National Wildlife Refuge
|NC 12 south
for shipping: 100 Conservation Way, Manteo, NC 27954;
Rodanthe, NC 27968
Phone Number: 252-473-1131
|Visit the Refuge's Web Site:
|Hundreds of thousands of migrating birds and visitors "flock" to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge to feed the body and spirit.|
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937 "as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife", including the greater snow goose and other migratory waterfowl. The Refuge lies on the north end of Hatteras Island, a coastal barrier island which is part of a chain of islands known as the Outer Banks. These islands are separated from the mainland by a series of marshes and shallow sounds up to 25 miles wide. Pea Island is a much-used feeding and resting area for many species of wintering waterfowl, migrating shorebirds, raptors, wading birds, and migrating songbirds. The 13 miles of ocean beach provide nesting habitat for loggerhead sea turtles, piping plover and several species of shorebirds. Peregrine falcons occur regularly during migration and bald eagles are occasionally seen. This small Refuge receives over 2.5 million visitors annually
Getting There . . .
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Outer Banks in Dare County, 14 miles south of Nags Head, NC. To reach the Refuge, take NC Highway 12 south from Nags Head and cross Oregon Inlet. Refuge signs direct visitors to the Pea Island Visitor Center, New Inlet Sound Access and beach access parking areas. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is serviced by the Norfolk International Airport (2-hour drive north) and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (4-hour drive west).
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Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge has typical barrier island habitat enhanced by proven management programs to produce a high diversity of habitat types and associated wildlife species. Management activities focus on the conservation, protection, restoration and management of the refuge's unique barrier island habitat and associated wildlife. The Refuge's three brackish/freshwater impoundments form the hub of the management program. Water levels in the impoundments are manipulated through water control structures and pump stations, mimicking dry and wet periods found in natural wetlands and encouraging maximum forage production, mostly in the form of submerged aquatic vegetation. Timely draw-down in early spring produces optimum conditions for migrating shorebirds while flooding in late fall produces optimum feeding areas for wintering waterfowl. Prescribed burning and mechanical brush control are used to favor vegetation beneficial to certain species of wildlife such as the snow goose. Several census programs are in place to monitor wildlife populations including sea turtles, waterfowl and shorebirds.