SHACKLEFORD BANKS

Horse Sense and Survival, June 12 (6 hours), By Reservation Only

The wild horses on Shackleford Banks are fascinating to observe, but may be difficult to find.  Join a Park Ranger for a day-long walking trip to find horses and watch their behavior.  The park will arrange transportation by local ferries and there will be a charge for this ride.  If you have your own boat, call the park for the reservations and meeting locations.  There is no charge for the walking program.  Come prepared for a day in the sun and walking through deep sand.  Bring water, lunch, bug repellent, sunscreen, a sun hat, binoculars, and camera with telephoto lens.  Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes to walk in deep sand and those that can get wet and muddy.  Call the Cape Lookout National Seashore at (252) 728-2250 for reservations.

CAPE LOOKOUT LIGHT STATION

Lighting the Way (Daily, 15 minutes)

Come learn the history of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the life of a lighthouse keeper.  Programs begin at 10:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:30PM on the porch of the Assistant Keepers’ Quarters next to the Lighthouse.

Life of a Keeper (Daily, 30 minutes)
Lighthouse Keepers were dedicated men and women who kept the lighthouse burning through fair weather and hurricanes.  Come discover how they, and their families, managed to keep the light burning.  Programs begin at 11:15 AM at the Light Station Pavilion near the ferry dock.
Island Explorations (Daily, 30 minutes)
Come join a Park Ranger for new adventures at Cape Lookout National Seashore.  From the ocean to the sound and from the sea to the sky, these programs will take you on a different encounter with nature each day.  Programs begin at 1:15 PM at the Light Station Pavilion near the ferry dock.
Storms, Wars & Shipwrecks (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 30 minutes)
Nor'easters and Hurricanes, pirates and wars have all left behind stories and marks on the island that live long beyond those who lived through them.  Join a Ranger to hear the stories of these past storms and how over 3000 ships and people were claimed by the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Programs begin at 2:15 PM at the Light Station Pavilion near the ferry dock.
Discovery Cart (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 30 minutes)
Come and discover what lies beneath the waters of Cape Lookout National Seashore at our Discovery Cart.  Learn about horseshoe crabs, loggerhead sea turtles, sea urchins, sharks, whales, shells and the creatures of that live within them, and much more!  Programs begin at 2:15 PM at the Light Station Pavilion near the ferry dock.

Barrier Island Ecology (Programs are Tuesday and Thursday, 1 hour)

Join the North Carolina Coastal Federation for an educational walk from the estuary to the ocean.  Learn about animal and plant adaptations for life on the barrier island, the constant migration of these barrier islands, and environmental issues the Cape Lookout National Seashore faces today.  All ages are welcome.  Please wear comfortable walking shoes, clothing, and appropriate sun-gear.  Programs begin at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM at the Light Station Pavilion near the ferry dock. 

PORTSMOUTH VILLAGE

Portsmouth Village Guided Tour (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 1 hour)

Join a Park Ranger for this guided tour through historic Portsmouth Village.  Discover what life was like for those who once called Portsmouth and the Outer Banks home.  Bring drinking water, bug repellent and sunscreen.  There are no amenities in the village.  Programs begin at 10:30 AM at the Haulover Point dock in Portsmouth Village.

Sea turtle nesting season runs from May through October and already nests have been found at Cape Lookout National Seashore.  Volunteers with the N.C. Wildlife CResources Commision are walking the beaches every morning searching for evidence of sea turtle "crawls", which may indicate a nest.  If a nest is found, the area is roped off until the eggs hatch.

Visitors are asked to give marked turtle nests a wide berth to help ensure a successful hatch.  If you run a vehicle on the beach between the nest and the water, take a minute to smooth out your tire tracks...tracks can trap small turtles making a dash for the water.  Also, avoid the use of lights, including flashlights, on the beach near nests.

Horses:  There are currently 128 horses on Shackleford Banks, with one additional foal expected at any moment.  Two of this season's foals will be removed in late October for adoption early next year.

Birds:  The bird nesting season produced mixed results.  The piping plover continued to nest in good numbers with 45 nesting pairs.  Although there were numerous nests not many chicks fledged, only 11 survived long enough to fly on their own.  The Wilson’ plover annual census resulted in 90 nesting pairs documented throughout the Seashore.  The American Oystercatchers produced 15 fledglings from 57 nesting pairs...the fledgling success was lower this year than the past several years, but better than some bad years.   

Sea Turtles: This year’s sea turtle season was successful…we had 107 sea turtle nests in the seashore (55 nests on South Core Banks, 34 nests on North Core Banks, and 18 nests on Shackleford Banks).  Storms did impact some nests with flooding and three nests were washed away, but these impacts were minor and most nests hatched.

The Park Service has turned its attention to South Core Banks and the renovation of Les and Sally Moore's Place, which is being turned into the new Environmental Education Center.

The original "store" is being revised to provide meeting and sleeping space for up to 20 short-term students/researchers, while the three old rental cabins are being re-configured for longer term housing of staff and faculty. 

This facility will be used in lieu of the Coast Guard Station for environmental education and research programs at Cape Lookout. 

Stabilization and renovation of houses at Cape Village is the next project on the list.

The Cape Lookout Lighthouse went into operaton on November 1, 1859, so November 1, 2009 marks 150 years of its operation protecting mariners.  The Park Service is in the planning stages fora a year long series of special events to celebrate this anniversary.  We'll keep you posted as these plans develope.

A North Carolina’s Coastal Recreational Fishing License (CRFL), administered by the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), is required when fishing at Cape Lookout. This license can be purchased on a 10-day, annual, or lifetime basis, or combined with a variety of licenses issued by the Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC). Requirements: This license allows recreational fishermen to harvest finfish for personal consumption; finfish harvested under this license cannot be sold. Fishermen using this license are held to the state’s recreational size and possession limits. The license is required to recreationally harvest finfish in the state’s Coastal Fishing Waters, which include sounds, coastal rivers and their tributaries, out to three miles in the ocean. Exemptions: Individuals under16 years of age and individuals who purchased a special WRC license prior to January 1, 2006. Sales Agents: The license is available from WRC license agents throughout the state, but it is not available for purchase within the Cape Lookout National Seashore.