Bald Head Island is located at the southeastern point of North Carolina's coast at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. This 2,000-acre residential and resort island community encompasses fourteen miles of beaches, rolling dunes, an 800-acre maritime forest and fresh water lagoons. Transportation to this barrier island is by passenger ferry or private yacht, and the island mode of transportation for guests and property owners is by tram, golf cart, bicycle or foot. When arriving at Bald Head Island for the first time, it is quite evident that this is a masterpiece of nature. Visitors are surrounded by an untamed environment containing wild grasses and tropical forests of majestic live oak, laurel oak, dogwoods, Sabal palm, red cedar. Yaupon holly and American holly. With a plant palette limited to species indigenous to Bald Head Island, a strong emphasis is placed on"natural landscaping"-- allowing the native plants to flourish of their own accord rather than remain confined to the manicured lawns typically associated with suburban development. Since our environment is of a windy nature, any attempt at above ground emitters is futile. Drip irrigation provides water and nutrients to our new plant material. Key to the preservation of this unique and sensitive natural environment is the developer s philosophy of allowing the natural systems and ecology to dictate the |f development and land use planning thereby achieving a balance and coexistence between natural and man-made elements. My role as Planning Director and Landscape Architect is to oversee all aspects of planning and development with emphasis on large and small scale projects. Due to the tremendous and continuous growth at Bald Head Island, each day provides an assortment of duties including project management, site design, permitting and construction administration" in addition to overseeing and collaborating with various architects, surveyors, contractors, consultants and engineers. The real estate-based development places emphasis on two categories-- the first on sub-dividing the undeveloped tracts into single family lots, and secondly, providing a built or sale product primarily in custom homes or clustered, single family detached and multifamily development. Our main objective continues to provide skillful stewardship in preserving the natural environment that Bald Head Island offers. During the design phase of our custom homesites and clustered developments we carefully chose specific sites which contain specimen Live Oaks or unique features that we utilize as amenities and focal points in the landscape. The primary emphasis lies on a true hands-on approach, starting with an on-site field review and site analysis that establishes the design parameters for each specific project. Throughout the entire process and prior to final detailed site plans and drawings, we utilize surveyors to stake out proposed conditions so as to verify that this design indeed does work on-site as drawn. As with any development, communication and collaboration hare the keys to successful projects. I must rely on a team approach which in essence represents a "kit of parts" that assigns team members specific tasks. Architects, engineers, contractors, cad operators and a competent in-house staff work together within an open forum to assemble the parts together into a comprehensive package. In addition, during this process, ideas and opinions are exchanged openly so that each member feels a total involvement in and commitment to the project. I have been very fortunate to work in conjunction with a development whose main goal and objective is to implement sound planning principles that are responsive to progress of Bald Head Island. LASN SCULPTED FORM THE MAGNIFICENT NATURAL BEAUTY OF THIS CAPE ISLAND, THE BALD HEAD ISLAND GOLF COURSE WINDS 6,855 YARDS OVER DUNES, AROUND FRESH WATER LAGOONS AND ALONG THE EDGE OF A RARE, MARITIME FOREST. THE UNIQUE BARRIER ISLAND CONSISTS OF THREE DISTINCT--BEACH AND DUNE, FOREST, AND MARSH--RESIDENTIAL RESORT ENVIRONMENTS. (OPPOSITE) THE HISTORY OF BALD HEAD IS RICH WITH TALES OF PIRATES, RIVER PILOTS AND LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS. "OLD BALDY," NORTH CAROLINA'S OLDEST LIGHTHOUSE, WAS BUILT IN 1817 AND REMAINS THE ISLAND'S MOST HISTORIC LANDMARK (ABOVE) All photographs provided courtesy of Bald Head Island Resort BALD HEAD ISLAND -- AN EXCLUSIVE RESORT ACCESSIBLE ONLY BY FERRY -- IS CONTINUOUSLY UNDERGOING DEVELOPMENT. TO AVOID DISTURBING THE AESTHETICS AND WILDLIFE ON THE ISLAND, THE GOLF COURSE RAPID TURF ARRIVED WITH 100% OF ITS USGA SAND BASE. Photo by Conrad Al Whitley.