The Nature Conservancy - Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve

Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve

Nags Head Woods Map

LOCATION:
Coast
Dare County

SIZE IN ACRES:
1,092

INVOLVEMENT IN ACRES:
NA

Freshwater Pond at Nags Head Woods Preserve

Freshwater pond at Nags Head Woods
© Mark Daniels/TNC

TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP:
Manteo and Roanoke Island NE

Topographical maps are available by contacting:
NC Geographical Survey.
1612 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612.
(919) 715-9718
www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/

ACTIVITIES & AMENITIES:
Hiking/Birding/Parking/Outdoor Information Counter/Restrooms

OWNERSHIP & ACCESS:
Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve
701 West Ocean Acres Drive
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(252) 441-2525

This preserve is open to the public from dawn until dusk every day of the week.

SITE INFORMATION:
This extensive ecological preserve on North Carolina’s Outer Banks protects a remarkable range of unique habitats, including forested dunes, interdune ponds, marshes, and wetlands. The preserve offers a welcome natural respite from the busy coastal scene not only for wildlife, but also for human visitors as well.

Two of the largest active sand dunes on the East Coast, Run Hill and Jockey's Ridge, run along the northern and southern borders of the preserve respectively. These huge ancient dunes constantly move and change shape as the prevailing northeasterly winds blow sand into the forest, marsh, and sound. Shielded from the ocean winds by the dune ridges, Nags Head Woods features a diversity of plant and animal life that is unusual to find on a barrier island. Towering oaks, hickories, and beech trees, some hundreds of years old, rise from the sand and create a canopy of trees more typical of the mountains of the eastern United States.

Over 100 species of birds have been documented at Nags Head Woods. The preserve is an important nesting area for more than 50 species, including green heron, wood duck, red-shouldered hawk, clapper rail, ruby-throated hummingbird, pileated woodpecker, prothonotary warbler, and summer tanager. Fifteen species of amphibians and 28 species of reptiles have been documented as well. The freshwater ponds are inhabited by seven species of fish and many reptiles and amphibians in addition to a great diversity of floating aquatic plant life, including the rare water violet. An extensive marsh system bordering Roanoke Sound on the western side of the preserve supports a wealth of wildlife including river otter, egrets, herons, and many species of migratory waterfowl.

During the 19th century and through the 1930s, Nags Head Woods was a thriving village community with 13 homesites, two churches, a school, a store, farms, a gristmill and a shingle factory. There are artifacts remaining of village life: a home foundation, cemeteries and other signs of previous human habitation in the forest.

CONSERVATION HIGHLIGHTS:
Nags Head Woods was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974, and protecting its unique habitats was one of the Conservancy’s first priorities in North Carolina. Between 1978 and 1986, the Conservancy acquired about 420 acres in the northern section of the forest; some of the land was generously donated by John and Rhoda Calfee and Diane St. Clair. Partnerships with local municipalities were formed early in the process, with the leasing of 350 acres from the Town of Nags Head.

In 1992, the Conservancy and the Town of Nags Head jointly acquired an additional 389 acres in the forest from Resolution Trust Corporation. In 1997, the Town of Nags Head agreed to dedicate nearly 300 acres of Nags Head Woods as a permanent conservation area under the State Nature Preserves Act. In addition, the Town of Kill Devil Hills signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Nature Conservancy, placing another 100 acres in the forest under cooperative management. Working with the towns and other partners, The Nature Conservancy has succeeded in protecting this fragile ecosystem, overseeing both terrestrial and marine research and monitoring programs and providing trails for visitors to enjoy.

DIRECTIONS:
To visit the preserve take US 158 to Kill Devil Hills. Turn west near Mile Post 9 1/2 on Ocean Acres Drive and drive through a residential subdivision for a mile until you reach the entrance to Nags Head Woods Preserve. Trail maps and guides are available at the outdoor information counter.