"At the end of Shim's Creek" Masonboro by grandmaR

RosalieAnn behind the power boat

While we were staying in Masonboro Marina, and there is a Masonboro Inlet, there is apparently also a Masonboro Island which is the largest undisturbed barrier island along the southern part of the North Carolina coast. The map below shows where it is located approximately five miles southeast of Wilmington. Masonboro Inlet is to the north and Carolina Beach Inlet is to the south of the 8.4 mile long island. There is consideral shoaling of the ICW around these two inlets, as we found to our sorrow.

map from NCNERR website

According to the website: "The habitats found within the reserve site include subtidal soft bottoms, tidal flats, hard surfaces, salt marshes, shrub thicket, maritime forest, dredge spoil areas, grasslands, ocean beach and sand dunes. Loggerhead and green sea turtles nest on the beaches, where seabeach amaranth plants grow on the foredunes. All of these species are listed as threatened by the Federal Government. Of concern are the black skimmers, Wilson’s plovers and least terns that nest on the island. Sound sediments are home to two state watch list species – Hartman’s Echiurid and a polycheate worm in the genus Notomastus. The nutrient rich water of Masonboro Sound are an important nursery area for spot, mullet, summer flounder, pompano, menhaden, and bluefish."