BHIC News

Our spectacular 2013 summer interns have arrived! They will spend the week exploring the unique island environments that can be found on BHI. Please wave to them in their new blue staff shirts around the island! Please also join us this Saturday, May 18th, immediately following our second quarterly board meeting, for a potluck to welcome them to the island community! Questions? Please call (910) 457-0089.

The weather looks grim for this week! Are you looking for something to do inside? Come tour our LEED Gold certified Barrier Island Study Center! We're open from 8am-4pm Monday- Friday. All staff offices are located on the second floor of the new facility. Come visit!! Need directions? Give us a call at (910) 457-0089!

http://www.gonomad.com/destinations/1304/north-carolina-bald-head-island.html

Check out this great BHI article on go nomad!

Will you be here for the Easter weekend?! We've got an exciting line up of education programs for you and your family to take part in!!

Wednesday, March 27th
Touch Tank Time promptly begins at 1:00pm (1 hour long)

Thursday, March 28th
Island Nature Tour 9:00am-11:00am

Friday, March 29th
Middle Island/ Ibis Sanctuary Hike 9:00am-10:30am
Echinoderm Exploration: A Hands-on Sea Star Dissection 1:00pm-2:00pm

Saturday, March 30th
Turtle Trot 5K Family Fun Run 8:00am-11:00am
Touch Tank Time promptly begins at 10:00am (1 hour long)
Sea Turtle Movie 1:00pm-3:00pm
Volunteer Open House 3:00pm-4:30pm

Sunday, March 31st
The BHI Conservancy will be closed to observe the Easter holiday.

Monday, April 1st
Birding BHI 8:30am-10:30am (please note the new time change)

Reservations are required for all education programs. Please visit the Education tab of the homepage for program descriptions or call us at (910) 338-0930. We now offer easy online registration for our turtle trot 5ks!

The sun is shining, and it's the perfect time to start thinking about your spring gardening! Have you ordered your native plants yet? Today is the last day to have them by this weekend, so be sure to get your orders in today!

Why plant natives? Native pants not only use less water, they don't require fertilizers and have evolved to survive the harsh conditions of a barrier island! They also provide food and shelter for BHI animals! Less back breaking upkeep for a greater pay off!

Visit the homepage to download an order form or call us at (910) 457-0089!

WOOOOOOOO! IT'S SIGN UP TIME!!

We are pleased to announce that our online registration system is now open! We are now taking reservations for all of our exciting education programs! This includes our children’s camps, Turtle Walks, Turtle Trot 5ks, Sea Turtle Patrol Ride Alongs, Kayaking trips, and much more! To reserve your spot today, please click here: http://www.bhic.org/family-adventure-programs, and find the “REGISTER NOW” link.

Don't forget to purchase or renew your 2013 membership for camp discounts and Turtle Walk passes.

Please note that our children’s camp curriculum and age groups have undergone exciting changes for summer 2013. We now offer a “Budding Naturalist” camp for ages 4-6, a “Junior Scientist” camp for ages 7-10, and a “Conservation Corps” camp for ages 11-14. All of our camps will be offered Monday- Friday from 9am-12pm. Camps will begin on June 3rd and conclude on August 16th. Your child may register for 1 day, a full week, or a full summer! Prepare your child for an exciting, outdoor camp experience.

Also, reservations for “Touch Tank Time" ($5 per person), “Tales of Tails" ($5 per child), “Reptile Round- Up" ($5 per person), and hands- on dissections (price varies based on specimen) must be made by calling (910) 338-0930. These programs will not appear on our online registration system.

*Please note that our Conservation Corps camp will conclude on August 9th. Please also note that we can no longer be lenient on our age requirement. Camp placement is determined by the age of the child, on the day for which they register. We apologize for the inconvenience. For questions, please contact Director of Education, Tracey Ritchie at (910) 338-1706

Over the weekend, I attended the Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter transporter training session. The training session concluded with the release of three rehabilitated brown pelicans- how exciting! Take a look at Jane Kulesza's Flickr site to see some pictures from the session.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gusgrosch/8545846668/in/photostream/

This training session provided a refresher for BHI Conservancy staff on handling, bandaging, and transporting injured birds. The BHI Conservancy works closely with the Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter to care for injured and stranded birds in the area. Check out their Facebook page to find out how you can directly contribute to their efforts. See an injured bird on Bald Head Island? Call (910) 457-0089 and press "5" for the BHI Conservancy wildlife emergency hotline.

Less than two weeks!! We are looking for 60 more "likes" by March 20th to reach our goal of 1500! Can you help us start off Spring on the right foot? Share our page with your friends and family! We have a lot of exciting events coming up including a Native Plant Sale, Turtle Trots, Nature Art Workshop and all of our spring education programs. Like* our page to keep up with all daily news. We are really looking forward to some warmer weather and spending time with you and your family this spring and summer!

* "Like" ing the BHI Conservancy page constitutes becoming a follower of page. New to Facebook and need help doing this? Give us a call at (910) 457-0089!

Native plants are important for maintaining the integrity of this barrier island, but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice the beauty of ornamentals! The selection of aesthetically pleasing (and native!) plants may surprise you. To assist with your spring gardening, the BHI Conservancy will be hosting a native plant sale. Please visit: http://www.bhic.org/media/pdf/plantsale-form.jpg for an order form.

Why purchase native plants? Native plants require less fertilizer, less watering, and less upkeep- which means less money! Native plants also do a spectacular job of attracting local bird and butterfly populations.

We've got a great trivia question posted on our Facebook page! Play along and take a guess by commenting below the post. Follow us on Facebook by searching "BHI Conservancy." Not on Facebook, but still want to check out the trivia question? Visit the homepage of our website to see a live Facebook feed. Have a great weekend!