Founded in 1983 by a group of concerned Bald Head Islanders. The BHI Conservancy sponsors and facilitates scientific research to support individual and local management of coastal environments. The education arm provides hands-on stewardship activities for students, scouts, church groups, educators, visitors, and residents. Education
BHI Conservancy education programs bring a deeper understanding
of and sensitivity to the environment for all participants. Programs foster environmental stewardship at any age, ensuring conservation here and at home for generations to come. Last year, the education arm of the BHI Conservancy impacted a record breaking 19,000+ adult and child program participants who took part in over 600 programs. Each program provides residents, visitors and guests, hands-on experiences and knowledge about the value and vulnerability of barrier island environments. Conservation
The BHI Conservancy protects and sustains Bald Head Island and similar coastal communities. The BHI Conservancy monitors all of the habitats on Bald Head Island and with the addition of the Barrier Island Study Center, researchers and scientists from across the state will help ensure the tools to protect these disappearing habitats is in the hands of individual, local, and regional decision makers. Conservation efforts include, but are not limited to:
-Sea Turtle Protection
-Oyster Restoration
-Creek Monitoring
-Forest Conservation
-Invasive Species Monitoring/Removal
-Dune Monitoring
-Sustainable Water Use
-Stranded Marine Mammal Response
-Forest Trail Maintenance
-Nesting Shorebird Protection
-Residential Wildlife Response
Preservation
The Smith Island Land Trust, a subsidiary of the BHI Conservancy, protects properties that have been deemed to have significant environmental and/or ecological value to the area. Ten percent of the 12,000 developable acres on Bald Head Island have been protected through the work of the Smith Island Land Trust. With few large parcels remaining on Bald Head, the land trust is focused on preservation of individual lots, in the pursuit of lower development density, enhanced ecological habitats and improved scenic views.
