The Antidote for Human Hubris

Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist, author, and conservationist whose book Silent Spring (about the horrors of DDT) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement. Carson wrote extensively about the sea and her book, "The Edge of the Sea" was the inspiration for the Rachel Carson Preserve, here in Carteret County on the Crystal Coast.

Located between the mouths of the Newport and North Rivers and directly across Taylor’s Creek from the historic town of Beaufort. The main part of the site, just south of Beaufort, is a complex of islands which includes Carrot Island, Town Marsh, Bird Shoal, and Horse Island and Middle Marsh, separated from the rest of the site by the North River Channel. The entire Rachel Carson component is 2,315 acres.

The islands and estuarine waters of the Rachel Carson Reserve are strongly influenced by river and inlet dynamics and the twice-daily tides. The resulting mix of fresh and salt water creates a pristine estuarine environment where juvenile fish and invertebrates find shelter and food. Diverse arrays of important coastal habitats are found at the site including: tidal flats, salt marshes, ocean beach, soft bottom, shell bottom, dredge spoil areas, sand dunes, shrub thicket, submerged aquatic vegetation, and maritime forest.

More than 200 species of birds have been observed at the site, which is located within the Atlantic Migratory Flyway. Many species are considered rare or decreasing in number. The site is an important feeding area for Wilson’s plovers in the summer and piping plovers in the winter. The shrub thicket of Middle Marsh supports an egret and heron rookery. A diverse array of mammals inhabits the island including river otter, gray fox, marsh rabbit, raccoon, and a herd of feral horses. Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, diamondback terrapins, sea turtles, and many species of fish and invertebrates are found in the estuarine waters surrounding the site.

Probably the most iconic (and most fragile) of creatures in the Preserve are the "wild" horses. Horses were brought to the site by a local citizen in the 1940s and eventually became wild or “feral.” Although the horses are valued by locals and tourists alike as a cultural resource and symbol of wildness and freedom, they are, for all intents and purposes, non-native inhabitants of the islands. As a result, to maintain the health of both the horses and the island ecosystem, select female horses are given birth control, through a remote injection, once per year. The horses subsist primarily on saltmarsh cord grass and they dig for fresh water. Please help protect the horses by maintaining a distance of at least 50 feet away (the size of a large bus). A much larger distance is recommended for viewing the horses’ natural behaviors and protecting them from disturbance.

The Rachel Carson site is only accessible by private boat or passenger ferry. Motorboats can be launched from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission boating access area located at 2370 Lennoxville Road in Beaufort. Canoes and kayaks can be launched from designated areas along the Beaufort waterfront. Ferry services are located along the Beaufort waterfront.

This Preserve is a priceless resource and when you want to learn about other "gem"s on the Crystal Coast (e.g. Emerald Isle) call or test me at 919-308-2292 or send me an email to: DRaczkowski@fathomrealty.com.