Fort Fisher State Recreation Area

The Fort Fisher program introduces students to the habitat and life history of "colonial-nesting coastal birds." The program also focuses on endangered, threatened and special-concern bird species.

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• Lesson plan: Ecosystem problem solving Students will apply their knowledge of ecosystems and the interdependence of plants and animals to creatively solve problems.
• Lesson plan: Habitat photo album Students will use digital cameras and explore the outdoors searching ecosystems for opportunities to take pictures of different habitats and the components that go into them.
• The Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds Students can learn about watersheds and how to protect the nation's water resources.
• Experience North Carolina's state parks with EELEs An EELE is an Environmental Education Learning Experience -- a site-specific program offered by the North Carolina state parks system. EELEs include pre-visit activities, on-site activities and post-visit activities, but they do not necessarily have to be used in conjunction with a group visit. Educators can attend EELE workshops to gain rich educational experiences that provide knowledge, insight, and immediate practical materials for use in the classroom.
• Lesson plan: Create a wetland scene Students will learn about the different types of freshwater wetlands, and the factors that threaten their health. Finally, they will study specific examples of wetland areas of the U.S. and what is being done to protect them.

Related pages

• Masonboro Island: One of the four sites of the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. Interpreter led field trips must be reserved two seasons ahead. This is a favorite field trip for many teachers.
• Carolina Beach State Park: Developed in the late 1960s, this state park preserves the unique environment along the Intracoastal Waterway. The Venus Flytrap and other plant life, the dunes, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals are all protected in this special place.
• Currituck Banks: One of the four North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserves, Currituck Banks operates as a living laboratory for research, education and management.

Related topics

• Learn more about New Hanover County, North Carolina, biology and life science, birds, ecology, ecosystem, endangered species, environment, environmental science, estuaries, habitats, maritime forests, marshes, mud flats, parks, science, tidal creeks, and turtles.

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Located on the southern tip of Pleasure Island near Wilmington, Fort Fisher lies between the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Cape Fear River on the west. There are a white, sandy beach, a salt marsh, tidal creeks and mud flats, These "form a natural outdoor laboratory exhibiting the wonders of a coastal environment." Rangers hold regularly scheduled educational and interpretive programs about Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. Program titles include Shell Stroll, Turtle Talk, Salt Marsh Exploration, Bird Hike and Surf Fishing Basics. Educational materials about Fort Fisher State Recreation Area have been developed for grades 4-6 and are correlated to North Carolina’s competency-based curriculum in science, social studies, mathematics and English/language arts. Accompanying the program is a teacher’s booklet and workshop, free of charge to educators.

Each state park and recreation area has an EELE (Environmental education learning experiences) curriculum guide that includes on-site activities, pre- and post-visit activities, student information pages, worksheets, fact sheets, vocabulary, and references. You can receive a free copy of an EELE by attending its corresponding workshop at a park, or you can borrow these guides through interlibrary loan at any public library in North Carolina. The EELE for Fort Fisher Recreation Area is "Land of a Thousand Nests" for grades 3, 4, 5, and 6.

The North Carolina State Parks website offers a search feature for finding the plants and animals that can be found at each state park. Using the drop-down menus, you can choose a park and either an amphibian, bird, reptile, mammal, fungus, insect, or vascular plant. You can search within each group by family, scientific name, or common name. There are photographs from the state parks and fun facts for some of the species.

To schedule a visit, call (910) 458-5798 or send email to fort.fisher@ncmail.net.

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