Central Region
Plant Potting Begins for Native Plant Festival
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Volunteers began potting trees that will be sold at the federation's annual Native Plant Festival, which is set for April 23 and 24 at our Headquarters in Ocean. The first day of the sale is reserved for members and the second day is open to the public. Aside from the beautiful native plants that will be for sale, the festival features coastal artists, musicians and non-profit groups. If you would like a booth to exhibit your artwork or the work of your organization or if you would like to make music on the festival's outdoor stage, contact Rose at 252-393-8185 for more information [ email ]. |
Drop By Jones Island This Spring and Summer
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Jones Island, in the middle of the White Oak River near Swansboro and one of three islands in Hammocks Beach State Park, has begun a new life as an the Environmental Education and Restoration Center. A lot will be going on Jones and nearby Bear islands this spring and summer. Drop by to help build an oyster reef, create a marsh and learn about the beauty of the White Oak River... read more |
Volunteers Improve Habitat at Hoop Pole Preserve
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Twenty-eight volunteers and nine cub scouts from Troop 130 in Morehead City recently infiltrated the undergrowth of the federation's Hoop Pole Creek preserve and nature trail in Atlantic Beach to remove exotic invasive plants, clean up trash and spruce up a rain garden. The cub scouts pulled over 200 Chinese and Japanese privet plants were pulled from the ground. These plants are escaped introduced ornamentals that can become small trees or large shrubs that will out-compete native plants and reduce the native habitat that wildlife depends on. |
Regional Calendar
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There are plenty of opportunities in April and May to get your feet wet and your hands dirty helping restore salt marshes on beautiful Jones Island in the White Oak River near Swansboro or at Carteret Community College in Morehead City.
See our Regional Calendar for those and other ways you can get involved with our work along the central coast. |
Volunteer Welder Needed
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We're looking for a welder who will volunteer to build a pipe gate for us. We'll supply the material. If interested, contact Sam Bland at 252-393-8185. [ Email ] |
Our Wish List
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We could use folding chairs and yard equipment for the environmental education center on Jones Island and some books to fill holes in our library collection, which is open to members by the way.
Check our Regional Wish List for more items you might like to donate. |
Current Projects
Restoration & Education
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Kids Getting Ready to Plant Grasses, Bag Oyster Shells
Spring and summer are the busiest times at the federation – there are grasses to plant, oyster shells to move and kids to get outside. Students are readying themselves to help federation staff plant thousands of salt marsh grasses along the Jones Island and Carteret Community College shorelines, lay hundreds of oyster shell bags in intertidal waters in the White Oak River and put native plants into their school yard rain gardens. ... read more |
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Putting Their Classroom Studies to Work
Students from eight schools in Carteret, Onslow and Pamlico counties are ready to get outside and plant what they’ve been learning about all year.... read more |
Coastkeeper ©
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New Grant Could Help White Oak
The federation helped a town get a federal grant that could begin restoring the polluted water of the White Oak River… read more |
Our Mission
To provide citizens and groups with the assistance needed to take an active role in the stewardship of North Carolina’s coastal water quality and natural resources.
Who we are: The N.C. Coastal Federation is the state's only non-profit organization focused exclusively on protecting and restoring the coast of North Carolina through education, advocacy, and habitat preservation and restoration. Our professional staff of 18 works out of three offices along the N.C. coast:
Our Central Region
The territory covered by the Central Region runs along the Atlantic seaboard from Ocracoke Inlet to Jacksonville Onslow County. Within those thousands of square miles of shoreline are Core and Bogue sounds and the North, Newport, White Oak and New rivers. The region contains some of the cleanest waters remaining on the N.C. coast.
About Our Regional Staff
The N.C. Coastal Federation has four full-time professional staff working in our Central Region:
- Lauren Kolodij, the federation’s deputy director, supervises the staff in the central region. [ Email ]
- Sarah Phillips is the region’s Coastal Education Coordinator and works with other staff members to recruit volunteers and educate children and adults about the coastal environment. [ Email ]
- Frank Tursi is the Cape Lookout Coastkeeper® and works to enforce environmental regulations. [ Email ]
- Dr. Lexia Weaver is the region’s Coastal Restoration Specialist and works to restore threatened coastal habitats, such as wetlands and oyster reefs. [ Email ]
The staff works out of our Headquarters Office at 3609 N.C. 24 (Ocean), Newport, N.C. 28570. [ Map ]
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