BY PAM SMITH 



PROLOGUE 



There are many stories to tell, and 

 many ways to tell them. A story about a 

 person, for example, is straightforward, 

 sometimes biographical. A story about an 

 event must be factual, perhaps based on 

 historic evidence. 



The story of a place — especially if 

 that place is Hammocks Beach State Park 

 — is often much more subjective. Its 

 telling is colored by the perspective and 

 experience of each storyteller. 



Some elements, of course, are 

 universal. Hammocks Beach State Park is 

 located near Swansboro in Onslow 

 County. The park's 33-acre, well- 

 appointed mainland site is a boat ride 

 away from the main attraction — Bear 

 Island, an 892-acre, undeveloped barrier 

 island. The biodiversity of the newly 

 acquired Huggins Island is well-docu- 

 mented. The 1 1 0-acre island of uplands, 

 swamp and inland marshes could become 

 an education and research jewel. 



Common, one-word descriptors for 

 the park complex might include "remote," 

 "tranquil" or even "primitive." 



CHAPTER ONE: 

 The Vision 



Park Superintendent Sam 

 Bland's story of Hammocks 

 Beach is best told from atop a 

 high dune on Bear Island. A 

 picture-perfect sunrise illumi- 

 nates the park's watery boundaries 

 and diverse environmental assets. 



The complex is embraced by Queens 

 Creek, the White Oak River, the Intracoastal 

 Waterway, the great Atlantic Ocean — and 

 restless inlets, acres of pristine tidal marsh 

 and estuarine waters, and miles of oceanfront 

 beaches. 



The purchase of nearby Huggins Island 

 in 1999 bought protection for the environ- 

 mental integrity of Hammocks Beach State 

 Park, Bland explains. The lack of develop- 

 ment eliminates the threat of leaching septic 

 systems or stormwater runoff from hardened 

 surfaces — effects that could degrade 

 surrounding waters and the diverse ecology 

 of the island itself. 



Partnerships were the key to the island's 

 acquisition and inclusion into the park 

 system. Funding came from the N.C. Clean 

 Water Management Trust Fund, the N.C. 

 Natural Heritage Trust Fund and the N.C. 

 Division of Parks and Recreation. Additional 

 support was from the National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration, the N.C. 

 Wetland Restoration Program and the North 

 Carolina Coastal Federation. 



The view across the marsh toward the 



mainland visitors' center, 

 ferry dock and boat 

 launch areas provides a 

 glimpse of the park's 

 recent history as well as 

 Bland's vision. When 

 Bland was transferred to 

 the park some 15 years 

 ago, the mainland area was 

 little more than a one-acre 

 jumping-off place for the ferry and private 

 boats heading for Bear Island. Since then, the 

 state's acquisition of additional acres 

 provided the catalyst for needed facilities 

 expansion. 



The recent completion of a handsome 

 visitors' center is one step toward making 

 Hammocks Beach State Park a year-round 

 destination for people interested in learning 

 about the coastal environment, Bland says. 

 Soon-to-be-installed exhibits will reflect the 

 natural features of the coastal area from the 

 marsh to the beach — and all the ecological 

 zones of Bear Island and Huggins Island. 



Park rangers have participated in the 

 federal loggerhead sea turtle protection 

 program since 1975. They began tagging 

 nesting turtles a decade ago. "Many turtles 

 return to Bear Island beaches over and over to 

 lay their eggs," Bland says. 



The island also is ideal for the study of 

 colonial nesting birds. In addition, the state's 

 Natural Heritage Program conducted a 

 baseline survey of flora and a cultural history 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 7 



