Outside the forest, Brooks spends most of his time tracking 

 turtles. 



In 1981, naturalists from the Wildlife Resources Commis- 

 sion and the N.C. Heritage Program discovered that Bald 

 Head hosted the state's largest population of nesting logger- 

 head turtles. They soon realized, however, that 90 percent of 

 the eggs were eaten by foxes and raccoons. 



To remedy the problem, naturalists Debbie Crouse and 

 Joe Newman founded the sea turtle conservation project. 

 They devised a wire screen to protect the nests and began 

 monitoring them closely. 



Interns from the N.C. Nature Conservancy helped out in 

 the summer, but by 1983 the project had become too big for 

 the inland agency to supervise. 



In November, the Bald Head Island property owners' 

 association passed a charter creating the the island's own 

 non-profit conservancy. And they employed a naturalist to 

 keep watch over the loggerheads. 



Today 95 percent of the turtle eggs hatch. 



Like the beach and the forest, each ecosystem on Bald 

 Head supports a unique collection of plants and animals. 

 Together they seem to form an open-air natural history 

 museum. 



Maintaining the museum takes effort. 



The developers must build. Buyers and renters want 

 peace and tranquility. Naturalists need to preserve the in- 

 tegrity of the island. 



Harmony is sometimes elusive. 



During the first stage of building in the 1970s, developers 

 cut down large portions of the maritime forest, weakening the 

 canopy, says Cindy Meekins, board member of the Bald 

 Head Conservancy Inc. and former island naturalist. 



Their mistake was evident, Meekins says, when Hurricane 

 Diana swept through Bald Head in 1984 and damaged 70 

 percent of the forest and most of the golf course fairways. 



"It took them months to fix that," Meekins adds. 



The current developers, Bald Head Island Limited, took a 

 different approach. After working with conservationists, the 

 group devised a blueprint for construction that left much of 

 the environment intact and did not include another golf 

 course. 



They also compiled a 62-page book outlining specific 

 landscaping recommendations and standards for prospec- 

 tive Bald Head residents. 



And they contributed 100 percent matching funds to the 

 Bald Head Island Conservancy in its first two years. They still 

 match half of the group's contributions. 



"They want to make sure our efforts succeed," Meekins 

 says. "They realize that if we work together we'll get a lot 

 more done." 



So far, so good, according to Brooks. 



"Overall, people are happy with how it's been developed," 

 he says. And the effects of building haven't been all bad in 

 regard to plants and animals. 



For small animals, development increases habitat, 

 because it creates more diversity around the forest edges, 

 he adds. But for animals that use the deep forest, develop- 

 ment decreases living room. 



Saving habitat is one of the conservancy's priorities. The 

 sea turtle project is another. But the group also offers educa- 

 tional programs, landscaping advice, a day camp and nature 

 hikes. 



And Brooks hopes that in the next two years the conser- 

 vancy can expand its role as landscape consultant, helping 

 residents pinpoint important vegetation on their property and 

 relocating any rare or endangered plants. 



Homeowners are receptive to the idea, as many share an 

 appreciation for nature. About 250 of the 900 property 

 owners are members of the Bald Head Conservancy. 



Like the three- branches of government, the conservancy, 

 the property owners' association and the development 

 organization operate their own informal system of checks and 

 balances. Each appoints members to sit on the boards of the 

 other groups. 



The state keeps a watchful eye on Bald Head's unique en- 

 vironment, too. The Museum of Natural Sciences, Zoological 

 Park, Wildlife Resources Commission, Nature Conservancy 

 and divisions of Marine Fisheries and Parks and Recreation 

 monitor many of the natural areas. ■ 



