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Beachcombing: Treasure hunting after a storm
By KATE PULLEN  While many eyes were glued to the ocean the first weekend in November as Hurricane Noel passed by, a few of us kept our focus on what washed onshore. My children were aching to go to the beach Monday afternoon, Nov. 5, after my husband, Daniel, returned from taking photos of the surf. He announced to everyone that we were going on a treasure hunt at the beach, and the children's eyes lit up with excitement. As we approached Lighthouse Beach in Buxton, it was apparent that we were embarking on a journey across prime beachcomber territory. The beach was littered with whole whelks, moon snails, the occasional scotch bonnet, fiddler, spider, and horseshoe crab shells that were still intact, whelk egg cases, large pieces of driftwood, beautiful green and blue sea glass, several species of sea stars, and more whole clam and oyster shells than I have ever seen. My children, Jackson, 3, and Makenzey, 1, climbed the mountain of sandbags uncovered by the storm waves and set off on their adventure. Armed with two beach towels to use as bags to carry the treasure home, I followed after them. Makenzey loved the “treasures,” and was especially excited to find the sea stars. Several were still alive, and she tossed those back into the ocean. But the farther we walked, the larger our collection became. Along with the rather common slender sea star, we found the less common bright purple and orange margined sea star and more than a dozen Forbes' Asterias sea stars.  Jackson was very proud of his pirate swords (horseshoe crab tails) that he found and was determined to find the buried treasure. Pretty soon he happened upon an intact spider crab shell. We stopped by a lone fisherman to dig for the treasure, and we found a whole whelk shell and clam shell, with the animals still inside. Dead, from being out of the ocean and drying out, they were excellent resources to teach the kids about the ecosystem of the shoreline. Off-season beachcombing is always interesting, especially after a storm or northeaster passes by. I grew up visiting Hatteras and have lived on the island for seven years, and I have never seen such a plethora of shells and ocean life washed onshore at one time. It was truly a beachcomber's paradise. It feels good to be able to pass on the appreciation of nature, our beaches, and the animals and plants that live here, to my children. They are the future caretakers of this place we all love. At the end of the day, I sat back, looked at our new collection, and was reminded once more that is a blessing to live on or visit Hatteras Island, where our playground is the shore, and where there is an endless supply of "treasure" just waiting to be found. So be sure to check out the beach after the next big blow. 
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