Refuge on Hatteras Island. 



"It changed the water levels 

 over there on the swamps, but it 

 didn't really convert them from for- 

 ested wetlands," Noffsinger says. 



To restore Alligator 

 River to its original pocosin 

 state, or as near to that as 

 possible, Fish and Wildlife 

 plans to raise the water 

 table. To do so, workers are 

 building a series of water 

 blockades known as flash- 

 board risers, installing large 

 pieces of metal culvert pipe 

 and blocking water flow 

 with 2-by-6 planks at the 

 level of the swamp floor. 



The water levels never 

 will be exactly what they 

 were before buildings, 

 agriculture and roads, 

 Noffsinger says. But if the 

 agency is successful, the 

 water-level changes should 

 benefit much of the wildlife 

 on the refuge, from raccoon 

 to waterfowl, he says. 

 Waterfowl populations have 

 dropped in recent years, 

 primarily because of a lack 

 of breeding area in the 

 Northeast, Noffsinger says. 

 Refuge managers are ex- 

 perimenting with ways to 

 draw waterfowl back. They 

 are using pumps, which 

 once drained farmland, to 

 seasonally flood and dry the 

 area. Birds will be attracted 

 to food that grows there. 



Five years ago, workers counted 

 just 200 wood ducks at Alligator 

 River, Noffsinger says. By 1990, 

 they counted 30,000 ducks. 



"To me," Noffsinger says, "that 

 is a real success that we've achieved 

 so far." 



But what hasn't happened at 

 Alligator River is the creation of 

 easy access for the public. 



Ask for refuge information at the 

 Dare County visitors' center and 

 you'll get a brochure on Pea Island, 

 but nothing on Alligator River, save a 

 warning about snakes — or simply a 



Scoti D- Taylor 



statement that the refuge isn't open to 

 visitors. 



That's not quite true; people are 

 allowed on parts of the refuge — on 

 Buffalo City Road, the canoe trails 

 and soon on foot trails the service is 

 creating. 



Volunteers and refuge staff lead 

 educational programs in the commu- 

 nity and occasionally lead groups of 

 visitors onto the refuge for special 



outings, such as nighttime howling at 

 the wolves. 



But access is limited. There are 

 several reasons, not the least of 

 which is the refuge's annual budget 

 ($250,000 for Alligator 

 River and Pea Island 

 combined). 



The pocosin itself isn't 

 j& visitor friendly. Head-high 

 ■ gallberry, for example, 

 doesn't naturally create 

 areas for easy hiking. 



And then there is the 

 purpose of the refuge 

 itself. This is not, after all, 

 a national park. 



"The primary goals of 

 the refuge are for wildlife," 

 Noffsinger says. "If some- 

 body wants to do something 

 out there, and it's going to 

 be of significant negative 

 consequence for wildlife, 

 we're not going to allow 

 that." 



For now, the best refuge 

 access is at Pea Island, 

 nearly 5,800 acres of 

 beaches and ponds that 

 provide haven to migrating 

 waterfowl and nesting areas 

 for loggerhead turtles. 



Reaching Pea Island 

 is simple. There are parking 

 areas near the beach. And on 

 the sound side, boardwalks 

 and trails lead visitors past 

 a turtle pond. Just beyond, 

 observation towers equipped 

 with heavy-duty, permanent binocu- 

 lars bring a bird's image closer. 



Volunteers lead nature walks for 

 children and birding walks for adults. 

 On any given day, visitors may see a 

 litany of waterfowl — from the glossy 

 ibis to the least tern to willets, lesser 

 yellowlegs and Wilson's plovers. 

 And if you're willing to sit late on 

 the beach, you may see female logger- 



Continued 



COASTWATCH S 



