Save Our Sand Dunes

The voices of three children transformed the future of North Carolina’s coastal environment ...

Did you know that in the 1970s, the sand dune known as Jockey’s Ridge was almost leveled and developed for residential housing? One day, Ann-Cabell, Inglis, and Gibbs Baum saw bulldozers where they often played at Jockey’s Ridge and ran home to tell their mom, Carolista. With her children’s urging, Carolista mobilized the community and relentlessly lobbied local and state leaders to save the dunes. In 1975, Jockey’s Ridge was designated as a North Carolina state park. Learn more about collective environmental activism and its effects in Save Our Sand Dunes.

Hannah Bunn West grew up on the Outer Banks and is passionate about sharing its history, advocating for its people, and protecting its natural wonders. She is a freelance writer, former teacher, and the author of Remarkable Women of the Outer Banks. She lives in Kill Devil Hills with her husband and two children.