This article appears courtesy of the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust and will be featured in their Spring 2018 newsletter. 

The Coastal Land Trust is thrilled to welcome Lena O’Neal as the new Springer’s Point Preserve Steward! Lena, an Ocracoke native, has spent her life exploring Springer’s Point and its treasures. She has fond memories of walking through Springer’s Point with her grandfather as a little girl. After all, Springer’s Point is literally in Lena’s back yard, a perfect vantage point for her childhood playground and to watch over the Preserve.

Lena is no stranger to introducing others to the ecological and cultural significance of Springer’s Point. As a program specialist at Ocracoke’s campus of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), Lena has had the opportunity to share Springer’s Point Preserve with numerous groups of North Carolina school teachers. She has also repeatedly volunteered to help the Coastal Land Trust in planting native marsh grasses as a part of the living shoreline project at the Preserve. 

After attending UNC-Wilmington, Lena worked at UNC-Wilmington’s Office of Transition Programs. She returned to Ocracoke in 2006 where she lives with her husband, Mark, and children, Maren and Paxton.

Springer’s Point has always been special to Lena, who says, “I was fortunate to have grown up with parents and grandparents who kicked me out of the house to play outside on a regular basis. I was fortunate that they valued time spent in nature and the lessons learned from the freedom to wander and explore. Being connected to your environment and passing that love and appreciation on to your children is a priority.”

How true. Springer’s Point is special, and we are excited to have Lena watching over this treasure for all of us! 

If you're wondering what happened to the former Springer's Point Steward, Len Skinner, read all about his new adventures here!