Masonboro Island Reserve

The Masonboro Island Reserve

The Masonboro Island Reserve is found in New Hanover County, NC and is only accessible by boat. It is located between the two developed beach communities of Wrightsville Beach to the north and Carolina Beach to the south. The reserve encompasses over 5,600 acres of protected marsh, wetland, and barrier beach, making it the largest undeveloped protected barrier island in the Reserve system.

Island features

The Masonboro Island Reserve provides a wonderful opportunity for visitors to experience the beauty and uniqueness of a natural, undeveloped barrier island ecosystem. Next are the key habitats you can find as you are exploring the island!

Ocean beach

This habitat is in direct contact with the ocean and is shaped by harsh conditions. The wind constantly shifts the sand and wave energy makes it difficult for many organisms to thrive in this environment. It is common to see birds resting along the ocean beach, like the brown pelican and many species of plovers. You will not find any permanent plant species in the swash zone, but many important invertebrate species that serve as forage for shorebirds live in this area.

Sand dunes

Heavy wind causes sand to pile up and create dunes, a crucial process in barrier island development. Dune plants such as sea oats and American beach grass trap sediment and stabilize the sand with their extensive root systems, allowing the dune to grow. Nesting shorebirds, including the American oystercatcher and black skimmer, lay their nests behind the dunes where they are protected from waves and salt spray. Mammal tracks or scat from the red fox, raccoon, and opossum can be found in the dunes where they often roam looking for food.

Grassland & shrub thicket

Further from the harshness of the beach and dunes, milder conditions that support a wider variety of species can be found. Grasslands comprised of a large number of grass and herbaceous species such as yucca, panicum, prickly pear, and broomsedge give way to shrub thicket communities which include live oak, yaupon holly, and wax myrtle. Many bird species such as painted bunting, willet, common nighthawk, and semipalmated plover utilize these areas for foraging and protection.

Salt marsh

Salt marshes form along the sound side of a barrier island. This habitat experiences extreme changes in salinity and temperature throughout the day as the tide moves in and out. Salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) is found in the low marsh, where it is adapted to being submerged with saltwater twice a day during high tide. Periwinkle snails can be found attached to the stalks of the salt marsh cordgrass and are a favorite snack for the diamondback terrapin that lives and forages here. Birds such as osprey, egrets, shorebirds, and great blue heron forage in the marsh during low tide, and the occasional raccoon and opossum can be found scouring the marsh edge. In the high marsh, salt meadow hay, black needlerush, sea ox-eye, and seaside lavender thrive in areas that are only periodically flooded with salt water.

Tidal flat

Tidal flats border the low marsh and develop where suspended particles of fine sand and silt settle to the bottom to form a muddy, sandy substrate. These areas are covered by shallow water at high tide and become exposed during low tide. Eastern oysters are common in these habitats and wading birds can be found foraging throughout the reefs. Parchment tube worms and fiddler crabs burrow into the mud/sand to escape the extreme elements.

Research

As a research reserve, our sites acts as a living laboratories for scientists and we collect long-term data for the public and researchers to use. Continuous water quality and meteorological data is collected by reserve staff as part of the System Wide Monitoring Program. This national program collects long-term data at all of the sites of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. Examples of data available include: water quality, weather, marsh vegetation, and habitat maps. For more information visit the  Centralized Data Management Office website .

Plant & animal monitoring

The Masonboro Island Reserve is a natural haven for many species to reside and forage. While there are hundreds of plant and animal species that spend all or part of their life at the site, our monitoring focus is on sea turtles, American oystercatchers, and diamondback terrapins. To understand and ensure the integrity of the site's ecosystems, we also conduct marsh monitoring, invasive species management, marine debris removal, and other resource protection activities.

Sea turtle monitoring

Sea turtle monitoring at the Masonboro Island Reserve has been conducted since 2006. Monitoring takes place during the nesting season (May 1st - October 31st) with the help of staff, interns, and volunteers. Nests are identified and protected until hatching occurs following 55-70 days of incubation. Loggerhead sea turtles are our most common nesters, but green sea turtles are also regularly seen.

American oystercatcher monitoring

Shorebirds use Masonboro Island Reserve to nest, raise their chicks, and forage. American oystercatchers nest along the ocean beach and back dunes on Masonboro Island, laying their eggs in small "scrapes" on the sandy ground. They also use the island to raise their chicks and forage among the oyster reefs at low tide. Oystercatcher habitat has been threatened by coastal development, so monitoring allows us to determine the species population. This monitoring also helps us understand if the habitat will support the success of other ground-nesting shorebirds such as Wilson's plovers and willets.

 Learn more about American oystercatcher conservation efforts.  

Diamondback terrapins

The diamondback terrapin is an estuarine turtle that lives and forages in the marshes surrounding the Masonboro Island Reserve and lays its eggs on the island. They are adapted to live in the dynamic waters of the estuary and are the only reptile in North America completely dependent on the marshes and waters along our coast.

Diamondback terrapin monitoring

While the diamondback terrapin was once historically abundant, habitat loss, coastal, development, and fishing interactions have all contributed to their decline. As a species of special concern in North Carolina, monitoring helps us understand their population status. Since terrapins must surface to breathe air, we are able to monitor the Masonboro Island Reserve population annually with kayak surveys.

 Learn more about the Terrapin Tally community science monitoring project.  

Wildlife

The Masonboro Island Reserve is home to a variety of predators and mammal species. Throughout the year, we deploy wildlife cameras to capture images of species. Over the years we have identified red fox, coyote, great horned owl, osprey, opossum, raccoon, coachwhip snake, and others!

Storm impacts

Masonboro Island, like other island communities, often feels the first impacts and weathers the brunt of storms that strike the coastline. When hurricanes and storms approach the Masonboro Island Reserve, higher wind and wave activity, rainfall, and storm surge can cause the natural process of island rollover to accelerate. Wind and wave energy repeatedly push sediment from offshore across the barrier island toward the marshes, flattening dunes and creating overwash fans as seen here. Over time this forces the island to roll back on itself, creating a landward migration. This process also provides sediment to the marsh, raising the level of the marsh surface and encouraging marsh development.

Marine debris

During large storms, marine debris is deposited on the ocean beach and many of the dredge spoil islands. This could include anything from boats, plastic litter, pieces of docks, house siding, and even an entire staircase, as seen here! Storm debris damages sensitive habitat and creates hazards for marine life and visitors.

Recreation

In addition to the primary research, education, and stewardship purposes, the Masonboro Island Reserve supports compatible traditional activities such as nature-based recreation. On any given day, visitors may be engaged in fishing, primitive camping, surfing or boating, kayaking, and canoeing. The site is only accessible by boat and can easily be reached by launching from one of the public boat ramps in the area, including Trails End Park and the Wildlife Resource Commission's facilities at Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach.

 Learn more about public access and recreation at the reserve.