Coastwatch S P A C E G R A N T • G H O S T F O R E S T S • E C O S Y S T E M B E N E F I T S • S T O R M R E S P O N S E S
• H O L I D A Y • 2 0 1 7 • I S S U E 5 • $ 3 . 7 5
INSIGHT,
PERCEPTION
& RESILIENCE
Collaborative Research
Benefits Communities
N O R T H C A R O L I N A S E A G R A N T
Alamance
Alexander
Alleghany
Anson
Ashe
Beaufort
Bertie
Bladen
Burke
Cabarrus
Caldwell
Caswell
Catawba
Chatham
Clay
Cleveland
Columbus
Craven
Cumberland
Davidson Dare
Davie
Duplin
Durham
Edgecombe
Franklin
Gaston
Gates
Graham
Granville
Greene
Halifax
Harnett
Henderson
Hoke
Hyde
Iredell
Jackson
Johnston
Jones
Lenoir
Lincoln
McDowell
Macon
Madison
Martin
Mitchell
Moore
Nash
Northampton
Onslow
Orange
Pamlico
Pender
Person
Pitt
Polk
Robeson
Rowan
Rutherford
Sampson
Scotland
Stanly
Stokes
Surry
Swain
Transylvania
Tyrrell
Union
Vance
Wake
Warren
Washington
Watauga
Wayne
Wilkes
Wilson
Yadkin
Yancey
PKY
40
40
40
85 95
77 85
26
Asheville
Asheboro
Greensboro Durham
Charlotte
Raleigh
Nags
Head
Washington
Jacksonville
Wilmington
Fayetteville
Morehead City
New Bern
Rocky Mount
Winston-Salem
Haywood
Buncombe
Avery
Pasquotank
Perquimans
Currituck
Camden
Chowan
Randolph
Montgomery
Mecklenburg
Rockingham
Lee
Richmond
Forsyth
Guilford
Carteret
Hertford
Brunswick
Cherokee
New Hanover
I N T H I S I S S U E
CONTRIBUT ING WRI T ER S :
Brad Buck Danielle Costantini Diana Hackenburg
Sandra Harris Jane Harrison Marisa Incremona E-Ching Lee
Katie Mosher Melissa Schneider Lindsey Smart Sarah Spiegler
CONTRIBUT ING PHOTOGR APHER S :
Don Behringer April Blakeslee Brett Cottrell Brian Crawford
Barbara Doll Jane Harrison Hank Hodde Cliff Hollis
Bill Ingalls E-Ching Lee Vanda Lewis Missy McGaw
Baxter Miller Katie Mosher Raúl Omar Ortiz Scott Sauer
Stopher Slade Lindsey Smart Sarah Spiegler Scott Taylor
Chuck Weirich Roger Winstead
North Carolina’s diverse coast offers countless interesting subjects.
The map indicates story settings in this issue —
including Beaufort, Bertie, Dare and Carteret counties.
Coastwatch Thankfulness is my year-round state of mind.
In life, all things must change and evolve to fit current and future
anticipated needs.
From team retirements and departures to welcoming new partners,
North Carolina Sea Grant has experienced its fair share of change this
year — and will continue to do so in the coming year.
In 2017, we said goodbye to team members with a combined total of
more than eight decades of service to our program and the state. The list
includes Sandra Harris and Vanda Lewis, two long-serving members of
our team, as well as Coastwtach managing editor E-Ching Lee. Find out
more about Sandra and Vanda on page 27.
At the same time, we are welcoming new partners through
collaborations with North Carolina Space Grant. In the coming months,
we look forward to new perspectives from incoming hires for our
extension director and communications team.
Change also comes through identifying a new suite of research
collaborations. These partnerships continue to strengthen Sea Grant’s
critical connection to the needs of communities across our coastal
regions, as well as with the interests of young scientists in the making.
Some may find regular cycles of change challenging. Personally,
I find them invigorating for this program, as well as for the individuals
who are change-makers, both past and future!
The opportunities to integrate new ideas, new energy and new
perspectives enable Sea Grant to be responsive to our team’s need to
grow. Fresh input also allows the program to collaborate in different
ways with our many partners and the variety of coastal interests at our
collective table.
I am thankful for the opportunity I have had to continue to learn
from our team this year and look forward to new opportunities to do so
in the coming year.
A State of Thanks: Reflecting on Transformation and Renewal
F R O M T H E E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R
As we close out the 2017 hurricane season, I also am thankful
that North Carolina’s direct storm impacts were minimal this year as
our state continues to rebuild and recover from the storms of 2016. The
National Sea Grant network, including our North Carolina team, is
working closely to support each program’s response and recovery actions
to the series of severe hurricanes across the Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean
coasts. These efforts move forward at the same time we still are
addressing the long-term needs of communities post-Hurricane Matthew
here and in other states.
The short- and long-term recovery needs of communities across the
nation will continue to shape local, state and national policy. Activities
could include developing best practices to implement proactive storm
preparedness. We also seek to understand the reality of response
and recovery actions that are most effective from local and national
perspectives. And we continue to finely tune the ever-evolving chorus of
risk communications designed to save lives and property.
I am thankful for the overall excellence that underpins the work
of our team and partners. These efforts highlight the positive impacts
that individuals and communities along the coast and throughout the
watersheds have made — and will continue to make — in so many
places that we treasure.
I am thankful we can, and will, continue to share these coastal
stories with you. In the year ahead, I hope that you will have many
opportunities to experience the steady rhythms of our coast, mixed with
the constant change that time brings to all things.
I wish you and your family all the best this coming year! I am
thankful for your ongoing support for North Carolina Sea Grant. If you
have coastal stories to share, you can reach me at snwhite3@ncsu.edu. I
always enjoy hearing from you.
—Susan White, Executive Director, North Carolina Sea Grant
FEATURES
COASTAL TIDINGS................................................................................ 2
WORKING TOGETHER
Communities Collaborate, Engage with Researchers
Find out about new projects that continue to bring scientists and
communities together. ..................................................................................... 6
EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS:
Space Grant is on the Move
Katie Mosher describes how North Carolina Space Grant is helping
future explorers. ..............................................................................................14
• Unraveling Mysteries of Ghost Forests
Lindsey Smart discovers how saltwater intrusion is affecting maritime
forests surrounding the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound. ..............................17
• Making the Most of Oyster Reef Filtering
Seth Theuerkauf develops a tool to identify reef restoration areas that
will optimize ecosystem benefits. ..............................................................18
BOOTS IN THE FIELD
Sea Grant Participates in Hurricane Recovery
Here’s a snapshot of Sea Grant’s efforts after major storms. .....................20
• Going with the Flow: Evaluating Flood Mitigation of the Cashie River
Danielle Costantini outlines how Sea Grant and its partners are
helping Windsor recover from Hurricane Matthew. .............................22
• Hurricane Assessment: Improving National Weather Service Operations
Jane Harrison explains her work on a team that evaluated the
National Weather Service response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas
and Louisiana. ...........................................................................................23
• Around the Network: Sea Grant Programs Respond to Hurricane
Destruction
In Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Puerto Rico, Sea Grant programs
are rebuilding their communities. ...........................................................25
CURRENTS: Celebrating Two Colleagues
Look back on the contributions of Sandra Harris and Vanda Lewis to
North Carolina Sea Grant. ............................................................................ 27
PEOPLE AND PLACES: Gaining an Education on the Water: Appreciating the Forces of Nature
Sarah Spiegler reflects on lessons learned while paddling the waters
around the Crystal Coast. .............................................................................30
SEA SCIENCE: Partnerships Beget Fellowships
NC Sea Grant Offers Joint Funding with NC Space Grant, APNEP
Three new fellows receive funding to explore coastal issues. ....................34
MARINER’S MENU: Falling for Oysters
Enjoy fresh and simple oyster recipes — just in time for the holidays. .... 36
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 1
Coastwatch
2 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
NATIONALOCEANIC ANDATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
US DEPARTMENTOFCOMMERCE
Coastwatch North Carolina Sea Grant • 2017 • Holiday • Issue 5
Editor
Katie Mosher
Managing Editor
E-Ching Lee
Contributing Editors
Barbara Branca
Diana Hackenburg
Designer
Linda Noble
Circulation Manager
Sandra Harris
The North Carolina Sea Grant College Program
is a federal/state program that promotes
stewardship of coastal and marine resources
through research and outreach.
It joined the National Sea Grant College Network
in 1970 as an institutional program.
Six years later, it was designated a Sea Grant College.
Today, North Carolina Sea Grant supports
research projects, an extension program
and a communications staff.
Susan White is executive director.
The program is funded by the
U.S. Department of Commerce’s
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
and the state through the University of North Carolina.
Coastwatch (ISSN: 1068-784X;
USPS Periodical # 010464) is published
five times a year (January/February, March/April/May,
June/July, August/September/October, November/
December) by the North Carolina Sea Grant
College Program, North Carolina State University,
Box 8605, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8605.
Telephone: 919-515-2454. Fax: 919-515-7095.
Subscriptions are $15.
Email: katie_mosher@ncsu.edu
URL: ncseagrant.org
Periodical Postage paid at Raleigh, N.C.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
Coastwatch, North Carolina Sea Grant,
North Carolina State University, Box 8605,
Raleigh, NC 27695-8605.
FRONT COVER:
Aerial photo of the Outer Banks
by Baxter Miller.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Graphic based on photo
of snapper by Vanda Lewis.
PRINTED O N R ECYCLED PAPER.
Enjoy Winter
Birding
This year marks the 10th anniversary of
the North Carolina Birding Trail. A reception
celebrating the occasion was held in late
October at the National Wildlife Refuges Visitor
Center on Roanoke Island. Kristin Cooper,
self-professed amateur birder and First Lady of
North Carolina, gave opening remarks.
“It’s been a pleasure to see how
communities throughout the state have
embraced birding as a way to encourage
ecotourism and lifelong learning,” shares Jack
Thigpen, a founding member of the trail and
North Carolina Sea Grant extension director.
The organization has identified over 300
birding sites across the state and published
regional birding guides through the University
of North Carolina Press.
Another birding event, the Audubon
Christmas Bird Count, will be from Dec. 14 to
Jan. 5. Nationwide, tens of thousands of citizen
North Carolina First Lady Kristin Cooper (center) with
Audubon executive director Heather Hahn (left) and
director of strategy and government relations, Greg
Andeck (right).
Brian Crawford/Audubon North Carolina
C O A S T A L T I D I N G S
scientists will participate in the annual bird
census event. To learn more, visit
audubon.org, hover over the Conservation
tab, and click on Science. — M.I.
Survey Says:
Wildlife
Watching
on the Rise
The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service
has published the
preliminary 2016
National Survey of Fishing,
Hunting, and Wildlife-
Associated Recreation
report. This survey
provides information
on the number of
people who engaged
in outdoor-associated
wildlife activity, those activities in which they engaged, and the money they spent on their activities
in 2016.
The survey, which is conducted every five years, notes that participation in fishing and wildlife
watching went up, but the number of hunters dropped by about 2 million people in the last five years.
The most significant increases in participation involve watching — observing, feeding and
photographing — wildlife. Expenditures by wildlife watchers rose 28 percent between 2011 and 2016.
Find more information, on this and other surveys, at wsfrprograms.fws.gov. Select National
Survey in the left menu. 	 	 	 	 	 — E.L.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey found that more people participated in fishing
and wildlife watching in 2016 than in 2011.
Missy McGaw/N.C. WRC
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 3
Brett Cottrell/New Hanover County
C O A S T A L T I D I N G S
This composite image shows the progression
of a partial solar eclipse over Ross Lake,
in Northern Cascades National Park,
Washington, on Aug. 21, 2017.
Eclipse Star Party
Shares Success
Nearly 100,000 people participated
in the Carolinas Solar Eclipse Party,
hosted by North Carolina Space Grant
and Morehead Planetarium, with
events throughout North and South
Carolina. The tally included people who
attended events and those who viewed
the educational videos created for the
eclipse.
“Throughout the summer, talk
of the eclipse was a buzz everywhere
— on the news, via social media, in
local restaurants and beauty salons. I
was truly inspired to see and hear the
excitement,” shares Jobi Cook, North
Carolina Space Grant associate director.
“The Solar Eclipse Parties gave
the public a place to learn, discover and
witness the solar eclipse — whether total
or partial — in a fun, family-friendly
atmosphere,” she continues.
“We plan to build upon that
excitement as we plan for the next big
space event: the 50th anniversary of the
Apollo 11 moon landing in 2019.”
Space Grant also will support the
North Carolina Statewide Star Party,
part of the North Carolina Science
Festival in April 2018.
The Morehead Planetarium
continues to hold monthly sky events
on the campus of University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. Find out more
at moreheadplanetarium.org. — M.I.
Winter Activities Abound
Enjoy the culture of the North Carolina coast throughout the holiday season with festivals and
events.
Visit Harkers Island Dec. 2 and 3 for two events. The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and
Heritage Center is hosting the Waterfowl Weekend. Updates are at coresound.com. In addition, the
Core Sound Decoy Guild holds its annual Core Sound Decoy Festival at Harkers Island Elementary
School. The guild is celebrating 30 years with an event the evening of Dec. 2. For more details, visit
decoyguild.com/decoyfestival.
The Swan Days Festival celebrates the return of the Alaskan tundra swan to the Mattamuskeet
National Wildlife Refuge. Held Dec. 9, this event is an opportunity to learn about the history of Lake
Mattamuskeet and the Native Americans who are indigenous to the area. Activities are scheduled
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To learn more, see swandays.com.
Beloved in Wilmington, Enchanted Airlie is a signature event of the Airlie Gardens. Through
the end of the year, enjoy sparkling lights and festive sounds as you stroll half a mile through the
gardens. Order your tickets at airliegardens.org/events-news/enchanted-airlie.
Visit the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher in December and experience the 2017 Cape Fear Festival
of Trees. Visitors can admire dazzling, decorated trees against the backdrop of the aquarium. For a
list of events at all aquariums, visit ncaquariums.com.
Celebrate the history of North Carolina with the 114th anniversary of the Wright Brothers
first flight. Visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills Dec. 17 beginning at 9 a.m.
to learn about this historic event. For details, go to outerbanks.org. — D.C.
Enjoy the mild weather at the coast while strolling through the Airlie Gardens decorated with lights and music.
Bill Ingalls/NASA
WRRI Hosts 20th Conference
The Water Resources Research Institute of the University
of North Carolina system, or WRRI, is currently accepting
abstracts for its conference, now in its 20th year. The event
will be March 14 to 15 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh.
Each year, the gathering highlights diverse topics in
water research, management and policy in North Carolina.
Students, researchers, professionals and community
representatives are encouraged to attend.
“We will offer presentations, panels, posters and
networking. We especially strive to involve students and
encourage them to share their research,” notes Nicole
Wilkinson, WRRI coordinator for research and outreach.
Registration and a detailed agenda will be available in January. For more information, or to
inquire about opportunities to present your research, visit go.ncsu.edu/wrriac or email Nicole Wilkinson
at nicole_wilkinson@ncsu.edu. 	 	 	 	 	 — M.I.
Roger Winstead/NC State University
Statewide water concerns will be
addressed during next year’s conference.
Webinar to Focus on
Matthew Response,
Recovery
The N.C. Water Resources Research
Institute, or WRRI, will host a webinar
on community response to and recovery
from Hurricane Matthew in early
2018. This is a follow-up to a panel
session hosted by the Water Resources
Committee for the N.C. American
Water Works Association at their
annual conference in Raleigh.
In that session, agencies such as
the Federal Emergency Management
Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey,
and local water utilities discussed their
response to the storm. The webinar
would include perspectives from
communities that continue to be affected by Matthew more than a year after the storm.
“In the past year, I have learned a great deal about the lasting effects of the storm, the limbo
that folks are in, and the ongoing social and lifestyle implications of storm impacts and slow
recovery,” says Nicole Wilkinson, who is helping to plan this meeting. “It is important to learn
about local community perspectives about storm recovery. We wanted to ensure this side of the
story also is told.”
Wilkinson is coordinator for research and outreach for WRRI, and serves on the AWWA
Water Resources Committee.
Keep an eye on the WRRI website, wrri.ncsu.edu, for details. 	 	 — E.L.
Bland and Ann Cary Simpson have collaborated on
books that celebrate the coastal region.
Simpson Honored with
Caldwe l l Award
Bland Simpson has received the 2017 John
Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities.
The North Carolina Humanities Council’s
highest honor “recognizes those exceptional
individuals who, throughout their lives and
careers, have strengthened the educational,
cultural, and civic life of North Carolinians.”
He was selected for his numerous
achievements as a professor, author,
musician and environmentalist, as well as
for his work as a North Carolina public
humanities advocate.
Simpson has written numerous books
with coastal themes, some with his wife,
photographer Ann Cary Simpson. Excerpts
have been featured in Coastwatch, including
from Little Rivers and Waterway Tales: A
Carolinian’s Eastern Streams in the Winter 2016
issue.
He encourages readers to be aware.
“Let us keep our eyes on every rivulet and
rill, every creek, crick, branch, run, stream,
prong, fork, river, pocosin, swamp, basin,
estuary, cove, bay and sound,” he notes. “Let
us make our many waters living models to
the world.”
Earlier this year, Simpson was the
featured speaker at North Carolina Sea
Grant’s Coastal Conference. He is a Kenan
Distinguished Professor of English and
Creative Writing — an honor reserved for
exceptional faculty — at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Learn about Simpson’s books,
published through the University of North
Carolina Press, at uncpress.org/author/bland-simpson/.
	 	 — M.I. Scott Taylor/Courtesy UNC Press
4 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Hurricane Matthew moves along the southeastern U.S. coast
on Oct. 8, 2016.
NASA/NOAA GOES Project
C O A S T A L T I D I N G S
Recently Published
Papers Include Sea
Grant Research
Several recent peer-reviewed papers on
coastal research have involved scientists
with funding from North Carolina Sea
Grant and its partners. Topics included
oyster reefs and invasive marsh grass.
• Justin Ridge, Antonio B.
Rodriguez and Joel Fodrie. Evidence
of Exceptional Oyster-Reef Resilience
to Fluctuations in Sea Level. Ecology and
Evolution. doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3473.
• Jason Peters, David Eggleston,
Brandon Puckett and Seth Theuerkauf.
Oyster Demographics in Harvested
Reefs vs. No-Take Reserves: Implications
for Larval Spillover and Restoration Success.
Frontiers in Marine Science. doi.org/10.3389/
fmars.2017.00326.
• Seth Theuerkauf, David Eggleston,
Kathrynlynn Theuerkauf, Brandon Puckett
and Ethan Theuerkauf. Density-Dependent
Role of an Invasive Marsh Grass, Phragmites
australis, on Ecosystem Service Provision. PLOS
ONE. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0173007.
Ridge was a former Sea Grant and
N.C. Coastal Reserve fellow. Seth Theuerkauf
conducted Phragmites research as a coastal
research fellow, and oyster research as a Sea
Grant/North Carolina Space Grant fellow. — E.L.
Several North Carolina Sea Grant-funded researchers have published
peer-reviewed papers focused on oyster reefs and marsh grass.
Roger Winstead/NC State University
Courtesy Sturgeon City
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 5
Collaborative
Proposals Due
in February
North Carolina Sea Grant seeks
applications for its Community
Collaborative Research Grant Program,
or CCRG. This is part of an ongoing
partnership with the William R. Kenan Jr.
Institute for Engineering, Technology and
Science at NC State University.
“The initial CCRG projects
already have shown great return on
the investments. Results have included
needed data, informative exhibits and
community discussions,” says John
Fear, Sea Grant deputy director. “We
look forward to the new round of
applications.”
Funded projects will pair coastal
communities with university researchers
to study high-priority coastal issues that
meet Sea Grant’s mission. Applications
are due Feb. 12, 2018.
The research is varied and involves
many parts of coastal communities.
Read the final report for a CCRG project
— a pilot study offering cape shark in
Cape Hatteras Secondary School’s
cafeteria — at go.ncsu.edu/STS_capeshark.
The findings also are summarized as part
of the Blue Economy series at ncseagrant.
ncsu.edu/blueeconomy.
In addition, previous projects have
been chronicled as blog posts on the Sea
Grant website, written up as Coastwatch
stories and featured on UNC-TV. Find
out more about the CCRG program at
ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/ccrg. Go to page 6 to
learn about recently funded projects.
	 — E.L.
BELOW: A collaborative project at Sturgeon City
was featured on UNC-TV.
The North Carolina Aquaculture
Development Conference is set for March 7
to 10 in New Bern. The annual meeting brings
together the interested public, current and
prospective fish farmers, scientists, and others
who want to know more about finfish and
shellfish aquaculture in the state.
Chuck Weirich, North Carolina Sea
Grant marine aquaculture specialist, will
provide updates on marine aquaculture in
the state, including research and outreach
projects. “Several of our researchers and
partners will participate, including South
Carolina Sea Grant,” Weirich says.
The event will be held at the New Bern
Riverfront Convention Center, the same venue
as last year but in a larger space. The events
on March 10 will focus specifically on marine
aquaculture.
Participants can engage in aquaponics
workshops on March 7. A freshwater farm
tour is March 8 with conference presentations
on March 9. The famous Cultured Seafood
Festival will take place on the evening of March
9, and is billed as “all you care to eat.”
For more information and to register, visit
ncaquaculture.org. Early bird registration pricing
is applicable until Feb. 22. — M.I.
Scott Taylor
C O A S T A L T I D I N G S
On Saturday, March 10, the conference will focus on marine aquaculture.
Sea Grant Specialist Joins
Food Safety Committee
Barry Nash, North Carolina Sea Grant
seafood technology and marketing specialist, is
representing the state on a nationwide steering
committee focused on food safety.
He recently joined the Seafood HACCP
Alliance Steering Committee for the Association
of Food & Drug Officials. Nash is one of several
representatives from Sea Grant programs
nationwide on the committee.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
— HACCP — addresses food safety through the
analysis and control of hazards from the receipt
of raw ingredients and their manufacturing
to the distribution and consumption of the
finished product. The program is managed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The steering committee develops and administers safety-training programs for the seafood
industry and regulators worldwide.
Nash has supervised or participated in teaching 25 seafood HACCP workshops for handlers in
the state. 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 — E.L.
National Sea Grant Director Jon Pennock, top left,
joined Sea Grant professionals, including North
Carolina’s Barry Nash, bottom right, who serve on the
Seafood HACCP Alliance steering committee.
Courtesy National Sea Grant Program
2018 NC AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE
OPENS REGISTRATION
6 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Working Baxter Miller
B Y D I A N A H A C K E N B U R G
Communities • BELOW: The Community Collaborative Research Grant program pairs local
knowledge with scientific expertise to address pressing coastal issues.
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 7
Together
Inspiration comes in many forms: a vibrant cultural festival, getting a
bird’s-eye view of the coast, fighting an invasion of the living dead.
These are among the unique experiences galvanizing five new projects receiving funding
from the N.C. Community Collaborative Research Grant program. In its second year, the
program leverages support from the William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology
and Science at North Carolina State University with funding from North Carolina Sea Grant.
“Our initial round of funding in 2016 proved successful in achieving research and outreach
outcomes for local communities, so we were eager to continue supporting new community-based
collaborations,” shares Susan White, Sea Grant executive director.
“We are excited about the possibilities these projects present — and the enduring value and impact
that will result as we work together to address issues and opportunities advancing the economic and social
well-being of our state,” adds Raj Narayan, associate director of the Kenan Institute. “The newly selected projects
will continue to build on Sea Grant's vision and leadership for community engagement and empowerment.”
John Fear, deputy director of Sea Grant, also notes the communities’ involvement as a program strength.
“The selected projects strongly adhere to the spirit and intent of the original mission, with scientists and local
experts working together as a team.”
That emphasis on collaboration appeals to the teams as well. “When you have that partner in the
community, you get research that is really meaningful and addresses a problem that needs to be solved,”
says Whitney Knollenberg, a lead investigator on one of the new projects. “It is not research just for the
sake of research.”
C o n t i n u e d
Collaborate, Engage with Researchers
8 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
RISING: A VISUAL AND ORAL
HISTORY PERSPECTIVE OF
CLIMATE-RELATED CHANGE
ON NORTH CAROLINA’S
INNER AND OUTER BANKS
Baxter Miller of Stancil, Miller,
& Co., with Barbara Garrity-
Blake of Duke Marine Lab,
Christine Avenarius of East
Carolina University, Karen
Willis Amspacher of the Core
Sound Waterfowl Museum
and Heritage Center, Alton
Ballance of the N.C. Center
for the Advancement of
Teaching, Ben Cahoon of
Cahoon & Kasten Architects
and the UNC Coastal Studies
Foundation, Stan Riggs of
East Carolina University, Ryan
Stancil of Bit & Grain, Susan
West of Coastal Voices, and
Jessica Whitehead of North
Carolina Sea Grant
“The stories told by those who
live, work, worship, celebrate, grieve
and experience life on our coast often
transcend political discourse,” Miller
explains. “We want to bring the stories out
from behind the data, numbers and science
and bring these narratives to life in a way
that communicates the threats and the
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: • A helicopter
tour offered Baxter Miller a new perspective
on the places she had known as a child. • She
gained a better appreciation for the fragility and
isolation of barrier islands. • The team plans
to combine oral histories and photography into
a traveling exhibit. • Coastal North Carolina is
vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Living at the water’s edge, coastal
North Carolinians are the gatekeepers
of stories about coastal change and
community resilience. Team leader Baxter
Miller will combine coastal residents’
insights on the past and perceptions of the
future with modern fine art photography.
Her goal is to create a new focal point for
starting conversations about the increasing
threats from climate change.
“The stories told by those who live, work, worship, celebrate, grieve and
experience life on our coast often transcend political discourse. We want
to bring the stories out from behind the data, numbers and science and
bring these narratives to life in a way that communicates the threats and the
seriousness of these issues.” 	 	 — BAX TER MI L LER
Baxter Miller
Baxter Miller
Baxter Miller
Baxter Miller
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 9
C o n t i n u e d
seriousness of these issues.”
Inspiration for the project came from
a helicopter tour that offered Miller a
new perspective on the places she knew
intimately from a childhood on the coast.
“Rising above the surface to see this tiny
spit of land, I gained a whole new apprecia-tion
for the isolation and dynamic fragility
of our barrier island system, as well as the
resilience of its people.”
Studying those photographs
afterward, Miller and fellow team member
Ryan Stancil “had a lightbulb hit us both
at the same time: We need to explore this
with oral history.” They recruited a number
of well-known and respected community
partners to join them, along with an expert
on the science of climate change and
community planning, Sea Grant’s Jessica
Whitehead.
“I’ve given a lot of scientific
presentations, but people always really
want to know what climate change will do
to their backyard,” Whitehead says. “It’s
hard to connect with a line on a graph. But
what your neighbor sees, and what it means
for her life and livelihood, is a whole other
story.”
The partners plan to identify a diverse
set of stakeholders for a series of oral
history interviews that will be analyzed and
synthesized alongside aerial photographs
into a traveling exhibit. Stops will include
locations on the coast, as well as in eastern
North Carolina and in the Triangle. People
also can follow along with the project via
Facebook.
Ensuring the research had a practical,
outreach component was really important
to the design of this project. “People,
including planners and community
managers, don’t necessarily take these
things seriously until there’s a perceived
immediate threat. Our hope is to heighten
awareness so planning occurs sooner rather
than later,” Miller says.
IDENTIFYING
THE CRITERIA
CONSUMERS USE
TO SELECT VALUE-ADDED
SEAFOOD
Ryan Speckman
and Lin Peterson of
Locals Seafood, with
Tom Armstrong of
Vinnie's Steakhouse
and Tavern, and
Barry Nash of North
Carolina Sea Grant
Would you be
more willing to try
local seafood at home
if it required little
time or skills in the
kitchen? That’s what
the owners of Locals
Seafood hope to find
out by testing and
developing ready-to-
cook and ready-to-
eat products like
marinated fillets, dips
and meal kits.
“We want to
figure out how to get
more local seafood
on people’s plates,”
explains co-owner
Ryan Speckman, who
describes Locals as
an inland fish house.
“Our core belief is
in helping North
Carolina’s seafood
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: • Spanish mackerel is an underutilized species that Ryan Speckman and his team want to
offer. • The researchers seek to learn consumers’ perceptions of aquacultured oysters. • The team’s goal is to get more local
seafood on people’s plates. • Speckman, left, co-owns Locals Seafood with Lin Peterson.
Courtesy Locals Seafood Courtesy Locals Seafood
Courtesy Locals Seafood Courtesy Locals Seafood
10 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
manufacture healthy, transportable
meals made with local seafood,” Nash
explains.
He will lead focus groups
and the distribution of a survey to
learn consumers’ preferences and
expectations for taste, nutrition,
convenience and price. Then, the team
will give products developed by Chef
Tom Armstrong of Vinnie’s Steakhouse
in Raleigh to individuals from the focus
groups to try at home.
They hope initially to present their
findings at local conferences. The next
step will be looking for ways to produce
these food items on a larger scale.
“But first we need to develop the
markets for these species and products.
It’s an opportunity to think outside the
box and work together to come up with
solutions,” Speckman says.
INVESTIGATING BIOLOGICAL
INVASIONS IN N.C. COASTS AND
ESTUARIES: FROM A TO ZOMBIE
April M.H. Blakeslee of East Carolina
University, with Tom Stroud and Russ
Chesson of the North Carolina Estuarium,
and Kayla Clark of East Carolina
An invasion of the body snatchers is
happening now in North Carolina’s waters.
Though not exactly the zombie apocalypse,
industry and this could
be a way of providing
new opportunities for
expanding local markets.”
As evidenced by
the rise of pre-packaged
foods and meal-kit
businesses, many
Americans are looking
for fresh, healthy options
that fit with busy lifestyles.
“Nearly two-thirds of
consumers believe
protein aids weight loss
and one-third believe
it boosts metabolism.
Marine species tend to
be high in protein, low in
fat and contain heart-healthy
omega-3s,” says
team member Barry
Nash, Sea Grant’s seafood
technology and marketing
specialist.
While convenience
products aren’t necessar-ily
unique, this team will
explore them from a new
angle by focusing on less-known
species caught by
North Carolina commer-cial
fishermen.
“We hope that
adding convenience will increase the
likelihood someone is willing to try
something they have never heard of before,
like cape shark or amberjack,” Speckman
notes. He adds that featuring underutilized
fish also could help keep the final price
points reasonable while still increasing
what the fishermen get paid at the dock.
“We want to figure out how to get
more local seafood on people’s
plates. Our core belief is in helping
North Carolina’s seafood industry
and this could be a way of providing
new opportunities for expanding
local markets.” — RYAN S P ECKMAN
“Product development is time-consuming
and costly, and processors
have limited capital. Sea Grant
helps processors develop and safely
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: • A parasite has been infecting
North Carolina mud crabs, making them sterile and tricking the
crabs into caring for the invader’s young. • April Blakeslee and
her students conduct surveys of the crabs along the Pamlico and
Neuse rivers every six to eight weeks. • Blakeslee depends on
citizen scientists to help collect mud crabs for her study.
April Blakeslee
April Blakeslee April Blakeslee
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 11
this biological invasion could directly affect
ecosystem services we care about, explains
marine ecologist April Blakeslee.
She studies Loxothylacus panopaei, a
parasitic barnacle that infects native N.C.
mud crabs. Native to the Gulf of Mexico,
the parasitic barnacle first arrived in the
mid-Atlantic in the 1960s and has spread
prolifically, sometimes infecting 90 percent
of the local mud crabs.
“When the barnacle finds a mud crab,
it hijacks the crab’s internal physiology,”
Blakeslee explains. “They fool the crab
into thinking they are caring for their
young when really it’s a sac-full of barnacle
babies.”
However, the mud crabs may be able
to escape this fate by retreating to areas
of lower salinity, such as estuaries, where
the barnacles cannot survive. The research
team is studying multiple North Carolina
estuary sites, looking for parasites and
tracking other organisms that live alongside
the crabs. Volunteers and students are
helping with the sampling.
The data even are available at the N.C.
Estuarium in Washington.
The barnacle is just one of many
invasive species wreaking havoc in coastal
and estuarine ecosystems. Blakeslee and
Kayla Clark, an art student at East Carolina
University, developed a new exhibit
featuring the crab “zombies” and other
unwelcome invaders. It launched at the
Estuarium days before Halloween.
“When the barnacle finds a mud
crab, it hijacks the crab’s internal
physiology. They fool the crab into
thinking they are caring for their
young when really it’s a sac-full of
barnacle babies.”
— A PR I L B L AK E S L E E
The interactive display, designed by
Clark, focuses on biological invaders in
North Carolina, specifically those that thrive
in aquatic habitats. Live crabs — healthy and
infected — are on display, along with the
field data, photos and videos. She wants to
make the exhibit appeal to young and old.
“Our goal is to provide outreach
and education about invasive species to
local audiences, notably children visiting
the Estuarium. Visitors also will learn how
they can prevent the spread of invaders
by not releasing unwanted pets into area
waterways, cleaning boats of attached algae,
plants or animals, cleaning boots, etc.,”
Blakeslee wrote in a Coastwatch Currents
blog post for the exhibit’s opening.
“In other words, every person can make
a difference in conservation-related efforts,”
she adds.
Clark had those audiences in mind, as
well. “Melding art and science is a mutually
beneficial relationship,” she says.
“Artists, specifically graphic designers
like myself, are trained to display information
so it is consciously and subconsciously
instantly digestible. This can be highly
valuable in conveying scientific results to the
public.”
IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY CAPITALS
FOR A SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
WORKFORCE ON OCRACOKE ISLAND
Whitney Knollenberg of North Carolina State
University, with David Tweedie of Ocracoke
Alive!, David Griffith of East Carolina
University, Barbara Garrity-Blake of Duke
University Marine Lab, and Jane Harrison of
North Carolina Sea Grant
Ocracoke Island is a special place, with
a close-knit feel that appeals to visitors
and residents alike. Researcher Whitney
Knollenberg wants to help keep that magic
alive by helping the community understand
what resources it needs to build, maintain
and sustain its tourism workforce.
“Ocracoke is isolated. It takes an hour
ferry ride to get there. People are not going
to commute there. Even with a well-paying
seasonal job, buying a house and supporting
a family there is really hard,” explains
Knollenberg, an expert on tourism.
Knollenberg approached David
Tweedie of Ocracoke Alive! with the project
idea at the Festival Latino de Ocracoke, a
celebration of the many Hispanic families
who call the island home — and who play an
important role in the tourism industry.
“They already know there are
challenges, especially with housing. I’m
hoping this project will reveal what’s
working, what is attractive about living and
• TOP: The researchers want to know if the
unwitting hosts can escape the parasites by
moving to lower-salinity waters.
• BOTTOM: Just before Halloween, an exhibit
on the zombie crabs opened at the N.C.
Estuarium in Washington.
C o n t i n u e d
April Blakeslee
Cliff Hollis/ECU
working in Ocracoke — but also some of the
things that can be improved.”
“Ocracoke is isolated. It takes an hour
ferry ride to get there. People are not
going to commute there. Even with
a well-paying seasonal job, buying a
house and supporting a family there
is really hard. They already know
there are challenges, especially with
housing. I’m hoping this project
will reveal what’s working, what is
attractive about living and working
in Ocracoke — but also some of the
things that can be improved.”
— W HI TNE Y K NOL L ENB ERG
Team members,
including Sea Grant
coastal economist
Jane Harrison, will
conduct interviews
with employers
and host bilingual
focus groups
with employees.
Feedback will be
used to determine
the community’s
strengths when it
comes to supporting
tourism, as well
as areas for future
investment.
The team will
present findings
at a community
workshop, with
hopes of identifying
priority actions
for the next five
years. Knollenberg
anticipates that
they’ll need to
be creative to
address community
challenges. “I can’t
put Ocracoke
any closer to the
mainland or create
more land,” she says.
In many ways,
she adds, “it’s a
prime place to do
12 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
sustainable workforce research. But it’s
also a challenging place to do it. In the end,
though, it will be helpful for every person on
the island to have a more sustainable, stable
tourism workforce.”
COMMERCIALIZATION OF
LOW-CALCIUM BLUE-CRAB
SHEDDING TECHNOLOGY
David Cerino of Carteret
Community College, with Adam
Tyler of Marshallberg, N.C., Thomas
C. McArthur III of the North Carolina
State University Marine Aquaculture
Research Center, and Chuck Weirich
of North Carolina Sea Grant
Like new parents, soft-shell crab pro-ducers
don’t get a lot of sleep during the
molting season. However, new technologies
could help them reclaim their nights by
extending the time the crabs stay soft.
During the spring and early summer
in North Carolina, blue crabs approaching
their molt are collected from coastal
waters and placed in crab-shedding
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: • Ocracoke Island is rich in history. • The island is home to many landmarks, including the
Ocracoke Lighthouse, one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the country. • Many people are drawn to the community’s
close-knit feel. • Visitors take ferry rides to get to Ocracoke.
Vanda Lewis
Vanda Lewis
Vanda Lewis
Vanda Lewis
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 13
systems consisting of a series of shallow
tanks or trays through which water flows or
recirculates. The tanks must be monitored
every two to three hours for harvesting
before the molted crabs begin to harden
again.
“Extending the time crabs stay soft
could really help producers, especially those
with limited staff and other obligations,
such as other commercial fishing
operations,” says David Cerino, who heads
the aquaculture department at Carteret
Community College.
Cerino leads a team in developing
water-treatment processes that could give
commercial producers using recirculating
systems more flexibility in harvesting soft-shell
crabs. The project is based on previous
research funded by a Sea Grant minigrant
that found reducing calcium in shedding
systems increases the window for harvesting
up to 24 hours.
“We can take processes similar to those
municipal water treatment systems use to
soften water to remove calcium carbonate
and other hardening substances,” Cerino
explains.
Lab tests will identify the most
consistent and cost-effective water-treatment
process before two commercial
producers implement the low-calcium
recirculating systems. The team then will
monitor the systems’ overall water quality,
as well as crab survival and time available for
harvesting.
“This research will allow us to develop
a step-by-step protocol and estimate
the cost of implementing low-calcium
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: • Researchers
are looking to extend the time soft-shell crab
producers have to harvest molting crabs. • David
Cerino, who heads the aquaculture department
at Carteret Community College, is leading the
study. • The team will look into developing
water-treatment processes to increase harvest
time. • Removing calcium carbonate from the
water can slow the hardening process once crabs
shed their shells.
shedding systems on a commercial scale,”
states Chuck Weirich, Sea Grant marine
aquaculture specialist and a member of the
project team. “Then, we can transfer this
technology to other producers in the state.”
“This research will allow us to develop
a step-by-step protocol and estimate
the cost of implementing low-calcium
shedding systems on a commercial
scale. Then, we can transfer this
technology to other producers in the
state.” 	 — C H UCK W E I R ICH
This could help improve output
of the soft-shell industry that already
generates over $2 million annually. “Marine
aquaculture offers great opportunities
for economic development on the coast.
Advances such as this benefit not only
producers but also consumers who love
seafood,” Weirich adds.
Vanda Lewis Chuck Weirich
Chuck Weirich Vanda Lewis
14 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
By Katie Mosher
Space Grant
is on the Move
• LEFT: As an undergraduate student at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Zena Cardman participated in
the Mars Desert Research Station field course.
Courtesy Zena Cardman
N
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 15
C o n t i n u e d
orth Carolina Space Grant is
launching efforts to strengthen current
collaborations and to explore new
horizons.
With Susan White as the
program’s new director, strategic
planning sessions are sparking
opportunities for partnerships that
include the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, along with
researchers, students, educators and
industry partners across the state.
“There are some very good
themes that can make Space Grant
stronger,” Anthony Calamai of
Appalachian State University, a
member of the program’s executive
board, describes topics considered
during recent discussions.
Formerly dean of Appalachian’s
College of Arts and Sciences and now
with a focus on science education, he
notes that Space Grant’s advisors also
are eager to see the program build
upon successful interdisciplinary
and multicampus initiatives of North
Carolina Sea Grant and the Water
Resources Research Institute of the
University of North Carolina system.
White leads all three programs, all with
headquarters at NC State University.
“There are great synergies across
the programs,” Calamai adds.
Industry partners agree: “Lord
Corporation greatly values our
partnership with N.C. Space Grant —
and we look forward to continuing our
strong relationship with Susan at the
helm,” notes Mark Jolly, who is the
company’s representative on a panel of
industry advisors.
Alan Rebar, NC State’s vice
chancellor for research, innovation
and economic development, echoes
praise for White, who initially had been named
interim director for Space Grant earlier this
year.
“Dr. White brings a wealth of experience
in leading federal/state programs that are
recognized as trusted partners in developing
innovative research and outreach applications
within North Carolina and across the nation,”
Rebar explains.
NASA is Space Grant’s funding partner.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration supports Sea Grant, while
the U.S. Geological Survey has WRRI. Each
program has a distinct mission, but all three
offer targeted research, outreach and education
projects to address critical issues.
Sea Grant and WRRI also will learn from
Space Grant’s innovations, adds White, who
previously served on the Space Grant advisory
council.
“This is an exciting time,”
she says. “In particular, I am eager
to leverage Space Grant’s vibrant
programs — including strong
partnerships with industry — to equip
the current and future workforce.”
Opportunities
Abound
Two of N.C. Space Grant’s
student scholars — Christina H. Koch
from NC State and Zena Cardman
from UNC Chapel Hill — are now in
the NASA astronaut corps, a point of
tremendous pride.
But N.C. Space Grant programs
benefit many students eager for STEM
— science, technology, engineering
and math — careers.
“From its inception, Space Grant
has focused involving and supporting
faculty and students in space-related
research and outreach,” notes
executive board member Elva Jones
from Winston-Salem State University.
For example, Calamai
cites a student who moved from
undergraduate studies at UNC Chapel
Hill to a master’s program in physics
and engineering at Appalachian,
and then to a doctoral program in
engineering at Duke University, and
now to a career in industry in the
Washington, D.C., area.
Jobi Cook, N.C. Space Grant’s
associate director, recalls a motorcycle
mechanic intent upon changing his
focus. A Space Grant community
college scholar, he went on to UNC
Charlotte and eventually to a job at
U.S. Marine Station Cherry Point.
In fact, the state’s military
bases are key partners. Space Grant
helps students to learn about military
careers related to aeronautics and flight sciences
through a partnership with the Department
of Defense, officials at Cherry Point and an
engineering program at NC State.
In 2018, that will include another Aircraft
Readiness Engineering Workshop, an intensive
week that brings students from community
colleges and universities to Cherry Point and
New River air stations.
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: • Students from UNC Pembroke
experienced weightlessness aboard a NASA KC-135 during a research
mission. • Applications are open now for the 2018 Aircraft Readiness
Workshop to be held in Havelock in May. • Ten community colleges have
participated in high-altitude ballooning design and research projects
sponsored by North Carolina Space Grant.
Courtesy Mitchell Community College Courtesy U.S. Navy Fleet Readiness Center East Courtesy UNC Pembroke
16 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
“We create an experience for
college students to introduce them to
the world of military aviation and the
jobs associated,” explains Bill Fortney,
of the NC State program that is housed
at Craven Community College’s
campus in Havelock, just across from
Cherry Point. The base employs more
than 700 civilian engineers.
“The students are out with
Department of Defense engineers,
getting the inside scoop that goes
beyond their classroom experience,”
he adds.
The week includes mishap
investigations, time on the flight
lines with active-duty forces and
in a military simulator, and even
building remote-control aircraft.
More information is available at
ncspacegrant.org, with applications
due in March.
Lord’s 10-week summer
internships offer students “real-world
STEM experiences in a cutting edge
industrial environment,” Jolly notes.
“Since 2008, over 60 students have
participated in this program, with nine
subsequently hired on full time.”
The company has worked with
Space Grant to offer aerospace-related
experiences to teachers during the
summer breaks. “Each extern then
developed curriculum for modules and
courses at their respective high schools
based on their work experience,” he
adds.
Future Beckons
White and Cook are especially
excited about plans to expand Space
Grant’s educational programs.
They will build upon a successful
partnership with the Morehead
Planetarium, along with museums,
parks and other sites that hosted eclipse
events. “Those events drew a combined
audience of 100,000 people of all
ages,” White says.
Also, Space Grant outreach to K-12
teachers in 2018 will include expanding a
network of more than 50 educators in Eastern
North Carolina who recently completed
NASA training. New programs may include
workshops focusing on hot topics that would
keep students’ attention while covering critical
knowledge and skills.
“In North Carolina, drones are used in
agriculture,” says Cook, citing just one example
of how unmanned vehicles are in demand.
“We also will be working with
teachers-in-training,” she adds. They
will complete an online module, learn
from mentor teachers via webinars,
and then test lessons in their own
classrooms. The topics will be
interdisciplinary.
“We will be infusing strategies
to bring in the arts,” Cook says,
showing how STEM expands to
STEAM. That training will culminate
in the educator scholars traveling
to NASA’s Langley Research
Center to present posters about their
experiences.
White is eager to deepen such
connections across the program and
the state — so that lessons are using
data from NASA, or discussing
challenges identified by military and
industry partners. “We are building
a career pipeline, from classrooms to
community colleges and universities,
and on to professional lives in indus-try,
military and government sectors,”
she says.
“We are building a career
pipeline, from classrooms
to community colleges
and universities, and on
to professional lives in
industry, military and
government sectors.”
— SUSAN WHI TE
All those categories of partners
will be invited to a 2019 symposium
to highlight the depth and breadth
of Space Grant missions — and
to identify future orbits. “We are
learning from Sea Grant’s Coastal
Conference,” Cook says.
Overall, White sees a bright
future for N.C. Space Grant.
“Our mission is to develop the
next generation of explorers.”
Learn more about North
Carolina Space Grant and Sea Grant
programs’ joint graduate fellows on pages 17
to 19. The interdisciplinary research projects
focus on the state’s nearshore areas and coastal
watersheds, and use varied measurement
instruments and data from NASA and NOAA.
• TOP: A camera captured the point that a Durham Technical Community
College high-altitude balloon burst. • MIDDLE: The UNC Charlotte Forty-
Niner Robotic Mining Team competes annually at NASA Kennedy Space Center
in Florida. • BOTTOM: In recent years, two N.C. Space Grant scholars
have joined the NASA astronaut corps. Christina Hammock Koch, left, was at
NC State University. Zena Cardman, right, was at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Courtesy NASA
Courtesy NASA
Courtesy UNC Charlotte Courtesy Durham Technical Community College
Unraveling Mysteries
of Ghost Forests
By Lindsey Smart
You’ve heard of haunted houses — but
what about ghost forests?
Far from being frighteningly fun, ghost
forests are a growing concern along much
of the East Coast. In North Carolina, they
are increasingly common along the
Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula in the
rural eastern part of the state.
Bare, pale trunks line areas where
once-healthy coastal forests thrived, a
stark visual indicator of sea-level rise.
These coastal forests just can’t keep
pace with the encroaching saltwater
that is creeping farther inland into the
soil and surface waters of the coastal
plain.
This combination of saltwater
intrusion and forest retreat is
transforming freshwater landscapes
long before rising seas permanently
inundate the land. Coastal systems are
inherently dynamic and sea levels have
been rising since the end of the last ice
age many thousands of years ago.
But the current rate at which these
changes are taking place has many
scientists taking note.
How much of that landscape has
changed over the past decade? What
is the spatial extent of this change?
Where on the peninsula is this change
occurring the fastest?
With funding from North
Carolina’s Sea Grant and Space Grant
programs and the help of Paul J. Taillie,
a doctoral candidate and wildlife
biologist at NC State University, I
decided to address these questions.
I am a member of an
interdisciplinary team from NC State’s
College of Natural Resources that is
tackling a number of issues related to
saltwater intrusion and its impacts. We
refer to ourselves as the SALT team,
for Salinization: Adaptive Capacity
Building for Land-use and Tourism
Development, found at ncsu-salt.
weebly.com.
Our applied research seeks
solutions to critical land and water
issues. A main goal of the project is to outline
potential solutions that local communities may
adopt to cope with problems associated with
saltwater intrusion. My research is looking to
better understand mutually beneficial ways
that humans and wildlife can adapt to these
changing coastal landscapes.
Sea-level rise is among many stressors
on forests worldwide — ecosystems already
threatened by land clearing, fires, disease and
invasive species. Overall, these combined changes
are diminishing the ability of plants to fight
climate change.
Plants are well known for their role in
absorbing carbon dioxide. Scientists call this
process carbon storage or carbon sequestration.
This important ecosystem service means that
plants are providing clean air for humans and
wildlife.
Sea-level rise threatens the very
ability of forests to provide all of
these important benefits to wildlife
and humans. The reduction in carbon
sequestration due to sea-level rise can
exacerbate climate change and its
negative impacts.
Forest retreat also fragments
— and at times even eliminates —
important habitat for some wildlife
species. It limits the ability of coastal
forests to serve as buffers from storms
and storm surge. With the loss of these
forests, interior areas can be exposed
during large storm events that were
previously protected.
I have used satellite imagery and
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)
data, and combined these with highly
accurate field data to map the changes
across the landscape. Satellite imagery
data create near-seamless pictures of
Earth’s surface and help us visualize
and measure vegetation health or
decline through images of land
coverage.
LiDAR data, usually collected
via airplane, provide three-dimensional
information on the vertical structures
of the Earth’s surface. This information
helps scientists understand the
structure, height and volume of features
on the landscape.
Combined, satellite imagery
captures visual characteristics of forest
health, while LiDAR depicts the three-dimensional
characteristics of forest
health. These two data sources enabled
us to map vegetation changes across the
entire study area.
The resulting maps tell a compel-ling
story of an extremely dynamic
and complex environment with mixed
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 17
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: • Ghost forests are an increasingly common
sight along North Carolina’s coast. • This map shows the vulnerability of
the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula to sea-level rise based on elevation data. •
LiDAR and satellite imagery show a mix of woody and herbaceous vegetation.
Paul Taillie (inset), wildlife biologist and graduate student, surveyed a forested
wetland plot with similar characteristics. C o n t i n u e d
Lindsey Smart Lindsey Smart Lindsey Smart
patterns of vegetation growth and
decline. The patterns of change on the
landscape indicate a very diverse land-use
history, evidence of past fires and
the effects of sea-level rise.
Areas of vegetation decline
were evident close to the sounds.
Large decreases in vegetation near the
shoreline suggest that once-healthy
forests have retreated, likely as a result
of rising sea level. These findings have
important implications for the region’s
ability to store carbon.
In these forests, large amounts of
carbon are stored belowground in the
organic soils composed of decaying
organic matter, but also aboveground as
living and dead plant matter. Trees have
a greater ability to store aboveground
carbon than smaller plants like grasses.
Therefore, areas where pine trees are
giving way to more salt-tolerant marsh
grasses are losing aboveground carbon-storage
potential. Our data corroborate
this and show a net decrease in overall
aboveground carbon-storage potential
in the study area.
These results are the first step
in understanding potential vegetation
dynamics caused by many drivers.
Understanding specific mechanisms
for the changes in vegetation will be a
critical next step in showing empirically what
has been talked about anecdotally for quite
some time.
Linking these changes in forests directly
to sea-level rise and increased salinity are
essential for thinking about and planning for
future change.
When planning for future change, it’s
important to remember that people’s land-use
activities and their responses to sea-level rise
can either act to mitigate or exacerbate the
impacts of sea-level rise on the landscape. That
is why it’s important to understand what those
living and working in this region are going
to do in response to these increasingly salient
coastal threats.
To capture landowners’ thoughts on
different climate adaptation strategies, I’ve also
conducted a social survey on the Albemarle-
Pamlico Peninsula as part of my dissertation
research. Ultimately, the goal is to combine
the social survey data with these land-change
maps and use them as decision-support tools
to guide adaptive land-use policy and climate
change adaptation strategies.
Lindsey Smart is a doctoral candidate
in the Center for Geospatial Analytics within
the College of Natural Resources at NC State
University. She received a North Carolina Sea
Grant/Space Grant fellowship. She previously
worked for the Albemarle-Pamlico National
Estuary Partnership.
Making the Most of
Oyster Reef Filtering
By E-Ching Lee
Oyster reefs do a lot of good for an
ecosystem.
Here’s a quick list: They filter and clean the
water, clear out sediment so sunlight can reach
the plants at the water bottom, and provide fishes
with places to live and hide. Reefs also help to
protect shorelines from storms, breaking up
powerful waves as they rush inland.
Researchers call these
ecosystem services: gains that oyster
reefs bring to their surroundings —
and also to the people who live, work
and play in those places.
With a drastic decline in the
state’s oyster population, the N.C.
Division of Marine Fisheries and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are
among many groups planting new
beds to restore these bivalves.
Their goal is to build healthy
reefs to sustain the oyster population
in the state. Any other benefits —
good recreational fishing reefs,
suitable fish nurseries or cleaner
water — often are secondary goals
that have been difficult to measure.
Seth Theuerkauf, a recent
doctoral graduate from NC State
University, is bringing ecosystem
services into the equation, to
make rebuilding efforts more cost
efficient and successful. He wants
to ensure there will be oysters in the
state’s future while simultaneously
improving the coastal environment
— and to add more “bang for the
buck” for the public dollars spent on
these restorations.
For his fellowship funded by
North Carolina’s Sea Grant and Space Grant
programs, Theuerkauf focused on maximizing
water filtration, an ecosystem function for
which oysters are well known and that benefits
aquatic animals and plants, as well as humans.
“I selected filtration, given the growing
interest in oysters as a tool to help meet water
quality enhancement goals,” he explains.
Not all reef restoration sites are equal —
for oysters and for the humans who want to
reap their benefits. Theuerkauf used geospatial
analysis to layer maps of multiple factors
important for restoration. With this method,
he identified areas in Pamlico Sound that
would enable restored reefs to thrive, while
maximizing the resulting water filtration
services they provided.
“It matters where you do your restoration
to provide the most ecosystem services,”
Theuerkauf acknowledges.
Currently, oyster reef restorers use the
Reef Persistence habitat suitability index, or
18 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
• TOP: The team focused on the area of the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula
within the red rectangle in subsequent maps. • BOTTOM: Forest loss
along the study area perimeter between 2001 and 2014 possibly resulted from
saltwater intrusion and sea-level rise.
Lindsey Smart Lindsey Smart
HSI, to identify potential sites. That
tool — developed by Brandon Puckett,
then a doctoral candidate at NC State
and now research coordinator of the
N.C. Coastal Reserve — helps users
find locations where replanted oyster
reefs might thrive and persist.
Building upon this idea,
Theuerkauf developed a GIS-based
model that prioritizes water filtration
when selecting a restoration site. He
also combined the original HSI and his
updated version into a hybrid scenario
that balances reef persistence with
water quality enhancement.
Theuerkauf used several variables
to determine the suitability of a site.
Concentrations of chlorophyll a, derived
from satellite data, indicate the volume
of food available for the oysters.
Water-flow velocities denote the
ability of currents to deliver food to the
reef, and flush sediment and particulate
matter. Dissolved oxygen can identify
dead zones where there is too little
oxygen in the water.
“It’s a tool — a decision-support
tool — that is useful to identify areas
for restoration,” Theuerkauf says.
“Agencies such as DMF can use it as
a scoping tool to narrow the range of
areas they want to focus on.”
The next step is to integrate the
data within The Nature Conservancy’s
Restoration Explorer web-based
tool, which currently offers the
Reef Persistence HSI model at
coastalresilience.org/restoration-explorer-
focuses-on-oysters.
He also spoke with people who
ultimately would use his models early
on in the process. This was a step that
Puckett and David Eggleston, who
leads NC State’s Center for Marine
Sciences and Technology, spearheaded
when they developed the first HSI.
Since it was introduced in 2010,
the original HSI has been tweaked and
updated based on suggestions from
DMF and the Corps of Engineers in
Wilmington. Both agencies use the HSI
to help inform their restoration efforts.
“We integrated stakeholder
feedback early on to discuss what the
model would look like,” Theuerkauf
recalls. “Stakeholders were invested
and had a say.”
Planning meetings included
participants from DMF, The Nature
Conservancy and the N.C. Coastal
Federation. Each voiced what they
wanted in such a tool. Michael Piehler,
a biogeochemist and ecologist at
the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine
Sciences, also provided input.
“It’s a tool, a decision-support
tool, that is
useful to identify areas
for restoration. Agencies
such as DMF can use it as
a scoping tool to narrow
the range of areas they
want to focus on.”
— SE T H THEUERK AUF
Recommendations from this
group helped Theuerkauf determine
what data to include and the weights
to assign to each layer of information.
This was an opportunity to work
collaboratively with stakeholders,
identify and integrate what they
prioritized, and generate a tool that
contributes to advancing oyster
restoration in North Carolina.
“Developing a tool that balanced
state-of-the-art science with the human
dimensions of oyster restoration was a
valuable learning experience for me as
a scientist,” he says.
Seth Theuerkauf is a
spatial scientist with The Nature
Conservancy and NOAA. He is
a recent doctoral graduate in
biological oceanography at NC
State University’s Center for Marine
Sciences and Technology.
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 19
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: • The
water filtration habitat suitability index can
identify optimal (green) to unsuitable (red)
areas for reef restoration. • Oysters clean
and filter water around them. • The bivalves
also offer habitat for fish and other wildlife.
 
• North Carolina’s wild oyster reefs are a
fraction of their historical highs.
Vanda Lewis Stopher Slade Stopher Slade Seth Theuerkauf
20 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Raúl Omar Ortiz/Puerto Rico Sea GrantBOOTS
IN THE
FIELD
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 21
S E A G R A N T P A R T I C I P AT E S
I N H U R R I C A N E R E C O V E R Y
C o n t i n u e d
AUTUMN OFTEN BRINGS
HURRICANES — OR MEMORIES
OF PAST STORMS.
This August through October was no exception,
marked by many devastating hurricanes to the United States,
and even one that blew through Ireland and the United Kingdom.
In addition, October marked the first anniversary of Hurricane Matthew.
We provide updates on how North Carolina Sea Grant extension specialists
are helping agencies learn and communities rebuild after these storms.
Future issues of Coastwatch will offer more stories on hurricane recovery in the state.
• LEFT: In the aftermath of major storms, Sea Grant programs in affected areas,
such as in Puerto Rico pictured here, are stepping up to help communities recover and rebuild.
22 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
University’s Biological &
Agricultural Engineering
Department have been
working with local
leaders to study the recent
extreme flood events and
evaluate flood mitigation
methods. Bertie County
secured a grant from the
Golden Leaf Foundation
to fund two studies of the
Cashie River Basin and floodplain.
The initial efforts can help the Town of
Windsor and Bertie County move forward with
a specific plan. Barbara Doll, Sea Grant’s water
quality protection and restoration specialist, is
leading the research. The team, which includes
six engineers from NC State BAE, began the
study in June 2017.
“We hope to identify the most practical and
feasible actions the county and town can pursue
to decrease flood risk during extreme events,
and to mitigate impacts of flooding during
future storms,” Doll explains. “This effort will
help prevent wasted time and resources on
approaches that will afford little or no benefit.”
The team is investigating structural and
watershed flood-mitigation mechanisms.
“We are looking at ways to reduce the
amount of water that spills over from the
river into the town during floods. We also
are evaluating how much water is coming
from the 180-square-mile watershed, and
investigating ways to temporarily store and/or
slow down the water,” Doll adds.
To alleviate flooding, the team is
determining the feasibility of three separate
components.
The first is evaluating river engineering
alternatives. These structural measures
could include modifying existing bridge and
culvert configurations, or raising two roads
and equipping the culvert pipes beneath the
roads with backflow preventers or tide gates.
The tide gates would allow water to drain
away from town during small storms, and
would block floodwaters from entering town
GOING WITH THE FLOW
EVALUATING FLOOD MITIGATION
OF THE CASHIE RIVER
BY DANI E L L E C OSTANT INI
Hurricane Mathew changed the way many
residents of central and eastern North Carolina
think about flooding — including those in the
Town of Windsor.
The Cashie River flows through the middle
of this Bertie County town on its way to the
Roanoke River. Many days, the waters provide
a great route for kayaking. But fall 2016 brought
two powerful tropical systems.
Tropical Storm Julia dumped flooding
rains in September. Just weeks later, Hurricane
Matthew brought record flooding in October,
causing extensive damage to roads, bridges,
homes and Windsor’s business district.
“Immediately following the flooding
and devastation from Tropical Storm Julia
and Hurricane Matthew, Windsor Mayor Jim
Hoggard and Bertie County officials spent
countless hours reaching out to regional
resources for technical assistance in an effort
to take a long-term look at the flooding in the
Cashie River Basin,” shares Scott Sauer, Bertie
County manager.
North Carolina Sea Grant and NC State
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: • Researchers examine a bridge crossing in Bertie
County that was replaced after flooding from Hurricane Matthew breached the
road. • Tropical Storm Julia flooded downtown Windsor. • Windsor leaders
are seeking help from Sea Grant, NC State University and state agencies to
prevent future flooding, such as from Hurricane Matthew.
Scott Sauer
Barbara Doll
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 23
during large flood events.
By obtaining and reviewing existing
flood models, as well as flood data from last
fall’s extreme events, researchers can identify
solutions that are most likely to have the
greatest impact.
“Initial results indicate there may be little
benefit from increasing the capacity of bridges
along the lower river,” Doll states.
Increasing the capacity of the floodplain
around Windsor also was evaluated but
showed no appreciable decrease in flooding
near the town. This is because of the nearly
flat slope of the river’s water surface once it
reaches the bridge — there is nowhere for
all the water to go. Strong winds pushing the
water from the Albemarle Sound and Roanoke
River upstream also can exacerbate the
problem and lead to flooding.
Two other options, however, could be
more promising. “Raising select roads at their
low points and outfitting these areas with tide
gates would help to reduce some flood risk.
But that may not be effective in the larger
floods like Julia and Matthew, and likely
would not be certified under the National
Flood Insurance Program,” she adds.
Another component of the study is to
evaluate land-use change, and to quantify
the impacts on the Cashie River Basin and
the Town of Windsor. Land use identifies the
purpose of the land, such as forests, agriculture
use or development.
Models then allow the team to verify
how the land cover has changed since 1992,
and to quantify the impacts of those changes
on hydrology and hydraulics — how much
water and how fast it moves — in the river
basin.
The team also is focused on the third
component: evaluating upland water storage
potential. These storage areas — or reservoirs
— are designed to decrease the magnitude of
the flood flow. Slowing down the speed of the
flow may ultimately decrease the flood risk in
Windsor.
“We have identified several undeveloped
areas for potential storage of water and are
building a detailed watershed model, which
takes quite a bit of time and effort. Once
the model is finished, we can test the ability
of these areas to help reduce downstream
flooding,” Doll explains.
Opportunities to store water on
agricultural lands have yet to be identified. The
team scouted the watershed and found few
agricultural ditches.
“This has been an integrated technical
approach using data already available through
our state programs and agencies — and by
leveraging skills and expertise of several
research groups in the BAE department, Sea
Grant and others within N.C. Cooperative
Extension,” says Jon Page, extension associate
engineer with BAE.
“We have been able to apply our skill set
in a very practical way to assist a community
looking for solutions to the very relevant issue
of extreme flooding and reducing flood risk,” he
continues.
Partners include N.C. Department of
Transportation, N.C. Emergency Management
and the N.C. Floodplain Mapping Program.
The modeling work on the Cashie River
and its watershed is expected to be complete
by the end of the year, with results presented in
January to the county and town.
The feasibility study not only is yielding
information for Windsor, but also will serve as
a model for other coastal counties and towns.
Doll and NC State researchers currently
are working with N.C. DOT to develop similar
watershed and floodplain-focused projects in
the Tar, Neuse and Lumber river basins.
Their new project will provide educa-tion
and outreach on flood risk and mitigation
alternatives, while also assisting communities
recovering from Matthew — including Tarboro,
Smithfield, Kinston and Lumberton — to iden-tify
potential effective means of flood mitigation.
HURRICANE ASSESSMENT
IMPROVING NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OPERATIONS
B Y J A N E H A R R I S O N
When severe weather, like a hurricane
or large flood, strikes, do schools close or
communities evacuate? How does information
from the National Weather Service, or NWS,
affect those decisions?
To find out how that information is
disseminated — and how the processes could
be improved — NWS conducts a service
assessment after every major weather event.
Teams of experts seek to determine how
effective the agency was in forecasting the
event, as well as in communicating weather
information to affected communities.
I was on one of several teams asked to
evaluate the effectiveness of the NWS response
to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana.
The teams now are developing a report to share
best practices and lessons learned, all to help
NWS officials to improve services to the nation.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall near
Corpus Christi, Texas, as a Category 3 storm
with wind speeds of 111 to 129 miles per hour.
After days of little movement but heavy rain,
the storm headed back to the Gulf of Mexico.
It returned along the Louisiana border as a
tropical storm with wind speeds of 39 to 73
mph. Local weather forecasters and emergency
managers described Harvey as a meandering
storm full of “loop-de-loops.”
But the real story with Harvey was
its catastrophic flooding, caused by days of
torrential, record-breaking rainfall — a story
with which North Carolina is all too familiar. In
fact, Harvey’s damage was so widespread and
devastating, it required three service assessment
teams. Last year, the NWS deployed only one
such team after Hurricane Matthew.
My team began our work in the sprawling
urban expanse of Houston, then moved east
to communities within the oil alley in Texas,
a region that processes about a third of the
country’s oil. In Louisiana, we visited another
oil refinery stronghold at Lake Charles, then
continued on to Baton Rouge and ended in New
Orleans. A second team remained in Houston
during our weeklong effort, while a third team
went westward toward Corpus Christi and other
severely affected areas.
Scott Sauer
C o n t i n u e d
24 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
The teams interviewed staff
from NWS local weather forecast
offices known as WFOs (i.e.,
Corpus Christi, Houston, Lake
Charles and New Orleans), the
Southern Regional Headquarters
in Fort Worth, National Hurricane
Center in Miami, and Weather
Prediction Center in Silver Spring,
Maryland, among others. We
also spoke with local partners,
such as emergency managers
and broadcast meteorologists, to
understand how they used NWS
information to support their
operations.
As a social scientist with
North Carolina Sea Grant, my
role was to look for common
themes in the conversations we
had with local partners. I focused
on partnerships and outreach,
elements essential to the NWS
mission. The findings could be used to identify
best practices and suggest improvements
for NWS operations across the nation —
potentially affecting how North Carolina
forecast offices operate.
My assessment team left the gleaming
buildings of Houston, the country’s fourth-most
populated city, and headed for the towns and
cities surrounded by salt bayou lands. From
the rental car window, I spied coastal prairie
grasslands, creeks and wide water basins along
Highway 10, as well as flat lands recently
waterlogged.
Soaked drywall and once-loved
possessions piled up in front of homes in the
Texas towns of Port Arthur, Groves, Beaumont
and Orange, all of which straddle the Texas/
Louisiana border along Sabine Lake and the
Neches River.
We learned how NWS plays a vital
role in severe weather events in places such
as Groves. The small town received 60.54
inches of rain during Harvey — the highest
amount of rainfall ever recorded during any
U.S. storm. Evacuation decisions, school and
industry closures, and numerous other storm-related
actions for Groves relied on direct
communication between local NWS staff and
emergency managers.
A fire chief in Groves said this about
the NWS: “What they say is gold.” He
attributed his close relationship with WFO
staff to monthly meetings that the emergency
management community attends. The
emergency managers — along with WFO staff
— eat together, provide updates about their
activities and get to know one another. When an
extreme weather event does occur, they already
have good working relationships and are able to
work effectively together.
With increased frequency and severity
of storms predicted due to climate change, it is
ever more important that weather forecasting
be accurate and communication clear. Here in
North Carolina, severe flooding has become
the norm for many coastal communities. So
the role of NWS in providing decision support
services to emergency managers and the public
is increasingly important.
Serving on the assessment team has
given me a deeper understanding of how NWS
professionals and the emergency management
community work together to reach affected
populations during tropical storms and
hurricanes.
Thanks for your dedicated service y’all!
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: • Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas,
moved out to sea and then came ashore again in Louisiana. • Soggy
materials line the roads in Groves, Texas, which received over 60 inches
of rain during Harvey. • The emergency management community in
Southwest Louisiana meets monthly to eat and to share updates.
Courtesy NOAA
Jane Harrison
Jane Harrison
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 25
AROUND THE NETWORK
SEA GRANT PROGRAMS RESPOND
TO HURRICANE DESTRUCTION
Some of our partner Sea Grant programs’
communicators share what is going on in their
backyards after this autumn’s devastating
storms.
Conducting Hazard Planning
for Gulf Oyster Farmers
BY M E L I S S A SCHNE IDER
In October, Alabama oyster farms
weathered their first hurricane since the
industry began in 2009.
Experiencing Hurricane Nate, which
made landfall in Mississippi as a Category 1
storm, gave Mississippi-Alabama
Sea Grant Consortium extension
specialists and oyster farmers ideas on
how to improve storm preparedness.
For example, oyster farmers needed
help after the hurricane to recover
equipment that had floated away
during the storm.
Extension specialists are holding
workshops for oyster farmers to share
lessons learned from the storm, offer
planning resources and identify ways
to be better prepared. They are beginning the
process of completing written hazard plans.
South Carolina Sea Grant experts also are
providing hurricane experiences related to
oyster farming.
One area identified as a challenge is
the lack of available labor to move expensive
sorters and tumblers to higher ground and
to sink oyster bags and baskets to keep them
out of the storm surge. As Nate was a fast-approaching
storm, oyster farmers did not have
much time to prepare their farms as well as
their own homes.
Future challenges could include how
evacuation orders might affect preparation
and recovery. Infrastructure issues — such as
flooded roads and/or roads covered in sand —
and extended loss of power also could affect
operations.
Learn more about oyster farming in
Mississippi and Alabama at masgc.org/oyster-farming.
Educating Floridians on
FORTIFIED Homes
BY M E L I S S A SCHNE IDER
Hank Hodde, Mississippi-Alabama Sea
Grant Consortium resilience outreach special-ist,
visited the southeast coast of Florida shortly
after Hurricane Irma to conduct damage
assessments and increase outreach efforts for
the FORTIFIED HomesTM
program.
His work is part of a
new partnership between
Mississippi-Alabama Sea
Grant Consortium and
Smart Home America.
The nonprofit based in
Mobile, Alabama, seeks
to build stronger, more
resilient and sustainable
communities.
The assessments
are demonstrating that
many homeowners are
not completely prepared.
Some residents still
are using duct tape and
inadequate wood-based
shutters to prevent wind
damage.
Also, many
homeowners don’t
understand the stipulations of their insurance
policy. They need more information on
filing insurance claims and hiring reliable
contractors to complete repairs after the storm.
The Sea Grant programs in the Gulf of
Mexico also are updating the state-specific
guides — Homeowners’ Handbook to Prepare
for Natural Hazards — that address some of
these concerns.
Keep up with the Mississippi-Alabama
Sea Grant Consortium at masgc.org.
Helping Florida Keys
Lobster Industry Recover
BY BR A D BUCK
Hurricane Irma displaced and damaged
tens of thousands of spiny lobster traps in the
Florida Keys. Florida Sea Grant is helping
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: • Florida Sea Grant is helping lobstermen
locate and retrieve lobster traps that were displaced during Hurricane
Irma to get the fishery back on track. • The Mississippi-Alabama
Sea Grant Consortium is working with oyster farmers in the region to
improve hazard planning for their businesses. • During a damage
assessment in southeast Florida, Hank Hodde from Mississippi-
Alabama Sea Grant, found inadequate window coverings.
Hank Hodde/Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant
Courtesy Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant
Don Behringer
C o n t i n u e d
26 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
lobstermen by quickly locating the traps lost
during the storm. This is Florida’s largest
commercial fishery, estimated to be worth
$150 million in the Keys, according to Bill
Kelly, executive director of the Florida Keys
Commercial Fisherman Association.
Two days after the storm, the lobster
industry and Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission, or FWC, contacted
Florida Sea Grant and requested its help in
recovering and reusing viable traps, explains
Shelly Krueger. She is a Florida Sea Grant
agent with the University of Florida Institute of
Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension (UF/
IFAS) in Monroe County.
With funding from Florida Sea Grant, two
experienced spotter pilots flew planes the length
of the Keys in late September. GPS-enabled
cameras pinpointed the exact locations of
lobster trap clusters in the Atlantic Ocean and
Gulf of Mexico.
Harry Crissy, UF/IFAS Extension Monroe
County economic resource development agent,
uploaded the coordinates into a GIS database.
The data were shared with lobster fishermen
and the FWC to help them retrieve the traps.
“The work of Florida Sea Grant is the
critical first step to getting the industry back up
and running after this natural disaster,” Krueger
says.
This project is a partnership with the
Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s
Association and the FWC.
Read the full article, “Helping
Lobstermen in Florida Keys Get Back to
Business Post-Irma,” at flseagrant.org/
newsroom.
Assisting Texas Communities
After Harvey
BY T E X A S S E A G R ANT S TA F F
During Hurricane Harvey, Texas Sea Grant
mobilized to help state and federal agencies at
emergency shelters for people and livestock. The
program also shared life-saving information via
social media.
After the storm, Texas Sea Grant worked
with coastal communities to address their
immediate needs for assistance. Staff members:
• Distributed the Texas Homeowner’s
Handbook to Prepare for Coastal Natural
Hazards in English and Spanish to more than
40 FEMA disaster recovery centers in affected
counties.
• Performed rapid assessment of damages
and needs of the fishing industry.
• Conducted rapid estimates of economic
impacts in multiple fisheries sectors to support
local governments requesting recovery
assistance.
• Partnered with NOAA’s National Marine
Fisheries Service to facilitate their evaluation of
the status of the commercial fishery.
• Connected multiple federal agencies with
local officials, industry and the public.
• Partnered with FEMA to provide
financial technical assistance to help local
communities apply for disaster assistance.
• Led efforts to recover sunken
commercial fishing vessels.
• Funded rapid response research on the
health of dolphins and humans’ perception of the
resilience of their communities.
In addition, Texas Sea Grant is part of
the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas,
established in early September.
To help Texans recover, rebuild and prepare
for the future, the program has:
• Launched the Texas A&M Community
Resilience Collaborative to provide planning
assistance to Texas communities that were
affected by Hurricane Harvey.
• Started helping communities and
industries assess their resilience to disasters
using community, fisheries, ports and tourism
resilience indices.
• Began assisting communities with long-term
recovery planning and land use and zoning
ordinance reviews.
• Partnered with the National Disaster
Preparedness Training Center and many
industries to revise the Texas preparedness
handbook based on new information learned
from recent disasters.
Severe storms will continue to threaten
communities and economies in Texas.
Accordingly, Texas Sea Grant is increasing its
efforts to help local communities develop more
robust plans and practices that will increase their
resilience to future extreme events.
Visit Texas Sea Grant’s post-Hurricane
Harvey recovery resources under texasseagrant.
org/programs for guidance, information and
updates for hurricane survivors.
A Glimpse at Devastation
in Puerto Rico
Colleagues from Puerto Rico Sea Grant
share some images of the destruction after
Hurricane Maria.
Find updates from Puerto Rico Sea Grant
at seagrantpr.org.
• LEFT: Texas Sea Grant is part of a commission to help Texans recover and rebuild from Hurricane Harvey, while also preparing the state for future
similar events. • RIGHT: The west coast of Puerto Rico sustained massive damage after Hurricane Maria.
Courtesy Texas Sea Grant
Raúl Omar Ortiz/Puerto Rico Sea Grant
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 27
AN E YE FOR
THE D ETAILS:
HARRIS S ERVES
SEA GR ANT, S TATE
By K at ie M o she r
WHEN S ANDRA
HARRIS A RRIVED FOR H ER
INTERVIEW AT N C S TATE
UNIVERSIT Y I N 1973, H ER
TOP S CORES O N T YPING
AND SHORTHAND T ESTS
ALREADY H AD IM PRESSED
HER SOON-TO-BE BOSS,
HARDY B ERRY.
“He said: You’ve got to get a
start somewhere,” Harris recalls
with a laugh. She joined Berry in
the university’s information services
and communications office, taking
dictation and typing letters and news
releases.
That quick start led to a strong
career — and membership in the
Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the State
of North Carolina’s “highest honor
of recognition.” Signed by Gov. Roy
Cooper, her certificate notes his
“special confidence in the integrity,
learning and zeal” of Harris, who
retired in October with a total of 37
years of state service, including 23
with North Carolina Sea Grant.
Susan White, current Sea Grant
executive director, and other directors during
Harris’ tenure agree with the citation. “I have
counted on Sandra’s attention to detail,” White
says.
“Sandra’s focus on advance planning
CELEBRATING TWO
COLLEAGUES In t he l a s t f ew m onths o f t he y e ar, N o r t h C ar o l ina S e a G rant b ade f ar ewe l l t o
S and ra H ar r i s , o n o u r c ommuni c at i ons t e am, a nd V anda L ewi s , o n o u r e x t ens i o n t e am.
But t r u l y, t he y b o t h w e r e k e y t o a l l o f S e a G rant ’s w o r k .
Combined, t he y h ad s e r v e d t he s t at e f o r 6 7 y e ar s . H e r e , w e s har e a p p r e c iat i ons o f o u r f o rme r c o l l e a g ue s .
shipped out, or catching grammatical
errors on letters.
That attention — and accuracy
— had been clear even early in Harris’
campus career. “I was good at
proofreading,” she notes with a smile.
After taking some years away
from the office to focus on her
family, Harris worked for a while at
Nationwide Insurance, where she
always exceeded the daily quotas for
her position. Despite offers to move
up in the business world, she missed
the atmosphere of the university.
She returned to campus
in 1994, joining Sea Grant. B.J.
Copeland was director at the time.
“Sandra always has been very reliable.
She’s been very capable. She always
gets her job done,” he says. “It’s been
a really great thing for Sea Grant that
she’s been here.”
Ronald Hodson succeeded Co-peland
as director. He recalls Harris’
ability to easily adapt, be it to changes
in the program’s leadership, or to
technology advances, such as new
database software and the increasing
importance of the Internet for sharing
research and outreach information.
“I like working on computers,”
Harris says. At times, posting text
and photos for online stories was like
assembling a puzzle. She also often
used detective skills to track down
information needed by colleagues, partners or
the public.
“I always was amazed by how efficient
Sandra was. She seemed to know what I was
C U R R E N T S
C o n t i n u e d
E-Ching Lee
• TOP: Sandra Harris retired in October with 37 years of state service,
23 of those years with North Carolina Sea Grant.
• BOTTOM: Vanda Lewis is a friendly face many may have seen
at events involving Sea Grant.
Vanda Lewis
ensured that actions were completed in clear,
efficient and cost-effective ways,” she adds,
noting that those tasks have included more
than a few reminders to the management team
regarding delivery deadlines for materials being
28 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
going to request, especially with posting
materials online, before I asked,” says E-Ching
Lee, former managing editor of Coastwatch. “I
also counted on her attention to detail. Sandra’s
eagle eyes have caught many errors in our stories
and products.”
Harris enjoyed being part of the Coastwatch
team. “I like the stories about the people,” she
says. Favorites include a profile of Muzel Bryant
of Ocracoke, and articles on the storytellers and
fish house owners of Carteret County. “I love the
recipes,” she adds.
Sometimes the work was intense. Harris
played a key role in the national distribution of
seafood safety manuals for a number of years.
That effort “took over my life,” she recalls.
In 2004, she was selected by NC State’s
then Office of Research and Graduate Studies to
move to the university level of the Award for Ex-cellence
competition. Now known as NC State’s
Office of Research, Innovation and Economic
Development, that office is administrative home
for Sea Grant.
With expansion of her Sea Grant
communications duties, Harris’ official job title
was updated in 2015 to university program
associate. Her duties also have included
managing distribution for Coastwatch and varied
publications, and serving as a key contact for the
National Sea Grant Library.
But at a retirement reception for Harris,
coworkers past and present especially wanted to
note her kindness. “Her friendly nature has been
an asset to the team,” Hodson says.
Harris had immediate plans for a
special vacation with her husband. The
beach has a special lure, she says. “I love
walking in the sun.”
A graduate of Broughton High
School in Raleigh, Harris has strong ties
to the community. And her days now
also will have a greater family focus, in
particular spending more time with her
mother and 14 grandchildren.
Overall, she will enjoy setting her own
schedule — and maybe some time for herself.
“I may renew my membership in our bowling
league,” she adds.
DRIVING INTO
THE SUNSET:
NEW ADVENTURES
BECKON AF TER
RETIREMENT
By E -Ching L e e
Vanda Lewis likes to stay in the
background. Officially, she is an administrative
support specialist for North Carolina Sea Grant,
based in Morehead City.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Colleagues have described her as organized,
efficient, talented, trustworthy, committed,
positive and supportive.
If you’ve seen Sea Grant’s food
photographs in Coastwatch magazine or on
marinersmenu.org, you’ve glimpsed her work. If
you’ve signed up for aquaculture workshops,
C U R R E N T S
• TOP L EF T: Sandra Harris says her favorite Coastwatch stories were personality profiles,
including one on Muzel Bryant. • TOP R IGHT: Harris celebrated her retirement with retired directors
Ronald Hodson and B.J. Copeland, and Susan White, current director. • BELOW: In 2004,
Harris and Walter Clark, both with Sea Grant, received awards from NC State University.
E-Ching Lee
Ocracoke’s former slaves left the island. The
only two African Americans to move from
the mainland to Ocracoke were Muzel’s
grandparents, Harkus and Winnie Blount.
No one knows why the couple chose
the island, but there is some speculation that
Winnie’s former owner occasionally visited
Ocracoke, according to Alton Ballance, a
Bryant family friend. Ballance is the author of
Ocracokers, a definitive work on the island’s
culture and history.
Like many island men, Harkus earned a
living as a carpenter and a boat builder, while
Winnie worked as a domestic. Few written
20 HOLIDAY 2004 COASTWATCH 21
C o n t i n u e d
Vacationers on Ocracoke Island, lured
by its pristine coastline and rich maritime
culture, seldom notice the tiny, quiet woman
who, at 100, is one of the island’s most
cherished and unique residents. On most days,
friends and neighbors passing by her house
will look for her sitting in her recliner,
positioned just right to see through the storm
door. A woman of kind heart and few words,
she always returns a wave hello.
Meet Muzel Bryant, whose lineage on
Ocracoke goes back to the Civil War. While
history books were chronicling the resolve of
the postwar American spirit, equally passionate
and entrepreneurial African American families,
such as the Bryants, often were left out of the
story.
Muzel is a rare link to that near-forgotten
past. “She’s a treasure in Outer Banks history,”
says Walt Wolfram, a sociolinguist from North
Carolina State University. Wolfram has studied
Muzel’s speech and her life for a decade. “She’s
the last living African American who was born
and still lives on Ocracoke.”
The first African Americans arrived on the
Outer Banks during the early 1700s as slaves
brought from Virginia and Maryland, according
to Wolfram. By the Civil War, coastal North
Carolina had a significant slave population, and
more than 100 slaves lived on Ocracoke.
After the war ended in 1865, all of
“As a small child, she remembered
people sitting around talking about people
that tried to fly,” says Muzel’s caretaker,
Kenny Ballance, referring to the Wright
brothers’ flight over Kitty Hawk in 1903.
Despite the astounding changes in
technology, world politics and culture
during her lifetime, Muzel takes things in
stride. “Well,” she admits with a shrug,
“there have been a lot of changes.”
JUST LIKE FAMILY?
Growing up, the Bryant children
may have seemed like any other group
of siblings as they played by the shore and
“mommucked” their elders, a local term
meaning “to irritate or bother.” And although
many in the community felt they accepted the
Bryants “just like family,” Wolfram discovered
that certain social boundaries once existed
between Muzel’s family and other Ocracokers.
“They didn’t go to school with the regular
kids,” Howard says. “But the white kids their
age would teach them.”
“And Mu’ was always very proud of the
fact that she could read,” she adds.
Ironically, when the community
celebrated Muzel’s 100th birthday last March,
the party was held at the same school she and
her siblings could not attend.
As Wolfram learned more about Muzel’s
life on the island, he uncovered other, more
subtle examples of those social boundaries.
At one time the island had a dance hall,
he says, describing it as a simple wooden room
with a record player and a few metal chairs.
“When we asked Muzel if she used to go to
the dance hall, she said she did,” he reports.
“However, when we asked her if she liked to
dance, she said she didn’t know because she
had never gone in; instead, she stayed outside,
watching the others
through the window.”
Those kind of
educational and social
boundaries, coupled with
the isolation of island life,
may explain why many
of Muzel’s siblings left
Ocracoke.
All of the Bryants’
nine children, except
Muzel, Mildred and
Julius, settled on the
mainland, either in North
Carolina or in northern
states.
The youngest, John
Thomas, moved to Elkin
and was a chauffeur for
the Reynolds family, of
tobacco fame. Two of
Muzel’s brothers, Lewis
and Jeffrey, worked
for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and
her oldest brother, Artis, joined the Merchant
Marines.
Muzel’s sisters were equally ambitious.
Mildred worked in Washington, N.C., and
Baltimore for nearly 15 years, returning to
the island in the early 1940s. Mamie moved
to Connecticut and later taught school in
New York City, where she still lives with her
daughter. Annie Laura lived in Washington,
N.C., where she may have received some
schooling, according to Alton Ballance in
CELEBRATING A CENTURY:
The Life of
Muzel Bryant
B y K a t h l e e n A n g i o n e
TOP LEFT: Muzel Bryant, age 11 (1915). TOP RIGHT: Muzel, age 25 (1929). ABOVE: Today, at age 100,
Muzel is one of Ocracoke’s most cherished residents and an important link to Outer Banks history.
details about their life exist, but it was likely
difficult. Of the couple’s 12 children, only two
— Annie Laura and Elsie Jane — lived to
adulthood.
Elsie Jane married Leonard Bryant near
the turn of the 20th century, and they chose to
stay on Ocracoke. Between 1902 and 1924,
they had nine children, including Muzel. She
was born on March 12, 1904 — only 39 years
after slavery ended and 50 years before the civil
rights movement began.
“The connection over the century is just
amazing,” says Julie Howard, Muzel’s friend
and former next-door neighbor.
TOP: Back row, from left: Muzel’s parents, Elsie Jane and Leonard with family
friend. Front Row, from left: Muzel’s sister Mildred, brothers Lewis and Artis,
Muzel and cousin. MIDDLE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Muzel’s sister Mamie,
brother Artis, sister Annie Laura, and Muzel’s son Charles, who was born in
1925 and died in 1988. LEFT: Leonard Bryant, a sexton at the Methodist
church, appears here with Ocracoke resident Doris Garrish.
All historic family photos courtesy of Muzel Bryant
Scott Taylor
CW Nov-Dec 04.indd 24-25 11/3/17 9:25 AM
Katie Mosher
worked on the N.C. Fishery Resource Grant
program or visited the Sea Grant table at the
N.C. Seafood Festival in Morehead City, you’ve
likely crossed paths with Lewis.
“She’s always the first to say, ‘What do
you need? How can I help?’” says Barry Nash,
Sea Grant seafood technology and marketing
specialist.
Having grown up in a family with deep
roots in Down East Carteret County, Lewis
brings authentic flavor — figuratively and literally
— to her work. Her knowledge of the cultural
institutions, history and traditions of the area’s
fishing heritage enriches the program’s efforts.
She has written popular blog posts to share
recipes learned from her mother and mother-in-law,
and her way of life growing up Down East.
“My background has an impact on my
work,” acknowledges Lewis, a Harkers Island
native. She is out on the water regularly with
her husband James, who holds a commercial
fisherman’s license.
“We have shrimped, clammed and fished.
It gave me an appreciation for how hard the
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 29
C U R R E N T S
fishermen work. It’s a hard living. I just appreciate
what they do a lot more having done it myself,”
she explains.
“Vanda has made our program more
efficient and effective because she understands
the content we’re working on and also can
explain the impact we have on other’s lives,”
says Jack Thigpen, Sea Grant extension director,
pointing to her ability to make sense out of
random ideas or data.
Jim Murray, Sea Grant extension director
prior to Thigpen, notes that Lewis brought an
intangible quality to the table. “Overlying her skill
set was a lifelong commitment to the Sea Grant
organization and philosophy. Vanda very much
understood that Sea Grant serves the public and
she truly gave of herself with an unselfish spirit of
public service.”
Her commitment to improving workplace
morale is evident to others. “Vanda takes time
out of her busy schedule to check in with me on
both my work and family,” notes Jeff Buckel,
a fisheries biologist at NC State’s Center for
Marine Sciences and Technology. “She has
been the face of Sea Grant to our laboratory
in Morehead City, and to groups residing in or
visiting the coast.”
Lewis has been a point person for Sea
Grant’s collaborations at the central coast.
That area is home to university marine science
labs; offices of state and federal agencies; an
aquarium, museums, parks and reserve; and
countless state and local organizations and
businesses that collaborate on events, projects
and initiatives.
Nash singles out Lewis’ contribution to the
Mariner’s Menu blog. She
prepares, photographs
and posts recipes for
that site.
“She combines
her knowledge of
seasonal information
about seafood and her
own cooking expertise
to make sure a home
cook could do it.
That’s huge because
many people like to eat
seafood, but they don’t
know how to prepare it,” he explains.
Nash notes that Lewis also has developed
seafood recipes for coastal processors who
wish to sell prepared foods made with local
ingredients. She ensures that the flavor, texture,
aroma and appearance of items appeal to a
broad range of consumer expectations.
“Vanda’s expertise in this area far surpasses
my own,” he explains. “She has truly helped
enhance the visibility of North Carolina seafood
and the state’s commercial fishing industry to our
citizens.”
However, all good things come to an end:
Lewis retires at the end of 2017, the same time
as her husband James. “It was a hard decision,”
Lewis says. “I’ve worked 30 years. Initially I
wondered what I was going to do to fill my day
but James solved that.”
The pair has plans to drive off into the
sunset in their brand-new RV. She hopes to find
new images to capture with her camera — and
maybe blog about the sights she sees.
“I’ve learned new and more things, been
exposed to a lot of different things about
environment and fisheries and grants. So I’ve
learned a lot along the way,” Lewis says about
her three decades with Sea Grant. “I’ve always
tried to accept changes that have come, and
challenges. And go with it.”
And this time, the changes might be in the
scenery outside her RV window as Lewis navigates
her way to new adventures and sights.
• TOP: In 2009, Vanda Lewis, pictured with Bob Hines, then a Sea Grant fisheries specialist, was selected to advance to the university-level for an employee excellence award.
• BOT TOM L EF T: Food photography is a passion Lewis discovered and honed while at Sea Grant.
• BOT TOM R IGHT: Lewis prepares, photographs and posts recipes for the Mariner’s Menu blog.
E-Ching Lee
Vanda Lewis NC Sea Grant file photo
30 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S
THERE’S A LOT TO BE LEARNED FROM A TRIP OUT
ON THE WATER.
At work and in regular, everyday conversation, I constantly talk
about changing water levels, tide gauges, coastal inundation and relative
sea-level rise. To really understand what these words mean, I’ve found it
best to get outside — and on the water — to experience natural resources
and the factors that affect them.
Always a water lover growing up in a Great Lakes state, I found
more to learn when I moved to the N.C. coastal town of Beaufort almost
six years ago. With beautiful waters beckoning to me daily, I have taken
advantage of my location to take more kayak, stand-up paddleboard and
sailing trips out on the water than I can count.
One of the most important friends I’ve met here is known simply as
“the tide.” I quickly realized that the tide is here to stay whether I like it or
not, so it’s best to make friends if possible.
The tide usually is a predictable friend. I know it will change course
about every 6 hours and 12.5 minutes, due to the incoming, or flood,
tide and outgoing, or ebb, tide. Sometimes the tide is bigger than normal
Gaining an Education
on the Water:
Appreciating the Forces of Nature
B Y S A R A H S P I E G L E R
• ABOVE: Horses cross the shallow waters of the NC Rachel Carson Reserve during the crisp fall weather.
Sarah Spiegler
The natural tidal rhythms, originally passing acquaintances,
have become close friends. I always want to know what
the tide is doing because how it changes will influence
where I go on the water, the energy I will need
for that day’s paddle, and what I might see.
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 31
P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S
(higher high tides) or smaller than normal (lower low tides).
Sometimes I wish the tide would change its pattern based on where
I want to paddle that day. Paddling while fighting the tide AND the wind
can take all the energy I have.
The natural tidal rhythms, originally passing acquaintances, have
become close friends. I always want to know what the tide is doing
because how it changes will influence where I go on the water, the energy
I will need for that day’s paddle, and what I might see. Depending on
the time of day and water level, a habitat such as salt marsh can look
completely different. Marsh vegetation and oyster reefs may be exposed
at low tide or completely covered and hidden at high tide.
I’ve lost a few flip-flops to this friend. Once, I almost lost my kayak
and paddle, when they started to float away while I was on the other side
of the sand bar behind the Rachel Carson Reserve, enjoying a day out on
the water with friends. One of my companions turned back and rescued
our kayaks just in time before they floated out to sea.
Another challenge is coming to terms with the wind, a companion
that constantly changes while out on the water.
Wind speed and direction seem minor on a Friday night while
sheltered from the elements in my house. But those factors become very
relevant Saturday morning when sitting in a small paddlecraft exposed to
the elements. It is a fun coincidence that the Beaufort Wind Force Scale,
that estimates wind speed by observing conditions on land or at sea,
has the name of my town. The scale was actually named after Sir Francis
Beaufort in 1805.
I’ve learned to respect the wind as I have the tide. Rather than
fighting it, I know the importance of working smarter, not harder. This
often means getting out of the wind by heading for the “lee” side of the
island where the wind is blocked. Paddling close to shore can be safer as
well, because there often is less current — and less boat traffic.
SHARING THE JOYS
Paddling vessels take you to the next destination, employing
exclusively human power. One of my favorite parts of paddling is the ease
of getting under way using my
own strength. I also love the
sense of accomplishment when
propelling myself to explore new
places, often sites unreachable
and unobservable to someone
in a motorboat.
It is when I paddle back
to shore under human power
— against the wind, tide and
current — that I learn the most
about how the natural elements
and the coastal environment
are interwoven. Returning home
after a challenging paddle and
battling the elements, I feel like I
have allowed Mother Nature to
C o n t i n u e d
• TOP: Shackleford Banks is
visible from the eastern end of
Bird Shoals on the Rachel Carson
Reserve. • LEF T: Sometimes
I race on my paddleboard too. •
RIGHT: A whelk lays its eggs in a
shell case at the Rachel Carson site
of the N.C. Coastal Reserve.
Michael Miller Photography/Crystal Coast TDA
Sarah Spiegler
Sarah Spiegler
32 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S
teach me to have respect for something I cannot control.
One of the most inspiring parts of being an instructor for the
American Canoe Association, or ACA, is teaching people while they are
out of their comfort zone. I’ve seen many paddle students persevere,
overcoming the pesky forces of wind, tide, current and inclement weather.
I enjoy witnessing a novice gain new confidence from something as simple
as hopping on a kayak or a stand-up paddleboard.
Earlier this year, I led University of North Carolina Wilmington
students on a 10-mile round-trip paddle from Shell Point at Harkers Island
to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. I was proud to see these students, many
with minimal paddling experience, accomplish this daunting feat. The wind
and current picked up on the return trip, when many were fighting fatigue,
while making their way in an unfamiliar and sometimes harsh environment.
Just as important, these students, many who were environmental studies
majors, learned about coastal resources in an outdoor setting after a
semester in a classroom. Rad.
One of my favorite lines in a 2017 Paddling Trip Guide article by Rapid
Media says, “Every time we paddle, we go on a trip … there is a going out
and a returning home. We never return the same person that we left.”
I agree.
PADDLING THROUGH HISTORY
I have been fortunate to introduce many people to the beautiful
waters of “my front yard.” I am lucky that I can see a small sliver of the water
of Taylors Creek peeking between houses across the street. A 30-second
walk out my front door allows me to check on my friends the tide and wind.
A short paddle across Taylors Creek leads me to the Rachel Carson
Reserve, a 2,300-acre island that is strongly influenced by the tides. Part
of the N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, it is
home to over 200 species of birds, approximately 35 wild horses, a variety
of fiddler crabs, foxes, rabbits, snakes, racoons, turtles, fish, snails and
sea urchins, and an assortment of marsh grasses. Many people regularly
venture out to the reserve for a day trip.
From a neighbor’s porch, I can spot the waters of Back Sound on
the backside of the Rachel Carson Reserve. Back Sound flows between
State a nd n at ional p arks, a long w ith r eser ve s ites,
of fer m any oppor tunit ies for paddlers o f a ll s kill levels.
These a re m y f avor ite p addle t r ips i n m y “ f ront y ard”:
• 1. Taylors Creek in Beaufort to the Rachel Carson Reserve. Skill level:
Easy.
• 2. Beaufort to Shackleford Banks, part of Cape Lookout National
Seashore. Skill level: Intermediate.
• 3. Beaufort to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, located on Cape
Lookout National Seashore. Skill level: Advanced.
• 4. Shell Point on Harkers Island to Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Skill
level: Intermediate.
• 5. The Down East community of Davis to the National Park
Service cabins on Great Island, South Core Banks, part of Cape Lookout
National Seashore. Skill level: Advanced.
• 6. Hammocks Beach State Park to Bear Island. Skill level: Easy to
intermediate.
• ABOVE: My kayak lets me get up close and personal with aquatic life, such as this sea urchin along the central coast.
Sarah Spiegler
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 33
P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S
the reserve and Shackleford Banks, a barrier island shielding Beaufort
from the Atlantic Ocean. One of the islands in Cape Lookout National
Seashore, Shackleford Banks measures approximately eight miles from its
western tip to its eastern end. Shackleford has lost about a mile of land
on the western end over the past four years due to erosion. The eastern
end of the island is separated by Barden Inlet from South Core Banks,
home of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.
Cape Lookout National Seashore includes Shackleford Banks,
South Core Banks and North Core Banks, which together comprise over
50 miles of undeveloped ocean shoreline. It is a calm and serene place,
ideal to experience a changing wilderness. This incredibly unique island
chain is hands down my favorite place anywhere in North Carolina. And
it’s also a great place for paddling.
The national seashore is a barrier island chain, so it is influenced
by the elements — tides, currents, wind and storms. The islands are
constantly changing and never look the same each time I go. Because
of the protections afforded when Cape Lookout became a national
seashore in 1966, there are no roads on the seashore, no housing
developments and no bridge to reach its islands from the mainland. We
are allowing this island chain to change in a dynamic way like Mother
Nature intended.
In a trip to Cape Lookout, I can feel the tide of history from the
remnants of long-gone communities. Shackleford Banks is home to over
120 wild horses called banker ponies that are believed to be descendants
of the horses that survived Spanish shipwrecks in the 16th century.
In the 1800s, the best-known community was Diamond City
— named after the diamonds on the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. The
predominantly whaling and fishing community occupied the east end of
Shackleford Banks. Residents were forced from the island by hurricanes
at the end of the century and many fled to Morehead City, a reminder of
the harsh and ever-changing nature of a barrier island. A cemetery located
in the middle of the maritime forest on Shackleford holds the remains of
many of those who once called the island home.
Now a museum, the Cape Lookout Lighthouse quarters once
housed lightkeepers who lived in a harsh environment before modern
conveniences. These resilient and gritty sentinels kept the oil burning daily
to light the Fresnel lamp, climbing 201 steps to the top of the lighthouse
from 1812 until 1950, when the light was automated.
Now, only wildlife are resident on the National Seashore islands.
Human visitors can swim, fish, bird, shell, hunt, boat, paddle, sail, hike
and camp on these islands. Some spend the night sleeping in a tent bathed
in the light of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse or nestled into the maritime
forest of Shackleford Banks. One of my favorite sights while sitting around
a campfire at “Shack” (as Shackleford Banks is affectionately referred to by
locals) is the sight of a herd of wild horses trotting quietly down the beach.
Just writing this makes me excited for the next time I can venture out
on my next paddle trip.
Sarah Spiegler is an avid outdoor enthusiast, American Canoe Association kayak
and stand-up paddleboard instructor, a wilderness first responder, and has worked on
sailboats in North Carolina and New Zealand. She previously served as the outreach
specialist for the NOAA North Carolina Sentinel Site Cooperative.
SAFE T Y T IP S
• Respect the power of nature. Always check the wind, weather and
tides before you leave. Postpone your trip until you have better conditions,
if necessary. Stay updated when out on the water of changing conditions
with numerous free apps on your smartphone.
• Know your limits — be aware of your abilities. Do not paddle in
conditions that are beyond your skill level.
• Always wear your personal floatation device when you are
paddling. Also, wear your leash, if you are on a stand-up paddleboard.
Leave a float plan with a friend. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, a rain
jacket, shoes to protect your feet from oyster reefs, first-aid supplies, and
a cell phone in a waterproof container.
• If you are a beginner, plan your trips paddling with the tide, and
then have a friend pick you up at your destination. Or, plan to start your
trip paddling against the tide and paddle as far as you can, and then
change directions and “ride” the tide back home. Paddling against the tide
at the end of a trip often can feel overwhelming for a beginner and results
in fatigue. When on a stand-up paddleboard, paddle against the wind
when starting your trip for similar reasons.
• If you are paddling in a new place, seek advice from local paddlers.
They are usually happy to share tips and local knowledge about the area
before you set out on your trip.
• Above all, don’t forget a sense of adventure. Without that, all is lost.
• ABOVE: I led a group of students from the University of North Carolina
Wilmington on a paddle trip through the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.
Sarah Spiegler
34 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
NORTH CAROLINA
SEA GRANT CONTINUES
TO OFFER FELLOWSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR OUTSTANDING
GRADUATE STUDENTS.
 
Three new recipients are
sponsored through Sea Grant
collaborations with N.C. Space
Grant and the Albemarle-
Pamlico National Estuary
Partnership.
“These partnerships allow
students to have unique opportunities for
applied research on current topics. This allows
for interdisciplinary exploration,” notes Susan
White, Sea Grant executive director.
SEA GRANT/SPACE GRANT
Newly appointed graduate fellows will use
satellite and remote-sensing data to explore
oyster reefs and storm impacts on the North
Carolina coast.
They will be supported by North
Carolina’s Space Grant and Sea Grant
programs. Both are federal/state partnerships.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration houses the National Sea
Grant College Program, while the National
Partnerships Beget
Fellowships
NC Sea Grant Offers Joint Funding
with NC Space Grant, APNEP
B Y M A R I S A I N C R E M O N A
Aeronautics and Space Administration hosts
the Space Grant network. Learn more at
ncspacegrant.org.
“It is exciting for these programs to
continue to provide specialized support for
students,” notes Susan White, executive
director of North Carolina Sea Grant and
North Carolina Space Grant.
“NASA and NOAA have extensive data
sets, with more being gathered every day. Our
graduate fellows are using the information and
visualizations to consider very real issues in our
coastal communities.”
ANNA W INDLE is a master’s student
at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the
Environment, studying coastal environmental
management. Her advisor is
David Johnston, based at the
Duke Marine Laboratory.
Windle will evaluate the
impacts of commercial oyster
harvest on reef health. She will
work with her colleague, Sarah
Poulin, also a master’s student
at Duke.
“This project will help to
inform N.C. coastal managers
about the current state of oyster
reef health, and ultimately
will act as a base level of oyster-reef health
imagery and analysis for future studies,” Windle
explains.
She completed her bachelor’s degree in
environmental science at Washington College
in Maryland. Recently, Windle served as a
research intern with Duke’s Marine Robotics
and Remote Sensing Lab in Beaufort. Currently,
she is president of Duke’s student chapter of The
Coastal Society. She is originally from Elkton,
Maryland.
LAURA M CGEE is a doctoral student
at North Carolina State University, in the
Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric
Sciences. Her advisor is Ruoying He, director of
the Ocean Observing and Modeling Group.
S E A S C I E N C E
Anna Windle
coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 35
McGee will research
hurricane impacts on
phytoplankton blooms and air/
sea carbon exchange off the
North Carolina coast.
“My work will quantify the
two competing mechanisms
that produce carbon caused by
hurricanes and will shed light
on the role of hurricanes on
ocean acidification and climate
change,” McGee shares.
McGee completed
her bachelor’s degree in
physics at the University of
North Carolina Wilmington.
Recently, she worked with
the Scientific Research and
Education Network, or SciREN,
to create a lesson plan for
classroom teachers. She also
has participated in several
educational outreach efforts
through NC State. She originally
is from Winston-Salem.
SEA GRANT/APNEP
North Carolina Sea
Grant and the Albemarle-Pamlico National
Estuary Partnership have selected MOLLIE
YACANO as the programs’ 2018 joint fellow.
“This partnership allows students to
have hands-on research experience with local
estuaries,” says John Fear, deputy director of
Sea Grant and the Water Resources Research
Institute of the University of North Carolina
system.
The competitive fellowship, now in its
third year, enables graduate students whose
institutions are based in either North Carolina
or Virginia, to conduct applied research within
the North Carolina portion of the APNEP
region.
“Ms. Yacano’s research has relevance
to multiple strategic priorities and goals
of our partnership. Thus, we hold great
anticipation for a successful project that will
have widespread science and policy benefits,”
explains Dean Carpenter, APNEP program
scientist.
Yacano is a doctoral student at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s
Institute of Marine Sciences. Her advisor is
Michael Piehler.
S E A S C I E N C E
She will look at how
nitrogen is processed in
sediments associated with
the invasive genotype of
Phragmites australis, also known
as common reed. She will
compare it with the native
genotype of P. australis, as well
as other dominant native marsh
grasses. Marshes are known to
act as buffer zones for excess
man-made nitrogen, and often
are considered the last line of
defense before this nitrogen
makes its way into adjacent
estuarine waters and eventually
the open ocean.
“Understanding how
invasive species, such as
P. australis, change marsh
ecosystem functions is vital in
order to maintain and protect
ecosystems on both local and
global scales,” Yacano notes.
She originally is from
Richmond, Virginia, and
completed her bachelor’s degree
in marine science at Boston
University. During her undergraduate career,
Yacano worked on fisheries and environmental
archaeology. She also has participated in
numerous science-related educational outreach
efforts in the Boston area.
The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary
Partnership is a cooperative effort hosted by
the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality
and receives funding from the Environmental
Protection Agency. Learn more at apnep.org.
For more about North Carolina Sea Grant
fellowships, go to ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/fellowships.
Or, contact John Fear at jmfear@ncsu.edu.
Laura McGee
Mollie Yacano
36 coastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
FALLING FOR OYSTERS
Photos by
Vanda Lewis
• GARLIC BUTTER OYSTERS
• GOLDEN-BROWN FRIED OYSTERS
• BAKED OYSTERS WITH BACON
MARINER’S MENUcoastwatch | holiday 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 37
AS T HE E LDEST O F T HREE G IRL S, I ’VE