Attachment12_CALO_Long_Range_Interpretive_Plan_2011.pdf

Cape Lookout National Seashore Long-Range Interpretive Plan

Harpers Ferry Center National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior june 2011

View from Cape Lookout Light

Attachment 12ent

2 Cape Lookout National Seashore Long-Range Interpretive Plan

3NatIoNaL PaRk SeRvIce

Cape Lookout national Seashore Long-Range Interpretive Plan

Prepared by:

National Park Service Harpers Ferry Center, Interpretive Planning and the staff of Cape Lookout National Seashore

June 2011

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

PLaNNINg FouNdatIoN

Cape Lookout National Seashore Long-Range Interpretive Plan

Contents

NatIoNaL PaRk SeRvIce

Foundation for Planning 9 Introduction 9 comprehensive Interpretive Planning 9 Legislative Background 10 Purpose 11 Significance 11 Interpretive themes 12 Mission goals 18 Management goals 19 audiences for Interpretive Services 20 visitor experience goals 21 Issues and Influences 24

Existing Conditions 27 Interpretive Facilities 27 visitor centers 27 theaters 32 Nature trails 33 Future Facilities 34

Interpretive Media 39 orientation Film 39 Indoor exhibits 39 Wayside exhibits 44 Publications 44 Park Library 47

Personal Services 47 Interpretation and visitor Services Staffing Funded Position and grade 48 Future Facilities and Programs 51 unpaid/volunteer Positions 51 Programs for the general Public 53 Programs for School groups: curriculum-Based 54 outreach Services 55 Junior Ranger Program 56 Roving/Informal Interpretation 57 visitor assistance 57

Recommendations 59 Introduction and Overall Goals 59 Recommendations by Interpretive Venue 61 Harkers Island visitor center area 62 cape Lookout Light Station area 64 u.S. coast guard Station complex and “cape village” area 65 education center 67 Shackleford Banks 69 Long Point and great Island cabin Lodging 70 Portsmouth village Historic district 72 Proposed Ferry departure Site 73 Educational Outreach 74 The Website 76 Promotional Marketing 78 Parkwide Recommendations 79

The Planning Team 81

Appendix A: Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitor Profiles 82

Cape Lookout National Seashore

77NatIoNaL PaRk SeRvIce

P A M L I C O S O U N D

O N S L O W B A Y

Lookout Bight

Newport River

Intra coasta l W aterw ay

Mullet Pond

Whale Creek

Middle Marshes

B ard en In let

Intracoastal

N o rth R iver

BACK SOUND

Jarrett Bay

N e lso n

B ay

Thorofare Bay

Cedar Is land Bay

C O

R E

S O

U N

D

C O

R E

S

O U

N D

South River

Turnagain Bay Lo n g B ay

W E S T B AY

Old Drum Inlet

New Drum Inlet

Ocracoke Inlet

Beaufort Inlet

A T

L A

N T

I C

C

E A

L E

I G

H

Y

Mullet Shoal

Vehicle Ferry

V eh ic le

F erry

V eh ic le

F er ry or th

C ar ol in a St at e

Fe rr y)

Pa ss en ge r F er ry

Fort Macon State Park

Cedar Island

National Wildlife Refuge

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

A u th o ri ze d N at io n al

S ea sh o re B o u n d ar y

Tidal flats may flood quickly at high tide— depending upon winds and seasons.

Open seasonally

Open seasonally

Open seasonally

Keepers’ Quarters open seasonally

HYDE COUNTY

CARTERET COUNTY

PA

M

LIC

O C

OUNTY

CARTE

RET

C

OUNTY

North Rock

Shell Castle

Beacon I

Casey Island

PO

RT

SM

O

U

TH

F

LA

TS

To Nags Head

O C

RA

C

O K

Sheep Island

Chain Shot Island

Harbor Island

Wainwright I Shell Island

Hog Island

Point of Grass

Pilontary Islands

Cricket Island

Lookout Pt

Long Pt

Steep Pt

Mill Pt

N O

R

N

K S

Hall Pt

Fortin I

Great I

Shingle Pt

Goose I

Guthries Hammock

Davis I

Bells Island

Cowpen I

Browns Island

Shell Pt

Morgan I

Cedar Hammock

Bottle Run Pt

Cape Pt

Power Squadron Spit Catfish PtJetty

Harkers Island

BOGUE

Jacks I

C E D A R I S L A N D

S O

U

N K

S

OCRACOKE

Babb-Dixon Cemetery Community Cemetery

Schoolhouse

Refuge Headquarters

Cedar Island

Life-Saving Service Station (Historic)

Methodist Church

Ocracoke Lighthouse

Long Point

Great Island

Roe

Lola

Atlantic

Sealevel

Stacy

Davis

Williston

Smyrna

Marshallberg

Otway

Gloucester

Straits

North River Corner

South River

Core Creek

Park Headquarters

Passenger ferry landing

Cape Lookout Lighthouse

CAPE

LOOKOUT

U.S. Coast Guard Station (Historic)

Fort Macon

ATLANTIC BEACH

MOREHEAD

CITY

Morehead City to New Bern 51 km/32 mi

BEAUFORT

Masontown

Codds Creek

Passenger ferry landing

PORTSMOUTH VILLAGE (Historic)

Passenger ferries depart from Morehead City, Beaufort, and Harkers Island to Shackleford Banks and Cape Lookout.

Check with the park for authorized ferry providers.

SHACKLEFORD BANKS

Proposed Wilderness Zone

Visitor Center

Maritime forest

Beach and grassland

Marshland

Natural areas within Cape Lookout NS

0-6 feet (0-2 meters)

More than 6 feet (more than 2meters)

Water depths

National Ocean Survey charts are indispensable for safe navigation in these waters.

Some land within the park remains private property;

please respect the owner's rights.

There are no roads within the national seashore; a 4-wheel-drive vehicle is highly recommended for driving on the beach.

Picnic area

Restrooms

Picnic shelter

Ranger station

Lodging

North 0

5 Kilometers

5 Miles

Gas station

Sanitary disposal station

Showers

Drinking water

Parking Permit required

Tidal flat Toll ferry

8 Cape Lookout National Seashore Long-Range Interpretive Plan

9NatIoNaL PaRk SeRvIce

Foundation for Planning

Introduction

Long-range interpretive planning at Cape Lookout National Seashore builds on prior planning initiatives.

A FY 2000 Strategic Plan defined the park’s significance and purpose, and a preliminary interpretive plan in 2003 drafted primary interpretive themes. In 2010, the planning strategy called for a Long-Range Interpre-tive Plan (LRIP) that builds on the existing thematic framework and recommends programs, media, and partnerships to be implemented in the next five to seven years.

Comprehensive Interpretive Planning

The National Park Service (NPS) has adopted a unified planning approach for interpretation and education.

This approach combines planning for interpretive media, personal interpretive services, and education programs. The Comprehensive Interpretive Plan (CIP) is the basic planning document for interpretation and was formally adopted as part of NPS guidelines in 1995. Responsibility for creating the CIP lies with each park’s superintendent.

Comprehensive Interpretive Plan

The CIP process provides guidance to park staff by clarifying objectives, identifying audiences, and recom-mending the best mix of media and personal services to use to convey park themes.

Although the CIP, as defined in Director’s Order 6, is composed of

NatIoNaL PaRk SeRvIce specific elements, good planning is customized to meet each park’s needs and situation. The CIP is not a recipe.

Rather, the CIP is a guide to effective, goal-driven planning. While it consid-ers past interpretive programming, it is primarily a forward-looking document that concentrates on actions needed to create or sustain a vigorous and effective interpretive program for the future. All CIPs have three components: the LRIP, a series of Annual Implementation Plans (AIP), and an Interpretive Database (ID).

Long-Range Interpretive Plan

The heart of the CIP is the LRIP. The LRIP defines the overall vision and long-term (five to ten year) interpretive goals of the park. The process that develops the LRIP defines realistic strategies and actions that work toward achievement of the interpretive goals.

The LRIP features two sections. The first or foundation section articulates significance, themes, and target audiences.

The second section of the LRIP recommends interpretive services (for example: ranger talks and guided hikes), media (for example: wayside signs and audiovisual presentations), and partnerships that support the delivery of the interpretive program.

The Annual Implementation Plan and Interpretive Database

The completed LRIP is a critical part of the CIP, but it does not stand alone. Recommendations in the LRIP are divided into annual, achievable steps and are reproduced in the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP), the second component of the CIP.

The Annual Implementation Plan provides the park an opportunity to assess its progress in implementing LRIP recommendations during the fiscal year and identifies what needs to be accomplished next, in light of changing park conditions, program or project funding, and staff levels. The AIP can be accomplished indepen-dently as part of an internal division planning endeavor or as part of the annual parkwide strategic planning.

The third component of the CIP is the Interpretive Database (ID), an ongoing compilation of information, reports, bibliographies, plans, and inventories that document the process of developing the LRIP and support the continued delivery of the interpre-tive program.

Legislative Background

The U.S. Congress authorized Cape Lookout National Seashore on March 10, 1966 (PL 89-366). The legislation stated:

In order to preserve for public use and enjoyment an area in the State of North Carolina possessing out-standing natural and recreational values, there is hereby authorized to be established the Cape Lookout National Seashore.

The enabling legislation defined the seashore to include “the outer banks of Carteret County, North Carolina, between Ocracoke Inlet and Beaufort Inlet, plus adjoining marshlands and waters.” The seashore was to be administered “for the general purposes of public outdoor recreation, including conservation of natural features

Foundational elements contributing to public enjoyment.” An administrative site at the eastern end of Harkers Island was authorized in the amending legislation (623-20, 009), dated March 1974.

Purpose

Park purpose statements describe why a site was set aside and what specific purposes exist for it. They are derived from legislation, legislative history, public participation, and public rule-making. Purpose statements provide the foundation for park management and visitor use and guide the development of the interpretive program. The park’s FY 2000 Strategic Plan stated the purpose of Cape Lookout National Seashore:

The purpose of Cape Lookout National Seashore is to conserve and preserve for public use and enjoyment the outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values of a dynamic coastal barrier island environment for future generations. The national seashore serves as both a refuge for wildlife and a pleasuring ground for the public, including the developed visitor amenities.

Significance

Park significance statements describe the distinctiveness of the combined resources of a park. The statements can reflect natural, cultural, scientific, recreational, inspirational, and other resources. They embody the power of the place, and summarize the impor-tance of the park’s resources to our natural and cultural heritage. Updated significance statements for Cape Lookout National Seashore are based on the park’s 2000 General Management Plan Amendment:

n Cape Lookout National Seashore is nationally recognized as an outstanding example of a dynamic natural coastal barrier island system.

n The seashore preserves in a nearly natural state 56 miles of barrier islands, which combined with Cape Hatteras’ 76-mile length, forms and shelters the second largest estuarine system in the United States.

n The seashore is designated as a unit of the Carolinian-South Atlantic Biosphere Reserve, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) and Man and the Biosphere Reserve Program.

n The park contains cultural resources rich in the maritime history of human-kind’s attempt to survive at the edge of the sea.

n Cape Lookout National Seashore contains critical habitat for endan-gered and threatened species and other unique wildlife including the legislatively protected wild horses of Shackleford Banks.

n The park also represents a conscious decision to restrict/control develop-ment, keeping the vast majority of the park natural and allowing to the greatest extent possible for natural processes/forces to take their course.

Interpretive Themes

Interpretive themes embody the most important ideas, concepts, and issues to share, discuss, and consider with the public about a park and with which to encourage public investigation. They convey the significance of the resources and highlight the links between tangible elements, intangible meanings, and universal concepts that are inherent in the park’s resources. The themes connect resources to larger processes, systems, ideas, and values. They define the core content of the educational messages the park offers, and serve as the building blocks upon which interpretive services and educational programs are based. Guided by well-developed park themes, interpretive programs can help to foster in visitors the development of an emotional connection or bond, leading to true stewardship of park resources.

Primary Interpretive Themes

A complete set of primary interpretive themes and subthemes for Cape Lookout National Seashore was developed during planning for a preliminary LRIP in 2003. During the 2010 planning endeavor, the planning team revisited the themes in order to identify necessary revisions. Indicated below are the revised themes and subthemes for Cape Lookout National Seashore.

THEME 1: Barrier Island Geology and Geography

Cape Lookout National Seashore’s barrier islands are constantly reshaped by the dynamic relationship between environmental forces and geography, such as the wind, the tremendous energy of waves and storms, global climate change and the accompanying sea level rise, the supply of sand, and the underlying coastal topography.

When allowed to respond naturally, these barrier islands are best able to protect the North Carolina mainland from the devastating losses that might otherwise result from hurricanes and other storm surges.

SUBTHEMES:

1. Barrier islands are dynamic; they undergo continual change in response to smaller, long-term and gradual events (tides, winds, global climate change, and ocean sea level) as well as sudden high-energy events (storms, hurricanes).

2. The formation, migration, and location of barrier islands is a function of the amount of sand avail-able, the geography and elevation of the coast, the underlying topography of the seabed, and the rise (or fall) of the ocean sea level.

3. Global warming and sea level rise pose some of the most significant practical and civic/governmental policy challenges for management of development on barrier islands and along coastlines throughout the world.

Identifying appropriate mechanisms for mitigating human causes of global warming, and appropriate responses to coastal development, may be some of the most critical issues for the next 50-100 years.

4. Undeveloped barrier islands exist in a dynamic balance between the forces (wind, water, and waves) that deposit and erode the sands of the barrier islands and their beaches. This equilib-rium can easily be disrupted by human activities such as shoreline development, road building, construction of artificial dunes, jetties, seawalls, and groins, and the creation and maintenance of inlets and channels. However, left alone, barrier islands are never permanent, and with rising sea levels, this buffer zone may not exist in the future.

5. The history of barrier island migration is written in the mainland landscape of North Carolina; on the mainland throughout the Coastal

Plain and extending into the Piedmont, barrier island remnants can be seen in the shape of the land, a result of advanc-ing and receding prehistoric seas.

6. Plant communities stabilize the islands by trapping the sand, allowing the barrier island to grow in size and elevation and thus countering the eroding forces of winds, waves, currents, and storms. Human activity, including the introduction of non-native species, can easily disrupt or change these communities.

Cape Lookout Light from the U.S. Coast Guard dock

THEME 2: Barrier Island Ecology and Estuaries

As a consequence of their unique geology, ecology, and undeveloped condition, the barrier islands of Cape Lookout National Seashore are a refuge for plant communi-ties and resident and migratory marine and terrestrial wildlife, including several threatened and endangered species.

Together with Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the islands form and shelter the second largest estuarine system in the United States.

SUB-THEMES:

1. The NPS decision to maintain the barrier islands of Cape Lookout National Seashore in a largely unde-veloped condition, where the effect of human intervention is minimized and natural processes dominate, allows them to serve as a natural laboratory for the study of barrier island dynamics and ecology. In stark contrast, many other coastal barrier islands have been intensely developed, are continually threatened, and are the subject of costly, mostly futile attempts to hold back the sea.

2. Cape Lookout National Seashore’s undeveloped barrier islands provide unique and critical habitat for diverse and rare (threatened or endangered), wildlife and plants. Most of these species are specifically adapted to the changing and often harsh marine environment of the islands and are dependent on these habitats for their survival.

3. Recognized as the official North Carolina horse and legislatively protected as a cultural/historical resource, the population of Banker ponies on Shackleford Banks is one of the last wild horse populations on the east coast. Cape Lookout National Seashore combines scientific study with preservation to ensure the survival of a genetically healthy Banker horse population while closely monitoring and managing the impact of the horses on the barrier island environment of Shackleford Banks.

4. Second only to the Chesapeake Bay in size, the estuarine system formed and sheltered by the barrier islands of the outer banks provides spawning, Foundational elements

Loggerhead Turtle on a rare daytime crawl

Horses on Shackleford Banks nursery, and feeding waters for a host of shorebirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, marine fish, and shellfish species. This critical habitat and the marine organisms that depend on it are increasingly threatened by siltation and non-point source pollution from development on the coast and from far inland (such as runoff from paved roads, parking lots, and sidewalks, and high fertilizer nutrient levels.)

5. Global warming and sea level rise will likely create significant changes in the outer banks barrier island chain, with a predicted long-term collapse of the entire Cape Hatteras section north of Ocracoke inlet, and potential collapse of major portions of the Pamlico Sound estuary.

6. Located where the southbound Labrador current and the northbound tropical Gulf Stream mix, the waters around Cape Lookout National Seashore host a surprisingly diverse array of sea life, including both northern and tropical fish, whales, seals, sea turtles, and significant deep-water coral beds offshore.

THEME 3: Cultural Geography

Since prehistoric times, people have been drawn to the North Carolina coast and barrier islands for suste-nance, inspiration, and recreation. The struggle to survive in the harsh coastal environment of the Banks fostered the development of island communities with distinctive speech patterns, cultures, folkways, living traditions, and social ideology.

SUB-THEMES:

1. Physically isolated from the economic resources of larger communities and farms on the mainland by the sounds’ waters, the people making Core Banks and Shackleford Banks their home relied heavily on the immediate resources of the islands and surround-ing waters to sustain their lives.

2. The harsh environment and isolation made for a hardy people who were self-reliant and able to adapt to change.

In small communities such as these, social rules and norms were adapted to fit the needs of the community – as in the case of women and children having to assume duties and roles that

Foundational elements

Methodist Church, Portsmouth Village their mainland counterparts were not allowed or expected to fulfill.

3. The changing seasons set the pattern for living along the banks for Native Americans and the settlers who came later. Hunting, fishing, and migrating between the mainland and the islands followed the same ancient rhythms.

4. African-Americans who lived along the coast developed maritime skills alongside their Euro-American counterparts and found a measure of acceptance and freedom that was not as common for their counterparts living in the interior of North Carolina.

THEME 4: People and Commerce at the Edge of the Sea

Since prehistoric times, humankind has used the waters adjacent to the North Carolina coast for a full range of maritime activities, including sustenance, commerce, transportation, piracy, warfare, and recreation. The sea can be a dangerous place, and the relationship of humankind to the sea has left a rich cultural, historical, and archeological legacy that factors large in the history of the Down East, the State of North Carolina, and the Nation.

SUB-THEMES:

1. Since prehistoric times, people using the coastal waters and barrier islands have dealt with conflict, nature and weather, advancements in transporta-tion, human error, and mechanical malfunctions. People have experienced prosperity, but misfortunes also have lead to a significant human toll and high economic losses off the shores of the North Carolina barrier islands.

2. The inlets and protected anchorages of Ocracoke, Core Banks, and Cape Lookout’s bight have played important roles in wars from the colonial era through World War II. As a result, these areas have seen the construction of fortifications and other war-time preparations in support of the defense of the Colony of North Carolina and the Nation.

3. The ocean waters off of North Carolina barrier islands became a battleground during World War II with the United States experiencing major losses from German submarine attacks.

Due to the need for secrecy, few people outside the islands knew of the nation’s significant loss of lives, ships, and cargoes that occurred during the first months of World War II.

4. Before the advent of railroads and today’s jetports and superhighways, most of the nation’s wealth and people moved by sail, and later by steamships along the coast. Protecting the shipping lanes that sent commercial

Foundational elements

Portsmouth Village Life-Saving Station products around the world and brought back raw materials from outside the borders was paramount to the economic growth and safety of the developing Nation. These shipping lanes continue to be a vital part of the United States economy.

5. Economic losses and loss of life caused by the treacherous shoals and unpredict-able weather at the confluence of the Gulf Stream and Labrador currents along the North Carolina coast resulted in a national effort to develop navigation aids such as the Cape Lookout lighthouses and lightships, and rescue services such as the U.S. Coast Guard and its predeces-sor agencies.

THEME 5: Recreation, Education and Visiting Cape Lookout

Cape Lookout provides outstanding recreational, educational, and inspira-tional opportunities in a remote natural setting, inspiring visitors to contemplate their relationship to the natural world, both within the park and at home.

SUB-THEMES:

1. Cape Lookout National Seashore offers a unique recreational setting where visitors may enjoy non-commer-cialized and self-reliant outdoor activities in a remote and natural setting.

2. Cape Lookout National Seashore provides an outdoor classroom where visitors may learn about the natural history of coastal North Carolina and the cultural and historic significance of the region. It is an invaluable resource—a living laboratory—for those involved in scholastic and/or recreational education.

3. Cape Lookout National Seashore offers visitors a rare opportunity to step outside the hustle and bustle of a human-dominated, controlled world into a world where they, too, are part of nature instead of outside it. The serenity of a Cape Lookout National Seashore experi-ence promotes emotional, spiritual, and inspirational opportunities to connect to this resource.

4. The seashore offers visitors a unique venue and lens through which to study the causes and effects of global warming. The surviving coastal features and landscapes of Portsmouth Village and the Cape Village Historic District provide observable lessons regarding the impact of changing ocean levels. Insights gained can inform future choices made by individuals and all levels of government regarding what is important to protect, and the impacts of potential development on treasured natural and cultural features.

Mission Goals

Each unit of the national park system develops mission goals based on those of the National Park Service.

n Seashore staff is able to focus its activities and use park resources effectively.

n Seashore visitors experience an enhanced understanding of the purpose of the seashore and an appreciation of what makes the park special.

n Park neighbors in surrounding communities understand and appreciate that the preservation of the national seashore’s resources is undertaken for this and future generations.

Under the general category of “Preserve Park Resources,” the national seashore has developed the following mission goals:

Natural and cultural resources and associated values are protected, restored, and maintained in good condition and are managed within their broader ecosystem and cultural context.

n Long-terms goals relate to protecting, restoring, and main-taining natural areas, threatened and endangered species, archeo-

Foundational elements

Piping Plover chick, a threatened species at Cape Lookout National Seashore

Recreation near Cape Lookout Light logical sites, historic structures, and objects.

Cape Lookout National Seashore contributes to knowledge about natural and cultural resources and associated values; management decisions about resources and visitors are based on adequate scholarly and scientific information.

n Park managers must be able to use scholarly and scientific information to ensure that decisions that are made will not adversely affect the national seashore’s resources.

Under the general category of “Provide for Public Enjoyment and Visitor Experience,” the national seashore has developed the following mission goals:

Visitors safely enjoy and are satisfied with the availability, accessibility, diversity, and quality of Cape Lookout’s facilities, services, and appropriate recreational opportunities.

n Visitors must be able to enjoy and experience Cape Lookout National Seashore safely.

n Accessibility for special popula-tions must be provided where appropriate.

n The diversity and quality of the national seashore’s facilities, services, and recreational oppor-tunities must be considered for all visitors without being harmful to park resources or inconsistent with the national seashore’s purpose and philosophy.

Management Goals

First and foremost, the interpretive program at Cape Lookout National Seashore must be in alignment with the NPS guidance found in the 21st Century Report (2010), the Director’s Goals (2010), and the Interpretation Renaissance documents (2003). These goals describe management priorities and emphasis for offering interpretive and educational programs and services in the national park system. They set a direction for the LRIP and articulate desired outcomes for the resulting interpretive program.

In addition, the following park-specific priorities will be integrated into the above NPS goals:

1. Emphasize outreach beyond park boundaries, especially to local schools.

Expand the coverage from the present grades 6-8 to cover K-5.

2. Explore distance learning oppor-tunities, especially those that involve children in content development.

3. Balance nature-based and culture-based stories, especially emphasizing natural resource protection/manage-ment strategies.

4. Reaffirm cultural stories that are park-specific (i.e., based on resources within the park) and link them to heritage stories of the Down East (which will be the focus of the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center and others.) Emphasize the need for preservation and management of cultural resources.

5. Emphasize partnering with local interpretation and education organizations. In particular, identify key partners, such as the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center, the Friends of Portsmouth Island, the Friends of Cape Lookout National Seashore, the North Carolina Maritime Museum (and others), and promote a variety of cooperative efforts across a broad spectrum of shared program areas.

6. Emphasize program sustainability:

how can programs be maintained once initial grant funding has run out?

7. Emphasize volunteer training/ recruitment, as well as opportunities for community service within the park.

Audiences for Interpretive Services

Audiences for interpretive and education services at Cape Lookout National Seashore can be grouped into five or six categories. The reason for categorizing audiences lies in whether or not a particular audience requires communication in a way that is distinct from that of the general park audience. Factors to consider include the life experiences of the individual or group, level of education, age level, learning styles, native language, cultural traditions, and time available for interaction, among others.

Cape Lookout National Seashore’s audiences can be grouped as follows:

n Recreational visitors: mainly spring, summer and fall (March through November).

n Cultural heritage tourists (mainly Lighthouse, Portsmouth, Cape Village): day visitors; all year, but most in summer.

n Eco-tourists/environmentalists: all year, but most in summer.

n Schools and educational groups and scouts seeking curriculum support:

mainly spring and fall.

n Virtual visitors/web site: 24/7 support.

n Beginning fishermen/recreationalists/ boaters/campers: both day use and overnight; spring, summer and fall.

In order to inform the LRIP process, the Cape Lookout National Seashore staff developed a written summary of their observations of park visitors and visitor groups. See Appendix A for these visitor profiles.

Preparing to climb the Light

A ranger demonstration at Cape Lookout Light Station

NatIoNaL PaRk SeRvIce

Visitor Experience Goals Visitors come to Cape Lookout National Seashore seeking something of personal value for themselves. Their desired visitor experience could relate to natural, cultural, educational, scientific, recreational, spiritual, inspirational, and other experiences and values that involve the intangible characteristics of the park’s resources. They also seek information and orientation to help plan and shape their visit. This orientation includes learning about the range of activities and educational opportunities available in the park and the region (in particular and in coordination with partner organizations) and about the local, regional, national, and global context in which the park’s resources are significant.

Needed By All Audiences

INFORMATION AND ORIENTATION. Some information and orientation needs are common to all audiences. These include:

n Safety messages.

n Messages designed to protect park resources.

n Information on practical matters regarding their visit, such as:

u Accessibility for persons with disabilities.

u What is provided/what to bring.

u Seasonal variation/weather.

u How to get help in emergency situations.

n Orientation and mapping to aid travel throughout the site:

u Where is it/how does one get there?

u When and where are programs/ things to do?

n Opportunity to purchase souvenirs.

n Opportunity to purchase educational materials to extend learning.

Specific Audiences

RECREATIONAL VISITORS. Interpretive services may not be the primary reason for this audience to visit the park. Yet they will still appreciate the park’s messages if they encounter them as part of other recreation-based experiences. It is especially important to convey resource management messages (for example, regarding threatened and endangered species) to this audience segment. These visitors want:

n Active, fun, “get wet,” unstructured experiences and adventures that they can enjoy with a minimum of rules.

n To savor the sun, sand, and salt water.

n To catch fish.

n Solitude and room to spread out.

n Experiences that build memories and promote family bonding.

n Photographs of themselves enjoying their experience.

n Informal interpretive services based around contacts with roving rangers or formal evening programs provided at the end of the day.

n A full spectrum of experiences, from very physically active to more restful ones.

HERITAGE TOURISTS. These visitors want to learn about Cape Lookout history and hear its stories. They want:

n Facilitated programs, exhibits, and self-guided tours that address heritage topics and create a context or framework for what they are seeing.

n To learn what life was like on the banks, and how people could live/ survive in that harsh environment.

n To learn what life is like on the banks for the horses, and how they have survived there for hundreds of years.

n Literature on these topics that they can take home with them.

n Information on former Banks communities.

n To visit historical buildings.

n To take photographs.

n Activities that will engage children and family members of all ages.

Beach at Cape Point n To see – and climb – the lighthouse.

n To connect to the lives of their ancestors if they have personal roots in the area.

ECOTOURISTS AND ENVIRON-

MENTALISTS. These visitors focus on the park’s natural beauty and the significance of its natural resources.

They want:

n Facilitated programs and guide services to take them to the resources they want to learn about.

n Active, “road less traveled” immersion experiences based on their area of interest.

n To participate in “ecovolunteerism” activities like the January bird count.

n To understand and share resource management messages.

SCHOOL GROUPS (INCLUDING BOTH

STUDENTS AND TEACHERS). Teachers face a number of obstacles, including expense, logistics, and the need to keep field trips relevant to school curriculum when planning a field trip to Cape Lookout National Seashore. Although few teachers venture to the seashore with classes entirely on their own, and although the park is just beginning to develop curriculum support guides for teachers, many school groups do visit successfully and learn a great deal.

There is also good evidence that schools will invest significant class time and funding to take advantage of structured educational guide services that have a curriculum focus, such as those currently provided by commercial providers. For example, Carolina Ocean Studies has taken thousands of students per year to the seashore at a cost of about $24.00 per student. Many of these schools are from distant counties and have committed to an overnight or multi-day trip to the coast.

Teachers are seeking:

n A choice of topics.

n Hands-on experiences and experiential learning for their students.

n A fun but structured experience that includes directed activities.

n Easy to use, ready-made adjunct materials (kits and curriculum guides) and pre-trip prep materials.

n Ranger-led in-service training sessions.

n Teacher workshops/training on how to use the park.

n Continuing education credits.

n A way to document that the park visits align with curriculum standards.

n Assessment/measurement of effectiveness of park visits.

n Packaged services with guide/ facilitator support.

Students are seeking (whether they realize it or not):

n A fun day that allows for self-paced experiential learning.

n To form points of reference that aid future learning.

n Life lessons: such as the consequences of not obeying safety rules, which may include insect stings, sunburn, or other discomforts.

n Self-directed discovery and the opportunity to share what they have learned.

n An introduction to nature.

n To find that one can learn outside of school.

n To hone observational skills.

n To learn critical thinking skills.

n Inspiration.

n To socialize with friends.

n To experience new things, like boat rides (for some).

Issues and Influences

Servicewide and National Influences

The interpretation and education program at Cape Lookout National Seashore must be responsive to agency-wide perspectives, goals, and initiatives identified by the NPS and its national partners as it works to define the long-term goals and priorities that will help move the NPS into the 21st century. Guidance for this is found in the National Parks Second Century Commission Report: Advancing the National Park Idea (2010) and in the Interpretation and Education Renaissance Action Plan (2006).

The interpretive program at Cape Lookout National Seashore must also be responsive to a great many issues and influences that are part of the regional, national, and even global environment in which the park will function. Many of these are addressed as part of the Second Century NPS vision. The following is just a sampling of the types of issues that the park and the NPS might address:

n Global warming and sea level rise.

n Barrier island migration, barrier island development, the high cost and long-term futility of holding back the sea.

n Storm water runoff from coastal areas and inland, non-point source pollution, and the health of the Back, Core, and Pamlico Sound estuarine system.

n Clean beaches, the dumping of trash, and the accumulation of debris in the world’s oceans.

n Barrier islands as a critical habitat for both resident and migratory species, and the need for species protection to have both a national and international reach.

n Sustainability.

n Historical and commemorative events such as the 150th Anniversary of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse in 2009, the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Cape Lookout National Seashore, the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, and the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War (2011-2015).

Local and Regional Influences

Cape Lookout National Seashore depends on park staff and volunteers as well as external stakeholders to provide input, feedback, and energy in order to make the inter-pretation and education program successful. Stakeholders, including representatives of partner museums and other interpreting organizations, tourism officials, educators, and local neighbors, have offered the following insights:

n ACCESS. Logistics present great challenges in getting people to the resource. The proposal to consolidate many individual permitted ferries into fewer concession-contracted ferries may help to alleviate some visitor challenges. But even with a new ferry system in place, visitors will need to heed schedules, bring with them all items they will need, and be aware that wind and wave conditions will affect access to the seashore.

n ACCESS, SCHOOL GROUPS. School groups and interpretive tour groups have special needs that may not easily fit into a point-to-point ferry service model. School students generally need to stay as a group, receive specific pre-boarding lessons, and require tight scheduling of ferry services. The provision of curriculum-based education by third parties should be encouraged through concession operators, or through alternative authorizations.

n MESSAGE CONSISTENCy/

COORDINATION (INCLUDING

FRONT-LINE TOURISM WORkERS).

Many institutions in the area share themes and topics. Consider focus meetings and grant proposals to create subject-matter task forces that will improve message coordination.

n CROSS-MARkETING. With so many organizations sharing topics, there is an opportunity to create joint informational kiosks that can direct visitors to the variety of programs, and that can share marketing initiatives through local tourism organizations.

n AUTHENTICITy/LOCAL PARTICIPATION.

Where practicable, using local people as employees and volunteers in inter-pretation and education programs will allow them to share their heritage, as well as provide a deeper regional experience for park visitors.

n BALANCE/SUSTAINABLE TOURISM.

There is a concern that too much visitation could eventually diminish the experience of the resources that people value the most.

n ExPANDED OUTREACH. A recent park program of outreach to school classes has been very well received in the community. There is a need to institutionalize and expand the program, and extend it to multiple platforms.

n ARTIST’S RETREAT. The park’s rental cabins and the Education Center at the Cape offer an ideal retreat for artists, writers, and musicians seeking to create park-inspired works of art.

n OVERNIGHT, “LESS STRUCTURED” ExPERIENCES. Logistical challenges remain, but these kinds of experiences would provide opportunities for a more in-depth understanding of Cape Lookout’s issues and themes.

26 Cape Lookout National Seashore Long-Range Interpretive Plan

Cape Lookout Light Station Visitor Center facilities

Interpretive Facilities

Visitor Centers

There are three widely separated visitor center/contact stations within the park:

the Harkers Island Visitor Center, Cape Lookout Light Station Visitor Center and Keepers’ Quarters Museum, and the Portsmouth Theodore and Annie Salter House Visitor Center. Only the Harkers Island Visitor Center can be reached by vehicle. The other two, which span the entire 56-mile seashore, must be reached either by private boat or ferry.

HARkERS ISLAND VISITOR CENTER

This is the main visitor center, located on the eastern end of Harkers Island. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except for Christmas and New Year’s Day. The seashore remains open to visitation 24 hours per day, seven days per week, every day of the year.

The visitor center is part of the park’s administrative and headquarters building.

A former motel that was converted to its present use by the park’s maintenance staff in the early 1990s, the visitor center opened in 1993 to house not only the park admin-istrative offices, but also museum storage space, office/work space for the various divisions and field personnel, a small visitor center area, a very small area for book sales, and a 15-seat theater. Up until 2007, exhibits were of the “homemade” variety and varied in topic and appearance according to the interest and skill of the staff member or volunteer who created them.

Since the center’s opening a few changes have occurred in usage and appearance.

In about 2004, the park museum collection was moved to the Core Sound Waterfowl existing Conditions

Harkers Island Visitor Center

Museum and Heritage Center, and in 2010, the collection was moved to the museum storage facility at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. During the fall of 2006, the visitor center area was renovated to install professionally created exhibits covering the natural and cultural history of the park, to add a 70-seat theater in which to show a new park film, and to expand the sales area. Detailed descriptions of the exhibits and park film are provided in the Interpretive Media section of this document.

Because visitors can access/enter the seashore from multiple ferries, community, and individual access points all the way from Ocracoke to Morehead City, North Carolina, the Harkers Island Visitor Center is often not a primary stop for the majority of park visitors. However, those who do visit are pleased with the services and facilities. Since the 2007 renovation, more visitors are being directed to the visitor center by local business owners, family members, and others as a “must see” during their visit on the coast.

The central component of the visitor center is the information desk, where park staff hand out brochures and provide assistance. The staff answer numerous questions about island access, camping, beach driving, wildlife closures, fishing, sea turtle nesting, wild horses, lighthouse history, the best place to go shelling, where to launch a private boat, and kayaking, among other topics of interest. The staff also answer phones, prepare visitor service-related correspondence, and perform reception duties for the headquarters offices.

It is also important to note that the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center is located next to the Harkers Island Visitor Center. This museum is managed by a private not-for-profit organization, and is a park partner.

Analysis of Future Facilities needs.

Currently the numbers of daily visitors are adequately handled by one visitor desk employee during the winter weekdays and two employees during winter weekends. The majority of visitors to the visitor center consist of small family groups who generally stay from 30 minutes to about one hour in the building. During the summer months (from May through September), additional staffing is usually available with up to two persons being assigned to work the visitor center operation.

The additional traffic generated by potential ticket sales associated with opening of the Cape Lookout Light-house for public climbing in 2010, and the addition of the ferry concession operations at the Harkers Island Area, projected in 2013, is expected to significantly increase the number of visitors to the visitor center. The park will likely have to increase coverage of the desk from one to two persons year-round, and may need to increase custodial coverage of the building.

Larger groups (over 30 participants) such as class field trips or other sponsored groups have always presented challenges in the visitor center. The exhibit area becomes very crowded and the interactive exhibits were designed for use by only one or two visitors at a time. Bad weather existing Conditions days (windy, rainy, uncomfortable tem-peratures, or any combination of these) may exacerbate the problem.

Although the numbers of large groups of visitors is currently low, the park is developing an education program that will begin to bring such groups more frequently. Future planning should take into consideration that there is currently no space for large groups to assemble, do activities, or eat lunch during bad weather, in ways that do not impact the general visitor.

Facilities for kayakers and visitors returning from the beach may also be needed. The seashore has had problems with kayak groups attempting to use the bathroom facilities at the Harkers Island Visitor Center to rinse off and clean up, with the result that the bathrooms are left dirty and wet.

A directional sign to the Core Sound Museum and Heritage Center at the visitor center parking lot, and information about what this facility offers at the visitor center, will help inform visitors about the Core Sound Museum.

LIGHT STATION VISITOR CENTER

Located three miles off-shore on the island of South Core Banks near the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, this visitor center can be reached only by boat.

It is open seasonally from late March to around Thanksgiving. During the season, it is open daily from 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m. It is staffed primarily by volunteers, and at least 3 days a week, by an Eastern National clerk. Built in 2005-6 as part of a complex of new buildings and structures on a raised existing Conditions

NatIoNaL PaRk SeRvIce

Cape Lookout National Seashore features spectacular paddling along 112 miles of uninhabited shoreline.

wooden “plaza,” the visitor center is centrally located for all visitors arriving at the park’s lighthouse area passenger ferry dock. Other buildings sharing the plaza are restroom facilities, and a large shade shelter.

The boardwalk from the ferry dock leads to the plaza, so visitors arriving by ferry walk past the visitor center on their way to the beach.

One third of the visitor center is taken up by space for book sales through Eastern National. An information area (desk, brochure rack, bulletin board) and a touch table for identifying shells are also inside. Currently, there is little in the way of exhibits in this building and none are anticipated in the future. The Light Station Visitor Center was constructed to capture more of the visitors to the area, and for improving the Eastern

National book sales area. All of these visitor service functions, as well as bathrooms, were previously located at the Keepers’ Quarters. The Light Station Visitor Center and new bathrooms were needed in anticipation of the installation of new exhibits in the Keepers’ Quarters.

It was also constructed to provide for future ticket sales for the lighthouse tower and island tours.

Analysis of Future needs. Power for the visitor center is provided by a pair of diesel generators, which introduce both engine noise and diesel exhaust smell into the area. The seashore needs to develop a cost effective, environmentally desirable green energy system to provide power for the Light Station area. Alternatively, the seashore needs to evaluate the rami-fications of taking full responsibility keepers’ Quarters Museum for the USCG power cable to utilize a higher level of its capacity.

kEEPERS’ QUARTERS MUSEUM

Located on the first floor of the historic lighthouse Keepers’ Quarters near the base of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, this museum can be reached only by boat. It is open seasonally from late March to around Thanksgiving, and is staffed primarily by volunteers. During the season, it is open daily from 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m. The museum contains both graphic and artifact exhibits and shows a shortened version of the park’s ori-entation film. Detailed descriptions of the exhibits and film are provided in the Interpretive Media Section of this document.

The two-story historic Keepers’ Quarters was renovated in the early 1990s to provide visitor services on the island. The first floor provided space for rest rooms, an exhibit room, a book sales area, and information desk, as well as an area for the building’s utilities.

The second floor became a living area for the volunteers who staffed the building during summer. During the 2006 renovations, the rest rooms and book sales were moved to the newly completed plaza, while the utility area was reworked to take up less space.

This left the entire first floor available for new exhibits, which were installed in 2007. The second floor remains a living area for the volunteers.

Analysis of Future needs: Space in the center hallway can be used for extended and/or temporary exhibits.

One idea for an extended exhibit would be to hang portraits of keepers from the station. Another idea would be to interpret the VIP Keeper program and identify the current and possibly past volunteer keepers.

PORTSMOUTH VILLAGE

VISITOR CENTER

Located on the first floor of…