The Cape Fear Garden Club has over a 28-year relationship working closely with the AUDUBON NC’s Coast Office and its biologists to maintain safe habitats for the migratory birds and the islands where they nest in the Lower Cape Fear River. Battery Island is considered a “Globally Important Bird Area” as thousands of water birds nest on Battery Island each spring.

BATTERY ISLAND FALL & SPRING CLEAN-UPS
The Battery Island Committee assists AUDUBON NC with scheduled clean ups on Battery Island in the Spring before nesting season begins and the Fall after the nesting season is complete. Our main concern is to remove the debris that floats onto the island from the Cape Fear River. The most critical debris to remove from the island is fishing line (monofilament) because of the danger of entanglement and subsequent death of the protected birds.
Battery Island is a federally-protected habitat. No one is allowed to be on the island unless they are with the appropriate Audubon or government official. As a result, the Battery Island Committee members drive to the Southport Marina to meet the Audubon staff to travel to the island by boat.
The dates of the island clean ups are determined by the Audubon biologist with the goal of having one clean-up on a weekday and the other clean-up on a weekend. During the 2023-24 CFGC year, the Battery Island Committee conducted the fall clean-up on October 26, 2023 with 12 members and collected just 45 lbs. of debris and collected 2.2 lbs. of Vitex seeds…the first time the committee assisted with habitat maintenance. Vitex is an invasive plant and collecting seeds and treating the plant is an effort to stop the spread of this harmful plant.
The spring clean-up took place on Saturday, February 24, 2024 with 14 members including four new members of the club. We collected 395 lbs. of debris. Committee members enjoy the mornings on the island and many lunch together in Southport afterwards at Oliver’s Restaurant.

THE BIRD CRUISE
The Battery Island Committee has planned and sponsored an educational cruise for AUDUBON NC’s Coast Office since 1996. The “Cruise to the Bird Islands of the Lower Cape Fear River” is planned during nesting season on a Sunday in May with the CFGC objective to aid in the protection and conservation of birds. The cruise educates 100 members of the public of the importance of these nine river islands to the large colonies of nesting migratory water birds including Brown Pelicans, White Ibis, Egrets and Herons.
The Cape Fear Riverboat HENRIETTA was chartered leaving from downtown Wilmington on May 19, 2024. The date was determined by the Boat Captain based on favorable tides, weather and river conditions. The cruise is an educational program and ornithology experts share their knowledge and experience by narrating the cruise and viewing. Lindsay Addison, Coastal Biologist for AUDUBON NC and responsible for the river islands, narrated the cruise this year.
The Battery Island Committee members plan and coordinate the cruise including ticket sales, greeting guests and speakers, coordinating the boarding of the river boat, 50/50 ticket sales, creating & selling note cards, photography, games and distributing box lunches.
All expenses for the bird cruise are funded by ticket sales and donations. Any profit from the cruise is donated to Audubon NC’s Coast Office supporting the work to manage and protect the Cape Fear River islands nesting colonies.