THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610090618
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: Story BY LANE DEGREGORY
LENGTH: 210 lines
Black bear trample through tangled underbrush at Pocosin Lakes looking for leftover corn in cooperative farming fields. Endangered red wolves roam the forests around Alligator River, howling from their hovels. Giant crabs crawl beneath brackish mud flats in Lake Mattamuskeet. Bass and bream splash in pools at Mackay Island. And bald eagles soar above the seashore on Currituck's northern Outer Banks.
Paddlers and photographers, hikers and hunters, cyclists and bird watchers all can indulge their outdoor passions on these isolated Albemarle area outposts.
Funded with federal tax dollars and run by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, over 89 million acres of land and water are included in the country's National Wildlife Refuge System - 453,000 acres are in northeastern North Carolina. About 98 percent of that territory is open to visitors. Recreational activities and wildlife observation are encouraged in most areas.
This week, National Wildlife Refuge Week, features special programs, hikes, displays, demonstrations and tours of the public preserves.
``We want the public to see what we do,'' said Gary Andres, who manages Currituck and Mackay Island national wildlife refuges. ``Normally, you can only hike or bike on our 7.8 miles of gravel trails at Mackay Island. But cars can come in here during National Wildlife Refuge Week.
``This is a great time of year to view migratory raptors and waterfowl populations,'' Andres added. ``In the next few weeks, our fields will go white with snow geese. Fishing's also allowed here through Oct. 15.''
Nags Head photographer Ray Matthews spends a lot of his time farther south on the barrier islands, searching for shots at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
``Pea Island is one of the best bird watching places on the Eastern Seaboard. And fall is when most of the waterfowl congregate,'' Matthews said. ``During early morning or just at sunset, you won't see many people out there. But you'll see thousands of birds. I even saw a flamingo on Pea Island with a group of swans during the '70s - it must have gotten lost to fly so far north.
``I'm sure the entire Outer Banks would be covered with platted lots, houses and shops if the government hadn't set aside land for the wildlife,'' said Matthews, whose photos are displayed in an art show this month at the Pea Island refuge headquarters. ``Without those refuges, some bird populations probably would be driven to extinction.
``Everybody needs open space and solitude from time to time. Wildlife refuges give the public a chance to see relatively unspoiled nature and become a part of things they'd never experience in the city.''
Prompted by conservationists, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside a 3.5-acre tract in Florida in 1903 and began the National Wildlife Refuge program. Today, 508 refuges dot the country.
Northeastern North Carolina's refuges all are closed to camping. But they are open to the public year-round. Special activities at each follow.
MACKAY ISLAND
Created from a tract of land formerly owned by Joseph P. Knapp, who founded Ducks Unlimited, Mackay Island includes marsh, crop and timberland. It's located along the Atlantic flyway and is a popular wintering area for thousands of waterfowl. More than 40,000 greater snow geese sometimes flock to the refuge at once, making waves in ponds already populated by mallards, blue-winged teal, little blue herons, cattle egrets and glossy ibises.
Many species of mammals also inhabit the refuge. Muskrat, nutria, river otter, mink, gray fox and others abound. White-tailed deer scamper between magnolia and pecan trees, game for hunters during ranger-controlled hunts on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the fall.
``Freshwater fishing in our three ponds and biking and hiking along the gravel roads probably are our most popular activities,'' said Andres, the refuge manager. ``We have a viewing deck on the visitors' center so handicapped people can watch the waterfowl. And we'll make special arrangements for people to drive to the dock on the East Pool if they can't get there by foot. For those who enjoy walking, there's a 1/3-mile loop nature trail. Many people come here just to watch the wildlife.''
The refuge is open to vehicles Oct. 12-18.
CURRITUCK
Hiking, bird watching and photography are the most popular pastimes at Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, which stretches from the Currituck Sound to the Atlantic Ocean's highwater mark. Private vendors offer hang-gliding flights and all-terrain vehicle tours along the beach and canoe and kayak expeditions through the sound. Recreational anglers also enjoy casting lines for a variety of saltwater species in the sound and sea.
Wildlife at Currituck includes endangered piping plover, loggerhead turtles and an occasional bald eagle. Feral horses make their home north of a fence erected a few years ago at the northern end of N.C. 12, past Corolla. Hundreds of the hoofed animals have been herded out of the growing village, away from traffic and onto the refuge. But the horses have proved problematic for native birds. Rangers have enclosed about 100 acres of wetlands with an electrified fence, trying to keep the horses away from food the waterfowl favor.
``We're not horse haters. But we're managing the refuge for native wildlife. That's what we were set up to do,'' Andres said. ``Our contention is that the ponies were once domestic and were released into what's now the refuge by humans. They're not part of the natural wildlife here.''
ALLIGATOR RIVER
With American alligator slinking through the shallow waters, peregrine falcon flying overhead and endangered red cockaded woodpecker popping out of tree trunks, this refuge houses some of the most unusual animals in northeastern North Carolina. It's one of the last strongholds in the southeast for black bear. And it's the site of the first attempt to restore a species that was extinct in the wild.
The red wolf program began on the refuge 10 years ago, with biologists breeding the animals in pens then releasing them onto the refuge. Now, between 40 and 70 of the rare animals roam the farm fields. At 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, refuge officials will host a free ``campfire howling.'' Participants must meet at the trailhead at the intersection of U.S. 64 and Milltail Road then follow personnel to the Sandy Ridge Captive Colony. By talking the wolves' language and emitting long, high-pitched howls, refuge workers can get the wolves to respond in their own haunting tones.
About 5,000 acres of the refuge are farmland, with one-third of that area leased to individuals under cooperative farming agreements. Hunting and fishing are the most popular activities. But kayaking and canoeing 15 miles of marked trails along Milltail Creek and Sawyer Lake have become increasingly popular sports. Private companies rent the boats and offer tours. Privately owned craft also are welcome at the launching areas.
Hikers enjoy two trails, each 1/2 mile long, with placards on wildlife and the refuge's history. One trail is accessible to handicapped visitors. The other is a little more difficult to traverse.
PEA ISLAND
Established as a wintering area for greater snow geese and other migratory waterfowl, Pea Island remains one of the best and most frequently visited bird viewing areas on the East Coast. More than 312 species of birds have been spotted here. A series of trails and observation platforms aid birders.
Personnel guide summer and fall bird walks for novices. Upcoming walks are at 9 a.m. Saturday on Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26. Guides provide checklists for first-time birders to mark off any unusual species they might see.
Pea Island includes salt marsh, salt flats, impoundments, ponds, high marsh, dunes, dikes and acres of beach. Toads, frogs, turtles, snakes, opossums, shrews, bats, rabbits, river otter and deer live year-round at the refuge. Hunting is prohibited.
``Mostly, we get birders, photographers and wildlife watchers who just want to hike around and look at the waterfowl,'' said refuge spokeswoman Bonnie Strawser. ``About 313,000 people use the foot trails each year. And an equal number come for the surf fishing.''
Private businesses sponsor guided fly fishing trips and offer canoeing and kayaking tours along the sound.
``We want to allow all the use of the refuge we can for activities that don't really impact our lands,'' Strawser said. ``We're here for the public as well as the birds. And Pea Island has one of the top 10 visitation figures for all National Wildlife Refuges - certainly the highest traffic count of any in North Carolina.''
To celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week, Pea Island's visitors' center is sponsoring an art show through Oct. 13. Paintings, photographs and carvings of wildlife and refuge wilderness areas are on display. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
MATTAMUSKEET
The state's oldest National Wildlife Refuge is in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway, surrounding the largest natural lake in North Carolina. Lake Mattamuskeet is 18 miles long, 5 miles wide, 2 feet deep and encompasses about 40,000 acres. Its name comes from an Indian word meaning ``dry dust,'' which legends say stemmed from fires that burned into the peat soil to form the lake.
Early 20th century inhabitants of the area tried to drain the lake to create farmland. They abandoned that scheme as too expensive and impractical within three decades. By 1934, the federal government had acquired the acreage. Civilian Conservation Corps workers converted the former pumping plant into a visitors' lodge, which remained open until 1974. Today, that National Historic Site is open for occasional tours.
Waterfowl are the primary attraction at Lake Mattamuskeet, where thousands of Canada geese, snow geese and 22 species of ducks spend each winter. About 40 percent of the Atlantic Flyway's tundra swan population alights at the refuge during migrations. More than 240 bird species and a variety of reptiles, mammals and amphibians also make the area their home.
Visitors can access the refuge on a 6-mile wildlife drive or off N.C. 94. They can catch striped bass, largemouth bass, catfish, bream and other species in the lake and adjacent canals. And they can keep giant blue crabs netted at various points along the lake. Hunting is permitted for swans, ducks and deer. Canoes and motor boats are allowed on the lake. The Partnership for the Sounds rents kayaks at the lodge from March 1 through Nov. 1. A 1/4-mile trail starts at the headquarters for wilderness walking.
To celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week, the lodge is open for tours Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. At Mattamuskeet School on Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. refuge workers will display wildlife mounts and give young hunters an opportunity to apply for a Jan. 25 youth hunt at Mattamuskeet.
GREAT DISMAL SWAMP
Surrounding Lake Drummond in the heart of one of the state's biggest swamps, the area this refuge now encompasses once hosted large logging camps and straddles the Virginia-North Carolina border. George Washington visited the thickly forested land in 1763 and organized the Dismal Swamp Land Co. that drained and cleared portions of the swamp. Logging continued through 1976, until Union Camp Corp. began donating tracts to the Nature Conservancy.
Today, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge includes a 3/4-mile boardwalk trail with placards describing plants and animals and more than 70 miles of hiking and biking trails. Wildlife observation and photography are among the most popular activities.
More than 200 species of birds have been spotted on the preserve, including owls and pileated woodpeckers. Raccoon, red foxes and black bear also roam the refuge. And 56 species of turtles, lizards, salamanders, frogs and toads inhabit the lake.
Hunting spots are full, but ``several separate outfits rent canoes and kayaks to take on the lake,'' refuge spokeswoman Teresa Cherry said. ``And there's a 2 1/2-hour power boat tour of the swamp year-round, except for summer. A campground about six miles north of the boat ramp also rents canoes for the day.'' MEMO: ABOUT THE REFUGES
PAGE 13 ILLUSTRATION: [Cover, Color photo]
Staff photos by DREW C. WILSON by CNB