Visit a Wild Island Kingdom

Call it Hatteras’ wild kingdom.

On the north end of Hatteras is Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, home to more than 365 species of birds, 25 species of mammals, 24 species of reptiles and 5 species of amphibians.

The 13-mile-long refuge – comprising ocean beach, dunes, fresh- water ponds, salt flats and salt marsh – also is a destination for “eco-tourists” and provides easy access for kayakers, beachcombers, anglers, canoeists and photographers.

Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the site offers free family programs in season, including bird walks, “Turtle Talk,”"Soundside Discovery” and canoe tours.

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is 10 miles south of Nags Head on N.C. 12. For more information, call 987-1118.

– John Harper By John Harper

correspondent

Hatteras Island is one long and narrow picture postcard.

It measures 60 miles from Oregon Inlet to Hatteras Village, and its only road, N.C. 12, affords glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean, Pamlico Sound and enough wildlife, mostly birds, to make Marlin Perkins proud.

And, of course, the world-famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton rises dramatically and catches the eye.

The barrier island has long stretches of undeveloped land, mainly controlled by the National Park Service.

Although the northern tip of Hatteras Island looks and feels like the wild frontier, the journey south takes you through seven towns – Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras Village – with personalities all their own. Some are just blink-your-eyes-and- miss-it, with a few stores, gas stations and tackle shops. Others have banks, restaurants, art galleries, specialty shops and tourist attractions.

The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station on N.C. 12 in Rodanthe is worth a stop.

Beautifully restored in recent years, the eight-building site has as its centerpiece the 1874 station house. It was part of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, which carried out hundreds of daring rescues along the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”

The 1907 Midgett House, one of the few remaining original Hatteras Island-style homes, was moved to the site in 2005.

The island’s terrain and proximity to the Gulf Stream also make it a recreational paradise for anglers, surfers and windsurfers.

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