DRAFT Corridor Management Plan Corridor Management Plan. Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Outer Banks Scenic Byway. for the. for the

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1 DRAFT Corridor Management Plan Corridor Management Plan for the for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Outer Banks Scenic Byway Dare, Hyde, and Carteret Counties Dare, North Hyde, Carolina and Carteret Counties North Carolina December 1, 2008 November 24, 2008

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3 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION, VISION AND GOALS Introduction... 1 The Significance of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway... 2 A Vision for 2020 and Beyond... 3 Goals... 3 CHAPTER 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY Introduction... 7 Cultural and Historic Qualities: History and Evolution of the Cultural Landscape... 7 Cultural Qualities Natural Qualities Historic Qualities Scenic Qualities Recreational Qualities Archeological Qualities CHAPTER 3: ENSURING STEWARDSHIP Introduction The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Is Natural Recommendations for Stewardship of Public Lands and Natural Qualities A Natural Place, Special People Recommendations for Stewardship of Cultural and Historic Qualities More History to Uncover; Recommendations for Archeological Stewardship Beautiful Views; Recommendations for Stewardship of Scenic Qualities A Place for Play, Solitude and Enjoyment; Recommendations for Recreation CHAPTER 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY CORRIDOR Introduction Enhancing the Byway for Visiting and Living Scenic Byway Gateways and Village Design Provisions for Bicyclists and Pedestrians Water Access Improvements to Public Parkland and Refuges Recommendations Enhancing the Byway for Ferrying and Driving Ferries Safety Roadway Maintenance Views from the Road and Scenic Enhancements Wayfinding and Signs Recommendations iii

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS, cont d CHAPTER 5: SHARING THE HERITAGE OF PEOPLE AND PLACES ALONG THE BYWAY Introduction Existing Conditions Visitor Orientation Major Interpretive Facilities Other Interpretive Sites and Efforts Private Initiatives Trails and Tours Audience and the Visitor Experience Improving the Interpretive Experience An Interpretive Plan for the Byway Recommendations for Sharing the Stories CHAPTER 6: BEYOND THE BYWAY SHARING THE HERITAGE OF THE PEOPLE AND PLACES OF THE OUTER BANKS Introduction The Byway s Role in Tourism Marketing Shaping Audience Outreach to Shape Visitor Demand Projects to Reach Audiences Beyond the Byway Positioning Tactics Enhance the Experience through an Interactive Internet Presence Make the Visitor Experience Special Focus on Specialized Audiences Great Giveaways and Contests Encourage Collaboration among Businesses and Sites CHAPTER 7: ORGANIZING THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Introduction Management Resources Public Outreach and Participation ADDENDUM I: Roles of Agencies, Groups and Individuals ADDENDUM II: A Drive along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway MAPS Outer Banks Scenic Byway Land Use Outer Banks Scenic Byway Features Hatteras Island (Dare County) Ocracoke Island (Hyde County) Down East (Carteret County) iv

5 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY TABLE OF CONTENTS, cont d APPENDICES 1: Life-Saving Station Sites to Consider For Interpretive Improvements : Miscellaneous Sites to Consider For New or Added Interpretive Improvements : Public Harbors and Private Ferries to Consider For Interpretive Improvements : Public Fishing, Boating and Camping Sites to Consider For Interpretive Improvements : The Cape Hatteras National Seashore s Plan for Developing Wayside Exhibits : Cape Hatteras National Seashore Interpretive Themes : Preserving Cultural Traditions: Bringing Back the Annabelle TABLES 2-1: Life-Saving Station Sites and Resources : Historic Sites Listed in or Determined Eligible for the National Register : Archeological Sites Determined Eligible for the National Register : Protected Segments of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway : Major Waterside Recreational Resources : Accidents and Fatalities on the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, Jan.2005 June : Visitor Centers : Major Interpretive Facilities : Historical Markers Commemorating the Civil War : Highway Historical Markers : Interpretive Nature Trails : Outer Banks Visitor Characteristics vs. U.S. Average : Community Centers with Potential for Visitor Center Functions : Fine-Tuning Tactics Positioning Tactics : Fine-Tuning Tactics An Interactive Internet Presence : Fine-Tuning Tactics A Special Visitor Experience : Fine-Tuning Tactics Reaching Specialized Audiences : Fine-Tuning Tactics Giveaways & Contests : Fine-Tuning Tactics Collaboration Among Businesses and Sites FIGURES 4-1: Average Number of Buses Visiting Ocracoke, by Month, : Monthly Visitation to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, : Top Ten Outer Banks Markets : Visitor Spending : More Vehicles with More Passengers Visit Ocracoke during the Summer : Annual Visitation to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, : Many More Visitors Access the Hatteras Island Visitor Center at Cape Hatteras : Comparison of Visitation to the Two National Seashores : Indications of Seasonality and Timing of Strategy Implementation v

6 TABLE OF CONTENTS, cont d SIDEBARS 1-1: Good Things Are Happening along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway : A Short History of Long-ago Geology : Waterman Poetry : Buxton Woods : Memorial to a Seaman : The Battle of the Atlantic and Torpedo Junction : Poem by Carl Goerch, : Underwater Archeology : Traditional Maritime Occupations : Dealing with Traffic and Pedestrians in Ocracoke Village : North Carolina s Mountains to the Sea Trail : The Bonner Bridge Replacement Project : What Are Complete Streets? : Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station : Portsmouth Village : Danny Couch, Island Historian : Cape Hatteras National Seashore s Planning for Visitor Information : Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge s Planning for Interpretation : Complementing Carteret County s Strategic Plan for Tourism : Cape Hatteras National Seashore Goals Related to Virtual Visitors : Training for Heritage-Based Businesses vi

7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION, VISION AND GOALS INTRODUCTION The Outer Banks Scenic Byway was designated by North Carolina s Department of Transportation in the early 1990 s. A first corridor management plan was produced in As a result of that plan, byway committees were appointed by boards of commissioners in Dare, Hyde and Carteret counties. From those committees, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee was formed. The Need for an Updated Plan The community-based advisory committee found the first corridor management plan in need of up-dated information and incomplete in characterizing the intrinsic qualities of the entire Byway. As it worked on implementing the first plan, the advisory committee also found that recommendations were too generally stated. The recommendations needed detail and additional consultation with local, state and national agency partners and Byway communities. Purpose This 2008 Corridor Management Plan for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway: Updates Byway and community information; Accurately and completely describes the Byway s intrinsic qualities; and Presents detailed recommendations for implementation. It has also served as the platform for redoubled consultation with agency partners and Byway communities about progress thus far and strategies to continue preserving, protecting, Pamlico Sound, from Ocracoke Island (Photo by Earl W. O Neal, Jr.) interpreting, and promoting the Byway. It also led to an amendment that stretched the length of the Byway from its original 111 miles to today s 138. THE NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYS PROGRAM Created in 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program is a voluntary, community-based initiative that recognizes, protects, and promotes America's most outstanding roadways. Today, the national program recognizes 125 America s Byways. North Carolina s Board of Transportation seized the initiative early in the national program s history and designated outstanding roadways in the Tar Heel State as State Scenic Byways. The cooperating state program is appropriately coordinated by NCDOT s Roadside Environmental Unit, which seeks to enhance the traveling experience along the state s roadways. Today, North Carolina recognizes 51 scenic byways stretching from the 1

8 1: INTRODUCTION Blue Ridge Mountains into the fertile plains and to the state s amazing coastline. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway is one of the first designated by North Carolina. In 138 driving miles and 25 ferry-riding miles, this Outer Banks coastal byway presents all intrinsic qualities called for in the national program. It is a goal of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee to seek national recognition. To meet that goal, the advisory committee presents this updated Corridor Management Plan, a prerequisite for recognition. The plan explores the cultural, natural, historic, scenic, recreational and archaeological qualities found along the Byway and sets out enhancements for the visiting public and for Byway residents. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee has already participated in the national program s matching grant program. This updated Corridor Management Plan is the result of a grant award received from the national program. Matching funds were provided by boards of commissioners in Dare, Hyde and Carteret counties, the three jurisdictions found along the state-designated Byway. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY The Outer Banks of North Carolina are a distinct geological feature of the United States eastern coastline. These barrier islands and surrounding waters are awash with national landmarks connecting to the nation s maritime history of discovery, the age of sail, shipwrecks, war, piracy, and hurricanes. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway traverses one of the nation s great coastal landscapes. Miles of nomadic sand dunes and brackish, briny marshes line the roadway through Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands and Down East. This amazing landscape is already nationally recognized. Two national seashores, Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout, are homes to four lighthouses, including the nation s tallest brick lighthouse (Cape Hatteras) and its second oldest operating lighthouse (Ocracoke). Two national wildlife refuges, Pea Island and Cedar Island, highlight this coastal region s world famous stopover for migrating song birds and waterfowl. Cedar Island is the only site in North Carolina where Northern Harriers have been found nesting. In addition, the state of North Carolina has permanently set aside portions of its largest remaining maritime forest, Buxton Woods. Flung across this wild and scenic coastline are traditional maritime villages, sharing a common cultural heritage. These maritime communities hold fast to that heritage and living traditions shaped in response to the intimately-known barrier islands and shallow Pamlico, Core and Back Sounds. Village residents still build boats, fish and hunt, operate ferries, and guard the coast. Weather rules and boaters and drivers ride with the tides. Everywhere, there is evidence of a unique maritime culture that has evolved from over four centuries of European or Colonial living and visiting. This culture included the place names of its first seasonal residents, the American Indian. Algonkian Indians visited and used the abundant resources of these barrier islands, just as today s visitors do. Live oaks, old cottages, family cemeteries, simple churches, family stores, fish houses, and seven standing life-saving stations mark historic settlements. From backyard docks and village harbors, commercial fishing boats still ply the waters of the sounds, rivers, and ocean. Pound net stakes are everywhere in the sounds. Hunters still scan the sky for ducks and geese from blinds in marshes and far out on the shallows and islands of the sounds. As they always have, schools and churches gather communities together. These once isolated fishing villages, now with modern conveniences, offer evidence of life on the edge of the nation. The villages and villagers have survived a harsh environment and changing economy through a hardy, selfsufficient adaptability. Visitors can hear stories 2

9 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Davis Harbor, Down East (Photo by Connie Mason) told in least two variations of a brogue or dialect, specific to Ocracoke and in Down East. Those stories tell of mail delivered by boat, water from cisterns, food from the sea and gardened land and heroic shipwreck rescues. Rich traditions, tales, songs, crafts, gardens, remedies, recipes, place names and community and family gatherings, have evolved from living on the Outer Banks, along the eastern edge of the nation. A VISION FOR 2020 AND BEYOND The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee offers the following vision for the Byway corridor and Byway communities. The vision provides a test for plan recommendations and future actions: will this action help achieve our vision for the Byway? In 2020, connections to each other, this place, and our heritage will be strong. Connections will be expressed by shared local knowledge and stories and respect for the past, ourselves, nature s bounty, and our concerns for the future. Our culture remains as alive and adaptive and is still unique and connected to the environment. Byway businesses, our environment, and our communities will be sustained by deliberate commitment of investment dollars and time. True, community-based heritage tourism will be a mission of visitor programs. Entrepreneurial hands-on heritage will be a part of the visitor s experience and the resident s quality of life. This new emphasis in our communities will help to perpetuate our heritage. Future generations will be able to choose to live and work in Byway communities. We will all still enjoy the simple pleasures of this unique place the endless sunsets, sleeping under the stars, the unique and unending flashes of light from our lighthouses, and the smell of salt air and tidal flats. GOALS From this vision, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee has derived simple 3

10 1: INTRODUCTION SIDEBAR 1-1: Good Things Are Happening along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Actions by many groups, organizations and individuals evidence a commitment to protecting, enhancing and sharing the Byway and its communities. Since 2003 when the first Corridor Management Plan was introduced, a Byway Advisory Committee has formed and continues to work. On Hatteras Island, Hatteras village became the first coastal village to receive a Preserve America designation in A plan for off-the-road pathways was approved by Dare County s board of Hatteras Welcome Center, 1902 Weather Station commissioners in In 2007, the National Park Service-restored Hatteras Weather Bureau opened as a visitor center operated by Dare s Visitors Bureau. Dare s scenic byway committee annually sponsors a native tree give-away with four partner organizations. The county s byway advisory committee sponsors spring and fall roadside and beach clean-ups. On Ocracoke Island, the village became a Preserve America destination in The Ocracoke Fish House cooperative formed to provide a harbor landing for the island's commercial fishermen. The cooperative, the Ocracoke Working Watermen s Association, is opening an exhibit on the Community Square pier for educational purposes. The historic Ocracoke Coast Guard Station was restored and now operates as a site for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Street shoulders were enhanced to provide walking space. In 2008, seven bridges were replaced in two and half months. The traditional maritime arts and crafts school, Ocrafolk, started and the Ocracoke Preservation Society continues to display and enhance its collection of historic documents and conduct historic porch talks during the tourist season. In Down East, the southernmost portion of the Byway, the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center is the driving force for promoting and preserving heritage. The museum sponsors community nights, highlighting each individual community in Down East. The museum has conducted an assets inventory for its region. A small business association has formed. Community entrance signs are in place. A Willow Pond Nature Trail connects the museum with Cape Lookout National Seashore s visitor center. Carteret commissioners enacted a Down East conservation ordinance. Along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, entrepreneurs have started heritage-oriented programs: In February 2005, famed Hatteras Island storyteller, Danny Couch purchased a 25-seat bus and now offers heritage tours of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. In Waves, Hatteras Realty has adaptively re-used the historic Rasmus Midgett home, circa 1850, as its Waves office. The property management company also offers for its clients, an orientation program, a history night, a seafood cooking class and a soundside safari for children. On Ocracoke, Philip Howard conducts walking tours of the nationally-designated historic district. The historic Community Store on Ocracoke's Silver Lake has recently reopened under the management of James and Susan Paul. Zillie's Island Pantry, shop1 for gourmet foods conducts monthly cooking classes focusing on Ocracoke and regional type foods and cooking. Ocracoke Community Radio Station WOVV, 90.1 FM has gotten approval and is presently being established. In Down East, Dennis Chadwick is offering kayak tours. Jimmy Amspacher started the Great Marsh Boatworks. Johnnie s Store in Davis is preserved as the Davis Shore Provisions General Store and features local baked goods, arts and homemade crafts. More accomplishments and opportunities appear in the chapters that follow. 4

11 goals, which are to be used to plan an annual work program. Ensuring Stewardship Ensure stewardship of the Byway s cultural and natural resources. Work for sustainable development: Ensure that economic and recreational development will enhance and respect the Byway s intrinsic qualities. Enhancing the Byway Enhance the Byway experience: Ensure that visitors and residents have ample opportunity to appreciate the communities, resources, and scenery of the Byway and pursue activities in comfort, ease of movement, and safety with minimal impact on traditional culture and natural ecosystems. Develop a wide range of community-based interpretive programs. Ensure that the Byway s roadway and right-ofway are safe, well-maintained and inviting. Increase safety for all users. Provide community-appropriate facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Re-establish Pamlico Sound views. Sharing the Heritage of People and Place Share the heritage of people and places along the Byway. Develop hands-on heritage to sustain the economy. Understand that authentic local history is a renewable resource with economic value. Highlight locally-owned businesses heritage and traditions. Share the story beyond the Byway. Reinforce community heritage and natural qualities of the Byway with marketing programs. Develop print and electronic media resources. Nurture a strong, year-round economy. Implementing the Plan Enlist collaborative support for the Byway. Acknowledge this is a plan that cannot be accomplished by any one group. Thus, engage the resources of local, state, and federal governmental agencies, business groups, service organizations, public interest groups, and citizens to enhance the Byway and address the needs of its visitors and residents. NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY The chapters that follow enlarge on all preceding points, aiming to provide the details that will result in the vision and reach the goals. Chapter 2 explains the Byway s intrinsic qualities, focusing especially on the cultural, natural, and historic qualities that Byway partners will continue working to illuminate. It also describes the Byway s history and evolution of its cultural landscape. Chapter 3 reviews stewardship efforts in the Byway corridor and recommends further actions. Even with 50% of the Byway passing through protected public lands, further protection is needed. Careful attention to the details of landscape character is required, everywhere. Chapter 4 recommends a wide variety of enhancement projects, organized by major elements of the visitor s experience and the residents quality of life. Some recommendations in Chapter 3 call for developing policies and guidance that will enable effective implementation of Chapter 4 s projects. Think of Chapter 3 as care for the best of the status quo and policies to do better, and Chapter 4 as deliberate improvements. Chapter 5 lays out a blueprint for sharing the qualities of the Byway with residents and visitors so that they will understand the underlying dynamics of the natural and cultural landscape. Success will mean that all will come to value this special place with its common maritime heritage, historic villages, and magnificent natural landscape, and work to protect these resources. Chapter 6 continues the idea of sharing the Byway, by reaching out to all audiences in innovative ways. Chapter 7, the last chapter, addresses the management of a Byway with many partners, ways to set priorities among the recommendations found in Chapters 3-5, and ways to implement and fund many projects in the years ahead. 5

12 1: INTRODUCTION Cape Hatteras Don Bowers, 2008, Several artists have generously donated use of their images for this project. The natural beauty and deeply rooted culture of the Outer Banks have long nourished the talents of artists who grew up here and have drawn other artists who now reside here. Photographs by Don Bowers capture the essence and news of Hatteras Island, such as this classic view encompassing Cape Hatteras, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (center), and northern Hatteras Island. In 1966, Bowers moved to Hatteras Island with his U.S. Coast Guard family. He never left. A decade later, Bowers finished high school and started building custom surf boards and then windsurfing boards. That s how people know me, says Bowers. Windsurfing drew Anne Bowers to the island. Don and Anne, married in 1997, own and operate Indian Town Gallery in Frisco on Hatteras Island. Don was introduced to photography his senior year in high school. He worked on the famed Sea Chest, a publication produced by Cape Hatteras School students. He pursued photography as a hobby. He marks the start of his professional, free-lance photography career with the move of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Bowers photography is regularly featured on-line in the Island Free Press and in print media. His photographs are available through the gallery, where Bowers mats and frames art work and is the all-around handy man. He s still in the board business. 6

13 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY CHAPTER 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY INTRODUCTION The National Scenic Byway Program says intrinsic quality means scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archeological, or natural features that are considered representative, unique, irreplaceable, or distinctly characteristic of an area. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway has all the intrinsic qualities judged important for national designation. This chapter explains each of these intrinsic qualities. CULTURAL AND HISTORIC QUALITIES: HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE The Outer Banks Scenic Byway is a place where cultural and historic qualities are heavily reliant on the natural landscape. The landscape s rich natural resources, geographic characteristics, climate, and weather are the dominant influences in what is seen and experienced today. Geology, Prehistory, European Contact and Colonization The remarkable maritime landscape known as North Carolina s Outer Banks began with geological processes that formed the long, low sandy barrier islands that protect Pamlico Sound, the nation s second largest estuary, and Core and Back Sounds to the south. (See Sidebar 2-1.) Aboriginal people came to these spits of land for the rich and accessible marine resources shellfish, sea turtles, waterfowl, fish, and marsh-dwelling mammals. Two different tribal peoples inhabited the lands along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Others visited the area from the mainland. Europeans encountered tribal peoples, known as the Croatans, the southernmost Algonquin linguistic group that extended into New York, Maine and Canada. The Croatans lived on Hatteras Island and as far south as Portsmouth Island, part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. A Tuscaroran tribe called the Coree, part of the Iroquois linguistic group, lived on Harkers Island in Down East. Core Sound is said to derive its name from this tribe, and Shell Point, the eastern end of Harkers Island, is named for a large American Indian shell midden that once stood there (a midden is a pile of mixed shells and detritus that often has great archeological value). Many other place names along the Byway are attributed to the Native American culture: Hatteras, Ocracoke, Pamlico, etc. On Roanoke Island, in Dare County just to the west of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway s northern gateway, is the site of the first English settlement in North America. Some dispute the famed 1587 colony was lost. Instead, the colony, they say, found haven with the Croatan on Hatteras Island. Recent archaeological digs on Hatteras Island have unearthed a connection between the colony and the Croatan. Through war, pestilence and displacements, Native Americans were reduced in numbers and vanished from Hatteras Island around For both Native Americans and Europeans settling the Outer Banks, fishing for oysters, clams, crabs, and many types of finfish sustained life. Fishing developed as the major economic engine for centuries and continues today. Waterfowl hunting also continues and, like fishing, is well-recognized in the living cultural heritage here. 7

14 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY SIDEBAR 2-1: A Short History of Long-ago Geology The forces that shaped the barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina as they originally formed continue to shape the barrier islands of today. Thus, insight into the formation of the barrier islands provides insight into the workings of modern barrier islands. The Atlantic Coastal Plain, which later helped to build the foundation of the barrier islands, was formed during the Mesozoic Era, 70 million years ago. The ocean constantly deposited sediment on the continental shelf creating many layers of soft marine deposits. As the ice ages began 68 million years later, or two million years ago, glaciers formed causing the sea level to drop. The lowering of the sea level revealed a sloping coastal plain composed of soft and easily eroded sediment (Hoel, 1986). The close of the ice age marked the beginning of the formation of the barrier islands of the mid-atlantic coast. Barrier islands along the Atlantic Coast, specifically the North Carolina coast, formed during the Pleistocene time period, approximately 18,000 years ago (Beyer, 1991). While the exact origins of many of the world s barrier islands are debated, it is generally accepted that North Carolina's barrier islands began as landmasses at the edge of the continental shelf. As the glaciers began to melt and the climate warmed, thermal expansion of ocean water caused the sea level to rise. The rising ocean waters pushed sand and other sediment westward, creating dune ridges parallel to the shoreline. The waves eventually broke through the ridges and flooded the area behind the dunes. The dune ridges were then surrounded by water as the ocean moved onto the coastal plain of low elevation (Kaufman and Pilkey, 1983). The newly created barrier islands were then subject to the onslaught of the ocean as water moved freely around the islands and currents transported sand. With the continual rising of sea level, the barrier islands moved closer towards the mainland (Kaufman and Pilkey, 1983). Today, North Carolina's barrier islands are much more than a tourist attraction. As indicated by their name, they are a protector of our state's coastline. However, just as the barrier islands were in a state of constant flux thousands of years ago, they continue to be dynamic and ever-changing bodies. Natural forces play a continuous role on our state's barrier islands as they are bombarded with an unending cycle of waves, winds, storms, and currents (Hoel, 1986). -Excerpt from An Investigation into the Migration of North Carolina s Barrier Islands, by Kim Hutter, paper published by the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology at summer/2004%20rocks%20and%20minerals%20papers/kim%20hutter-%20migration%20of% 20Barrier%20Islands%20Paper.rtf This region s geographic location was strategic for coastal shipping and sea drama. Two capes, Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout and their associated treacherous shoals, are the most unique geological features on the Outer Banks barrier islands. At Cape Hatteras, known locally as the Point, the cold waters of the southbound Labrador Current collide with the warm waters of the northbound Gulf Stream. Upwelling currents, unpredictable waves, and the resulting Diamond Shoals extend far beyond the Point. Cape Hatteras and Diamond Shoals are navigation hazards to this day. Alexander Hamilton called the Outer Banks Graveyard of the Atlantic for its many shipwrecks. He supported the construction of the first Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in 1797 and on Ocracoke Island, Shell Castle Lighthouse in Cape Lookout is the southern tip of Core Banks. It wraps a checkmark-shaped bight around Shackleford Island and Barden Inlet, formed in the Hurricane of In 1585, Captain John Smith called this equally troublesome obstacle to navigation Promontorium Tremendum, or Horrible Headland. Cape Lookout received its first lighthouse in

15 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Of the inlets known in the earliest days of European exploration and colonial shipping, only Ocracoke Inlet remains. It marks an ancient river bed. The inlets named Oregon, Hatteras and Drum are much more recent. Geological evidence suggests that the islands have seen many other inlets at various locations over the past 7,000 years. Inlets between the islands permitted shipping and fishing vessels to move between ocean and sound. Lightering, off-loading cargo to boats with shallower draft, became a maritime occupation for islanders. Even when vessels were not off-loaded, they required local pilots who knew the shifting sands of the inlets best. The village of Ocracoke was first known as Pilot Town in the 17 th century. Ocracoke is the scene of one of the most dramatic piracy events. Edward Teach, better known as the notorious pirate Blackbeard, was killed in a battle in the waters off this island. This body of water is to this day called Teach s Hole. Across Ocracoke Inlet grew what was once the largest shipping town on the Outer Banks, Portsmouth. Portsmouth and Ocracoke were the only large settlements on the Outer Banks in the 18th century. Small subsistence fishing communities interspersed with whaling and fishing camps marked other favorable locations for settlement during the 19th century. The Nineteenth Century Lighthouses As time passed and the United States government grew, public works and programs gave employment to the islanders. First came lighthouses, to warn passing ships of the capes and indicate inlets and harbors. Then came life-saving stations. The nation s second oldest operating lighthouse at Ocracoke s Silver Harbor was built in 1823 (77 feet, 5 inches). The nation s tallest brick lighthouse warning sailors of Diamond Shoals stands at Cape Hatteras (1873; 198 feet). Two other striking lighthouses at Bodie Island (1872; 150 feet) and Cape Lookout (1859; 160 feet) complete the dramatic collection of four lighthouses along a single byway. All are still used as navigation aids today. (For a definitive listing of the lighthouses characteristics and historical facts, see light/nc.htm.) Ocracoke is perhaps the most unusual lighthouse as it nestles in the village. Cape Village, beside Cape Lookout, and Buxton, beside Cape Hatteras, edge near their lighthouses but remain apart. Families along the Outer Banks include those of former lighthouse keepers who lived at each site, making sure that the lights first powered by whale oil and finally by electricity were kept burning every night. Life-Saving and the Coast Guard The U.S. Life-Saving Service established in North Carolina in 1874 was the precursor of today s U.S. Coast Guard, formed in The life-saving stations, built every seven miles to allow continuous foot patrols along the beaches, influenced settlement patterns. Homes for life-saver families were built nearby. This process helped to solidify the formation of some Outer Banks villages. Life-Saving Service and early Coast Guard station buildings still stand at Bodie Island (Tommy s Hummock, 1878), Oregon Inlet (1898), Chicamacomico (1874, 1911), Little Kinnakeet (1874, 1904), Portsmouth (1894), and Cape Lookout (1887, 1916). These buildings survive in varying states of intentional preservation for public access and represent both an important national historic story and a rich regional cultural story. In 1880, the now extinct Pea Island Life Saving Station was the first life-station in the country to have an all-black crew, and the first in the nation to have a black man as a commanding officer. Three U.S. Coast Guard stations at other locations along the Byway (Oregon Inlet, Hatteras Inlet, and Ocracoke) carry on the lifesaving tradition in modern form. In addition, today s U.S. Coast Guard cooperates with the Chicamacomico Historical Association to create reenactments of the Beach Apparatus Drill which uses a small cannon to deliver a line to a vessel in distress. 9

16 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY TABLE 2-1: LIFE-SAVING STATION SITES AND RESOURCES ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Site or Resource (Date; Status) Bodie Island Lifesaving/Coast Guard Station (1923, standing) Oregon Inlet Station (1897, standing) Pea Island (1878; site) New Inlet (1882; site) Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site (1874, standing; 1911, standing) Pea Island ( ; bldg) Gull Shoal ( ; site) Little Kinnakeet ( ; , standing) Big Kinnakeet ( ; ; site) Cape Hatteras (1880; site) Creeds Hill (1878; site) Creeds Hill (1878; bldg) Hatteras (1878; site) Ocracoke (1883; site) Location; Comments Currently near Coquina Beach; first known as Tommy s Hummock, 1878; new station built 1923 and boathouse are under restoration for moving and adaptive use by the National Park Service Oregon Inlet (south side); first known as Bodie Island, 1874; new station is soon to be stabilized. Site only; Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, near the visitor center. The summer kitchen from this site is in Manteo and is open to the public to celebrate the first African-American Coastmen. Site only; Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge near the New Inlet boat ramp (interpretive signs at beach access nearby) Rodanthe; museum site Salvo; relocated and now used as a residence/business South of Salvo Day Use Area; first known as Cedar Hummock, , then Gull Shoal North of Avon; under restoration for public access and interpretation by the National Park Service South of Avon Cape Point, Buxton Frisco, NPS public campground South of Frisco; relocated and now used as private residence Also known as Durants, this was being used as lodging until it was destroyed by Hurricane Isabel in Ocracoke Island, also known as Cedar Hammock; pilings are incorporated into Hatteras Inlet ferry harbor Ocracoke ( ; kitchen bldg) Original kitchen from site can be seen at a private home on British Cemetery Rd.; this building was used as a morgue in WWII Ocracoke ( , site; , standing) Portsmouth (1894; standing) Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station (1916; standing) Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station (1887; standing) Ocracoke village; building was adapted for educational purposes and is not open to the public Portsmouth National Historic District, Portsmouth Island (across Ocracoke Inlet, accessible by toll passenger ferry from Ocracoke) Cape Lookout Village Historic District (across Core Sound, accessible by toll passenger ferry from Harkers Island) Same vicinity as Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station, above. Sites are listed in geographic order, north to south. Source: Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee 10

17 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Village Formation and Place Names At the close of the Civil War, there were only seven post offices on the Outer Banks. Villagers applied to Washington to have post offices located on site, submitting appropriate names. In the end, the U.S. Postal Service named the new facilities as it chose, forever complicating the charting of Outer Banks history. Thus, Chicamacomico became Rodanthe in 1874; the Cape Hatteras office, known as The Cape, was changed to Buxton in 1882; Kinnakeet became Avon in 1883; Trent turned to Frisco in 1898; Clarks to Salvo in 1901; and South Rodanthe to Waves in The Twentieth Century The Rise of Down East A devastating hurricane in 1899 discouraged even the hardiest of survivors of this often harsh environment. Many families and whole villages moved from the Core Banks and Shackleford Banks to the islands and islandlike marshy mainland of Carteret County s Down East peninsula. Dismantled homes and buildings were floated across the sounds shallow waters. These families also carried with them fishing and boatbuilding local traditions and live today in a more authentic maritime landscape than their more northerly neighbors on Ocracoke and Hatteras islands. Thirteen villages evolved between Cedar Island and Harkers Island on the high ground just beyond the peninsula s fringe of marshes and in between many creeks. No longer on barrier islands, these families nevertheless preserve Outer Banks culture and occupations. Roads, Bridges, and Ferries With no paved road, villages remained secluded and insular into mid-century, relying as always on boats for transport. The shifting sands and turbulent seas were barriers to change. After World War II, highway builders overcame the triple threat of water, sand and wind. A highway was long overdue. Villagers had been paying road taxes since the 1920s, yet they traveled a tangled maze of gritty tracks trailing off into island sands. Elders today recount hilarious tales of finely judged decisions to cross creeks and gullies at low tide, or driving on hard sands of the beach despite a rising tide. In 1948, by vote of island residents, the first portion of NC 12 linked Hatteras and Avon. One state official claimed it was the hardest road in the state of North Carolina. The building of US 70 from Beaufort to Cedar Island, in turn, is a tale of roadway wrested from marshes and bridged over the numerous streams of the Down East peninsula. Until the building of this road in the Depression era, the many communities of Down East were essentially island communities, accessible only by boat. In 1953, North Carolina s extensive car ferry service began, and the Outer Banks and Down East were at last connected by a continuous route. The last links in the route were built soon after the ferry system began. The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge eliminated the Oregon Inlet ferry in A 13-mile road up Ocracoke Island to Hatteras Inlet enabled a shorter ferry ride from the village of Hatteras in 1957 and required the island s ponies to be penned for their safety. The Ocracoke road was the last corridor because it required bridging seven small tidal creeks. Until ferry economics and logistics intervened, it was simpler to avoid them altogether. Other Landscape Alterations Besides the road that is known today as US 70, with its wide, deep and steep ditches protecting the roadway as it crosses the wet lands of Down East, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) left three other major marks on the landscape of the Byway. Mosquito canals drained most marshes of standing water and the impoundments and other structures were built at what is now the heart of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was recently deemed a cultural landscape eligible for the National Register. The CCC s greatest work, however, was the dune line on Bodie, Hatteras, and Ocracoke islands. Although to visitors eyes it may appear natural, the dune line was constructed in the 1930 s to protect the islands from the pounding storms that routinely reshape the landscape. Today it protects the Byway s NC 12 on the 11

18 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY three islands. As discussed in Chapters 3 and 4, alterations to the processes that sustain the barrier islands and ecosystems have been the cost that came with the dune line s protection. A Civilian Conservation Corps camp remains at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse District and is used today as housing for National Park Service staff. Deep Sea Fishing Is Born A major new phase in the fishing economy of the region also began in the 1930 s. In 1937, Capt. Ernal Foster decided to take paying visitors on his commercial fishing boat, the Albatross, sailing from Hatteras harbor out through the inlet to the Gulf Stream to fish for marlin and other sport fish of the deep sea. Thus began a recreational fishing industry that is a mainstay of today s maritime landscape on the Outer Banks, especially Hatteras. The Albatross I gained two companions, Albatross II and Albatross III, immediately after World War II. All retain the original design, a rounded stern that evolved for hauling nets. The Albatross Fleet is a direct connection to Harkers Island. All Albatross boats were built there. National Seashores, National Wildlife Refuges More changes to the landscape of the Outer Banks were coming. In 1937, Congress created the first national seashore, Cape Hatteras, encompassing Bodie, Pea, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. At the same time, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge was set aside for management for migratory birds and other wildlife. Land for the national seashore was finally assembled and the seashore opened in Enclaves of private property were created around the principal villages. Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1963 and Cape Lookout National Seashore in Like Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Lookout s establishment was preceded by years of land assembly by the State of North Carolina. Cape Lookout, accessible only by boat or private ferry, is included in the corridor by virtue of its many natural and cultural associations with the landscape of the Byway. These extraordinary public lands are a major legacy from the twentieth century and account for permanent protection of much of the lands of the Byway s defined corridor. As the twentieth century proceeded, still more evolution occurred. The many Coast Guard stations enabled some towns to survive longer than they might have, especially Portsmouth, the last remaining village accessible only by passenger ferry and not vehicle ferry. Its last inhabitants left in It survives today as a collection of twenty early structures, including the Washington Roberts House (1790), the oldest surviving home on the Outer Banks. These buildings are maintained by the National Park Service in cooperation with the village s families and private custodians. Portsmouth now is the scene of a homecoming every even-numbered year in April. Americans Discover Outer Banks Beaches In the years following World War II, as access to the Outer Banks improved and Americans leisure time and wealth grew, the village enclaves on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands saw a new kind of growth. Traditionally sheltering from the harsh Atlantic shoreline in homes and villages along harbors and Pamlico Sound, the Bankers found that beach property was a source of wealth. Buyers eagerly built vacation homes, rental properties, and businesses to serve visitors who came to enjoy surf fishing and the beaches. This is a process that has extended all the way to the Virginia line nearly uninterrupted from Nags Head north and has waxed and waned with the nation s real estate economy. Along the Byway, much new development obscures but does not hide the location of traditional villages. Original village limits are still apparent to close observers of landscape patterns. Live oaks mark high ground and were encouraged to grow as sheltering vegetation. Other structures on the landscape that mark these settlements are old cottages, family cemeteries, simple 12

19 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY churches, family stores, fish houses, marinas, and harbors. Hurricanes Helped Shape this Landscape A half mile from the ferry terminal at Cedar Island, a colorful and welcoming general store is the first sign for southbound travelers that something is going to be different about this mainland Down East landscape. A modern metal pole building is perched on its own mound eight feet above ground level. Along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway weather rules, one resident of Down East flatly explains. Tourism authorities literally keep a weather eye during hurricane season. On Hatteras and Ocracoke, evacuation of thousands of visitors is a finely honed practice. Officials are keenly aware that it will take many hours to evacuate an island via a two-lane highway and connecting ferries. Here, no one questions the reasons why recent residential buildings are built on pilings. Hurricanes, nor easters and strong, persistent winds from the southwest or northwest push ocean or sound waters across the landscape. In this landscape, some very early buildings are known to have been built to float, to be towed back in place, or simply lifted after the storm, then and there given a new foundation. Others were built with scuppers holes placed so that water would flow in, equalizing pressure inside and out so that the houses didn t float off their foundations. Tales of these kinds of buildings are among residents favorites. Hurricanes and storms are the reason this centuries old landscape lacks evidence of long settlement. There are no structures directly along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway older than the 1823 Ocracoke Lighthouse. (The Washington Roberts House, ca. 1790, still stands on Portsmouth Island.) Corrosive salt air and sand have had their way with human constructions, as well. The few late-19 th century structures that survive there are on the highest ground, protected by thick maritime forests and live oaks, and carefully maintained. SIDEBAR 2-2: Waterman Poetry KEEP ME AFLOAT Dale Farrow July fishermandale@yahoo.com The storm has overcome me Waves toss my vessel to and fro Once again I call Your name Lord Guide me where I should go Without your guidance Lord I am afraid of the shoals ahead Many has tried to cross without you Sadly many of them are now dead Show me the open place Where the waves fail to break Help me to see clearly The course that I must take Smooth sailing is just a few moments ahead My heart is pounding as I cross the bar Keep me afloat a while longer Lord sometimes it seems so far My engine is running strongly In the bilge no water does flow I have rounded the point of danger now On to a safe harbor I will go Once again I thank you Lord For keeping me afloat Ride with me always Be the Captain of my boat 13

20 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY Wisteria & Mantis Antoinette Gaskins Mattingly, Full-time ceramic artist Antoinette Gaskins Mattingly is a fourth generation Hatteras Island artist. She lives and works in the historic village of Kinnakeet (Avon). Her ceramic art work is made from original molds created by casting either a real object or sculpture in plaster. Earthenware clay is pressed into the mold, dried, fired, stained, airbrushed with underglaze colors and then covered with a lead-free clear glaze before firing for the last time. The resulting artwork is individually unique with vibrant color and distressed texture. One year, Antoinette s artwork of Red Drum was presented as awards at the fall Red Drum (capture and release) Fishing tournament. The wisteria in this artwork came from the Kinnakeet yard of Mama Carrie, Antoinette s great-grandmother and a watercolorist. Until Hurricane Isabel in 2003, unlike on Hatteras and Ocracoke, Down East structures were built on normal foundations. Many older homes have been lifted high above ground on new foundations, looking slightly humbled and apologetic about all the fuss. The lucky architectural historian who will be recruited to help document this unique cultural landscape will be bemused to record vernacular Ihouses standing tall above their neighbors. An I-house is a hall-and-parlor five-bay, twostory building on the front with a one- or twostory appendage at a right angle to the front. I- houses are everywhere in North Carolina and the South in general, but not like this. Down East s Authentic Cultural Landscape Visitors to Down East see an entirely unselfconscious, authentic fishing-village landscape shaped by culture and nature and unlike any other. The houses are modest, proudly maintained, carefully gardened Southern-style with camellias, azaleas, crape myrtles, and pampas grass, sometimes ornamented idiosyncratically. The ornamentation might be anything to hand, like old fishing buoys or large conch shells that often edge flower beds. Or it might be purposebuilt, such as grape arbors or birdhouses. At Christmas, the newest craze is clever lighted Christmas trees made of crab pot wire the new kind coated in tree-green plastic. The inventor, a crab pot maker, saw an opportunity to use his traditional skills in a new entrepreneurial way. Pecan trees, a few pecan orchards, pines and live oaks provide shade. Figs trees are common. Neatly plowed vegetable gardens are everywhere, usually with traditional poles for string beans. Handmade signs advertise a local craft, model boats, decoys, painted gourds, or ornamental buoys. 14

21 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Zenova Hooper, now 90, gives this traditional recipe in Cooking with Salvo, complied by the Salvo Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary: Salvo Boiled Old Drum Fish: ¼ side drum fish, 12 potatoes, 3 T. salt, 1 T. pepper, ¼ lb. salt pork, 2 onions. Cut the fish into chunks. Put fish and potatoes in large pot. Add water to cover. Add salt and pepper; cover and boil for 1 hour. Try out the salt pork. How to Serve: Remove fish to platter with potatoes. Dice onions. Pour salt drippings over the fish. You have a dish fit for a king. Heads & Tails Kim Mosher, Working artist Kim Mosher lives in Buxton on Hatteras Island. She writes: The magnificent Outer Banks are a wonderful place to live if you happen to be an artist. She discovered Hatteras Island as a visitor with her photography class from Virginia Commonwealth University. After gaining a degree in Communication Arts and Design, Kim moved to the island in Her medium is colored pencil, which allows superior detail. Her expressions are available in prints, tiles and fabrics. The history and heritage of this Island have always been centered on fishing, writes Kim. Her art work Heads & Tails features the Red Drum, a fish intimately related to the culture of islanders. Red Drum visit inshore Hatteras Island waters in the fall. The visit is eagerly awaited by anglers. Old Red Drum are part of island culinary heritage. The fish was prepared to greet company. Fishing regulations currently prohibit the capture of the large, old drum that islanders presented to guests. Driveways usually cross deep, water-filled roadside ditches. Driveway entrances must be well marked, even guarded and lit. These crossings are often landscaped, generally with the mailbox well in view. Boats and other equipment are parked in the side yard. Outbuildings are common, evidence of work at hand. Many homes beside the water have docks with no need for the public or private harbor down the road. Prosperity from different eras is evident in the evolution of housing styles. The substantial I- houses from the 1890 s to the 1920 s, still painted in their traditional white, are the start of this evolution. There are quite a few modest 1930 s bungalows, but those were hard times, as were the 1940 s. Many of these homes will have lightening rods prominently seen on their roofs. 15

22 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY Houses of the 1950 s and 1960 s were built as a result of expanded employment opportunities and prosperity after the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point had been built during World War II, along with an outlying airfield established in Atlantic. These are simple boxshaped homes, almost cottages, with moderately pitched roofs and simple gables, sometimes still covered in their original distinctive wide asbestos shingles. Ranch-style brick homes and double-wide prefabricated homes are general indications of construction having occurred after 1970 to the present. Several newer subdivisions built for watermen s children continue this tradition of modest homes. Families either cannot afford more waterfront land for children s homes or have sold their own waterfront land to avoid the taxes and moved inland. Pre-1970 s buildings relate to one another and the road with a specific rhythm, spaced on lots that are a half-acre to two acres in size. Down East village settlements are typically linear and they may or may not center on a small commercial area, family store, church, post office, or fire department. Lots tend to be smaller in the village center. Often the harbor is central. The area s many churches, a few among the grandest structures to be seen, are scattered throughout the landscape. The villages appear beside the road from marsh to marsh, and water views are common through large residential lots in many villages. There are often lanes down to the water that help to maximize water frontages, but few through streets or back roads. Boat builders, fish houses, and other commercial maritime and non-maritime establishments appear where and as they are needed by the community, in scale with surrounding homes and churches. Two marine railways survive, critical for pulling boats out for maintenance. Only a few farms are seen beside the Byway, from Marshallberg to Bettie. A notable exception is the Open Grounds Farm between Sea Level and Stacy, the largest of its kind east of the Mississippi, visible occasionally past the forestland that generally surrounds it. Unbuilt dry land is typically forested, although occasional clear-cuts or cutover woods are visible. CULTURAL QUALITIES The Byway s culture makes it one of the more unusual American regions for visitors to experience today. Historically, Outer Banks residents were known for their reclusiveness. [They] mingle but little with the world, wrote a Confederate officer in the Civil War era. Apparently indifferent to the outside sphere, they constitute a world within themselves. That isolation made villages along the Byway time capsules that are gifts for welcomed national and international travelers. Today, even with access to the world at large, Outer Banks islanders and the residents of Down East cherish and cultivate their unique culture and work to share it with curious visitors. Because of prolonged isolation, reliance on the sea and hunting for living, and exposure to sometimes harsh weather, residents along the Byway are a hardy lot. On Ocracoke, tales are told of straining frogs from cistern water and make such hardships the stuff of legend. In Hatteras, folks recall dangling from trees as hurricane floodwaters floated homes out of reach, and going to school by boat or huge military vehicles. In Down East, waiting for the daily mailboat was once one of the rhythms of village life. Everywhere, boatbuilding, fishing, and waterfowl hunting remain uniquely tuned to the environment of Core and Pamlico Sounds. Residents use finely honed skills to make livings from these activities. For those who no longer pursue such endeavors, it is likely that making a life here still reflects these influences. Family members serve in the Coast Guard or work in the state s ferry system, national seashores or other national and state governmental units. Maritime-related occupations abound. Residents with deep roots in the Byway s existing 21 villages and Portsmouth and Cape 16

23 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY CULTURAL QUALITIES Evidence and expressions of the customs or traditions of a distinct group of people. Cultural features including, but not limited to, crafts, music, dance, rituals, festivals, speech, food, special events, vernacular architecture, etc., are currently practiced. The cultural qualities of the corridor could highlight one or more significant communities and/or ethnic traditions. National Scenic Byway Program description Village have built and preserved a maritime culture and knowledge of history across nearly four centuries. They remember the generations who obtained food by their own hands, fishing, hunting, and gardening. Rich traditions, building and settlement patterns, tales, songs, crafts, gardens, remedies, recipes, community events, and place names have evolved from this long-isolated culture. Visitors will hear at least two variations of a brogue or dialect among native Outer Bankers. Down Easters themselves can hear differences in speech that identify with individual villages. In stories, they recall piracy, war, shipwrecks and rescues, hurricanes. They hold ceremonies to dignify their lives with remembrances: the heroism of the earliest Coast Guard station at Chicamacomico and tragic deaths of young British seamen. Evidence of these cultural qualities is seen everywhere along the Outer Banks. It is possible to look beyond the playful beach vacation landscape that has changed the original villages. Live oaks, old cottages, family cemeteries, churches, fish houses, post offices, and life saving stations mark these places. Commercial fishing boats still ply the waters of the sounds, rivers, and ocean from backyard docks, marinas, and harbors. Pound net stakes are everywhere in the sounds. Hunters still scan the sky for ducks and geese, from blinds seen on the sounds. The Coast Guard is still in evidence and the lighthouses are still at work. Ferries keep to daily and seasonal rhythms. In Down East, heritage tourists who venture beyond the more-traveled portion of the Byway on the northern barrier islands are rewarded Manson Meekins, age 92, drew this illustration to show how fish were once dried on the Outer Banks, above the fly line. Mr. Meekins, retired from the U. S. Coast Guard, still fishes the Pamlico Sound and generously shares his memories at village gatherings on Hatteras Island. with an experience of a heritage center designed by Down East communities. To name something is to own it, it is said. The villages of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway are naming their culture and sharpening their understanding of just how special it is. 17

24 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY NATURAL QUALITIES Those features in the visual environment that are in a relatively undisturbed state. These features predate the arrival of human populations and may include geological formations, fossils, landform, water bodies, vegetation, and wildlife. There may be evidence of human activity, but the natural features reveal minimal disturbances. National Scenic Byway Program description Unique to Down East is the Harkers Island fishing vessel with a pronounced flare to its bow. It is an example from a centuries-old boatbuilding tradition that responded to regional water conditions. Boats built in the Harkers Island tradition are recognized up and down the East Coast. North Carolina Folk Heritage Awards in recent years have recognized a boatbuilder, a decoy carver and a maker of model boats, all from Down East. Many American byways may have more sites and districts listed in the National Register, but none has a landscape quite like this. Many maritime public works associated with this landscape are intact. There are places that have barrier islands, but none of this length and this far from the mainland. Taken altogether, the land and the cultural resources here comprise one of the nation s most unusual landscapes and travel experiences and reveal a story of the interplay between humans and nature like no other. NATURAL QUALITIES Sand dunes, maritime forests, wildflowers, birds and other wildlife abound along this corridor. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway is unmatched as an experience of stunning coastal beauty. This beautiful environment can overnight turn into a harsh, unforgiving habitat for all but the most enduring. Yet, wildlife and biodiversity persist in this dynamic environment of upland forests, wetlands, marshlands, rivers, seacoast and coastal estuaries. Nature permeates the culture and traditions of the people who have lived here for centuries. Byway communities exemplify the human capacity to adapt to the landscape. Humans could not survive here without vital knowledge of the wildlife, the waters, and the weather. Food-gathering, boatbuilding, house-building, crafts, and many other traditions reflect this close relationship to the natural world. People here have also shaped the landscape, largely through building harbors, mosquito canals, roadways, bridges, and a protective dune line along Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Until the coming of beach-oriented tourism in the 1950 s, fishing villages and public works such as the lighthouses and life saving stations along the shore lay lightly on this landscape. Long-time residents remember their families sacrifice of private access to these shores and waters in order to share this extraordinary landscape with the nation for generations to come. Today, along with perpetuating culture, communities work to protect and restore the waters of the sounds. Here, the experience of the natural world is multi-sensory: seeing wonderful landscapes, feeling wind, water, and sand, and smelling the tides whose daily rise and fall keeps the rhythms of nature and life. The federal, state and conservancy lands and waters probably constitute one of the highest levels of preserved natural areas along any scenic byway outside the nation s public forests. Rare species include birds, sea turtles and beach vegetation. Rare ecosystems include the Buxton Woods maritime forest and freshwater wetlands complex that is the largest on the East Coast. The entire Byway lies along the Mid-Atlantic flyway for migratory birds, with several locations on the North Carolina Birding Trail. More than 365 bird species have been counted within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and surrounding waters, one of the highest species counts in the world. The three counties comprising the Outer Banks Scenic Byway are biologically rich. On the federal threatened or endangered species list, Carteret has 39 species of vertebrates, invertebrates, and vascular and nonvascular 18

25 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY SIDEBAR 2-3: Buxton Woods Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve includes barrier island habitats that support the greatest concentration of rare plants on the Outer Banks and the highest diversity of mammals of any barrier island in North Carolina, South Carolina or Virginia. The seaward edge of the forest is dominated by live oak and red cedar. Further inland, the forest consists of a series of ancient dune ridges that are stabilized by a maritime evergreen forest of mixed hardwoods and pines. Between the ridges, broad depressions support seasonally to permanently flooded freshwater marshes, called sedges. The forest s great natural diversity can be attributed to the sheltering effects of the dunes and the moderating temperatures on the cape. Cattails, sawgrass, wild rice, and spike rushes are common plants in these ponds. Non-woody plants that are able to tolerate the saturated soils include royal fern, cinnamon fern, lizard s tail, and water dock. Sea ox-eye and salt meadow hay grow in the areas furthest from the salt water. Over a dozen rare plant and animal species occur here, some at the northern end of their range. Buxton Woods serves as an important resting place for migratory songbirds and raptors in the fall. At least 135 species of birds have been recorded in the woods alone. Common mammals are gray fox, mink, river otter, and white-tailed deer. Reptiles and amphibians include eastern box turtles, green anoles, and southern dusky salamanders. Two rare butterflies (northern hairstreak and giant swallowtail) and a moth (Messalina underwind) are found in the area. -Adapted from with excerpts from northamerica/states/northcarolina/preserves/art5593.html plants; Hyde has 20 and Dare has 21 vertebrates and vascular plants. The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program ( which covers a wider range of species than the federal and state watch lists, counts 125 elements (species, habitats, or assemblages) in Dare County, 101 in Hyde, and 187 in Carteret. The Byway s region is called the Roanoke-Tar- Neuse-Cape Fear Ecosystem after North Carolina s coastal rivers, including those that flow into the Albemarle, Currituck and Pamlico Sounds. Within this region, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a dozen refuges in northeastern North Carolina and states on its website describing the region, some of the wildest lands in the mid-atlantic are found within these refuges. ( The most dominant forms of native vegetation in the island portion of the corridor range from coastal oaks, shrubs, marsh grasses and beach grasses. These areas provide a niche ecosystem environment, which supplies high quality habitat protection, food resources and water filtration systems. Populations of federally-listed sea beach amaranth are found on all three islands that make up Cape Lookout National Seashore. A small dune plant found only on sandy beaches, seabeach amaranth is able to survive salt spray, poor soil, and little fresh water. The plant is considered a pioneer species, growing on newly created dunes, overwash fans, and other areas of bare sand. The waters enclosed by the barrier islands serve as a vast nursery for juvenile aquatic species. The variety of fish and shellfish include sea trout, mullet, shrimp, clams, scallops and oysters, all of which support watermen families and a popular and profitable recreational industry. Four species of federally-listed sea turtles are found in the waters around the Byway s two national seashores and two wildlife refuges. Only loggerheads nest here with frequency. North Carolina s sandy beaches mark the northernmost edge of their range. Green sea turtles are occasional nesters. Kemp s ridleys and leatherbacks nest very rarely. The shallow waters of Core and Back Sounds are important feeding areas for turtles migrating up and down 19

26 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY the coast. Juvenile sea turtles take advantage of the abundant food sources in Byway s sounds. The annual Wings Over Water event held each November links refuges and Cape Hatteras National Seashore in a celebration of birds and wild places. The week-long festival brings several hundred visitors to the Outer Banks for birding, nature walks, canoe and kayak trips, an owl prowl, an ecology walk and numerous activities that celebrate nature unlimited. The summer months are an excellent time for viewing terns and herons. Spring and fall viewing choices are migrating songbirds, hawks and shorebirds. The winter months bring a variety of migrating waterfowl. The following sections provide more information about the four major federal landholdings along the Byway and a North Carolina Coastal Reserve, in geographic order. All of these sites are major stops on the North Carolina Birding Trail. Cape Hatteras National Seashore The first national seashore in the nation, Cape Hatteras National Seashore extends from Whalebone Junction to Ocracoke Inlet. Authorized in 1937, the seashore was established in 1953 and dedicated in It includes Hatteras Island (Dare County) and Ocracoke Island (Hyde County) in its 70-mile, 30,000-acre entirety. The seashore offers exploration of a southeast Atlantic Coast barrier island in several zones: beachfront and dune; vegetated sand flats and shrub thicket; maritime forest; and marshes and sounds. The seashore s beach front offers constant change. Even the most gentle of tides wash away human footprints. Dramatic storms push water to the dune line and sometimes through and over. Vegetation is limited. Shorebirds peck at invertebrates and investigate wrack lines. While the beach is highly resilient to human activity and exploration, the dunes, originally created in the 1930 s, are not. The dunes have changed the island. Before the dunes, ocean water washed across these islands, feeding the backside of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Now the islands are narrowing. Between the ocean zone and the soundside marshes, salt-tolerant shrub thickets dominate. Most of NC 12 is located in this island section. Buxton Woods maritime forest, occupying four square miles, is formed on a series of high ridges and low, freshwater wetland swales. The woods feature the only real forest on Hatteras Island. Unique plant and animal communities exist. The Buxton Woods Nature trail investigates this special place. On Ocracoke Island, the Hammock Hills nature trail takes hikers through that island s maritime forest. Salt marshes are periodically flooded with lowsalinity water while high or brackish marshes stay dry. Both fringe the soundside border of the national seashore. Vast vistas of smooth cordgrass and black needlerush mark these areas. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge The refuge was established in 1937 at the northern end of Hatteras Island for the protection of migratory waterfowl. Pea Island s nearly 26,000 acres of boundary waters along Pamlico Sound stretch 13 miles from the Oregon Inlet to Rodanthe. Its land base is 5,834 acres, with the island ranging in width from a mile to a quarter mile. A birder s paradise, the refuge harbors more than 365 species. Concentrations of ducks, geese, swans, wading birds, shore birds, raptors and neotropical migrants are seasonally abundant on the refuge. The refuge has 1,000 acres of managed waterfowl impoundments. Several shorebird nesting areas and wading bird rookeries are located on the refuge. The refuge counts 25 species of mammals, 24 species of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians which is low due to the salt environment. A hiking trail around an impoundment is available. Visitors can choose to walk along any beach on Pea Island. Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve The 2,500-acre maritime forest extends southward from Cape Point along three miles to 20

27 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY the Frisco Campground. It is a rare ecosystem that includes freshwater wetlands called sedges. Part is protected by the national seashore. With assistance from The Nature Conservancy and local citizens in the late 1980 s and early 1990 s, North Carolina acquired an additional 825 acres that is protected as part of the state s coastal reserve system. Today, with additional purchases, 968 acres are administered by the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the Coastal Zone Management Act. Dare County designated the remainder as a special environmental district that limits the extent of development and clearing of vegetation. (See Sidebar 2-3.) Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge is on the tip of the Down East peninsula and marks the southern end of Pamlico Sound. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased the first portion of the island (7,830 acres) in Additional acres were acquired through A 1,955 acre tract was donated to the refuge in Today the 14,480-acre refuge consists of approximately 11,000 acres of irregularly flooded, brackish marsh and 3,480 acres of pocosin and woodland habitat. Within the refuge are extensive salt and brackish marshes as well as hummocks and ridges dominated by red cedar, longleaf pine and live oak. Cedar Island harbors welldeveloped wet pine flatwoods, pond pine woodland communities and possibly the northernmost example of a coastal fringe sandhill. Loblolly pine, longleaf and pond pine are common. Live oak is also abundant on some upland sites. The dominant marsh plants include black needlerush, salt marsh cordgrass, salt meadow hay, and salt grass. The marsh ecosystem dominates the area just south of the island proper. The dramatic, vast expanse of black needlerush seen between Cedar Island and the turnoff from US 70 to the village Atlantic provides habitat for rails, crabs, and other important wetland animals. The marsh and surrounding waters provide wintering habitat for thousands of ducks and nesting habitat for waterbirds. The northern harrier, merlin and peregrine falcon can all be seen in the refuge. The refuge provides breeding habitat for black rail and black duck. The ferry terminal area provides excellent viewing of swallows, migrant land birds, raptors, waterfowl, skimmers, and sandpipers. Fall and winter are the best seasons for viewing migratory birds. Canoe or kayak trips are the best way to view area wildlife. Waterfowl hunting is permitted on 400 acres of marsh designated as a public hunting area. Cape Lookout National Seashore The seashore is a 56-mile-long section of the Outer Banks running from Ocracoke Inlet in the northeast to Beaufort Inlet in the southwest. Designated in 1966, it was named a North Carolina Natural Heritage Area in 1986 and an International Biosphere Reserve the same year. Three undeveloped barrier islands make up the seashore Core Banks (north and south, although Outer Banks natives do not make this distinction) and Shackleford Banks. Here, much of the Outer Banks natural ecosystem remains intact. Native grasslands at the Cape Lookout National Seashore are the only remaining natural grasslands in the eastern United States. HISTORIC QUALITIES The history of the Outer Banks and Down East is integral to the Byway s culture. Among the region s families, stories of piracy, lighthouse keeping, lifesaving, the Civil War, and events and sites associated with the two World Wars keep alive a deep sense of the past that is a part of the culture. Granite markers now locate events and places associated with the Civil War. A current project on Ocracoke is to establish a marker to commemorate World War II Navy beach jumpers. The Byway s living history is an important part of the growth and development of the United States and the state of North Carolina. The Lighthouses The nation s important East Coast shipping lanes historically and today hug the North Carolina coastline. Capes Hatteras and Lookout present 21

28 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY immense navigation hazards. To help foster commerce and sailing safety, the nation s government built lighthouses and established life-saving stations. From the days when sails drove the maritime economy, these lighthouses served as beacons of salvation for seamen navigating a turbulent coast. Four of those national lighthouses are found within the Byway corridor. Three are easily accessed and viewed from the Byway. Each region of the corridor has its own lighthouse. Each lighthouse has a unique design and history. All are heavily visited by tourists. The National Park Service and U.S. Coast Guard have preserved the lighthouses. At Bodie, Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout lighthouses, Keepers Quarters are converted to visitor centers with exhibits in limited space. At Cape Hatteras, the park service calls a modest set of exhibits the Museum of the Sea. Cape Hatteras is the only lighthouse currently open for visitors to climb. The park service opens the lighthouse as a fee site from Easter weekend through Columbus Day weekend. After minor structural repairs are made, Cape Lookout will be opened in 2009 on special well-advertised occasions. The park service would like to open the Bodie and Ocracoke lighthouses but each requires funding for restoration. Bodie Island Lighthouse Lighted in 1872, this Bodie Island lighthouse is the third to carry the name. The first Bodie Island lighthouse was constructed in 1847 on the southern side of Oregon Inlet, carrying forth with an 1837 design and site despite the 1847 Hurricane-induced Oregon Inlet. A replacement lighthouse was erected in 1859 but was destroyed during the Civil War. The existing lighthouse was automated in Bodie Light s distinctive horizontal black and white stripes, its daymark, on the 170-foot tower make it as visible by day as it is by night. Once the National Park Service is able to muster the necessary funds, the lighthouse is will be open to the public. The Bodie Island light signal is 5 seconds on, 5 seconds off, 5 seconds on, and 22.5 seconds off. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse The lighthouse at Cape Hatteras is among the most famous structures in the world and stands sentinel over the Graveyard of the Atlantic. In the minds of many, it serves as a public prototype of what a lighthouse should look like. It is considered by the National Park Service s Maritime Heritage Program to be an excellent example of the brick 1870s design used throughout the nation. ( history/maritime/park/hatteras.htm). Built in 1870 of 1,250,000 bricks, its signature black and white spiral striping sets it apart. The first Cape Hatteras lighthouse was lit in October 1803 but didn t perform well so some 60 feet were added to the height. Because of needed repairs, the 1803 structure was replaced with today s lighthouse, activated December 1, Various heights abound due to focal plane versus structural measurement but today, the park service uses 198 feet as the official height. The Lighthouse is the tallest brick lighthouse in the nation. Its opening is considered by historians to have been a major turning point for coastal trade on the East Coast. In its original location, Hatteras Light became endangered by coastal erosion. In 1999, the National Park Service moved the 6,250-ton light 2,900 feet in 23 days. It is now 1,500 feet from the seashore, its original distance from the shoreline. The Cape Hatteras light signal is provided by a duplex airport beacon that rotates every 15 seconds, giving a flash every 7 1/2 seconds. The lighthouse s associated buildings two lighthouse keepers quarters (1854, 1871) and the oil house (1892) were also moved, and placed in original alignments with one another. Ocracoke Lighthouse Ocracoke Lighthouse, 77 feet, 5 inches tall, is the second oldest operating lighthouse in the nation. Its constant light is supplied by a fourth-order Fresnel lens. The first Ocracoke Inlet lighthouse was contracted by President 22

29 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Hatteras Island Ocracoke Island Stephanie Kiker, Outer Banks artist and graphic designer Stephanie Kiker uses the natural beauty, abundant wildlife, and features of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands as inspiration for her expressions. She moved to Hatteras Island in 1985 and has since pursued her career as a working artist. She graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design. Stephanie works in a number of mediums including pen and ink, colored pencil and soft pastel. Her style is well-known, unmistakable and unique. Stephanie s expressions are featured on art prints, note cards, ceramic tiles, tile magnets, pillows and cutting boards. John Adams. Henry Dearborn built the 64- foot tall lighthouse on Shell Island. This initial lighthouse, lit in October 1803, was quickly useless because Ocracoke Inlet s channel shifted. A light vessel placed in the inlet proved ineffective. In 1823, Noah Porter from Massachusetts built the existing lighthouse and keepers quarters for $11, The lighthouse, which is not open, is listed on the National Register. Cape Lookout Lighthouse First lit in 1859, Cape Lookout lighthouse is 169 feet tall. It replaced a shorter lighthouse built in Accessible only by water, visitors reach the site via private ferries at Harkers Island in the corridor, or from Beaufort. Its light is a single short flash every fifteen seconds; its daymark is the well-known black and white diamond pattern. On clear days, it is visible from the mainland at the northeastern tip of Harkers Island (Shell Point), Marshallberg harbor, 23

30 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY TABLE 2-2: HISTORIC SITES LISTED IN OR DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Site Name Bodie Island U.S. Coast Survey Monument Bodie Island Lifesaving/Coast Guard Station Bodie Island Light Station Oregon Inlet Station Pea Island NWR Cultural Landscape (eligible) Location Whalebone Junction, Cape Hatteras National Seashore site (CAHA) Bodie Island, CAHA Bodie Island, CAHA Oregon Inlet, south side Hatteras Island, north Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Rodanthe Historic District (eligible) Salvo Post Office Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station Cape Hatteras Light Station National Historic Landmark Harbor House Boarding House (eligible) Austin Store (eligible) Hatteras Weather Bureau Station Ellsworth and Lovie Ballance House Rodanthe Rodanthe Salvo North of Avon, CAHA Buxton, CAHA Hatteras village Hatteras village Hatteras village, CAHA Hatteras village L. N. Stowe House (eligible) Hatteras village Caleb Stowe House (eligible) Albatross I (1937; eligible) USS Monitor National Historic Landmark Loop Shack Hill Ocracoke Historic District Ocracoke Lighthouse and Keepers Quarters Portsmouth Village Historic District Salter-Battle Hunting and Fishing Lodge Cape Lookout Light Station Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station Cape Lookout Village Historic District Hatteras village Hatteras village USS Monitor National Marine Sanctuary (16 mi S/SE Cape Hatteras) Ocracoke Island, outside the village, CAHA Ocracoke village Ocracoke village, CAHA Portsmouth Island, Cape Lookout National Seashore (CALO) Core Banks, CALO Cape Lookout, CALO Cape Lookout, CALO Cape Lookout, CALO Note: Archeological sites are listed in Table 2-3 below. Sites are listed in geographic order, north to south. Sources: National Register of Historic Places, Bonner Bridge EIS, Hatteras Village Survey, Cape Hatteras National Seashore 24

31 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY SIDEBAR 2-4: Memorial to a Seaman Inside Ocracoke s United Methodist Church is a reminder of World War II. Islander James B. Gaskill lost his life aboard the Caribsea, which was torpedoed east of Cape Lookout in The War Department did not report the incident for many days. His family learned of his death when the Caribsea nameplate and Gaskill's engineering license washed ashore on Ocracoke. The altar cross of this church was carved from wood salvaged from the Caribsea in Gaskill's honor. and Davis. It was automated in This lighthouse was the prototype for every North Carolina lighthouse built after 1859, including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The Lifesaving Stations Even with lighthouses, ships foundered off North Carolina s coast. With lives lost, the federal government stepped in to sponsor the United States Life-Saving Service, a precursor to today s U.S. Coast Guard. Along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, nine life saving stations or early Coast Guard stations are still standing or in use in seven locations. Chicamacomico Life- Saving Station in Rodanthe offers the most completely restored site with two station buildings. The park service is restoring Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station and plans to open it for public access at an undetermined point in the future. Plans for interpretive programs have not been completed. Some of these life-saving stations formed the core around which villages developed. In Rodanthe, houses and the villages school house still stand as originally positioned around the life-saving station. War and Technology Control of the Outer Banks during times of war was the key to the continuation of shipping along the Atlantic coastline. In the Revolutionary War period, Ocracoke Inlet was a critical supply link. The Ocracoke SIDEBAR 2-5: The Battle of the Atlantic and Torpedo Junction Between the dates of July 6th and July 28th, 2008, NOAA s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in collaboration with East Carolina University, the UNC Coastal Studies Institute, Minerals Management Service, the National Park Service and the State of North Carolina conducted an underwater archaeological field expedition on the remains of three vessels from the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. The sites explored during this expedition included the U-85, U-352 and U-701, three German U-boats that were sunk in 1942 during engagements with American forces. Each of these three sites can be found in feet of water off the coast of North Carolina in an area commonly called the Graveyard of the Atlantic. This was the closest theater of war to the continental United States and one of the only places in the world where one can visit the remains of both Axis and Allied vessels within recreational diving limits. These sites are recognized as valuable cultural, historical and economic resources for the United States and the state of North Carolina. -Excerpted from Projects/OcracokeWebSite/history.htm Preservation Society offers this history: Throughout the American Revolution, British vessels and privateers made numerous raids at Ocracoke Inlet; with several attempts to blockade the inlet against all vessels sustaining the Patriot cause. These activities led to the establishment of American land and naval forces at the inlet, which continued to serve as a crucial artery of supplies until the struggle for independence was won. It was through Ocracoke Inlet that the desperately needed supplies for Washington s troops at Valley Forge entered. During the War of 1812, on July 12, 1813, a British naval force of nine vessels under the command of Admiral George Cockburn fought a battle with two American privateers, the Anaconda and the Atlas, and a revenue cutter. Although the British won, the cutter escaped 25

32 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY and was able to warn New Bern of an impending attack, cutting short the British foray, which had depended on the element of surprise. ( preservation.org/id34.html) The Civil War played out up and down the Outer Banks. Carefully engraved and illustrated markers, many in granite, erected by community volunteers commemorate the loss of the Oriental, the Chicamacomico Races, the first capture of an armed naval vessel in the war, the USS Fanny, the first amphibious assault, the first provisional government of the Civil War, the first Union victory, the Burnside Expedition Fleet s passage, the loss of the USS Monitor, Civil War maritime casualties, the destruction of Fort Ocracoke, and the Battle of Forts Hatteras and Clark, a small but significant amphibious assault in the early days of the war. Monuments at Hatteras and Ocracoke villages provide rosters of Hatteras Island veterans and Ocracoke and Portsmouth Islands veterans, respectively. Fort Ocracoke was built on an island to guard Ocracoke Inlet. Today it is an underwater archeological site. World War II came to the Outer Banks on January 17, The first American tanker, the SS Alan Jackson, was torpedoed and sunk just 75 miles east of the Cape Hatteras area. For the first year German submarines had a field day sinking one and sometimes two Allied or United States vessels a day off Hatteras, Ocracoke and Down East. Outer Banks residents found themselves in the middle of the war with ships being blown up and burning, and survivors and debris washing ashore. From January through July 1942, German U-boats sank 397 ships filled with food, supplies, and oil along the Atlantic seaboard and killed 5,000 people. The majority of the casualties were civilians and merchant marines. A new secret magnetic detection cable was laid off shore running from Ocracoke Inlet to Buxton. Vessels and German submarines detected by the cable were monitored from Loop Shack Hill outside Ocracoke. Loop Shack Hill is now a National Register site within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. A Naval Section base was also erected on Ocracoke in By December 1943, when the German submarine activity was slowing down, the base became a secret amphibious training site for the U.S. Navy Beach Jumpers. The base was closed in All that is left of the base today is an enormous white circular cistern next to the national seashore s visitor center. To protect American lives and vital supplies bound for England, Churchill sent a flotilla of antisubmarine craft to patrol Atlantic shipping lanes. One such ship, the HMS Bedfordshire, was torpedoed by a U-boat 40 miles off Cape Lookout on May 11, All hands were lost. Four bodies were recovered and are interred in the Ocracoke British Cemetery. Interred in Buxton are two other British sailors who served on the British merchant vessel San Delfino. These carefully tended cemeteries are visited annually by British officials for ceremonies hosted by Ocracoke village, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Two technology events happened along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. General Billy Mitchell is honored with an airfield named for him at Frisco. This famed Army Air Service officer demonstrated the effectiveness of air attack by bombing decommissioned battleships off the Hatteras Island coast on September 5, Reginald A. Fessenden, a former assistant to Thomas Edison, holds a special place in the history of broadcasting. Although no one individual was responsible for the invention of radio, Fessenden s contribution was important. He advocated the continuous wave theory of broadcasting, as opposed to Marconi s operating principles. In 1902, he demonstrated his theory in Buxton in the first transmission of varying musical notes to Roanoke Island, fortyeight miles north. The transmission was said to be very loud and plain, i.e., as loud as in an ordinary telephone. ( k=search&ct=btn) 26

33 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Wild Ponies of Ocracoke Island Ocracoke Island Stories - Part of the History Earl W. O Neal, Jr., PE, ewoj1132@embarqmail.com Local historian and native Ocracoker Earl O Neal has published 17 books on the history of the island and the early families from which he is descended. He was also recognized in 2005 with the North Carolina Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. He is chairman of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee. His biography, included in his books, follows. Earl W. O Neal, Jr. was born on July 27, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was born and reared on Ocracoke and in 1914, like many of the men on the island, went north to work on the dredge boats. Earl is descended from six of the original families, most of them arriving on the Island in the mid 1700's before the American Revolution. These families are: Howard, Jackson, O Neal, Styron, Tolson and Williams. He is also a eighth generation Wallace from Portsmouth Island, NC. Earl Jr. is a retired corporate manager and professional engineer who has returned to the roots whence his family came. He built a new home in 1990 on the site where his grandfather Isaac Willis (Big Ike) O Neal s home once stood. After a successful career, he has dedicated his remaining years to preserving the families history and the history of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Piracy Ocracoke Island was a favorite haunt of the most notorious American pirate in history, Edward Teach or Blackbeard. Today s visitor to the island can look over the waters where Lt. Robert Maynard and his troops, sent by Virginia s governor, fought Blackbeard and his crew to death back in Blackbeard s death ended his reign of terror and signaled the end of the so-called Golden Age of Piracy. Blackbeard s ship, Queen Annes Revenge, found off Beaufort, is undergoing archaeological exploration and artifact restoration. Early Tourism Early sites built by and for vacationing hunters in Ocracoke village commemorate the beginnings of tourism here, coinciding with the national story of the evolution of leisure travel. Ocracoke s Berkley Manor is thought to have 27

34 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY SIDEBAR 2-6: Poem by Carl Goerch, 1956 If you want rest In peace and quiet, Here s the place For you to try it. Forget your cares, Your worries, too, And just relax, The whole day through. It makes no difference If you re rich or broke, You ll enjoy your rest At Ocracoke. -Carl Goerch began writing about the Outer Banks in local newspapers in the 1930 s, an early booster of tourism and the pleasures of what was then a very remote part of the world. been the first coastal private building to be constructed with the now-familiar square, windowed tower projecting above the primary roofline mimicking the lookout towers seen on early Life Saving and US Coast Guard Stations. Other examples can be seen at the Oregon Inlet Coast Guard Station (1897), Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station (1904), and the old Ocracoke Coast Guard Station (1939). Ocracoke is also home to several early hotels such as the Pamlico Inn. Leisure-time hunting for goose and ducks became popular after the turn of the 20 th century and is commemorated by the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. A number of hunting cabins from this era survive. The best-known is the Salter-Battle Hunting and Fishing Lodge on Core Banks, listed in the National Register. The Albatross I, eligible for the National Register, survives in Hatteras harbor along with Albatross II and Albatross III, which were among the earliest boats used for the recreational deep sea fishing. Other sites related to this development in the history of tourism and the fishing industry also exist in the village, primarily the Harbor House Boarding House and the Austin Store, both also eligible for the National Register. National Register Districts and Sites National Register status has been accorded to four historic districts in the Byway corridor. The village of Ocracoke is listed as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places, and both Ocracoke and Hatteras are recognized as Preserve America communities. The village of Ocracoke is recognized internationally as a unique historic destination. Its live oaks are hundreds of years old and its streets were never meant for wheeled vehicles larger than horse cart. Hatteras has been surveyed for historic sites and deemed ineligible for district status. However, the survey and subsequent interpretive publications and building markers produced by the village s civic association helped earn Preserve America status. A small historic district in Rodanthe, anchored by the Chicamacomico historic site, was recently found eligible for the National Register. Two other historic districts are uninhabited villages, Portsmouth and Cape Village. Within existing communities, there are still strong cultural ties to these historic districts, and Portsmouth enjoys a biennial homecoming weekend every even-numbered year in April. The remaining 18 villages of the corridor have yet to be surveyed. All of Down East may qualify as a cultural landscape historic district. Down East preserves evidence of more than a hundred years of continuous maritime use and village life, making it one of the nation s last remaining maritime landscapes exhibiting a strong sense of integrity. 28

35 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY An additional 21 Byway sites are listed in or eligible for the National Register. (See Table 2-2.) Historical Museums and Sites Open to the Public Opportunities for visitors and residents to learn Byway history are numerous. The historical sites and museums with extended visitor experiences are operated by community groups: the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site, the Ocracoke Museum (partly a house museum in the turn-of-the-century David Williams House), and the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. These museums and sites are soon to be joined by the Ocracoke Watermen s Exhibit, which is Trawlers Kerry Willis, The son of a commercial fisherman, Kerry Willis grew up under the windswept oaks of Harkers Island amidst workboats and tidal creeks, in a community where church and school provided a sense of place generations deep. Kerry's photography tells the story of the often overlooked, everyday scenes of wooden docks, net houses and quiet creeks that together form a unique landscape of working traditions that is Down East Carteret County. Today the images that Kerry has spent a lifetime gathering help document the mix of old and new that has become the today of this region of Eastern North Carolina a place where these traditions still live. 29

36 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY SCENIC QUALITIES The heightened visual experience derived from the view of natural and manmade elements of the visual environment of the scenic byway corridor. The characteristics of the landscape are strikingly distinct and offer a pleasing and most memorable visual experience. All elements of the landscape landform, water, vegetation, and manmade development contribute to the quality of the corridor s visual environment. Everything present is in harmony and shares in the intrinsic qualities. under construction for opening in The exhibit is a joint project of the Ocracoke Watermen s Association, the Ocracoke Foundation, and the Ocracoke Preservation Society. SCENIC QUALITIES The scenic quality of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway relies primarily on the natural resources, punctuated by views of lighthouses and other historic structures. This corridor is so rich in scenic value that it would be possible to support a nomination of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway on this intrinsic quality alone. As it is the strong intention of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee to concentrate on improved interpretation of cultural and natural resources, the committee has chosen not to pursue an America s Byways nomination on this basis. This plan details a number of initiatives that support preservation of scenic intrinsic qualities in the chapters on stewardship and enhancements. Water views are extensive, especially of the sounds, reminding drivers of the dominance of the sounds and the ocean in the overall landscape. Miles of sandy dunes are a unique visual element. The rhythm of the beautiful marsh and river crossings in Down East is a reminder of the isolation in which the corridor s communities evolved. Pristine maritime forests add to the variety of the visual experience along the entire corridor, and close views of waterfowl, gulls, pelicans, wading birds, raptors, and other birds are common. RECREATIONAL QUALITIES Outdoor recreational activities directly associated with and dependent upon the natural and cultural elements of the corridor s landscape. The recreational activities provide opportunities for active and passive recreational experiences. They include, but are not limited to, downhill skiing, rafting, boating, fishing, and hiking. Driving the road itself may qualify as a pleasurable recreational experience. The recreational activities may be seasonal, but the quality and importance of the recreational activities as seasonal operations must be well recognized. The sky is a dominant experience in the landscape, with sunsets, starry nights, and sunrises celebrated by artists, residents, and visitors alike. Clouds are reminders of the dramatic weather sometimes experienced here and are watched closely by residents who adjust to every nuance of wind and sky. A favorite viewing experience exists at the harbor in Hatteras Village, where the return of the fishing fleet and recreational power boats each evening takes place against the oftendramatic sunsets of the region. Another favored scenic location is Cape Point, the sandy tail of Cape Hatteras, where both sunsets and sunrises can be enjoyed. RECREATIONAL QUALITIES Outdoor recreation in the Outer Banks corridor is unusually varied and relates to water and wildlife. This corridor is so rich in recreational opportunities that it would be possible to support a nomination of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway on this intrinsic quality alone. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee has chosen not to pursue an America s Byways nomination on this basis. This plan details a number of enhancements that will improve the recreational experience, especially improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities and collaboration with North Carolina s Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Popular recreational activities here include boating, water sports and surf fishing on the 30

37 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 2-3: ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Site Number 31Cr28 Description Series of shell heaps containing Woodland and historic ceramics and structural debris (brick). Eligibility for National Register of Historic Places Potentially Eligible 31Cr176 31Cr7 Five loci of shell middens eroding along the bluff/beach facing [water body]. The assemblage contains sand- and fabric impressed shell-tempered ceramics, 19th and 20th century ceramics, bottle glass, debitage, and faunal remains. Prehistoric site containing faunal remains. Size and integrity are not known. Eligible Unknown 31Cr26 Woodland and historic period site whose size and integrity are unknown. Unknown 31Cr310 1Cr311 Small Woodland Period shell midden containing debitage and ceramics. Size and integrity have not been determined. Small Woodland Period shell midden containing debitage and ceramics. Size and integrity have not been determined. Potentially Eligible Potentially Eligible NOTE: few parts of the Byway corridor have been thoroughly surveyed. This information comes from one 15,000-acre area, a fraction of the land area in need of survey. Source and locations are not named in order to protect sites. (Debitage is waste material from production of chipped stone tools.) sound and ocean beaches. The corridor offers numerous opportunities for beach combing, picnicking, bird viewing, nature walks, swimming, surfing and windsurfing. Surfing Cape Hatteras lighthouse ocean beaches is a must-do for dedicated surfers. Visitors are often smitten with the camping and hiking opportunities. Nearly every stop along the Byway offers a walking opportunity: climbing a historic lighthouse or simply a walk along a sandy beach. North Carolina s Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the North Carolina Birding Trail both count the entire Byway corridor among their resources. The corridor is known for a number of special yearly events and small festivals related to recreation. Nationally-recognized fishing tournaments and contests in surfing and kiteboarding are frequent events on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Such events can include equipment demonstrations, clinics, instruction, fun events and more. The villages that dot the Byway from one end to the other offer festivals and events that add to the recreational experience. ARCHEOLOGICAL QUALITIES The Archeological Intrinsic Qualities found along the Outer Banks Byway derive largely through maritime archeology and the underground remnants of early American Indian cultures. Native Carolina Algonquians and Tuscarorans hunted and fished the corridor before the Europeans came to establish settlements. Erosion from Hurricane Emily in 1993 unearthed remnants of a Croatan Indian civilization in Buxton. Subsequent archaeology 31

38 2: ABOUT THE BYWAY SIDEBAR 2-7: Underwater Archeology Historical sources indicate that from the earliest period of European exploration to the present thousands of vessels have been lost of the North Carolina coast. Sometimes portions of these vessels wash up or are uncovered along the ocean beaches. By carefully measuring and photographing these vessel remains the archaeologist can learn a great deal about how ships were designed and built in the past. Much of this information on ships' construction is not available in historical records or may have never been recorded by the builder in the first place. Thus these shipwreck sites, both along the coast and in the sounds and rivers, represent a vast storehouse of information not to be found elsewhere. - teams have uncovered artifacts that could prove that some members of Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony migrated to Hatteras Island from the Fort Raleigh area on Roanoke Island. The discovery of a gold ring, lead bullets, fragments of European pottery and brass, and copper coins indicate a mingling of the Croatan and English cultures. The archaeological site is on private property. The Frisco Native American Museum and Natural History Center offers a small exhibit relating to the Outer Banks tribes among collections of American Indian artifacts from across North America. Shell Point, the name of the easternmost point of Harkers Island, recalls a massive aboriginal shell midden. ARCHEOLOGICAL QUALITIES Those characteristics of the scenic byway s corridor that are physical evidence of historic or prehistoric human life or activity that are visible and capable of being inventoried and interpreted. The scenic byway corridor s archeological interest, as identified through ruins, artifacts, structural remains, and other physical evidence have scientific significance that educate the viewer and stir an appreciation for the past. Shipwrecks along beaches come and go. Four shipwrecks can be seen fairly regularly at Coquina Beach, south in the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge near the visitor center, at ramp 23 south of Salvo, and inside Hatteras village. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum will delve into the details of shipwrecks. 32

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43 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY CHAPTER 3: ENSURING STEWARDSHIP INTRODUCTION The Outer Banks landscape is always changing, often dramatically so. Hurricanes, northeasters, waves, currents, and wind shape the land between the restless ocean and the sounds. Wind forms and re-forms dunes, salt spray shapes vegetative succession, corrosive salt air affects structures and machines, roads overwash. Even the notion of what is fast land, and what is not, is relative. Stewardship in such a place is a challenge. It is a constant struggle to manage natural and built resources, historic properties, known archeological sites, the visual qualities of the landscape, and recreation and recreational access. THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY IS NATURAL Dynamic landscapes are protected. Sweeping views of tidal marshes, wind-swept dunes, lonesome beaches and a beautiful sound are captured in federally-owned lands: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge. Of the 132 driving miles of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, residents and visitors travel 66 miles through publicly protected natural lands with vistas of the Pamlico and Core Sounds and Atlantic Ocean, or half the corridor on average. (See Table 3-1.) This dynamic landscape has been used by people for centuries. A modern highway runs through the natural landscape. Maintaining this roadway for residents and visitors is the constant assignment for North Carolina s Department of Transportation. In Summer Harkers Island, view of Cape Lookout (Photo by Kerry Willis, courtesy Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center) 2008, the department is working on a Final Environmental Impact Statement concerning a phased project to replace the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge and to maintain access through northern Hatteras Island s erosion hotspots. Inserted into the dynamic landscape are historic villages. In the heart of Ocracoke village, a live oak canopy remains and the village retains its natural landscape. More modern development is pushed to the outside of the village proper. Visitors must look more carefully for this same pattern in the other villages, but all have live oaks on the highest ground, where homes would be safest from storms. Much of the natural landscape in the seven Hatteras Island villages, however, has been altered by modern development. Non-native vegetation is planted. Palm trees are imported 37

44 3: ENSURING STEWARDSHIP TABLE 3-1: PROTECTED SEGMENTS OF THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Byway and Ferry Segments Bodie/Hatteras (includes Bonner Bridge/Oregon Inlet) Hatteras Inlet distance (included for trip time only) Byway Driving Miles Ferry Miles/ Times Protected Driving Miles % Protected % 5.4 mi/ 40 min Ocracoke % Cape Hatteras National Seashore (all above w/o inlet, NC 12 Byway miles only) Pamlico Sound distance (included for trip time only) Down East (including 7.6 miles of marshes that cannot be developed and not including 3.6 miles in alternate shortcuts ) % 20 mi/ 2.25 hr % Outer Banks Scenic Byway % All miles (includes ferry distances) Source: Watson Heritage Strategies via Google Earth and planted. Some wear plastic over-coats during winter months. Landscapers install sod. Pampas grass and Russian olive shrubs are planted. Down East villages, so far less developed than Hatteras Island, are still surrounded by a natural landscape. The Byway crosses 13.9 measured miles of tidal marshes and rivers between the villages, with varying distances ranging up to 6.3 miles for the great marsh between Cedar Island and Atlantic. On both Hatteras and Ocracoke, citizens, government agencies and non-profit organizations have taken the initiative to care for specific natural areas within villages. On Hatteras Island, Buxton Woods between Cape Point and Frisco is a unique ecosystem of maritime forest and freshwater wetlands covering more than 2,500 acres or about four square miles. More than half is publicly owned. It includes a large, state-owned nature reserve of 968 acres. Adjoining ecosystem lands are protected by the national seashore. This reserve, part of the North Carolina Coastal Reserve system, is the largest stand of maritime forest on North Carolina s barrier islands. Public access is limited. To negotiate the sandy roads, four-wheel drive is necessary. No parking exists at the entrance. The reserve can be reached via Old Doctor s Road, Flowers Ridge Road or Water Association Road, all of which run into the forest from NC 12, the Byway corridor. Trails link the state property with Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The principal purposes of the North Carolina Coastal Reserve system are to (1) preserve coastal ecosystems and to make them available for research; (2) provide information on coastal ecosystem processes to decision makers; (3) provide a focal point for educational activities; and (4) accommodate traditional recreational activities, commercial fishing, and other uses. 38

45 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY The Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve is administered by the state s Division of Coastal Management. A staff person oversees the reserve from an office in Kitty Hawk, 1.5 hours away. The reserve has a citizen advisory committee that meets sporadically. No educational programming, specific to Buxton Woods, is offered by this state agency. Dare County designated the remainder as a special environmental district that limits the extent of development and clearing of vegetation. To make sure that Hatteras village has natural park land within the village, the Hatteras community tax district purchased over eight acres of natural landscape off Eagle Pass Road. The community is working to make this natural landscape accessible. On Ocracoke the Ocracoke Preservation Society and the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust have preserved a biologically important area in the village, Springer s Point. Acquisition funding was provided by the state s Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Now a nature preserve covers 31 acres of the 90-acre maritime forest with its hummocks of live oak, yaupon, red bay, and red cedar trees. Springer s Point also hosts one of the largest and most diverse nesting rookeries in North Carolina. Eight species of ibis, heron, and egret roost here. Dunes are lined with flowering yucca, sea oxeye, and seaside morning glories. An intimate connection between land and water exists along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. The Pamlico and Core Sounds and Atlantic Ocean give jobs, provide play space, and nourish imaginations. In all areas of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, surface water quality is high on the protection agendas of federal, state and local governments. Fisheries, working watermen, water sports enthusiasts, and indeed the Outer Banks Scenic Byway economy depend on high quality, non-polluted waters. The state s Shellfish Sanitation Division has an extensive surface water quality testing program, for both recreation and fishery areas. However, a number of soundside shorelines are closed to shellfishing. The Byway s county governments rely on state and federal regulatory agencies for application of rules regarding stormwater, soil erosion and wetlands. A dizzying array of permits is required for residential or commercial development on land in all areas of the Byway. Those many miles of federally-owned natural landscapes are dark. On a clear night, a full moon provides startling illumination along the roadway and beaches. Light plumes from inhabited spaces are clearly visible WORKING WITH STEWARDS OF PUBLIC LANDS Each of the federal units managing the two national seashores and two national refuges is guided by a plan that addresses a wide range of issues. Both refuges are administered under a shared arrangement with other nearby refuges but not the same administrations. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is one of three national park sites managed by the same park superintendent. Like this Corridor Management Plan, their plans help the managers and staff in identifying key issues, setting priorities, and addressing steps for implementation. With so much public land in this corridor, and with a great deal of the Byway experience reliant on the quality of the resources, recreational access, and interpretation, it is imperative the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee work with federal land managers. Currently, both national refuges have up-todate Comprehensive Conservation Plans. Cape Lookout National Seashore s General Management Plan was completed in It was updated in a limited way in 2001 with an amendment to address facilities and ferry concessions. A commercial services plan was completed very recently. The park is currently conducting a major ethnohistorical review of Down East communities. Cape Hatteras National Seashore s General Management Plan is overdue for an update. 39

46 3: ENSURING STEWARDSHIP The plan is dated January One single issue plan, long-range interpretive, exists. An updated fire management plan is expected. The seashore is currently writing an Off-road Vehicle management plan. The park has also published a major ethnohistorical review of the eight villages of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands and supported transportation planning for the village of Ocracoke. This corridor plan is an important mechanism for Byway communities in managing their relationships with these public lands. These villages are the gateway communities associated with these public lands, to use a phrase recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which supports park and refuge planning that reaches out to gateway communities. Recommendations for Working with Stewards of Public Lands 3-1 National Seashore General Management Plans: This plan s top priority for the national seashores is the completion of updated General Management Plans for both seashores. It is the advisory committee s expectation that this corridor management plan lays important groundwork for both seashores to address gateway communities issues and needs. National Seashores: Work collaboratively with both national seashores to develop General Management Plans. Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Support funding and developing a natural resource plan and a cultural resource plan for the seashore. Included in the natural resource planning is expected to be a vegetation management plan addressing invasive species. Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Work with the seashore to develop a comprehensive gateway interpretive plan addressing villages within the seashore. 3-2 National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plans: Because these plans are recent, their individual recommendations have been incorporated as appropriate into this and other chapters. Overall the Byway s advisory committee supports the priorities of Pea Island and Cedar Island national wildlife refuges where it is possible to do so, especially to improve the visitor experience. 3-3 Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge: Support the refuge s intention to develop and implement a habitat management plan, designed to maintain the present spatially and specifically diverse mosaic of habitats; and to undertake enhanced studies and investigations of certain populations of fish, land birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, shorebirds and colonial nesting birds. 3-4 Buxton Woods: Preserve Buxton Woods as a fully functioning ecosystem. North Carolina s Division of Coastal Management needs to update its management plan, paying particular attention to parking, signage and trail improvement. Dare County needs to evaluate the effectiveness of its Special Environmental District working with Buxton Woods landowners and take additional steps if appropriate. Recommendations for Stewardship of Natural Qualities The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee recommends the following actions for protection of natural resources along the Byway: 3-5 Protection: Establish a voluntary land protection initiative to (1) undertake a review of natural lands remaining in the Byway s corridor and villages; (2) work with willing sellers for acquisition or easements, and (3) expand the holdings of Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge by working with willing sellers. Engage existing land conservation organizations and agencies in this initiative. 3-6 Natural Vegetation: Emphasize native vegetation and plants for Byway villages: Reach out to local and regional firms that design, install, and maintain landscapes to establish voluntary guidelines for using vegetation natural to the region and 40

47 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY exceeding requirements for stormwater management. Develop a recognition program for successful installations. Establish a program to protect wetlands and enhance disturbed wetlands. 3-7 Night Skies: Encourage boards of commissioners in the Byway s three counties to consider incorporating recommendations of the International Dark Sky Association ( in standards for commercial and residential lighting and for public outdoor spaces. The association s handbook can be found at data.nextrionet.com/site/idsa/lighting% 20Code%20Handbook.pdf. The organization is currently at work on a Model Lighting Ordinance. 3-8 Water Quality: Pay close attention to water quality issues as Byway roads are rebuilt or improved. It is expected that in order to improve water quality, roadway drainage systems may need to be redesigned, offering an opportunity to exceed minimum requirements. 3-9 Stewardship and Public Outreach: Create a Be Natural on the Byway campaign for residents, property owners and builders that explains the Byway s natural qualities and programs needed to insure that these qualities are enhanced over time. A NATURAL PLACE, SPECIAL PEOPLE In the midst of this dynamic natural landscape, physical evidence of local culture and traditions along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is visible to careful observers. Public places where communities come together survive and thrive. Churches, community centers and public harbors, schools and post offices are meeting places. Sit on the porch at Hatteras Burrus Red & White or under adjacent live oak trees and watch the world go by. Homes of year-round residents are often defined by boats parked in the side yard and other evidence of maritime pursuits, or by SIDEBAR 3-1: Traditional Maritime Occupations Aquaculture Bait Barge captain & crew Blacksmithing Boat captain & crew (for private & government vessels) Boat detailing Boat hauling Boat repair Boat storage Boat towing Boatbuilding Canvas & upholstery Charter boat captain Charter boat rental Coast Guard Commercial fish dealer Commercial fish processing Commercial fishing Commercial fishing supplies Crab pot making Decoy making Diving Dock-building Drawbridge operation Dredging Ferry captain & crew Fishing Head boat captain & crew Ice Lighthouse operation Marina Marine services Mastbuilding Net making (& making net needles, net-hanging) Outboard motor repair, small engine repair Oystering Peeler operations (soft crabs) Pile-driving Recreational fishing guides Research vessel captain & crew Sailmaking Salvage Seafood market operation Sea-kayak rentals & tours Shrimping Soft crabs (dredging, peeler operations) Tackle Taxidermy Waterfowl hunting dog trainer Waterfowl hunting guide Welding 41

48 3: ENSURING STEWARDSHIP carefully tended gardens and yards, some embellished with yard art. What names do we call these special places? Many years ago, U.S. Postal Service slapped names on these historic villages: Rodanthe instead of Chicamacomico. Frisco instead of Trent. Buxton instead of The Cape. These historic village names are saved because people still use them. New uses create new names, shucking traditional appellations. Between Buxton and Avon, windsurfers from Canada discovered the perfect place to marry Outer Banks winds with sailboards. They called the place Canadian Hole instead of its historic name Haulover, indicating a narrowing of Hatteras Island where boats could be hauled over from Pamlico Sound to Atlantic Ocean and back again. NCDOT assigned numbers to bridges over creeks on Ocracoke. The creek names are known. On Hatteras Island, soundside access points are numbered by mile markers instead of historic names like Percy s Net Rack. A Threatened Maritime Culture The underlying historic culture is threatened. Most notable is the declining reliance of the year-round population on commercial fishing and related maritime occupations, especially on Hatteras and Ocracoke. Ocracoke s cooperatively owned fish house is the only outlet where that island s working watermen can take their catch. The Ocracoke Fish House is a major community effort that is now yielding plans for public accommodation and interpretation. The Fish House plight of Ocracoke is hitting other communities along the Byway. Fish houses, where a buyer and a working waterman meet at once-familiar sites on every waterfront, are disappearing. Avon has one, where once there were three, and Hatteras is now down to two. Rodanthe s is derelict. As the process for this plan began, Fulcher s in Down East s Atlantic closed. It was one of the largest ones remaining. Dock space for commercial users is at a premium. A Dare County-owned docking area for commercial fishing boats exists at the Rodanthe Harbor. Carteret County has publicly owned dock space in Atlantic, Cedar Island and Harkers Island. Dare County officials, recognizing the economic contribution and important heritage of commercial fishing, have responded to the plight of watermen by creating a Dare County Commission for Working Watermen. The county, at the request of the commission, recently produced a 14-minute video with commercial fishermen explaining their lives and trade. The state of North Carolina has also responded to the plight of commercial fishermen. To confront skyrocketing market demand for finite shorelines and accelerating non-waterfrontdependent development of the shoreline, the state created a $20 million Waterfront Access and Marine Industries Fund. Various access projects are now moving forward though some of these projects do not directly address access by the commercial fishing industry. In response to steadily increasing real property taxes, the state also extended the present use value taxation option used for farms and forest lands to ease the rising tax burden on working waterfront businesses and landowners. This goes into effect with the 2009 tax year. A Threatened Maritime Cultural Landscape The unique, un-self-conscious cultural landscape of Down East is still heavily influenced by maritime occupations. If these go, the landscape goes. There are also three other factors that may change help to hasten the loss of this fragile cultural landscape. First, large-scale developments are proposed in many areas in Down East. Various state agencies impose environmental restrictions on development for the sake of the coastal water quality in nearby sounds and estuaries. However, building heights, setbacks and design guidelines are the responsibility of Carteret 42

49 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY County. Such rules and considerations have been and continue to be reviewed periodically. Second, many traditional Down East homes are quite modest cottages as small as 600 or 700 square feet. As the people occupying these homes age, the next generation of heirs or buyers may wish to retain the small-scale nature of these properties, continuing Down East traditions of living modestly. Many of these small cottages that form the current cultural landscape, and which may or may not be historically important, could in the years ahead probably fall into the category of teardowns. New construction is set back further from the road than current village housing. A third and final factor potentially affecting the survival of the Down East cultural landscape has to do with traffic. As the population increases in Down East, so too will the traffic. Special Places Historic resources that are foundations for the Byway corridor s culture are protected by public or nonprofit ownership: four lighthouses, lifesaving and U.S. Coast Guard stations, the Hatteras Weather Bureau, Loop Shack Hill. Outer Banks families and communities have deep links to these special places. Communities were created around these historic resources. Families earned their livings working there. They exist as points of meaning in the landscape of memory. Outer Banks families own stories of heroism and steadfastness that are part of the lore of the U.S. Life-Saving Service and Coast Guard and lighthouses. Two villages, Ocracoke and Hatteras, have been recognized by the federal Preserve America program. Ocracoke s historic district is listed on the National Register. Hatteras has been surveyed. Although Hatteras is not eligible as a district for listing in the National Register, several individual properties are eligible, but listings have not yet been pursued. Ocracoke has a modest set of building policies involving septic siting, setback, and height regulations. Voluntary design guidelines are set down in a well-conceived booklet made available to every owner. Ocracoke remains vulnerable, however, to property owners willing to buck local cultural preferences and build in a different style. Demolition of identified historic properties in both villages is permissible. No demolition-byneglect policy exists to require owners to keep up older, unoccupied historic properties. Outof-town owners who purchase village properties often are more interested in the raw land for its development value, not preservation of any buildings on the sites. Both villages invest heavily in upkeep of civic properties and village life. Hatteras has just finished a major renovation of its library and community center and is now upgrading its fire station. It conducts three fishing tournaments and hosts the island s Christmas parade. The Saturday night fish fry is a summer fund-raiser that is a community-wide ritual. In the fall, the village hosts a day-long celebration of watermen and blessing of the fleet called Day at the Docks. Ocracoke maintains a community center and carries on a day-long July 4 celebration, a surf fishing tournament, and the Ocracoke Festival in early June. Recently, as part of the environmental review for the Bonner Bridge project, a Rodanthe historic district was identified. The district is a rare survivor, with a string of early twentieth century houses, a life-saving station, a fish house and a former school building. The district is eligible for national listing for social history and architecture. The Rodanthe-Waves- Salvo Community Building, the former school, is a major focal point for all three communities. Other historic and cultural resources are not known or protected. On Hatteras Island, except for Hatteras village, no historic resource survey has been conducted. No historic resource surveys have been undertaken in Down East. Very few properties anywhere in the corridor have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There are 18 individual sites or groupings directly on or very near the Byway (does not count Cape Lookout National Seashore) that are listed in or eligible for the National Register. Of these, eleven (60%) are 43

50 3: ENSURING STEWARDSHIP publicly owned. Of the seven privately owned sites, only two are actually listed. Carteret County recently adopted restrictions to minimize the visual impact of tall structures such as wind energy facilities and wireless telecommunications facilities near scenic routes and designated byways. Recommendations for Stewardship of Cultural and Historic Qualities Actions for All 3-10 Place Names: Undertake a place names initiative. Create a brochure or web page that collects traditional place names and displays them on maps. Work with the National Park Service and NCDOT to employ traditional names of roads and streams on existing and new signs Cultural Landscape: Public Outreach: Map all surveys of historic properties, existing and future, with GIS and integrate with existing land use and tax information maintained by each county. New Incentives: Study existing incentives for historic preservation of older structures and make recommendations to appropriate legislative bodies. Special Issue: Address the issue of teardowns. Tall Structures: Establish appropriate standards in all three counties to address wind energy facilities and other tall structures on land. Consider additional jurisdictional issues for regulating wind energy facilities in coastal water. Actions for Hatteras and Bodie Islands 3-12 Hatteras Island Historic and Cultural Preservation: Conduct a thorough historic building survey in Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Kinnakeet, Buxton and Frisco. Prepare Cultural Landscape Reports about villages settlement patterns. Encourage retention of traditional structures and development patterns. Seek funding for a Cultural Landscape Report, interpretation projects and marketing for Hatteras village through Preserve America. Ensure the maintenance of all harbors that support commercial fishing. Restore Bodie Lighthouse for public access. Actions for Ocracoke Village 3-13 Historic and Cultural Preservation: Produce a Cultural Landscape Report for Ocracoke Village, in the process updating the historic preservation survey if necessary. Encourage retention of traditional structures and development patterns. Working with Ocracoke partners, seek funding for the Cultural Landscape Report, interpretation projects and marketing through Preserve America. Support efforts of the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association, Ocracoke Preservation Society, and U.S. Navy Beach Jumpers Association to locate a U.S. Navy Beach Jumper Memorial Marker near Loop Shack Hill. Ensure the maintenance of Silver Lake and other harbors to support commercial fishing. Actions for Down East 3-14 Down East Maritime Culture: Consider the preservation of existing marine railways (two) in Down East, which are the only facilities within the immediate region that can lift large fishing boats out of the water for maintenance. Consider the sensitivity of preserving harbors that support commercial fishing. Consider sensitivity of how Marshallberg Harbor remains viable for future use by watermen and the public. 44

51 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY 3-15 Down East Historic and Cultural Studies: Consider a thorough historic building survey of Down East, including the production of a Cultural Landscape Report. Consider programs to encourage private owners voluntary retention of traditional structures and development patterns Cultural Landscape in Down East - Traffic Impacts of New Development: Consider traffic impact analysis in periodic reviews of development in Down East, to address burdens posed by additional traffic on existing communities Preserve America Status: Consider studies and requirements as may be necessary to nominate Down East as a Preserve America community, to later become eligible as a designated community for additional grant opportunities supporting more specialized studies, preservation initiatives, interpretive projects and historic marketing Cape Lookout Lighthouse: Restore Cape Lookout Lighthouse for public access. MORE HISTORY TO UNCOVER Surveys of archeological resources in federal lands or in villages are similarly almost nonexistent. One important and unprotected site associated with Croatan Indians has been studied in Buxton. Other American Indian sites have been identified but not explored. While sites of uninhabited historic maritime villages like Portsmouth and Diamond City are well developed and protected by Cape Lookout National Seashore, others like Clark s and No Wake south of Salvo in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore are not identified. One Civil War fort site in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore has been discovered. Others have yet to be found, surveyed, and protected. Numerous underwater archeological sites are being mapped by the East Carolina University Maritime Studies Project s Ocracoke Shipwreck Explorer program begun in These are precious time capsules with much history to Sunset over West Thorofare Bay. yield someday, when technology and resources permit. On Hatteras Island, the now state-owned Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is designed to tell shipwreck stories and preserve artifacts from those shipwrecks. Recommendations for Stewardship of Archeological Sites 3-19 National Seashores and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Surveys: Support the Department of Interior in pursuing archeological study of Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Launch a major investigation for Hotel DeAfrique at Hatteras Inlet in preparation for the 150th commemoration of the Civil War Conduct remote sensing for the gravesite of U.S.S. Monitor sailors reputed to be in the Buxton area. BEAUTIFUL VIEWS Scenic views that depend on natural resources are protected in federally owned lands. Lacking is management of visual resources. For example, some views of Pamlico Sound through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore are now blocked by successional vegetation resulting from dune stabilization in the 1930 s. Protective dune building and stabilization 45

52 3: ENSURING STEWARDSHIP continues today to safeguard NC 12 and oceanfront property. The conspicuous artificial dune berm that runs parallel to NC 12 was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early Roosevelt era to protect the roadway from the ocean s incursions. The berm has been fairly effective. However, without the overwash of sand and salt water, which is hostile to many plants, shrubby growth has gained a greater foothold than it might otherwise have done. This vegetation has eliminated views from the road to the water, but also has stabilized the shifting sands, providing a more formable barrier against hurricanes and storms. This vegetation s impact on the appearance of NC 12 it has become a green tunnel and views of the water is addressed in Chapter 4. The scenic qualities of inhabited areas the eight enclaves in Cape Hatteras National Seashore from Rodanthe to Ocracoke Village, and most of the dry land of Down East vary considerably. Live oaks, sentinels of higher ground, are respected and important visual signals of historic village centers, especially in Kinnakeet, Hatteras, Ocracoke, Atlantic, Marshallberg, and Harkers Island. The historic fishing villages of Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo at the north end of Hatteras are all but lost in the welter of modern residential and commercial development. Avon s traditional village and harbor, an undesignated loop off NC 12, and the centers of Buxton and Hatteras are still legible to the average viewer. While height of new construction is limited, very large commercial and residential structures, many times larger than existing structures, are beginning to appear in Hatteras around the ferry terminal and in Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo and Avon. Reducing the number of official and offpremise signs, as discussed in Chapter 4, Enhancements, is also aimed at enhancing the Byway s scenic qualities. Other aspects of the Byway that require attention for scenic enhancement include encroachments by paving on the right-of-way in the villages (addressed in Chapter 4 in the section on Gateways and Villages), landscaping, garbage storage containers (dumpsters), and litter. Management of trash in this windy landscape is a special challenge. Dare County s byway committee coordinates roadside cleanup events each spring and fall. The North Carolina Beach Buggy Association sponsors Operation Beach Respect. Four times each year, association members stationed at each beach access ramp hand out trash bags and encourage beach driving visitors to collect litter. Throughout the Byway, the state s adopt-a-highway program covers only scattered portions of the corridor. Carteret uses prison labor for roadside cleanup, and participates in the award-winning 501(c) (3) grassroots nonprofit North Carolina Big Sweep organization whose mission is litter-free watersheds. This organization conducts yearround education to prevent litter and coordinate the North Carolina component of the International Coastal Cleanup an event in which volunteers from all 100 counties in the State and approximately 90 countries worldwide come together to clean up watersheds. Landscaping can do much to mitigate visual problems. Master planning the visual experience in each village with public participation is called for in Chapter 4, Enhancements. A goal in this planning process is to retain the casual, native landscaping and overall simplicity and informal character of landscape design in the villages. Recommendations for Stewardship of Scenic Qualities Note: Chapter 4, Enhancements, offers ideas for improvements in landscaping, signage, and other actions that affect scenic intrinsic qualities Byway Grooming: Maintain the margins of the Byway s vegetated right-of-way in a more parkway-like manner to improve its scenic qualities Litter - Public Education: Work with the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a campaign to encourage visitors to be conscious of trash removal and 46

53 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY the special problems of litter in a beach environment Anti-litter Campaign: Establish an anti-litter campaign for the entire Byway, working with local, state and federal government agencies. Within Byway villages, make sure all miles are adopted by organizations and/or individuals as part of NCDOT s Adopt-a-Highway program Village scenic enhancement plans: Work with each village to improve the visual character and experience in each. Identify potential community-supported financial incentives and regulations for county implementation. Establish voluntary design guidelines for each village. A PLACE FOR PLAY, SOLITUDE AND ENJOYMENT Appropriate public access to the natural and recreational resources in most of the corridor is a responsibility of the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently, the issue of how much off-road vehicular beach access is contentious. The controversy says much about the wonderful natural abundance of the region where the interest in endangered species and some of the best surf fishing on the planet collide. Ironically, the places where there are the most people have the least beach access. No convenient publicly-owned access to the ocean is available within Hatteras Island villages and soundside access is slim. Rodanthe is expected to be the first village to have public land on the ocean. Recommendations for Stewardship of Recreation Note: Chapter 4, Enhancements, offers ideas for improvements that affect recreational intrinsic qualities Village Recreation Plans: Work with each village specifically to identify recreation needs and opportunities. 47

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55 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY CHAPTER 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY CORRIDOR INTRODUCTION A half century ago, roadways and bridges and ferries made connections for easier travel. People were pulled to visit the wild and scenic Outer Banks. Today, this Byway combines the lure of the natural and the promise of stories with modern accommodations for travelers in historic villages scattered along the Byway. This chapter delves into ways to enhance the Byway corridor for travelers and for those living in these remote but accessible places. The first section speaks to enhancements for visiting and living on the Byway. The second section addresses enhancements for ferrying and driving. ENHANCING THE BYWAY FOR VISITING AND LIVING The visual character of the driving experience in the roadway s inhabited areas is lively but sometimes visitors do not know where they are. Attention to gateways and village centers can create a more coherent visual experience, help drivers anticipate changes in driving and safety conditions, and signal that other experiences amenities, interpretive stops are to be found in the immediate area. This section addresses gateways (generally used here in the traditional sense of entrances) and village design, provisions for bicyclists and pedestrians, water access, and enhancements on public parkland and refuges. Many of these recommendations are designed to do double duty the Hatteras Island pathways project, for example, allows for both a recreational and safer experience for all users of the Byway. Community gateway sign, constructed summer 2008, echoing the design motif from the 1874 Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station across the street. (Photo by Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy) Scenic Byway Gateways and Village Design Visitors should know when they are entering and leaving the Byway as a whole. Facilities to inform visitors about the Byway and its interpretive and recreational opportunities need to be established at Whalebone Junction at the Byway s northern entrance and at the North River at the Byway s southern entrance. These facilities are described in Chapter 5, 49

56 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY SIDEBAR 4-1: Dealing with Traffic and Pedestrians in Ocracoke Village Throughout the byway on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, traffic is quite heavy during the summer season from June through August. The ferry system adds many more crossings during more hours of the day, at Hatteras Inlet for the free ferry to Ocracoke. Traffic slows everywhere, lines grow at the ferries, and automobile accidents increase, especially the ever-popular rear-ender. Nowhere is the crush of the summer crowds more than at Ocracoke Village. Vacationers visiting for the week typically get themselves organized for a foray to the village by Thursday or Friday, the busiest days of the week there. Vehicles pour into the village. Many drivers find parking at the far end of the village where the most generous public parking exists, compliments of the National Park Service. Passengers join the flow of humanity on foot to retrace their route back along NC 12. They enjoy the shops along Silver Lake harbor, rent bicycles, eat ice cream cones, and hike up to the lighthouse, about a mile away. Visitors explore the novelty of the quaint, walkable village shaded by live oaks and full of hospitality. A handy village map showing the locations of all shops diverts some of this flow to side streets. But in general, NC 12 becomes a large sidewalk where cars tentatively, gently force their way past flocks of pedestrians, often in large family groups. Traffic slows to a crawl, or halts completely, with backups through the entire village. Businesses with parking along the street before NC 12 turns at Silver Lake endure parked cars that did not bring customers and follow the grin-and-bear-it rule of island hospitality. Visitors entering the village stop in these businesses to beg for bathrooms and directions. At the Ocracoke Lighthouse, tour buses (on average, 2 or 3 a day in the spring high season for buses, figures that mask weekly ups and downs) find the left turn onto Lighthouse Road, and trundle down the street to discover that there is no parking for buses. Parking exists only for four automobiles. The bus driver drops off passengers and proceeds to the end of the road, only to discover a sharp turn onto a laughably narrow side street. This street may be blocked by a vehicle parked at the path leading to Springer's Point. There is no parking for Springer s Point. If the street is blocked, the bus driver backs up and does a 16-point turn at the end of Lighthouse Road to escape back to the lighthouse. This lighthouse situation is the kind of problem residents associate with tourism: visitors overrunning the place and making nuisances of themselves. Businesses struggle to provide parking and comfort facilities. Village residents tolerate the situation, because the island economy depends on dollars brought by visitors. Recently installed, narrow paved shoulders encourage walkers to keep to the roadside around Silver Lake. This major village planning achievement has taken the edge off the problem, but it still exists. (Continued, next page) Interpretation. Ferry terminals, addressed below and in Chapter 5, should also be considered gateways. Along the Byway within the villages, businesses, mostly older ones, use the right-ofway for parking. The entire right-of-way in front of some businesses is paved or graveled. No defined entrance or exit exists at these businesses. These parking areas present a dominant visual element along village corridors. As businesses upgrade properties and seek building permits, counties and NCDOT need to address this use of corridor right-of-way. Such an effort can address stormwater management at the same time. Hatteras Island. On Hatteras Island it is almost impossible to distinguish the old centers of the villages from the new. Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo, Buxton and Frisco were once separate and distinct. Now, for these villages it is difficult to discern when the driver has left one village and entered the next. For villages sharing a boundary with the national seashore, it is apparent to drivers that they are entering a different place. Appropriate village entry signs provide welcome and a sense of place, and 50

57 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY FIGURE 4-1: AVERAGE NUMBER OF BUSES VISITING OCRACOKE, BY MONTH, Average Number of Buses Visiting Ocracoke, DEC, 11, 3% NOV, 21, 6% JAN, 4, 1% FEB, 4, 1% MAR, 51, 13% OCT, 30, 8% SEPT, 23, 6% AUG, 13, 3% JULY, 9, 2% APR, 111, 30% JUNE, 38, 10% MAY, 64, 17% (Data source: NCDOT Ferry Division) (Sidebar 4-1, continued) Much prior planning has looked at ways to address congestion problems in Ocracoke village. Earlier plans have suggested creating parking, and possibly a National Park Service visitor center, on the north side of Ocracoke. It's actually east, but everyone comes from the north, so north it is. Ideally, from this new facility, a trolley system would transport visitors through the village. Perhaps on the busiest days day-trip traffic could be banned altogether. (Autos with ferry reservations or owned by overnight visitors and residents would be exempt.) However, the village is built out, so finding a sufficient amount of available land for parking and a center seems impossible. Close by land in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, based on preliminary investigation, is not suited to such construction due to wetlands. Current park officials cast doubt on ever removing the visitor center from the far end of the village, despite the most current but very out-of-date seashore general management plan calling the existing visitor center temporary. During preparation of this updated Corridor Management Plan, the planning team suggested some changes to alter tour bus traffic patterns at the Ocracoke Lighthouse. These suggestions are currently being tested. Among the possibilities for a solution to some of these problems is establishing a trolley without first building parking. Non-profit Hyde County Transit ( is considering the possibility. At the Hatteras village ferry terminal, NCDOT built a large parking lot in the hopes of accommodating walk-on visitors. However, no service exists on the Ocracoke side to take these travelers the 12 miles to the village.one possibility identified in the planning process is to build a visitor center at the pony pens, as described elsewhere. This may address the need to provide comfort and information, but it will not solve the parking problem. 51

58 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY most villages along the Byway have such welcome signs, though some are lacking. The pathway project described below will be used to enhance villages sense of place and set apart historic village centers. Until very recently, new commercial construction in these villages was very much like the old perhaps a little larger in scale, maybe even more colorful, but contributing to the existing eclectic mix. To some, the result is helter-skelter; to others, this is an expected and tolerated part of the visual experience of being at the beach. Recent new construction, however, is reaching an alarming size. Community-based design standards need to be established to address issues associated with height, scale, mass, and building footprint. Hatteras Village. One specific opportunity to improve a village center includes redesign of the Y in Hatteras. The village s community center board has recently renovated the library and community building and post office. The Hatteras United Methodist Church was renovated after Hurricane Isabel. Parking for the community building and library and adjacent post office needs to be addressed. Current roadway design of this intersection could be updated, retaining the flagpole and sculpture. Paving dominates the visual experience entering the Hatteras village center. Adding landscape elements will create a stronger sense of identity and provide visual interest. Intersection redesign will be incorporated in pathway design. Ocracoke Village. Two gateway issues should be addressed in Ocracoke: Use and design of the corridor right-ofway at the village entrance, and A facility to receive and orient visitors. Ocracoke has a well-deserved reputation as a unique historic district and visitor experience. It is a walkable, enjoyable village with a distinctive edge. A traveler definitely knows where the Cape Hatteras National Seashore ends and the village begins. The first section of the Byway entering Ocracoke from Hatteras Inlet has a 150-foot right-of-way. At the end of this segment, the right-of-way narrows dramatically to 60 feet. Tall shrubs and live oaks flourish and establish a second entrance to the historic village proper. Most development in the first segment is commercial. Two parcels are publicly owned. On one site, parked in full view are garbage trucks, odiferous in summer as they wait overnight for the first ferry out. The second parcel contains the community center. The right-of-way along the entire length of this first segment is poorly maintained and drained. The corridor right-of-way is used for parking and appears to motorists as vast parking lots. The result is a very wide expanse of unattractive gravel, sand, mud holes, and deteriorating asphalt. The businesses along this section universally suffer from this unappealing context. Part of the problem is that the NCDOT has allowed the public right-of-way to be treated as a no-man s land. Business owners casually allow customers to avail themselves of the space for parking, but take no responsibility for tending publicly-owned land. Having had the problem called to its attention during the planning for this plan, NCDOT has signaled its willingness to work cooperatively with adjacent property owners to improve the situation. Potential traffic calming and improved stormwater management would be benefits along with an improved and welcoming appearance. Redesign might partially address the chronic lack of parking for visitors arriving by ferry from Hatteras Island. Most day-trip visitors arrive in Ocracoke from Hatteras Inlet. No visitor center for receiving and orienting visitors or offering comfort facilities is available at the village edge. Existing visitor orientation is provided by the National Park Service at the other end of the village at the harbor. Comfort facilities exist at (1) the Hatteras Inlet ferry terminal but the location is such that it generally serves only those waiting to leave Ocracoke; (2) at the 52

59 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Ocracoke implemented its pathways project, recommended in the 2003 Outer Banks Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan, in (Photo by Earl W. O Neal, Jr.) national seashore s campground, three miles outside of the village, for campers; and (3) at the Ocracoke Day Use Area (the beach most visitors use). A comfort facility is planned for the island s modest airport and its users only. Thus, many visitors to Ocracoke arrive at the village line rather in need of comfort and plead with business owners to allow bathroom stops. Others arrive in need of directions and information about visiting the village. Identifying a property large enough to accommodate a small visitor reception facility with restrooms and parking is a challenge in the immediate area of the village line. Down East. Most Down East villages have addressed the issue of visibility with individually designed and landscaped signs at entrances or village centers. The overall effect is charming. A few more are needed. A general principle in making changes to the roadway and to enhance village legibility in this nearly pristine cultural landscape should be first, do no harm. Well-intentioned but off-the-shelf sign design elements would reduce Down East s unique character. Provisions for Bicyclists and Pedestrians Possibly the most critical need for enhancement along this Byway is the provision of safe, enjoyable bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Despite the fact that the Byway s route is included in two state bicycle maps, bicycling experts have been known to caution riders not to venture south of the Oregon Inlet bridge. High speeds, limited widths of roadway and extended paved shoulders, and soft, sandy areas beyond the pavement create highly unsafe conditions for even for the most experienced cyclists. These conditions hold true the length of the Byway. In Hatteras Island villages conditions are worse. Cars come from almost any direction. Pedestrians compete for the same roadside space. The entrance drive to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse complex in Buxton is a rare exception, where the roadway has ample width and well-maintained shoulders and simple curves encouraging drivers to remember they are in a park. Cleared, grassed shoulders provide adequate sight lines and places to go if a cyclist needs to leave the pavement in a hurry. In Down East, high speeds and limited pavement widths are accompanied by very wide, well-watered and steep ditches. In Down East, high speeds for motorized vehicles are the norm in all seasons. During the period from 2005 through June of 2008, safety statistics report 10 crashes involving bicyclists, 3 involving pedestrians, with an additional 9 crashes reported by cars 53

60 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY SIDEBAR 4-2: North Carolina s Mountains to the Sea Trail The US 70-NC 12 corridor has been mapped for the North Carolina s Mountains to the Sea Trail. The trail, planned since 1973, is more than 900 miles long. Recently, it has received greater attention and funding from various cooperating agencies. Significant off-road segments are now complete in the mountain and piedmont sections. On Ocracoke and Hatteras islands, the trail can readily follow the beaches with digressions to the Open Ponds Trail in Buxton and the North Ponds Trail at the wildlife refuge. It is considered essentially complete on those islands as it proceeds to its end at Jockey s Ridge north of Nags Head. However, conceptual planning for the eastern North Carolina segment of the trail, the mainland from Raleigh to Down East, called for crossing the 50,000-acre Open Ground Farms to the west of the Byway s corridor. The owner-corporation has declined to provide access along this route, given aerial spraying and other conflicting farming practices there. The alternate route along US 70 is mapped now in current maps, but has not been made official. During the planning process, members of Carteret County s Byway Advisory Committee reached out to the local representative of the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation and arrange for Byway representation among the regional partners working on this project. involving bicycles as objects struck. The Byway Advisory Committee suspects more vehicle and bicycle interactions go unreported. Recognizing the need for safer bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, since the completion of the first Corridor Management Plan, Byway committees in Dare and Hyde have been working to build pathways along the Byway. Challenges presented are narrow rights-of-way, especially in Ocracoke Village, encroaching signs, parking for commercial establishments, roadside ditches, and water crossings. Hatteras Island. Using extensive public participation, Dare s Byway committee created a conceptual plan for off-the-road paved pathways through Hatteras Island villages. The plan calls for pathways built in the existing rights-of-way. A continuous pathway in each village will run along the Pamlico Sound side of NC 12. In the village centers of Buxton and Hatteras, the plan calls for sidewalks on both sides of NC 12. The pathways begin and end at specific destinations, with many end/start points in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Dare committee is committed to addressing individual property owner situations in planning, design and location of pathways. In implementing the Dare plan, stormwater issues must be addressed. The overall project will serve as villages backbone to interpret authentic island history and reinforce the visual appeal of the villages. Where federal funds are used, standards are prescribed for widths of sidewalks and multiuse paths. Because villages existed before NC 12, rights-of-ways are narrow and historic homes are located close to the road. In many Hatteras Island locations, meeting federal standards will be impossible. Construction of alternative routes for bicycles outside Hatteras villages was proposed in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore s 1993 Statement for Management. The Dare committee s recommended priority list is installing continuous, off-the-road paved pathways between (1) Avon and Buxton (4 miles) and (2) Frisco and Hatteras (1.6 miles). Ocracoke Island. The Ocracoke committee successfully implemented a project inserting narrow paved shoulders beside the roadway from the turn at Silver Lake toward the ferry docks. This pathway actually encroaches on adjacent private property. Most owners gave permission but in those few cases where they did not, no paths were constructed. Where live 54

61 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY oaks grow immediately beside the road, the shoulders were interrupted to protect the trees. Recently the National Park Service agreed to construct in the near future a long-planned, three-mile paved multi-use pathway from Ocracoke Village to the seashore s campground. The lack of cycling space between the Hatteras Inlet ferry terminal and the village limits cycle touring. The committee recommends wide extended shoulders connecting the terminal with the campground pathway. Down East. Accommodating the growing number of cyclists presents a great challenge in Down East. Many parts of NC 12-US 70 are like causeways constructed on fill. To make even one shoulder wide enough to declare the roadway also a bikeway would involve major cost and disruption of natural resources and corridor neighbors. With safety for all corridor users a major consideration, the Byway Advisory Committee recommends consideration of widening the paved surface of NC 70 as major maintenance projects are undertaken, especially with provision for safety pulloffs. The newly announced realignment of NCDOT divisions to take on multi-modal transportation will facilitate such a project planned and implemented over the long term. Opening this beautiful and glorious portion of North Carolina to all modes of transportation is a dream to be realized. As Hatteras and Ocracoke have already done, Down East should pursue opportunities to create village pathway plans. These plans should reflect the villages own sense of how they can be improved for pedestrian access. For example, although it is four miles from its western entrance at the bridge to its eastern tip, Harkers Island may offer opportunities to improve bicycle and pedestrian access in a way that reinforces the village feel of several parts of the island. The residents traditionally think of the island in parts ( west ard, middle and east ard ), so perhaps the pathways can also be designed to reflect this tradition. Ocracoke Seafood Company (Ocracoke Working Watermen s fish house cooperative) and a view of Ocracoke s waterfront on Silver Lake Harbor. Water Access A highly significant part of the visitor experience along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is enjoyment of the ocean and sounds. Since much of this enjoyment takes place away from the roadway, but immediately along it, this plan calls for improvements for motorists to park and for pedestrians to gain access to the water. Pedestrian Access to Village Waterfronts Improving the visitor experience will enhance village waterfronts, improve commerce and help sustain the Byway s traditional fishing industry. Three villages offer unique opportunities for added amenities. Hatteras Village. One of the favorite activities mentioned by residents participating in public meetings is a visit to the Hatteras Village waterfront in the late afternoon to watch the parade of deep-sea fishing boats returning to the harbor. The view across Pamlico Sound grows increasingly spectacular as the sun sets. Along the waterfront, owners have improved and linked most of the docks to create a pedestrian boardwalk that allows an almost uninterrupted stroll past docked boats. An opportunity exists to link the village s recreation and commercial fishing heritage by 55

62 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY TABLE 4-1: MAJOR WATERSIDE RECREATIONAL RESOURCES ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Site Name Operator Coquina Beach (ocean) National Park Service (NPS) Oregon Inlet Fishing Center NPS concessionaire Oregon Inlet Campground (ocean) NPS Bonner Bridge Fishing Catwalks NC Department of Transportation New Inlet Boat Ramp FWS Rodanthe Fishing Pier Private Salvo Day Use Area (sound) NPS Avon Fishing Pier Private Haulover Day Use Area (sound) NPS Lighthouse Beach (ocean) NPS Cape Point (ocean) NPS Cape Point Campground (ocean) NPS Frisco Campground (ocean) NPS Frisco Fishing Pier Private Frisco Day Use Area (ocean) NPS Sandy Bay Soundside NPS Ocracoke Campground (ocean) NPS Ocracoke Day Use Area (ocean) NPS Ocracoke Village Boat Ramp NPS Cedar Island Terminal Boat Ramp North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) Green Point Boat Ramp FWS Monroe Gaskill Bridge Boat Ramp FWS Oyster Creek Boat Ramp NCWRC Straits Boat Ramp NCWRC Source: Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee creating a waterfront destination. About 1.75 acres of vacant land between the village waterfront and an operating fish house is now available. The parcel offers an opportunity for public docks with interpretive space to focus on watermen, their families and their trade. Ample space is available for parking. Ocracoke Village. Ocracoke s Silver Lake remains a working waterfront, accommodates recreation pleasure craft, and hosts the Ocracoke-Cedar Island ferry dock. The Ocracoke Fish House, cooperatively owned by the Ocracoke Working Watermen s Association, provides continued presence of a market outlet for the island s working watermen. The Ocracoke Foundation, a participating owner in the fish house, and the association are developing an Ocracoke Watermen s Exhibit, an interpretive facility planned for a location on the pier beside Community Square, the major privately owned but open space that provides the best access for the public to enjoy views of Silver Lake. The new facility is expected to be open in The Ocracoke Fish House draws visitors as potential customers and supporters intrigued by maritime traditions. Other opportunities for visitors to get close to the waterfront are few and far between. The best public views of the harbor are from the Cedar Island ferry as it arrives or departs. 56

63 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY The Silver Lake shoreline offers an unparalleled opportunity to create an enjoyable and safe pedestrian boardwalk. The difficulties, however, are numerous, starting with cost and obtaining property owner agreement. Although not insurmountable, the difficulties are enough that even the most visionary of residents hesitate to embark on such an ambitious goal. Down East. The patterns of waterfront development in Down East include harbors, but little concentrated development warranting added planning for visitor enjoyment on waterfronts. Remarkable views from the Byway occur as it traverses rivers and marshes. Beautiful Atlantic offers an opportunity. It is Down East s closest approximation to a concentrated working waterfront, running for about a mile along Core Sound. Along the Atlantic waterfront are maritime as well as general businesses, a church, many early 20 th century homes, and some ancient live oaks. Views of the water are nearly continuous, thanks to the small scale of most of the development. Constructing walkways beside the road (which runs as close as 50 feet to the rear of waterfront properties) and offering walking tours along this length of road could stimulate interest in visiting Atlantic. Such a walkway could use green materials. Atlantic is a jewel and like other villages Down East, is facing the possibility of residential development on waterfront parcels. Careful planning is needed for this village and others Down East, as discussed in Chapter 3. Pedestrian Access to Ocean and Sound Beaches Hatteras Island. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is currently writing an off-road vehicle management plan that addresses access points to the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound beaches. The plan is expected to be completed in Cedar Island s gentle beach on Pamlico Sound note the Cedar Island ferry at far left. (Photo courtesy Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center) The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee supports separation of pedestrian access from off-road vehicle ramps in the seashore. Byway visitors arriving in two-wheel drive vehicles need adequate parking, particularly south of Salvo and Avon, and comfortable, accessible-to-all boardwalks to the seashore s Atlantic Ocean beaches. Soundside access for recreational use in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is available at Salvo Day Use Area and Sandy Bay outside Frisco. Informal, poorly maintained trails provide access between Salvo and Avon. This area is a traditional waterfowl hunting ground. No public access within the island s villages is provided to ocean beaches. No public parking exists within the villages to accommodate visitors or residents. Ocracoke. Springer s Point, owned by the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, offers one of the Byway s most inspiring trails. No parking is provided. The park entrance is on an extremely narrow paved street, too narrow to allow parking. Access to the main part of the reserve is along the pole portion of a flag lot. The entrance and the street itself are sometimes blocked by illegally parked vehicles. The current situation provides a useful limit to 57

64 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY the reserve s visitation, keeping Springer s Point pleasant for villagers and informed visitors. Down East. One of the hidden treasures of Down East is the beach on Cedar Island. Currently, access to this beach involves an awkward jump down from the paved area serving the boat ramp, managed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Enhanced public access, however, must recognize the potential habitat that this rare lagoon barrier island, with its white-sand beaches and dunes, represents. Boating and Fishing Access The byway corridor is served by a total of seven boat ramps. Planning for enhanced recreational boating and fishing access is the responsibility of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. No North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission boating ramps are located on Hatteras Island. Commercial launching ramps are available in Avon, Frisco, and Hatteras. No launching areas specifically for kayaks or canoes are publicly-owned. Ocracoke s public boat launching ramp is located in the village center. Adequate parking for vehicles and trailers is available. Down East villages are served by five public boat launching ramps: Cedar Island, Green Point, Gaskill Bridge, Oyster Creek, and Straits. No launching facilities specific for hand-carried kayaks or canoes are available. Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge s 2006 Comprehensive Conservation Plan calls for enhanced fishing opportunities, including improvements to two boat ramps. The refuge s goal is to expand fishing use beyond current uses of refuge canals, interior ponds, and adjacent waters. A fishing plan and environmental assessment is required for this project. Improvements to Public Parkland and Refuges Cape Hatteras National Seashore. An informal trail follows an old unimproved path from the park service s Frisco Campground to Cape Point. Improving this trail, called Open Ponds Trail, would provide one of the longest trails possible along the Byway s corridor and access to one of the most unique maritime ecosystems along the Atlantic coast. It is an official section of the Mountains to the Sea Trail. Obstacles to improvement include concerns about personal safety and law enforcement and how to improve or maintain the actual pathway. Simple maintenance of the corridor as a fire break may be all that is possible. Cape Lookout National Seashore. The 2001 amendment to the park s 1993 General Management Plan calls for creating long-term concession contracts for Davis and Atlantic ferry operators so that they will invest in more facilities. The possibility also exists for investment by several partners with the park service to create a harbor for ferries and park vessels on Cedar Island. A passenger ferry from this point to Portsmouth Island is considered feasible. Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge is managed from the North Carolina mainland by an office that also oversees the Mattamuskeet and Swan Quarter refuges. For most visitors, the refuge is one of the more spectacular and scenic six miles of the Byway. The only visitor facility at present is a small kiosk in the refuge parking lot two miles southeast of the highway down Lola Road, which the refuge s current plan calls for upgrading. From the parking lot, visitors can walk 2.5 miles of unimproved roads and 14 miles of firebreaks. The refuge was unstaffed for most of the decade prior to its September 2006 Comprehensive Conservation Plan. It is now lightly staffed with one to two employees. Without additional staff, increasing visitation to the refuge endangers both visitors and resources. The plan calls for additional staff and facilities to add to visitors enjoyment of wildlife observation and photography, fishing, 58

65 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY and picnicking. Proposed facilities include some unspecified developed trails; a photography blind; and upgrades to two boat ramps. Such improvements are likely to generate a constituency of users and supporters that could lead to a friends group to help provide volunteers for refuge projects and visitor services, if the refuge s plan for outreach is successful. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee supports increased staffing and facilities for the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge. The Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve, which needs more planning before most enhancements are sought, is addressed in Chapter 3. The Open Ponds Trail described above serves the reserve. New Park on Eagle Pass Road, Hatteras. The Hatteras Village Community Building Board recently acquired a large open property along Eagle Pass Road. The board intends to improve this land as a passive-use park. Recommendations: Enhancing the Byway for Living and Visiting Actions for All 4-1 Byway Gateways: Work with federal, state and local partners to provide gateway facilities at the north and south entrances to the Outer Bank Scenic Byway. (See Chapter 5 for more details.) 4-2 Gateway Signs: Establish gateway signs for all communities 4-3 Crosswalks: Examine existing crosswalks for placement and add where needed for pedestrian safety. 4-4 Public Docks: Work with county governments and state agencies to provide public docking space in established harbors in Avon, Hatteras and traditional locations in Down East. 4-5 Mountains to the Sea Trail: The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee recommends to the North Carolina Division of Cedar Island boat ramp, NC Wildlife Resources Commission (Photo by Connie Mason) Parks and Recreation, State Trails Program and its cooperating division within NCDOT, that the Mountains to the Sea Trail be permanently mapped within the Outer Banks Scenic Byway corridor. Actions for Hatteras Island 4-6 Pathways Project: Implement the pathways project in all Hatteras Island villages. The proposed and officially supported off-theroad pathways will serve as the primary project to: Make village centers more legible to residents and visitors; Interpret village stories and history; Address stormwater infrastructure along roads, leading to cleaner Pamlico Sound water; Support the principles of traffic calming and complete streets, as discussed further below; Plan improvements for the center of Hatteras village; and Connect to and extend pathways through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore between (1) Avon and Buxton and (2) Frisco and Hatteras and into the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse district. Mitigate visual impact of added pavement. Materials should be a neutral color, and care should be taken to locate the pathway 59

66 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY Figure 4-2: Monthly Visitation to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, (recreational plus non-recreational visitors) 700, , , ,000 Total Visitors to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, , , ,000 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec (Data source: National Park Service) so that the existing landscape reduces the visual impact wherever possible. 4-7 Hatteras Waterfront Destination: For Hatteras village, establish a public waterfront destination to provide public dock space, parking and interpretation. 4-8 Village Beach Access: Work with Dare County to establish public beach access and parking in villages, specifically in (1) Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo, which will provide parking for surfers, anglers and beach goers; (2) Avon; (3) Buxton by using the Coast Guard Station property; and (4) Hatteras village. 4-9 Boating Launch Facilities: Working with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, establish public recreational boating ramps and hand-carried boat facilities in (1) Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo; (2) Avon; (3) Buxton; and (4) Hatteras village Open Ponds Trail: Consider improvements to Open Ponds Trail as a pedestrian trail. This route is mapped as a part of North Carolina s Mountains to the Sea Trail. Actions for Ocracoke 4-11 Entrance Improvements in the Right-of-way: At the entrance to Ocracoke village, make visual, safety, and drainage improvements for the corridor s right-of-way to eliminate private use of public space, working with NCDOT and local property and business owners. Include provisions for pedestrian safety Visitor Facilities: Provide comfort facilities and a place for orienting visitors coming from the Hatteras Ferry. In the short term, develop a guide for day-trippers to be distributed on the ferry to set expectations and help decision making. 60

67 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY 4-13 Hatteras Inlet Ferry Visitor Facilities: Create additional parking capacity for the comfort facility at Ocracoke s Hatteras Inlet ferry terminal. Development of a proposed pedestrian ramp to the beach may create added inducement for visitors to explore this viewscape and use the facility. Consider improvements to circulation as stormwater management issues are addressed, especially the left turn into the comfort facility that southbound drivers must make Village Traffic: Continue to search for solutions to traffic congestion in Ocracoke during the summer season. Possibilities include setting up transportation for daytrippers who leave vehicles on Hatteras Island for a walk-on ferry ride, a trolley/tram system within the village, establishing parking in public rights-of-way, property purchase, and re-examining areas that might be useful within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Lighthouse Access: Delve into improving pedestrian, automobile, and bus access to Ocracoke Lighthouse, including but not limited to a drop-off area, and improved pedestrian access Bicycle-mounted Policing: Encourage the use of bicycle-mounted policing Multi-use Trail: Monitor development of a multi-use, grade-separated trail on Ocracoke Island Existing Walkway: Obtain permission for the Ocracoke walkway planned along the Berkley Manor property, using eminent domain if necessary. Hyde County needs to include this sidewalk extension in its requirements for development approval Silver Lake Boardwalk: In the long term, seek opportunities to construct a boardwalk around Silver Lake. If a boardwalk is not viable, pursue developing public viewing platforms. As a first priority, secure for the long term the public use of Jack s Dock at Community Square. Actions for Down East 4-20 Upgrade US 70: Consider opportunities for upgrades to US 70 with safety improvements, especially to provide breakdown areas. Breakdown areas could be designed also as places for safely enjoying water views Atlantic Walkway: In Atlantic, consider opportunities for roadside walkways and self-guided walking tours (brochure and web site) to encourage pedestrian visitors. Support economic development of the waterfront commercial area through public policies that include design standards to support continuation of the current scale of construction and the existing older structures Water Trails: Support interpreted, recreational water trails for Down East, first with brochures and then perhaps with other enhancements, such as soft landings, camping areas. With its many rivers, marshes, and bays along Core Sound, Down East offers an excellent opportunity to develop water trails for canoes and kayaks. Launch facilities for hand-carried boats require fewer acres and less shoreline alteration and could be relatively simple to site near existing bridges. Coordinate with the Mountains to Sea Trail Cedar Island Beach Access: Consider opportunities for enhanced pedestrian access to the beach at Cedar Island, next to the NC Wildlife Commission boat ramp beside (east of) the ferry terminal complex. Improve directional signage to this recreational opportunity Ferry Access to Cape Lookout and Core Banks: Support Cape Lookout National Seashore in encouraging the park s goals for upgraded private ferry facilities and associated services (e.g., restaurants) in Atlantic and Davis Cedar Island Refuge Improvements: Support Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge in the refuge s goals for adding staff and facilities. Planned new recreation facilities include one developed 61

68 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY (interpretive) trail; a photography blind; and improvements to two boat ramps. Support a collaborative proposal to develop a Cedar Island launch site. Federal Agency Action 4-26 Beach Access for Vehicles and Pedestrians: Within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, provide pedestrian access separate from beach access ramps for vehicles. Design boardwalks suitable for the physically challenged and older Americans. ENHANCING THE BYWAY FOR FERRYING AND DRIVING It s a natural, this Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Sandscapes greet the traveler. Marshes lure wildlife and viewers. Calm comes to travelers driving its 138 miles. At the same time, it s wild. Wind blows. Sand scoots. Water gets angry. It s out of the way, a long way from anywhere. Roads, bridges and ferries carry the traveler and the folks living on islands and in special villages, bracketed by an Atlantic Ocean and captured sounds. A ribbon of asphalt connected Hatteras Island villages in That ribbon follows the same path today as yesterday. It s straight in places. The Byway has some curves in villages. A bridge across famed Oregon Inlet was dedicated in For Harkers Island, a footpath first paved with oyster shells became the connecting ribbon. It was hard paved in A ferry connection was replaced by a wooden bridge in The bridge was renovated to a more substantial steel structure in Roads and bridges connect. Big, modern, specially designed ferries also connect this Byway. A state-owned ferry system established in 1952 crosses Hatteras Inlet to Ocracoke and runs from Ocracoke to Cedar Island, the gateway to Down East. Making paved and reliable water connections was only the beginning of the challenge. Maintaining roadways, bridges and ferries in the face of hurricanes, northeasters, tidal flooding, and salt corrosion is expensive, difficult and sometimes temporary. On Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, a dune line protects this Byway. The dunes were originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930 s. These mounds of sand, some thick with the beautiful sea oats that are a hallmark of the Outer Banks, protect the roadway from ocean water incursions most of the time. The dunes permit native vegetation to take hold. Now, a green corridor ushers Byway riders between the ocean and sounds. Ferries Two rides on state-owned ferries are a unique feature of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. The ferries are the only connection with Ocracoke Island. Ferry terminals and docks are located in Hatteras village, at both ends of Ocracoke Island, and on Cedar Island. The free journey across Hatteras Inlet takes 40 minutes. A toll is collected for the 2.25-hour ride across Pamlico Sound. The four ferry terminals are utilitarian and generally functional. They include ramps for vehicles to board or leave the vessels, stacking lanes for waiting cars, and buildings that house restrooms and offices. Ticket booths are located at Cedar Island and in Ocracoke village. Three terminals have a Ship Store selling ferryrelated items and displaying brochures for visitors. Ocracoke Island s Hatteras Inlet terminal is more basic. On board the ferries, some printed information is provided. Three terminal facilities, Hatteras village, Ocracoke village, and Cedar Island, are more recently improved. Hatteras and Ocracoke village terminals occupy long-standing locations and at this point need some rationalizing in terms of design and functionality. Stormwater management is a problem at Ocracoke s Hatteras Inlet terminal. 62

69 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 4-2: ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY, TOTAL AND BY COUNTY, JANUARY 2005 JUNE 2008 Outer Banks Scenic Byway (thru TOTAL 6/10) TOTAL ACCIDENTS Total Fatalities Total Accidents Involving Pedestrians Total Accidents Involving Pedalcyclists DARE COUNTY Accidents Fatalities Accidents Involving Pedestrians Accidents Involving Pedalcyclists HYDE COUNTY Accidents Fatalities Accidents Involving Pedestrians Accidents Involving Pedalcyclists CARTERET COUNTY Accidents Fatalities Accidents Involving Pedestrians Accidents Involving Pedalcyclists Source: NCDOT Hatteras Village Ferry Terminal. This terminal area is in greatest need of attention to design, landscaping and signage. The terminal is affected by high level of demand, adjacent residential and commercial development, and the location of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. From the north, the entrance is confusing. Drivers must choose between a road to the left serving the museum and access to the beach or to the right for the ferry to Ocracoke. The vast stacking lane parking area is a heat island for summer visitors waiting to board a ferry. Ocracoke Island, Hatteras Inlet Ferry Terminal. This terminal is the smallest of the four on the Byway. Stacking lanes circle around the very tip of the island and provide dramatic views for those willing to get out of their vehicles. A ferry terminal comfort station provides vending service and very limited interpretation. The comfort station s parking area, behind (east of) the building, is out of view for motorists leaving the ferry. The comfort station is also less accessible to these village-bound visitors during periods of heavy travel. A quick left turn is required when 63

70 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY SIDEBAR 4-3: The Bonner Bridge Replacement Project The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, connecting Hatteras Island by road to Bodie Island and points north and west, is a beautiful curved structure. At the top of the bridge is one of the most dramatic views of the Outer Banks and Hatteras Island. All bridge travelers, those coming home or visiting for the first time, experience the breathtaking beauty and wonder of a barrier island. Dedicated on May 2, 1964, the bridge is aging and needs replacing. The preferred alternative of the state s department of transportation is to build a new bridge parallel to the existing one. Over the next five years, travelers will have the unique opportunity to watch construction of a major bridge over the dynamic Oregon Inlet. The increased height of the bridge will make it a dominating visual element in the landscape. It is important that the new bridge be designed to function as a landmark with attention to detail and aesthetics. On the current bridge, travelers frequently slow down at the top of the bridge. departing the ferry and vehicles waiting to board the ferry stack up blocking the comfort station entrance. During the summer season, vehicles waiting to board back up along this part of the roadway. It effectively serves as a waiting lane when there are too many vehicles for the limited stacking area around the loop. Stormwater management at this location is under study for urgent remedy rainwater often pools in the stacking loop so that it is too deep to cross. Dune movement exacerbates the problem. At the comfort station, the National Park Service plans to build additional parking and a handicapped-accessible walkway to the beach. Ocracoke Island Village Ferry Terminal. This compound has evolved incrementally and features a variety of uses. As it is, this is a confusing area for a first-time visitor. In the area surrounding the actual loading ramps are: The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching in the former U.S. Coast Guard station (established 1939 and operational through 1996); The ferry terminal building (comfort, gift shop, brochures, and new ferry offices); Ferry offices (soon to become park service offices, enabling the removal of an unsightly temporary building); Cape Hatteras National Seashore s Ocracoke visitor center, Silver Lake docks and parking; A large open parking area and boat launching facility created from a closed campground; and The David Williams House, home of the Ocracoke Preservation Society s Ocracoke Museum. Historical markers commemorating Civil War history are located at the end of the large parking lot down by the water where views complement the markers stories. Beyond the parking lot and well out of view is the major maintenance yard serving the National Park Service. The National Park Service s visitor center occupies the grassy center of an oval area containing a few live oaks. The area is defined by a large loop of ferry stacking lanes. A

71 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY SIDEBAR 4-4: What Are Complete Streets? In many communities, designating a bicycle route or pouring a few new sidewalks is no longer enough. The college town of Columbia, Missouri has adopted new street standards calling for wider sidewalks and narrower lanes. The governing commission of the South Carolina Department of Transportation has passed a resolution declaring that bicycling and walking accommodations should be a routine part of the department s planning, design, construction, and operating activities. These jurisdictions are part of a new trend: creating complete streets. A complete street is defined as a street that works for motorists, for bus riders, for bicyclists, and for pedestrians, including people with disabilities. Many communities have launched main street initiatives, adopted bicycle plans, or undertaken special planning processes for non-motorized travel in specific places. In contrast, complete streets policies strive for diversity on just about every thoroughfare. And the process of creating complete streets is leading planners and engineers across the country to approach street design in fundamentally new ways. Most U.S. roadways are not complete streets. According to a national survey conducted in 2002 by the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics, about one quarter of all walking trips take place on roads without sidewalks or shoulders, and bike lanes are available for only about five percent of bicycle trips. For advocates of bicycling and walking, this state of affairs demanded a whole new paradigm and a name to go with it. The term complete streets was coined in early 2003 by bicycle advocates as a way to describe and sell what had until then been referred to as routine accommodation. The idea is that multimodal corridors would become the default mode and justification must be given when they are not... The U.S. Department of Transportation issued design guidance in response to new language in [the Transportation Equity Act of 1998 (TEA-21)]. The guidance document, Accommodating Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel, states that bicycling and walking facilities will be incorporated into all transportation projects unless exceptional circumstances exist. Exceptions include roads where bicyclists or pedestrians are prohibited by law; where the costs are excessive (more than 20 percent of project costs); and where there is clearly no need. The document also calls for paved shoulders on rural roads and designs that are accessible for disabled people. -Excerpted from Complete the Streets! by Barbara McCann, Planning Magazine, May 2005, pp , found at plan drawn up by Hyde County suggests a rearrangement of this entire area. The plan offers a start for ideas to improve circulation and parking for multiple uses, and a gateway area for arriving visitors. Cedar Island Ferry Terminal. Cedar Island s functionality and appearance need little improvement. Some landscaping to improve the appearance of or hide the maintenance areas may be desirable. Wayfinding signage here could help visitors access hidden attractions a beautiful beach, a boat ramp, and a horseback riding concession. Safety Safety of the traveling public and residents is one of the concerns for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee. The Byway corridor is used for everything getting around villages by vehicle, bike or foot, delivering, parades and traveling through. Both NC 12 and US 70 see many different uses sharing the same space during the course of the day and season. Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands are summer resort destinations. Traffic volume as recorded 65

72 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore crescendos during June, July and August and dramatically falls off during the fall, winter and spring (Figure 4-1; see further discussion of visitation patterns in Chapters 5 and 6). The safety record of the route includes 10 fatal crashes from 2005 to mid-2008, 329 crashes total. The total crash rate is per 100 million vehicle miles. Most accidents occur on weekends in June, July, and August, at almost any hour from 9 a.m. to midnight. Surprisingly, the most number of crashes occur between 3 and 5 p.m. The most common crash, by far, is the rear ender, 105 of the 329; a crash involving a left turn was the next most common, 29 out of 329. The number of vehicular accidents involving bicycles increased from 3 from 2000 through 2002 to 11 from 2005 through Accidents involving pedestrians in the same periods, however, declined substantially, from 7 to 1 (which involved two severely injured pedestrians). Accidents overall have declined in the same periods, from 555 total accidents from to 325 in the years , but the number of fatalities doubled, from 5 to 10. The number of vehicular accidents involving bicycles increased from 3 from 2000 through 2002 to 11 from 2005 through Accidents involving pedestrians in the same periods, however, declined substantially, from 7 to 1 (which involved two severely injured pedestrians). Accidents overall have declined in the same periods, from 555 total accidents from to 325 in the years , but the number of fatalities doubled, from 5 to 10. Along the Byway s vast stretches of national seashores and refuges, impatient motorists ignore 55-mph speed limits. On Hatteras Island and in Down East, speed limits within villages are also ignored. In five Hatteras Island villages, speed limits change during the summer season, coming down from wintertime 45 miles per hour to summertime, May 15 to Sept. 15, 35-mph limit. calms traffic but frustrates visitors and worries local officials (see Sidebar 4-1). Safety lies at the heart of a number of recommendations in the following sections, addressing maintenance, signage, parking, scenic views, and multi-use pathways. A combination of actions will increase vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist safety. Roadway Maintenance The Byway is an asset and should be treated as such. The roadway needs to be clean, free of potholes and well-maintained. The corridor should signal that this is a special place, a parkway. It doesn t. At the same time, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee acknowledges that maintenance of NC 12 and US 70 is difficult. Shoulders in sandy or marshy soils are not stable. Weather extremes and high summer use take a heavy toll and require much effort from NCDOT to keep the road passable. Elevated grass lines along the pavement create ponding. Ditches dug below the waterline carve the shoulders. Until pathways are constructed on Hatteras Island, grassed shoulders and the extended four feet of asphalt paving are the walkways for villagers and visitors. Down East residents remember a time when they could dig spring onions along the roadway. Current maintenance practices have eliminated this cultural tradition. Allowing onions to renew within identified (and safe) areas as a Byway project would have broad appeal for residents and visitors interested in local traditions. Draining stormwater into Pamlico and Core Sounds contributes to water quality degradation. Redesign of roadside ditches to incorporate swales, retention ponds and rain gardens is desirable. Two existing stormwater systems in Buxton and Hatteras require overhaul. In Ocracoke village, vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists mix on the roadways. The mix probably 66

73 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Views from the Road and Scenic Enhancements Viewscapes. Shrubby growth along sections of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore has created a green tunnel effect. The effect is not enough to calm traffic by creating a sense of enclosure, but instead creates a largely boring expanse of dense greenery that drivers hurry through. An arrow-straight road and cleared right-of-way emphasize this green tunnel. A simple solution is to encourage a more undulating, naturalistic pattern of growth of the shrubs at the margin of the right-of-way. This is one immediate way to signal that the Byway is to be considered a parkway. The vegetation, including invasive, exotic species, has closed off opportunities to see Pamlico Sound from the road. Visitors attracted by the idea of driving along a narrow ribbon of sand between two vast bodies of water are soon disappointed, because views of the water are limited. On Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands and islands in Cape Lookout National Seashore, travelers with four-wheel drive are afforded a unique opportunity to drive on beaches. On Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, oceanside ramps are available. Vehicles are ferried to Cape Lookout islands. On Hatteras Island in particular, however, visitors with two-wheel drive vehicles have few views of one of the corridor s major assets. Views of Pamlico Sound are quick glimpses through village buildings or two narrow spots on Hatteras Island and from Ocracoke s new bridges crossing seven creeks. Ocracoke s portion of the Byway possesses one unusual location where it is possible to see the ocean from a vehicle. Down East s water views of Core Sound and its bays and marshes are spectacular and viewable. Great water views are also part of the Bonner Bridge and ferry crossings. From the bridge and the Hatteras Inlet ferry, visitors are treated to views of the jumbled waves as ocean and sound join. Sunset and sunrise views on both ferries are spectacular. Carteret County recently adopted restrictions to minimize the visual impact of tall structures such as wind energy facilities and wireless telecommunications facilities near scenic routes and designated byways. The corridor of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is a visual resource deserving respect and management. This plan suggests that both NC 12 and US 70 be reconceived as a natural, not manicured, parkway Two main policy objectives are to create greater natural visual appeal of the immediate right-ofway, outside and inside the villages, and create viewscapes for Byway sounds. Implementing this parkway idea may induce different visitor behavior. The Byway in certain places is regarded as a monotonous green space to be traversed as speedily as possible from one destination to another. If motorists read the road and right-of-way as parkway, it follows that the parkway threads its way through a park. Village Views. In Byway villages on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, some establishments extend parking onto the highways right-ofway. Garbage dumpsters and household garbage cans mar views in villages. In a windy environment like the Outer Banks, litter is a problem. Landscaping can do much to mitigate these problems. A well-designed landscape can create visual interest, define different functions of the road, support and enhance traffic calming, provide shelter from the wind, and provide shade for parking. Large garbage dumpsters can be screened by landscaping, fencing, or both. A goal in this planning process is to retain the casual, native landscaping and overall simplicity and informal character of landscape design in the villages. Pea Island Maintenance Facility. The maintenance facility on the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a discordant visual element in the predominantly natural landscape. Built on high ground right beside the road, the 67

74 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY facility can be seen for miles. The unattractive, 1960 s buildings are outdated and detract from the overall cultural integrity of the landscape that makes the entire refuge eligible for the National Register. Slated for improvement, this facility needs to be designed to reduce visual impact. Sensitive architectural detailing and careful selection of materials and color will help a new facility blend with the environment. Building masses should be broken into smaller elements to reduce scale. Wayfinding and Signs Scenic Byway Signs. Visitors who follow the Outer Banks Scenic Byway from the north will have little trouble finding their way. NC 12 is the only route, the only road south on Hatteras and Ocracoke, requiring state scenic byway signs in only a few strategic locations. A recent amendment to the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, a result of the planning process for this updated plan, added more than 30 miles to the Down East route. The loops take drivers off US 70. Additional signage is needed for these new loops. The new loops include old US 70 in Atlantic, which is relatively easy to follow with existing directional signs for the road. The real signage challenge is a side road loop that extends from Marshallberg to the road to Harkers Island. Additional state scenic byway signs showing the state byway program s logo with a small sign below stating Outer Banks Scenic Byway have been requested. Directional and Official Signs. A lack of coordination of official signage overall is a problem along the Byway. It is apparent that signs have gone up incrementally to address specific situations. Groups of no parking signs aimed at certain behavior are signals to the astute visitor that something interesting may be nearby. Homemade no passing on the right signs indicate a need for design solutions. A system of wayfinding (directional) signs and wayside interpretive exhibits should tie together visitors experiences of the villages, natural lands, water bodies, and attractions as they travel the Byway. As detailed in Chapter 5, an interpretive driving trail should be the ultimate result of this system, which will form the breadcrumbs for a tour that leads from one attraction to the next. The following steps are needed: 4-27 New markers specific to the Outer Banks Scenic Byway should replace the standard NC Scenic Byway signs currently marking the route. Placement of these byway markers should be coordinated with villagegateway and village-center signs, reinforcing the overall sense that the Byway links these punctuation points in the landscape Directional signs announcing local interpretive facilities and sites (for example, upcoming historic markers, wayside exhibits, scenic pulloffs, and visitor facilities) should be coordinated with the scenic byway signs and with the National Park Service s traditional brown signs. A creative designer should be able to reconcile the existing NPS system with an overlay of additional signs that add to the visitor s awareness of opportunities in the landscape and the villages to enjoy the Byway s intrinsic qualities. A Note about Signage In such a sensitive landscape, less is more should be the watchword for designers and others eager to install a wayfinding/wayside system. The plan calls for review of all official and directional signs in order to rationalize, coordinate, and reduce their use. A basic principle should be that there should be no more signposts in a given stretch of the Byway than already exist unless additional signs are judged to be absolutely necessary. Too many can mar the landscape, too few can mean that visitors miss opportunities to enjoy interpretive, recreational or scenic experiences. Careful planning should help both federal land managers and the villages determine when it is appropriate to use signs to help travelers take advantage of these opportunities and when it is best to provide visitor information another way. 68

75 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Commercial Signs. Along the Byway, Hatteras villages and Ocracoke village offer concentrated visitor services with restaurants, banks, service stations, property management operations, and for the most part locally-owned shops. Many of these commercial establishments have tasteful, quirky or handmade signs contributing to the beach atmosphere. Dare County, which governs unincorporated Hatteras Island, enacted a sign ordinance in Currently, that ordinance is noticeably violated. Establishments are placing sandwich boards in the corridor right-of-way, offpremises directional real estate signs are appearing, portable signs are not anchored, and light and glare is not reflected away from streets and adjacent properties. Small, offpremises business advertising signs have not been removed. Dare County has conducted a survey of noncompliant signage on Hatteras Island. Ocracoke s development ordinance (a Hyde County action that applies specifically to Ocracoke) regulates on-premise signs as to the size (32 square feet), height (24 feet), number (if more than one, minimum of 50 feet apart), setback (10 feet), lighting (no glare), and construction and maintenance standards. A permit is required. The North Carolina transportation department recently required sign owners whose signs encroached on the right-of-way to move them. Carteret County s ordinance regulates onpremise signs as to the size (maximum 200 square feet but on a sliding scale, square footage can be no more than ¾ of linear feet of the property, e.g. 100 frontage allows 75 square feet), height (20 feet, base of sign elevated by 8 feet unless there is extra setback), number (one unless the property fronts on two roads), setback (10 feet for ground signs, optional for pole signs), lighting, message boards (no flashing, etc.), and temporary signs. A permit is required. Billboards. Along the Byway, off-premise billboards are fortunately few. None are the offensively modernized double-deckers on major pylons. Hatteras Island: Only one off-premises billboard exists. It is located at the edge of Hatteras Village. The Dare County ordinance prohibits new billboards. Ocracoke Village: Hyde County prohibits billboards, and none exist in this portion of the Byway corridor. Down East: Carteret County prohibits billboards and has grandfathered the few existing ones only for amortization and removal in April One large billboard greets visitors just after leaving the Cedar Island ferry terminal, and one small one in a marsh outside Williston tells visitors how far it is to the dining and accommodations at Cedar Island. Recommendations for Driving and Ferrying Actions for All 4-29 Ferry Gateways: For all four ferry terminals, accentuate gateway functions by establishing a clearly defined design theme, seating opportunities, landscaping, activities, and other features adhering to gateway themes associated with each Byway section Street Lighting: Consider judicious use of street lighting meeting International Dark Sky standards (see Chapter 3) in locations of high nighttime traffic volume Complete Streets: Study complete streets design, especially in Ocracoke and Down East. According to a national partnership that has arisen around this idea ( a good place to start developing language for a complete streets policy is the US DOT Design Guidance: Accommodating Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel. (See Sidebar 4-4.) 4-32 Roadways: Collect current roadway design and maintenance standards and analyze these 69

76 4: ENHANCING THE BYWAY to address specific Byway needs in terms of visual and local cultural appeal. Address stormwater management through installation of swales, retention ponds and rain gardens with native vegetation. Create administrative agreements for roadside maintenance responsibilities among Dare, Hyde and Carteret counties and NCDOT, specifically for sweeping extended shoulders, maintaining shoulders, and shoulder design and landscaping. Work with NCDOT to establish a regular schedule for roadside maintenance to prevent ponding and sand accumulation. Such maintenance will increase safety for motorists and cyclists Scenic Enhancement Plans: Create scenic enhancement plans for each village to improve visual character and experience. The goal in this planning is to retain casual, native landscaping, overall simplicity and informal character of Byway villages Signage: Develop a unique visual identifier for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway and institute an overall plan to mark the route as appropriate. Review all official and directional signs in order to rationalize, coordinate, and reduce use, in concert with a scenic byway sign plan. Address directional signage for attractions, place name signs, and interpretive signs. Eliminate off-premises billboards. Compare existing off-premise sign ordinances in Dare, Hyde and Carteret counties and work to develop a joint offpremise sign ordinance. Address needs of businesses located outside the Byway corridor by developing standard-sized Tourist Directional signs. Actions for Hatteras Island 4-35 Hatteras Village Ferry Gateway: In Hatteras Village, take another look at the ferry waiting area to improve accessibility to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum and appearance of this gateway to Hatteras Island. Simplify circulation design and improve wayfinding. Add site features for visual interest and a greater variety of activities. Provide a covered waiting area for walk-on riders Speed Limit Study: Study speed limits on Hatteras Island and rationalize them to current traffic situations, after taking into consideration traffic calming measures Pathway Project: For Hatteras Island villages, implement the proposed pathway project incorporating principles of traffic calming Traffic Signal at the Lighthouse: Install a traffic signal at the entrance to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse District in Buxton. The signal should operate during peak visitation to permit left turns onto NC 12 from the lighthouse district and create pulses of traffic on NC 12. These pulses would permit vehicular entrance into the traffic stream elsewhere in the area Existing Stormwater Systems: Develop the necessary plans to address existing stormwater systems in Buxton and Hatteras, together with installing sidewalks, for inclusion in NCDOT s next Transportation Improvement Plan Landscaping Plan for the National Seashore: Work with Cape Hatteras National Seashore to create a landscaping plan for Bodie and Hatteras islands, including removal of exotic species and attention to the roadside Scenic Pull-off at Bodie: Create a scenic pull-off from NC 12 to view the Bodie Island Lighthouse Pea Island Maintenance Facility Redesign: Work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on redesign of the Pea Island refuge s maintenance facility Reduce Excessive Sign Lighting: Address dark sky issues as new on-premise signs are permitted and establish a timeframe 70

77 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY for requiring the removal of over-lit signs over time Sign Ordinance Enforcement: Enforce the existing sign ordinance in Dare, specifically to protect the corridor right-of-way by removing illegal advertising signs in the right-of-way and improperly placed temporary signs Billboard Removal: Insure that amortized signs are actually removed in the timeframe ordered by the Commissioners (by April of 2014); assess enforcement needs for on-premise and off-premise non-billboard signs. Actions for Ocracoke 4-45 Stormwater at Hatteras Inlet Ferry: Address stormwater at Ocracoke s Hatteras Inlet ferry terminal Entrance Right-of-way Improvements: Within the village, consistent with existing studies, add some natural vegetation along with upgrading the 150 foot state right-of-way to better regulate parking, pedestrian and bicycle traffic at the north end of the village and to hide the garbage trucks and recycling area Traffic Flow at Ocracoke Village Ferry: Develop a consensus action plan for rearranging traffic flow at the Ocracoke village ferry terminal Boat Ramp Safety: Improve NPS boat ramps by installing breakwater walls to calm the water at the ramps and improve boater safety Signage: Develop consensus for implementing existing recommendations for directional and commercial signage. Actions for Down East 4-50 Pathway Projects: Consider boardwalk or pathway projects for Down East villages. Pathways can accentuate historic village centers, encourage visitors to walk the villages, and reduce pedestrian-vehicular interaction Onion-gathering: Identify areas where it would be feasible to revive onion-gathering in Down East; now that maintenance workers are generally trained in allowing for wildflower growth, onions could follow. 71

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79 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY CHAPTER 5: SHARING THE HERITAGE OF PEOPLE AND PLACES ALONG THE BYWAY Telling the stories of historic places to the public can expand understanding of the mission of federal, state, local, and tribal governments striving to protect historic properties, create support for historic preservation efforts, make private preservation projects more profitable, encourage individual initiative in protecting aspects of a community's heritage, and, in the process, improve the quality of life in and even the chances of survival of communities nationwide. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the past lives on as a vital and living part of American communities. - Ron Thomson, Telling the Stories: Planning Effective Interpretation Programs for Properties Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, introduction INTRODUCTION Interpretation along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is a critical part of the experience of a byway whose principal intrinsic qualities are cultural and natural. While evidence of these qualities is most certainly visible, Byway travelers and residents will come to understand them much better and find additional ways to enjoy their visits up and down the Byway if a richer interpretive experience is made available. EXISTING CONDITIONS The Outer Banks Scenic Byway is already wellendowed with visitor facilities and interpretive opportunities. This chapter explores these existing conditions with an eye toward opportunities for enhancement and enlargement of existing interpretive sites and Earl W. O Neal, Jr. (far center) with his cousins Blanche Howard Jolliff (left) and Euphemia Gaskins Ennis (right) give a porch talk on Ocracoke s history for the Ocracoke Preservation Society s summer series at the David Williams House.(Photo courtesy Ocracoke Preservation Society) 73

80 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY TABLE 5-1: VISITOR CENTERS ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Facility Whalebone Junction Information Station Bodie Island Visitor Center Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Hatteras Island Visitor Center Hatteras Weather Bureau Visitor Center Hatteras Ferry Terminal Ocracoke Village, Ocracoke Inlet Ferry Terminal Operator NPS with Dare County Tourism Board NPS with Eastern National (bookstore operator) PINWR with Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society NPS with Eastern National (bookstore operator) NPS Dare Tourism Board NCDOT NCDOT NPS Ocracoke Island Visitor Center Cedar Island Ferry Terminal NPS Cape Lookout Visitor Center NPS Cape Lookout Light Station Visitor Center and Keepers' Quarters Museum Source: Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee NPS with Eastern National (bookstore operator) NCDOT NPS with Eastern National (bookstore operator) NPS with Eastern National (bookstore operator) programs and development of complementary approaches elsewhere. Visitor Orientation The function of a visitor center is to provide travelers with information, directions, and comfort. Ideally, visitors receive an understanding of the place where they have arrived its history and natural assets, and simply where things are. Visitors should gain a favorable impression of attractions and a working knowledge of recreational opportunities, events, and services. Knowledgeable staff can assist visitors, helping plan activities and imparting enthusiasm. Some centers help visitors make bookings at accommodations, interpretive sites, and other offerings requiring reservations. Many visitor centers are combined with gift shops and interpretive displays. The displays give visitors more in-depth information and a broad overview that helps travelers sort out the welter of brochures, maps, and guides typically available in visitor centers. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway has 11 publicly supported facilities where visitors can receive this level of visitor orientation. (See Table 5-1.) Seven of these are officially visitor centers, with an eighth, the Whalebone Junction Information Station, staffed but lacking interpretation. All are on or directly accessible from the Byway. A Cape Lookout visitor center is a ferry ride away from the Byway. Three ferry terminals also help orient visitors although they typically do not offer much in the way of interpretive displays. 74

81 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY SIDEBAR 5-1: Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station With two stations (1874 and 1911) and five outbuildings, Chicamacomico (pronounced chik a ma COM i co) is the most complete site of remaining life-saving stations in North Carolina and, as far as is known, the most complete United States Life- Saving Service (USLSS) complex in the nation.built and manned in 1874, Chicamacomico was the first USLSS station in North Carolina. From 1915 to 1954, the station saw service as a U.S. Coast Guard station. Chicamacomico is home to one of the greatest rescues in early Coast Guard history, the 1918 rescue of 42 crew members of the British tanker, Mirlo. Six Chicamacomico men involved in that rescue received many awards for this rescue, including the Grand Cross of the American Cross of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor. Only eleven of these medals have been awarded in the history of the United States. (Photo courtesy Chicamacomic Historical Association) -Source: Major Interpretive Facilities The Outer Banks Scenic Byway already has a considerable number of substantial interpretive experiences in place: Three of the four lighthouses have interpretive facilities or visitor centers directly associated with them: Bodie Island, Cape Hatteras, and Cape Lookout. Cape Hatteras includes an interpretive installation, the Museum of the Sea, in the Double Keepers Quarters in the Cape Hatteras Light Station. Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station is open to the public as an interpretive museum. (See Sidebar 5-1.) Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge s visitor center acquaints visitors with the wildlife of the region. Frisco Native American Museum and Natural History Center is devoted to the preservation of the art, artifacts, and culture of American Indians. The Hatteras Weather Bureau Station Visitor Center includes interpretive exhibits on a variety of Outer Banks topics. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum interprets the maritime history and shipwrecks of the Outer Banks from the earliest periods of exploration to the present. Ocracoke Preservation Society s Ocracoke Museum, in the David Williams House, offers exhibits illuminating life in Ocracoke Village and the history of the island. Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island interprets the communities and traditions of Down East. Outdoor displays show historic commercial fishing vessels under restoration at both the Ocracoke Museum and Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. Portsmouth Village is the most unusual interpretive facility across Ocracoke Inlet from Ocracoke. Like Cape Lookout, it is accessible only by private ferry. (See sidebar 5-2.) 75

82 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY TABLE 5-2: MAJOR INTERPRETIVE FACILITIES ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Facility or Facility Group Bodie Island Visitor Center and Lighthouse Location/Operator Bodie Island/NPS Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Hatteras Island/NWR Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site Hatteras Island Visitor Center, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and Museum of the Sea Frisco Native American Museum and Natural History Center NPS Hatteras Weather Bureau Visitor Center Rodanthe/Chicamacomico Historical Association Buxton/NPS Frisco/Frisco Native American Museum Hatteras/Dare Tourism Board Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Ocracoke Museum, David Williams House Portsmouth Village Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center Cape Lookout Visitor Center, Lighthouse, and Light Station Visitor Center and Keepers' Quarters Museum Hatteras/ a North Carolina Maritime Museum of the NC Department of Archives and History Ocracoke/Ocracoke Preservation Society North Core Banks (Cape Lookout National Seashore), most accessible from Ocracoke/NPS Harkers Island/Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center Harkers Island and Cape Lookout (South Core Banks)/NPS These places are well-distributed along the byway, from Bodie Island and Rodanthe in the north to Harkers Island, nearly the last community far south in Down East. Other Interpretive Sites and Efforts For the alert and interested traveler, other interpretive sites fill out the experience of the cultural and natural resources of the Byway. The Ocracoke Lighthouse is the most substantial of these. Neither the lighthouse nor the keeper s quarters is open to visitors. It is possible to walk on part of the grounds and enjoy the sight of one of Ocracoke s many small family cemeteries immediately behind the lighthouse. One outdoor interpretive sign provides a modest amount of information. A system of eight splendid granite historical markers commemorates Civil War events on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. A ninth marker is on the way. (See Table 5-3.) Fourteen traditional highway historical markers made out of cast metal memorialize various topics. (See Table 5-4) Other sites of historic, cultural, and natural interest are scattered along the Byway. 76

83 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY SIDEBAR 5-2: Portsmouth Village: Outer Banks Cultural Memories Live On In addition to the readily accessible interpretive facilities found directly on the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, intrepid visitors to the Outer Banks can explore an entire village, Portsmouth, on Portsmouth Island, the northernmost island of the less-accessible Outer Banks protected by Cape Lookout National Seashore. Its last resident left in 1971, and it became a part of the national seashore when the park was created in Founded in 1753 by an act of the North Carolina general assembly, Portsmouth grew to 505 residents a little more than a century later, as recorded in the 1860 census. That proved to be the high water mark of a population that engaged in shipping, Methodist Church, 1914, Portsmouth Historic District fishing, salvage, and lifesaving for two (Photo by Connie Mason) centuries. Establishment of a life saving station in 1894 kept the town alive and staved off the inevitable for 43 years, but when it was closed, the last holdouts began to leave. From a population of 105 in the 1930 census, only 17 were in residence by 1956; the post office closed in Today, the 250-acre site has more than 20 standing buildings, with the oldest dating to the late 18 th century, and several cemeteries. Visitors can enter a visitor center in the Dixon-Salter House, the Methodist Church (1914), and the Life-Saving Station. Solar toilets are the only facilities. The village is most frequently accessed by visitors from Ocracoke, via a private ferry licensed by the National Park Service. It is possible to visit for the day or go camping in the vicinity; experienced visitors take plenty of bug spray. A biennial homecoming in April is the only interpretive program offered. The Friends of Portsmouth Village holds meetings in the spring and fall in Ocracoke and partners with the park service to maintain the village and its structures. -Source: Whispers from a Village: Portsmouth Legacy Lives On, by Julie Ann Powers, from Coastwatch, a bimonthly magazine of North Carolina Sea Grant, story accessed at seagrant05.htm.] At the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, a giant brass propeller from a World War II Liberty Ship and a historical marker commemorate one of the nearly 3,000 cargo ships built in the United States from 1941 to In Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, a sheltered outdoor display, or kiosk, located in the center of a beach access parking area explains barrier island geology and wildlife refuges. Nearby, two outdoor interpretive signs mark the site of the Pea Island Life-Saving Station, honor the all-black crew that manned the station, and tell the story of the E.S. Newman rescue in The Fessenden Center, a Dare County-owned facility, features a small exhibit on the radio pioneer, Reginald A. Fessenden, for whom the center is named. Opposite the Fessenden exhibit in the entrance way is a display case filled with information about the U.S.S. Fessenden, a World War II ship named for Reginald Fessenden, and about the dedication of the Fessenden Center on April 26, The Fessenden Center is a multi-purpose, multi-age recreation center. These types of displays are 77

84 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY SIDEBAR 5-3: Danny Couch, Island Historian In February 2004, Hatteras Island historian Danny Couch launched a new venue for his compelling storytelling. With a 25-passenger custom bus, Couch carries patrons to Hatteras and Ocracoke island sites and along the way tells the always fascinating history of the islands. Our history here is so compelling, says Couch. I want to do something for the people coming here. The tours are also ready-made for islanders who want to brush up on island history, delivered by a recognized, published and exciting storyteller. Couch s love of history goes back to his childhood. He grew up reading and listening to Hatteras Island history. On one side of his childhood home lived Richard Dailey, the weather station employee who took the message from the Titanic. On the other side, George and Mae Whedbee Gaskins entertained him with tales of the original lifesaving service. Those stories those guys had to tell were thrilling, says Couch. He read David Stick s Graveyard of the Atlantic and was enthralled. Then there was Sea Chest, a literary, art and history publication written and published by Cape Hatteras high school students. Couch served as editor of the award-winning magazine. Armed with tape recorders and cameras, we students opened many doors otherwise destined to stay closed forever as the older generation graciously reflected on the past to us, says Couch on his Hatteras Tours website. As a high school junior, Couch became a stringer for The Coastland Times and the newspaper publisher Francis Meekins welcomed his history stories. From an early age, Danny Couch, along with his brothers John and Stewart, all pulled apprenticeships at the family s Red Drum gas station in Buxton. Couch graduated from East Carolina University with an English degree and a concentration in writing. For 10 years, he worked in the newspaper business. He moved back home and worked at the family gas station. He wrote island history for publication in the Island Breeze. In 2000, Danny activated a broker s real estate license earned in the 80 s and moved from the gas station to his brother Stewart s real estate and property management company, Hatteras Realty. Come take the tours. They're all good, writes Couch. If the fish ain't biting and the wind's blowing too hard to hang out on the beach, Hatteras Tours will make it worth your while. Couch offers three tours: Hatteras to Cape Point (Buxton), Chicamacomico, and Ocracoke Island. possible in all public facilities throughout the Byway. In Hatteras Harbor, the Albatross fleet features round-stern deep-sea fishing boats that pioneered the major charter boat fishing industry. In 1937, Capt. Ernal Foster sailed the Albatross home from Marshallberg Harbor, one of the many connections between the boatbuilders and protected harbors of Down East and the fishing villages of the Outer Banks. That summer, he took four paying guests to the Gulf Stream to catch bill fish. This historic boat is located at Foster s Quay in Hatteras Harbor. Two cemeteries, one in Buxton and another in Ocracoke, hold the graves of British sailors lost at sea during World War II. In keeping with military tradition, the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the gravesites. Annual military honors, sponsored by The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, are held in May. Private Initiatives The following private enterprises serve as examples of interpretive initiatives: Teach s Hole Pirate Exhibit, offered by a privately operated gift shop in Ocracoke, offers entertaining information about the region s history of piracy and its most 78

85 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 5-3: HISTORICAL MARKERS COMMEMORATING THE CIVIL WAR ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Topic "First Naval Engagement of the Civil War/Sinking of the Federal Troop Transport Oriental" The Chicamacomico Races Location Pea Island NWR (under construction) Rodanthe "First Capture of an Armed Naval Vessel-USS Fanny" "First Amphibious Assault"/"Roster of Hatteras Island Veterans of the Civil War" "First Provisional Government of the Civil War" Salvo Day Use Area Hatteras Village Civic Center Hatteras Village "Loss of the U.S.S. Monitor"/"Civil War Maritime Casualties" "Bombardment Fort Hatteras"/"Bombardment Fort Clark" "Burnside Expedition Assembling"/"Expedition Crossing the Bar" "Destruction of Fort Ocracoke"/"Civil War Veterans Roster for Ocracoke and Portsmouth Island Veterans" Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Ocracoke Boat Ramp famous pirate, Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard. Hatteras Realty, a property management firm with three offices on Hatteras Island, offers its cottage rental clients an Outer Banks orientation session each Monday morning in the summer season. The session features a privately-produced video that introduces sites and locations on Hatteras Island. The firm also produces a weekly schedule of island events, including live music offerings, dance classes, the Hatteras fish fry. Additionally, the firm invites its clients and the public to a weekly history presentation titled Hatteras Heroes: History and Mystery, and a weekly coastal cooking class. In 2004, Danny Couch, known as Hatteras Island s historian and storyteller, started Hatteras Tours. With a custom-designed 25-seat bus, Couch offers storytelling tours of Hatteras and Ocracoke Island. (See Sidebar 5-3.) The Hatteras headboat Miss Hatteras takes customers on a dolphin cruise on three evenings a week and the Cap n Clam headboat offers a fun pirate cruise on three evenings. Three privately-owned and -operated fishing piers on Hatteras Island feature plank fishing and a place where first-time visitors can walk out over the Atlantic Ocean. Artisans abound along with Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Galleries, art shows, special events and out-door markets are places and special times where visitors can view locally-produced art work, pottery, jewelry, clever crafts and decoys inspired by the Outer Banks dynamic environment, icons and people. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway is home to one of the world s most productive commercial fisheries. Fishing for a living has long undergirded the economy of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands and Down East. But commercial fishing is a threatened industry now. Fishery regulations stifle traditional seasons. Watermen are aging. Competition from 79

86 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY TABLE 5-4: HIGHWAY HISTORICAL MARKERS ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Topic Port Ferdinando Mirlo Rescue Radio Milestone Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Diamond Shoals U.S.S. Monitor Billy Mitchell Confederate Forts Ocracoke Lighthouse Lt. Robert Maynard Ocracoke Inlet Marshallberg Harbor** Text Roanoke voyages, , based operations at inlet near here. Long closed, it was named for pilot Simon Fernandes. A German submarine sank the British tanker "Mirlo" off coast nearby, Aug. 16, Coast Guard, led by J. A. Midgett, saved most of the crew. From near here in 1902 R. A. Fessenden sent the first musical notes ever relayed by radio waves. Received 48 miles north. Tallest brick lighthouse in nation at 208 feet. Constructed, , to mark Diamond Shoals. Replaced 1802 structure. "Graveyard of Atlantic." German submarines sank over 100 ships here, , in the "Battle of Torpedo Junction." Shoals are 3 mi. south. Fought C.S.S. "Virginia" ("Merrimac") in first battle of ironclad ships. Lost Dec. 31, 1862, in gale 17 miles southeast. First marine sanctuary. Brigadier general of the Army Air Service, demonstrated air power by bombing battleships off coast, Sept. 5, Landing field was here. Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark, 2 miles s. west, fell to Union troops on Aug. 29, 1861, after two days of heavy naval bombardment. Oldest N.C. lighthouse still in service. Erected 1823 to serve Ocracoke Inlet trade. 75 ft. tall.* Located 1/4 mile S.W. Of the Royal Navy. Sent by Gov. Spotswood of Virginia, in the sloop "Ranger," killed the pirate Blackbeard off shore, Once chief trade inlet of N.C. In 1718 pirate "Blackbeard" was killed near there, 17 mi. N.E., across Pamlico Sound. The Marshallberg Harbor was established under the 1950 Harbor Act of the 81 st Congress and completed by the Corps of Engineers in The harbor was built for the small boat owners of Marshallberg and transient boaters. Since that time it has been administered by Marshallberg Community Club Inc. Properties on which the harbor was built and easements were donated by the following: (family names are Jackson, Hancock, Moore, Neal, Lewis, Willis, Jones) Location/Inventory Number NC 12 north of Bonner bridge near Bodie Island Lighthouse/B-60 NC 12 at Salvo/B-30 To be relocated/b-53 To be relocated/b-54 To be relocated/b-41 To be relocated/b-50 NC 12 north of Buxton/B-32 NC 12 at Hatteras ferry landing/b-38 NC 12 at SR 1326 (Point Road on Ocracoke Island/B- 55 NC 12 at Ocracoke ferry landing/b-43 NC 12 at Cedar Island ferry landing/c-4 Marshallberg Cape Lookout Lighthouse Fort Hancock 80 Constructed, , to replace original 1812 tower. Present lighthouse, 150 feet tall, is four miles south. Erected in 1778 by Le Chevalier de Cambray & Capt. de Cottineau to protect Cape Lookout Bay. Dismantled, Site four miles south. Harkers Island, Shell Point/C- 24 Harkers Island, Shell Point/C- 55 *Ocracoke Lighthouse is now measured at 77 feet, 5 inches. **Not an official marker erected by the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program but closely resembling one. Source: NC Dept of Cultural Resources,

87 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 5-5: INTERPRETIVE NATURE TRAILS ON THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Trail Name Bodie Island Dike Trail Salt Flats Wildlife Trail Location/Operator Bodie Island Light Station/NPS North of the Pea Island Visitor Center/PINWR North Pond Wildlife Trail Pea Island Visitor Center/PINWR Buxton Woods Nature Trail Hammock Hills Nature Trail Buxton, Cape Hatteras Light Station and Cape Point access road/nps Ocracoke Island near campground/nps Springer Point Nature Preserve and Trail Willow Pond Nature Trail Ocracoke village/ocracoke Preservation Society and NC Coastal Land Trust Harkers Island/Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center Source: National Park Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Ocracoke village map, Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center inexpensive foreign imports undercut this traditional way of making a living. One seafood store on Hatteras Island sells only locally caught seafood. Graham Harrison, a 2009 graduating senior at Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal Studies, has always wanted to fish for a living. His family has opened a seafood store in Hatteras village to sell his catch. Philip Howard, descendant of one of the early settlers of Ocracoke, operates a gift shop in the village and devotes extra time to an interpretive web site and walking tours for village guests, including popular ghost tours. His daughter has joined him in learning family stories shared on these tours along with village history in general. Out of Ocracoke Donald and Rudy Austin operate boat tours to Portsmouth and surrounding islands, sharing stories about the lives and history of Portsmouth and surrounding islands and Blackbeard's hideout. Wade Austin operates Portsmouth Island ATV Tours out of Ocracoke and shares stories of Portsmouth Island with his guests. Captain Rob Temple operates the Schooner Windfall, offering sunset trips and pirate cruises and relating stories of sailing and pirates. The historic Community Store located in Ocracoke's Community Square on Silver Lake has been reopened under James and Susan Paul. Zillies Island Pantry, a shop for gourmet foods, conducts monthly cooking classes focusing on Ocracoke and regional cooking. WOVV 90.1 FM, an Ocracoke community radio station, has gotten approval and is in the process of raising funds and setting up to cover local activities and interests. Nature Trails and Walking Tours Short nature trails are available to visitors and residents at eight locations along the Byway s corridor (see Table 5-5). In Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, the Salt Flats Wildlife Trail and the North Pond Wildlife Trail are constructed for full disabled access. The trails offer north and south entrances to a much longer wildlife walk possible along a service road around North 81

88 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY Pond, about two miles plus the improved trails. Most visitors tend to park in one location and walk out and back on the most improved portions of the trails. The Open Ponds Trail or Maritime Forest Trail, about four miles long, follows an interdunal road between the park service s Frisco Campground and the Buxton British Cemetery. The Open Ponds Trail and the Pea Island refuge trails are routes, along with the beach itself, for the Mountains to the Sea Trail, which states that it follows the Cape Hatteras Beach Trail. This trail is not yet marked or interpreted. (See sidebar, this chapter, and Chapter 4.) A formal, interpreted, half-mile Buxton Woods Nature Trail is located in the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse district. Both Hatteras and Ocracoke villages have a historic property marker program accompanied by a walking tour brochure. Interpretive Linkages The North Carolina Birding Trail links and interprets eight great birding sites along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, via a booklet available for purchase. The coastal plain section of the trail was completed in The booklet describes birding opportunities at Bodie Island, the Pea Island refuge, Hatteras Island, Ocracoke Island, Cedar Island refuge, and on Harkers Island at the Willow Pond Nature Trail. The Byway is used to access the other two important birding opportunities listed in the birding trail guide, at Cape Lookout Point and tours to see pelagic seabirds which depart from Hatteras. The Historic Albemarle Tour links and interprets the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station, the Frisco Native American Museum and Natural History Center, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, and Historic Ocracoke. These are among 27 cooperating historic sites and towns or villages in 17 North Carolina coastal counties that, taken together, interpret 400 years of American history. The heritage trail program, begun in 1975 and one of NC s oldest, marks the Outer Banks Scenic Byway with a limited number of signs, the standard brown of historic sites but featuring a distinctive logo. The system of Civil War historical markers described above is a local effort highlighting the fascinating war events taking place on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. Spearheaded by Mel Covey, Danny Couch, Earl O Neal, Drew Pullen and Joe Schwarzer, the local program marks important venues and details historic events. A brochure is under development. Participating in the regional bugle Civil War Trails program is under investigation. A committee has been formed to participate in the 150 th commemoration of Civil War events and activities. The Pea Island and Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuges are part of the Charles Kuralt Trail, which links eleven national wildlife refuges and a national fish hatchery in northeastern North Carolina. The trail was established to help people enjoy these wildlands and to recognize the broadcast journalist who shared the delights and wonders of out-of-the-way places like these. The rivers and sea meet to create an incredibly productive and important place for fish and wildlife. Some of the wildest lands in the mid-atlantic are found within these refuges. ( AUDIENCE AND THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE The audience for interpretive offerings along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is extensive, thanks to the presence of the two national seashores and two national wildlife refuges, many other attractions as described here, and the many beach-vacation accommodations on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. Just the count of vehicles and passengers alone can be enormous, especially on Hatteras and Ocracoke. Cape Hatteras National Seashore has seen an average of 2.2 million visitors over the four years from 2004 to Cape Lookout National Seashore s average over 2004 to 2007 was 769,000. NC 12 at Whalebone Junction saw 2.1 million vehicles in In that same year, the Hatteras Inlet ferry carried 378,230 82

89 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 5-6: OUTER BANKS VISITOR CHARACTERISTICS VS. U.S. AVERAGE Demographics Outer Banks Visitors United States Average AGE Household Income $80,966 $48,451 Marital Status Single 14% 49.6% Not single 86% 50.4% With kids 37% 31% EDUCATION High school or less 12% 46% Some college/tech school 24% 27% College graduate 36% 17% Post-graduate 28% 10% ETHNIC HERITAGE* Caucasian/White 95% 76% African-American 1% 13% Hispanic/Latin American Asian or Pacific Islander 1% 15% 1% 5% Native American 1% 1% Other 1% 7% *Race alone or in combination with one or more other races. Sources: 2006 Outer Banks Visitor Profile, U.S. Census Bureau vehicles to and from Ocracoke Island, with one million passengers. The most applicable data available for understanding the audience of visitors to the Outer Banks Scenic Byway were collected in a visitor profile study conducted for the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau by Strategic Marketing & Research, Inc. in Data was collected for the 2006 study via intercept surveys at the following locations: The Expressway, Aycock Brown Welcome Center, Wright Brothers Memorial, Ferry, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Whalebone Welcome Center, Fort Raleigh, and Manteo Welcome Center. Three of sites are situated along the Byway (Ferry, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Whalebone Welcome Center), providing a snapshot of the audience for the northern portion of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Because of the similar attractions and accommodations in Carteret County, as well as proximity to major markets and roadway access, it can be assumed that a profile of visitors to the Carteret County segment of the Byway would be similar. Because the majority of visitors to Ocracoke pass through Carteret or Dare Counties en route to the island, they will also share many of the characteristics as what was discovered in the Dare County visitor study. Based on these assumptions, the description of the audience in terms of demographics, markets-of-origin, and visitor activities and spending for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway relies on these data. Demographics The typical Outer Banks visitor is older, more affluent, and more educated than the average American. Specifically, the mean age of Outer Banks visitors is 50 years and average income is nearly $81,000. More than 60 percent of Outer Banks visitors hold a college degree. This demographic profile shows that the area is attracting the kind of visitors who have discretionary income and who usually appreciate the cultural and heritage assets the Byway offers. Table 5-6 summarizes key demographic data of Outer Banks visitors and the average for the United States. Markets-of-origin Outer Banks visitors come from a multitude of places. The largest markets-of-origin are Washington, DC (9.7 percent), the Hampton Roads area of Virginia (6.9 percent), and Philadelphia (6.5 percent). Figure 5-1 shows 83

90 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY Charlotte, NC 2.2% Harrisburg, PA 2.6% Raleigh-Durham, NC 3.8% Washington, DC 9.7% Pittsburgh, PA 3.9% Hampton Roads, VA 6.9% Baltimore, MD 4.1% New York, NY 4.4% Richmond, VA 4.9% Philadelphia, PA 6.5% Data source: 2006 Outer Banks Visitor Profile (entire Outer Banks region)) the top ten home areas of Outer Banks visitors, which account for only 49 percent of total visitors 51 percent travel from other markets. It should be noted that these are data representing the markets-of-origin for the Dare County portion of the Byway. Carteret County tends to host more in-state visitors as a percent of total, but will also draw from the same outof-state markets as Dare County. Activities and Spending Many attractions draw visitors to the Outer Banks. The top three reasons visitors travel to the area are the beaches (40.7 percent), historic sites and landmarks (14.2 percent), and scenic areas/drives (11.5 percent). Those who drove the scenic routes graded the experience on a quality scale of 1 (low) to 4 (high), giving scenic drives along the route a score of 3.7. Visitors to the Outer Banks participate in a variety of activities during the trip, including visiting attractions, shopping, and other entertainment. The typical visitor spends an average of approximately $2,200 during a stay. Figure 5.2 shows the activities and services on which visitors spend their money, more than half being spent on lodging. There is a high rate of repeat visitation for Outer Banks visitors. However, there is also large amount of first-time visitors to the region as well. Forty-one percent of Outer Banks visitors surveyed were visiting for the first time, while 29 percent classified themselves as occasional visitors to the Outer Banks, meaning they traveled to the region twice in more than one year. The remainder, 31 percent, considers themselves loyalists to the Outer Banks, visiting more than twice during multiple years. The average length of stay for Outer Banks visitors, 5.7 nights, is fairly long, compared to that of other travelers. Nearly 57 percent stay a week or more, while 43 percent stay five nights or less. Outer Banks visitors not only stay long, they also travel in large groups. The average travel party size is 6.3 people. Other Data Describing the Byway s Audience The National Park Service conducted a study of visitors to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in 2002 that also provides useful information for understanding the Outer Banks Scenic Byway audience (CAHA LRIP 2007, pp ). Based on these data, a typical day-visitor family experience might involve a visit to a beach, a 84

91 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Figure 5-2: Visitor Spending Transportation 9% Attractions 3% Other 3% Shopping 12% Entertainment 2% Lodging 52% Food 19% (Data source: 2006 Outer Banks Visitor Profile (entire Outer Banks region)) climb up Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and a seafood dinner at the end of the day. Daytripping is for visitors who live nearby, generally speaking within two hours of driving. Even with long daylight hours in summer, a day trip takes a long time. Once they reach the park from the north, the distance visitors must traverse to reach the most popular destination, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, is more than 45 miles. Ocracoke Village is even farther, another 26 miles plus a ferry trip that adds 40 minutes to the time commitment. The Norfolk-Virginia Beach area is the largest metropolitan area from which to draw day visitors many residents of the area prefer the trip to the Outer Banks than to fight the tourists in their home town. To the west are the most lightly populated counties in North Carolina, with nine mainland National Wildlife Refuges protecting vast acreages of uninhabited areas. Thus visitors for the day are typically overnight visitors from other parts of the northern Outer Banks Duck, Corolla, Kitty Hawk, or Nags Head. (Visitors from the south to the Lighthouse, from beyond Ocracoke, are almost never day-trippers, although they may be passing through from one vacation overnight location to the next and therefore classed as one-day visitors.) Other day-trip visitors are there for the surf fishing and beach driving. These visitors are more likely to be North Carolinians (if not residents of the Outer Banks and nearby communities) familiar with the recreational opportunities on the Outer Banks. There are more of these visitors in spring and fall when fishing is best. Although visiting parties that can be classed as heritage tourists typically seek both recreational and interpretive experiences, the visitors there for surfing and beach driving are less likely to take time from their outings to visit interpretive sites. They also have fewer opportunities to do so, as many interpretive facilities are closed for the season when the fishing is best. In Down East, day-trip visitors are a significant portion of the visitation to Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island, approximately 30 miles from the vacation communities on Bogue Banks, and less from Morehead City and Beaufort. Again, however, many of these day trippers are actually overnight visitors from nearby using weekly beach rental cottages, for example, in 85

92 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY Figure 5-3: More Vehicles with More Passengers Visit Ocracoke during the Summer Hatteras Inlet Ferry Traffic by Month, 2007 Vehicles or Passengers 200, , ,000 50,000 0 JANUARY MARCH MAY JULY SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER N.C. Vehicles Out-of-state Vehicles Total Vehicles Passengers Month (Data source: NCDOT Ferry Division) Figure 5-4: Annual Visitation to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, , , , ,000 Total Visitors to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, , , ,000 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec (Data source: National Park Service) 86

93 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Figure 5-5: Many More Visitors Currently Access the Hatteras Island Visitor Center at Cape Hatteras Light Station than at Other Locations Annual Visitation to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, by Visitor Center, 2005 Number of Visitors January March May July September November Whalebone Bodie Island Hatteras Island Ocracoke Island Month (Data source: Cape Hatteras NS Long Range Interpretive Plan, 2007, p. 16) western Carteret County out for a day s outing away from their base. There are few accommodations in Down East itself. The Core Sound museum also draws a significant audience of residents from the Down East villages interpreted by the museum, who often bring friends and family from out of town. Nearly 75% of its audience comes from its annual fall Waterfowl Festival, which accounts for the curious pattern that the museum gains only a small share of the 40,000 visitors to the Cape Lookout Visitor Center next door. Completion of the museum s ambitious permanent exhibits is anticipated to boost its annual visitation to 75,000. Currently, the museum does not advertise, fearing to disappoint visitors who do not understand the community-based nature of its current exhibits. Hatteras Village experiences a significant influx of visitors who come for the recreational ocean fishing, spring, summer, and fall. These visitors own their boats which they tow or charter a boat. Although fewer in numbers, they are among the most affluent of visitors, supporting a recreational fishing industry on Hatteras Island that boasts some of the best recreational ocean fishing in the United States. Typically, they fish for multiple days to a week, staying in rental cottages or one of the several motels that are near the Hatteras harbor. Ocracoke experiences a combination of nonresident second home owners, rental cottage occupants, and day-trip visitors. Visitors for the day can be present in overwhelming numbers during the summer, usually on Thursdays and Fridays as described in the preceding chapter. Although the village s population during the summer is about 2,000 people, a typical summer day in Ocracoke may bring an additional 3,000 people or more to the village. The winter population can drop below 600. Only 40 percent of the autos carried annually by the Hatteras Inlet ferry have North Carolina plates, a good portion of which are Outer Banks residents and commercial vehicles serving the region. Some of those out-of-state license plates may be on the cars of those who actually live in the state. This is particularly true with the large military population in North Carolina and some of the major feeder markets. If an additional ten percent of ferry vehicles fall into 87

94 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY Figure 5-6: Comparison of Visitation to the Two National Seashores Annual Visitation to the Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores, Number of Visitors 3,500,000 3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000, ,000 0 Cape Lookout Cape Hatteras Year (Data source: National Park Service Statistics Group, Denver, 7/31/08) this category, a conservative estimate of the number of out-of-state ferry users is roughly 500,000 (50 percent of the one million vehicles carried by the ferry in 2007). For all of these visitors, the summer vacation experience in the corridor is typically filled with opportunities to enjoy beaches, lighthouses, fishing, boating, birding, and the several museums that offer events, rotating exhibits, and other programs to draw repeat visitors. The spring and fall vacationers experience wonderful weather, fishing, and birding, but do not present a large enough market for businesses and attractions to remain open consistently. The winter is a lonely time, with most businesses closed and many residents, even islanders, away for warmer climes. IMPROVING THE INTERPRETIVE EXPERIENCE Improving the interpretive experience involves providing a richer experience at existing locations by using more and better tools. These existing locations range from sizeable facilities devoted primarily to visitor orientation, to attractions focusing on a particular resource, to interpretive sites providing momentary illumination of a specific story or concept. Beyond enriching existing locations, more interpretive experiences are possible by improving links among intrinsic natural and cultural qualities found along the Byway. More cultural interpretation is desirable, especially that emphasizing the interplay between human culture and nature, and using the villages as resources for stories and sites. Enriching interpretation of this region s natural intrinsic qualities also needs more attention, a somewhat surprising finding given the overwhelming amount of natural lands that are protected. This section reviews general goals for improving the interpretive experience, general themes already in use, and collects specific ideas, either already identified in existing plans, or suggested by the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee. Goals Clearly, the visitor experience along the Byway is highly attractive to literally millions of people. The Byway deserves the national recognition it already enjoys. Those involved in the development of this Byway believe this experience can be greatly improved through 88

95 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY better visitor information and new interpretation. With a successful endeavor, visitors will: Understand the underlying dynamics of the natural and cultural landscape and appreciate these resources. Understand the common maritime cultural heritage and other links among all villages of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Will value this place so highly that they will work to protect its special resources through actions during visits and afterward. Come to the Byway during the less busy months and find interpretive sites open routinely or open by appointment. With a successful endeavor, the Byway s business community will: Prosper with heritage tourism and a less seasonal, more sustainable economy will develop. Undertake steps to improve and protect the visitor experience. OVERALL DIRECTION FOR INTERPRETATION: AN INTERPRETIVE PLAN FOR THE BYWAY The Outer Banks Scenic Byway needs an interpretive plan linking Byway people and their stories with interpretation on-going at sites operated by federal, state and non-profit organizations along the byway. Thus, this Corridor Management Plan calls for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee to: 5-1 Undertake and develop a comprehensive interpretive plan to coordinate themes and actions with governmental agencies and organizations. The byway is fortunate, however, in that one of the four federal facilities, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, has undertaken a Long Whalebone Junction Information Station, Cape Hatteras National Seashore entrance at Nags Head Range Interpretive Plan (September 2007). Its thematic guidance is helpful to the byway overall. In addition, the two national wildlife refuges have set forth detailed recommendations in their most recent general plans: the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan (September 2006); and the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan (September 2006). Both call for additional visitor services and planning to address facilities, environmental education, fishing, hunting, and signs. Cape Lookout National Seashore amended its general management plan in 2001 specifically to improve overnight accommodation and transportation services for persons visiting North Core Banks (excluding the Portsmouth area) and South Core Banks (p. iii), but does not have an interpretive plan. During the study for this Corridor Management Plan, the Byway Advisory Committee also investigated the needs of existing interpretive facilities along the Byway. Detailed below are recommendations addressing those needs and pointing to features to provide interpretation within villages along the Byway corridor. 89

96 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY SIDEBAR 5-4: Cape Hatteras National Seashore s Planning for Visitor Orientation and Information Main park orientation facilities need to be established at the north and south ends of the Seashore to provide for adequate orientation and information services and a basic overview of park interpretive themes, park resources, and recreational opportunities. Current visitor centers, in both structure and location, do not adequately serve these purposes for the great number of visitors that come to the park. The lack of adequate orientation/information facilities leads to continued violation of park regulations, diminished appreciativeness of park resources, and unawareness of ocean and beach safety issues and concerns due to the inability of the park to provide this basic information to park visitors. Improved orientation facilities at park entrances would greatly enhance NPS identity for visitors in this park. -Cape Hatteras National Seashore Long Range Interpretive Plan (2007), p. 26 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SHARING THE STORIES Visitor Orientation and Major Interpretive Facilities 5-2 Replace the Whalebone Junction Information Station with a visitor center, cooperatively developed by the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Town of Nags Head and Dare County Tourism Board. This visitor center will introduce interpretive themes and provide visitor orientation for all partners. The capacity of the center should accommodate a 15- to 30-minute stop by visitors. If the existing comfort station remains, its appearance needs to be updated. A visit to the center could be expanded by improving the trail to and interpreting the U.S. Coast Survey marker. 5-3 Build an unstaffed interpretive structure at an appropriate location around the North River at the Byway s south end in Carteret County. The structure would orient visitors to Down East and the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. The exact configuration will be dependent on the amount of land available. If a buildable parcel of at least 25,000 square feet is made available to the county, it may be possible to construct parking, an interpretive structure, a boardwalk and pier to view the North River marsh. Interpretive exhibits on walkways could be developed as appropriate. Such an expansive location could be designed so that ingress/egress will be safe for both directions of traffic and allowing use of the structure to promote other Carteret County tourism experiences to the west. The final site should demonstrate maximum and creative protection for the environment, address stormwater issues on- and off-site and use native landscaping. 5-4 Ocracoke visitor facilities: Upgrade the existing visitor center. In the short term, develop a visitor s guide for daytrippers to be distributed on the Hatteras Inlet ferry, which will set expectations and help travelers decide whether to stop at the terminal or wait (in traffic) until they reach the NPS visitor center at the far end of the village. Temporarily, install a visitor information kiosk at the pony pens. The pony pens are about halfway along the island, far enough from both the ferry terminal and the village to avoid causing congestion, and near enough to two attractions the beach as well as the ponies to encourage visitors to enjoy a stop here before pouring into the village. The National Park Service recognizes the need to for additional parking. In the long run, create a new Ocracoke Visitor Center located at the pony pens or other location. This facility will orient visitors to the attractions of the village and ameliorate congestion because visitors will understand where to park and how easy it is to walk once they reach the village. It can also provide a comfort station and, if 90

97 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY SIDEBAR 5-5: Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge s Planning for Interpretation Objective: Improve interpretive programming and facilities to meet the current demand by annually providing interpretation opportunities for 1,400,000 visitors, including staff/volunteer-conducted talks for 2,000 visitors, tours for 800 visitors, demonstrations for 800 visitors, 60,000 on-refuge Visitor Center visits, 150,000 kiosk visits, and 1,200,000 visits on interpretive trails. Discussion: This objective improves on the status quo by proposing a 20 percent increase in visitation for interpretation over the status quo from 1.1 million to 1.4 million. There is currently a demand for interpretive programs in excess of what the staff and volunteers can provide. The refuge is located in an area that attracts 7 million tourists each year and has a tremendous opportunity to educate the public through interpretation. The volunteer workforce is an important asset to deliver the interpretive programs and maintain the interpretive facilities. Strategies: Utilize permanent staff and volunteers to design, plan, and conduct programs. Conduct 40 programs for 2,000 visitors, 40 tours for 800 visitors, and 40 demonstrations for 800 visitors. Staff the Visitor Center 60 hours per week. Advertise the availability of programs with fliers, print media, and the web site. Maintain kiosks to accommodate 150,000 visitors and trails to accommodate 1.2 million visitors. Identify and provide additional quality/low impact wildlife observation opportunities. -Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan (2006), p. 66. The figure of 7 million refers to the visitation to the refuges found along the coast throughout eastern and southeastern North Carolina. located near an appropriate beach, a changing area. Because the pony pens area is already developed, it is expected that the park service will have an easier time of locating suitable ground for building a new facility and parking here. However, environmental assessments and management considerations will guide the selection of a final location. 5-5 Upgrade communications with the traveling public at ferry terminals and on ferries. Two North Carolina-operated ferry routes are features of traveling the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Ferry terminals and ferries offer an opportunity to provide information and enhance Byway interpretation. A Byway Advisory Committee s survey of information and exhibits currently available showed a notable lack of information for the traveling public and missed opportunities. Working together, the partners should: Develop specific messages for tour buses traveling to Ocracoke. Develop specific messages, or provide already developed information, for the traveling public about transportation and parking on Ocracoke. Review an existing ferry video and others for possible use immediately and work to create and finance new presentations on the ferry s existing broadcast system. 5-6 Tell the stories of the state s ferry system, its vessels, and people. Visitor information and programming needs to be developed by the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee, North Carolina s ferry division, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other partners. Working together, the partners should: Create exhibits about the state s ferry service, including its history, descriptions of vessels, explanation of vessel names and North Carolina university color schemes, the system s water monitoring program, and present-day employees working on the vessels. Many ferry system employees are members of local families with a longstanding history of working with the state s ferry system and working on the water. 91

98 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY Develop exhibits for ferries and terminals that recognize the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, the two national seashores, and the two wildlife refuges. Work to improve ferry audio equipment for better communication of information and, possibly, work with ferry captains and crew to develop ferry route highlights to be announced over the improved public address system. Ask ferry workers if any would be willing to share Outer Banks and family stories during voyages and, if so, make arrangements for any pictures that might be used. For ferries traveling from Ocracoke to Cedar Island, specifically develop printed and audio-visual presentations to highlight the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge. 5-7 Develop the Cedar Island ferry terminal as a gateway facility for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway and as a visitor center for Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge. In addition, there are long-range possibilities for partners to consider: 5-8 Post a uniformed National Park Service interpretive ranger(s) on ferries traveling Hatteras Inlet and on the most-crowded summertime Cedar Island ferries. Such an interpretive program could be initially supported by the National Park Service s nationwide partner, Ford Motor Company. Staffing for this seasonal program could create jobs for local communities. 5-9 Install audio-visual, computerized kiosks on ferries to deliver information and stories to the traveling public. Chapter 4 calls for various enhancements to the ferry terminals to improve overall appearance, for these, too, are significant gateways for the Byway. Travelers arriving and departing from these terminals should understand and appreciate the experience as a part of the Byway. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge 5-10 Address the following within the refuge: Enhance the north entrance to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge as a gateway. Currently, facilities available are a parking lot, portable toilets, and two bulletin boards with refuge information and fishing regulations. The Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station is now undergoing stabilization by the North Carolina Aquariums, a division of state government which owns the station and a 10-acre parcel. Interpretive improvements for this area must, of necessity, wait until the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge is replaced. The Byway Advisory Committee suggests installing a bathhouse similar to that at the Salvo Day Use Area with a generous overhead shelter to allow for outdoor interpretive programs. Two kiosks, one for interpretation, another for rules and regulations, should be considered. Support improvements at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. This is a modern facility with up-to-date visitor information and interpretive exhibits. However, the refuge s Comprehensive Conservation Plan calls for a 20 percent increase in the visitation to the refuge (see sidebar). Increased numbers of visitors are to be accommodated by more personal-service interpretation (tours, programs, special events, environmental education). The comfort station at the visitor center is maintained by the National Park Service. It is outdated and should be upgraded for better maintenance and more public demand. Add staff to the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Additional staff is needed to meet existing and additional visitation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service yokes administration and staff of Pea Island with Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, a 158,000 acre refuge on Dare County s mainland. Recommended staff positions will be shared unless otherwise noted. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory 92

99 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 5-7: COMMUNITY CENTERS WITH POTENTIAL FOR VISITOR CENTER FUNCTIONS Community Center Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building Fessenden Center (Buxton) Cape Hatteras Anglers Club (Buxton) Hatteras Civic Center Hatteras Community Center Ocracoke Community Center Hunting Quarter Primitive Baptist Church historic building Gloucester Community Center Owner Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building Board Dare County Cape Hatteras Anglers Club Hatteras Village Tax Board Hatteras Village Tax Board Hyde County Community civic organization Community civic organization Source: Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee; use of these facilities for visitor information is to be determined by their owners, with assistance from the Byway Advisory Committee. Committee supports the addition of the following positions: A permanent full-time WG-8 maintenance worker to operate and maintain Pea Island s four pump stations and water control structures used to regulate flooding in the refuge s impoundments and other facilities. A permanent full-time GS-7 law enforcement park ranger to protect the refuge s significant wildlife resources and reduce the level of sophisticated crimes and vandalism of buildings, equipment and signs. A permanent full-time GS-11 wildlife biologist to conduct wildlife and habitat surveys and develop management plans. A permanent full-time GS-11 wildlife interpretive park ranger for Pea Island to meet the increasing demand for quality environmental education, wildlife interpretation, presentations and programs, and to coordinate the operation of the refuge visitor center and large volunteer program. Cape Hatteras National Seashore Visitor Centers 5-11 Improve existing visitor centers in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Long Range Interpretive Plan calls for the following actions to improve existing visitor centers in the park, which are hereby endorsed by the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee: Develop a master plan for all indoor exhibits at the Seashore that will include an overall approach to developing all the interpretive themes and provide for phasing and address overlap with non-park facilities. Redesign and replace exhibits at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse complex, both Double Keepers Quarters and visitor center. Develop a temporary exhibit for the Ocracoke Keepers Quarters. Develop exhibits for the Bodie Island Visitor Center and Lighthouse. Develop exhibits for the 1901 U.S. Weather Bureau Station in Hatteras Village. Develop exhibits for the Ocracoke Island Visitor Center Portsmouth Island access 93

100 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY and interpretation: Support added public access and interpretation for Portsmouth Island, especially to create access directly from Down East. Cape Lookout National Seashore 5-12 Improve interpretation and access for visitors. The Cape Lookout Visitor Center on Harkers Island is a modern facility with upto-date visitor information and interpretive exhibits. Visitors have the option of visiting the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center next door if they seek a more in-depth interpretive experience. An additional source of information for visitors is at the lighthouse itself, the Cape Lookout Light Station Visitor Center and Keepers' Quarters Museum. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee is supportive of the following concepts: Portsmouth Island access and interpretation: Support added public access and interpretation for Portsmouth Island, especially to create access directly from Down East. Cape Lookout Educational Center: Support the renovation of rustic structures near Cape Lookout Village as a day-use and overnight educational center, providing meeting rooms and dormitory space for all age groups. Overnight lodging on Cape Lookout: Support the adaptation of historic structures in Cape Lookout Village for overnight accommodations. Such re-use would benefit visitors and provide economic uses for the structures, aiding their long-term preservation. Sharing the Villages with Visitors The corridor of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway offers a unique cultural landscape to be shared with travelers. Telling about that culture is a major thrust of this Corridor Management Plan. To welcome and inform visitors: 5-13 Develop modest exhibits and printed handouts telling stories unique to the place for major points of visitor contact. Such points include private and public campgrounds, three fishing piers, and marinas. Working with property management companies, initiate or expand visitor orientation and information programming for vacationers renting beach cottages Consider installing audio-visual, computerized kiosks in appropriately secure and staffed locations, such as libraries. Travelers and visitors along the byway partake of publicly provided interpretation opportunities, but seldom avail themselves of opportunities to take part in the life of the villagers. Numerous programs are offered in various venues where visitors are welcome but seldom attend. Frequently these events occur at community centers In Down East, support communityled efforts to enlarge civic facilities and meeting spaces, especially when visitor services can be accommodated within such projects. Wayside exhibits are part of the system for linking various elements of the corridor. The recommended interpretive plan should: 5-16 Insure that facilities planned by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the villages are coordinated effectively. The exhibits do not have to be similar. A common design for directional signs that announce upcoming wayside exhibits may do more to link these facilities in the minds of the visitors than their actual design or subject matter Insure that all waysides or other substantial interpretive facilities include relevant visitor information. This includes kiosk information panels everything larger than the small sturdy outdoor interpretive signs standardized by the National Park Service Investigate Outer Banks Scenic Byway community gathering places as possible modest, village-level visitor centers highlighting existing community 94

101 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY events. Table 5-7 lists potential existing buildings. Three improvements will contribute to the visitor s scenic experience and to greater awareness of the Byway historic and natural intrinsic qualities, as further detailed in the following sections: Developing the historic identities of Byway villages; Attending to the visual experience and scenic qualities; and Judiciously improving wayfinding and wayside signage to help visitors and residents see links among various sites and points along the Byway. Enhancing the Villages Villages along the Byway are unique places that need to be adequately identified and celebrated. Tasks for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway are to: 5-19 Engage residents in recognizing and commemorating village history, historic village centers, and old place names. Consider signage, public art and/or landscaping. Use proposed pathway systems to highlight historic homes, buildings and events. Major Existing Interpretive Facilities The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee supports funding of non-profit organizations and government agencies operating installations that support the intrinsic qualities of the Byway. Little Kinnakeet Life Saving Station: Little Kinnakeet Life Saving Station, north of Avon, is currently undergoing restoration. On the grounds are a main station (1904) and cookhouse (1892), both to be restored to the period, and a boathouse (1874) to be restored to According to the National Park Service, Restoration of the Little Kinnakeet Life Saving Station will offer opportunities for interpreting the site through interior exhibits. A historically furnished boathouse and living quarters might Community-designed and -maintained exhibits at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center will soon be joined by a major new installation interpreting life in Down East by the seasons. contain strategically placed interpretive exhibit panels. The park should work with other Life Saving Station sites on the Seashore to develop the theme of history and heritage at this site. (LRIP, p. 51, 54) 5-20 Little Kinnakeet Life Saving Station: The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee: Supports full federal funding of the restoration of Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station and installations to support public access and interpretation. Affirms that the National Park Service must work with Chicamacomico Life- Saving Station in developing programming and themes for a restored Little Kinnakeet. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum: The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is dedicated to the preservation, advancement and presentation of maritime history and shipwrecks of the Outer Banks. It is now a state-owned facility. This museum is planned as a major visitor experience of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum: The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee endorses efforts to complete the museum s major exhibits and develop a substantial interpretive 95

102 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY programming schedule in the immediate future. Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center: The museum, founded in 1992, completed its 30,000 square foot building in 2000 at a cost of $1 million. The museum has developed programs and community-controlled exhibits, but roughly half the space remains to be completed with permanent exhibits Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center: The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee supports: Further development and installation of permanent exhibits at this museum Chicamacomico Life Saving Station Historic Site: The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee supports: Continued restoration and enhancement of this historic site. Work to open the site year-round, which will require significant funding for a yearround HVAC system in multiple buildings and for improved security Frisco Native American Museum and Natural History Center: The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee supports expansion of the Center s exhibits devoted to the American Indian tribes once found along the byway, particularly but not limited to the Algonquin culture that occupied Hatteras Island. (An Iroquois tribe called the Coree occupied the Down East area and are to be interpreted at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center.) 5-25 Ocracoke Preservation Society s Ocracoke Museum (David Williams House): The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee supports: Continued restoration and enhancement of this historic site. Funding to organize the research library (books, documents, and photographs) in the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum. Jack s Dock at Community Square, Ocracoke, possible location for the Watermen s Exhibit under development by the Ocracoke Working Watermen s Association and the Ocracoke Preservation Society. Funding for yearly major exhibits Ocracoke Working Watermen Association s Watermen s Exhibit and Fish House: The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Committee supports the development of the planned exhibit associated with the Ocracoke Fish House project by the Ocracoke Working Watermen Association. To be opened by the summer of 2009 at Jack s Dock off Community Square, this facility will support the Fish House by giving visitors a place to learn more without getting in the way of the watermen at the Fish House Portsmouth Village: The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee supports enlarging interpretation opportunities, especially through off-site media. New Interpretive Facilities and Programs Snug Harbor Maritime Art Collection Snug Harbor is the second oldest charitable trust in the U.S., established in 1801 by a New York maritime merchant. It was moved here from Staten Island in The facility has an extensive maritime art collection, ship models, and nautical artifacts.the location is a good one, right at the junction of old and new US 70 in Sea Level and could serve travelers with visitor information and interpretation of the collection. 96

103 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Salvo Day Use Area Consider a separate outdoor shelter for interpretive presentations, family reunions, and village gatherings. Walking Tours Village organizations in Ocracoke and Hatteras have developed walking tours that allow visitors to tour the villages on their own to gain a sense of each village s settlement pattern, architecture, and history. These are excellent ways to provide visitors with an experience that does not rely on keeping a facility open, and every opportunity should be sought to expand these possibilities for both natural and historic resources Evaluate existing walking tours in Hatteras and Ocracoke for additions and new themes as part of interpretive planning Develop additional walking tours for Atlantic, Marshallberg, and Harkers Island. These are pedestrian-scale villages with shaded streets off NC 12 that would allow for enjoyable walking tours. Visitors and residents could enjoy many kinds of stories as well as architectural history through the use of markers and brochures. Interpretation of Natural Qualities As noted above, a key finding of this planning process is that interpretation of the natural intrinsic qualities of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway needs even greater attention. Following are three areas where improvement would enhance current offerings. The North Carolina Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve North Carolina s Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve is one of the greatest missed opportunities for public interpretation about the natural resources of the Outer Banks. It is important to note that this is not a call for making this highly significant natural area into a park, with the ease of access that parkland implies. Many of the trails threading the reserve should remain lightly maintained, to remind visitors that they are the intruders in a natural world that deserves privacy and respect. As also addressed in Chapter 3, Stewardship, greater public interest in Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve will require a higher level of management and planning Enhance interpretation of Buxton Woods: Provide tours, web-based presentations, and brochures or a visitor s guide to enhance the educational experience associated with Buxton Woods. New or Improved Nature Trails Two potential trails were identified in the course of inventorying resources for this plan. In addition, Chapter 4 calls for the appropriate improvement of the Open Ponds Trail through Buxton Woods Establish nature trail looping into a natural area at Whalebone Junction that accesses the U.S. Coast Survey monument (eligible for the National Register) Support development of a walking trail on village owned parkland off Eagle Pass Road in Hatteras. The trail has potential for natural interpretation Map and construct boardwalks and trails for exploring and interpreting the sounds shoreline. An Interpretive Driving Trail An inventory of resources and attractions in the Outer Banks Scenic Byway s corridor turned up as many as 100 potential and existing historic and cultural sites where interpretive improvements might be made. Lists in Appendix 5 identify 21 historic or natural sites of various ( miscellaneous ) types, 12 life saving station sites (including three buildings moved from original sites), and 20 public fishing, boating and camping sites, including public harbors and private ferries. In addition, there are 48 shoreline access points (beach or soundside, for off-road vehicles or pedestrians or both) in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Marinas were not inventoried but several major ones also may be 97

104 5: SHARING HERITAGE ALONG THE BYWAY David Williams House, home of the Ocracoke Preservation Society s Ocracoke Museum, overlooking Silver Lake a view from the ferry dock.. willing sponsors for interpretation. The interpretive plan should look more closely at these sites to identify tools, themes, stories, and sponsors. An outdoor interpretive sign at the least would benefit many of the sites identified. Enhancements discussed in Chapter 4 have the potential to open up new opportunities for interpretive sites. For example, the implementation of the recommendation that Dare County (or local taxing authorities) purchase oceanfront land to improve public pedestrian access to the beaches within the villages will mean opportunities for interpretive installations on such properties Create an interpretive driving and bicycling trail for the entire Byway. Such a trail should be carefully planned with themes and stories to be reinforced and echoed from site to site, and designed with this intent from the beginning. All interpretive and visitor information facilities discussed in the preceding sections of this chapter should also be a part of this initiative. Later phases of the development of an interpretive driving trail could include the development of audio products to entertain and inform travelers as they move from site to site along the Byway. This many interpretive signs could be promoted as an interpretive driving and bicycling trail or tour to encourage visitors to make the entire 132-mile, two-ferry trek. (Use of the word trail implies that there are signs in the ground that travelers would follow.) 98

105 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY CHAPTER 6: BEYOND THE BYWAY SHARING THE HERITAGE OF THE PEOPLE AND PLACES OF THE OUTER BANKS There is a strong emerging segment of travelers with an interest in what Carteret County provides natural, historic, and cultural sites and attractions. These characteristics are what make any area unique. This demand for an area s unique attributes is often contrary to what many destinations supply, which is more often a homogenous experience similar to their competitors. Without focusing on what is unique, a loss of differentiation is often the result. Travelers seeking these unique experiences will open up new possibilities for the destination and tourism businesses. Focusing on preserving the natural attributes of the area is important not only for cultural preservation but equally important, there is an opportunity to capture burgeoning tourism demand by positioning the destination around its natural resources. It will serve Carteret County well to wrap tourism development planning around the county s natural resources to capture tourism demand. Protect the past and preserve the future through tourism development. Tourism Development Specialists in Tourism Opportunities: A Comprehensive Examination and Analysis of the Future of Tourism in Carteret County (March 2005, executive summary) INTRODUCTION The Outer Banks Scenic Byway, especially the portions in Dare and Hyde counties, is fortunate to be known worldwide as a vacation destination, increasingly a year-round one. Tourism is a critical part of the economy of the Byway. Sophisticated marketing operations serve this industry, especially in Dare and Carteret counties, where many large communities outside the Byway also rely on tourism. For Down East, tourism is modest but a good candidate for diversifying an economy still reliant to a great degree on commercial fishing. While the reasons that visitors come to this region include such expected activities as recreation and romantic getaways (even destination weddings ), its history and the scenery are also important draws: Overall, the area s beautiful beaches, accommodations, interesting historic landmarks and scenic areas or drives were the prime motivators. While among summer, fall, and spring visitors, the area s beautiful beaches were the primary influencer, scenic drives was the primary motivator in the winter. Similar to fall visitors, spring visitors also reported that interesting historic sites and landmarks was a key motivator. Further, like winter visitors, spring visitors were also motivated to visit the area for the scenic areas and drives. (Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, Visitor Research Wave , pp. 5-6) This chapter is designed to accomplish two purposes. First, it will outline projects that will complement the sharing of the heritage of the people and places of the Outer Banks along the Byway. These projects are to be designed to inform and entertain various audiences, including those beyond the Byway who may never set foot on the sandy beaches, paddle the marshy fringes, or fish the salty waters of the region. Second, it will show ways that the 99

106 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY marketing operations of all three counties can shape their programs to reinforce the outreach beyond the Byway and the reputation and value of the Byway as a special landscape and visitor experience. THE BYWAY S ROLE IN TOURISM MARKETING This chapter serves as the required marketing plan for a scenic byway corridor management plan, but it is not a marketing plan in the traditional sense of targeting particular audiences and planning advertising and promotions to reach those markets. The audiences for the Byway are described in Chapter 5. For advertising and promotion, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee will partner as appropriate with the three organizations already providing tourism marketing for the region Dare County s Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association, and the Carteret County Tourism Development Authority. The goal is that loyal and enthusiastic visitors enjoying the Byway will spread the word of their experiences to others who will be drawn here specifically because of its Byway-related experiences. Word-of-mouth marketing is among the most important ways to reach potential visitors who value heritage. Successful word-of-mouth relies on the quality and depth of the overall visitor experience. The visitor experience comprises not only the Byway s attractions, but also interaction with its residents yet another reason to include residents among the Byway s primary audiences. An area s culture cannot be easily replicated, which makes it important to preserve and promote culture. Tourism has the distinct ability to easily destroy an area s culture as those from the outside, both visitors and developers, reshape the natural [attributes] of the area. And tourism also has the distinct ability to preserve cultural attributes through museums and other attractions dedicated to showcasing the local society and traditions and attempting to pass those cultural traditions along to the next generation. Planning tourism development so that it preserves culture is vital, otherwise it can easily disappear. Tourism Development Specialists in Tourism Opportunities: A Comprehensive Examination and Analysis of the Future of Tourism in Carteret County (March 2005, p. 30) The Outer Banks Scenic Byway s mission also includes identifying the elements of the unique charm enjoyed by residents and visitors and maintaining and enhancing those aspects of the Byway. That this mission is critical to the overall tourism product (and therefore long-term marketing) is reinforced by this statement from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau s 2006 visitor survey: While becoming one of the premier destinations in the country, the Outer Banks must be concerned with a tradeoff between unique charm and development. Overall, more than twice the number of visitors believes that the area has become better (29%) than has gotten worse (13%). While summer and fall visitors were in relative agreement that the area was staying the same or improving, winter visitors had very different reactions. Though a greater percentage believed the Outer Banks had gotten better, a higher percentage also believed the area had become worse. And while only 26% feel the destination is getting worse, this is worth monitoring. On the other hand, spring visitors were more likely to say that the Outer Banks has become a better destination than visitors from any other season. Still, a substantial proportion of spring visitors (17%) believe that the area has lost some of its appeal. (Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, Visitor Research Wave , p. 5, emphasis added.) 100

107 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY The Cottage Gallery, Smyrna, Down East SHAPING AUDIENCE OUTREACH TO SHAPE VISITOR DEMAND The Outer Banks are well visited in the summer. The challenge is to enhance visitation year-round. The infrastructure in the Dare and Hyde county segments of the Byway is already capable of accommodating large numbers. Thus, further economic growth is possible without the environmental impacts ordinarily associated with tourism growth if efforts to grow visitation are focused on the non-summer months. Findings of the bureau s 2006 visitor survey suggest it is important to pay attention to ways to enhance the year-round visitor experience in order to satisfy the growing demand in the off peak season: A higher percentage of First-time visitors came in the fall. It was presumed that this was because First-timers are more likely to explore the Outer Banks during the off season. This trend continues with winter visitors and remains high with spring visitors. Far more visitors are visiting the Outer Banks for the first time in the off season. This has some marketing implications and means that the community has to work harder during these seasons to ensure a positive experience. (p. 9) The Outer Banks Scenic Byway should become one of the primary means through which the three counties collaborate to enhance the yearround experience. With less opportunity to take advantage of summer outdoor recreation, visitors in the cooler months can be expected to view driving on a scenic byway as one of the most preferred activities. Audiences and Primary Messages For visitors to the Outer Banks, the primary message is two-fold: the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is a rich cultural landscape as well as an outstanding natural one, and there is much work to be done to maintain and enhance its many intrinsic qualities. Down East is a different challenge. There, some additional infrastructure is needed, so long as 101

108 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY Figure 6-1: Indications of Seasonality and Timing of Strategy Implementation (Data source: 2006 Outer Banks Visitor Profile (entire Outer Banks region); charts by Tourism Development Specialists, Inc.) the traditional cultural landscape remains intact. Residents, for example, in a public meeting to guide this plan, have stated they would enjoy more restaurants on the water (there is just one, beside the Cedar Island ferry terminal). There are a number of possible locations for such an amenity. Such economic assets will not arise without the demand, which is what the Byway is expected to supply. To encourage a larger audience for Down East, the Byway will link and augment existing visitor experiences in Down East. Byway efforts will focus on enhancing the experience and work with Carteret County s Tourism Development Authority on marketing as appropriate. In addition to recreational fishing, hunting, and boating opportunities, the Byway links key attractions: the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge, Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center, and Cape Lookout National Seashore. National seashore experiences include two private ferries in Davis and Atlantic that access upper Core Banks. Important complementary interpretive development designed to encourage visitors and residents to discover Down East includes creation of an interpretive driving tour ( heritage trail ) and a system of recreational water trails. In addition to Byway residents throughout the corridor, the audience for Down East should include both visitors to the northern segments of the Byway and those enjoying the western mainland portion of Carteret County. For all audiences, a primary message is explaining the unique qualities of Down East s fragile and rare landscape, a significant natural area punctuated by traditional maritime villages. Four Strategic Opportunities Much of the role of the Byway is to address tourism development rather than tourism marketing. Put another way, tourism development addresses long-term marketing and product development issues. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway s mission is to work with others to provide and enhance experiences to be enjoyed by both residents and visitors, continually improving the product to be shared. Regarding visitors, the hope is that many will return year after year and season after season, extending their stay in the 102

109 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY SIDEBAR 6-1: Complementing Carteret County s Strategic Plan for Tourism Carteret County s Tourism Development Authority commissioned a strategic plan for enhancing the tourism industry in Of 24 recommendations made in the report by Tourism Development Specialists, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway can reinforce at least half through initiatives in Down East: Pursue natural resources preservation and promotion Encourage local residents to act like tourists Differentiate the destination with quality customer service [teach providers about heritage] Actively participate in advocacy efforts of regional tourism organizations Enhance communication within the tourism community Partner with tourism-related organizations outside Carteret County Provide information in innovative ways Develop a streetscape and gateway improvement plan Attractions and activities product development ideas Establish an inter-agency tourism development committee Develop Carteret County as a culinary tourism destination Develop existing and new festivals and events - Tourism Development Specialists in Tourism Opportunities: A Comprehensive Examination and Analysis of the Future of Tourism in Carteret County (March 2005, executive summary) process. Encouraging visitors to stay longer is a good way to support communities, as this approach helps to avoid the detrimental impacts of higher numbers of visitors. The strategies set forth in this chapter work toward increasing fall, winter and spring visitation by people from other areas to the communities along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. While making the roadway attractive, the ultimate objective is to increase off-peak visitation while protecting and preserving the heritage, cultural, and environmental assets that characterize the Byway. There are four primary strategies for a community to increase the economic impact from tourism: 1. Increase the number of people visiting the area during the off-season 2. Increase average length of stay of those who visit the area (ALOS) 3. Increase revenue per visitor, or the amount each visitor spends (RevPEV) 4. Decrease economic leakage* of tourism revenues A combination of these strategies is recommended and detailed in the tactics described below. Figure 6-1 shows which strategies are best deployed in which month, juxtaposed to visitor data displayed by month. Tables 6-1 through 6-6 provide summaries of how each tactic supports each of the four strategies. The Challenge of Seasonality Visitation to Byway communities is highly seasonal, with peak demand in June, July, and August. To illustrate this, visitation data are shown as monthly trends in Figure 6-1. This highlights a strategic opportunity to implement projects that will work to mitigate some of this seasonality. This analytical approach shows not only when new visitors could be attracted, but also when tactics should shift to increasing the average length of stay or increasing the revenue spent by each visitor during each day of their stay instead of encouraging new visitors. The * Leakage occurs when money is spent on products or services that are generated outside the destination. The visitor s money does not stay in the local community. 103

110 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY developed in recent years by the National Geographic Society. Geo-tourism seeks to sustain or enhance the geographical character of a place its environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture and the well-being of its residents ( sustainable/about_geotourism.html). Geotourism seeks to incorporate the true nature of the destination into the visitor experience while capitalizing on and conserving an area s natural resources. A young fisherman in Avon, with onlookers (brown pelicans) hoping for handouts. shading in the table below the graph indicates which months and which strategies should be employed in pursuit of balanced tourism development. As shown in Figure 6-1, the opportunities to increase revenue per visitor and decrease economic leakage exist throughout the year. However, increasing the number of visitors during the peak months is not optimal. Increasing the average length of stay of visitors can be a focused strategy during the shoulder months of March, April, September and October. PROJECTS TO REACH AUDIENCES BEYOND THE BYWAY Tactics were developed for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway based on the research conducted for this plan. Some of these tactics, which include both promotional and product development ideas, fall under more than one of the four tourism development strategies. According to the National Scenic Byways Program s 2007 America's Byways Image and Visitor Profiling, byway users are typically interested in touring, outdoor activities, and special events. The tactics here have been developed considering these motivations. All tourism development tactics are based on the principles of geo-tourism, a principle Timeframe and Evaluation The projects described in this chapter are known targets for first-phase achievement by the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee in the first five years following the completion of this plan. During this same time frame, the Byway Advisory Committee will work with existing tourism development authorities to develop annual detailed work plans for achieving these targets and gather data on the effectiveness of its communications and other outreach activities. Working in Partnership The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee seeks to work cooperatively with existing county and state tourism marketing efforts, community organizations and institutions and federal agencies along the Byway. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway runs through portions of three counties. The advisory committee recognizes funding limitations imposed on existing county tourism marketing efforts and pledges to work diligently on cooperative marketing efforts. Conduct Annual Visitor Research All tourism organizations should make a strong attempt to collect data about visitors. In lieu of implementing what may be a cost prohibitive visitor research study, data capture can involve simply collecting name and address information at visitor centers, from the website, or from area attractions. The analysis of address information alone can be informative. Or, the address data base could be sampled for a written or telephone survey. The survey instruments should be developed from a 104

111 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY scientific approach that will reduce biases and potential error in data collection. The information should not only be collected, but should also be analyzed regularly by someone skilled in social science research. Research findings could be used to determine new products and experiences that can be developed as well as needed shifts in promotional efforts and also employee training opportunities. Positioning Tactics 6-1 Make It Worth the Drive Position the Outer Banks Scenic Byway as being worth the drive because of its unique cultural and heritage experiences, scenic natural beauty, and varied and high-quality outdoor recreation activities. This could help the destination target visitors in more distant markets-of-origin, such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New York. In the face of rising gas prices, many destinations are now competing for visitors from major population centers within a full tank s drive. It will be those destinations with the best mixture of product and promotion that will best be able to compete for tourism demand. An effective headline could be something similar to the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is worth the drive. 6-2 Logo and Branding A logo is to be used as a critical element of wayfinding signage discussed in both Chapter 4 and Chapter 5. A key recommendation for interpretation of the Byway s intrinsic qualities is the development of an interpretive driving trail. Sites along the trail should be marked by recognizable signage. Both the logo and the design of the signs are part of the branding of the Byway for all audiences. Beyond creating a creating a recognizable logo, branding is a way of imbuing the overall image of the Byway with positive associations. The best branding happens with the help of an overall strategy. The products and communications to be produced for the Byway can extend that branding beyond the Byway. As branding is developed, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee New Harbor House Seafood Market, Hatteras, sells fresh local seafood caught by father and young son. Ocracoke s traditional Community Store at Community Square re-opened in should be aware of the potential impacts of its image on all audiences, including virtual visitors. A challenge in branding the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is the matter of the name Outer Banks. A search on Outer Banks in Google will identify more 4.3 million entries associated with that phrase. A search in Google Earth takes the user to a point well north of the Byway corridor, elsewhere in Dare County, specifically halfway between Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills. The branding strategy for the Byway should insure that anyone searching for the Byway online will find it. Google Earth offers many valuable hints for making sure the KML (Keyhole Markup Language), content described above receives the broadest possible audience among the tutorials offered at earth.google.com/outreach/tutorials.html. 105

112 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY TABLE 6-1: FINE-TUNING TACTICS POSITIONING TACTICS Tactic Increase the Number of Visitors (Oct-Mar) Increase Average Length of Stay (Mar- Apr, Sept- Oct) Increase Revenue Per Visitor (All Months) Decrease Economic Leakage* (All Months) 6-1. Make It Worth the Drive 6-2. Logo and Branding 6-3. Byway Brochure 6-4. Publicize Preparedness 6-5. Specialized License Plates 6-6. Winter Wins *Locally received & retained revenues. Source: Tourism Development Specialists, Inc. 6-3 Byway Brochure Part of a standard initial approach for any byway is creating a brochure and website that enables visitors to see at a glance what a byway is all about. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway s first brochure should include information about the location and resources along the Byway, links to web sites to help the visitor learn more than the brochure itself can offer, and contact information for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee (including how to make a donation). The effort and expense involved in creating this brochure are considerable, but should not wait for the interpretive plan. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee should recognize, however, that the interpretive plan may recommend one or more brochures, including an enhanced version of the first brochure. Thus, the initial investment should be as limited as possible within the parameters of a high-quality, visually rich product. Careful control of the costs of the first print run should be a part of the initial planning. This brochure should be sized and designed to fit standard-sized, vertical brochure racks so that it can be distributed in visitor centers and at other locations. If funds are available, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee can contract with a brochure distributor; otherwise, someone will need to pay attention to fulfillment, that is, the distribution of the brochures. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee will need to ship boxes of brochures to visitor centers and other sites that wish to display the brochure. It will also need to be able to mail smaller supplies of brochures to individuals, bus tour companies, bed-andbreakfast accommodations and other locations where the brochure is not needed in the large numbers included in a box. It is worth asking the printer to size the box so that smaller or less strong people can lift it an extra expense for which everyone handling supplies will bless the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee. Finally, it will also be necessary to mail the brochure to those who request it. It should therefore be designed either to be selfmailing (a cost and weight savings) or to fit in a standard business-length envelope. In any case, the designer and printer should be asked to pay close attention to the final weight, as a small increment can push the weight limit to a higher postage price in first class and bulk mail rates. A distribution plan should be developed at the time the brochure is designed. Fulfillment is one task that could be handled for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee by 106

113 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Davis Shore Provisions General Store opened in (Photo below, the same corner store before transformation.) the three visitor bureaus, which already have distribution systems. The distribution plan should also include a tracking system to see where the brochures are sent, in what quantities. This can help in planning the next print run and first distribution round and for other brochures as well. The brochure should also be created in a downloadable version for the web site, sized for standard 8.5x11 paper and assuming that the visitor will not be printing front-and-back. This is an extra design expense, but well worth while as it can save on long-term printing and distribution costs. The designer can also make modest updates or changes to this version after printing if they become necessary. 6-4 Publicize Preparedness The coastal environment can create challenges for visitors. This is an opportunity for the Byway to be positioned in the minds of visitors as a destination that can handle anything thrown at it, particularly natural disasters or weather issues. Equally important, the preparedness message may counter the misinformation broadcast by national news media outlets. The National Weather Service has developed programs called StormReady and TsunamiReady that help communities prepare for and communicate its commitment to being ready to handle weather-related emergencies. Carteret and Dare are StormReady, but none of the three counties are TsunamiReady. Also, individual communities within the counties can work to be positioned in the program. Each community along 107

114 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY the Byway route should be encouraged to participate in the program. Although it will not be a concern until there is a problem, the community should be ready to publicize its preparedness. 6-5 Specialized License Plates The state of North Carolina offers residents the chance to order specialized licensed plates for automobiles that showcase the motorists common interests and affinity for particular causes. For example, the state currently offers specialized plates highlighting the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. Supporters of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway should apply for a specialized license plate (with Byway logo) once national designation is in place, and plan to promote the opportunity to those who do not already support the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum or Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. Beyond promotion of the Byway, a portion of the revenue generated from sales of the license plates is returned to the Byway. 6-6 Winter wins As the bulk of visitation to the Outer Banks happens in the summer months, there is a tremendous opportunity to increase the number of winter visitors. A headline such as Winter: when the road is less traveled could be employed to make people aware not only of the offerings along the Byway, but also that the mild winters in the Outer Banks provide an exceptional time to visit the area without the high traffic volume. Travelers interested in the cultural and heritage assets, typically travel parties of older adults with no children, will have more enjoyable experience when they do not have to fight beach crowds during the high season. Enhance the Experience through an Interactive Internet Presence 6-7 Focus on Building a Dynamic Web Site Travelers today are learning and deciding about destinations via the internet. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway website should be designed so that it is able to capture the 108 attention of potential visitors in an increasingly crowded cyberspace. The quality of the website must match the quality of other marketing collateral and the quality of the natural product found in communities along the Byway. The ability to provide useful and helpful information is the most important attribute of a tourism website. The primary outreach vehicle for all audiences will be the Outer Banks Scenic Byway s web site. The audience will be a mix of residents, Byway stakeholders, and visitors. A graphically appealing, welldesigned and easy-to-use site benefits all users. For visitors, it is the Byway s best foot forward. A good experience on a website sets expectations for good experiences on the ground. More than 80 percent of travel planning is made online. According to research conducted by market researcher emarketer, online travel sales and bookings are expected to reach $105 billion in 2008, a 12 percent increase over This includes leisure and unmanaged business travel sales for airfare, hotel accommodations, rental cars, vacation packages, rail tickets, and cruises. Sales are expected to continue to increase at slightly less than 12 percent per annum from 2007 to Although there will be an increase in purchases, many online travel bookers may begin looking to traditional travel agents as frustrations with the functionality of online travel reservation sites is reportedly increasing. This speaks to the need for a user-friendly and efficient internet experience for those looking for vacation options. This web site is expected to become one of the primary portals to the Byway for both web visitors and actual visitors. The web site should include these features: Information about the Byway and its interpretive sites, with links to the latter with a map it feature directly available from the Byway site Interpretive information generated by the Byway and its residents or contributed by interpretive partners for direct posting on the site

115 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY A Place Matters nomination form for residents and visitors to participate in the census of places that matter, based on New York City s model ( Interactive maps Photo galleries, contributions from visitors, tied to maps and virtual tours, etc. Virtual tours Activities along the Byway such as programs, events, meetings Decoy Carvers Guild workshop and retail outlet in Straits. Reports from visitors, beyond standard review technology, which could also be used, to include travel tips, favorites and other automated prompters to gather information, in addition to the more freeform idea of visitor blogs Press room, including press releases and archive, newsletters and archive, links to news coverage, photos and logos for downloading Byway information for all Byway stakeholders, including this plan, grant applications, notices and minutes of Byway meetings, and other operational items; bios/photos of Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee members Links to local government web sites Feedback/contact us mechanism(s), automated to capture visitors addresses and allow visitors to refuse further , for use in sending out newsletters; privacy notice guaranteeing no one will call Communicate conditions - Many coastal communities communicate the local fishing or boating conditions. Knowing which fish are biting and where or which trails are best for biking or paddling will entice new visitors and excite those who already have plans to visit. These outdoor recreation conditions for all Byway communities could be communicated in a coordinated manner through opt-in s, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway website, or through radio call-ins in major markets. Next door is Core Sound Kayaks, with yard art. Report roadway rehabs - Construction along roads within a destination is one of the first things a visitor will notice about an area when traveling by car. This is particularly true when part of the attraction itself is the roadway, as is the case with the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Throughout the life of a road, major and minor repairs are routinely scheduled, which may cause delay and inconvenience for users. To mitigate potential issues associated with road work, an active link to construction updates and progress reports should be provided on the Outer Banks Scenic Byway website and through its e-newsletter. Paid advertising for businesses along the Byway route, using sophisticated technology to seamlessly present businesses within the web site as well as through more-typical ads that can be designed to rotate or respond to particular 109

116 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY TABLE 6-2: FINE-TUNING TACTICS AN INTERACTIVE INTERNET PRESENCE Tactic Increase the Number of Visitors (Oct-Mar) Increase Average Length of Stay (Mar- Apr, Sept- Oct) Increase Revenue Per Visitor (All Months) Decrease Economic Leakage* (All Months) 6-7. Build a Dynamic Web Site 6-8. Develop Computerized Kiosks Newsletters 6-10 to Google Earth Get Wild about Wikis Cash in on Geo-cachers Mark the Way (Waymarking) Facebook the Byway Be the Blogger Map It *Locally received & retained revenues. Source: Tourism Development Specialists, Inc. interests suggested by a web visitor s use of the site; listings in the web site, however, should not be limited to paying participants Last but not least, a donate to us feature, posted prominently for those visitors who feel immediately inspired and grateful to find such a helpful site and worthy cause. The site should be easily navigated, visually rich, and tied to the logo developed for the wayfinding signage system and the overall branding strategy to be developed with the logo. The site could also be linked with cookies to identify repeat visitors and provide rotating information to those visitors, to avoid boredom and to level the playing field among businesses and attractions that contribute links, photos, and feature materials. One important feature of modern web sites is the RSS feed, a button that allows users to automatically receive updated information sent directly from the site. (See Appendix 6.) Finally, the site should be as automated and maintenance-free as possible, but easily updated by the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee. Many features for web sites are now standardized and can be plugged in from other sites. It will be important for the web site to work in collaboration with other Outer Banks, Down East, and North Carolina destination management organization web sites. These other web sites are already monitoring businesses, events, and other activities and have established systems for generating timely updates. A rich series of linkages to these sites and their internal pages should be developed. Links could include: Links to calendars providing events and activities Links to business directories organized by sector (e.g., accommodations, outfitters, restaurants, galleries, marinas, etc.) Links to photo tours 110

117 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Down East businesses work together through the Down East Business Association. This web site s first line reads, When people think of Down East, many think this means anything east of Raleigh, but the phrase takes on an entirely different meaning to the locals in eastern Carteret County. ( Links to blogs Links to product sellers If possible, a shopping cart or my favorites or map it technology that allows the visitor to record interesting information from the web site to assemble into an itinerary or a record of the web visit. There are several technologies or programs for aggregating these links and the information in these links. As a basic proposition, the web technology should allow users to visit all of these other sites without losing the Byway s web page which typically would remain underneath the pages being actively viewed. Whether the web site consumer sees a unified presentation or not will depend on technological and programmatic choices that should be worked out in the development of the first generation of the web site. A couple of options: A mash-up approach that brings information forward and combines it from all web sites that have agreed to be a part of this portion of the Byway s web site (or not mash-ups are not necessarily collaborative; or An organized effort like the PhillyFunGuide that presents a number of options to the user for visiting information that is presented first with one or more standardized pages and then ultimately the option of a direct link to the participating organization s web site. A key feature is that the contributing organization is responsible for data input, although a webmaster ultimately approves the uploading. In the current environment, those looking for travel information typically start by going to search engines such as Yahoo!, Google, or MSN Search. As such, it is critical for destination 111

118 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY SIDEBAR 6-2: NPS Goals for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Related to Virtual Visitors In addition to the Park-wide Visitor Experience Goals, virtual visitors (web-based users) should be able to enhance their knowledge of the Seashore by accessing a website that: Provides interpretive text as well as informational text. Provides a balance between text and visual components. Includes easy navigation and a uniform look. Includes a comprehensive site map to show users what is available. Links to local parks, partners, and other appropriate web sites. Incorporates student and teacher resources such as curriculum, activities, worksheets, and experiments. Includes a web-based Junior Seashore Ranger option. Includes a feature where visitors can ask questions and request park information. Is consistent, accurate, and up-to-date. Cape Hatteras National Seashore Long Range Interpretive Plan (2007), pp ) marketers to have search engine optimization strategies in place. In order to increase the website s search engine compliance and visibility, the following tactics can be pursued, according to internet experts: Title: Every web page should have a title tag in it. The title should include key words as this is the first element a search engine reads and also what users will first read about the website. Description: After the title, users and search engines will read the description. The description can be roughly 250 characters long and should also include meaningful keywords. Content: Search engines will read approximately the first 500 words from the web page while looking for words that users are searching for. Key words should be placed in the first few sentences of the destination website. Links: When a search engine walks through a website, it will follow all the links in the page to find the rest of the site. Having more than one link on each page to other pages in the website will increase search engine optimization. Sitemap: Including a sitemap on every page will enable the search engine to access all pages on the website, thereby creating a higher index rating. External links: It is important for other sites to include links to the destination website as another means to add exposure and increase the index rating for the destination site. There should also be opportunities for users to spend money on the website. Ticket sales for attractions or tours, merchandise, gift cards, and hotel room bookings are examples of how the website could be used to generate revenue. All points of interaction with a traveler can be opportunities to increase visitor expenditures. 6-8 Develop Computerized Kiosks Chapter 5 calls for the development of interactive interpretive computer terminals and placement on the Cedar Island Ferry and in ferry terminals in the first phase of implementation of this plan. Other locations are also possible in later phases. Although technically this is a program for along the Byway, it is included here because programs to develop such computer 112

119 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY terminals can and should be tied to the development of the Byway s web site. The technology and software for this equipment has greatly improved in recent years and it has become highly popular in places that have installed them. The Heart of Chesapeake Country Heritage Area on Maryland s (maritime) Eastern Shore has used the powerful Forest Destination Marketing System software from Exploration Labs (see and Newsletters Another tried-and-true vehicle for communicating with various audiences is the digital newsletter, regularly ed to a list. As noted above, collection of the list can be tied to the web site using various software engines that automate the process. Once software is purchased and a person is trained to create newsletters, the cost is less than printing and mailing traditional paper newsletters. It also can be more timely and creative and less troublesome even if maintained by a volunteer. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy s monthly newsletter is a good model ( It is helpful to consider that a digital newsletter can perform different, additional functions from the traditional newsletter. For example, it can include links to other information on the internet. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy s monthly newsletter includes a beautiful, mission-related screensaver photo for recipients that includes the organization s name and a small calendar. The newsletter can also be tweaked for different audiences loyal visitors might appreciate a notice about a good weekend getaway a few weeks away, for example, in addition to other regular mailings. Google Earth The Outer Banks Scenic Byway should be a presence on the web in other ways. One of the most important web-based technologies to watch in the near future as web users learn to use it is Google Earth. This easy-to-use technology, free in a consumer version, provides for a powerful virtual visit experience using aerial and 3-D images and maps combined with information linked to maps ( geo-spatial information data such as photos, audio, or video that can be linked to an interactive map, even if it cannot by itself be mapped). There are multiple ways that the Byway can improve its presence in Google Earth, through photos; through information about places, defined here as attractions, communities, and businesses; and through a powerful way of managing data and images called showcasing, which supports virtual tours, among other programs Google Earth and Photos The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee should monitor the photos that exist in Google Earth and Panoramio and make sure that underrepresented areas are covered by local photographers. A simple task is to make sure that photos linked to Google Earth from Panoramio are representative of all of the assets and locations encompassed by the Byway s corridor. According to Panoramio itself, Panoramio is a community photos website that enables digital photographers to geo-locate, store and organize their photographs and to view those photographs in Google Earth. Other users can search and browse Panoramio photos and suggest edits to the metadata associated with the photos. ( 2007/05/ pictures-worth-thousandclicks.html) 6-11 Google Earth and Places Every attraction, business, and community should be clickable in Google Earth with full information, a representative photo, and a link directly to its web site. This should not be a matter left to chance. The Byway should provide easyto-use instructions, tutoring, and workshops if necessary, or make sure that other economic development organizations are providing the necessary hand-holding to those responsible for making sure their information is available, correct, and updated as needed. It is easy and free through Google s Local Business Center. One potential obstacle is to businesses lacking a web site. These can be encouraged to 113

120 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY cooperate with a source willing to front their web site. For example, the Island Free Press is cited by some businesses that would otherwise be unable to list a web site when signing up with Google. More ambitious participants can also work to make their balloon eye-catching and still others may wish to upload video onto YouTube, to which Google Earth is also connected. It should be possible for Outer Banks Scenic Byway to be searchable. A search for Outer Banks sends the Google Earth user to a northern site in Dare County. So far the National Scenic Byway Program has not tied its data into Google Earth. Only a handful of scenic byways can be found by searching scenic byway in United States through the find business tab. So listing the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is up to the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee. As it is necessary to provide a single geographic point in these listings (that is, village or post office names, e.g., Rodanthe or Williston), Outer Banks Scenic Byway should be created in multiple listings so that web visitors will find their way to the Byway s web site via different locations along the Byway. Visitors should not be forced to remember the name of only one village Google Maps and Google Earth KML Files The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee should create a web-based travel guide through Google Maps. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway is an ideal subject for a relatively new way of displaying content on the web geographically. (See maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py? answer=68480) This is a free, user-friendly mapping program that will allow the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee to assemble information about interpretive attractions and recreational experiences along the Byway for web visitors worldwide to visit, at least virtually. The content can include photos, text, audio, and video (YouTube and Google Video). The content created can also be displayed in Google Earth, which has a richer, more powerful interface with geographic data and display. It is also possible to create the same content in Google Earth, working in a computer language called KML and using Google Earth s userfriendly interface. Google Earth, as its web site states, is a geographic browser a powerful tool for viewing, creating and sharing interactive files containing highly visual location-specific information. We call these files KMLs (for Keyhole Markup Language): what HTML is to regular Internet browsers, KML is to geographic browsers. You can open KML files in both Google Earth and Google Maps, as well as in many other geographic browsers. ( Google Earth adds at another point on its web site, Many public-minded groups and individuals are using Google Earth to bring a valuable geographic context to their stories. ( showcase.html) If a KML site is of particular interest and high quality, Google will select it to showcase on its site Get Wild about Wikis According to Wikipedia, the largest web-based user of wiki software, A wiki is a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wiki) Wikipedia is an internet-based encyclopedia that is open to editing by all users. Because Google Maps and Google Earth draw their data in part from Wikipedia, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee should work to make sure that all place names along the Byway are found as entries. As the committee works to accomplish these listings, other ideas should occur. For example, not only villages but some waterways could be added. Core Sound, for example, is currently not in Wikipedia as a separate entry Cash in on Geo-cachers The growing global-positioning treasure hunt is a new passion of a wide demographic. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway can position itself as a favorite of geo-cachers by facilitating their 114

121 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY finds. Free or discounted lunches or breakfasts could be offered for geo-cachers on various days and at various locations along the Byway. Similar promotions could work for other tourism-related businesses as well. All the geocachers have to do is find the places that are offering the discounts. Geo-caches could be placed by area tourism businesses that would include information about and coupons for their services. A large hide-and-seek event could be coordinated by tourism organizations along the Byway to attract groups of these technologically-savvy travelers. Additionally, all Outer Banks Scenic Byway information that provides mile markers or street addresses for stops along the Byway should also include GPS coordinates for the attractions. The same can happen in sites on public lands, but this should be developed in conjunction with rules, many of them newly formed by park and historical site managers, regarding geo-caching. In a July 2008 article, USA Today reported that GPS-related activities are becoming increasing common as more than 150 million cell phones have GPS capabilities. This along with faster wireless networks and enhanced screen graphics will continue to spur growth in such activities Mark the Way (Waymarking) Waymarking by Groundspeak, the Seattlebased commercial sponsor of the primary geocaching website described above, is a way to mark unique locations on the planet and give them a voice. While GPS technology allows us to pinpoint any location on the planet, mark the location, and share it with others, Waymarking is the toolset for categorizing and adding unique information for that location. Groundspeak's slogan is "The Language of Location" and our goal is to give people the tools to help others share and discover unique and interesting locations on the planet. In geocaching, it's all about the hunt and the treasure at the end. With waymarking, the location, itself, is the treasure. The primary difference is that no physical object is placed when creating a waymark. This added freedom allows us to enjoy certain locations that have previously been off-limits to geocaching. This time, the entire focus is on what can be gained from the location in terms of education, entertainment, or simply your obsessive desire to document the location of every annual Star Trek convention (for, you know, a friend). ( Groups, led by a Leader and Officers, manage the various categories and their entries. Categories are subjected to peer review by premium (paying) members of the site. Participants submitting a new waymark enter a nickname, latitude and longitude, the country, a short description, and any further information required by the category manager. Visitors to the site can search using a variety of filters (topic, zip code, etc.). Once web visitors arrive at a waymarked location, they can leave comments and a rating. National Scenic Byways as a category was created in early May of 2008 and as of mid-august already included 82 of the 126 byways Facebook the Byway Companies are realizing the benefits of social networking media as business travelers are seeking trip advice from non-traditional sources. Guidebooks and word-of-mouth from friends are being augmented by travelogues from people throughout the world. As the New York Times describes it, word-of-mouse is a new opportunity for businesses seeking to get the word out about their new product or service. The same can work for tourism as well, particularly for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Through Facebook pages, as well as those on MySpace.com, that are accessible to all members, organizations can reach a potential audience of 90 million active users without paying for the online exposure Be the Blogger Word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising. Blogs are the most powerful form of word-of-mouth distribution. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee or a willing partner should host a blog about the 115

122 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY TABLE 6-3: FINE-TUNING TACTICS A SPECIAL VISITOR EXPERIENCE Tactic Increase the Number of Visitors (Oct-Mar) Increase Average Length of Stay (Mar- Apr, Sept- Oct) Increase Revenue Per Visitor (All Months) Decrease Economic Leakage* (All Months) Record the Sights and Sounds Personalized Posts Reach Host Families Best of the Byway Implement Public Participation Activities Abound Experience the Byway Teach Byway Culture Crawl through Culture Byway Bites Byway Byproducts Make It Sparkle Host Haunted Happenings Breakfasts for Buses *Locally received & retained revenues. Source: Tourism Development Specialists, Inc. Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Blogs, interactive diaries posted on the internet (the word derives from web log ), are the fastest growing medium of communication for businesses and individuals. A study in 2005 indicated that nearly one-third of Americans adults read blogs. As time has passed and as blogs have increased in popularity, the percentage is likely higher at present. Those who blog, known as bloggers, created more than1.6 million posts per day, amounting to about 18 updates each second. Travelers could post their pictures and talk about their experience. Blogs can also be used to get media stories out when it is hard to grab the attention of the trade or consumer press. Functions of the blog could include surveys, polls, coupons, local specials, and podcasts about local events or attractions. Send s to the inquirer database to inform them of specials that can only be found on the destination s blog Map It A company called NAVTECH ID Map (formerly called The Map Network; does an excellent job creating attractive, user-friendly, interactive and cost-effective maps for tourism websites. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway would benefit tremendously by this as the maps would facilitate travel within the region. In addition to traditional tourism supply, such as hotels and attractions, the map could also include detailed, interactive maps of trails and other natural assets. Maps could show fishing spots, kayak launches, picnic shelters, trailheads, and hunting/birding/photography stands or blinds. 116

123 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Make the Visitor Experience Special 6-19 Record the sights and sounds Plans for creating an interpretive driving trail are high among the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee s priorities. Given the distance to be covered by the trail, audiences may appreciate one or more audio products to supplement experience on the ground. The recordings described here could be created not only for driving tours, but also for visitors to use while hiking, biking, or kayaking, or just while sitting and enjoying the scenery at many of the scenic vistas along the Byway. These products can be designed to appeal also to audiences beyond the Byway, bringing them entertaining, informative products that helps them to envision the experience of the Byway. From Bridge to Boardwalk: An Audio Journey across Maryland s Eastern Shore is a popular, award-winning example of such a product ( news/ del_audio.html). It was developed by the Mid- Atlantic Arts Foundation, a multi-state organization that promotes wider access to the arts in seven states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands. The tour was developed from an intensive anthropological study of the area that included many audio interviews. Another successful Maryland-based product is the audio tour travelogue called Root & Tides: A Journey through Southern Anne Arundel County, which supports a staterecognized byway of the same name (call the Four Rivers Heritage Area at ). Heritage Montgomery is another Maryland Heritage Area that has produced a podcast, a downloadable version of an audio tour, which guides visitors through the farming territory of Montgomery County ( The production is a combination of still and video images to hold down photography and editing costs. Outdoor photography and outdoor videography are specialties for podcasting, as is the editing and sound production. It is important to select an experienced company, such as Cityprowl.com (which has produced excellent examples of video podcasts that feature urban areas, but with skills transferable to this rural byway). While not among the first products to be undertaken as this phase of the Byway s development gets underway, producing an audio presentation has a number of other benefits besides reaching audiences. The process of researching and recording elements for the production, including both interviews and music, can yield other information to be used in other interpretation. This works the other way as well. As other interpretive products are developed ahead of this project, producers should be aware that their gatherings could later be used in an all-audio presentation. All audio recordings made by the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee should be made with the possibility in mind that they will be needed for high-quality audio products. Cheap tape or digital recorders are not worth the funds spent on them, or the time spent by subjects, volunteers, and staff. Videotaping should be accompanied by highquality recording equipment Personalized posts When a motorcoach makes its first stop along the Byway route, have a volunteer step-on guide or greeter welcome the group to the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. The volunteer could be a member of a local organization. The greeter, aboard the bus, would conduct a raffle for a local product of the winner s choice. Passengers complete a card with their address to participate in the raffle. The winner of the raffle will have a chosen prize mailed to their home. The winner s name and photo is submitted to a local newspaper. The volunteer then takes everybody s contact information back to organization where others can hand write cards, thanking individual members of the group for visiting the area and inviting them back. The card could include the newspaper clipping about their visit to the Byway. The same sort of personalized attention could happen for the folks who write down their address in books at the visitor visitors centers. 117

124 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY 6-21 Reach Host Families A good portion of visitors to the region stay with friends and family during their visit. Targeting the visiting friends and relatives market can be lucrative in two ways. In addition to encouraging visitor spending, members of the host community are also educated on the offerings of the Byway region. To increase spending from the visiting friends and relatives market, efforts should be directed at educating community members on local tourism experiences Best of the Byway Many communities, perhaps even some in Dare, Hyde, or Carteret Counties, have implemented successful programs that reward local businesses for their quality product or service. Firms are typically categorized by the type of business and local residents and visitors vote for the best in each category. For the Best of the Byway program, criteria could be different, such as the number of volunteer hours spent cleaning up the area or most improved landscape or façade, or any other quirky or interesting measurement. The winning businesses are recognized with banners and advertisements as the best of their peers for that year or month. The program would not need to be limited to tourism businesses. Categories could also include businesses visitors typically do not patronize, such as photocopy stores, auto mechanics, banks, and even U.S. Post Office branches Implement a Public Participation Strategy Although not without potential peril, tourism can create several positive benefits for host communities. These benefits should be communicated to area residents to increase the acceptance and appreciation of good tourism development in the area. This task may not be the sole responsibility of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee, but the board could be a catalyst in spurring communication efforts of other agencies. Economic benefits usually associated with tourism are job creation, increased tax revenue from non-residents, and economic multipliers, the number of times a new dollar is spent within a defined geographic area. Successfully implementing this Outer Banks Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan will add additional benefits that will improve the quality of life and economic well-being of residents of Byway communities. The Byway Advisory Committee anticipates: New entrepreneurial opportunities based on local products and resources. More consistent, year-round economic activity using existing infrastructure. New or enhanced facilities for residents and visitors. Increased opportunity for artists, musicians and storytellers as visitors explore the Byway s cultural heritage. Byway residents are integral to successfully growing economic activity along the Byway. The key to community participation is open two-way communication. Thus, the Byway Advisory Committee should: Create a Byway-wide blog for residents to talk about what is going, both the good and the bad. Publish a monthly e-newsletter just for businesses and residents featuring a business or individual who is making a difference in a unique or memorable way, or alternatively include this as a dedicated story topic in a general e-newsletter Activities Abound The varied offerings of the Outer Banks, as well as the structure of a scenic byway, create a nice opportunity to develop an activity book for users to complete during their Byway experience. Different than a guidebook, it would be more akin to publications such as 1,000 Places to See Before you Die (Workman) or 101 Things to do Before You Die (Bloomsbury). Its focus would be on activities and experiences specific to the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. An alternate version of this book could be designed to teach and entertain children during their experience on the Byway. 118

125 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY 6-25 Experience the Byway Visitors can experience life in Byway communities everywhere. Places range from large assets like the Chicamacomico Life- Saving Station and the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center to commercial assets like Howard s Pub in Ocracoke and Hatteras Realty on Hatteras Island. However, many individual homes and small businesses may offer experiential opportunities for Byway users. These places could be featured with signs stating Experience the Byway and could be featured on interactive and driving tour maps of the Byway, or in e-newsletters on a rotating basis. More than just marking attractions, any signs or marketing materials should encourage visitors to participate in the experience of life on the Byway Teach Byway Culture Art or craft studios exist along the Byway. Some are in formal retail settings and others offered by individuals in shops that are part of homes. These studios specialize in painting, decoy carving, crab pot Christmas trees, nautical décor, model boat building, and other art forms. Entrepreneurial crafters could be encouraged to teach classes in their craft as a half-day diversion for visitors while on the Byway. Package this with lunch, at a neighboring restaurant or with a meal offered by the crafter, and visitors will spend even more money. For a multi-generational travel party, this could be an activity that one member of the party does while others go to the beach or go fishing Crawl through Culture Many communities have had success featuring their downtown businesses and cultural activities in regular once-a-month evening outings. For example, on one evening each month, downtown art galleries stay open late, restaurants offer special deals, and a theatre might offer a special program. The same could work for communities along the Byway, but instead of one night, the galleries and other businesses could be featured in an all-day affair. A regular monthly event would allow Byway users to interact with artists, purchase featured works, or just peruse galleries with other interested patrons. If there is a critical mass of participating businesses, a bus service could be offered to shuttle visitors between stops. The good news is, it is almost like business as usual for the business owners, but the main difference is the coordinated promotion Byway Bites Restaurants should use local food products as much as is possible and practical. Progressive restaurateurs could promote and feature dishes made with local fruits, vegetables, free-range chicken, fresh-caught fish, or other menu options that can be found within the communities along the Byway. This idea allows an enterprising restaurateur to differentiate her restaurant by featuring local, fresh ingredients. There are multiple benefits of this: 1) restaurants are able to offer fresh and creative menus; 2) there is increased revenue and exposure for local producers; 3) a restaurant patron can have a deepened experience of life along the Byway; 4) it could instill pride in the community as demand for local products and interest in the area increase; and 5) it serves to mitigate economic leakage or money that would be spent on purchases from purveyors outside the area. This increased spending could stimulate a unique and important part of the local culture. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee could produce a tabletopper of its own or design one that allows 119

126 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY TABLE 6-4: FINE-TUNING TACTICS REACHING SPECIALIZED AUDIENCES Tactic Increase the Number of Visitors (Oct-Mar) Increase Average Length of Stay (Mar- Apr, Sept- Oct) Increase Revenue Per Visitor (All Months) Decrease Economic Leakage* (All Months) Reach Out to Niche Media Make a Move on Motorcycles Specials for Conservationists XYZ PDQ Energize Young Enviros Hyping the Piping Skip to my Loo Entice Internationals *Locally received & retained revenues. Source: Tourism Development Specialists, Inc. subscribing restaurants to print a message on one side, explaining their particular local foods and sources. On the other side, of course, would be information about the Byway. This idea has additional possibilities for generating interest among web visitors or e-newsletter recipients Byway Byproducts Part of a community s heritage is the products that are created in the area. A different product or heritage-based business each month could be featured in hotels, restaurants, visitor centers, and other locations, as well as in associated promotional materials. Residents and visitors could register to win one of several variations of the product-of-the-month. The possibility of winning adds to the visitor experience and increases the exposure of local products in the community. A drawing could take place at monthly community meetings and press releases could be sent to the local paper to publicize the winner and the featured product. Any high-quality product that visitors take home will support their memories and add to the tales told to others Make It Sparkle Communities on the Byway should have the cleanest storefronts and other facilities of all of the communities in the Outer Banks. If the Outer Banks Scenic Byway communities strive to have the best curb appeal, this effort will be apparent to motorists and will enhance their experience. This includes gateways and anything a visitor is able to see while traveling along the road. Each community should work to make the appearance of the area as beautiful and attractive as possible. As an added incentive, each year the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee could recognize the most attractive or appealing community along the route. Visitors should expect the Byway to be the most pleasant of all their travels throughout the Outer Banks. In addition to making the area more attractive to visitors, the Make It Sparkle campaign could reinforce residents pride in their home community Host haunted happenings Many people remember being scared by a good ghost story told in the woods or on a deserted beach. Inns or campgrounds could offer this as part of a package. Or an enterprising local storyteller could offer his or her services to 120

127 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY various campgrounds or other businesses along the Byway. A historical society or community organization could sponsor a contest for the best Outer Banks related ghost story. The region s history and landscape lends itself well to hosting haunted happenings. If promoted well, this could be a great way to attract people during periods of low demand. Ghost tours are already popular in the area. Philip Howard on Ocracoke is an example. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee can work to improve its web site to support the telling of tales so that virtual visitors can enjoy them, as well as working with existing specialists to expand the use of these tales to create haunted happenings Breakfasts for Buses Get motorcoach visitors to spend the night along the Byway instead of just passing through during the off-season. On Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, as the main visitor season winds down, restaurants close. Down East villages have few dining opportunities to accommodate motorcoach numbers. During the late off-season, an overnight motorcoach stay or early morning motorcoach visit offers an opportunity for local community groups to team up with hotels, property managers or site locations to provide breakfast for visitors and at the same time raise funds for the organization or a project. More than a traditional hotel breakfast, a special feast could feature fresh caught fish and fig preserves. This idea allows visitors to experience the true character and characters of the Byway and may encourage individual return trips. Not many destinations, if any, have community members who provide such a welcome to motorcoach visitors and the experience is something visitors would tell their friends about. Of course, the meal served doesn t have to be breakfast. It could be lunch or dinner. As offseason visitation increases, it is anticipated that restaurants would stay open longer or new entrepreneurial opportunities to provide this service would emerge. Focus on Specialized Audiences 6-33 Reach Out to Niche Media The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee should work closely with county tourism development agencies to bring in niche media travel writers, including guide book writers, for familiarization trips. Communities along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway already have a wonderful tourism experience in place. Hosting media tours does not need to wait for product development as it does in some other destinations. There are firms that specialize in bringing travel writers to destinations based on the interests of the writers and the offerings of the destination. Travel writers with the following interests could be targeted: Outdoor adventure Culinary tourism Spanish-speaking media Coastal heritage Motorized recreation Geo-caching Outdoor recreation Environmental sustainability African-American travel Marine ecology Scenic routes Geo-tourism 6-34 Make a move on motorcycles Tourism business operators in many destinations report seeing an increase in motorcycle traffic, which is likely in response to rising gas prices. Any scenic driving tour along the Byway can be rearranged to cater to motorcycles. To capture spending from motorcycle riders, lodging and restaurant businesses could offer discounts for any guest who arrives on a motorcycle. A $10.00 motorcycle discount and a friendly welcome could be a good investment for a hotel manager. A similar program could be implemented by restaurant and attraction managers. Word of even a small discount and a welcome environment would likely spread rapidly through the motorcycle community. 121

128 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY This group tour has just finished a ferry trip from Ocracoke and a windy fall morning s ride through the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge. This could result in steady business for those catering to this loyal market of all ages Specials for Conservationists As a means to promote responsible environmental citizenship as well as to capture on an ever increasing interest in environmental concerns, special concessions should be made for motorists who travel the Byway in hybrid cars or vehicles fueled by other alternative energy sources. Special promotions available for such motorists could include discounted admission to all or most attractions, as well as discounts at restaurants, hotels, and perhaps even on ferry rides. This would probably also serve as an interesting generator of public interest and could lead to free exposure from the press for this innovative initiative XYZ PDQ The young travelers Generation X and Generation Y and the next wave of travelers Generation Z are interested in the types of outdoor and adventure experiences that are found in many Byway communities. These travelers also represent a continued base of future demand for the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Although Baby Boomers may have more money to spend now, younger generations will have more time to spend more money over the course of their lives. Additionally, younger travelers are often more environmentally conscious, which matches well with the Byway s natural intrinsic qualities and its story of culture intertwined with nature. Developing tourism products and experiences targeting a more active and younger set of travelers will augment the sustainability of the area as a popular destination. Get to the generations XYZ, pretty darn quick (PDQ) Energize Young Environmentalists The future of visitation for the Byway region lies also with those who may be too young to make travel decisions at present. High schools around the state teach lab sciences classes, 122

129 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY SIDEBAR 6-3: Training for Heritage-Based Businesses Down East advisors from Carteret Community College and the North Carolina Department of Commerce, working with the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center, have begun focusing on training to encourage entrepreneurship among Down East residents, adults and children alike. In June 2008 they sponsored a week-long heritage camp for middle school students to explore Down East traditions and learn about starting and operating a business. The students heard from such local business owners as a Core Banks passenger ferry operator, a marine surveyor, and the owner of Cedar Island Oysters. They were then divided into three teams and asked to create businesses that combined Down East traditions with a sound business idea that would Budding middle-school entrepreneurs make their final presentations at heritage camp. (Photo by Betsy Decampo) benefit the area. They even produced commercials and presented a business plan to a team of judges on Friday, according to Carteret County s newspaper, The News-Times, which featured a story on the camp. The teams produced ideas for a mechanism that could rescue a grounded boat, a business selling beach-related products, and a business leading horseback tours of natural areas. The program was supported with a grant from The Conservation Fund and sponsored by Wachovia Bank and the Down East Business Association. such as geology, biology, ecology, astronomy, and others. If not already in place, a program could be developed with the state school system, or school systems in the region, to develop an environmental camping program along the Byway. Programs could be designed so that whenever a teacher wants to take their class on an overnight outdoor experience fieldtrip, they would be routed to various stops along the Byway. New group travel is created and as importantly, awareness of the Byway is created in the minds of future travelers. With detailed tracking, this market could be developed as they move up in age Hyping the Piping Protections are in place on public lands to preserve and re-establish several species, such as the piping plover, American oystercatchers, and sea turtles. While the protection measures are controversial, the presence of these species adds to the natural wonder of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. Many Americans who have a strong appreciation for environmental preservation may want to visit an area that has protections in place for natural fauna Skip to my Loo More than 33 million Americans suffer from a condition known as OAB, or overactive bladder. The condition afflicts young and old, men and women, but fully 16 percent of all adults in the United States over 40 deal with OAB. Arthur Frommer, one of the nation s foremost writers of travel guide books, recently released a 76-page guide to public restroom facilities in 19 major U.S. destinations and four national parks. Is it no surprise the book, entitled Where to Stop & Where to Go, does not include the communities along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. The Byway communities could, however, capitalize on the increased exposure of this ailment and promote its own facilities in a similar way on various tourism promotional 123

130 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY TABLE 6-5: FINE-TUNING TACTICS GIVEAWAYS & CONTESTS Tactic Increase the Number of Visitors (Oct-Mar) Increase Average Length of Stay (Mar- Apr, Sept- Oct) Increase Revenue Per Visitor (All Months) Decrease Economic Leakage* (All Months) The Great Gas Giveaway Play the A to Z Game Driving Tours Sponsor Art Contests *Locally received & retained revenues. Source: Tourism Development Specialists, Inc. websites and other marketing materials. A partnership with the National Association for Continence (NAFC) could show the area s progressive leadership in this area and spotlight a new niche market. Bathroom facilities can be developed as an attractive place to rest 6-40 Entice Internationals Language translation of text is becoming increasingly less difficult with easy-to-use software available from Google and Microsoft. While they are probably not perfect, these programs are likely much more economical and perhaps easier than pre-arranged (human) translators. For examples, see the Pea Island and Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge web sites, both of which have buttons for web translation to Spanish, French, and simplified Chinese. Links to translated documents can be made available on the Outer Banks Scenic Byway website to driving maps or other key collateral that are already translated into 20 languages or more. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway should also provide pertinent marketing collateral in other languages that can be downloaded from DiscoverAmerica.com, the North Carolina state tourism website, websites of local tourism promotion organizations, and the Outer Banks Scenic Byway website. Additionally, regular newsletters and press releases should be sent to international media and tour operators. Once the origin of international visitors is understood, the audio tours could be translated in to two or three of the most common languages. These translations could be a good project for some for the language classes in local high schools. Also, in order to facilitate travel for international travelers during their Byway experience, all signs and maps should be marked with international symbols as prescribed by the United Nations National Tourism Organization. More details can be found at ( Store.sf/?ObjectPath= /Shops/Infoshop/ Products/1204/SubProducts/1204-1). Great Giveaways and Contests 6-41 Give People Gas The Great Gas Giveaway Every day, there are countless potential visitor dollars passing through communities along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway at 55 miles per hour. Adding only a small portion of these dollars to what is already captured can have a significant impact on the local economy. One way to lure motorists off the highway and into the communities is to give them gas fuel for their car. The rise of gas prices has affected the travel decisions of Americans, but not as much as one would expect. However, the Conference Board conducted a study in 2006 that found the price per gallon that will likely begin to have a significant negative affect on travel decisions is 124

131 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Josh Burrus (left) and Allen Burrus are two family members operating the Burrus Red & White, a store established by their family in 1866 at this location in the center of Hatteras village. (Photo by Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy) roughly $3.00. That was based on the economic situation at the time. In reality, it is difficult to predict consumer behavior regarding gas prices because of all the variables involved. However, a certain price point could still trigger the great gas giveaway. When the average gas price in the state goes above a pre-determined amount, the great gas giveaway is triggered. Any out-of-town visitor, who stops by a designated place or business along the Byway, would get a coupon for $20 in free gas with the purchase of $30. This offer could be further extended to incorporate a hotel stay. The amounts can be determined with input from participating gas station managers and hotel operators. The purpose is to get more motorists to spend money on something while they are traveling along the Byway, no matter how long they stay. Publicize the giveaway in nearby markets during the weekdays and offer the free gas the following Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (not, of course, in the high season). Then stock the gas stations with welcoming hosts able to provide information on vacation experiences in the region. To encourage hybrid car travel, gas coupons of larger amounts could be offered to drivers who have hybrid, flex-fuel, or bio-diesel cars. This could be important as 44 percent of hybrid car owners reported their driving habits would not change, regardless of the price of gas Play the A to Z Game From A to Z from the village of Atlantic to Zostera marina L. (seawrack, a relative of eelgrass), the Outer Banks Scenic Byway has it all. An interesting challenge for visitors or residents could be to do a photo hunt from A to Z along the Byway. Picture takers would search the route for shots that started with various letters. Some letters will be easy to find, but taking pictures for X and Q could be a bit of an adventure. This activity, which could take some time, would be good for repeat travelers. Everyone who completes all 26 letters gets a prize, which could include a complimentary lunch at a local restaurant or admission to an area attraction. Some of the pictures visitors take could be used for promotional purposes. 125

132 6: SHARING HERITAGE BEYOND THE BYWAY TABLE 6-6: FINE-TUNING TACTICS COLLABORATION AMONG BUSINESSES AND SITES Tactic Increase the Number of Visitors (Oct-Mar) Increase Average Length of Stay (Mar- Apr, Sept- Oct) Increase Revenue Per Visitor (All Months) Decrease Economic Leakage* (All Months) Accommodations Cooperation Package the Byway *Locally received & retained revenues. Source: Tourism Development Specialists, Inc Drive business on driving tours A sense of adventure and purpose could be added for those driving any portion of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. For example, motorists could start at either end of the Byway and be tasked with stopping along the way at businesses that are offering special promotions. At each stop, visitors would have a card stamped the idea being that they might be tempted to spend money at the business. After they have a card full of stamps, they would stop at a designated place, such as a museum or restaurant, to claim their prize. The prize could be a restaurant gift certificate or gas card that must be used in one of the three Byway counties. If the stopping points and promotions along the route change periodically, it will always be a new adventure for repeat visitors. This could be a good way to lure people into the interior of the Byway and make them more inclined to spend the night. It may also be a popular activity with residents Sponsor experiential art contests The internet is a great way to run photo or storytelling contests for different audiences schoolchildren, visitors, commercial artists, residents, etc. and different subjects. Think of endangered properties, best lighthouse photo, critters, kites the possibilities seem endless. Just as it has enhanced the traditional newsletter concept, the internet helps to manage this kind of communications program. It is even possible to allow a web site audience to vote on winners. Encourage Collaboration among Businesses and Sites 6-45 Accommodations cooperation The Outer Banks Scenic Byway can serve to extend the stay of visitors and also induce new demand for tourism supply components outside the Byway communities where tourism infrastructure already exists. For instance, in Carteret County where accommodation opportunities in Byway communities are quite limited, those traveling the Byway will be enticed to stay within the county if hotels and the Tourism Development Authority work to reach them. One way to do this is for hotels near both ends of the Byway to produce cooperative marketing programs in order to capture overnight demand from Byway users. For example, a hotel in Beaufort could partner with a hotel in Manteo and produce advertisements that promote the individual properties as the starting and stopping points for Byway users. Just because a business is not on the Byway route, does not mean that the business should not try to capitalize on tourism demand generated by the Byway Package the Byway With the available lodging along parts of the Byway, any of the opportunities presented in this section could be turned into a package of experiences that include overnight stays. Overnight or multi-day packages could include a myriad of combinations based on the endless options. This would increase usage of the Byway and add overnight visitors for the region. 126

133 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY CHAPTER 7: ORGANIZING THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY INTRODUCTION This plan is the official corridor management plan of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee. This plan puts forth recommendations for many actors and weaves all into a whole. Only by working with partners can the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee implement stewardship recommendations, enhancement projects and interpretive programs. MANAGEMENT The Byway Partnership The Outer Banks Scenic Byway is blessed with an abundance of partners. On the local level, three county boards of commissioners have appointed county-level scenic byway committees. These committees reach out to county-based tourism, economic development, public works and recreation departments for implementing existing programs and recommendations. A rich web of civic and community-based groups tends to the quality of life in the villages. Organizations preserve special sites and places where the public can enjoy and learn about the cultural and natural resources of the Byway. At the federal and state level, the Byway Advisory Committee works with two national seashores and two wildlife refuges. North Carolina s Department of Transportation is and will be a key partner for implementing recommendations for highway maintenance, improvements and signage, and the equally critical ferry system. NCDOT is also the home of North Carolina s scenic byway program. Other state agencies such as Commerce and Cultural Resources and educational institutions serving this region also have roles to play in undertaking programs and meeting goals outlined in this plan. Private individuals and businesses and a wide variety of recreational interests also contribute to the energy that will help get the work done. The Role of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway After publication of the first corridor management plan, the Byway s three counties moved to implement the suggested organization. Each board of commissioners appointed citizens and a county commissioner to a county byway committee. Members of these county committees form the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee. A steering committee, composed of the chairs of each county committee, directs the work of the Advisory Committee. The chairman of the Advisory Committee is currently the chair of the Hyde County committee. Over the years, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee has come to be a regional round table. Working sometimes at the county level and sometimes across county boundaries, the committee provides a forum that allows organizations to communicate their interests and needs. Keeping an eye on the big picture, the committee can monitor progress, connect with resources, and nudge along collaborative projects. This plan is designed to suggest roles and policies, not provide working details. The advisory committee will allow procedures and ways of working to evolve, as needed and appropriate. To continue work on the recommendations in this plan, the boards of commissioners in each county are asked to 127

134 7: ORGANIZING THE BYWAY continue appointing members to county committees. Setting Priorities The best priority-setting will come through the participation of many partners. The committee should regularly establish a work program that identifies projects, resources needed, responsible partners and committee members, and timeframe. The advisory committee should evaluate progress and current needs in revising the work plan. RESOURCES No plan is complete without an examination of the possible funds needed and available to get the work done. The recommendations in this plan require substantial funding, beyond existing local means. This plan enables the Outer Banks Scenic Advisory Committee, local governments, and eligible nonprofits to apply for special federal byway program funding. As important, it also seeks to establish recognition and agreement that the Outer Banks Scenic Byway deserves national, state, and foundation resources and redoubled attention to a wide variety of projects. These are projects that will improve the visitor experience, highway safety, the environment, and recreational access and lead to protection and enhancement of special resources such as historic buildings and community interpretation programs. The short, basic list below indicates a wide scope for discovering potential sources of funds. More important than the information here, however, is the determination to improve local knowledge among all parties about fundraising and grants, and the pursuit of a strategy to do so. The time-honored principle of many hands make light work is in operation here. The Outer Banks Scenic Advisory Committee will be successful to the degree that its partners are successful in obtaining more funds for Byway-related project and programs. Thus, even while the committee may be applying for funding for programs, it has a stake in aiding others in being successful. Scenic Byway Status This corridor management plan anticipates nomination of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway as a National Scenic Byway. Qualifying as a National Scenic Byway will enable the committee and local governments to apply for up to 80% of the cost of a project. Federal funds cannot be used for the remaining 20%; the value of services and goods ( in-kind donations) can count toward the match. The program states that A project should benefit the byway traveler s experience, whether it will help manage the intrinsic qualities that support the byway s designation, shape the byway s story, interpret the story for visitors, or improve visitor facilities along the byway. Currently, FHWA is particularly focusing on projects with demonstrated benefits for the byway traveler and invites the application of large-scale, high-cost projects that provide strategic benefits to the byway. FHWA also encourages priority consideration for projects meeting critical needs, including activities to build and strengthen a sustainable organization, to manage byway activities, and to implement projects or other initiatives. There are six categories for funding applicable to implementing this plan: Safety Improvements, Byway Facilities, Access to Recreation, Resource Protection, Interpretive Information, and Marketing Program. Byway facilities are facilities or improvements that increase the quality of the byway traveler s experience by informing the byway traveler or visitor of the significance of the byway s intrinsic qualities that form the byway s story, or fulfilling multi-modal recommendations of the byway s corridor management plan. Other Transportation Funding Projects in this plan may also obtain federal funding via NCDOT for transportation enhancements. North Carolina allows applicants to request up to 80% of a project budget. Projects must be related to surface transportation and fall within one of twelve kinds of activities: 128

135 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Acquisition of Scenic Easements, Scenic or Historic Sites Scenic or Historic Highway Programs (including tourist or welcome centers) Landscaping and other Scenic Beautification Historic Preservation Rehabilitation of Historic Transportation Facilities Preservation of Abandoned Rail Corridors Control of Outdoor Advertising Archaeological Planning and Research Environmental Mitigation Transportation Museums Surface transportation is defined to include water and includes as eligible activities related features such as canals, lighthouses, and docks or piers connecting to ferry operations, as long as the proposed enhancement otherwise meets the basic eligibility criteria. Successful grants demonstrate the project's proximity to a highway or a pedestrian/bicycle corridor; whether the project enhances the aesthetic, cultural, or historic aspects of the travel experience; and whether the proposed project serves a current or past transportation purpose. The Federal Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program The Federal Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) offers coastal states cost sharing for land conservation efforts, with the funds provided through an annual competitive process among eligible states. In order to be eligible, each state must have an approved CELCP plan to represent a rational, considered approach to coastal land conservation, according to North Carolina s 2007 plan. The program is operated through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and plans are updated every five years. Federal Hazardous Mitigation Grant Program This program provides financial assistance to state and local governments for projects that reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from the effects of natural hazards. The grant program has 75 percent federal and 25 percent local contribution. The nonfederal share may be met with local cash contributions, in-kind services, or certain other grants such as Community Development Block Grants. The Federal Emergency Management Agency makes the final decisions on project eligibility, but the state agencies administer the program. Eligible projects include acquisition of property, retrofitting of buildings, development of standards with implementation as an essential component, and structural hazard control or protection measures such as dams and sea walls. Nonpoint Source Implementation Grants (319 Program) The 319 Program provides formula grants to states so that they may implement nonpoint source mitigation projects and programs in accordance with section 319 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Nonpoint source pollution reduction projects can be used to protect source water areas and the general quality of water resources in a watershed. Examples of previously funded projects include installation of best management practices (BMPs) for animal waste; design and implementation of BMP systems for stream, lake, and estuary watersheds; and basin-wide education programs. These grants allow for 60 percent of the cost of the project to be funded federally with a 40 percent local match. Land and Water Conservation Fund The Land and Water Conservation Fund is the largest source of federal money for park, wildlife, and open space land acquisition. The program s funding comes primarily from offshore oil and gas drilling receipts, with an authorized expenditure of $900 million each year. However, Congress generally appropriates only a fraction of this amount. Between 1995 and 1998, no funds were 129

136 7: ORGANIZING THE BYWAY provided for the state-and-local grant portion of the program, which provides up to 50 percent of the cost of a project, with the balance of the funds paid by states or municipalities. LWCF funds are apportioned by formula to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and territories. Cities, counties, state agencies, and school districts are eligible for LWCF fund monies. These funds can be used for outdoor recreation projects, including acquisition, renovation, and development, and for natural resource restoration. Projects require a 50 percent match. The North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund Created in 1996, the state s Clean Water Management Trust Fund makes grants to local governments, state agencies and conservation non-profits to help finance projects that specifically address water pollution problems. The trust fund supports projects that (1) enhance or restore degraded waters, (2) protect unpolluted waters, and/or (3) contribute toward a network of riparian buffers and greenways for environmental, educational, and recreational benefits. North Carolina Wetlands Restoration Program The North Carolina Wetlands Restoration Program (NCWRP) is a nonregulatory program established in 1996 to restore wetlands, streams and streamside (riparian) areas throughout the state. The Fund strictly supports the acquisition, perpetual maintenance, enhancement, restoration, or creation of wetlands and riparian areas in accordance with the basin-wide restoration plans for North Carolina s seventeen major river basins. Coastal Area Management Act Administered by the NC Division of Coastal Management, this state legislation was enacted in 1974 to implement the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of The federal act called for a program to be voluntarily administered by each State that has a coastal area as part of its borders. The primary function of CAMA is to promote a balance of environmental protection and economic development through permitting, regulation, and planning. Carteret, Dare, and Hyde are among the 20 NC Coastal counties that qualify for CAMA assistance in the areas of land use planning and resource management. Generally, these grants help cover the costs of completing and updating land use plans or implementing strategies that relate to coastal access, stormwater management, water quality protection, regional transportation, solid waste, and economic development. Federal and State Tax Breaks for Private Property Owners North Carolina not only allows tax breaks for maintaining farmland, but also for working waterfront and wildlife habitat. Federal programs are similarly available for forests, farmland, and wetlands. North Carolina also has a generous tax credit program for owners of historic properties, both residential and commercial, patterned after the federal tax credit of up to 20% available for the qualified rehabilitation of older commercial properties. And it has a similarly generous tax credit program for the donation of easements and bargain sales (discounted prices for conservation land purchases). Easements are a kind of middle way, an extra option, between selling or not selling (or being forced to sell) land deserving of conservation. Helping private property owners understand how to take advantage of these programs is a kind of economic development every dollar that stays in the hands of a local property owner is a dollar that will be spent locally, with a benefit over and above its worth as a single dollar as it flows through the local economy. Local Funding Carteret, Dare, and Hyde counties arranged for their share of the match for this plan based on a formula loosely recognizing differences in the number of miles of the byway. Dare paid 50% of the match, while Carteret and Hyde each paid 25%. This may or may not be the continued apportionment, but it shows a thoughtful approach to precious local dollars. In the current economic climate in which this 130

137 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY plan is emerging, it can be anticipated that local governments will experience downturns in revenue. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee recognizes the need to seek project funding outside county budgets. Shaping Existing Funding With or without the Byway and its plans or programs, roads and roadsides and signs need maintenance, and over time stormwater management and recreational access projects will happen, to name some of the more obvious government expenditures. This plan anticipates that as such expenditures are made, those involved will bear in mind the goals, principles, and recommendations in this plan and use them to shape and shift project specifications to benefit the Byway. A special challenge for the Byway in encouraging the public to attend advisory committee meetings is the Byway s length, exacerbated by county lines and even more by the ferries, especially the Cedar Island- Ocracoke route's time commitment of more than two hours. Outside late fall through early spring, the number of crossings is limited, constraining scheduling. It is recommended that county-level committees hold open meetings once or twice a year to report and hear stakeholders comments about progress and needs. PUBLIC OUTREACH AND PARTICIPATION The Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee's role includes keeping the public informed and building public support for projects, beginning with ensuring community understanding of and support for this plan and its vision. For the 2003 Corridor Management Plan, the committee invited community participation in seven meetings held in June and November of For this updated plan, four meetings were held in March of County commissioners were advised on progress. For the future, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee is committed to regular, rich and creative public outreach. This is to be accomplished via a web site and other means described in Chapter 6. In addition, the committee will continue to make its regular meetings open to the public, expecting local news coverage. County-appointed committees will report to county boards of commissioners at regular meetings. County commissioners are serving on the committee, and this participation should be continued. Committee members will seek interaction with stakeholders through its subcommittees and by participating in or lending support to partners' projects. 131

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139 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY ADDENDUM I: ROLES OF AGENCIES, GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS CONNECTED WITH THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PLAN Boards of Commissioners in Dare, Hyde and Carteret Counties Continue appointing members to countylevel Byway Committees Collaborate with county committees and Advisory committee on an annual work plan Byway Advisory Committee and county committees Initiate annual work plan collaboration Implement and evaluate annual work plans Prepare annual reports to boards of commissioners and the public Support federal, state and county agency projects and proposals related to the Byway Conduct public listening sessions Federal Agencies: Cape Hatteras National Seashore Cape Lookout National Seashore Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge Participate in Advisory Committee and/or county level committees as needed Continue collaboration on interpretation and projects Collaborate on annual work plan State Agencies: North Carolina Department of Transportation Meet with county committees and advisory committees as necessary Collaborate on annual work plan Work with Advisory Committee and county committees on suggestions for Transportation Improvement Plan Continue support from the North Carolina Scenic Byway program North Carolina Department of Commerce Maintain participation in the Carteret and Advisory committees through the Maritime History Tourism Officer County Agencies: Three county managers, tourism boards, departments of public works, recreation and public relations Collaborate and work with committees on developing and implementing annual work plans as needed. 133

140 ROLES OF AGENCIES, GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS Current members of the County Byway Committees: Carteret County Tom Steepy, Carteret County Commissioner Karen W. Amspacher Betsy DeCampo Dave Inscoe Charles Jones Connie Mason Hyde County Eugene S. Ballance, Hyde County Commissioner Earl W. O'Neal, Jr., Chair Rudy Austin Kenny Ballance Jen Esham Alice Keeney George Ortman Dare County Allen Burrus, Dare County Commissioner Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy, Chair Mel Covey Vicky Grist Ricki Shepherd Corridor Management Plan: Project Management and Consulting Team Byway planner A. Elizabeth Watson, AICP, Watson Heritage Strategies, Chestertown, Md., prepared the Corridor Management Plan in consultation with the Byway Advisory Committee and project manager Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy, chair of Dare County s Byway committee. Consultants assisting Watson Heritage Strategies were Shelley S. Mastran, Reston, Va., scenic assessment; Jim Sipes, RLA, EDAW/ AECOM, Atlanta, Ga., enhancements; and Jason Swanson, Tourism Development Specialists, Inc., Raleigh, N.C., sharing heritage beyond the Byway. Old Drum Inlet at dawn. Photos not otherwise identified in this plan were taken by A. Elizabeth Watson, AICP, Watson Heritage Strategies. This is her favorite, with thanks to local pilot Dwight Burrus for a beautiful flight to Manteo from Beaufort one cold and windy March morning. 134

141 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY ADDENDUM II: A DRIVE ALONG THE OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Introduction The evolution of the cultural landscape sets the context for traveling the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. From the northern boundary of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Byway traveler traverses a primarily natural landscape of maritime vegetation, marshes, creeks, and dunes, punctuated by eight villages. This first half of the Byway is along barrier islands far from North Carolina s mainland and ends at the National Register village of Ocracoke. Here, the traveler will take a second, much longer ferry (2.25 hours) to visit Down East, a purely maritime landscape. The route in Down East alternates between thirteen more fishing villages and spectacular views of rivers, marshes, sounds, and wild barrier islands. Let s explore the Byway in this last chapter, to reflect on its many wonders in more detail. Whalebone Junction to Coquina Beach Whalebone Junction is the Outer Banks Scenic Byway s northern gateway. At mile marker 2 Coquina Beach marks the first formal opportunity to enjoy the seashore s beaches. Here, as along all beaches on these islands, visitors enjoy fishing, shelling, hiking, surfing, picnicking, or simply relaxing in a beautiful place. The Laura Barnes shipwreck can also be seen here. It is one of several in evidence along many miles of beaches. Bodie Island Soon after Coquina Beach, the traveler will see U.S. Life-Saving Station Bodie Island, the route s first of five original life saving or early Coast Guard stations standing immediately along the route in their original locations. Three more can be seen on Portsmouth Island and Cape Lookout. The Bodie Island station is under restoration and shortly to be moved by the National Park Service away from encroaching dunes. To the right is the dramatic Bodie Lighthouse (1872) with its horizontal black and white stripes. Of the route s four lighthouses, it is the one most easily seen from N.C. 12, especially when driving north. The Bodie Island light is not currently open to visitors, but the National Park Service is seeking restoration funds. A visitor center in the Keepers Quarters and a hiking trail through pine woods and marsh are the reward for a turn off NC 12. Restoration of the lighthouse and opening it to regular visitation could help to reduce some of the visitor pressure on Hatteras (see Figure 5-5). Oregon Inlet to Hatteras Island Camping, fishing, and boating are popular on the north side of Oregon Inlet, where a seashore campground, Oregon Inlet Fishing Center with charter boats and a modern U.S. Coast Guard station stand. The long approach and high crossing of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge over the inlet gives visitors a sweeping view of ocean, inlet, sound, tidal flats, dunes, marshes, and sky. This all-too-short experience sums up the splendid natural landscape to be experienced here. At this point, the Byway has left the mainland and is now on Hatteras Island, the longest barrier island the Byway follows. Just beyond the foot of the bridge, travelers will first experience a hallmark of this constantly changing landscape. Giant sand dunes loom over the road. A department of transportation bulldozer to clear the road is usually present. The formally abandoned Oregon Inlet Coast 135

142 A DRIVE ALONG THE BYWAY Guard Station at the top of Hatteras Island and at the bridge s southern landing is destined for restoration. The traveler is clearly in a place like nowhere else. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge The first stretch of Hatteras Island is the 5,834- acre Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, where impoundments and other structures built in the 1930 s form a cultural landscape eligible for the National Register. Some 365 bird species have been sighted on these ponds making Pea Island one of the greatest birding locations on the planet. The refuge s visitor center is located at roughly the mid-point of the 13-mile drive in the refuge. Its well-stocked gift shop, helpful volunteer docents, and an attractive display of common refuge denizens and its comfort station make this a popular stopping point. North Pond Trail starts from the visitor center. A quarter-mile Salt Flats trail starts at the north end of the North Pond impoundment. The two trails are connected by a service road that can be walked. Both trails are accessible to the disabled. In the fall, the impoundments are covered with migrating Canada geese, greater snow geese, and a host of waterfowl. At other times of the year, brown pelicans, blue herons, white egrets, and a variety of wading birds are common here. Refuge visitors can park at the trailheads or other locations and hike a short distance over the dunes to discover the beaches. Beach vehicle access, allowed in the national seashore, is not permitted in the refuge. Villages and the Beach Landscape The eight villages of the Outer Banks proper are centered in enclaves of private land, reserved when the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was assembled in All eight areas have been extensively developed since the discovery of the region by beach lovers. As it has been for generations of returning families as well as those just discovering it, Hatteras or Ocracoke islands are the highlight of many a summer vacation. Just over the dramatic dune line in the national seashore or a short walk away from a beach cottage are beaches considered among the world s most beautiful. Outside villages, miles of these beaches can be accessed by vehicle at regularly spaced ramps through the dunes. These villages are built on a deep and rich culture closely tied to the natural world. It is possible to learn of a maritime history and culture that extends back to the earliest era of European exploration and growth of the United States. If Bodie Light did not signal this, the splendid Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station in Rodanthe most certainly will. This historic site features two original stations that are open to the public (1874, 1911). Both are the earliest architectural examples of the Life-Saving Service and Coast Guard stations constructed in North Carolina. Programs at the station include summertime reenactments of life saving practices and commemoration one of the great rescues along the Outer Banks. Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo Chicamacomico s name is Algonquian. The station is situated on the northern end of the first village, Rodanthe, a name awarded when the postal service began land-based post offices. The historic site anchors a small historic district recently determined eligible for the National Register and includes the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building, a renovated school building (ca. 1920). This building is where Old Christmas is now celebrated in January with an Oyster Shoot, oyster roast and dance. Along this six-mile stretch of the Byway, most guide books state that it is difficult to separate Rodanthe from Waves and Waves from Salvo. However, the villages are still today discreet gatherings of families and 100-year old homes marked by live oaks. A pathway project will serve as the backbone to identify these historic areas. A second National Register building is in Salvo. The tiny Salvo Post Office is one of the smallest buildings listed in the National Register. New postmasters purchased the small building from previous officeholders and moved it to a new site. The building was 136

143 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY partially destroyed by fire but restored by a loving community. Hatteras Island s northern villages exemplify Outer Banks isolation. Thirteen miles to the north is the natural undeveloped Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. To the south are 13 miles of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Seashore to Avon and Buxton Exiting Salvo, the soundside Salvo Day Use Area in the national seashore provides a different recreational experience. A cooperative effort among the seashore, the villages civic association and Dare s Tourism Board installed a bathhouse for beach goers and water sports enthusiasts. This 13-mile stretch of national seashore is punctuated with ramps to the ocean beach and sand paths to Pamlico Sound. Limited parking for two-wheel drive vehicles is available at the beginning of the sand paths. These access points to Pamlico Sound are evidence of what was once a landscape settled by fishing families and life-savers. The paths have place names known to residents. Percy s Net Rack, where fishing nets were dried, is one example. Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving Station buildings built in 1874 and 1904 stand in splendid isolation. The buildings are now undergoing restoration by the National Park Service. Homes once surrounded this station and a family graveyard bears evidence. Several of these homes were moved to village of Kinnakeet, also known as Avon. To see this old village of Kinnakeet with its working harbor requires a turn off the Byway. The Byway proceeds through new Avon with commercial services and residential buildings. Emerging from Avon, still bound almost directly south, the Byway follows six miles of national seashore with one of the most striking views of Pamlico Sound and the fringe of soundside Hatteras Island. Midway in this six miles is Haulover Day Use Area, a soundside facility that hosts water sports. Kite boarders and wind surfers frequent Haulover nearly year-round. The national seashore is where kite boarding was invented. It is easy to see how the shallow, inviting waters of Pamlico Sound make a perfect canvas for the sport. Surfers equally enjoy excellent waves on the ocean beaches in the same neighborhood, one of three especially favored surfing areas along Hatteras. This lively place name, Haulover, stems from fishermen hauling their boats over the island from ocean to sound or sound to ocean. Tantalizingly just in view to the east is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (1870). Buxton, Cape Point, and Frisco In Buxton, travelers eagerly turn off NC 12 into the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse historic district, crowned by the lighthouse. Cape Hatteras, the only Byway lighthouse currently accessible on its interior, is open for climbing from Easter through Columbus Day weekends. From the top, visitors can see mighty Cape Hatteras and the dramatic shape of Hatteras Island. Visitors can marvel at the distance the mighty structure was moved, centimeters at a time, to save it from falling into the sea at its original location 2,900 feet away. As it was happening in 1999, this unique engineering feat was a worldwide sensation. Also moved, and set in their original orientation to the lighthouse, are the two lighthouse keepers quarters. The larger Double Keepers Quarters houses the park s Museum of the Sea, which interprets some of the maritime history of the region. A modern visitor center completes the complex, offering a gift shop and helpful volunteer docents. A large sheltered outdoor seating space faces the lighthouse and provides a venue for seashore ranger presentations. Nearby Lighthouse Beach offers public swimming and facilities. Cape Point, accessed by beach going vehicle, is a popular fishing area and a favorite with residents for its sunset views. Elsewhere near the lighthouse is a short hiking trail, the Buxton Woods Nature Trail, which explores a unique maritime forest and its wetlands, called sedges. Another undeveloped trail beside the district s British Cemetery runs for three miles through maritime forest and state-owned Buxton 137

144 A DRIVE ALONG THE BYWAY Woods Coastal Reserve. This Open Ponds Trail follows very old cart paths and ends at the national park s Frisco Campground. North Carolina s Mountains to Sea Trail, which generally follows the beach from Ocracoke all the way to its end at Jockey s Ridge State Park north of Nags Head, heads inland to experience this trail. Buxton s British Cemetery holds the remains of World War II British sailors. The Battle of the Atlantic ranged to these waters. Heavily used shipping lanes made the Outer Banks waters prime hunting ground for German submarines. Ocracoke has a similar cemetery. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains both graveyards and the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum along with Ocracoke village annually hold commemorative ceremonies during the second week in May at both locations. Outside the lighthouse district, Buxton offers a wide range of accommodations, dining opportunities, and other amenities. Buxton, at the elbow and widest part of Hatteras Island, is the commercial and governmental center of the island. Hatteras Island s elementary and secondary schools are located here. The secondary school has recently been named the Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal Studies. Curriculum offerings, primarily in middle grades science classes, are beginning to link the young generation with the dynamic island environment. Again, live oaks and older vegetation mark the historic centers of both Buxton and Frisco, the neighboring village along the Byway. Frisco enjoys dramatic height, best enjoyed by walking or driving through the seashore s public campground where Buxton Woods system of ridges and swales can be clearly seen. Frisco s recently built southern end centers on the third of the three ocean piers available on Hatteras Island. Privately-owned Creed s Hill Life-Saving Station buildings mark the end of Frisco and the beginning of another, shorter stretch of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Frisco beach is accessed by a boardwalk over the dunes and is served by a comfort station and bathhouse. Nearby is Sandy Bay parking area which provides access to Pamlico Sound and a boardwalk across the dunes to the ocean. This narrow section of the island is marked by weather. In 2003, Hurricane Isabel cut an inlet and separated Hatteras village from the rest of the island. Hatteras Village Hatteras village is recognized as a Preserve America community for its work in identifying its older structures and preserving maritime history. The Hatteras Village Civic Association offers a walking/driving tour through the village. Early homes are identified with plaques. A virtual tour on the web is almost as enjoyable. The sense of maritime community here is palpable and offers the best Hatteras Island connection with villagers and village culture. A famous Saturday night fish fry offered every week in the summer raises funds for community buildings and programs. The village s taxing authority has remodeled the community center and library and purchased a large open property to develop as a park. Residents enjoy coffee and a chat on the porch of the 1940 s Burrus Red & White grocery store, the third family-owned store to occupy the center-of-town site since Store owners own the house next door and have set comfortable picnic tables under live oaks. Just around the corner is the Hatteras Weather Bureau building (1901), restored by the National Park Service. The building is operated by Dare s Tourism Board as a visitor center. One of a dozen granite Civil War markers graces the side yard of the East Carolina Bank across from the store and visitor center. Hatteras suffered the most recent breach of a North Carolina barrier island in September Hurricane Isabel opened an inlet at the vulnerable point just north of town. Tales of courage, community self-help, and the novelty of temporary island status joined many community memories of other storms. State and federal agencies worked around the clock to restore the NC 12 roadway and water and power connections. Recreational fishing is a mainstay of today s maritime landscape in Hatteras village. Guided 138

145 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY tours to see pelagic birds also make the trek offshore. A favorite pastime of local residents is to spend the late afternoon at the community harbor, watching the sun sink in the west as deep sea boats return after a day on the Gulf Stream. Graveyard of the Atlantic Situated beside the ferry terminal at the far end of Hatteras is the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. Hatteras villagers created this museum and raised about $6 million to build the structure. Villagers along with the State of North Carolina initially competed in an East Coast bid for housing U.S.S. Monitor artifacts, which they lost to Virginia. The U.S.S. Monitor lies in 230 feet of water about 16 miles south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, in an area designated in 1975 as the nation s first National Maritime Sanctuary. The wreck was discovered in 1973, following years of searching in the turbulent waters. Realizing that Hatteras Island s shipwreck history is a great untold story, community leaders determined to build a museum. The National Park Service donated land. The community and the museum s volunteer board raised millions and a striking structure now stands ready for complete exhibits. The museum is now owned by the State of North Carolina. The museum has on display the original Fresnel lens of the Cape Hatteras light, an enormous glass object formed of heavy prisms, and the pedestal from the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. An Enigma machine from a World War II German U-boat is undergoing restoration in the museum lobby. Hatteras Inlet Crossing Hatteras Inlet is one of the joys of driving the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. On the free, 40-minute scenic crossing, passengers on board North Carolina s ferries see the southern tip of Hatteras Island, feel the currents in the inlet and snuggle into a protected dock on Ocracoke Island. Many of the men and women working on these ferries are from local families steeped in the maritime traditions of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway. The Hatteras Inlet ferry deposits travelers on Ocracoke Island for a 13- mile trip to the island s historic village. Ocracoke Island Ocracoke is a different island. In a way, the rhythm of Ocracoke s seven tiny creeks with flashing glimpses of Pamlico Sound scattered along the thirteen miles to the village anticipates the much larger scale experience that awaits the traveler in Down East. Another view, soon after the ferry terminal, offers one of only two glimpses of the ocean from the roadway. The ocean is so close that sea foam will splatter against windshields in stormy weather. Until the island gained national seashore status, Ocracoke islanders allowed their livestock to run free. Among these were hardy island ponies, thought to be descendants of Spanish horses purchased in the Caribbean and lost by the English when they ran aground around Portsmouth Island in the 16 th century. Today, these ponies are corralled in a generous pasture. Visitors can park and see the ponies from a viewing stand nearby the stables. Travelers can also walk across NC 12 to visit the nearby beach. Only parking facilities are available. This Corridor Management Plan suggests the Ocracoke Pony Pens as a potential location for a new national seashore and Outer Banks Scenic Byway visitor center for the island. A rare bend in the road with thick towering pines signals the last creek and a turn to a reservation-only national seashore campground. Just across from the campground is the three-quarter mile Hammock Hills Nature Trail through the island s maritime forest and salt marsh. Informative signposts assist visitors on the 30-minute trail to the sound. Ocracoke Village The first view of the village of Ocracoke is surprising no live oaks, a wide street, cars parked at angles in the right-of-way, large buildings offering restaurants and shopping. This is where private land remained between the village and the national seashore. The 139

146 A DRIVE ALONG THE BYWAY road s right-of-way is 150 feet. Development here looks and is modern. The realistic statue of a pony at the Pony Island Inn, one of many traditional family-owned inns, marks a change. Heavy junipers close in the view, the road narrows, and smaller buildings retreat beneath the shade of live oaks. The visitor soon realizes how well the village deserves its Preserve America recognition status. Soon after entering the old village, Lighthouse Road on the left leads to the small Ocracoke Lighthouse, unseen on the horizon. Unfortunately, an Ocracoke lighthouse visit is a quick visit since neither the lighthouse nor the keepers quarters are open to the public. A bonus for pedestrians is that knowledgeable visitors to the lighthouse can continue their walk. The far end of the loop leads to a lovely nature trail down to the water, through the Springer Point Nature Reserve. The water view overlooks the place where the pirate Blackbeard met his death in The centerpiece of the village today is still Silver Lake, or Cockle Creek as it is known by native O cockers (the islanders name for themselves). Picturesque docks and boats can be glimpsed between buildings as the main road turns right and follows the edge of the harbor to the ferry terminal, seashore visitor center, and quantities of parking at the far end. About halfway down is Community Square, a small paved area between the family-run Community Store, a traditional general store, and several smaller shops on the other side. Jack s Dock extends from one side, leading to the small pending Watermen s Exhibit sponsored by the Ocracoke Working Watermen s Association. Around the corner is the Ocracoke Fish House, cooperatively organized when the last commercial fish house on the island closed. Visitors enjoy the fish house so much that association is creating the exhibit in self-defense. The fish house cannot safely and cleanly accommodate many visitors. Jack s Dock is also the location for the small private passenger ferry that, for a fee, will take visitors to the uninhabited village of Portsmouth, on Portsmouth Island, the other side of Ocracoke Inlet. Three buildings are open to visitors, and 17 more are maintained by the National Park Service in association with former owners and caretakers, making this a splendid museum without walls. Portsmouth Island is actually part of the next national seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore The village is listed in the National Register for Historic Places. In the meantime, a pleasant short cut for pedestrians only is Howard Street, one of the remaining unpaved lanes, and left deliberately unmaintained to make the occasional auto driver very careful indeed. Lichen-covered picket fences crowd the shady lane, protecting typically small historic homes. A rare, carefully propped toothache tree lurks in the untamed brush. At Lawton Lane visitors can also continue straight on Howard to see some of the many tiny Ocracoke family cemeteries on the left, each with its own fence, and wind up at School Road. Here, the United Methodist Church and the village s K-12 school host many community events. School Road passes by the Deepwater Theater. The theater hosts happy musical events nearly daily in the summer, the fall s two-weeklong Ocrafolk, patterned on Appalachian craft schools, and the annual Ocracoke Festival the first weekend in June. The happy wanderer on foot has many more choices on Ocracoke back streets especially the British Cemetery and pleasant shops scattered throughout the village. A walking tour brochure by the Ocracoke Preservation Society is available as well as a map by the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association providing business locations. The area of the village specifically set aside for visitors, however, is down by the Cedar Island Ferry Terminal. Here Byway travelers can check out the visitor services at the national seashore s small Ocracoke visitor center and the ferry terminal, which has a gift shop. Both have public restroom and vending opportunities. 140

147 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Nearby the beautifully restored David Williams House presides over the parking lot used by vehicles and boat owners. This house museum is the village s preservation society centerpiece Ocracoke Museum. Exhibits inside help visitors understand village history. A video explains the island s unique brogue dialect. The Ocracoke brogue is still to be heard on village streets and studied by linguists from North Carolina State University. Similar speech patterns exist in Down East, where communities grew from other isolated populations. Both brogues preserve remnants of old English speech patterns. Cedar Island Ferry Crossing The majestic 1935 Coast Guard Station, now restored and adapted for use by a state-run educational institute for teachers, presides over the mouth of the harbor and is best seen departing on the Cedar Island Ferry. Perhaps bottlenose dolphins or a para-sailing adventurer will grace this crossing of the Pamlico Sound. More reliable sights include the vast Pamlico Sound and, on a clear day, Portsmouth Island. Duck blinds and pound nets decorate the shallow sound, which has a sandbar reef underwater that echoes the shape of the barrier islands. Down East The landing at Cedar Island marks the Byway s transition to the Down East mainland. The mainland is a large peninsula between the mouth of the Neuse River and Core and Back Sounds. NC 12 ends eight miles from the ferry landing. US 70 picks up with a route that, though travelers will perceive it as winding, is essentially parallel to Core Banks. Core Banks are a low fringe visible from many bridges and marsh crossings. Core Banks, protecting Core Sound, form the heart of Cape Lookout National Seashore. At Cape Lookout itself, the southern portion of Core Banks takes a pronounced westerly turn, like a fish hook or check mark, enclosing the eastern end of eastwest Shackleford Banks with a sheltering bight wrapped around Barden Inlet. Shackleford Banks, now uninhabited, has a much studied and documented herd of registered historic wild mustangs or banker ponies. The herd, a major draw for visitors, is managed by the National Park Service and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses, a North Carolina non-profit corporation and an IRS 501 (c)(3) charity. Off-season, private ferry operators are willing to detour from their route between Harkers Island and Cape Lookout to drop visitors on the island. All of these barrier islands were once home to families whose descendants now live in Down East villages, preserving and continuing to enrich their maritime culture. After a series of hurricanes in the 19 th century culminating in the 1899 Storm of the Century, island families thinking this trend would continue decided to move to higher ground. The islanders migrated primarily to Harkers Island and Marshallberg in Down East and Salter Path and Promise Land on Bogue Sound. These communities share fishing and boatbuilding traditions that still live today. Ancestral ties are still strong and celebrated by the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. West of the Byway corridor is Open Grounds Farm, the largest farm east of the Mississippi. Formerly it was farmed as several plantations begun in colonial times, assembled as one after the turn of the 20 th century. The University of Chicago once owned it. Open Grounds Farms spans 50,000 acres north and south of private roads maintained from its western gate along Merrimon Road to its eastern gate along the Byway near Stacy. More than 35,000 acres are cultivated in wheat, corn, cotton and soy beans. The farm has a 30-person staff and an annual operating budget of $7 million. Products are shipped to Goldsboro and distributed all over the United States. Cedar Island and the Vast Cedar Island Marsh Cedar Island is a destination for Byway travelers moving in either direction. It offers a restaurant, motel, a boat ramp, a beach, a campground, and a horse riding concession. 141

148 A DRIVE ALONG THE BYWAY The Quality Seafood Dealership, a fish house, is also here, along with a netmaking operation. Watermen owning boom trucks used for lifting heavy fishing nets sometimes assemble in boom truck parades to celebrate holidays. Only 30 miles from the Byway s southern gateway, Cedar Island makes for a nice day trip for visitors elsewhere in the county and attracts many hunters and fishing enthusiasts. One of the most scenic aspects of this part of the Byway is the marshes. The rhythm of marsh, then village, then marsh is a wonderful part of the Byway driving experience. Marshes are also critical natural resources that shaped the human community and continue to provide ecological support for the fishing industry. These marshes serve as nurseries for shellfish, crabs, and finfish, and help to make the sounds and rivers here among the cleanest in North Carolina. The enormous marsh that divides Cedar Island from the mainland is the heart of the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge, which covers 14,480 acres. The Byway here is a breathtaking six-mile drive, worthy in its own right as a destination for sheer beauty and grandeur. The roadway is standard width on a narrow grassed causeway, bordered by water in deep wide ditches. Beyond the ditches, the marsh grasses are just above roadway height, stretching to a far horizon all around. The Monroe Gaskill Bridge rises high above the marsh at its center, the second of three bridges that afford Byway travelers expansive views. Here, the marsh is laid out completely to the viewer, who can see that the waterway crossed by the bridge is a canal, a shortcut between Pamlico and Core Sounds. Spiky black needlerush dominates. The Fishing Villages then Marsh, then Village After Cedar Island, four communities punctuate the drive south through marsh. These are Atlantic, Davis, Marshallberg, and Harkers Island. All have multiple streets, deeply shaded by live oaks, and water views for many homes. Eight other smaller, generally linear villages are interspersed among these, Sea Level, Stacy, Williston, Smyrna, Gloucester, Straits, Otway, and Bettie. All have unique histories and committees of residents working to preserve their history and memories through the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. The rhythm of driving this stretch of the Byway is distinctive, passing alternately through settled areas marking the high ground and tidal marshes. Atlantic Atlantic, the next village after Cedar Island, recently lost its last fish house, but still has a large commercial waterfront. The scenic harbor shelters many commercial fishing vessels that can reach ocean fishing grounds through Drum Inlet directly across Core Sound. A small restaurant is available at the marina where passengers can take a private ferry to the northern end of Core Banks. Elsewhere are a bank, grocery store, and gas station. A hospital, a branch of a larger one in Morehead City, serves this farthest end of Carteret County. Like the residents themselves, visitors should plan to travel far for more services. Atlantic was once called Hunting Quarters because of its abundance of game including bear, deer, and fowl. It is the home of the first ferry service to the Outer Banks, established by the Taylor brothers in the late 1940 s. Before and during World War II, Atlantic boasted seven stores, a dance hall and a movie house. World War II brought both a Marine airbase and an Army post to Atlantic. After the war, the Army post closed and the Marine airbase downsized. Atlantic s population became more mobile resulting in the closing of most of the stores, the dance hall and the movie house. Atlantic, Stacy and Davis The drive to Davis swings through Sea Level and around Nelson Bay, with the Byway s third high bridge and another long water view. The Byway then passes many water views and through the linear village of Stacy, perched on the edge of King Point Marsh. Like Davis, it is very nearly on an island surrounded on all sides by wetlands. On the far side of the large marsh, more than two miles wide, southbound drivers reach the bridge crossing at Oyster Creek where a boat ramp offers a place to launch a boat or to park and enjoy the scenic 142

149 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY view. A crab processing business on the north side of the creek offers visual interest. Davis Davis, 13 miles away, and Smyrna, both with sharp left turns to slow down drivers, have country store-style gas stations. Across the corner from the one in Davis, a public-spirited owner took on the restoration of an older country store. It is now open as a gift shop featuring local baked good, arts and crafts. Davis also has a concession ferry to shuttle visitors to the middle of Core Banks, including an off-road vehicle or two. Beach driving is allowed along the Cape Lookout National Seashore. This is the community that first decided to erect a beautiful, large, neatly landscaped sign proudly announcing its existence. Nearly every community has followed suit, either at the community s entrance or entrances, or at its center. Each village sign has its own unique design. Williston and Smyrna The enormous Davis Marsh surrounds Jarrett Bay. The two-mile-long natural stretch with splendid water views, the second of two that travelers will encounter on their way to the last water body, the broad North River. Williston and Smyrna are linear villages beside creeks that feed Jarrett Bay. At this point, the traveler begins to see more of a backdrop of mixed pine and hardwood forests. While more water views are ahead, the Byway has reached higher ground as it leaves US 70 at Smyrna s corner. The Byway loops due south, then east, then north, around a neck (small peninsula) on the historic route through three villages with close ties to Harkers Island. Although it will not appear to the Byway driver for some time, the island lies just across a sheltered strait that historically allowed easy connection by boat. Marshallberg, Gloucester and Straits The first village on this loop is Marshallberg. Because it is farthest east on the neck (actually on its own neck), it has a view of Cape Lookout Lighthouse, past the eastern tips of Brown and Harkers islands. Brown is the near view, seen from a small park down on the water immediately beyond Marshallberg s scenic harbor. The slightly west-facing park and its picnic shelter attract small neighborly visits as the summer-angled sun sets over the water. The Carteret County Historical Society has installed plaques on the many white I-houses grouped in the oldest parts of the village. The new Great Marsh Boatworks is here, offering classes on building traditional wooden boats and preserving old-time boatbuilding skills. Other modern boatbuilding operations are in nearby neighborhoods and the second and third villages of Gloucester and Straits. At Straits, the road joins the main route to Harkers Island from Beaufort, and the Byway is one way in, one way out to this point. The decoy carvers guild chose a location just before the Harkers Island bridge to set up shop which is open seasonally, but not daily, for visitors and buyers. The Straits/Harkers Island causeway has a boat ramp that allows a stop to enjoy the views of wading birds at low tide, a sunset, or just a lovely water view of Back Sound. Harkers Island Harkers Island was the last Down East village to be served by road when the strait was finally bridged in The harbor comes into view soon after the bridge crossing, close to the western end of the island and accessing Back Sound. School consolidation two generations ago shifted the high school closer to Beaufort. In the process, like Atlantic and Smyrna, Harkers Island retained an elementary school that is an important community focus. Many churches and various community services, shops, restaurants, and churches occur over the four miles from the harbor to Shell Point, the island s eastern terminus. A local sandwich shop sells delicious shrimp burgers, tiny fried shrimp grouped in a bun with ketchup, cole slaw, and tartar sauce. Three concession ferries provide the shortest trip across Back and Core Sounds to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, just 15 minutes away in good weather. Cape Lookout National Seashore At the far end of the island, visitors will find the two principal attractions of Down East, the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center and the visitor center for the Cape 143

150 A DRIVE ALONG THE BYWAY Lookout National Seashore. The visitor center is the only part of the park accessible by car. At Shell Point, across from the center, visitors can feast their eyes on the best view of the lighthouse, only five miles away, and enjoy a picnic on one of several tables shaded by small shelters. Exhibits and a video in the visitor center are not nearly enough to help the visitor enjoy what this park has to offer. Just across the sound are the lighthouse with its famous black and white diamonds and its Keepers Quarters with more exhibits. The park s other uninhabited historic village, also called Cape Lookout or just Cape village, is preserved nearby. It features an early purpose-built Coast Guard Station as well as its preceding Life- Saving Station. The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center Down East s Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center is one of those special and rare places where a unique cultural group has constructed their own museum to explain their culture and heritage in their own way. Each of the thirteen villages has its own exhibit, tended by its own residents, whose belongings form the core of their displays. An outstanding retail area a combination of gift shop, book store, and gallery includes the works of many local visual artists, especially of local decoy carvers now known around the world. Decoy carving and Down East s rich waterfowling heritage, as the museum explains, form a lens through which you can see, and understand, Core Sound s environment and natural history, her folk art and her unforgettable folks. The museum s expansive mission is the Core Sound Story the history of its communities, the perpetuation and support of its local craftsmen, the importance of protecting its natural resources and all the traditions that make up this coastal way of life. A large building sports the trademark square tower of the Outer Banks, an early design by the U.S. Coast Guard for its new buildings in North Carolina. Much exhibit space awaits a permanent installation explaining the environment and cultural heritage of this unique part of the world. More than $2.4 million has gone into the building so far, and another $1 million will support the permanent installation. Outside, the 40-foot wooden fishing vessel Jean Dale awaits restoration under a large open shed. The vessel shows the unusual boat design known as Harkers Island style. Its hallmark is a dramatically flared bow invented early in the 20 th century and perfectly and uniquely adapted for fishing the shallow waters of Core Sound. Even for novice observers of wooden fishing boats, a Harkers Island boat is easy to spot once understood. Behind the museum is the four-acre Willow Pond, one of the largest freshwater ponds along North Carolina s ecologically rich coastline. A nature trail loops through the woods surrounding the pond, connecting with additional trails behind the Cape Lookout visitor center. Like the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, the museum stands on National Park Service land. The museum s many community outreach programs are a continuing part of the heritage here. The large building has become a community center for events, banquets, and other gatherings. The first Tuesday night of the month is community night, where Down East residents come together to continue gathering memories, telling stories, designing exhibits, and sharing local recipes. The museum earns part of its budget catering traditional Down East meals. The first effort at gathering together the heritage of Core Sound started with a cookbook in 1987 that gained national fame. At these gatherings, Down East villagers fill community scrapbooks, map community assets, honor elders and artists, listen to guest lecturers and concerts by local musicians, publish old photos, newsletters (named The Mailboat ), annual reports and more cookbooks. A rich and highly active web site reinforces communications among museum, individual supporters, and the communities it serves. The museum works with local economic development promoters to train local people for the business of heritage tourism. 144

151 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Otway, Bettie, and North River In this last stretch of the Byway, the landscape changes once again, to some of the best farmland in Carteret County. Two more communities remain, with memories of plantations and farming. Otway, named for, Otway Burns, a daring privateer who harried the British in the War of 1812, has a modern corner gas station that makes great cheese biscuits. A combination farm stand and bakery between the two communities sells fresh strawberries, pecans, collards, sweet potatoes, and other produce in season. Memories of Bettie include mills, one a windmill and one driven by the tides of the North River, and cannon balls whose origins are debated as coming from Blackbeard. Ward s Creek divides the two communities, and the majestic North River crossing ends the visit. Someday soon, there will be a gateway facility here overlooking the beautiful marsh on its western edge. This ends the tour of the portion of the statelisted scenic byway that is being nominated for national status. The state byway continues to the edge of the town of Beaufort, through an area that has changed greatly since its nomination and would no longer qualify. 145

152 146

153 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: LIFE-SAVING STATION SITES TO CONSIDER FOR INTERPRETIVE IMPROVEMENTS Site Tommy s Hummock, 1878; new station built 1923 is still standing, to be moved by NPS Oregon Inlet (Bodie Island, 1874; new station ); standing (NC Aquariums) Location/Owner or Caretaker Bodie Island/NPS Oregon Inlet/NC Aquariums Pea Island (1878; site across from refuge visitor center) Pea Island ( building, now residence/ business in Salvo) Cedar Hummock, ; Gull Shoal, (site near Salvo Day Use Area) Big Kinnakeet, ; (site) Cape Hatteras, 1880 (site) Creeds Hill, 1878 (site at end of Frisco campground) Creeds Hill, 1878 (station building moved to edge of village) Hatteras (Durants), 1878 (site) Ocracoke (Hatteras Inlet), 1883 (site) Ocracoke, , original kitchen from site can be seen at 101 British Cemetery Rd.; this building was used as a morgue in WWII Pea Island/PINWR Salvo/private Salve/NPS Buxton/NPS Buxton/NPS Frisco/NPS Frisco/private Hatteras/NPS Ocracoke Island/NCDOT Ocracoke/private Note: New Inlet, Chicamacomico, Little Kinnakeet, and Portsmouth are already interpreted. 147

154 APPENDIX 2: MISCELLANEOUS SITES TO CONSIDER FOR NEW OR ADDED INTERPRETIVE IMPROVEMENTS Site U.S. Coast Survey Monument (with potential nature trail) Laura Barnes shipwreck (1921) Salvo Post Office (listed in National Register) Clarks and No Wake Village Sites Liberty Ship Brass Propeller and Marker Oriental shipwreck (1862) Location/Owner or Caretaker Whalebone Junction/NPS Coquina Beach/NPS Salvo/private Salvo/NPS Oregon Inlet/U.S. Coast Guard? Hatteras Island/Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, NPS G. A. Kohler shipwreck (1933) Ramp 27/NPS U.S. Coast Guard Station (former) British Cemetery (WWII site) Historic Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) cabins Billy Mitchell Airstrip Parkland on Eagle Pass Road purchased for future development (with potential nature trail) Buxton/NPS, Dare County Cape Hatteras/NPS, U.K. Cape Hatteras/NPS Frisco/Dare County Hatteras Village Tax Board Albatross I, II, III (historic vessels; Albatross I is eligible for National Register) Unnamed shipwreck Ocracoke Pony Pasture Loop Shack Hill (WWII site listed in National Register) Community Square & Jack s Dock British Cemetery (WWII site) Blanche (historic fishing vessel) Marshallburg Park (water's edge, view of Cape Lookout Lighthouse) Decoy Carvers Guild Building Jean Dale (historic fishing vessel) Source: Outer Banks Scenic Byway Advisory Committee Hatteras/private Hatteras beach off Eagle Pass Road (comes and goes)/nps Ocracoke Island/NPS Ocracoke Island/NPS Ocracoke/private Ocracoke/Ocracoke, U.K. Ocracoke Museum/Ocracoke Preservation Society Carteret County Straits/Decoy Carvers Guild Harkers Island/Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center) 148

155 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY APPENDIX 3: PUBLIC HARBORS AND PRIVATE FERRIES TO CONSIDER FOR INTERPRETIVE IMPROVEMENTS Site Location Rodanthe Harbor Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Hatteras Harbor Hatteras Silver Lake Ocracoke Cedar Island Harbor Cedar Island (Roe) North Core Banks Ferry (private marina) Atlantic Atlantic Harbor Atlantic South Core Banks Ferry (private landing) Davis Davis Harbor (private) Davis Marshallberg Harbor Marshallberg Harkers Island Harbor Harkers Island Shell Point Marina (NPS) Harkers Island APPENDIX 4: PUBLIC FISHING, BOATING AND CAMPING SITES TO CONSIDER FOR INTERPRETIVE IMPROVEMENTS Site Oregon Inlet Fishing Center (NPS concession) NPS Oregon Inlet Campground NPS Cape Point Campground NPS Frisco Campground NPS Ocracoke Campground NPS Ocracoke Village Boat Ramp Boat Ramp-Oyster River, south side (Down East) Straits Boat Ramp Oregon Inlet Oregon Inlet Buxton Frisco Ocracoke Island Ocracoke Stacy Location Across from Harkers Island & mouth of North River Note: Private marinas and campgrounds may also be recruited for participation. 149

156 APPENDIX 5: Cape Hatteras National Seashore Interpretive Themes The Cape Hatteras National Seashore s interpretive plan is a guide for its interpretive staff over the next five to seven years in their efforts to orient visitors to the Seashore s recreational opportunities and interpret its natural history and human history stories. (p. 1). It also states that the purpose of interpretation is to make intellectual and emotional connections from the park resources to visitors experiences so that visitors will understand, appreciate, and help preserve the park (p. 6). The themes offered in the Cape Hatteras interpretive plan are useful overall for the Byway. Because of the common cultural and natural heritage, it is possible to apply these themes across the Byway. memorable experiences for people across all generations and walks of life. Preservation and Stewardship: Preservation and stewardship of the fragile cultural and natural resources within the Seashore is critical so that future generations can access, enjoy, value, and learn from these resources. Weather: The Seashore and all life found therein is greatly affected by the range, severity, and unpredictability of the weather on the Outer Banks. -Cape Hatteras National Seashore Long Range Interpretive Plan (2007) It is to be noted that these themes are not developed within the villages of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore or Down East. These villages and their people have stories to tell that enhance the messages delivered in these national installations. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore interpretive themes (pp. 8-11) are: Barrier Island Processes: The Seashore is part of a natural system, with geologic processes unique to/or associated with barrier islands, characterized by constant change, both seasonally and daily, subtle and dramatic. Habitat and Species: The dynamic barrier island processes define the ever-changing and interdependent ecological communities of plants and animals within the Seashore. History and Heritage: In response to the forces of nature and the dynamic barrier island setting, the Seashore s archeological and historical resources reflect diverse human experiences through time. Recreation/Reflection: The Seashore provides outstanding opportunities for relaxation, recreation, reflection, and APPENDIX 6: The Cape Hatteras National Seashore s Plan for Developing Wayside Exhibits Prepare a park-wide Wayside Exhibit Proposal to guide wayside development of a complete, high quality, unified system of waysides: Plan, design, fabricate, and install a series of 3-sided, roofed kiosks Plan, design, fabricate, and install interpretive, low profile waysides to interpret the park s cultural landmarks and natural landscape features Plan, design, fabricate, and install upright trailhead wayside exhibits and trailside interpretive wayside exhibits. -Cape Hatteras National Seashore Long Range Interpretive Plan (2007), p

157 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY APPENDIX 7: Preserving Cultural Traditions: Bringing Back the Annabelle [The following article by Stephen Jesse Taylor is reprinted by arrangement with the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. Stephen Taylor is a freelance photographer and MA candidate in the Curriculum in Folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.] At two in the afternoon on April 19, 2008, a 22-foot sail skiff sailed into Ocracoke harbor (or The Creek, as locals call it) from Cedar Island, twenty-six miles across Pamlico Sound. The boat s arrival her name was the Annabelle was a quiet, unheralded but momentous event in the island s history: she was the first boat of her kind to sit in the harbor in almost 40 years. The Annabelle had been commissioned by Chester Lynn, a local florist and antique dealer whose grandfather a man by the name of George O Neal once owned a boat exactly like her. George O Neal was born in 1890 and died in He had captained the famous Ocracoke mail boat, the Aleta, and had used the Annabelle s predecessor (named for his wife, Annabelle O Neal) both in fishing and in racing. In 151

158 Boatbuilder Jimmy Amspacher with the Annabelle, above, and soon to launch, facing page. Preceding page, Chester Lynn sails the Annabelle. (Photos by Stephen Jesse Taylor, courtesy Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center) homage to his grandfather and in an effort to keep the island traditions alive, Chester who admitted that he was not a boat person and would probably never even use the boat himself had an exact replica built by Jimmy Amspacher in Marshallberg. A mainland community of five-hundred people, Marshallberg is in the area east of Beaufort called Down East, one of the last holdouts of traditional maritime culture not only in the South, but along the entire Atlantic seaboard of the United States. In an area where, fifty years ago, most fishermen built their own craft in their own backyards, Jimmy Amspacher is one of the last wooden boatbuilders in all of North Carolina. In commissioning this craft, Chester s motivations were complex. In the process of me doing this, he told me, it s not so much that I think I ll ever become a sailor. It brought back good memories of being a child, but it s not so much that it s my thing as I want it for Ocracoke s history. That s the reason I did it. Chester told how even just talking about the boat brought meaning and life back into the community. Speaking of his friend Fowler O Neal, now 85 and in poor health, Chester said, Fowler and Conch and Morris (those were his brothers), they used the boat growing up, they were the last people to sail it, and so I know that they will enjoy it. And if nothing else happens, Fowler has enjoyed this just the talking about it and the idea has brought back life in him. He s been sick, but it s made him happy talking to Jimmy over it, and that s made me happy. To share that little bit. And then it also made me mighty proud to know that my grandfather s boat has survived, that it s still here. Earlier, I spoke with Jimmy while he was building the Annabelle. (Pieces of George O Neal s boat, sitting outside, had been used in the replica.) Although he was born and raised in the small fishing town of Atlantic, North Carolina a place famous for its beautiful workboats Jimmy s family roots are partly in the Amish country of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Tired of looking up a horse s ass every morning, as Jimmy put it, his father had left the Amish, married a North Carolina girl, and settled in Atlantic. Although Jimmy joined the Coast Guard and has a liking for technology, it is easy to see in his stories about his Amish heritage told during the construction of a wooden boat his admiration for well-built things built in wood, for devotion to craft, the infusion of community meaning into craft, and an appreciation of personal identity in a world of mostly anonymous mass production. When Jimmy builds a boat, he normally doesn t use a physical blueprint. The principal map he uses is in his mind. Stepping back to determine the craft s proportions largely by eye, he inspects it warily, arms crossed or hand on chin, slowly judging it, considering whether it looks like the other boats he knows. Or the boats he has built himself. Or the boats he knows will work right. Diagram or no diagram, Jimmy is good with numbers: several years ago, on the first winter solstice in his new boatworks, for entertainment he took out a black marker and at 12:51 pm, noting the movement of light coming from a crack over the cement floor, calculated the speed of the Earth around the sun, ninety-seven million miles away. 152

159 NC OUTER BANKS SCENIC BYWAY Fowler O Neal s story, too, was part of the story of this boat. Born and raised on Ocracoke, he had left the island to serve in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, he was away for almost 30 years, working in the maritime industries up North before returning to the island, where he has lived with his wife Chloe ever since. Now 85 and in poor health, Fowler still remembers George O Neal s Annabelle. His excitement in telling and hearing stories about it and his desire to see it brought back to life has helped him hang onto his own life in his old age. It is a symbol of his youth. Fowler O Neal has not just given meaning and life to the boat. The boat has given the same back to him. Early on the morning of April 19, the Annabelle and its builder set out from Cedar Island for Ocracoke, sailing the 26 miles across Pamlico Sound, for much of the voyage almost out of sight of land, tacking back and forth in a zigzag. The wind fell out before Jimmy reached Portsmouth Island, Ocracoke s now-abandoned sister, and he was forced to paddle for a long stretch of four or five miles. Waiting for him at Captain Rudy Austin s dock was Chester and a history teacher from New Bern, Jim White. Together, we went out in a motor boat to meet Jimmy. As we approached the Annabelle in the bright afternoon light, the wind had already picked back up and her sails were full. Lithe, clean and beautiful, she was brim with speed. I saw how thrilling it must have been for George O Neal to race in her. Rudy and Chester, who had both been sitting silently in anticipation of their first sight of the skiff, were suddenly alive with excitement, even emotion. Pulling up alongside of her, we could see the exhilaration in Jimmy s sunburned, wind-weathered face. I never done that before! he shouted. (As another Down Easter, Jonathan Robinson, had told me, It s another dimension, to be on that ocean and the sounds and all. ) Although we were only a couple of miles out of Ocracoke harbor, I suddenly caught a glimpse of what it must have been like for the crew of two ships to meet each other in an enormous, distant sea. The talk, spoken in the quickly vanishing, heavily maritimesounding Outer Banks brogue, was part banter, part excitement at the recognition of old friends, and also part innuendo. And as Chester got into the Annabelle off Portsmouth to help Jimmy guide it into Ocracoke for the first time, there was the patent humor of a florist manning a sail skiff. Ducking down into the keel to hide for a second, Jimmy shouted to me to take a picture for Fowler of Chester sailing alone. The Annabelle s return to Ocracoke could not have been more telling. It was a boat replete with beauty and history, and many people tourists and locals watched it admiringly as it sailed the last leg of its voyage to Rudy s dock in the harbor. But through no fault of their own, they could not have known the many personal stories that came together in its beauty and that contributed to it in the eyes of those who knew those stories. Although bringing back the Annabelle was a historic event the first time a wooden sail skiff had come into Ocracoke harbor since the 1960s and probably the first long-distance crossing of Pamlico Sound by a boat of this kind in a much longer period of time there was no fanfare. In spite of that, as Jimmy said as he walked away from the dock, It was a trip. It was definitely a trip a trip not just across the sound, but across time. 153