WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Regarded as a birder’s paradise, the refuge is a haven for migratory waterfowl such as snow geese and tundra swans, nesting wildlife such as threatened and endangered sea turtles and shorebirds, and hundreds of other species.
THE THREAT
The highway running through the refuge—the only route to a new bridge proposed for Hatteras Island—will require constant maintenance and rebuilding due to storm overwash and could fail to provide a safe and reliable evacuation route.
A new bridge to Hatteras Island is long overdue, but without proper safeguards, the plan for replacing the aging Bonner Bridge could turn this refuge into a permanent construction zone and leave islanders stranded when storms hit the Outer Banks. The route recently approved by transportation agencies would parallel the current bridge and make landfall on the increasingly unstable northern tip of the barrier island. Wind-whipped seas often wash out the section of highway that runs from the bridge through the refuge today, and conditions will only get worse as the shoreline naturally recedes. The challenge will be to ensure safe, reliable access to the new bridge and to prevent ongoing roadwork from destroying habitat for rare shorebirds, nesting sea turtles, and hundreds of other species.
