theencroachment of woody plants around thesedges. At present, the practices of firecontrol and draining surface water from thewetlands for mosquito control are allowingthese species to grow.

The sound side of the woods is bordered bya zone of salt marshes. Dense stands ofblack needlerush dominate, while a thinintertidal border of smooth cordgrassparallels the shoreline. Sea ox-eye and saltmeadow cordgrass grow in the areasfurthest from the salt water, and above this“supratidal” zone, a small fringe of shrubthicket makes the transition from marsh toforest.

Since Hatteras Island is surrounded byseawater, the ground water is mostly saline;the island’s fresh water is derived solelyfrom rain. Because fresh water is less densethan salt water, this lens-shaped body

ABOUT BUXTON WOODS:Between the forested dune ridges, broad depressions support seasonally topermanently flooded freshwater marshes, called “sedges.”

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ABOUT BUXTON WOODS:Rare plants in the reserve include the winged seedbox, gulfcoast spikerush andsavannah nutrush.

of rainwater (called an “aquifer”) floats atopthe seawater aquifer beneath Buxton Woods.A wellfield located in the woods taps theaquifer to provide drinking water for the townsof Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras. It isthought that the sedges play an important rolein “recharging” or replacing the fresh water inthe aquifer; thus the future of the Hatterascommunities depends on maintaining thesemarshes in good health.

Buxton Woods serves as an importantresting place for migratory birds in the fall.More than 360 species, including baldeagles and peregrine falcons, have beenrecorded for the Cape Hatteras seashorearea. Common mammals in the area includegray fox, mink, river otter, and white-taileddeer. Reptiles and amphibians includeeastern box turtles, rat snakes, greenanoles, southern toads, and southern duskysalamanders. Rare plants in the reserveinclude the winged seedbox, gulfcoastspikerush and savannah nutrush. Two rarebutterflies (northern hairstreak, giantswallowtail) and a moth (messalina under-wing) are also found in the area.

Visiting the Site

From the north, Hatteras Island may beaccessed by N.C. 12, which connects withU.S. 64 near Manteo (60 miles to the north).Visitors may also take the public ferry fromeither Cedar Island (Carteret County) orSwan Quarter (Hyde County) to OcracokeIsland. From Ocracoke, the Hatteras Inletferry serves as a link to N.C. 12 on HatterasIsland (the ferry terminal is located 8 milessouthwest of the reserve). The reserve can bereached via Old Doctor’s Road, FlowersRidge Road, or Water Association Road,which all run into the forest from N.C. 12.Various walking trails also link the stateproperty with the Cape Hatteras NationalSeashore.

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Rachel Carson Reserve

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Rachel Carson ReserveThe Setting

Across Taylor’s Creek from the Beaufortwaterfront and not far from the port atMorehead City is a complex of islands thatcompose the Rachel Carson site. Theislands at the western end of the site -Carrot Island, Town Marsh, Bird Shoal,and Horse Island - are almost three-and-a-half miles long and three-quarters of a milewide, covering 2,025 acres. Middle Marsh,separated from the rest of the site by theNorth River Channel, is almost two mileslong and three-quarters of a mile wide,covering nearly 650 acres.

The Rachel Carson site is in the midst ofone of the state’s fastest growing areas.Both Beaufort and Morehead City areincreasing in size, as are the resort andresidential communities of Bogue Banks, abarrier island across Beaufort Inlet from thesite. Traditionally the area’s economy hasdepended on farming, commercial fishing,and boat building.

In recent years, tourism has becomeincreasingly important. There are manyoutdoor recreation opportunities in the

area, and Beaufort’s charm, history, andharbor attract visitors and boaters fromacross the country.

The area is also a center of marine researchand education in North Carolina’s coastalarea. The marine laboratories of DukeUniversity and the University of NorthCarolina are located here, as are the NOAASoutheast regional offices, the NationalMarine Fisheries Service and the NorthCarolina Division of Marine Fisheries. TheNorth Carolina Maritime Museum , the NorthCarolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores andthe Cape Lookout National Seashore areexcellent education centers. In fact, during the1940s the late Rachel Carson did research atwhat is now the reserve site named in herhonor.

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The History

Before the European colonization ofAmerica, Carrot Island and Middle Marshmay have been used intermittently by theCoree Indians. The Corees are thought tohave spent considerable time on the nearbyOuter Banks, especially in the vicinity ofCape Lookout.

European settlement of the Beaufort areabegan in the first two decades of the eigh-teenth century. In 1723, the town commis-sioners began to sell lots and Beaufortdeveloped as a port. The early settlers builtprivate wharves along the shores of themainland and also, perhaps, on CarrotIsland. They used the waters around theRachel Carson site for shipping lumber,naval stores, and farm commodities.As early as 1806, it was reported thatmullet were being caught by a fishery onCarrot Island, then dressed, salted andtaken to Beaufort to be sold. Other fish andshellfish were also taken in this area. Thefirst processing plant in the state formenhaden, still a valuable commercialspecies, was established on nearby Harker’sIsland in 1865.

Beaufort began to decline as a portfollowing the establishment of MoreheadCity in the 1850s. Improvements in thechannel from Beaufort Inlet to the terminalfacilities at Morehead City, especially thosethat have taken place during the twentiethcentury, completed this eclipse.

In 1782, a Revolutionary War skirmish nearthe mouth of Taylor’s Creek involvedtownsmen and a small British-landing party.Following an initial exchange of fire, theBritish moved about one-half mile eastwardand landed on Carrot Island, spending thenight there. At sunrise, the British crossedTaylor’s Creek to the mainland, overcamethe local troops, and swept into Beaufort tobegin a short-lived occupation of the town.It is also possible that the current RachelCarson site was affected during the con-struction of Fort Macon on Bogue Banks inthe 1830’s and 30 years later, during theCivil War siege that led to the fort’s fall.

A map of 1777 shows that, at that time,Carrot Island was the only island withinwhat is now the Rachel Carson site. TownMarsh, then known as “Island Marsh,” wasonly barely exposed. It was referred to in a

ABOUT THE RACHEL CARSON RESERVE:Carrot Island, Town Marsh, Bird Shoal and Horse Island are almost three-and-a-halfmiles long and three-quarters of a mile wide, covering 2,025 acres.

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deed of this period as merely a “bunch ofbushes.” Except for Carrot Island and thebushes that would one day become TownMarsh, there were no exposed areas,although the water in this area wasextremely shallow.

In 1854, Town Marsh (then called BirdShoal) was three-eighths of a mile long. By1885, Town Marsh had more than doubledin length and its northern shoreline movedeven closer to the Beaufort waterfront.The growth of Town Marsh had made theTaylor’s Creek channel almost unusable, soin 1893 the citizens of Beaufort asked thefederal government to build a breakwateron Town Marsh to protect the channelalong the town’s waterfront. Although thatrequest was denied, in the early 1900s theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers begandredging the mouth of Taylor’s Creek,using Carrot Island as a dredge materialdeposition area. Before the dredging,Carrot Island was essentially all tidal marshwith some elevated hammock land.

By the 1930s, the islands had been built upby the dredge material deposition to thepoint that they provided protection for the

ABOUT THE RACHEL CARSON RESERVE:During the 1940s, the late Rachel Carson did research at what is now the reserve sitenamed in her honor.

town of Beaufort from high winds,flooding and storm waves. In fact, the greathurricane of 1933 caused relatively littledamage to the town. The Corps ofEngineers continued to use Carrot Islandand Town Marsh as deposition sites tomaintain Bulkhead Channel, Gallant’sChannel and Taylor’s Creek.

One of the most distinctive aspects of thereserve site is a herd of feral horses, whichare believed to have been placed on CarrotIsland and Bird Shoal by a local resident inthe 1940s. From the Beaufort waterfront,residents and visitors alike can watch theonce domesticated animals graze and roamthe reserve site. Feeding largely onsaltmarsh cordgrass, the horse population issubject to vegetation limitations during thewinter.

Except for the deposition of dredgematerial, the presence of the horses andfoot traffic, the Rachel Carson site remainsrelatively undisturbed. Carrot Island, TownMarsh, and Bird Shoal have becomepopular with area residents and visitorsalike for swimming, walking, shellcollecting, bird watching and picnicking.

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ABOUT THE RACHEL CARSON RESERVE:The Rachel Carson site is particularly important for birds. More than 200 species ofbirds have been observed at the site.

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Although a developer had planned to con-struct resort homes on Carrot Island in 1977,Beaufort residents, civic organizations andenvironmental groups worked together toprevent the development. The North CarolinaNature Conservancy purchased 474 acres ofCarrot Island that year, and the State of NorthCarolina completed the acquisition of the area(including the Conservancy’s tract) in 1985.

The Ecology

The islands and estuarine waters at the RachelCarson site are strongly influenced by riverand inlet dynamics and the twice-daily tidesthat range about three feet. Because it isclose to Beaufort Inlet, the western part of theisland complex has a salinity that is similar tothat of the Atlantic Ocean. Middle Marsh, atthe mouth of the North River, has less predict-able salinity patterns that vary with the tidesand river flow. The range of tidal changes atMiddle Marsh, the low-salinity variation of thewestern section, and the topography of theentire site have created a diverse and produc-tive estuarine system with a variety of habitats.The dredge material areas, in particular, havecontributed to the ecological diversity of thereserve site by creating habitat that would not

have occurred naturally. Habitats found withinthe site are tidal flats, regularly and irregularlyflooded salt marshes, ocean beach, subtidalsoft bottoms, hard surfaces, dredge spoilareas, sand dunes, shrub thicket and maritimeforest. These are described in Chapter Three.

The Rachel carson site is particularlyimportant for birds. More than 200 specieshave been observed at the site, which is

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ABOUT THE RACHEL CARSON RESERVE:The Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle, nine other species of reptiles and ten species ofmammals have been found in or near the reserve site.

located within the Atlantic Flyway. Twenty-three species of birds using Bird Shoal areconsidered rare or decreasing in number bystate ornithologists. The site is an importantfeeding area for Wilson’s plovers in thesummer and piping plovers (threatened federalstatus) in the winter, both of which are listedby state biologists as species of specialconcern. Bird Shoal may have the largestwintering population of piping plovers alongthe entire East Coast based on the AudubonSociety’s Christmas bird counts. The shrubthicket of Middle Marsh supports an egret andheron rookery.

The Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle,a federally protected threatened species,nine other species of reptiles, and tenspecies of mammals have been found in ornear the reserve site. In addition to the feralhorses, the river otter, gray fox, Norwayrat, raccoon and marsh rabbit inhabit theislands. The American bottlenose dolphinswims in the deep waters around the island,along with fifty-two species of fish.Forty-seven invertebrate species commonto the Rachel Carson site include mollusksand worms. Of these, three whelks --channeled, knobbed, and lightning -- and one

polycheate, the parchment tubeworm, havebeen given special concern status by statebiologists.

Getting to the Site

The Rachel Carson site can only be reachedby boat. Visitors may use their own boat, orthere are local boating concessions as well.Visitors usually land on the sandy beach atthe west end of Town Marsh and cross thedredge material areas, marsh zones andmud flats. Carrot Island also has large spoiland marsh areas like Town Marsh, but fewsandy spots where boats can land.

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ABOUT THE RACHEL CARSON RESERVE:The American bottlenose dolphin swims in the deep waters around the island,along with fifty-two species of fish.

Visiting the Site

A trail guide for the Rachel Carson site isavailable free of charge over the internet orat the Reserve education office. Of theislands within the site, Town Marsh, CarrotIsland and Bird Shoal receive the most usebecause of their easy access by boat fromBeaufort and the Duke University MarineLaboratory. The islands’ varied habitats canbe used for hiking, fishing and otherrecreational activities.On Bird Shoalvisitors can walk along the sandy beach foralmost the entire length of the island.During low tide, it is possible to cross theshallow slough between Town Marsh andBird Shoal.

The upland areas of the site - the shrubthicket, beach, and dredge material areas -will be the least affected by visitor use,except for the sea oats found on portions ofBird Shoal. Marsh communities, like thoseof Horse Island, are quite vulnerable toeffects of use, and should be avoided.Selected eelgrass beds and intertidal flatsmay be used by groups of twenty or less ona limited basis for collecting or interpretivepurposes if permission is received from the

North Carolina National EstuarineResearch Reserve. Special habitat areas,such as the horses’ watering holes and theshorebird nesting sites, are off limits tovisitors.

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Masonboro IslandThe Setting

The largest undisturbed barrier island alongthe southern part of the North Carolinacoast is Masonboro Island, located approximately five miles southeast ofWilmington. The 8.4-mile-long islandencompasses approximately 5,046 acres, 87percent of which are covered with marshand tidal flats. The remaining 619 acres arecomposed of beach uplands and dredgematerial islands. The Masonboro Island siteis bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to theeast, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway tothe west, Masonboro Inlet to the north andCarolina Beach Inlet to the south.

The island is located in the most populouspart of the North Carolina coastal area.Wilmington, the state’s largest coastal city,is nearby, as are two popular resort beachareas - Wrightsville Beach and CarolinaBeach. Commercial fishing, shipping,commerce, and tourism are important tothe economy of the region.

As natural barrier islands have beenincreasingly developed, relatively pristineisland and sound complexes like

Masonboro Island have become more impor-tant for research, education, recreation, andfishing. Masonboro Island is a favorite localspot for sunbathing, fishing, boating, naturestudy, and hunting.

The History

It is possible that the stretch of beach nowknown as Masonboro Island was the first partof the American coastline to be seen anddescribed by a European explorer. This initialsighting may have occurred in March 1524,when an Italian voyager, Giovanni daVerrazano, came within view of what isbelieved to have been the lower coastlineof present-day North Carolina, several

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miles above the point of Cape Fear.

Two years later, a Spanish explorer, LucasVasquez de Ayllon, entered the mouth ofthe Cape Fear River and established atemporary base along its west bank. Fromthis base, Ayllon sent out men to explorethe interior of the region and the nearbycoastline. It seems likely that one or moreof these exploratory parties along the coastwould have come in contact with what isnow Masonboro Island.

During the colonial period, MasonboroSound was generally known as CabbageInlet Sound, taking its name from the inletwhich existed at that time through thebarrier beach. Cabbage Inlet was locatedsomewhat south of today’s MasonboroInlet, just below the mouth of Purviance(now Whiskey) Creek on the opposite sideof the sound. Until the opening of NewInlet in 1761, Cabbage Inlet was the firstinlet along the coast north of Cape Fear.Cabbage Inlet was closed by a storm in1783, and has not reappeared.

In the early 1700s, the mainland alongMasonboro and Myrtle (now Myrtle

Grove) sounds began to be sparsely settled.Some of the settlers, generally those ofmodest means, built permanent homesalong the sound, making their livelihoodsfrom farming and fishing. Other, moreaffluent landowners purchased property onthe sound for speculation or for summerhomes. This pattern of developmentcontinued throughout the antebellumperiod. It is of interest to note that severalsalt works were also operated in the area.As was the case during the 18th century,there is no indication that the barrier beachnow known as Masonboro Island was putto any extensive or consistent use.

Masonboro Island and Masonboro Inletwere involved in the wrecks of at least fourvessels during the Civil War. Three of theseships were blockade-runners which wereforced ashore and destroyed while in routeto or from Wilmington. The other lostvessel was part of the Union blockadingfleet. Confederate troops were stationed atvarious points along the mainland shores ofMyrtle Grove and Masonboro soundsduring the war.

Farmers, craftsmen, and fishermen

ABOUT MASONBORO ISLAND:Masonboro Island is the largest undisturbed barrier island along the southern partof the North Carolina coast.

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continued to live on the mainland side of thesounds during the late 19th and early 20thcenturies. In autumn mullet were taken in largequantities along the ocean side of MasonboroIsland. Lookouts were posted on dunes tosignal boat crews of the approach of the mulletschools. Once netted, the fish were hauled upon the beach and often salted there. Catchesare reported to have run as high as 20,000pounds. In addition to this primary fishery, it isthought that an abundance of flounder, shrimp,clams, and oysters were taken from the watersof the sounds and nearby creeks and marshes.

During the latter part of the 19th century,Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach,two of the oldest coastal resorts in thestate, began to develop. The town ofWrightsville Beach was incorporated in1899. In about 1902, a railway wasextended across Banks Channel, parallel tothe footbridge. In 1935, a highway wasconstructed across Banks Channel to thebeach, and construction began on the roadthat now extends along the entire length ofthe beach. In the late 1880s, the NewHanover Transit Company constructed apier on the east bank of the Cape Fear and arailroad linking this pier to the seashore three

miles to the east. This led to the developmentof Carolina Beach, which was incorporated in1925.

Construction of the Atlantic IntracoastalWaterway between Beaufort and the CapeFear River, by way of Masonboro andMyrtle Grove Sounds, was authorized in1927 and completed in 1932. The waterwaywas linked to the Cape Fear River by thecreation of Snow’s Cut, at the lower end ofMyrtle Grove Sound. Many local fishermenopposed the waterway because they fearedthat it would increase the depth of the

ABOUT MASONBORO ISLAND:Pristine island and sound complexes like Masonboro Island have become moreimportant for research, education, recreation and fishing.

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water, decrease salinity, disturb fishery breed-ing grounds, and cause reduced catches. Outof these concerns came a proposal severalyears later for the creation of an inlet throughMasonboro Island at John’s Creek. Althoughthe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers refused therequest, Carolina Beach Inlet was cut throughthe island in 1952 as a private venture.

Over the past three decades, the inlet’slocation and shape have changedconsiderably. In 1947, the Corps ofEngineers began the first of severaldredging projects to prevent MasonboroInlet from migrating. In the 1960s, amassive, lengthy stone jetty was built nearthe north end of Masonboro Inlet, in yetanother attempt to stabilize the inlet. Asouth jetty anchored to the tip ofMasonboro Island was completed by theCorps of Engineers in the late 1970s.

At present, the area around MasonboroIsland is developing rapidly. Boat trafficthrough Masonboro Inlet and CarolinaBeach Inlet has swollen with mountingnumbers of commercial fishing vessels andvarious pleasure craft.

The Ecology

Masonboro Island is an essentially pristinebarrier island and estuarine system. It is anunusual estuary because its fresh watercomes primarily from upland runoff andmainland streams rather than a tidal river;however, some freshwater flows from theCape Fear river through Snow’s Cut. Thevarious salinity patterns found in theextensive subtidal and intertidal areas alongthe sound side of the island support amyriad of estuarine species in addition tothe various communities typical of theisland proper. The habitats found within thereserve site include subtidal soft

ABOUT MASONBORO ISLAND:It is an unusual estuary because its fresh water comes primarily from upland runoffand mainland streams rather than a tidal river.

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bottoms, tidal flats, hard surfaces, regularlyand irregularly flooded salt marshes, shrubthicket, maritime forest, dredge spoil areas,grasslands, ocean beach, and sand dunes.These are described in Chapter Three.

Loggerhead and green sea turtles nest onthe Masonboro beaches, where seabeachamaranth plants grow on the foredunes.All of these species are listed as threatenedby the federal government.

Certain birds and estuarine worms found inthe Masonboro complex have special statusaccording to state biologists*. Black skim-mers (special concern), Wilson’s plovers(sigificantly rare) and least terns (watch list)nest on the island’s beach/dune area. Soundsediments are home to two state watch listspecies — Hartman’s Echiurid and apolycheate worm in the genus Notomastus.

Although colonies of terns and othershorebirds nest on Masonboro Island,there are fewer reptiles and amphibianscompared with nearby barrier islands. Thenutrient-rich waters of Masonboro Soundare an important nursery area forcommercial and sport marine species

including spot, mullet, summer flounder,pompano, menhaden, and bluefish.

Getting to the Site

The Masonboro Island site can only bereached by boat. There are public andprivate ramps in and near WrightsvilleBeach and Carolina Beach that can be usedfor launching. Visitors usually land on thesandy beaches along the north and southsound-side areas of the island.

ABOUT MASONBORO ISLAND:The nutrient-rich waters of Masonboro Sound are an important nursery area forcommercial and sport marine species.

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Visiting the Site

When landing on the beaches along thenorth and south sound side of the island,most visitors cross the dunes to the beachwhere sunbathing, picnicking, hiking, andsport fishing are popular activities. Visitorsmay also walk down the undisturbed oceanbeach for miles.

The beach, maritime forest and shrubthicket are the habitats least vulnerable todisturbance by visitors. Dunes and grassyflats are more easily affected, as tramplingmay destroy the grass stems. It is also easyto damage the high and low marshcommunities this way. The open tidal flatsmay be used by groups as long as thehabitat is not altered, for example byextensive digging in search of invertebrates.The few eelgrass beds should only be usedby classes that are careful to avoid damag-ing this delicate and locally significantcommunity.

*LeGrand, H.E. and S.P. Hall. 1997. NaturalHeritage Program List of the Rare AnimalsSpecies of North Carolina. N.C. NaturalHeritage Program. DENR. Raleigh. 83 pp.

ABOUT MASONBORO ISLAND:Loggerhead and green sea turtles nest on the Masonboro beaches, where seabeachamaranth plants grow on the foredunes.

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Zeke’s IslandThe Setting

One of the most unusual areas of the NorthCarolina coast is the lagoon-like estuarinecomplex at the Zeke’s Island site. The siteis 22 miles south of Wilmington, boundedby Federal Point to the north, Smith Islandto the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east,and the Cape Fear River to the west. Thereare three main islands within the site:Zeke’s Island, covering 42 acres of highground; North Island, encompassing 138upland acres; and No Name Island,covering about three acres and the beachbarrier spit of 64 acres. The islands arefringed with extensive marshes and tidalflats.

Zeke’s Island is part of the lower Cape Fearregion, an area whose outstanding estuarineand ocean resources have long supportedthe important commercial fishing industry.In recent years, the area’s beauty andclimate have attracted thousands of touristsand sparked the growth of its communities.The economy of nearby resort towns –Kure Beach, Carolina Beach, CaswellBeach, Yaupon Beach, and Long Beach –depends on tourism. Southport, a town on

the west bank of the Cape Fear River, is thesport fishing center of Brunswick Countyand one of the state’s leading commercialseafood producers. The Smith Island/BaldHead Island complex is the site of avacation and retirement development.

The History

It was not until the mid-1770s that thelower Cape Fear River was permanentlysettled by Europeans. More than a centuryearlier, a group of colonists from theMassachusetts Bay Colony attempted tosettle there, but failed after a short time.Several attempts by Barbadians to maintaina colony along the river between 1664 and1667 were also unsuccessful. Native

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Americans did live in the area, but it is notknown if they fished and hunted in theZeke’s Island vicinity.

Permanent colonial settlement along thelower Cape Fear River began with theestablishment of Brunswick Town on thewest bank of the river - a short distanceupstream from the present reserve site.Within a few years, plantations were builtalong the Cape Fear’s lower reaches, andthe area began to grow.

A violent storm in 1761 opened New Inlet,probably at the section of beach used as a“haul over” - a narrow part of the islandwhere boats could be moved between theocean and the sound. The inlet was createdapproximately two miles north of itspresent location. Vessels travelling be-tween the ocean and the river used this andanother inlet for more than a century.

A map of 1770 shows an extended shoalarea within New Inlet, running north andsouth from the inlet, along the east bank ofthe river. There are indications that Zeke’sIsland slowly increased in size during thelate 18th and early 19th centuries. Between

1852 and 1858, its configuration changednoticeably, extending northeastward toNew Inlet channel. Wooden walkwaystraversed Zeke’s Island at this time and asmall wharf jutted outward from thenorthwest tip of the island into the CapeFear.

The lower Cape Fear region was especiallyimportant during the Civil War. Fort Fisher,the “Gibraltar of the South,” was just northof New Inlet and guarded its approaches.Many smaller batteries and forts werescattered around the lower Cape Fear,including a battery of three guns on Zeke’sIsland. The river was the principal lifeline ofthe Confederacy during the war,particularly during its latter stages. Despitevigilant patrolling of local inlets by as manyas fifty federal ships, numerous blockaderunners made their way stealthily into andup the Cape Fear to deliver essential sup-plies that were exchanged for cotton andother agricultural products in Wilmington.

Fort Fisher fell in January of 1865,following a massive amphibious assault byUnion forces. Passing through New Inletand continuing upriver, the troops captured

ABOUT ZEKE’S ISLAND:One of the most unusual areas of the North Carolina coast is the lagoon-likeestuarine complex at the Zeke’s Island site.

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Wilmington. Artifacts and sunken vessels fromthe 1800s can be found in and near thereserve site as a result of these militaryoperations.

Between 1875 and 1881, a majorengineering feat was accomplished whenthe U.S. Army Corps of Engineersconstructed “The Rocks” – a massivebreakwater running from Federal Point toZeke’s Island, and from Zeke’s Islandsouthward to Smith Island. Designed toreduce shoaling in the Cape Fear, the Rocksdrastically reduced the flow of waterthrough New Inlet and caused extensivechanges in the landforms of the area. NewInlet migrated southward while Zeke’sIsland grew significantly in length. Theisland subsequently became the site for aturpentine factory, which was destroyedduring the 1899 hurricane, and a center forgill net fishing.

“The Basin” – the area between the Rocksand the barrier spit – has been used byinhabitants for hunting and fishing. Inrecent years, it has been open forshellfishing. The spit has been used to someextent by off-road vehicles. Except for the

Rocks and off-road vehicle use, the Zeke’sIsland site shows little evidence of humanencroachment, although the lower CapeFear region is continuing to grow.

The Ecology

An excellent example of how natural andhuman influences can affect the naturalenvironment can be seen at the Zeke’sIsland site. The dynamics of the inlets in thearea have changed the size and shape of thesite’s islands, and the rock jetty has blockedthe flow of the Cape Fear River through theestuary, creating a lagoon with a salinitylevel similar to that of the Atlantic Ocean.

Although the changes in the area’s inletsbetween the late 1800s and 1938 is unclear,it is probable that the inlets referred to inhistorical documents migrated southwardand closed, perhaps with other inlets open-ing and closing in the narrow spit. A 1938aerial photo shows only one inlet in thearea, called Corncake Inlet, near the presentNew Inlet. In the late 1950s, Corncake Inletclosed because of shoaling.

After New Inlet opened it steadily migrated

ABOUT ZEKE’S ISLAND:The unusual characteristics of the site have created a variety of habitats, includingtidal flats, salt marshes, shrub thicket, maritime forest, sand dunes, ocean beachand the hard surface of the Rocks.

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southward, causing the growth of the beachspit south from Federal Point. North Island,originally part of a barrier island, now runsnorth to south behind the beach spit, andbetween Zeke’s Island and New Inlet. NoName Island has also recently taken shapeoff the southern tip of Zeke’s Island. Ingeneral, the amount of exposed land withinthe reserve site has continued to increaseduring this century and the water depth hasprogressively decreased. While shoals andmarshes have continued to appear anddisappear in the Basin, the main islands ofthe site - Zeke’s, No Name, and North –have remained stable relative to the sixty-six-acre barrier spit, even though theirshorelines periodically increase and erode.In 1999 New Inlet closed resulting in a shiftfrom oceanic to riverine influence withinthe Basin.

Zeke’s and No Name Islands haveelevations of only a few feet; North Islandhas several scattered dune systems, one ofwhich reaches to twenty feet above sealevel. High tides at the site occur twice aday and have a range of about three to fourfeet. The unusual characteristics of the sitehave created a variety of habitats, including

tidal flats, regularly and irregularly flooded saltmarshes, shrub thicket, maritime forest, sanddunes, ocean beach and the hard surface ofthe Rocks. These are described in ChapterThree. Seabeach amaranth (threatened federalstatus) has been found on the site’s foreduneareas.

The Zeke’s Island site is important forseveral commercial seafood species foundthroughout the area. Fish, shrimp, crabs,clams and oysters use the estuary as anursery ground where young organismstake advantage of the shallow protectedwaters, abundant food, and relative safetyfrom predators.

ABOUT ZEKE’S ISLAND:Fish, shrimp, crabs, clams and oysters use the estuary as a nursery ground whereyoung organisms take advantage of shallow protected waters, abundant foodand relative safety from predators.

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Both the Atlantic loggerhead and green seaturtles, federally protected threatenedspecies, occasionally nest on the site’socean beach spit. Off-road vehicle trafficalong the beach is regulated by the Divisionof Parks and Recreation to protect thesespecies.

The Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, whichswims in the waters near the site, is themost common local marine mammal.Humpback and pygmy sperm whales havebeen sighted in the Atlantic Ocean offshorefrom the site.

The expanse of intertidal flats in the Zeke’sIsland vicinity is the single most importantshorebird habitat in southeastern NorthCarolina. A variety of species have beenrecorded there, among them dunlin,black-bellied plovers, short-billeddowitchers, white ibis, great blue herons,snowy egrets, and tri-colored herons, aswell as black ducks, mallards, and pintails.Ferry Slip, a nearby island in the Cape FearRiver, harbors 500 pairs of brown pelicansand is one of the few areas in southernNorth Carolina that provides habitat forthem. This island also contains a heron

rookery. Another island near Zeke’s,Battery Island, harbors 700 pairs of whiteibis, hundreds of great egrets, and anassortment of other herons and egrets.Both Battery and Ferry Slip islands host alarge wintering population of marbledgodwit.

Getting to the Site

U.S. Route 421 from Wilmington, whichprovides easy access to all of the recre-ational areas north of the site, ends atFederal Point – adjacent to the Zeke’sIsland site and the N.C. Department ofTransportation’s ferry to Southport. The

ABOUT ZEKE’S ISLAND:The Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, which swims in the waters near the site, is the mostcommon local marine mammal.

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N.C.Wildlife Resources Commission main-tains a public boat ramp at the northern shoreof the Basin. In addition, the New HanoverCounty Parks and Recreation Departmentmaintains a pedestrian beach access facilityand vehicular dune crossovers on FederalPoint. The entrance for these is on U.S. 421,just north of the North Carolina Aquarium atFort Fisher. Access within the reserve isprimarily by private boat while the barrier spitis accessible by foot or off-road vehicle

Visiting the Site

The North Beach of the “basin” is the primaryeducational area of the reserve site. Thisisland contains representative examples ofmost of the area’s plant and animal communi-ties. The barrier spit portion of the reserve siteis a popular spot for recreation as well as anexcellent site for observation and researchconcerning inlet dynamics.

No Name Island should not be used bygroups because it is totally covered by marsh.North Island is the largest and by far the mostecologically diverse island in the site. This

ABOUT ZEKE’S ISLAND:The expanse of intertidal flats in the Zeke’s Island vicinity is the single most importantshorebird habitat in southeastern North Carolina.

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are more easily disrupted because of foot orvehicular traffic can destroy the stems ofunderground root systems of the sea oats. Both high and low marsh communities arevery vulnerable to destruction by trampling.The open tidal flats may be used by groups aslong as they are not disturbed significantly,such as by extensive digging for invertebrates.

island can accommodate individuals or specialgroups that prefer a more wilderness-likeexperience for estuarine and upland habitatinterpretation or research. In general, thebeach and shrub thicket habitats are leastvulnerable to disturbance by visitors. Dunes

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Bald Head Woods

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Bald Head WoodsThe Setting

The 173-acre Bald Head Woodscomponent is part of the Smith Islandbarrier island complex, located at thesouthernmost point of the state. SmithIsland lies just east of the Cape Fear River,and is bounded on the south and east by theAtlantic Ocean, and on the north by theZeke’s Island site. The “highlands” of thiscomplex consist of Bald Head, Middle andBluff Islands. These are actually threeforested dune ridges, separated by saltmarshes. The name “Bald Head” originatesfrom a sand dune near the western edge ofthe southernmost ridge, which resembles abald man’s head, and is the first land to beseen from the sea when approaching theCape Fear River. The southeast extremityof Smith Island is an elbow of sand thatjuts far out into the ocean, earning it thename “Cape Fear” for the hazards it haslong posed to ships. To the north of thehighlands, vast expanses of low salt marshmake up three-quarters of the 12,000-acrecomplex.

Bald Head and Middle Islands, the twosouthernmost ridges of the Smith Island

complex, are steadily being developed withthe ultimate goal of becoming an exclusiveisland resort area. The state owns theproperty north of Middle Island (10,000acres), which includes the beaches andwetlands north of Bluff Island (East andBay Beach), and a small separate islandnear the mouth of the Cape Fear River(Battery Island). Bluff Island is managed bythe Division of Parks and Recreation, whileBattery Island is leased to the NationalAudubon Society for stewardship of thelarge heronry. The Bald Head Woodscomponent of the North Carolina CoastalReserve is located in the central portion ofBald Head Island and is managed by theDivision of Coastal Management.

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ABOUT BALD HEAD WOODS:The 173-acre Bald Head Woods component is part of the Smith Island barrier islandcomplex, located at the southernmost point of the state.

The History

A substantial amount of Indian material hasbeen found on Middle Island, indicatingthat small family groups used the island forhunting and fishing as early as 1500. Thefirst European explorers in the region werethe Spanish. In 1526, an unsuccessfulexpedition led by Lucas Vazquez de Ayllonattempted to settle the Cape Fear River.Similar attempts were made by French,New Englanders and Barbadiansthroughout the 17th century.

Because of its strategic location at themouth of the Cape Fear River, Smith Islandplayed an important part in the Civil War.Confederate blockade-runners used theinlets and channels around Bald Head totransport cotton from Wilmington past thelines of Union Blockade vessels thatguarded the coast. They then proceeded toEurope, to trade their cargoes for provi-sions and munitions much needed by theSouth. In fact, this commerce was soimportant that the Cape Fear River becameknown as “the lifeline of the Confederacy.”To protect this lifeline, the Confederatesconstructed Fort Holmes on the western

side of Bald Head Island in 1863. Extensiveremains of this earthwork fort still existtoday. After a massive Union assault andthe fall of nearby Fort Fisher, Fort Holmeswas evacuated in 1865 and the lifeline ofthe Confederacy was broken.

The Civil War left behind the wreckage ofat least 40 ships run aground by Unionforces. In total, Cape Fear has been the siteof at least 63 shipwrecks. Because of thedanger to ships associated with this area,the federal government constructed alighthouse on the island in 1796. Thislighthouse was replaced by the lighthouseknown as “Old Baldy” in 1816.Discontinued in 1935, Old Baldy is theoldest lighthouse still standing in NorthCarolina. The main lighthouse for the areanow resides across the river on Oak Island.

From 1882 to 1937, the island alsomaintained a life-saving service station. Acrew of nine men patrolled the beach dailyto watch for distressed vessels, to signalthose approaching danger areas, and torender aid to shipwreck victims.

Improvements in navigation aids made

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ABOUT BALD HEAD WOODS:The name “Bald Head” originates from a sand dune near the western edge of thesouthernmost ridge, which resembles a bald man’s head.

rescues unnecessary, and the station wasdiscontinued.

Throughout the 20th century,conservationists and developers havebattled over the fate of Smith Island.Development finally started in the early1970s, and has proceeded slowly butsteadily. In 1978, the Carolina Cape FearCorporation donated 10,000 acres to TheNature Conservancy in exchange for anArmy Corps of Engineers permit toconstruct a marina. This conservationeasement included Battery Island and thelands and marshes north of Middle Island.The Nature Conservancy subsequentlytransferred these lands to the State. Thereserve property was acquired from BaldHead Island, Ltd. in 1997.

The Ecology

One of the significant features of BaldHead Woods is the extremely old, largetrees in this maritime forest. Live oak andlaurel oak are the major tree species,making up a canopy that shelters the plantsbeneath from salt spray. Because of thefrequent storms in this area, treefalls and

limb breakage open many gaps in the canopy.The increased light conditions result in a thickundergrowth of smaller trees, shrubs, andvines, including wild olive, American holly,yaupon, and catbrier. So dense is this under-story layer that very little light penetrates to theforest floor, favoring a sparse groundcover ofshade-tolerant plants like ebony spleenwort.Cabbage palmetto appears throughout theforest. This palm is in the northern limits ofits range here, as are other species like theCarolina laurel cherry, and a thorny shrubcalled tough bumelia.

The forest contains a number of swales thatmay be wet or dry, depending upon the

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ABOUT BALD HEAD WOODS:Live oak and laurel oak are the major tree species, making up a canopy that sheltersthe plants beneath from salt spray.

precipitation. A freshwater pond provideshabitat and breeding grounds foramphibians and reptiles such as thesouthern toad, squirrel tree frog, easternmud turtle, and black racer. The pond alsosupports small populations of black ducks.Gray squirrels, raccoons and opossumsinhabit the forest. Resident birds include theCarolina wren, cardinal and paintedbunting. These are joined in the fall bymigrating species such as catbirds, towhees,blue jays and twenty-two species ofwarblers. Twenty-five bird species over-winter on Bluff Island. The other migrantsremain only a short time before passing onto wintering grounds further south.

In addition to the maritime forest, BaldHead Woods is surrounded by high and lowsalt marsh to the north, south, and west.To the east, a zone of sand dune and openbeach habitat buffers the forest from thewind. These habitats are described in chapterthree..

Getting to/Visiting the Site

Bald Head Island may be accessed from theSouthport marina by commercial ferry

(about $15 per person) to cross the CapeFear River. Cars are not allowed on theisland, but bicycles and golf carts may berented, and maps are available to directvisitors to Bald Head Woods. Aninterpretive trail leads from the parking lot,and the first loop of the trail is wheelchair-accessible.

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Permuda Island

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PermudaIslandThe Setting

Permuda Island is a small narrow islandsituated in Stump Sound in the extreme south-western portion of Onslow County. It containsabout 50 acres of upland and is approximately1 1/2 miles in length. The island now liesprotected behind Topsail Island, but it isbelieved to have once been part of a system ofbarrier islands.

The History

The island is virtually covered by a shellmidden which reflects extensive aboriginalactivity during the prehistoric period. Theidentification of these Indians and the precisenature of their activities on the island have yetto be determined. The land may have beenpart of a poorly defined patent granted to JohnBaptista Ashe in 1726. There were manydeeds recorded between 1738 and 1865.The Stump Inlet had closed , at least tempor- rarily by 1875 and then reopened severaltimes until 1912 when it closed for good. Thatputany connection with the open sea 9 milestothe southwest and 17 miles to the northeastThe land was then cultivated up until recently.

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The Ecology

Permuda Island is situated on the sound sideof Topsail Island. Now surrounded by theestuarine waters of Stump Sound, the com-ponent is protected from high energy oceanwave dynamics. The island is composedprimarily of Holocene and Pleistocene sandswith minor amounts of silts and clays. Thewaters of Stump Sound have semi-diurnaltidal fluctuations via the New River Inlet andthe Topsail Inlet. The estuary receives freshwater from local creeks and from uplandrunoff. Although a major portion of theupland area of Permuda Island has beeneither farmed or disturbed in the past, typicalestuarine and barrier island plant communitiesare found along its periphery. The centralportion of the island contains former agricul-ture fields that now contain broomsedge, dogfennel, asters, goldenrods, Mexican tea, andyoung trees and shrubs invading from theshrub thickets. The shrub thicket communityconsists of live oak, red cedar, yaupon,silverling and greenbriar. Many of the birdsthat are seen on the island are

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willets, American oystercatchers, egrets,herons, black skimmers, sandpipers and gulls.Brown pelicans patrol the sound and theupland portions are home to sparrows andwarblers. Mammals found within the siteinclude oppossums, raccoons, marsh rabbitscotton rats and an occasional river otter.

Getting to the Site

Permuda Island can be reached by boat or bya gated private road/causeway that runsnorthwest from North Carolina 210. Variouspublic and private boat ramps are locatedalong the south side of Topsail Island as wellas the mainland shoreline.

About Permuda IslandThe island is virtually covered by a shell midden which refelectsextensive aboriginal activity during the prehistoric period.

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