Barnhill Construction crew is halfway through with the habitat restoration activities on Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Partners at the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the contractor are excavating sand behind the Oregon Inlet Terminal Groin in order to improve habitats for migratory birds.
Sections within a 3-acre area will be dug out to create open water inter tidal pool areas for multiple shorebird species.
Approximately 25,000 cubic yards of sand will be excavated and deposited on the upper beach adjacent to the work area.
Work which started in late January will be completed by the end of February to minimize disturbance to early arriving migrant and breeding birds.
Moving sand to create better habitat has occurred several times in the past 10 years, in the winters of 2008, 2011, and 2014. This work creates moist sand and inter-tidal pool habitats with non-vegetated shoreline.