Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

Arranging a slow farewell to a coastal wildlife refuge

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A century from now, rising sea levels will have overwhelmed the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, which juts from North Carolina’s mainland like a beckoning finger, shielded from the raw ocean by a sliver of barrier beaches known as the Outer Banks.

To Dennis Stewart, the increasing impact of climate change on this fragile piece of land is a fact of life. The refuge’s soft-spoken biologist of nearly three decades knows it is beyond his ability to sway matters. Read More