Origins of the Festival
In 1997, the Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival was established under the direction of then-refuge manager Mike Bryant as a way to encourage and offer the public opportunities for wildlife and wildland interpretation, education, and experiences on regional national wildlife refuges.
This annual fundraising event for national wildlife refuges has grown from offering just a few activities in 1997 to now featuring over 60 birding, paddling, photography, art, and natural history programs.
Where the Festival Takes Place
The festival takes place across six national wildlife refuges spanning six northeastern North Carolina counties and is recognized as one of the premier wildlife festivals on the East Coast. Locally, many activities occur on National Park Service property, specifically Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which is one of the festival’s partners.
Why Wings Over Water Stands Out
What keeps Wings Over Water thriving year after year with a high return rate of participants? The combination of knowledgeable activity leaders, a small participant-to-leader ratio (so you don’t get lost in the crowd), and, of course, the incredible wildlife opportunities.
Every festival leader is a professional in their respective field who volunteers their time, travel, and expertise. Wings Over Water leaders include esteemed professors, top birders, well-respected botanists and biologists, authors, and award-winning photographers and artists.
Wings Over Water Encore
Additionally, there is a special December session dedicated to birding called Wings Over Water (WOW) Encore, with dates varying each year.
Supporting Regional Wildlife Refuges
The Role of Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society
Wings Over Water is an annual fundraising event sponsored by the Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society (CWRS), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting regional national wildlife refuges.
In addition to providing funds for educational grants to schools, WOW contributes to many CWRS projects, such as maintaining trails, signs, and other refuge structures.
Contributions to Visitor Centers
WOW also helps CWRS provide volunteers and staff essential to operating and maintaining regional national wildlife refuge visitor centers.
One of the most significant recent projects funded by WOW and CWRS was raising the Pea Island Refuge Visitor Center by about five feet in 2020. This effort aimed to prolong the life of this critical gathering space for hundreds of thousands of birders and nature enthusiasts until a new facility can be constructed. The project was successfully completed in May 2020.