This Land, Your Land

Plans to build the Coastal North Carolina National Wildlife Refuges
Gateway Visitor Center and Headquarters on Roanoke Island have been deemed compatible with the environmental assessment for the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced.

The 17,840-square-foot center will include a book store, exhibit space, an environmental education classroom, a multi-purpose room and exterior interpretive facilities, the FWS says. Approximately 30 employees will share office space there as well, allowing the FWS to leave leased space costing more than $120,000 annually.

Money for design and construction will come from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, aka President Obama's stimulus package.

The FWS anticipates 200,000 visitors annually at the center. "As a result, the expectation is that the new facility will serve as a 'gateway' visitor center for all of the coastal North Carolina refuges and thus increase the visibility of and visitation to each of them," the FWS report says.

The FWS operates 10 coastal National Wildlife Refuges in North Carolina to safeguard wildlife populations through habitat preservation, which offers prime opportunity to view or photograph birds and other wildlife. The refuges also offer hunting, fishing, boating, hiking and other recreational activities when they are considered compatible with the refuge's wildlife preservation mission.