on a sandbar. The island is a haven for 

 sea turtles and an important fixture for 

 their breeding. Bear Island has the 

 second highest number of nesting sea 

 turtles per mile in the state. Like so 

 many human nature-lovers, sea turtles 

 — particularly the threatened logger- 

 head — seem to prefer the solitude of 

 the wide, unlighted ocean beach. The 

 cumbersome females crawl above the 

 tideline, dig a hole with their flippers 

 and lay as many as 125 eggs. When the 

 turtles hatch about 60 days later, no 

 headlights, streetlamps or other bright 

 ornaments of civilization distract them 



from their natal crawl to the sea. 



Baby sea turtles instinctively move 

 toward light, says Bland. 



"Without the artificial lighting to 

 disorient hatchlings, there's less 

 likelihood the hatchlings will be lured 

 away from the ocean," he says. 



A moonbeam or even ambient light 

 from the sky is usually enough to entice 

 young turtles away from the dark 

 backdrop of dunes. 



Two volunteer interns monitor the 

 turtle nests, and the park's 14 campsites 

 are closed three days before each full 

 moon phase in June, July and August to 



prevent human disturbance. If not for 

 Bald Head Island to the south, Shackle- 

 ford Banks to the north and this place in 

 between, the turtles would have few 

 places to go. Except for a central bath- 

 house and staff barracks, the island is 

 pure wilderness. The goal of the park is 

 to keep it that way. 



Refuge is a tradition here. Near the 

 end of the Civil War, Union troops 

 were said to have rescued 43 slaves that 

 fled to the shelter of the island. In the 

 generations that have since unfolded, 



6 JULY/AUGUST 1996 



