National Park Service Announces Fall Program Schedule

Date: August 29, 2007
Contact: Outer Banks Group, 252-473-2111

The National Park Service Outer Banks Group will offer a variety of free ranger-led programs this fall season. At Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial, and on Bodie and Hatteras Islands at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, programs will begin on Tues., Sept. 4. On Ocracoke Island at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, programs start on Mon., Sept. 10. The fall program schedule will run through Columbus Day, Mon. Oct. 8. All programs are free.

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site will be offering 30 min. programs at the visitor center on Tues., Wed., and Thurs., at 2 p.m. Topics will include 1584: The Scouting Expedition, 1585-86: The Exploration Expedition, 1587: The Colony, and Roanoke Island History: The Algonquians. The video, "Roanoke: The Lost Colony is show daily at 30 minutes past the hour. By completing a booklet and attending a program, kids ages 5-13 can become a Roanoke Ranger. Call the park at [phone] for more information.

At the Wright Brothers National Memorial, learn about the Wright brothers, their flight experimentation and their success during the Flight Room Talk (30 min.) each weekday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Flight Room Auditorium. On Saturday and Sunday, Flight Room Talk is offered at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. Kite Flight (45 min), a kids’ kite-building and flying program, will be offered at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The movie, Kitty Hawk – The Wright Brothers Journey of Invention (30 min.), will be shown daily at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the Pavilion Auditorium. By completing a booklet and attending a program, kids ages 5-13 can become a Flight Ranger. Call the park at [phone] for more information.

Programs are offered on all three island areas of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

While visiting the Bodie Island Visitor Center, listen to Outer Banks History (30 min) each Tues. at 11 a.m. and Lighthouse History (30 min) on Thurs. at 11 a.m. Join a ranger on a stroll along the adjacent boardwalk to learn about wildlife inhabiting the area’s fresh water ponds in the Lighthouse Marshes(1 hr)on Wed. at 11 a.m.

There are several programs taking place on Hatteras Island. Talks at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse are scheduled daily at 10 a.m. These include Lighthouse History(30 min) each Wed. and Fri.,Outer Banks History(30 min)each Tues. and Thurs. andBarrier Island Nature(30 min)each Mon. and Sat. Put on some wading shoes and meet at the sound side parking lot, one mile north of Hatteras Village to explore marine life in Soundside Seining(1.5 hrs), Tues. at 3 p.m. The Outer Banks is well known for its abundant birdlife, some of which can be seen on the Morning Bird Walk(1.5 hrs). The walk begins at Ramp 44 parking lot near the entrance of Cape Point Campground on Thurs. at 8 a.m. For an evening activity, join a ranger in Night Lights (1 hr) at the swim beach parking lot near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on Wed. at 8:15 p.m. Constellations, bioluminescence and nocturnal wildlife will be part of the evening stroll topics.

While in Ocracoke village, drop by the Ocracoke Island Visitor Center to hear Barrier Island Nature (30 min) each Sun. at 11 a.m. and Fri. at 2 p.m., Graveyard of the Atlantic (30 min) on Wed. at 11 a.m. and Outer Banks History (30 min) on Sat. at 11 a.m. For a closer look at life on a sandy beach, come to Explore the Shore(1 hr), meeting Thurs. at 10 a.m. at the Ocracoke Campground parking lot located three miles northeast of the Village.

By completing a workbook, kids ages 5-13 can become a Seashore Ranger. For further information on Seashore programs, contact Bodie Island Visitor Center [phone], Hatteras Island Visitor Center [phone] or Ocracoke Visitor Center (252)-928-4531.

All National Park Service visitor centers on the Outer Banks are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the fall months.

-NPS-