Cape Chronicle - April 30, 2024

Cape Chronicle Newsletter

The Cape Chronicle newsletter provides brief, newsworthy content throughout the year. For more information on the three parks that make up the Outer Banks Group, visit www.nps.gov/caha, www.nps.gov/fora, and www.nps.gov/wrbr.

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Photo of the temporary beacon at the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The temporary beacon will be replaced with a replica first-order Fresnel lens near the end of the restoration project.

NPS

Aerial view of the replacement marina store and restaurant facility at Oregon Inlet Marina.

NPS

Bald eagle at Wright Brothers National Memorial.

NPS

Aerial view of Fort Raleigh National Historic Site's Waterside Theatre.

NPS

News

• The contractor for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration project, Stone and Lime Historic Restoration Services, switched the lighthouse’s source of light to a temporary, fixed beacon, the evening of Thursday, April 25.

• The replacement marina store and restaurant facility at Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Oregon Inlet Marina is scheduled to open Thursday, May 2. During the first several years of its 20-year lease with the National Park Service, the lessee, Oregon Inlet Fishing Center LLC, has completed the following improvement projects at the marina:

  • Construction of an energy efficient, elevated marina store and restaurant replacement facility

  • Repair of an aging bulkhead

  • Repair and installation of new boardwalks

  • Replacement of fuel tank screen fence

  • Expansion of parking area

  • Replacement of existing marine fuel pumps with in-slip fueling and transient fuel dock (in progress)

  • Construction of vehicle fueling and air pump station (in progress)

• The Bodie Island Lighthouse is open for climbing through Columbus Day. Tickets can be purchased at recreation.gov. Climbing opportunities at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will likely not be possible until 2026, due to the lighthouse’s restoration project.

• Night driving restrictions on Cape Hatteras National Seashore ocean-side beaches begin tomorrow night. From May 1 through July 31, priority off-road vehicle (ORV) ramps close at 9 p.m. and reopen the following morning at 6 a.m. All other designated ocean-side ORV ramps close at 9 p.m. and reopen at 7 a.m.

  • Night driving restrictions help protect nesting sea turtles.

  • Priority ORV ramps are ramps 2, 4, 25, 27, 43, 44, 48, 49, 70 and 72.

  • While night driving restrictions are in place, visitors may still park their vehicles in parking areas and walk on the beach at night.

  • Sound-side ramps, Inside Road and Pole Road do not have night driving restrictions.

  • For current beach access information, visit go.nps.gov/beachaccess.

• All sea turtle and shorebird nesting numbers are listed at go.nps.gov/fieldsummary.

• The parking lot at ORV ramp 55 will close for approximately three weeks, beginning Thursday, May 2, for a project to remove a portion of the boardwalk and improve travel conditions on the ramp. Permitted ORV drivers can use Pole Road as an alternate route to the beach during intermittent closures of the ramp.

• Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Avon Fishing Pier is opening for the season this Friday, May 3.

• National Park Service staff at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial, recently finalized early season educational programming schedules. The schedules are listed in the events section of this newsletter and on park websites. Additional programs will begin Memorial Day weekend.

Events and Programs

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Bodie Island Lighthouse Climbing

• Dates: Daily. First climb at 9 a.m. and final climb at 5:40 p.m.
• Details: Climbing tickets can only be purchased on the day of intended climb. Tickets are on daily, starting at 7 a.m. Purchase tickets at www.recreation.gov/ticket/252034/ticket/10087143.

Bodie Island Educational Programs
Lighting the Way for Over 150 Years – Bodie Island Lighthouse

• Dates: Daily from 11-11:30 a.m. (through May 24)
• Location: Meet on the back porch of the Keeper’s Quarters
• Details: Discuss the details and history of this beautiful sentinel.

Life on a Barrier Island

• Dates: Daily from 2:30-3 p.m. (through May 24)
• Location: Meet on the back porch of the Keeper’s Quarters
• Details: Wars, hurricanes, winds and ocean currents have all had impacts on the shores of Cape Hatteras. Join us to learn about the forces of change and the captivating world of life on an island.

Hatteras Island Educational Programs
Reflect on the Past, Preserve for the Future – Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

• Dates: Daily from 11-11:30 a.m. (through May 24)
• Location: Meet at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center Pavilion
• Details: Discuss the details and history of this beautiful sentinel and learn about current restoration efforts.

Totally Turtles

• Dates: Tuesday-Friday from 12-12:30 p.m. (through-May 24)
• Location: Meet at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center Pavilion
• Details: Learn about sea turtles through interactive games and activities for all ages.

Life on a Barrier Island

• Dates: Daily from 2:30-3 p.m. (through May 24)
• Location: Meet at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center Pavilion
• Details: Wars, hurricanes, winds and ocean currents have all had impacts on the shores of Cape Hatteras. Join us to learn about the forces of change and the captivating world of life on an island.

Ocracoke Island Educational Programs
Celebrating 200 Years of Service – Ocracoke Lighthouse

• Dates: Monday-Thursday from 11-11:30 a.m. (through May 23)
• Location: Meet on the boardwalk of the Ocracoke Lighthouse
• Details: Discuss the details and history of this beautiful sentinel and the keepers that kept the light burning.

Ocracoke Lighthouse

• The base of the Ocracoke Lighthouse is open daily from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

Educational Programs
Lost Colony Walking Tour

• Dates: Daily at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. (through May 18). From May 19-May 24, this program will be offered at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
• Location: Meet outside the Lindsay Warren Visitor Center
• Details: Delve into the history and mystery surrounding England’s first attempt to establish a colony in the new world.

Freedmen’s Colony

• Dates: Daily from 1-1:30 p.m. (through May 18). From May 19-24, this program will be offered daily at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
• Location: Meet outside the Lindsay Warren Visitor Center
• Details: Discover the successes and failures of the Freedmen’s Colony and the Civil War battle that shaped it.

Wright Brothers National Memorial

Educational Programs
Wind and Sand

• Dates: Daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (through May 24)
• Location: Meet outside the visitor center
• Details: Step back in history during this short walk to the actual site of the first powered flights. Discovery why the Wrights’ chose Kitty Hawk for their flight experiments and what life was life on the Outer Banks; learn about the events that led to the first powered flight on that cold December day and the lasting impact of their achievement.