THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 4, 1994 TAG: 9411030171
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 186 lines
THERE WERE JUST a few items on Fred Freeman's list of things to do while visiting the East Coast.
The rugged outdoorsman already had tried white-water rafting in West Virginia. He had back-packed along the Appalachian Trail.
But before heading back home to the mountains of Colorado, he yearned to kayak to False Cape State Park, soak in the treasures of the wilderness, pitch a tent under the stars and fall asleep listening to the waves crashing on the beach.
``I heard about it for years so I just had to come,'' said Freeman, who was hiking the Barbour Hill trail in a windbreaker, cut-off sweat pants and beach sandals. ``It's everything I expected. The undeveloped beach. The maritime forest. The solitude.
``Yeah, it's just great,'' he said, scratching his two-day growth of whiskers. ``I spent most of the day today just poking around the trees. I've seen 20 deer and no people, except for a few park employees.
``I can't believe you have this undeveloped area so close to how many thousands of people.''
Except for diehard adventurers like Freeman, False Cape has a public recognition problem because it is so isolated and inaccessible.
False Cape State Park is a one-mile wide barrier spit nestled between Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge to the north and the North Carolina line to the south. It is bordered by the Atlantic to the east and Back Bay to the west.
The irony is that these very traits that contribute to the park's character are also its downfall.
The only ways to get into the park is by boat or by hiking or biking 5 miles through the federal refuge. Earlier this week these options were narrowed even more when the refuge closed most of its trails to the public until June.
The public has been moved off the refuge's level, graveled trails to the beach, a more formidable route.
Bikers now must check the tides. They will have about a two-hour low-tide window during which they can ride on flat, packed sand. And a round-trip journey from the refuge to the northern tip of the state park takes a good two hours. While walkers have fewer limitations than bikers, it's still a quicker and easier journey at low tide.
But those who make the trek find it's well worth it.
False Cape boasts 6 miles of barren, windswept beaches, one of the last remaining maritime forests on the East Coast and some of the most breathtaking vistas of Back Bay and fresh water wetlands.
It's home to seven rare species of plants and animals and three globally endangered species. Deer, feral horses and hogs, foxes and the Pungo mouse are commonly seen at the park. A multitude of waterfowl - including snow geese, Canada geese, egrets, herons, and osprey - can be observed.
False Cape has the only known population of the Eastern glass lizard in Virginia. Snakes, including the poisonous cotton mouth, also live at the park.
But while the park is long on unspoiled nature and scenery, it's short on creature comforts. There are no roads. No cars. No drinking water. No flush toilets. No trash pickup.
Visitors are urged to bring their own water (a gallon per person per day is recommended in hot months). And because there is no garbage service, everything that's carried in must be carried back out.
The park gets its greatest number of visitors in the fall and spring, when biting insects and snakes are at a minimum. A little more than half of the park's 21,500 visits occur from November to June, the refuge's closure period. Most of the park's guests arrive on bicycle.
``We're concerned that people who are forced to travel the beach will find it unreasonable,'' said Bryan K. Anderson, park manager. ``And that's really going to hurt our attendance.''
On the first day of the closure this week, park staff reported seeing no visitors. ``It's a breezy, warm and beautiful day and we have no visitors in the park,'' said J.P. Cordill, chief ranger. ``That concerns us.''
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge officials sympathize with the hardships the closure creates but maintains it's necessary to protect wintering waterfowl. Human activity on the trails disturbs the waterfowl, according to a refuge study. And waterfowl, not people, are the refuges's main concern.
Joe Hartneck, a Virginia Beach resident, took advantage of sunny skies on the week before the closing and made his annual fall bike trip to the park. Relaxing on an observation platform, he snacked on fruit and a candy bar while watching birds feed in the marsh.
``I've been coming here 10 years because it's such a beautiful natural area,'' Hartneck said. ``The best time of year to come down is the cold months, but I came this week because I knew I couldn't get here next week.
``The whole thing seems kind of questionable to me,'' he said. ``We cause such a minimal impact.''
Anderson agrees. ``The other day we had 200 snow geese here and people were using the trail and they were not bothered,'' Anderson said. ``People have even made comments to me that they've seen more birds here than at the refuge.''
Bird watching is just one of a number of activities available at the park. The 4,300-acre park has five trails that total 7.5 miles. The trails meander through a number of different habitats - beaches, dunes, maritime forests of loblolly pines and live oaks, wooded swamps, marshes and the bay.
``Every time you turn a curve and go half a mile you get into something different,'' Anderson said. ``The diversity is immense.''
Twelve primitive camp sites are available. And camping is permitted on the beach in the first 1 1/2 miles of the park. Open fires are not allowed.
Because of the primitive camping conditions, campers must obtain a permit in person at Seashore State Park where they will be educated about the park's limitations.
``Camping here is a great experience if you're prepared,'' Anderson said. ``If you're not prepared, it can be a miserable experience.''
Canoe trips (the park has eight canoes on site) around Back Bay and bike tours through the park are conducted periodically.
The park's Wash Woods Environmental Education Center, formerly the Swan Hunt Club, is a popular destination for school groups and nature clubs. The updated, yet rustic, center accommodates 22 people for day or overnight programs.
There are fees to use the park's camping facilities, canoes and education center.
Last week, about a dozen Virginia Beach gifted and talented students studying ecology bunked down at Wash Woods for a couple of days of environmental study.
Debra Mosher, their teacher from Cox High School, said, ``You can't always teach about the natural world in the classroom. Experiencing it is the greatest learning experience.''
Stepping off the park's bus, 15-year-old Adam Morrisette, an aspiring marine biologist from First Colonial High School, remarked, ``This is awesome. It's so close to nature.''
The students were just as excited about their living accommodations as the setting. ``It's like the Holiday Inn of the woods,'' said Jennifer Bowery, 15, of Tallwood High School, inspecting the bedrooms with wooden bunk beds and the roomy kitchen and living areas. ``This whole place is a side of Virginia Beach I think everyone should see.''
Teachers may conduct their own programming while visiting Wash Woods, or they can choose from six programs offered by park staff including wetlands, the beach environment and the food chain. The park also offers a pontoon boat to conduct water experiments on Back Bay.
With access by bus through Sandbridge now cut off, the staff is looking into the possibility of driving education groups down the beach in the park's 4-wheel drive vehicle, but it accommodates fewer people. The refuge is offering its vehicles and staff to assist.
``You don't take a natural resource and lock it up and keep people out of it,'' Anderson said. ``You need to teach people what it is you're trying to protect. People need to see it, feel it, touch it, smell it to understand.
``There is a slight tradeoff - education for a little disturbance,'' he said. ``But that's how we educate future generations on the need to preserve these areas.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos, including color cover, by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Except for diehard adventurers, False Cape State Park has a
public-recognition problem because it is so isolated and
inaccessible. This view is from just inside the main gate.
Deer, feral horses and hogs, foxes and the Pungo mouse are commonly
seen at the park. Here, a fox feeds on the beach at night.
A multitude of waterfowl - including snow geese, Canada geese,
egrets, osprey and this blue heron - go fishing at False Cape.
FALSE CAPE HISTORY
False Cape earned its name in the 1800s because its land mass
resembled Cape Henry from the ocean. Thinking they had reached the
point, ships would turn west and aground on a sandbar. It is
estimated that there were 187 shipwrecks at False Cape.
Using cypress wood from the shipwrecks, a town was built -
including a grocery store, two churches and a school. Only one of
the church steeples and a graveyard remains. False Cape was home to
more than 300 shipwreck survivors.
The town was abandoned after flooding in the 1920s and 1930s.
Until the 1960s, False Cape was a haven for a number of
prestigious hunt clubs, which took advantage of the area's abundant
waterfowl.
The state recognized in the 1960s that more oceanfront beach
should be made available to the public. So the state began buying
4,300 acres for False Cape State Park. The park was opened to the
public in 1980.
Pending Improvements
False Cape will be getting close to $500,000 for renovations from
a 1992 statewide bond referendum approved by the voters. Here's how
the money will be spent:
Construct a comfort station with drinking water on the northern
end of the park.
Upgrade the heating and air conditioning system, restroom
facilities and education room at Wash Woods Environmental Education
Center.
Construct a park employee residence to replace a well-worn
trailer now in use.
by CNB