Did You Know…?

DID YOU KNOW?

• The population of Ocean Isle Beach from 1955 to 1963 according to the World Book Encyclopedia was listed as four, being the George Sloane Family.
• Ocean Isle Beach was named Hale Beach prior to 1949
• The first inhabitants of Ocean Isle Beach arrived here about 10,000 BC and were mostly Cape Fear Indians.
• A popular dance hall existed in the 1920’s on Gause Hill where the Odell Williamson home is located today (to the right of the causeway as you come on the island)
• A 20 person Coast Guard Station was located on Gause Hill during World War II.
• Both Indians and pirates were virtually exterminated from Ocean Isle Beach in 1720.
• A live oak tree located at Shallotte Point is over 2,000 years old.

Local Author and Illustrator Miller Pope brings us his “Secret History Of Brunswick County” – From the earliest days of European exploration to the golf courses and beach resorts in this fascinating and fast-growing region, Brunswick County has attracted settlers, invaders, and visitors of all descriptions.

In these pages you’ll read about Steve Bonnet, the “Gentleman Pirate,” who hid his ships in Brunswick’s moss-draped creeks but unfortunately underestimated the ebbing tide; “Mrs. Calabash,” who’s said to have lent her name to the famous sign-off for Jimmy Durante’s classic radio shows; and Topsy the Elephant, who swam for the Brunswick riverbank after breaking loose from circus handlers in the 1920s.

Follow the struggles and victories that shaped Brunswick County, from the first contact of Europeans with native Americans, to successive administrations of the Lords Proprietors, the royal governors, the British crown, and the leaders of a new nation—many at whom hailed from this small but influential corner of North Carolina. Discover Brunwick’s rich Civil War history, scenic roadways and waterways and current-day towns and townships.

Tales of the Silver Coast, recounts the tales of privateers and plantation owners, politicians and Prohibition rum-runners and the many colorful people and diverse places of southeastern North Carolina.

Hard Cover $24.95

1st Turtle Nest Hatches

The first sea turtle nest of the 2010 season hatched last week on Ocean Isle Beach.

The nest, which is near the Concord Street beach access, started to hatch the night of Sunday, July 18th, Gloria Hillenburg, coordinator of the Ocean Isle Beach Turtle Patrol, said.

Baby loggerhead sea turtles began emerging around 8:30 p.m., and were still hatching as of the following Tuesday afternoon. Hillenburg said 70 turtles had left the nest so far.

Hillenburg said about 250 people gathered Sunday night to watch the babies emerge.

The nest was the first of 16 on Ocean Isle Beach this year, but there have been as many as 87 nests in one season. Sea Turtle nests take between 55-60 days to hatch, but this nest near Concord Street began to hatch on the 51st day.

Hillenburg attributed this to the heat, noting turtle babies usually come out at night.

The Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol meets at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at the Ocean Isle Beach Community Center. Their meetings are open to the public and Turtle Patrol T-shirts are available for a $10 donation at the meetings or at the Second Street Bar & Grill.

The Turtle Patrol is still looking for information about the theft last year turtle of 83 babies that were taken from their nest on Ocean Isle Beach. There is a $5,402 reward which will expire Aug. 8. Anyone with information is asked to call Special Agent Jack Baker with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or Hillenburg at 754-9513.

NESTS ON OCEAN ISLE BEACH THIS SEASON

No.	Name	Location	Status
1	Ellie’s Estate	90 East 1st St.	Closed
2	Kloba Family Nest	370 East 1st St.	Closed
3	Inlet View Bar & Grill	131 West 1st St.	Watching
4	Bogey’s Buddies	244 West 1st St.	Watching
5	Purple Onion	122 East 1st St.	Laid
6	KAN-Do	89 West West	Laid
7	BL Team	89 West 1st St.	Laid
8	Ocean Ridgers	142 East 1st St.	Laid
9	Bourbon St. Bar & Grill	116 East 1st St.	Laid
10	2nd St. Bar & Grill	231 West 1st St.	Laid
11	Williamson Realty	96 West West	Laid
12	Hope – The Winds Resort Beach Club	294 East 1st St.	Laid
13	Ranger Babies	410 East 1st St.	Laid
14	The Chicken Coop	388 East 1st St.	Laid
15	The Delaware Pink Hat Girls	241 West 1st St.	Laid
16	Darla’s Darlings
17	Kinner’s Skimmers
18	The Van Wormer Babies
19	Caroline & Grammy’s Buckeye Babies 2

Sea Turtles Hatch Video

Here are three videos showing a Turtle laying eggs, eggs hatching and baby turtle making his (or her) way to the ocean! This time of year the Turtles are coming ashore to lay their eggs – you can help by observing the rules at the bottom of this page!

Sea turtle laying 209 eggs on bird island:

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Sea Turtles Hatching at Sunset Beach,NC during August, 2009 near midnight:

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A Sea Turtle makes his (or her) way to the ocean!:

You can help the turtles when you visit Sunset Beach by following a few simple guidelines:

Do Not Disturb: If you see an adult sea turtle coming on shore, stay quiet and keep your distance! Otherwise she may get scared and go back into the ocean without nesting. They are an endangered species and it is a federal offense to harass them.

Turn Off All Flashlights! Lights may scare or confuse the adult female and cause her to leave without nesting.

Lights Cause Hatchlings To Go In the Wrong Direction: Please turn off all outside lights each night. Also if there are curtains or blinds use them so your indoor lights do not lead the hatchlings away from the ocean.

Never Pick Up A Hatchling. It is critical that they crawl on their own.
Do Not Disturb The Nest Area. Watch for the nest markers.

Stay Off Sand Dunes & Do Not Pick Sea Oats. Sand dunes provide critical habitat for sea turtles and help prevent flooding during times of extreme tides and storms. Foot traffic kills plants and severely damages the sand dunes. The penalty for failure to adhere to this requirement is a $100 fine.

Help Us Keep Our Beaches Clean -Sea turtles may mistake a plastic bag or other forms of litter for a jellyfish (they eat them). All personal items and equipment must be removed from the beach each day- these items may trap a sea turtle.

Please Fill In All Holes On The Beach When Done Playing.- Holes can trap sea turtles and are a safety hazard to humans.

Keep Dogs On Leashes At All Times!- No dogs shall be permitted on the beach strand between the hours of 9:00am and 6:00pm during period of Memorial Day through Labor Day regardless of whether they are leashed or not.
Fireworks can scare off nesting sea turtles and leave behind trash that may be mistaken for food by marine wildlife.- Discharge of fireworks is not permitted per North Carolina state laws.

Please Report all sightings of nesting turtles, dead turtles, unmarked nests or crawls (looks like a bulldozer came out of the water).

Call the Ocean Isle Beach Turtle Patrol at 910-754-9513 or 910-232-7232

You can send donations to: OIB Turtle Watch, PO Box 5172, Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469. Please include your name, the name of your nest and your mailing address. Keep up wtih the Turtle Patrol at: http://www.oibturtlepatrol.com

Video: You Landing Your Plane!

Ever wondered what it would be like to land a plane at Ocean Isle Beach’s Odell Williamson airport? Well this video will give an idea of what it is like!

TV Features OIB/The Winds

Charlotte News 14 Television featured The Winds Resort Beach Club on their Thursday programing. Read more

Summer Fitness Programs

The Winds Resort Beach Club, on Ocean Isle Beach, in conjunction with the County Parks & Recreation Department offers to the public three great fitness classes throughout Summer 2010. Read more

Descendent Buys Orton!

A direct descendent of Roger Moore, who built the original Orton Plantation home in 1725 is the new owner of the antebellum plantation house and the gardens!

Louis Moore Bacon, who now resides in London but was born in Raleigh, has purchased almost the entire 5,000-acre property – including the historic plantation house and its famous gardens – from the Laurence Sprunt family who have owned the Brunswick County landmark since 1884.

The Plantation and Gardens will close indefinitely on May 31st while plans for the future and other renovations are made. Hurry to see this incredible place while this years gardens are still available to you!

Current Orton manager David Sprunt, will retain that position, said the family has kept the land around the plantation’s pond.

He said he’s excited about the plans for the plantation, but it is hard for the property leave his family’s ownership after all of these years.

A press release states that Bacon is directly descended from Roger Moore, who built the original Orton residence in 1725. Bacon’s mother’s family has strong ties to nearby Wilmington.

Many are relieved to hear that Mr. Bacon has a reputation for buying historic properties such as Orton Plantation and keeping them in their natural state. Also the N.C. Coastal Land Trust holds conservation easements covering much of the Orton property. The executive director of the Land Trust states that Bacon is noted as a conservationist and a supporter of numerous environmental organizations.

Forbes magazine notes Bacon, age 53, is a native of North Carolina who manages several hedge funds and now resides in London, and the London Sunday Times notes that that he is the richest hedge fund manager in Britain having a nearly $1.7 billion fortune.

Orton Plantation, which recently opened for the 2010 season, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the gardens. Extensive renovations were made in the gardens to open up panoramic views to the Cape Fear River, remove competing vegetation, redesign and enhance the flower beds and restore and preserve the colonial rice fields.

Among the predominant species in the garden are live oaks, camellias, azaleas, flowering fruit trees, daphne, hydrangeas, crape myrtles, dogwoods, and colorful spring and summer annuals. Lawns and water gardens lend variety to the lush vegetation.

Plan to come spend a day at Orton Plantation! The gardens are in their glory right now! The historic landscape designed around the 1735 mansion and colonial rice fields overlooking the Cape Fear River and 20 acres of secluded walking trails surrounded by hundreds of acres of rice fields make Orton Plantation Gardens a wonderful place to visit.

One of the oldest plantations on the Lower Cape Fear and the only one with a manor house still standing, Orton has become a privately owned tourist attraction, celebrated for its elaborate gardens. In recent years, the plantation and its grounds have served as locations on a number of motion pictures.

The house and grounds are located at 9149 Orton Road S.E., Brunswick County just off N.C. 133, close to the Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site.

Get directions click here!

Hours are 8am to 5pm March – August and 10am – 5pm September – November (except they close for Thanksgiving Day).

Local Author’s Books: Huge Hit!

Local Author and Illustrator Miller Pope has spent a lifetime as an artist Read more

Earth Ball Man At Ocean Isle

Roger Drowne (that’s really his last name!) has been turning heads on the intracoastal waterway in his Earth Ball, a combination of pentagons and octagons.

In this video he waves at us as he travels past Ocean Isle Beach NC on December 6, 2009.

Mr. Drowne left Wilimington NC on November 9th – he doesn’t seem to be in any hurry as he makes his way to Key West!

He used treated lumber to create the nearly self-contained habitat.

Drowne said “It’s very simple, this went together in about 5 months”

Drowne made his 11-foot tall Earth Ball for less than $600. It is a place that where he will have a lot of time to spend.  He is traveling in his Earth Ball to Key West, FL and hopes to complete the trip in 45 days.

Drowne hopes to spread the message of ecology and economy during his month and a half long voyage.  He believes that with his craft he can cut his impact on the environment by 90%.

“The wind generator up top gives me my 12 volt batteries – I have 2 batteries, and that’s enough for refrigeration and lights, it powers my computers, my inverter, so I have 110 power on board. It’s all here.” said Drowne.

He has all the amenities that one might find necessary for a voyage of this long distance including primitive necessities, modern conveniences and of what all homemade hexagonal wooden boat captains need on board – life jackets.

The military veteran plans to travel around the world in his Earth Ball after his trip to Key West,.

Click here to watch a video of an interview with Mr. Drowne on Wilmington’s WECT News

The Winds Makes Clark Howard’s Top 10 Value List!

The Winds has been selected as a great value by TV and radio personality Clark Howard! Read more

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