Tourism and Power in the OBX
Hayley Grabner is a candidate of the Masters of Coastal & Ocean Policy program at UNCW. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Appalachian State University in 2013 and has since worked in wilderness guiding, environmental education, and adventure recreation. She is currently the Education & Outreach intern for City of Wilmington Stormwater Services. The cooler is packed, the gas tank is full, the GPS is programmed and the countdown has begun. The boogie boards are in-between the bicycles, the umbrellas are in-between the boogie boards, and it’s not even light outside yet. You’re caffeinated and ready to go – you’ll buy the rest when you get there. For thousands of families nationwide, packing up and heading off to the beach for a week of sun, sand and surf is a familiar summer ritual. Particularly for families from New England to the Midwest, there is a good chance that North Carolina beaches are the annual destination. In fact, 54.6 million people visited