Know Your Park Series Continues November 2 at Fort Raleigh NHS

Date: October 27, 2009
Contact: Outer Banks Group, [phone]

The National Park Service Outer Banks Group Know Your Park citizen science program series, now in its third year, will commence this winter with the first program in the series – “Raleigh After Roanoke”  by Phil Evans, President of the Board of Directors of the First Colony Foundation.

Evans will speak at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Visitor Center near Manteo, NC starting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, November 2, 2009.  The program is free and will last approximately 1 hour.

Mr. Evans’ presentation will feature images from rarely known maps and compare them using recent technological studies.  The comparison reveals how Roanoke Island has undergone change to its geography and terrain.  Such changes are important in determining the locations of potential archaeological surveys and in interpreting the features that may be uncovered.  The information may help lead archaeologists toward finding more clues regarding the Raleigh colony of 1585 and the Lost Colony of 1587.

Additionally, First Colony Foundation archaeologists Eric Klingelhofer and Nicholas Lucketti will provide a brief update on upcoming field excavations.

The First Colony Foundation is a park partner that is actively conducting archeology and research involving the history of Roanoke Island, and has the goal to locate habitation areas of England’s first and second New World settlements sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh in the 1580s.

The Know Your Park  citizen science program series is designed to further connect the Outer Banks communities and residents with the rich natural world and cultural heritage of their neighboring National Park sites; Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.  “These presentations offer park visitors as well as local residents an opportunity to both learn more about, and better enjoy, their National Parks” stated Mike Murray, Outer Banks Group Superintendent.

Two other Know Your Park  programs are currently scheduled for this season.  Jessica Weiss from the Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research will speak about the significance of the Outer Banks dolphins to the development conservation strategies along the U.S. Atlantic coast on December 11, 7:00 p.m., at the Ocracoke Community Center and on December 12, 7:00 p.m., at the Fessenden Center in Buxton, NC.

Joseph Hoyt from the NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary will speak about recent maritime archaeology work off the Outer Banks coast including an exploration of the HMT Bedfordshire and other World War I and II vessels on January 20, 7:00 p.m., at the Fessenden Center in Buxton, NC.