|
| Summer is winding down here in the Outer Banks, and while we’re all regularly checking the weather forecast to stay ahead of the storms during hurricane season, I think we can all also agree we’re looking forward to cooler temperatures and a slower pace of life. As you can imagine, this was another busy season for the Outer Banks and in our national parks! |
|
|
| The barrier islands that make up the Outer Banks are dynamic and ever-changing. This is part of what makes them unique, and also contributes to new challenges our National Park Service partners must face each year. |
|
| National Public Lands Day is coming up on Saturday, September 28, and we are thrilled to celebrate these protected spaces and the natural beauty and inspiring stories they preserve! |
|
| Read on for some ways you can explore and give back to our Outer Banks national parks this National Public Lands Day! |
|
Meet Your Ranger: Lilianne Kinne |
|
| Our Meet Your Ranger series introduces you to the many amazing people who support our Outer Banks national parks every day! This month, we’re pleased to introduce you to Lilianne Kinne, Interpretive Ranger at Cape Hatteras National Seashore! Lilianne’s days are full as she gives on-site ranger programs at Bodie Island, assists visitors at the Bodie Island Lighthouse and Visitor Center, walks the Bonner Bridge Pier or Coquina Beach and talks with visitors, and leads kayak and crabbing programs along the Seashore. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor recreation, arts and crafts, aerial arts, and Acroyoga! |
|
|
Field Trips to Our Outer Banks National Parks |
|
| If you’re an educator, we want to help you get your students to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial for field trips! Over the past year, our Outer Banks national parks have served almost 4,000 students! Thanks to an Open OutDoors For Kids grant from the National Park Foundation, we are able to reimburse transportation costs for field trips for your students in kindergarten through 12th grade. |
|
|
| To learn more about this opportunity, click the button below or email Rachael Graf, Community Engagement Coordinator, at rachaelgraf@obxforever.org. You can also schedule remote learning field trips for your students! To learn more, email our parks at obx_interpretation@nps.gov. |
|
Science in Our Parks: Monitoring Recreational Water Quality |
|
This content is brought to you in partnership with our National Park Service partners. |
|
| Did you know that in addition to supporting park projects, we also support science and research initiatives in our parks? One way we do this is through our Aid to Parks funds! A portion of those funds is currently being used towards sampling supplies and laboratory analyses to better understand outside impacts to soil and groundwater in our parks. |
|
|
| This month, Michael Flynn, Physical Scientist at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, takes us behind the scenes of ongoing recreational water quality monitoring efforts and explains how this helps our National Park Service staff to better address health or environmental concerns for park visitors and to ensure clean and safe park areas for everyone to enjoy. |
|
Meet Our Board: Mike Smith, Vice President |
|
| We’d like to introduce you to Mike “Moose” Smith, Vice President of our Board of Directors, Outer Banks radio veteran, and real estate expert at Moose OBX! Mike has been a supporter of our mission from the very beginning and is one of our founding board members. He’s passionate about protecting and enhancing our national parks and preserving the important stories they tell. He also has a special affinity for Wright Brothers National Memorial, since he is a pilot! |
|
|
Celebrating National Public Lands Day! |
|
National Public Lands Day is coming up on September 28! If you’re in the Outer Banks, here are some ways you can explore and show your appreciation for our national parks! |
|
| Cape Hatteras National Seashore Ranger Programs: |
|
|
| Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Ranger Programs: Wright Brothers National Memorial Ranger Programs: |
|
|
| North Carolina Beach Buggy Association (NCBBA) Beach Cleanup: You’re invited to join NCBBA for a beach cleanup on Cape Hatteras National Seashore on September 28. Meet at the Ramp 23 parking lot (Salvo) at 9 a.m. The group will clean up all litter and trash on the beach, the access ramp, and in the parking area. |
|
|
| NCBBA will provide trash bags, grabbers, and vests. Each volunteer will be asked to cover a designated area of beach which will be marked with stakes. The cleanup is expected to last approximately two hours. Refreshments will be provided after the cleanup. |
|
| Feel free to invite others to volunteer with you! Please contact NCBBA Director Tom Brueckner at tom.brueckner@ncbba.org or call/text at (973) 714-9940 for more information and to sign up to volunteer. |
|
What’s Happening at Buxton Beach Access? |
|
This content is brought to you by our National Park Service partners. |
|
| From 1956 until 2010, Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Buxton Beach Access, located at the south end of Old Lighthouse Road in Buxton, North Carolina, served our nation as a military base for both the United States Navy and Coast Guard. Due to decades-long military usage and yet to be performed restoration of the area, samples taken from the beach adjacent to the Buxton Beach Access tested positive in early September 2023, for petroleum-contaminated soils (PCS). |
|
|
| Additionally, due to coastal erosion, abandoned facilities, construction debris, and septic systems associated with historic use of the area have been observed along the beach and pose hazards to visitors. |
|
| On September 9, the Army Corps of Engineers announced via news release that they would deploy a team the same week to “take limited response actions if a petroleum release is observed.” Additionally, the September 9 news release said, “the team will also collect additional data, which will support a subsequent contract action. The contracted interim action will involve removing contaminated soil from the beach, and confirmation samples will be taken to verify that clean soil has been reached.” |
|
| The National Park Service, which owns the land, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Coast Guard are working to determine an authorized program to remediate PCS and removed exposed infrastructure at Buxton Beach Access. |
|
| The National Park Service intends to keep the Buxton Beach Access closed until the contaminated beach in this area is remediated and the remnant infrastructure is removed. There is currently no timeline for reopening any of the three-tenths-of-a-mile long beach and parking area. |
|
| To learn more about the history and status of this site from our National Park Service partners, click the button below. You can also learn more from our friend Joy Crist, Editor of the Island Free Press, by visiting her Editor’s Blog. |
|
Ways to Give: Donor Advised Funds |
|
| Did you know you can work with your account manager to send a donation directly to Outer Banks Forever? Your gift will allow us to adapt to and support our parks ever-changing needs! Our EIN is 23-1401703 and our mailing address is P.O. Box 1635, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948. Contact Nicole Erickson, our Development & Adoption Programs Manager, by email at nicolerickson@obxforever.org for more information. |
|
|
|
|
|
Be the first to comment!