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Your Parks, Your Impact:
A Message From Our Director |
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| I clearly remember going with my father to pick up my aunt at the Philadelphia International Airport when I was a kid. She was, no doubt, a very influential person in my life, but I was also mesmerized when we pulled into the airport, and I saw the airplane tails sticking up from behind the terminal. I was amazed how something so big could get off the ground. |
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| Those brief trips to the airport at an early age charted a path for me. While in grade school I would sign out books on airplanes and birds from the library. My thought process was if I could understand how birds flew, then I could understand how a multiple-ton aircraft could as well. |
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| My fascination with flight was permanently etched in my mind, and 40 years later I earned my pilot’s license training out of the Asheville Regional Airport. Yes, I earned my license in the First Flight State of North Carolina! We never know how even small, seemingly insignificant experiences can change a person’s life. |
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| Our national parks can transform lives by providing people with opportunities to learn about our nation’s history, culture, and natural resources. Our national parks are not tourist destinations, but rather the key to opening the door to exploration and learning – and changing lives at the same time. |
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| How has a visit to one, two, or all three of our Outer Banks national parks impacted your life? I would like to hear your story! Feel free to reach out to me via email at bryanburhans@obxforever.org or by phone at (252) 423-4545. After all, not many people know the impact visits to the Philadelphia International Airport had on me as a kid – but now you do! |
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| Looking forward to hearing your story, |
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Stories from Our Parks:
The Life and Legacy of Capt. Richard Etheridge |
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This content is brought to you by our National Park Service partners. |
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| Born into slavery, Captain Richard Etheridge led a life of adventure, courage, bravery, and respect. As the first African American Keeper of a United States Life Saving Service Station, Captain Etheridge and his all-Black crew at the Pea Island Life Saving Station paved the way for generations of African American men and women in the United States Life Saving Service and the United States Coast Guard. |
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Let’s Thank Our National Park Service Partners! |
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| As a supporter of our Outer Banks national parks, you understand just how important Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial are to our community and beyond. We’re asking you to join with us in saying THANK YOU to our amazing park rangers, staff, and volunteers for the incredible work they do every day to care for these special places! |
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| To share your favorite Outer Banks national park memory, how our park rangers, staff, and volunteers have impacted your visit, or how our parks have made a difference in your life and the lives of your loved ones, click the button below. |
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Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest 2025 |
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| Did you know that Cape Hatteras Seashore extends more than 70 miles and covers over 30,000 acres from South Nags Head to the Ocracoke Inlet? Those miles of Seashore are monitored daily by National Park Service rangers who gather important data about the hundreds of sea turtle nests laid each year. Through our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, you can symbolically adopt an active sea turtle nest on Cape Hatteras National Seashore. |
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| While we are awaiting our first confirmed sea turtle nests on the Seashore, we want to offer our email subscribers the opportunity to adopt a sea turtle nest early, before our program launches to the public! |
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Here’s how our program works:- Donate: Give a tax-deductible donation of $100 or more to reserve your 2025 sea turtle nest. Your gift will help us fund important projects that protect and enhance Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the vital sea turtle habitat it preserves. You will receive a confirmation email for your donation.
- Receive your nest assignment: As nests become available, you will be assigned a nest and will receive an adoption certificate by mail or email with initial information about your nest. Nest assignments begin in early June and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Wait patiently for your nest to hatch! When your nest hatches later this summer or fall (average incubation time for our nests is 61 days), you will receive a personalized update in the mail with information National Park Service rangers collect about your nest, including the number of hatchlings that made their way out to sea.
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| A note about honorary/memorial gifts: If you choose to adopt a nest in honor of or in memory of a loved one and provide an honoree’s mailing address on your donation form, a letter with nest information and a certificate will be mailed directly to your honoree. Your honoree will be notified of your gift and will receive a certificate when their nest is assigned, not at the time you make the gift. Please keep this in mind if your gift is time-sensitive. |
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| Digital certificates are available! If you would like to receive an electronic certificate or send an electronic certificate to an honoree, click the box “send certificate digitally” on the donation form and provide an email address. |
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Celebrating Pony Birthdays! |
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Join us in celebrating the Ocracoke ponies who have May birthdays! |
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| Did you know you can help these beautiful and unique ponies by symbolically adopting one or supporting the herd? Your support helps cover the costs of their ongoing care and feeding. When you Adopt A Pony or support the herd with a gift of $50 or more, you will receive an adoption certificate and a picture of your pony or of the herd! |
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Winnie – May 3 Winnie, who recently turned seven, is the youngest member of the Ocracoke herd. (This photo is from her younger years!) She was born in 2018 to her parents, Sacajawea and Captain. She spends her time close to her mom and exploring her island home. The next time you visit the Ocracoke Pony Pens, come say hi! |
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Jobelle – May 7 Jobelle turned eight this year! She is the daughter of Ocracoke ponies Jitterbug and Rayo. She was named by the Ocracoke School students; “Jobelle” is the local name for the gaillardia flowers (commonly called “blanket flowers”) which are found throughout the Outer Banks! |
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Captain – May 9 Captain is a 12-year-old chestnut stallion who was named after the late Captain Marvin Howard, a local Ocracoke Island resident who founded the first — and only — mounted Boy Scout troop in the United States. The boy scouts were responsible for taming and caring for the wild pony herd in the 1950s. |
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Maya – May 24 Maya is a Paint mare who will turn 25 in just a few days! Born in 2000, she has four siblings in the herd and is known to be the tallest and most vocal pony in the Ocracoke herd! |
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| Our Outer Banks national parks need your support now more than ever as they continue to face challenges like adapting to a changing coastline, preserving the many historic structures they manage, and budget and staffing cuts at a time when they continue to see high levels of visitors. |
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When you make a gift to our Parks Forever Fund, you support important initiatives like:- Education and preservation through the creation of internships that engage the next generation in protecting our parks and the stories they tell, increasing our parks’ capacity to provide amazing experiences for you and your loved ones.
- Restoration and conservation of our unique barrier islands through much-needed invasive plant species removal.
- Enhancing the visitor experience by funding projects that address the needs of visitors of all ages and abilities, so everyone can learn about and enjoy the rich history and beauty of these places.
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We’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to these generous donors who have helped us raise over $13,500 for our Parks Forever Fund! |  |
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Zara Anderson
Sally & Charles Ayers
Susan & Jim Bacon
Betty Beamon
Barbara Benwell
Dr. Deborah Best
Malcolm & Patty Brown
Tony Bruno
Thomas & Debra Cafferty
Sarah Campbell
Martha Caswell
Brenda Cummins
Carolyn Driggs
Robert Elkins
Nicole & Levi Erickson
Richard Ghione
Christie & Mike Graf
Nick Graham
John & Lynn Hasteadt
Mary Hickling
Carol & Nev Jackson
David Johnson
Dennis Jones
Stephen Jones & Rebecca Burcher Jones
Lisa Joyner
Friends of Kitty Hawk Rotary
Ronald Knur
Marianne Krzywicki
Cat & Charlie Lineberry
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Stephanie Madalena Paul & Robin Mann
Jim & Betty Mast
Eddie Masterka
Donna McCaslin
Greg & Sally McDaniel
Jack & Paul Mertens
Shelley & David Olsen
Dr. Paul & Mrs. Amy Orser
Helen Pierce
Rodney Poole
Sandra & Ed Potocki
Aimee Purcell
Michael Reddy-Miller
William Pendleton Sandridge, Jr.
Jean Scott
Cathy & Thomas Shirley
Leslie Skowronek
Nikki Stevens
Rebecca Stiles
Marie Sullivan
Sun Realty
David Tannahill
Joseph Temming
Monica Thibodeau
Peggy & Bruce Wackelin
Anne & John Walker
Shannon Winakur
Kathy Wisiackas
Elaine Wood |
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