Alligator River/Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge P. O. Box 1969 Manteo, North Carolina 27954 Contact: Bonnie Strawser - 252-473-1131 Back to News Home Page

News Release

May 10, 2006

Zeiss Donates Spotting Scope for Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

Photo credit: Stew Whittle
Neal Moore and the new Zeiss 85 FL Diascope with Zoom eyepiece at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Summer hours for the Visitor Center are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.

Carl Zeiss Optical, Inc.has recently made a donation to Pea Island National Wildlife that will make Pea Island an even better place for Refuge visitors. Through the persistent efforts of Refuge Volunteer Neal Moore, a brand new a Zeiss 85 FL Diascope with Zoom eyepiece arrived from the company - free of charge. Retail cost of the scope is $1600.

Moore began his campaign to find a company to donate a nice scope several months ago when the existing Visitor Center scope was knocked over and its eye piece broken. "We kept trying to find the parts to repair the scope, but it just wasn't happening." explains Wildlife Interpretive Specialist and Visitor Center Manager Susan Ahlfeld. “This scope will offer visitors an opportunity to view wildlife through the Visitor Center windows even on days when conditions are not favorable to go out on the trails”. Commenting on Moore's accomplishment, she added, " Neal took the initiative to contact several optics companies seeking better scopes and binoculars for our visitors to use. His persistence and dedication have paid off. This scope will greatly benefit the refuge and our visitors for years to come.”

The Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center is open daily from 9:00am – 4:00pm. Refuge volunteers conduct bird walks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings at 8:00am.