SHORTS
CONSERVING
A Natural Treasure
Hutaff Island is purchased by the
Coastal Land Trust
BY MELISSA SUTTON-SENG WHEN George Hutaff bought his 2.5-mile long strip
of sand and its many acres of saltmarsh in 1925,
it was one of many uninhabited barrier islands on
the Atlantic coast. While development accelerat-ed
on nearby beaches, Hutaff Island remained a
pristine haven for sea turtles, coastal birds and rare plants, as well as
for local fishermen and nature enthusiasts.
Joined to neighboring Lea Island when a 1998 hurricane closed Old
Topsail Inlet, the property is now one of the last undeveloped barrier
islands in North Carolina, situated between Figure 8 Island and Topsail
Island on the southern end of Pender County.
Thanks to cooperation among the Hutaff and McEachern families,
who were committed to the conservation of the island, the North
Carolina Coastal Land Trust, the Audubon Society of North Carolina,
and the generosity of philanthropist Tim Sweeney, Hutaff Island will
now be conserved in perpetuity. The island was recently purchased by
the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, which will preserve and protect
the last privately owned undeveloped barrier island in North Carolina.
A release announcing the sale explained the significance of the
transaction: “Hutaff Island will be protected in perpetuity by the
Coastal Land Trust and managed in partnership with Audubon North
Carolina to ensure the sustainability of its iconic landscape, rich nat-ural
habitats, plant com-munities
and wildlife.”
Already recognized
as part of the Lea-Hutaff
“Significant Natural
Heritage Area” and an
important element of
the local “Outstanding
Resource Waters” des-ignation,
a permanently
protected Hutaff Island
will be important to the
local ecosystem for gen-erations
to come.
“Hutaff Island is a clas-sic
barrier island land-scape
that supports the
full complement of plants
and animals that depend
on North Carolina’s barrier
islands, and it is equally
important to people that
The mission of
the Coastal Land
Trust is to enrich
the coastal
communities of
North Carolina
through conservation of natural
areas and working landscapes,
education, and the promotion of
good land stewardship. In short,
we save the lands you love along
the North Carolina coast.
18 september 2021
WBM
live on and visit our coast,” Walker Golder, executive director of the
Coastal Land Trust, said. “We are so very grateful to the Hutaff and
McEachern families and the partnership that made this possible.”
Janice Allen, director of land protection for the Coastal Land Trust,
explained that Hutaff Island had long been at the top of the Trust’s
preservation wish list. “Nothing epitomizes our land conservation
aspirations better than acquiring Hutaff Island,” she said.
Several species of birds, including least terns, black skimmers,
American oystercatchers and piping plovers, nest and raise their
young on the island, and additional species stop over on their annual
migrations or make Hutaff their winter home. The saltmarsh is a pri-mary
nursery to the crabs, fish and shrimp important to the bird popu-lation
as well as to local fishermen.
Loggerhead sea turtles nest on the island too. When baby turtles
hatch, they have a clear path to the ocean, undistracted by artificial
lighting that can sometimes confuse hatchlings.
Not only is the island an important habitat for many species of
birds and turtles, it also helps to protect the mainland from the
onslaught of tides and storms that batter the coast. The Audubon
Society estimates Lea-Hutaff saves local communities $12.3 million
every year in the form of storm protection and other environmental
benefits.