BUXTON, NC (AP) - A newly formed island off North Carolina's Outer Banks is now connected to land.
The Virginian-Pilot reports Shelly Island now connects at low tide to Cape Point, which belongs to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. A stream of water about 20 feet wide and 6 inches deep flowed between the two land bodies at high tide.
Seashore Superintendent Dave Hallac says that by late August, the island was just short of mile long and 450 yards wide, totaling 27 acres. He says it wasn't connected to land as of last week.
NASA satellite images show the island began forming in November and that it was clearly formed in July.
Hallac says the state and the park are discussing joint management of the land on issues such as dog leash laws and bird-nesting policies.
