Author: sophnich

A Walk in the Woods: Interning at Nags Head Woods Preserve

Hello, my name is Sophie Nichols. This semester I had the opportunity to work alongside Aaron McCall at The Nature Conservancy’s Nags Head Woods Preserve. After telling Linda and Lindsay I wanted to work for a refuge / preserve, while also tackling on a semester-long GIS mapping project, I was placed at Nags Head Woods. Although I learned about conservation management in several of my classes, I wanted to gain hands-on experience working in these protected spaces. I wondered what management looked like day-to-day and how the non-profit machine operated to preserve these key habitats. Also, I have an interest in GIS, so I wanted to build my skills over this semester. 

What is Nags Head Woods?

Nags Head Woods is a preserve owned by the Nature Conservancy. The towns Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills donated patches of land to the Nature Conservancy, but the non-profit also purchased tracts outright. Unlike most preserved lands, the public is able to traverse and hunt (bow hunting only) in these spaces. As a maritime forest, these woods grow atop relic dunes on ridges and in swales. Nags Head Woods is home to over 550 animals including river otters, muskrats, bobcats, warblers and many others. 

At my internship, I balanced outdoor work (e.g. invasive removal & trail maintenance) and mapping tasks (designing & publishing print/web maps).

 I also learned about coastal invasives––english ivy, pampas grass and nutria. Although weeding can be monotonous at times, it provides a time to destress, observe nature, and think holistically about conservation management.

Being deep in the weeds forced me to slow down and watch my surroundings. I saw tiny frogs hug the coneflower stalks, bumble bees buzz around the native perennials and heard pileated woodpeckers drill away at the pines. Being around these animals helped me realize how interconnected all the

species are and how important it is to conserve forests in developing areas. Also, since ArcGis Pro can be especially finicky, being able to step outside and walk the trails to collect my thoughts and create a game plan was great.  

Another aspect I enjoyed was talking to visitors. Anyone can ring a bell at the front office, and my coworkers and I will answer their questions. Taking a break and talking to visitors and locals about the woods, ponds, and trails, was a great experience. I also got lucky, because my internship was especially flexible. One day I tagged along with Aaron to Swans Quarter to record a living shoreline. I learned about the prevalent communication conflict between biologists and engineers, as well as what materials are key to rebuilding marshes. Another day, I walked every single trail at Nags Head Woods, clocking in about 17,000 steps or just over 9 miles. 

As for my semester-long project, I worked on creating a Hunters’ Map and General Map for Nags Head Woods. Aaron worked with me to devise this project. To make these maps, I first researched the Nags Head Woods deer management program and learned about the local hunters bow-hunting in the forest. Then I designed a map, utilized historic data, and generated new data to create the map. The reason I walked 9 miles one day was to record polylines, tracks, of every single trail via a handheld Garmin device. I’d never recorded data like this, so I enjoyed the novelty of it. 

Overall, I learned a lot from my work and coworkers. I gained knowledge about coastal easements and accompanying management and strengthened my mapping skills.  

Lastly, I want to say thank you to my coworkers Eric, Lora and Aaron. It was never a dull moment in the office. I learned a lot by just asking questions and listening to you guys talk about things like carbon offsets, or interview candidates for the Elizabethan gardens. I learned a lot from our work days and the project you, Aaron, designed for me. Also, special thanks for fixing my flat tire on the first day of internship.

Cultivating the Sand

A sharp right into an inconspicuous grass lawn off Ethridge lane in Manteo brings you to a small farm called Croatan Gardens. Unlike the monocu

Rows of turmeric and heirloom tomatoes

lture corn fields lining NC-64, this plot is packed with diverse fruits, flowers (four foot tall dahlias), and vegetables. All tilled, planted, and harvested by my coworker Eric Soderholm, the garden is a glimpse of sustainable, coastal agriculture. The plot used to be your typical American grass lawn, until he convinced his landlord to let him rip up the grass and plant a garden. Now produce harvested from the garden is either sold at the Wanchese Farmer’s market—that Soderholm started—or donated to local food banks.

 

A week ago, Leanna and I visited the garden. Packed into half an acre are rows of turmeric, chocolate peppers, dahlias, heirloom tomatoes, melons, and sweet potatoes. Squash and beans grow vertically onto terraces and fences. As we walked through the stretches of plants, Eric pointed out rare varieties of peppers and melons and explained the farming techniques he used. The walkways are often filled with snaking crops—butternut squash and black eyed peas.

At the end of the plot stands a 15-foot tall wall fence laced with bean vines with heart-shaped leaves. Get a closer look and you can see the vines cascade down

Cool beans

the fence, running towards the plot for another 10 yards. Within the dense patch, the plants are intertwined––each with no distinguishable start or end. Through the leaves, you can see glimpses of the partially-constructed root cellar, restaurant sized-refrigerator, and shed.

After Eric showed us the shed and root cellar project, we returned to the field and picked green, orange, and red heirloom tomatoes, purple peppers, wrinkled shishitos, and variegated eggplants. Carrying cardboard boxes on our hips––or, in my case, on my head––we picked and chatted then took the produce to outdoor sinks to wash. In one swoop, we dumped all our pickings into a white plastic sink filled with water. And, thanks to a lone eggplant, the sink did not drain. 

Leanna and I washing some peppers and eggplants

The fruit and veggies floated on the surface, a collage of oddly shaped greens, purples, and reds. Then we pressed on the veggies, like a five-year-old pressing down on a big bowl of slime. In the most satisfying way, the peppers and eggplants sank into the water and re-emerged seconds after battling to the surface. We repeated this several times. Then we sorted into cardboard boxes and handed them off to Eric. 

Eventually the wind picked up and rain followed. Dirt-covered and mosquito-bitten, Leanna and I returned home with a basket of fresh produce and a sense of awe. At 16 feet above sea level, my coworker had managed to transform a regular lawn into a bountiful farm. And despite living hundreds of miles away from the mini Carolina edible campus garden beds and our parents’ backyards, we’d found a little spot to lend a hand.