{"id":8755,"date":"2017-08-08T16:38:59","date_gmt":"2017-08-08T20:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=8755"},"modified":"2024-08-20T14:34:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T18:34:13","slug":"people-and-places-discovering-down-east-on-the-outer-banks-national-scenic-byway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/people-and-places-discovering-down-east-on-the-outer-banks-national-scenic-byway\/","title":{"rendered":"PEOPLE AND PLACES: Discovering Down East on the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

The beaches of the Outer Banks are legendary, but its roadways are steering into the spotlight. This summer, the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway<\/a> is ready to guide visitors on an exploration of the culture and history of the North Carolina coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cape
TOP:<\/b> South Core Banks stretches into the distance from the top of Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Photo by Kathleen Onorevole. BOTTOM:<\/b> The Cape Lookout Lighthouse is a destination for all seasons, even in the snow. Photo by Vanda Lewis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The byway\u2019s southern range includes an area in Carteret County known as Down East, with expanses of marsh interrupted by small communities where fishing is a way of life and locals tell stories of generations past. This summer is the perfect opportunity to discover the sun-washed roads of this corner of North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The byway is a natural fit for Down East. \u201cWe need a quality, education-based, heritage-based, resource-based visitor experience \u2014 and that is what the scenic byway program is grounded in,\u201d says Karen Amspacher, Carteret County chair of the byway advisory committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway has been in the works for over a decade. In 2003, representatives from Dare, Hyde and Carteret counties began updating planning documents to request federal recognition for what was then a State Scenic Byway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The representatives ultimately merged to create a regional advisory committee. The committee\u2019s former chair, Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy, still is impressed by the cooperation among the three county jurisdictions. \u201cIt\u2019s a testament to folks really supporting the project,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The byway received federal status in 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are only 150 nationally designated Scenic Byways, and the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is one of them,\u201d Goodloe-Murphy says. \u201cAnd that\u2019s a big deal.\u201d Other National Scenic Byways include Route 66 and the Las Vegas Strip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From its northern terminus at Whalebone Junction in Dare County, the byway runs south along Hatteras Island. A ferry takes travelers to Ocracoke Island in Hyde County. The byway then skips over to Cedar Island in Carteret County via ferry. From there, it squiggles down the stretch of inner coastline known as Down East, ultimately reaching its southern-most point in the village of Bettie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDown East is a sailing term,\u201d says Carteret County historian Connie Mason, explaining the unusual name. \u201cIt means that when you leave Beaufort, you sail downwind and east to go around Cape Lookout and the banks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spring 2016, roadside signs \u2014 featuring iconic images of a lighthouse and a boat nestled in the dunes \u2014 were installed along the byway to guide drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know for the people Down East, when the signs went up, people were very proud,\u201d Amspacher says. \u201cPeople were very proud that, at long last, they had been recognized for being important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amspacher, along with cultural anthropologist Barbara Garrity-Blake, co-authored Living at the Water\u2019s Edge: A Heritage Guide to the Outer Banks Byway<\/em><\/a>. The book introduces readers to the varied communities along the byway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SLOWING DOWN IN CEDAR ISLAND<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Visitors arriving in Down East from the north begin at the Cedar Island ferry terminal on N.C. 12 \u2014 and quickly enter the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge<\/a>. The refuge was created in 1964, but the road through its 14,595 acres feels timeless, surrounded by dense salt marsh outlined by distant stands of trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s well worth making a quick side trip from the byway to meet Kevin Keeler in the refuge office. As the sole U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff member at the refuge, Keeler welcomes the chance to share his knowledge with visitors. \u201cIf the white truck\u2019s in the parking lot, I\u2019m around,\u201d Keeler says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His office embodies a curious slice of American history. It was built in 1967 as a Navy tracking site known as Condor 3. \u201cThe premise behind this facility was, it stuck out so far east, they had a southern hemisphere shot with their radar dish,\u201d Keeler explains. \u201cIt was a gut reflex to the Cuban Missile Crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy left in 1970, but the 32-foot tower that formerly supported an enormous radar dish still stands across the street, physical evidence of the area\u2019s history. It\u2019s just down the road from a kiosk that includes a trail map, a code for a cellphone audio tour, and photos of the many birds that live in or pass through the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe impetus to establish Cedar Island as a refuge was to maintain habitat for this species, a black rail,\u201d Keeler explains. The number of black rails in the state and in the Cedar Island Refuge has declined dramatically in recent decades. Despite this, the refuge remains an important habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the refuge provides a habitat for over 250 species of birds. That\u2019s not hard to imagine on the trails, where songbirds trill over the rustle of marsh grass. The Cedar Island Refuge feels like a portal to not only Down East, but to the Outer Banks of old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FROM PAST TO FUTURE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, time will not stand still on the byway. \u201cIn 2020, connections to each other, this place, and our heritage will be strong,\u201d notes its vision statement. Sustainable tourism can help realize that vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Carolina Sea Grant Extension Director Jack Thigpen<\/a> proposed a study that would enable the byway advisory committee to track the trail\u2019s sustainability. The assessment was conducted in 2016 by Patricia Hooper, Alyssa Dykman and Kara Shervanick from Duke University\u2019s Masters in Environmental Management program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSustainable tourism promotes current usage without degrading or detracting from the cultural heritage, local environment, or economic well-being of the host community, while considering future economic, social, and environmental impacts,\u201d the team explains in its report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students identified 10 sustainability indicators based on other studies and interviews with residents along the byway. The varied criteria included employment in travel and tourism, amount of impervious surface, and crime rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report evaluated those metrics shortly before the roadside signs were posted. Thigpen explains that the baseline data will facilitate comparison in future assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents\u2019 passion for the Outer Banks was apparent in their interviews. \u201cThey really wanted this to be something that was more for local people,\u201d Thigpen says. \u201cThey want something that celebrates the local culture and life and the fishing heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHARING STORIES<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As drivers leave Cedar Island, they will notice ample signs of that fishing heritage, from worn wooden docks alongside boat ramps to shops with faded signs advertising shrimp and crab cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family trees in places like Sea Level and Davis have deep roots Down East. \u201cI\u2019m hopeful that the byway can encourage people to tell stories about the villages and people in those villages,\u201d Goodloe-Murphy says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fishing
Commercial fishing boats still are a common sight at a busy marina on Harkers Island. Photo by Kathleen Onorevole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Communities already are sharing their stories with Mason, who is meeting with local representatives to create interpretive signs that will be placed along the byway in each village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mason begins by asking residents this question: If a stranger comes to your community, what do you want them to know? Their responses will be incorporated into the sign as text, photographs, a map featuring points of interest and a local recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Down East villages selected a range of topics for their signs. Marshallberg profiles Capt. Fred Gillikin, who led \u201cthe first rescue in record of the newly formed U.S. Coast Guard\u201d in 1915 off Cape Lookout, Mason explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atlantic highlights its commitment to education, exemplified by a self-imposed tax to build a high school in the early 1900s. Brady Lewis, creator of the now-commonplace flared boat bow, is featured on Harkers Island. Many communities mention that farming has been a prominent local industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interpretive signs will be installed in 2018, and they also will be available online. In the meantime, drivers can learn some history from the state\u2019s historic markers, including ones on Cedar and Harkers islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen people drive through the Down East communities, I\u2019ve always said that it\u2019s the cultural treasures that are hidden from view,\u201d Mason says. \u201cA lot of people will see older homes or crab pots in the yard, but they don\u2019t know the true feeling and history of a place until they get to know the people. So I\u2019ve been hoping that through these signs, they will get to know that it\u2019s more than just a little community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HARKERS ISLAND HERITAGE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Near its southern extent, the byway splits. One direction swings west to Bettie, the byway\u2019s southern terminus. The other branch leads to Harkers Island, bringing travelers past the bright blue exterior of Chadwick Brothers Bait and Tackle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chadwick
TOP:<\/b> Christopher and Lillie Miller take a break from work at Chadwick Brothers Bait & Tackle. Photo by Kathleen Onorevole. BOTTOM:<\/b> Down East Kayaks has become a thriving business since it was started in the 1980s. Photo by Vanda Lewis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a Chadwick family business since the 1940s,\u201d explains owner Lillie Chadwick Miller. She\u2019s seen a lot of changes in recent decades, with more visitors to Harkers Island taking the ferry to Cape Lookout or renting vacation houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miller\u2019s son Christopher rents the colorful kayaks stacked next to the shop. Miller recalls when a relative started a kayak rental business in the 1980s. \u201cWe all looked at each other and said, \u2018Who\u2019s gonna come down here and rent a kayak? What is he thinking?\u2019\u201d she recalls. Today, Down East Kayaks<\/a> is going strong, renting to paddlers visiting from as far away as Japan and Norway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miller helped mobilize community involvement in the byway as a member of its advisory committee. She says that people who travel the byway \u201cwant that authentic, mostly quiet, natural visit.\u201d Christopher agrees, noting that byway visitors enjoy seeing the historical buildings and graveyards Down East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that as the byway becomes more known throughout the country, more people will be wanting to come down here,\u201d Lillie Miller says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christopher already has seen that kind of enthusiasm from visiting kayakers. \u201cI had a crowd come in and say basically, we\u2019re living their dream,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The byway continues to the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center<\/a>, which celebrates Down East\u2019s history of fishing, hunting and boat building. Some of the waterfowl decoys on display are over a century old, their wooden bodies smooth from long-forgotten hunting trips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amspacher is the museum\u2019s executive director, and she sees a tight connection between that position and her volunteer role on the byway advisory committee. \u201cWe are exactly what the byway is about, whether it\u2019s cultural or natural history, or community involvement or responsible tourism,\u201d she says. \u201cWe were the Down East voice in shaping what the byway\u2019s become.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitors Center<\/a>, located next door to the museum, byway drivers can hop a ferry to the cape. During the summer, they can climb its eponymous lighthouse to see Down East from a whole new perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goodloe-Murphy notes that summer isn\u2019t the only time for a road trip. \u201cThe byway can be enjoyed very nicely in the spring and fall, so come ahead!\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounds like an invitation to hit the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out more about locations along the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway at www.outerbanksbyway.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IF YOU GO<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n