Bald Head Island, historically Smith Island, is a village located on the east side of the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a blackwater river in east-central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River in the town of ...

in Brunswick County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, United States. Compared to the nearby city of Wilmington to the north, the village of Bald Head Island is small and somewhat remote. Despite its name, Bald Head Island is not an island. The historical Corncake Inlet that separated it from Kure Beach filled in after

Hurricane Floyd Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful and large tropical cyclone which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth list of named tropical cyclones, named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1 ...

in 1999 and has remained closed ever since. It is accessible by

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

from the nearby town of

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

and by

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

vehicle along the beach strand from Fort Fisher to the north. Only government officials are allowed to drive the beach strand route. There are few cars on the island; instead, residents drive modified electric

golf cart A golf cart (alternatively known as a golf buggy or golf car) is a small motorized vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than walking. Over time, variants were introduced t ...

s. Bald Head Island is nationally recognized for its

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...

nesting activity. The population of the village was 268 at the 2020 census. The village is part of the

Wilmington metropolitan area Cape Fear is a coastal plain and Tidewater region of North Carolina centered about the city of Wilmington. The region takes its name from the adjacent Cape Fear headland, as does the Cape Fear River which flows through the region and empties ...

. The village is revered for its picturesque nature and is a popular location for vacationing. It was the primary filming location for the film ''

Weekend at Bernie's ''Weekend at Bernie's'' is a 1989 American black comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Robert Klane, and starring Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart, and Terry Kiser. It tells the story of two young in ...

'' in 1989 as well as a major location in '' The Butcher's Wife'' in 1991. "Old Baldy", its out-of-service

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

built in 1817, is the oldest still standing in the state.

History

Bald Head Island is tiny but has played a part in two American wars. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, it was home to Fort George, a British fort. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the same

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a Fortification, fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on Earthworks (engineering), earthworks, although some are constructed of ston ...

s served as Fort Holmes, a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

base of importance to shipping and smuggling. Located at the tip of Cape Fear and residing at the convergence of the

and Atlantic Gulf Stream, the land mass of Bald Head Island ends, trailing off into of treacherous sand bars known as Frying Pan Shoals. In this area, large sand bars seasonally emerge from and subsequently retreat into the sea. These topographical transformations are often as rapid as they are drastic. The consensus view is that Bald Head Island emerged from one such sandbar, stabilized by a succession of plant life, leading to a permanent land mass.Smith Island and the Cape Fear Peninsula; 1964; Arthur W. Cooper and Sheafe SatterthwaiteBald Head: A history of Smith Island and Cape Fear; 1985; David Stick; Barefoot Publishing Company Author David Stick surmises that Native Americans used Bald Head Island in much the same way that it is used now, as a seasonal retreat. Bald Head Island's creek estuaries and its abundance of

shellfish Shellfish, in colloquial and fisheries usage, are exoskeleton-bearing Aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrates used as Human food, food, including various species of Mollusca, molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish ...

were probably as attractive to Native American fishermen as they are to modern fishermen.

Shellmound A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupat ...

s found on Middle Island and Bluff Island indicate that Native Americans did visit the Smith Island complex, but disease and war killed off most of the Native American population, so it is difficult to know much about the original inhabitants. Throughout the early

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an history of the Cape Fear region, Bald Head Island underwent several settlement attempts and went by many names. Unlike the specific landmarks which were renamed by each settler, the region was always known by the well-earned name, "Cape Fear". Though Spanish sailors probably frequented the island on their way to intercept the Gulf Stream off

Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach ...

, Pedro de Quexos was the first documented explorer of the region in the 1520s, naming what is now the

Santee River } The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain of ...

the "River Jordan." Quexos' sponsor, Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón, visited the region himself in 1526. When Ayllón lost a ship to the treacherous shoals he abandoned his exploration efforts. Over one hundred years after Quexos, William Hilton initiated an expedition called the "Adventures about Cape Fayre" by English

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

dissidents in the 1660s. The effort was abandoned due to difficulties farming the sandy barren soil. Hilton returned in 1667 with the support of backers from

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, the "Barbados Adventurers", aboard a ship, the ''Adventure'' (now the name of one of the Bald Head Island ferries). His efforts were again foiled by barren soil. In 1664, John Vassal founded "Charles Town" with the aid of Barbadian backers on the west bank of what is now the Cape Fear River (which Vassal named the "Charles River"). His efforts failed due to his agitation of the native population. He was further dissuaded when his efforts to become governor of the region, Clarendon County, were subverted and the title was given to John Yeamans. After the settlers abandoned Charles Town, Yeamans nearly lost his life when his boat sank in a maze of sand bars in the mouth of the Charles River. Instead of trying to revive the colony, Yeamans established Charles Town farther south in what is now

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. Charleston rapidly became a center of economic importance in the colonies. Charleston businessmen often engaged in trade with Native Americans in the vicinity of Cape Fear, reaping such prosperity that they had to pay special

duties A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; , past participle of ; , whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may arise from a system of ethics or morality, e ...

. Duties created political conflicts which ultimately led to the colony of the Carolinas being divided in 1710 along the Cape Fear River (named the "Clarendon River" by then). In 1713, to help establish the northern colony's claim along the eastern bank, Thomas Smith, son of former Carolina governor Thomas Smith, Sr. was issued a land grant to what we now call Smith Island (called "Cape Island" at the time). In 1776, Bald Head Island was briefly involved in the Revolutionary War after British Major General Henry Clinton and Lieutenant General

Charles Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best known as one of the leading Britis ...

used the island as a staging area for their voyage to Charleston, South Carolina. The British left behind a small

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

of troops with a few naval vessels to help keep the port closed to Continental shipping. The garrison of about 30 troops, under the command of Captain John Linzee, created Fort George (after King George) on the southwestern corner of Bald Head Island. Continental Brig. General Robert Howe was stationed across the river in Fort Johnson. After watching the British carefully, the Continentals launched a raid of 150 men on September 6, led by Col. Polk, against Fort George. Polk's men captured five British sailors but were forced to flee when the remaining 25 took cover and the British vessels moored just off-shore opened fire and initiated pursuit. Polk used local knowledge, fleeing through a maze of shallow creeks, and escaped with only minor casualties (1 killed, 1 wounded). By October, the British troops withdrew and Bald Head saw no further action during the Revolution. In 1863, Confederate troops constructed a fort named Fort Holmes as part of a defensive system for the Cape Fear River Basin, although no major battles were fought in this region during the U.S. Civil War. In 1913, the island was purchased by T.F. Boyd and renamed "Palmetto Island." Boyd subsequently built a beach boardwalk, pavilion and an eight-room hotel, before he lost the island in foreclosure due to failure to pay back taxes during the Great Depression. In 1938, Frank Sherrill bought the island with the intention to develop it further. In 1970, Sherrill sold the island to the Cape Fear Corporation, which deeded three fourths of the island to the state of North Carolina for conservation. Since 1983, Bald Head Island Limited has been the named developer.

Lighthouses

Original lighthouse

The construction of a

at the mouth of the Cape Fear River was authorized by the Commissioners of the Cape Fear in 1789. The commission specified that the light be built "at the extreme point on Bald-head or some other convenient place near the bar of said river, in order that vessels may be enabled thereby to avoid the great shoal called Frying-Pan." Funds had been raised for the implementation of navigation aids by taxing vessels entering the Port of Brunswick at six pence per ton. Additional funds were provided by the newly formed US Congress, who in August 1789 assumed responsibility for construction, maintenance and operation of all "lighthouses, beacons, buoys and public piers" in the United States. Land for the light was donated by Benjamin Smith in exchange for increased hunting regulation on the island. Old Baldy Lighthouse 1

Construction of the original light was completed in December 1794 at a final cost of $11,359.14. The light was placed under the care of lightkeeper Henry Long, who operated the light until 1806 when he was killed in a hunting accident on the island. After Long's death Sedgewick Springs was appointed as keeper of the light at Bald Head after twelve local residents signed the following petition to U.S. President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

recommending him for the position. Less than twenty years after it was built, the original light succumbed to erosion as it had been built too close to the water. By July 1813 the light was officially declared inoperable.

Old Baldy

In 1813 Congress allocated $15,000 to build a new lighthouse on Bald Head, as the existing light had been rendered inoperable by erosion. This time they planned to build a sturdy lighthouse on high ground, away from eroding shores. Revenue Commissioner Samuel H. Smith wrote a detailed specification outlining how the light was to be built to ensure its longevity. Daniel Way was awarded the contract to build the light and keepers quarters. Using bricks from the original light, Way completed the project in 1817 at a cost of $15,915.45. In total Cash Immediately after lighting this lighthouse (now known as Old Baldy Light) it was discovered that the new light was not tall enough or bright enough to help vessels navigate around Frying Pan Shoals. Its purpose was limited to helping vessels enter the southern entrance to the Cape Fear River. To avoid Frying Pan Shoals, many vessels decided to enter the Cape Fear through New Inlet at Fort Fisher, about north of Bald Head Island. As a result, little emphasis was placed on maintaining Old Baldy, and by the mid-1830s the lighthouse began to fall into disrepair as its longtime keeper, Sedgewick Springs, an elderly veteran of the Revolutionary War became increasingly infirm. Old Baldy was effectively decommissioned for the first time at the outset of the

when the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to 1865. It comprised eleven U.S. states th ...

turned off all their lighthouses in order to hinder navigation of Union vessels. At the end of the War Old Baldy was not re-lit. The light was in disrepair and of little use with most vessels entering New Inlet, which had its own lighthouse at Federal Point. Circumstances changed by 1879 when natural forces closed New Inlet forcing the closure of the Federal Point light and the re-lighting of Old Baldy. Improvements were made to Old Baldy including a new light, keepers quarters, and a stone

jetty A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...

to stabilize the shoreline which had begun eroding quickly due to the closure of New Inlet. According to reports, the jetty was built just in time to prevent Old Baldy from falling into the sea during the hurricane of September 1883. Old Baldy was downgraded from a lighthouse to a navigational

radio beacon In navigation, a radio beacon or radiobeacon is a kind of beacon, a device that marks a fixed location and allows direction finding, direction-finding equipment to find relative Bearing (navigation), bearing. But instead of employing visible lig ...

in 1935. It was completely decommissioned in 1959 when the Oak Island Light was built. Old Baldy Lighthouse now stands as the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina, having survived neglect, war and weather. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is open to the public.

Cape Fear Light

Old Baldy lighthouse, built in 1817, was not tall enough or bright enough to aid vessels trying to avoid Frying Pan Shoals in all weather conditions. To remedy the problem, a lightship was stationed on the shoals themselves in the mid-1800s. On multiple occasions the lightship broke loose and drifted freely, leaving Frying Pan Shoals without a light, or worse with a light in the wrong place. This problem was compounded when New Inlet closed and vessels were no longer able to avoid navigating around the shoals. Requests to increase the height of Old Baldy and install a more powerful first order Fresnel lens to make it bright enough to safely guide ships around Frying Pan Shoals were never approved. Instead proposals for construction of a second lighthouse on Bald Head Island started in 1889 with the suggestion that a new , ,

masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...

tower be built at a cost of $150,000. Approval did not come until 1898, at which time it was suggested that a steel tower be built for $70,000. Land for the construction site on the east end of Bald Head Island had to be condemned by the state from the island's owner. Construction began in 1901 by laying a railway from the west end of the island to the east. This railway would transport materials and supplies over to the site both during construction and operation. The Cape Fear Light was operational on August 31, 1903. The light was operated by Devaney F. Jennette and then by Capt. Charlie Swan. In 1958, the Cape Fear Light was demolished and replaced by the Oak Island Light.

Lightships A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

and a light tower were used to augment navigation around Frying Pan Shoals through the 1970s.

Nature

The Bald Head Island Conservancy actively monitors water quality, the dunes, maritime forest and salt marsh. The BHI Conservancy in partnership with the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

installed a real-time water quality monitor on one of the wells on the west side of the island. Data can be found on the USGS's website. A partnership between the BHI Conservancy, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the EPA and a group affiliated with the BHI Conservancy, Friends of BHI Deer is currently working on North Carolina's first Non-Lethal Deer Management Project. The BHI Conservancy and

NC State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina s ...

will install a research-grade weather station on Bald Head Island. This will help researchers, the Conservancy and BHI Village better understand a variety of weather elements and provide a foundation of information to help island officials make decisions. The Island has four distinct habitats: beach and dunes; maritime forest; freshwater lagoons; and

salt marsh A salt marsh, saltmarsh or salting, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. I ...

/estuary. Live oak, cabbage palmetto, and longleaf pine are the most common trees found in the maritime forests and marsh hammocks. 10,000 of the total 12,400 acres that make up Bald Head Island are protected due to their use as nesting, wading, and migrating grounds for birds and other species. People from all over the world visit BHI for its birding in all season. To date over 260 species of birds have been documented on Bald Head Island, these include the white ibis,

osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...

anhinga The anhinga (; ''Anhinga anhinga''), sometimes called snakebird, darter, American darter, or water turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word ''anhinga'' comes from ''a'ñinga'' in the Brazilian Tupi language and means ...

snowy egret The snowy egret (''Egretta thula'') is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, , which is a diminutive of , 'heron'. The species name ''thula'' is the Araucano term for the black-necked swan, a ...

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...

, tricolored heron, painted bunting,

brown pelican The brown pelican (''Pelecanus occidentalis'') is a bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae, one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth ...

laughing gull The laughing seagull (''Leucophaeus atricilla'') is a medium-sized gull of North America, North and South America. Named for its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. It breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic ...

royal tern The royal tern (''Thalasseus maximus'') is a tern in the family Laridae. The species is endemic to the Americas, though vagrants have been identified in Europe.Buckley, P. A. and F. G. Buckley (2020). Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus), version 1. ...

, and

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

. The Bald Head Island Conservancy offers a naturalist guided birding trip throughout the year. Researchers from the

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) is a natural history museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. The museum is the oldest in the state, and the largest natural history museum in the Southeastern United States. The museum is made up o ...

visit Bald Head every summer to observe and tag painted buntings.

Sea Turtles

Bald Head Island is nationally recognized for its

nesting activity. The abundance of sea turtle nests have led visitors to use the phrase, "I'm on Turtle Time", which signifies the care free (and car free) feeling of being on Bald Head Island. Efforts to protect the habitats and activities of sea turtles on the Island date back to 1980. The Bald Head Island Conservancy has coordinated and sponsored a sea turtle protection program since 1983 and is the only non-government entity in North Carolina allowed to flipper tag nesting sea turtles. Each summer, the Conservancy funds and houses multiple interns to conduct field work for this program, under the direction of a sea turtle

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

. This internship is unique, demanding, and ultra-competitive. Only four of the seven species of sea turtles nest on Bald Head Island. Loggerhead turtles are most common. Every season sees a few

green turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...

s. In 2010, a leatherback turtle laid its first nest. Although rare, Bald Head has also had Kemp Ridley turtle nests, including one in 2020. These turtles are often found in different parts of the island and surrounding waters. The Kemp Ridley and Loggerhead sea turtle is often found estuarine and oceanic waters, whereas the hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles are often found in oceanic waters. Visitors to Bald Head Island can join the Conservancy's Sea Turtle Protection Staff for a nightly Turtle Walk. After a 45-minute presentation about the renowned program and basic sea turtle biology, attendees are led to the beach to await sea turtle nestings or hatchings. The Conservancy is granted permission to conduct the Turtle Walks through a special state permit that restricts the group size to 25 Conservancy members a night.

Alligators

Alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

s can be found in freshwater lagoons throughout Bald Head Island, though they can also be found laying out on the golf courses, salt marshes, or crossing the road. The Bald Head Association recently renovated th
Wildlife Overlook
- a lagoon where alligators are commonly seen - in September 2021 and added new improvements in November 2023. Sightings are frequent during warmer months, though visitors are prohibited from feeding, harassing, and killing alligators. Alligators are typically harmless, but, if you encounter an alligator, it is recommended that you give it space, do not interact with it, and do not approach or follow it. The Bald Head Island Conservancy estimates that the total population on the island is about 30 - one third of which being longer than 4 feet. One of the most notable alligators of Bald Head Island was Stumpy II - "a well-loved inhabitant of the Wildlife Overlook lagoon". He earned the name "Stumpy II" because he was missing his left rear leg, which was likely a result of an interaction with another alligator. He died in August 2024 at nine feet long and the estimated age of 15 to 20 years old. Stumpy II was recognized for his contributions to research on alligator health and population biology on BHI. He was captured in 2019 and 2022 for a North Carolina State University research project, which focused on assessing the health of alligators in response to

PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also PFAS, PFASs, and informally referred to as "forever chemicals") are a group of synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain; there are 7 millio ...

and other contaminants. Alligators were critical to the study because they "can be good indicators of environmental effects on immune function" due to their robust immune systems and constant exposure to fresh water.

Effects on the Environment and Wildlife

In the past decade, there has been an influx of tourism to Bald Head Island. Though good for the small island's economy, the effects of pollution and building development on wildlife and nature of the island has been the focus of recent research.

PFAS

, per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, have been found in the blood of Cape Fear alligators, which were captured on Bald Head Island in 2019. PFAS are also found in water, air, fish, and soil and exposure to these chemicals has been linked to harmful health effects for both humans and wildlife. The BHI Conservancy has partnered with Belcher Lab to track alligator movements and potential exposure to different water sources, which will help reveal sources of PFAS to Bald Head Island's water.

Light Pollution

Light pollution Light pollution is the presence of any unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting sources, during the ...

affects sea turtles and their natural processes. From May 1 to October 31, Bald Head Island enforces ordinance against artificial lighting near and on beaches to protect sea turtles during nesting season. Lights that shine on nesting ground can draw turtle hatchlings away from the direction of the ocean, moon, and beach towards land, where they have a low chance of survival. These lights can also scare away incoming female turtles looking to nest on the beach. The Village of Bald Head Island recommends that citizens "dig the dark" and only use red lights on the beach.

Microplastics

Microplastics Microplastics are "synthetic solid particles or polymeric matrices, with regular or irregular shape and with size ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm, of either primary or secondary manufacturing origin, which are insoluble in water." Microplastics a ...

have been found in the sand of Bald Head Island. These microplastics "have the potential to impact our endangered sea turtles" because the plastics can trap heat, making the sand too hot during incubation. The temperature eggs are exposed to during this period is especially important because sea turtles have

temperature-dependent sex determination Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is a type of environmental sex determination in which the temperatures experienced during embryonic/larval development determine the sex of the offspring. It is observed in reptiles and teleost fish, ...

, meaning this excess heat impacts the sex ratio of the population. These plastics also have the potential to leach toxins into the environment, though it is unknown how these toxins would impact developing turtle eggs.

Zoning

Future development and

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

of the maritime forest of Bald Head Island could pose serious threats to the habitats, food webs, and wildlife of the island. These forests are "vital ecosystems that offer environmental resilience to coastal communities, acting as natural buffers against storms".Hansen, Kimmy. https://bhic.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Kimmy-Hansen-Final-Report.pdf. Retrieved November 24, 2024. Additionally, they help enhance wildlife biodiversity, provide aesthetic value, increase recreational opportunities, and filter pollutants. These plans could lead to a continued cycle of urbanization patterns and increase in impervious surfaces - both of which are major contributors to environmental change due to their effects on climate, water, and biodiversity.

Geography

Bald Head Island is located in southeastern Brunswick County and is the southernmost settlement in the state of North Carolina. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (33.01%) is water. There are three beaches on the island, and the northern side consists of marsh.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 268 people, 143 households, and 87 families residing in the village.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 173 people, 88 households, and 71 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 599 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.38%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.89%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.58% Native American, and 1.16% from two or more races. There were 88 households, out of which 5.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.17. In the village, the population was spread out, with 5.8% under the age of 18, 1.2% from 18 to 24, 11.0% from 25 to 44, 63.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $62,083, and the median income for a family was $56,964. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $35,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $45,585. About 10.8% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 40.0% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

Death of Davina Buff Jones

The mysterious 1999 death of Bald Head Island police officer Davina Buff Jones–first ruled a suicide but later ruled undetermined–and subsequent botched criminal investigation has been featured on popular

true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

s ''Generation Why'', ''Southern Fried True Crime'', and '' My Favorite Murder''. As of 2022, the case still remains unsolved.

Climate

The island has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

( Cfa), with hot, humid summers and cool winters with crisp nights. Precipitation is high and very plentiful year round.

References

External links

Village of Bald Head Island official website

Bald Head InsiderInfo Area Guide

{{authority control Villages in North Carolina Villages in Brunswick County, North Carolina Barrier islands of North Carolina Beaches of North Carolina Car-free islands of the United States Populated places established in 1985 1985 establishments in North Carolina Landforms of Brunswick County, North Carolina Populated coastal places in North Carolina Upper class culture in North Carolina