Home
Return to Carolina Coastal Home Page
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is located in a section of the North Carolina Outer Banks known as the Cape Hatteras National Shore in Dare County, on Hatteras Island. The sanctuary is located 10 miles south of Nags Head, North Carolina. The refuge objectives are to provide nesting, resting, and wintering habitat for migratory birds, including the greater snow geese and other migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, and neotropical migrants, as well as habitat and protection for endangered and threatened species.
In the dunes, are a small plant whose tiny pink/lavender flowers matured to form beans that were packed with energy. These “dune peas” provided a predictable food source for wintering geese. The refuge was literally the “pea island” for snow geese.
The refuge was established May 17, 1937. It includes 5,834 acres of land and 25,700 acres Proclamation Boundary Waters. The refuge is approximately 13 miles long (north to south) and ranges from a quarter mile to 1 mile wide (from east to west). Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is known as a "Birder's Paradise". Other eco-tourists include canoeists and kayakers, beachcombers, surf and sound anglers, and nature photographers.