National Seashore Updates for the Week of November 16

The sea turtle nesting season is winding down, and with 303 nests recorded along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS), 2024 is another solid year for nesting activity, although not as active as recent record-breaking years, including 2023. 2023 had the third-highest number of turtle nests reported since data collection began, which was part of [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) recently awarded a $1.7 million contract to Yorkshire Industries of New York, New York to remove the top layer of asphalt, regrade and apply a new layer of asphalt in the approximately 195,650 square foot parking lot at CHNS’ Oregon Inlet Marina. The resurfaced parking lot will be elevated to address [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Phase 1 of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Pathway Project is expected to be fully finished by the end of December 2024, but the new pathway is already being enjoyed by pedestrians and bikers who want a safer cruise along Lighthouse Road. The first 1.6-mile-long phase of the pathway officially broke ground in November 2023, and [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

With 2,298,288 visitors recorded in the first nine months of 2024, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) is on track to have another busy year. Per statistics from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, CHNS recorded the following monthly totals for 2024: January – 77,193 February – 79,256 March – 154,935 April – 197,239 May – 267,243 June – 404,323 [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Stripped of its iconic black-and-white stripes, and encased in a tower of scaffolding, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is nearly unrecognizable. On the grounds bordering the tower, there are piles of intricate metal pieces that need to be repaired or replaced, including the top level landings and railings. The outer landscape is a patchwork of semi-finished [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

An advisory against swimming was posted today at a sound-side site in Dare County, where state officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards. The advisory is for the Salvo Day Use Area on the sound across from ramp #23 in Salvo along the [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Following the recent collapses of three unoccupied houses on G A Kohler Court in Rodanthe, Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) employees and a contractor have worked together to clean approximately 20 miles of beach. Status of beach closures and safety precautions For public safety, the beach is closed from G A Kohler Court through Sea [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore CHNS) has temporarily closed the beach from G A Kohler Court in Rodanthe to Wimble Shores North Court in Waves after a Rodanthe home collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, September 24. This is the third unoccupied home to collapse in the immediate area since Friday morning, September 20. The temporary closure also [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following press release on Friday, September 20, which provides an update on the ongoing work to remediate petroleum contamination at Buxton Beach.  The company contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, arrived today at the former Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Sites [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore issued the following press release on Monday afternoon, Sept. 16 The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) urges travelers to avoid the north end of Ocracoke Island around the hours of this evening’s high tide, due to a combination of a higher-than-average high tide and high surf advisory. Travelers should also [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Night driving restrictions will be lifted at several designated ORV ramps starting at 9 p.m. Sunday, September 15. To find out which ramps will no longer have night driving restrictions, and which ramps will still have opening and closing times due to sea turtle nests, visit http://go.nps.gov/beachaccess during the afternoon of September 15. After sea turtle nests hatch, additional ramps [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management recently awarded more than $2.8 million to fourteen local governments to improve public access to coastal beaches and waters, which includes a $114,010 award for new construction of restroom and shower facilities at the Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton. While there is currently a closure in [...] Seashore News |  Full Article