The Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge’s visitor center on the Outer Banks was raised five feet off the ground to help ensure it survives flooding and other extreme weather events. PRE’ Meredith Radford has more.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday to celebrate raising the visitor center at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
The Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society headed the fundraising campaign, collecting $25,000 for the project that started in early 2020.
A news release said this project is proof that the service and its partners are following the Biden administration’s lead in preparing for climate change, noting that raising the building was to prevent damage from extreme-weather events that have become common with climate change.
The Pea Island visitor center was built in 1995 and sees more than 2 million visitors a year. The refuge is almost 6,000 acres located on the north end of Hatteras Island.
For Public Radio East, I’m Meredith Radford
