Places in Dare County like Colington Island and the village of Duck offered haven for many creatures of the two legged variety. A book cited by Murray, John Lawson’s A New Voyage to Carolina (1709), also made mention of the Merlins and Swaddle-bills who inspired the first flight made almost two centuries later.
Noted first were reasons to appreciate the Coast and its waters, particularly sites that lend appeal. Land marks ranged from the well-known Outer Banks to perhaps lesser known Bird’s Island. Towns included famed Kittyhawk to the famed by relatively few Duck. As for what he saw as evidence of being taken for granted: pollution of air and water, destruction to dunes and wildlife. Out of an enduring appreciation for, and mounting concern about, he called for all North Carolinians to restore the Coast and its waters for future generations and out of a sacred duty.
Of personal interest to the author were also items of historical interest. Up close and personal was the view that he offered of sunken ships, as well as the marine life that lived around them. As visual illustration was a map locating the wrecked watercrafts, which included a German submarine. Accompanying the map was a brief description of each: an old boiler, LST#741, Richmond, Kyzickes, Zane Gray, U-85, and York.
What lends the Outer Banks mystique, may obviously lie in towns not widely known such as Duck. A source of mystique not so well known was one Tar Heel natives like Nell Wise Wechter debate: the name's origins. Seeking places to sup while touring the town touting mystique included Wanchese’s Fishermen’s Wharf, Nag Head’s Dareolina, and Kill Devil Hill’s Top of the Dunes.
The mysteries about the earth’s crust, Dr. Jesse McNinch believed could be solved by studying the landscape beneath the water’s surface. From that determination, a government research project was founded. The United States Army Corp studied natural phenomenon such as coastal erosions patterns and shifting shorelines, emerging in the movement of wind, waves, tides, and currents, through equipment such as CLARIS (Coastal Lidar and Radar Imaging System).