THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 18, 1995 TAG: 9503180236
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
A nature preserve within one of the Outer Banks' largest maritime forests will grow by 254 acres, thanks to a $1 million federal grant.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded the money to the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources to assist in the purchase of an additional 254 acres of maritime forests in Kitty Hawk Woods.
The North Carolina grant is one of 20, totaling $7 million, awarded by the federal agency to the states under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program.
``Kitty Hawk Woods has been a high priority for the Nature Conservancy for almost as long as Nags Head Woods and Buxton Woods,'' said Nature Conservancy spokesman Jeff Smith DeBlieu of Manteo. ``It's exciting that we will be able to save a significant portion of one of our maritime forests.''
Kitty Hawk Woods supports two endangered ecosystems - maritime swamp forests and maritime deciduous forests.
``The woods are very important ecologically,'' DeBlieu said. ``Those maritime forests are a critical component of the Barrier Island Ecosystem.''
The state agency worked in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy and the Town of Kitty Hawk to secure the funding. North Carolina will provide $1.3 million of the $2.3 million cost of the tract.
Kitty Hawk Town Planner Richard Reid said the local government has been working for years on the project.
``Even though the public perception has been different, because of the development of Wal-Mart and Barrier Island, the town has always worked to protect the woods.''
Reid said the town also has title to a 460-acre tract on the east side of Woods Road, which, for the most part, will remain undisturbed.
Maritime forests are important because they shelter plant and animal life from the harsh ocean environment, protect barrier islands against erosion and recharge ground water supplies.
Under the grant program, the 20 approved projects involve acquisition and restoration of more than 9,500 acres of coastal wetlands.
Since the program was established in 1990, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded $24 million in grants to 22 U.S. coastal states and one territory for the conservation of more than 92,000 acres of wetlands. by CNB