What We Do
Wildlife conservation is at the heart of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It drives everything on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands and waters managed within the Refuge System, from the purposes for which a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge is established to the recreational activities offered to the resource management tools used. Using conservation best practices, the Refuge System manages Service lands and waters to help ensure the survival of native wildlife species. Pea Island NWR uses prescribed fire to enhance safety in case of a future wildfire, control vegetation, and create more desirable habitats for migratory birds. The refuge also manages the water levels on three brackish impoundments to provide high-quality wildlife food and habitat.
Management and Conservation
Refuges deploy a host of scientifically sound management tools to address biological challenges. These tools span active water management to wilderness character monitoring, all aimed at ensuring a balanced conservation approach to benefit both wildlife and people. At this field station our conservation tool box includes:
- Planning – Comprehensive Conservation Plan
- Climate Resilience
- Compatibility Determinations
- Education & Outreach
- Fire Management
- Invasive Species
- Inventory and Monitoring
- Law Enforcement
- Pesticide Management
- Recreation Management
- Species Research
- Water Management
Our Services
Special Use Permits
Some commercial, recreational and research activities are allowed on national wildlife refuges only with a special use permit issued by the local office, and are subject to specific conditions and fees. This permit requirement is meant to ensure that all activities at the federal site are compatible with the refuge’s Congressionally mandated wildlife conservation goals. Permits enable the public and scientific communities to engage in legitimate wildlife-related activities that would be otherwise prohibited by law. Service permit programs ensure that such activities are carried out in a manner that safeguards wildlife.
Special Use Permits
The Service has developed three different Special Use Permit (SUP) forms which may enable the public to engage in activities considered a) commercial b) research and c) other general uses.
1. National Wildlife Refuge System Commercial Activities Special Use Application and Permit (FWS Form 3-1383-C) for:
- Commercial activities such as guiding hunters, anglers or other outdoor users;
- Commercial filming (audio, video, and photographic products of a monetary value);
- Agriculture (haying, grazing, crop planting, logging, beekeeping, and other agricultural products).
2. National Wildlife Refuge System Research and Monitoring Special Use Application and Permit (FWS Form 3-1383-R) for:
- Research and monitoring activities by students, universities, or other non-FWS organizations.
3. National Wildlife Refuge System General Special Use Application and Permit (FWS Form 3-1383-G) for:
- Woodcutting;
- Nocturnal possum/raccoon hunting and frog-gigging;
- Hunting Dog retrieval
- Miscellaneous events (fishing tournaments, one-time events, other special events);
- Other (any activity not mentioned above and not usually available to the general public).
The above-referenced activities are not necessarily conducted on every refuge. Contact the Refuge manager to inquire whether we consider the proposed use appropriate or compatible on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.
See below for permit files. Prospective permit holders may fill out the corresponding application and return it to the refuge for processing. Please allow a minimum of six weeks for permit processing.
By email: alligatorriver@fws.gov
Alligator River NWR
P.O. Box 1969
Manteo, NC 27954
The permit is not valid until approved and signed by a refuge official.
Our Projects and Research
A number of scientific research projects occur on Pea Island NWR, including:
Highway Vulnerability and Coastal Monitoring:
This project is part of an ongoing collaborative effort with NC Department of Transportation, Eastern Carolina University, and North Carolina State University examining coastal geomorphology and shoreline change. The research aims to look at how changes to beaches from beach nourishment, such as differences in grain size and mineralogical composition, impact microinvertebrate populations and seabird foraging success.
DUNEX Coastal Resiliency and Overwash Study
The DUring Nearshore Event eXperiment (DUNEX) is an aggregation of multiple scientific organizations collaborating to increase understanding of nearshore processes on barrier islands. The U.S. Geological Survey is investigating and characterizing the magnitude and timing of changes to coastal morphology (i.e., dunes, shorelines), bathymetry, and landcover after a storm on a natural, or low human impacted coastline. Measurements will include times series photography capturing sediment movement, offshore acoustic instrumentation measuring waves and currents, and topographic and bathymetric surveys of the beach and intertidal zone. The data acquired will contribute to creating models to predict future impacts from coastal storms.
Motus Wildlife Tracking Tower
The Motus wildlife tracking system is a collaborative research network using coordinated, automated radio telemetry arrays to study movements of small animals. Receivers in Motus towers automatically record the radio signals from radio-tagged wildlife present nearby. Thousands of researchers use the network of 1,250+ Motus towers to study species from bats to albatrosses. Pea Island NWR hosts a Motus tower at the Visitors Center, which will record signals from any and all Motus-tagged wildlife nearby, contributing to hundreds of ongoing research projects. More information can be found at https://motus.org/.
Other projects on the refuge include:
- Shorebirds and colonial waterbird surveys and nesting success (in partnership with Virginia Tech, Audubon)
- Impacts of beach nourishment (in partnership with ECU)
- Saltwater tolerance of tree frogs (in partnership with ECU)
- Sea turtle habitat use and nesting success (in partnership with NCWRC, NEST)
- Black duck nesting success (in partnership with NCWRC, U of Delaware)
- Scavenger community composition surveys & carbon processing (in partnership with UNC)