Lea
Island:
|
|
|
North Carolina has a spectacular
coastline with more than 350 miles of barrier islands.
These islands are special places formed over hundreds of
years of shifting sands and shaped by winds and water.
From the inshore ocean to the beach, dunes, marshes and
sounds, they abound with life. Flounder, red drum and speckled trout are among just a few of the fish that cruise the inshore waters. Sanderlings forage for tiny invertebrates on the wet sand as waves recede. Loggerhead sea turtles haul themselves out of the ocean to lay more than 100 eggs in the sand above the tide line. Least Terns, Black Skimmers, American Oystercatchers and Piping Plovers build their nests and raise their families on the bare sandy beach. And the saltmarsh, one of the most productive habitats on the planet, supports all coastal life forms in one way or another. Just north of Wilmington, between Wrightsville Beach and Topsail Island, is an island that has remained undisturbed by development, dredged sand or off-road vehicles. It has been battered by storms, flooded, overwashed and eroded, until it is now a low, narrow ribbon of sand. But this is the way it should be. This ribbon of sand is an island of life where dozens of loggerhead sea turtles nest, hundreds of terns and skimmers nest, and thousands of shorebirds stop off during their long migrations. This narrow strip of sand, already declared a state-significant Important Bird Area, is one of the last and best on the Carolina coast. If Audubon is successful, it will remain this way. The National Audubon Society, in partnership with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, the State of North Carolina and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, is leading the way to protect Lea Island so it will remain forever a haven for birds, turtles and other wildlife. You can help! In order to protect this natural treasure, we are working to acquire the island it will forever remain a birds and other wildlife. To be successful, we need your help! Your contributions to the Lea Island Conservation Initiative will help protect seabirds, sea turtles, and much more. Your support will be crucial to the protection of this natural treasure. |
If you would like to help protect one of
North Carolina's last and best barrier islands, please support the Lea
Island Conservation Initiative and send your contributions to: |
|
