File:Coast watch (1979) (20474410699).jpg

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_17 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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Woolard, Elizabeth Noble and Hankinson prepare to take water samples. Noble and SanJuan spend many hours aboard the vessel. Fischer helps to dock "The students took several digital photographs that showed SAV beds in various locations along northern Albemarle Sound shorelines," says Elizabeth Noble, director of the ECSU Remote Sensing Lab. Preliminary results in Currituck Sound show that the most extensive SAV beds are in and around protected areas such as the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, she adds. State and federal officials will use the data in conjunction with the CHPP and other natural resources planning initiatives. CHPP — which will be presented to the N.C. General Assembly in the 2005 session — will provide protection for a variety of habitats, including wetlands, spawning and nursery areas. Salt Marsh Restoration ECSU researchers also partnered with the NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort to monitor salt marsh restoration sites on the Newport River estuary in Carteret County. Built by the N.C. Coastal Federation, the sites incorporated stone sills and marsh plantings that serve as a natural buffer against wave energy. "This was interesting work," says Bazemore. "I had to count and measure a couple of thousand fish, including mullet, pinfish and spot." After sampling the restored salt marshes, the team found that finfish, crabs and shrimp frequently utilized the marshes where marsh grass had begun to colonize. At the Kitty Hawks Woods Estuarine Research Reserve, students are monitoring the colonization of the invasive reed Phragmites australis that grows along roadsides, ditches and dredged areas and forms dense stands that invade wetland communities. "Phragmites is a hardy, aggressive colonizer and is challenging to eradicate," says Noble. "Our students are assisting with different techniques to eradicate invasive species, including burning, flooding and spraying with a herbicide. We have found that sometimes a combination of methods work." A few miles from the reserve, students also used GPS to conduct vegetation surveys on the effect of development in several zones in Southern Shores. The areas included the fore dune — where sand accumulates above the high tide line — as well as sandy flats behind the fore dune, high dunes behind dune swales, a maritime forest and a marsh. "The practice of clear-cutting lots is increasing, and native vegetation is being replaced by non-native landscaping that requires more water and fertilizer," according to Heather Allen, a recent ECSU graduate who worked on the study. Vegetation Survey Southern Shores residents realized that preserving native vegetation would help keep the town aesthetically pleasing, adds Allen. To determine how the town's landowners had used the property, students set up the following categories: unimproved lots that had not been built on and had natural growth; clear-cut lots with significant cleared vegetation; non-native lots with less than 40 percent native vegetation; and native lots that had a house and a lot of native vegetation. From December 2003 to January 2004, the ECSU students found 614 unimproved lots, 477 non-native lots, 41 clear-cut lots and 1,766 native lots. This baseline data will help the town of Southern Shores educate residents on the importance and ecological value of native vegetation to their community, says Noble. Also, the information can be used for future planning efforts, ensuring that the town preserves and protects as much vegetation as possible, she adds. In the future, GEMS students will continue studying various aspects of the estuarine system in the Albemarle region, including invasive plant species. They also will collaborate with the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute in Manteo. To boost enrollment, the department is planning community outreach and science teacher training, says San Juan. A new degree program in earth and environmental sciences, with a minor in secondary education, also is proposed. To expand students' opportunities beyond graduation, Noble says they will continue to engage students in hands-on experiences in marine sciences and coastal ecology. "The use of remotely sensed data and spatial technologies is an integral part of this effort," she adds. □ To find out more about the ECSU Department of Geological, Environmental and Marine Sciences, visit the Web: www.ecsu.edu and follow the links to academic programs. Or call 252/335-3375. COASTWATCH 29

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