CURRITUCK 

 BEACH 



LIGHTHOUSE 



The CMrrituck Beach 

 Lighthouse anchors the nortkern 

 end of Currituck Heritage Park, 

 fdUng a "dark spoir" between the 

 Cape Henry Light (totkenorth) and. 

 Bodie Island Light (to the smth.) 



Cmtpletedin 1875, the beacon 

 was the Ustbrid: lighthouse button 

 the Outer Banks. Around that turn, 

 tike federd Lighthouse. Board painted 

 the jour Outer Banks lightkouses 

 different patterns. 



Tkk decree led to tke bold 

 black-arU-wkite patterns seen on 

 the Cape Lookout, Cape Hatteras 

 and Bodie Island Lights. Currituck 

 Light was Uft unpointed, its eySzrior 

 awing visitors asthey gaze up attke 

 multitude of 'bricks. 



At 158 jeet above ground, 

 ike B'esndlms flashes at ZO-second 

 intervak from duskto dawn 

 — warning vessels of the d/mgerous 

 skoals that earned North Carolina's 

 skorekne ike nickname "Graveyard 

 of the Atlantic!' 'More than 130 

 years after tke first Ump was lit, 

 Curritiick'sbeMmkstMsmtfor 

 18 nautical nules. 



Comtuck. Be&ck ligktkwwe 

 k ownzis ojaA. wowoieA by tke Outer 

 Bonios CmAtrvaimuih) x bad. -novi- 

 •prcjit yrowp. For more InjomaiioK. , 

 -visit "Www.cMrritmkbeMMight.com 

 or call 252/4534939. 



Season 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 11 



Clockwise from top left: 



The Center for Wildlife Education houses a cdleMon of vintage boat motors, -many of which 

 ■were donated by local residents. • A variety of 'free programs are available at the center, including 

 fishing. • Ned Condey's decoy adledion U housed attke center. • Chandler Sawyer, a Currituck 

 native, teaches decoy canmg dosses at tkc center. • A visitor ■trieshisluck at warning beneath 

 tke historic footbrid^linkinj^ WhAekeadClub and the Center for Wildlife Education. 



of the Currituck region," says Nickens. "It's 

 maritime heritage distilled in decoy form." 



Canvas decoys are made of painted 

 sailcloth stretched tight over wire ribs — 

 much like battens on a sail. The same 

 techniques used in boatbuilding were also used 

 in making watertight decoys, Nickens explains. 



Despite decades of hard use, many old 

 decoys survive today. Some fetch thousands 

 of dollars at auctions or collectors' shows. A 

 mallard hen carved by Ned Burgess sold for 

 $24, 1 50, and a Bob Morse ruddy duck fetched 

 $18,700. 



The Whalehead Club boasts an 

 impressive collection of decoys, many created 

 by local legends such as Morse, Alvirah Wright 

 of Camden, Joe Hayman of Coinjock and Cecil 

 Stevens of Knotts Island. 



The collection, originally purchased from 

 Conoley by the Whalehead Preservation Trust, 

 is on long-term loan at the Outer Banks Center 

 for Wildlife Education. 



WILDLIFE WONDERS 



Across the Whalehead Club's historic 

 footbridge, visitors will find the Outer Banks 

 Center for Wildlife Education. The regional 

 center is one of three operated by the N.C. 

 Wildlife Commission across the state that offer 

 free summer programs, as well as programs for 

 school groups and distance education courses. 



The 22,000-square-foot building is the 

 culmination of a "decades-long dream of the 

 people of Currituck to protect their heritage," 

 says director Clarence Styron. 



Locals are so supportive of the center 

 that many of the exhibits have been donated 

 or provided on long-term loan by members of 

 the community. Among the unique collection 

 are 25 large-scale models of traditional boats 

 used in the region for hunting, fishing and 

 transportation; Native American artifacts from 

 the Indian Town dig; and historic photographs 

 supplied by local families. 



Currituck's heritage is featured in an 



award-winning 20-minute documentary, Life 

 By Water's Rhythms, which runs in the center's 

 auditorium. The film describes how the area's 

 natural and human histories are shaped by 

 Currituck Sound. 



Entering the exhibit hall, a marsh diorama 

 sets the stage for the educational exhibits. Local 

 wildlife, including black bear, deer and fox hide 

 in the tall grasses. Native fish swim in a 12,000- 

 gallon aquarium. And at the edge of the marsh, 

 a camouflaged duck hunter emerges from a 

 blind to take aim at the "smoke of ducks" flying 

 overhead via the projector screen. 



Individual alcoves house collections of 

 Currituck artifacts. The decoy area resembles 

 the interior of a canvas decoy. White sailcloth 

 supported by steel "ribs" soars to the ceiling 

 above the casing, which houses 250 decoys 

 valued at $1.5 million. 



The old decoys are expected to draw in 

 flocks of visitors, much as they drew flocks of 

 birds during their working years. 



The center opened with crowds of 10,000 

 visitors per week. 



Styron is determined that the center be 

 flexible to accommodate the public. New 

 classes are based on public interest and added 

 often, he says. This summer the center decided 

 to offer classes in crabbing after observing a 

 number of people crabbing from the docks last 

 year. 



The center is also willing to adjust its 

 operating hours to meet public demand. 



"Some of the staff that have been 

 here a while have noticed that the tourists don't 

 move until 10 a.m.," Styron adds 

 good-naturedly. 



For more information about the 

 Whalehead Club, visit www.whaleheadclub. 

 com. 



To learn more about the Outer 

 Banks Center for Wildlife Education, visit 

 www.ncwildhfe.org, click on "Education/ 

 Workshops" and then "Wildlife Education 

 Centers." 



Coastwatch I High 



