by Rachael Graf | September 21, 2022 | Advance Science, Ask A BioTech, News & Events, Sea Turtles
By Ben Ranelli, Seasonal Biological Technician on Ocracoke Island As a biotech, there is hardly a more rewarding sight than a swell of sea turtle hatchling tracks left behind from their oceanward journey. Knowing the effort to protect their nests has given each...
by Rachael Graf | September 13, 2022 | Cape Hatteras, Create Experiences, News & Events
Formed by a hurricane in 1846, Oregon Inlet connects the Atlantic Ocean with Pamlico Sound and a maze of inland waterways. Forming a 3,000-square-mile estuary, these waters offer crucial habitat for commercially important fish, shrimp, and shellfish species. Over 95%...
by Rachael Graf | September 13, 2022 | Advance Science, Cape Hatteras, News & Events, Sea Turtles
Humans aren’t the only creatures that flock to the beaches of the Outer Banks. The sandy dunes and ever-changing shorelines play host to more than 300 bird species and dozens of reptiles. In the spring and summer, seven species of shorebirds make their nests in Cape...
by Rachael Graf | September 13, 2022 | Cape Hatteras, News & Events, Preserve History
The Graveyard of the Atlantic has claimed countless ships and lives off the coast of North Carolina. Since 1872, the Bodie Island Lighthouse has warned mariners of the hidden dangers which lie 40 miles to the south, the Diamond Shoals. Ships taking advantage of the...
by Rachael Graf | September 6, 2022 | Educate Youth, Fort Raleigh, News & Events, Preserve History
Roanoke Island’s sandy soil has many stories a story to tell. One of those stories is the mystery of the “Lost Colony.” Archaeologists with the First Colony Foundation – which is dedicated to conducting archaeological and historical research, combined with public...
by Rachael Graf | August 24, 2022 | Educate Youth, News & Events, Preserve History, Wright Brothers
When Wilbur and Orville Wright made the trek from Dayton to Kitty Hawk each year from 1900 to 1903 to test their gliders and their flyer, they relied on the sand dunes known as “Kill Devil Hills” to provide the ideal testing ground. But sand dunes are constantly...
by Rachael Graf | August 24, 2022 | Educate Youth, News & Events, Preserve History, Wright Brothers
Have you ever wondered why two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, would travel all the way to the Outer Banks to try and fly? Travel wasn’t easy in the early 1900s (this is pre-airplane after all, and pre-highway as well) so there must have been a good reason why Wilbur...
by Rachael Graf | August 11, 2022 | Advance Science, Ask A BioTech, Cape Hatteras, News & Events, Sea Turtles
By Benjamin Ranelli, Seasonal Biological Science Technician at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Ocracoke District) Three quarters of a mile below the surface of the ocean where sunlight cannot reach, true titans still roam the world’s oceans. By far, leatherback sea...
by Rachael Graf | August 11, 2022 | Create Experiences, Educate Youth, News & Events, Preserve History, Wright Brothers
Orville and Wilbur Wright changed the course of human history in twelve seconds when they completed the first successful heavier-than-air powered flight on the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. But their journey to the skies began long before...
by Rachael Graf | August 11, 2022 | Create Experiences, Educate Youth, Meet Your Ranger, News & Events, Preserve History, Wright Brothers
Our Meet Your Ranger series introduces you to the many amazing people who support our Outer Banks national parks every day! Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Hometown: Washington, D.C. Program of study and relevant work experience: I studied...
