Last Friday, after an adrenaline filled Ecology quiz, we took a trip to Nags Head Woods. This is our second time out in the woods as a class, but the unique quality of the environment there has definitely not grown old. The last thing I associate the Outer Banks with is a forest of any kind so to have a maritime forest on the same strip of road that has beach accesses is incredible.
Our trip began there with a visit to the unofficial mascot of Nags Head Woods: Fergie the dog. Unfortunately, she somehow managed to escape our cameras. Fergie belongs to the more human representative of Nags Head Woods Aaron McCall. After our short orientation with Fergie, Aaron began his presentation where he emphasized the uniqueness of where we were as well as the importance of the Nature Conservancy, an NGO that focuses on preserving land and waters throughout the nation.
Nags Head woods is located between Jockey’s Ridge and Run Hill, two large living dunes. The presence of these dunes is extremely important for the persistence and formation of the woods. They provide a buffer for both wind and salt spray that allows for sensitive vegetation to colonize and grow in these woods. At one point in the wood’s history, the land was planned to be developed into a subdivision, but after that fell through, the land was donated to the Nature Conservancy. Now it provides cleared hiking trails and viewing stations that people can easily access for both recreational and scientific work.
After the orientation, Julia, our resident Nags Head Woods aficionado, had us collect a few wildlife cameras that she had deployed as part of her internship. These wildlife cameras had collected no photos since she had deployed them so we decided to move them northward in hopes that these new locations would boast some interesting photos; Julia has made it clear that she has more than enough pictures of squirrels so we’re really hoping for a coyote or possum. Fingers crossed!
