Activity
Bald Head Island Conservancy
Also known as BHIC
The island's conservation nonprofit since 1983: sea turtle patrols, kayak and birding tours, kids' nature programs, a nature center with live reptiles, and the Turtle Central gift shop.
The Bald Head Island Conservancy has looked after the island’s wild side since 1983, and its campus on Federal Road, toward the east end of the island, is the place to start if you want to understand what you’re seeing on the beach and in the marsh. Its best-known work is the sea turtle protection program. Through the nesting season a team patrols the beach every night, tags nesting turtles (almost all loggerheads), protects the nests, and excavates them after they hatch. The 2026 season was a big one: 129 nests and more than 11,000 hatchlings by late September.
Visitors can join much of the rest. There are kayak trips through the creeks, birding and nature tours, after-dark wildlife outings, and a long list of kids’ programs, from Totally Turtles to marsh crabbing. Turtle walks are a member perk, so if they’re on your list, a membership is the way in. On campus, the Fleming Environmental Education Center has live native reptiles and hands-on exhibits, and every purchase at the Turtle Central gift shop supports the work.
What you'll find
- The sea turtle protection program, with nightly beach patrols all nesting season
- Turtle walks for members, Memorial Day weekend through August
- The Beach Patrol Ride Along: three seats a night with the turtle team in summer
- Kayak the Creeks and sunset kayaking (sunset trips are for ages 16 and up)
- Birding tours and island nature tours, with binoculars provided
- Middle Island trips into the private Ibis Sanctuary
- BHI After Dark, tracking nocturnal wildlife with radio telemetry
- Kids' programs such as Totally Turtles, Reptile Round Up, marsh crabbing, and night surf fishing
- Conservancy Camp, a half-day nature camp for ages 5 to 10
- The Fleming Environmental Education Center, with live native reptiles and hands-on exhibits
Good to know
- Turtle walks are a membership perk; passes come with each membership level. The Beach Patrol Ride Along is open to others, but it's limited to three seats a night and isn't for children 10 and under.
- Programs book through links on the Conservancy's program pages. Many need your own golf cart to follow the guide.
- Kayak and crabbing trips meet at the Village Creek access on Federal Road, not at the campus.
- After Labor Day, programs slow down for school field-trip season; call the office to ask what's running.
- No sea turtles are kept on display; the Conservancy isn't a rehab center.
- See an injured or stranded animal? Call (910) 457-0089, extension 5, the wildlife emergency line.
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ActivityFeatured
Old Baldy Lighthouse & Smith Island Museum
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Coastal Urge
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Riverside Adventure Company
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Marina