In 2005, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust bought 123 acres in Carteret County to create the Sea Gate Woods Preserve. In 2022, Radio Island Investments, LLC generously donated an additional 78.37 adjoining acres, expanding the Preserve to 201.37 acres!

The Sea Gate Woods Preserve is identified as a regionally significant natural heritage site by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. The Preserve hosts a rare wetland community type known as non-riverine wet hardwood forest, which has a range from Craven County to northeastern Virginia. This forest type is home to the same plants and critters found in bottomland hardwood swamp forests (many species of ferns, trees, epiphytes, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians!) along coastal plain rivers even though non-riverine forests are isolated wetland habitats.

Though once fairly common in several coastal counties in northeastern North Carolina, this natural community is now relatively rare because of logging operations and the conversion of this type of land to agriculture or development. We are pleased to preserve these 201 acres from a similar fate.

The Coastal Land Trust occasionally holds volunteer trail days at Sea Gate Woods Preserve. It is open by appointment: call our Land and Stewardship Manager at 910-790-4524×2300