Together, we can protect our parks
Our Outer Banks national parks are a vital part of this unique community. They protect the nature, history and spirit of freedom you think of when you make your way here each year.
Outer Banks Forever is the official nonprofit partner of our Outer Banks national parks. We help you make an impact by raising funds and awareness for park projects and programs that are only possible with your partnership.
Below you’ll find out current list of projects and programs you can support to help make our OBX national parks more accessible and create new ways for you and your family to experience them.
On-Going Projects
Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest
One of the most awe-inspiring reasons we all love Cape Hatteras National Seashore is that its pristine beaches are a perfect home for our favorite sea turtle friends. You can help us protect and enhance this special place by symbolically adopting your very own sea turtle nest!
Adopt A Pony
If you love Ocracoke Island, then you’ve likely stopped by to visit with the island’s most popular residents, the Ocracoke ponies! Now, you can symbolically adopt one of these amazing creatures and help fund their care and maintenance.
Current Projects
Pathways to Your National Parks
Whether you enjoy walking, running, or cycling, we need your support to help build new, paved multi-use paths in all three parks that will create new and safer ways for you and your family to explore these special places. The first pathway will connect Route 12 to Old Lighthouse Beach and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Along the route you’ll learn about local wildlife, fishing and watersports in the OBX, and walk step by step along the route the lighthouse itself took when it was moved in 1999 to its current site.
Freedom Trail at Fort Raleigh
Fort Raleigh may be best known as the site of the Lost Colony, but it was also part of the Underground Railroad and home to more than 3,000 formerly enslaved men, women, and children after the Civil War. The Freedom Trail will be a new way for you to learn this story of hope and resilience as you stroll through maritime forest and out to view the Albemarle Sound.
Signal Tower at the Historic Hatteras Weather Bureau Station
With support from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, we are rebuilding and installing the signal tower that was once a cornerstone of the Hatteras Village community. The signal tower, stationed behind the Historic Weather Bureau Station in Hatteras Village, will once again fly weather signal flags that signify wind and weather conditions.
Open OutDoors for Kids Field Trips
Each year, students across North Carolina learn about the state’s history, including the important stories of Native American peoples, English exploration, the Freedmen’s Colony on Roanoke Island and the Wright brothers’ first flight, which the Outer Banks national parks preserve. With support from the National Park Foundation this program provides funding for field trips for students in surrounding counties.
Artist in Community
Our OBX national parks have long inspired artists from around the world with their beauty and history. You can help us support local and national artists in creating art inspired by our OBX national parks during two 4-week residencies each year. They will also host events for you to learn new art techniques and inspire our community.
Views From Your Parks: Webcam Project
In partnership with the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau and Surfline, you can help bring your park’s amazing views right into your home by helping install webcams on the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Wright Brothers Memorial and Waterside Theater at Fort Raleigh.
Update: The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse webcam is live! Click here for the incredible view from the top.
Completed Projects
Views From Your Parks: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
With support from our partners at Surfline and the Outer Banks Visitor’s Bureau, you can now enjoy the beautiful view from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from anywhere in the world!
Expanding Digital Learning at Wright Brothers National Memorial
You helped expand our park’s digital learning program to include a new online video series, live in-classroom virtual field trips and new digital partnerships with other aviation focused parks including the National Aviation Heritage Area and Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park!
Kayak Launch at Oregon Inlet
Your support has helped build a mobility-friendly kayak launch at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center that provides a safe way for non-motorized water sport enthusiasts to experience the beautiful Pamlico Sound!
Education Garden at Fort Raleigh
The new education garden at Fort Raleigh highlights the importance of agriculture in our community and includes crops that were cultivated by the Carolina Algonquian peoples, Europeans, and members of the Freedmen’s Colony on Roanoke Island. You can visit the garden next to the Visitors Center to better understand the important stories of the people who shaped our unique Outer Banks community.