Early 1910s panoramic photograph of Eagles Island, viewed from Wilmington across the Cape Fear River. Courtesy of the North Carolina Room, New Hanover County Public Library.

Exploring the Natural and Cultural Heritage of Eagles Island

Eagles Island is one of the Cape Fear region’s most remarkable landscapes—a place where maritime history, Gullah Geechee rice-field culture, and modern-day conservation efforts come together in a single, evolving story. This four-part video series, produced in partnership with NC Cooperative Extension and the Eagles Island Nature Park Task Force, invites viewers to discover the island’s rich ecological and cultural legacy through the research and insights of three leading experts:

• Mark Wilde-Ramsing, maritime archaeologist and former Director of the NC Underwater Archaeology Branch
• Roger Shew, UNCW Geology and Environmental Sciences Professor (retired)
• Joni Thomas “Osku” Backstrom, UNCW researcher specializing in sonar mapping and shallow-water survey techniques

Together, they trace Eagles Island’s journey from 19th-century shipbuilding, to its complex network of rice fields shaped by Gullah Geechee ingenuity, to today’s vision for public paddle trails and a nature-based park that connects communities to their coastal heritage.

About the Video Series

Each video offers a different lens on Eagles Island’s past, present, and future:

1. Environmental Change, Ecology & Restoration
   Understand the island’s shifting landscape, storm impacts, habitats, and current conservation opportunities.
2. Rice Fields, Gullah Geechee Culture & Water Control Systems
   Learn how generations engineered tidal rice agriculture—sluice gates, canals, embankments—and how these structures remain visible today.
3. Maritime History & Shipbuilding Heritage
   Explore the shipyards, wooden vessels, and maritime trades that defined the island’s early identity.
4. Modern Exploration: Paddle Trails, Mapping, and Future Public Access
   See how today’s researchers use sonar, GIS, and field surveying to map creeks and canals, laying the groundwork for future paddle trails and educational experiences.

Special thanks  to Chris Varner of RightPoint Media, who recorded the presentations. He gave generously of his time and talent to make these videos possible

Eagles Island is a living laboratory—a dynamic environment shaped by tides, storms, sediment movement, and centuries of human use. In this video, Roger Shew, retired UNCW Professor of Geology and Environmental Sciences, explains how the island has changed over time and what these shifts mean for conservation, habitat restoration, and the region’s resilience.

What will Eagles Island look like for future explorers, paddlers, and students? In this forward-looking video, Joni Thomas “Osku” Backstrom reveals how researchers use sonar, GPS, and GIS mapping to chart abandoned canals, creeks, and rice-field waterways—laying the foundation for public paddle trails and interpretive experiences.

Discover the remarkable maritime past of Eagles Island. In this video, maritime archaeologist Mark Wilde-Ramsing, former Director of the North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch, takes viewers on a journey through the island’s 19th-century shipbuilding history and the archaeological evidence still visible today.

Join coastal geologist and naturalist Roger Shew for an inspiring look at the future of paddling on Eagles Island. In “Let’s Paddle!” Roger takes viewers on a guided exploration of the creeks, canals, and historic rice-field waterways that make the island one of the Cape Fear region’s most exciting opportunities for nature-based recreation.