The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center was established in 1992 to support and preserve the coastal maritime communities of the “Down East” region of Carteret County. Cultural traditions such as decoy carving, boat building, storytelling, oral histories, art, folk music, hunting and fishing are all a part of the Museum’s ongoing mission to link the past to the present and share this way of life with visitors and with future generations. The Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant funding assisted this site in enhancing their Willow Pond Nature Trail. It allows visitors to walk through the maritime forest surrounding Willow Pond and across the boardwalk to view Brown’s Island and Core Sound.