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 | It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since we started our work to protect and enhance our Outer Banks national parks. We officially launched Outer Banks Forever during National Park Week in April 2019. Check out our founding Board of Directors (pictured above) at one of our very first meetings at Wright Brothers National Memorial – each of them has stayed dedicated to our mission and we’ve added three amazing new board members since then! |
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| While many of you are newer to our Outer Banks Forever family, some of you have been on this journey with us from the beginning! We appreciate every person, family, business, and foundation that has supported our work over the last five years. This month I want to give a special shout out to those of you who gave that first year and have continued to give almost every year since: |
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Sally and Charles Ayers
Bonnie and Wayne Barnes
Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy
Christie Graf
Becca Haque
Kimberly Harris
Bridget Hart
Kevin and Michele Kissling
Erin Krohl
Cat and Charlie Lineberry
Laura Mueller |
Nancy and Jim Myers
National Park Foundation
Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
Dr. Paul and Amy Orser
Tom Phalen
REAL Watersports
Daniel Schmoyer and Kim Finch
Megan Shelley
Julie and Dan Shuren
Richard Stillman
Joan Watts |
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| In addition to these amazing supporters, our Forever Founders have played a key role in helping us get to this point. Their generosity allowed us to give more than $460,000 to our Outer Banks national parks last year for projects like Pathways to Your National Parks at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the new Freedom Trail at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. We have more in store this year to celebrate YOU and the many ways you’ve shown your love for our parks! We hope to see you at our fifth birthday party on April 27 with our friends at Swells’a Brewing where we’ll also announce a new local partner who will be providing sweet treats! See you in our parks, |
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Meet Your Ranger: George S. Jaramillo |
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| 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 George S. Jaramillo, Historical Architect for our Outer Banks national parks! A typical week can take George anywhere from inside the Wright Brothers Monument assessing the granite stones to climbing up the Ocracoke Lighthouse. |
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| He can also be found searching through the countless volumes of research materials in park archives including maps, station logs, photographs, and other primary resources. In his free time, George enjoys road trips to nearby locales or far off sites — be they eccentric historic sites, enjoying local food fare, or visiting roadside museums, secluded natural areas, or cities! |
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The Wright Flight Academy:
Part II – Foundations of Flight |
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 | This content is brought to you by our National Park Service partners. We’re getting back to the basics with the foundations of flight in our second installment of the Wright Flight Academy!Watch the video and follow along as students from Dare County Schools learn about the fundamentals of flight through a site tour, ranger presentation, classroom sessions, and completing their own coupon books. Over the next two years, these students will build their very own, two person “flying machine” on the very grounds where brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved their world-changing first flight on December 17, 1903! We’re proud to support this program by sponsoring this video series created by Rayolight Productions. As videos are made available, we’ll be adding them to our YouTube channel, sharing them on Facebook, and including them in our monthly e-newsletters. |
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Board Member Spotlight: Trip Forman, President |
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| April is our birthday month, and to celebrate, we’d like to introduce you to Trip Forman, President of our Board of Directors and co-founder of REAL Watersports, Watermen’s Bar & Grill, and Watermen’s Retreat! Trip has been a member of our board from the very beginning, and he and his team at REAL Watersports have donated $30,000 to support our Outer Banks national parks, especially Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which he calls home. |
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Supporter Story: Colleen Minard |
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| We love hearing your stories from our Outer Banks national parks! Colleen Minard is a former National Park Service ranger who has spent many years visiting the Outer Banks with her family. She is also supporter of our Pathways to Your National Parks project! |
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| Colleen (pictured far right, with her family) sent us her story about why Cape Hatteras National Seashore is so special to her and why she chose to honor her parents with a memorial gift to Pathways to Your National Parks. |
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| National Park Week is almost here! This year, National Park Week will take place from April 20 through April 28. Highlights for the week include: |
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Ocracoke Island Beach Cleanup – April 20 - Where: Ocracoke Lifeguard Beach Access
- When: 1 to 3 p.m.
- Details: National Park Service rangers will be on site to complete volunteer paperwork and hand out beach cleanup supplies like trash bags and gloves. Make sure to wear comfortable work clothing and sunscreen. Don’t forget your water and any snacks you may need!
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We’ll be celebrating our fifth birthday at Swells’a Brewing on Saturday, April 27, and you’re invited! There will be a food truck from 5 to 9 p.m., live music from 6 to 9 p.m., and we’ll soon be announcing a new local partner who will be bringing sweet treats to enjoy! |
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Save the Date: 2024 Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest Season Opening May 1! |
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| Sea turtle nesting season is almost here! Through our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, you can symbolically adopt an active sea turtle nest on Cape Hatteras National Seashore! You will receive an official adoption certificate by mail and information about your specific nest when it hatches later this summer or fall. Our 2024 Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest season opens to the public on May 1, so mark your calendars! |
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Here’s how the program works:- Donate: Give a tax-deductible donation of $100 or more to reserve your 2024 sea turtle nest. Your gift will help us fund important projects that protect and enhance Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the vital habitat it preserves. You will receive a confirmation email for your donation.
- Receive your nest assignment: Sea turtles typically start to arrive in May and June, and will continue to arrive until late August. As nests become available, you will be assigned your sea turtle nest and receive an adoption certificate by mail with initial information about your nest. Please keep in mind that if you reserve a nest in May, you may not receive your initial information until late May, June, or even later depending on how many early adoptions are received.
- Wait patiently for your nest to hatch! When your nest hatches later this summer or fall, you will receive a personalized update in the mail with information park rangers collect about your nest including the number of hatchlings that made their way out to sea.You can read our frequently asked questions for even more information about our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program! If you have additional questions, please reach out to Nicole Erickson, our Development & Adoption Programs Manager, at nicoleerickson@obxforever.org.
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