It's Fall Y'all!

That is the unofficial greeting those of us in North Carolina have been waiting to hear! The weather in OBX may finally feel like fall, but things haven't calmed down quite yet in your OBX national parks. While recovery efforts continue in Ocracoke and Hatteras after Hurricane Dorian, Tropical Storm Melissa came through recently and caused damages to places like the Avon Pier (pictured right). We are in talks with your parks to see how we can help repair this iconic piece of our parks in the coming weeks. In other news, I am happy to report that the copper bust of Orville Wright that was stolen from Wright Brothers National Memorial over the weekend was found on the beach yesterday in Kill Devil Hills . Your parks will continue to investigate the vandalism and asks that anyone with information about the incident contact them immediately. With these challenges come opportunities - and your national park staff have risen to the occasion at every turn. They have worked tirelessly to protect our OBX national parks and ensure visitors and our community can continue to experience and enjoy these amazing places. Be sure to thank them on your next visit! See you in your parks,

Jessica Green Director, Outer Banks Forever

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Meet Your Park Ranger: Jami Lanier

Did you know your OBX national parks are home to over 1 million historic objects and archived documents? For this month's Meet Your Park Ranger feature we're taking you behind the scenes and into the archives of your park's Museum Resource Center with Cultural Resources Manager Jami Lanier. Jami shared with us how her love of historical objects began back in 1976 when she got to experience the Smithsonian's Freedom Train - a traveling exhibit celebrating America's Bi-Centennial. "You stepped on board onto a moving sidewalk that conveyed you past things like Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat that he was wearing when he was assassinated, Judy Garland’s dress from the Wizard of Oz, and Joe Frazier’s boxing shorts. I was just hooked!" You can visit the Museum Resource Center, located at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and see pieces of history like the Gold Life Saving Medal pictured here that was presented to Benjamin Dailey, keeper of the Hatteras Livesaving Station in 1884 after the rescue of the crew of the Ephraim Williams.

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Celebrate Surf Fishing in the Outer Banks

This November you can help your OBX national parks celebrate one of the most iconic traditions of the Outer Banks – surf fishing. On Saturday, November 2nd join our community for the first ever Surf Fishing Heritage Event!  This free community event will celebrate the past, present, and future of surf fishing at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Experience a full day of presentations on the history of surf fishing at the seashore, the biology of common sport fish, casting technique, the evolution of beach buggies, rod building, shark behavior along the Outer Banks, and more. On the following weekend, join your parks for the  Let’s Go Fishing all day fishing clinic on Saturday, November 9th!  Come out to learn basic surf fishing techniques and ethical angling practices through the International Game Fish Association from 9:00am to 3:00pm. We're looking for volunteers assist and teach various stations! Contact Jessica today at JessicaGreen@obxforever.org or (252) 423-4545 to volunteer.

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Forever Founder Spotlight: Bridget Hart Back in the summer of 1993 when my family headed to Nags Head for a week, I didn’t know this amazing place would one day be our home. Our group ranged in age from 1 month to 65 years, so we were on the lookout for places to visit and things to do that everyone would enjoy.  Our top three choices were visiting the Wright Brothers Memorial, touring Fort Raleigh, and then attending a performance of the Lost Colony. Very different activities that allowed our large group to have fun while learning about this special area.  I’ll never forget the memories we made back then visiting our OBX national parks. When I heard that Outer Banks Forever was forming, I was excited to learn that in my backyard I could experience and support the intersection of my loves of history and nature. I have visited at least one national park, historic site, historic landmark, or historic trail in 49 states and two U.S. territories. (See photo above from Yellowstone National Park!) The more visible supporters a national park has, the better chance it will thrive.  Outer Banks Forever has put OBX on the map when it comes to regular people like me being able to support our area’s national parks.  The most immediate way I could make an impact to protect and preserve our OBX national parks was to become a  Forever Founder .  Learn More

Photo Credits: National Park Service, Bridget Hart

Outer Banks Forever is an official partner of the National Park Service and the three national parks of the Outer Banks. Learn more at www.obxforever.org

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