NPS OKs plan to stabilize shoreline at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

National Park Service (NPS) South Atlantic-Gulf Acting Regional Director Darrel Echols has signed a Finding of No Significant Impact for Fort Raleigh National Historic Site’s Shoreline Stabilization for Erosion Control environmental assessment.

After evaluating the potential impacts of three action alternatives, NPS selected the preferred alternative – a combination of rock revetment and rock berm in areas of the shoreline that are the best fit due to existing topography, land use and constructability.

A draft EA was available for public review from July 21, 2025, to August 20, 2025, via the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website. Public feedback was also received in early 2025, through a public meeting and comment period.

The 513-acre site located on the northern end of Roanoke Island in the Albemarle Sound was established in 1941 to preserve where Sir Walter Raleigh established colonial settlements between 1581 and 1591.

Previous efforts have been made to slow shoreline loss but erosion has continued at an estimated 1 to 5 feet per year, impacting both cultural and natural resources at the site.