Gov. Perdue has declared June 19 Coastal Reserve Day in North Carolina in honor of the N.C. Coastal Reserve Program’s 20th anniversary.
In June 1989, the N.C. General Assembly created the Coastal Reserve Program to acquire, improve and maintain undeveloped coastal land and water areas in a natural state. Twenty years later, that seemingly simple act of legislation has led to the preservation of more than 40,000 acres of unique environments on 10 coastal reserve sites along the entire length of our coast. Four of the sites are also part of NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRs), a federal program designed to improve coastal management and scientific understanding of the nation’s estuarine and coastal habitats.
From Currituck Banks in the north, to Bird Island on our southern border, North Carolina’s coastal reserve system has become an unparalleled resource for education, research and stewardship of these precious and irreplaceable habitats.
Help us celebrate the reserve program’s 20th anniversary by getting to know some of North Carolina’s most beautiful and unspoiled places—visit one (or more!) of our 10 reserve sites and discover some of our coastal treasures.
The four components that are designated as NCNERR sites are Currituck Banks, Rachel Carson, Masonboro Island, and Zeke’s Island. The state supported coastal reserve sites are Kitty Hawk Woods, Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge, Buxton Woods, Permuda Island, Bald Head Woods, and Bird Island.
For more information on North Carolina’s Coastal Reserve Program, please visit www.nccoastalreserve.net.