Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Opening May 26th
May 17, 2000
Robert Woody
NEWS RELEASE
BUXTON, NC

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
OUTER BANKS GROUP

For Information Contact

Robert E. Woody
(252) 473-2111x122

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, closed since November 22, 1998, will reopen its doors to the general public at 10 AM, Friday, May 26, 2000. The lighthouse will have been closed 550 days, during which time it was prepared for relocation, lifted, moved 2900 feet, set down on a new foundation, and made ready for public visitation once again.

While the light station grounds will not be available to the public until mid-July, a 10-foot wide safety corridor leading from near the Buxton Woods Picnic Area along Cape Point Road and through the woods will take visitors to the lighthouse entrance. Park volunteers, as in years past, will staff the lighthouse making access available to the public on a regular and continuing basis. National Park Service negotiations with JHC, Inc., the contractor building the infrastructure facilities for the station, has enabled the lighthouse, once it is opened to the public, to remain open throughout the summer and up to the traditional closing date of Columbus Day, October 9, 2000.

Entry into the lighthouse is free this season, but the lighthouse will become part of the NPS Fee Demonstration Program in 2001. An implementation plan for the collecting and dispensing of revenues will be developed this year and will be submitted for approval before the lighthouse opens next year.

Summer hours for the lighthouse will be from 10 AM to 4 PM daily. The lighthouse is subject to closure whenever weather conditions make it unsafe for visitors, or when other conditions present unacceptable public safety risks or create adverse resource impacts to the structure.

Lighthouse Tour

Driving Directions to all North Carolina's Lighthouses
May 6, 2000
Cheryl Roberts
ANNOUNCEMENT
MOREHEAD CITY, NC

Most people visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina want ot visit at least one of the lighthouses. The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society has prepared a Driving Tour from north to south along coastal North Carolina.

Of the existing towers you have a choice of seven lighthouses to visit, and you can see the ruins of an eighth light. Theses lighthouses are so interesting days can be spent in the surrounding area of each one. You are invited to visit a lighthouse soon.

State Boat Restoration
Shad Boat
May 6, 2000
Michael Halminski
HISTORY
ELIZABETH CITY, NC

The shad boat was developed on Roanoke Island in the late 1800's. It was a renowned design for being seaworthy, having maneuverability under sail, and its ability to haul heavy loads. The name comes from the type of fish it was used to catch. In 1987, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted the shad boat as the official state boat. Today most of the shad boats are long gone, although a few are still being used with motors by commercial fishermen.

photography courtesy Michael Halminski

Aquarium to Reopen
May 19th Date Set
May 18, 2000
Daryl Law
NEWS RELEASE
RALEIGH, NC

Contact: Daryl Law (252) 473-3494 ext. 243
or Lisa Schell (919) 733-2290

After two years of expansion construction, the new North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, near Manteo, N.C., will open its doors Friday, May 19.

At approximately 68,000 square feet, the "new" North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island will be twice its former size and will feature hundreds of animals found in North Carolina's diverse aquatic environments. The Aquarium will also be home to the state's largest ocean tank.

Visitors will travel the "Waters of the Outer Banks," as they explore the new aquarium. Creatures of the state's rivers, marshes and sounds will be highlighted in the Freshwater Gallery. A wooded path will lead visitors through a sky lit atrium complete with towering trees, creeks and streams. The Natural Habitat will include a Marsh Exhibit, consisting of native marsh plants and animals, including alligators, otters, frogs and turtles, and a Sound Exhibit, housing the creatures that reside in this transitional zone. A walkway will lead visitors to a series of outdoor exhibits along the Croatan Sound Shoreline where the effects of tides, weather and waters can be explored. Natural settings featuring the animals that reside in near shore habitats such as inlets, jetties, surfs and reefs are featured in the Saltwater Gallery. Bluefish, drum, pin fish, eels and other near shore creatures will be exhibited in the gallery. The nearby Discovery Gallery will provide visitors with a "hands-on" learning experience where skates and rays, crabs, sea stars, urchins and other invertebrates can be handled.

Sandbar Sharks swim around replica of the USS Monitor

The centerpiece of the expanded North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island will be the 285,000 ocean tank, which will house the skeletal remains of the recreated USS Monitor shipwreck. The 1/3 scale replica of the Monitor is amazingly realistic - so much so that many of the small reef fish in the exhibit try to feed off of it. Large sharks, schooling fishes and sea turtles combine to make this exhibit spectacular.

The reopening marks the completion of one third of the North Carolina Aquariums' expansion effort. "The grand reopening at Roanoke Island will offer the first glimpse at what our state's Aquarium system will be like after all three facilities finish their expansion projects," said Aquariums Director Rhett White.

As a result of a $32 million appropriation by the North Carolina General Assembly, all three North Carolina Aquariums will increase in size and offer more educational opportunities to visitors. The North Carolina Aquarium Society has committed to providing an additional $6 million to the expansions through a capital campaign and its grass roots, "Help Fill the Tanks" campaign.

Administered by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Aquariums are designed to promote an awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the state's diverse aquatic environment.

AQUARIUM EXPANSION QUICK FACTS

Expansion of the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island will increase: