a mother sea turtle struggle to shore to lay her 

 eggs. Make these discoveries on your own, or 

 join one of the ranger-led programs available 

 June 15 through Labor Day. 919/728-2121. 



■ Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Dare and 

 Hyde counties. Picture yourself in a landscape 

 at the beach. The sky is painted dark rose and 

 orange as the sun sets behind you. A flock of 

 gulls pass overhead, and the ocean glimmers. 

 Now turn up the volume. Feel the wind; then 

 smell the salty air. 



From Bodie Island to Ocracoke Island, 

 scenes like this occur almost every day. The 

 Cape Hatteras National Seashore stretches 

 more than 70 miles along the Outer Banks, 

 offering nature, history and adventure to its 

 visitors. A variety of fishing spots, from the surf 

 to offshore waters, keep fishermen angling for 

 fish like striped bass and bluefish. 



Surf casting and charter boat trips are popu- 

 lar pastimes at Ocracoke, too. If you'd rather 

 stay on the island, go bird watching or view the 

 wild "Banker Ponies," said to have been on the 

 island since the 1500s. 



The seashore calendar fills quickly in the 

 summer with organized programs at the six 

 visitor centers. Take a morning bird walk, hear 

 a whale of a tale or find out what's cooking in 

 Ocracoke. National Park Service headquar- 

 ters, 919/473-2111. Visitor Centers: Whalebone 

 Junction, 919/441-6644; Fort Raleigh, 919/473- 

 5772; Wright Brothers, 919/441-7430; Bodie 

 Island, 919/441-5711; Hatteras Island, 919/995- 

 5209; and Ocracoke Island, 919/928-4531. 



■ National Wildlife refuges. You could go 

 wild traipsing through any of the seven refuges 

 at North Carolina's coast. The U.S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service established these reserves as 

 natural habitats for certain species of animals; 

 however, each offers human visitors rich op- 

 portunities for observing the wildlife. 



Alligator River complex: 



Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, 

 Dare and Tyrrell counties. A relatively new 

 and undeveloped refuge, this 120,000-acre re- 

 serve is "wide open," says assistant manager Al 

 Schriver. Its coastal and swamp habitats are 

 unique to this part of the country, attracting 

 many varieties of waterbirds and animals such 

 as deer and black bear. To see the refuge, U.S. 

 264 is the easiest access, says Schriver. Old 

 logging roads exist for the adventurous. 



Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Dare 

 County. Some people might say Pea Island is 

 for the birds. More than 260 species have been 

 spotted in the 5,915-acre refuge that extends 

 along the Outer Banks from Oregon Inlet to the 

 village of Rodanthe. With a pair of binoculars 

 and a little luck, visitors may spot a brown 

 pelican skimming by or a fox or a pheasant 

 hiding in the brush. Although bird watching is a 



Photo by Gene Furr 



favorite activity in the refuge, nature study 

 programs, photography, hiking, surf fishing, 

 swimming, sunbathing, surfing and crabbing 

 are equally popular. 



For those who really want to rough it, the 

 Currituck Wildlife Refuge in Currituck County 

 waits. Shorebirds and wildlife are similar to the 

 kinds found at Pea Island, but brushland is 

 more plentiful here, providing habitat for 

 smaller creatures. The refuge and beaches are 

 open to the public; however, there are no facili- 

 ties or developed roads. 



For information on any of the refuges in the 

 Alligator River complex, call 919/473-1131. 



Mattamuskeet complex: 



Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, 

 Hyde County. In the winter, things get kind of 

 crowded at Lake Mattamuskeet. It gets 

 awfully tough for a tundra swan or a Canada 

 goose to find a parking place with thousands of 

 Continued on next page 



North Carolina 

 beaches offer endless 

 hours of summer fun 



