Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

The sources disagree on when Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge was formally established — 1937 or 1938 — but the mission was never in question: 5,834 acres of beach, dunes, brackish ponds, and salt marsh on the northern end of Hatteras Island, set aside as passage and shelter for migratory birds along the Outer Banks. More than 365 species have been recorded here. The refuge draws 2.7 million visitors a year — birders, kayakers, surf anglers, nature photographers — most of them moving slowly, which is the only right speed for this stretch of coast.