99 



Shacklef ord Bank 



Name of Area: Shackle ford Bank 



Location: Carteret County, North Carolina; Beaufort and Marker's Island 

 7.5 min. USGS topographic quad map; separated from Cape Lookout at 

 the eastern end of the island by Barden Inlet and from Bogue Banks 

 at the western end by Beaufort Inlet and is bounded by Back Sound 

 and the Atlantic Ocean (see map 12). 



Ownership and Administration: Presently Shackleford Bank is in divided 

 private ownership. The entire island is to be acquired by the 

 National Park Service (NFS) as part of the Cape Lookout National 

 Seashore . 



Size: 2280 acres (923 ha). 



Land Use: Shackleford Bank has retained a degree of rem.oteness and 

 wildness since public transportation to the island has been 

 lacking and private boats provide the only means of access. 

 The proposed raanagem.ent plan by the NPS provides ferry service 

 to Shackleford for a limited number of visitors in addition to 

 the existing private boat access. Presently, a few private 

 vehicles such as cars, dune buggies and motorcycles exist on the 

 Bank, but Park plans prohibit vehicular use and provide no on- 

 island transportation once land acquisition is completed. 



The island is virtually free of development except for private 

 "fish camps" which dot the sound-side landscape. Pending the 

 time when leases and life estates terminate, these cottages will 

 be removed, and this land, like the undeveloped portion, will 

 be classified as- wilderness . The primary land use is beach 

 recreation on both the ocean and sound sides, fishing, camping, 

 hiking and nature study. Authorizing legislation for the Park 

 also permits hunting and shell-fishing in designated areas. 

 Furthermore, the island is used extensively as an outdoor 

 laboratory and education grounds by many universities and 

 research facilities throughout the East for the study of barrier 

 island ecology. 



Dangers to Integrity: Under the classification of natural (wilder- 

 ness) zone, Shackleford will be relieved in part from some of the 

 presently existing pressures of uncontrollerd land use such as 

 off-road vehicles. Nevertheless, other threats to the natural 

 integrity have been cited: The Army Corps of Engineers have 

 proposed dredge spoil sites on Shackleford from their activities 

 in Beaufort Inlet. Feral animals (cows, sheep, goats and horses) 



Compiled from information in the N.C. Natural Heritage Program 

 files. Additional information is available from the Heritage Program, 

 DNRCD, Division of Parks and Recreation, Raleigh, N.C. (1980). 



