Work Wraps up at The North River Wetlands Preserve
In November the Coastal Federation along with contractors placed the final two water control structures out at the North River Wetlands Preserve in Carteret County. The completion of this work officially wraps up the restoration of the 6,000-acre property which is among one of the largest projects of its kind in the nation.
The Federation obtained the property back in 1999 when it was all farmed land. Since then we have worked with multiple partners and grant funds to return the farmland back to its original state – forested, freshwater, and tidal wetlands – in order to improve the water quality of degraded downstream estuaries and reopen these waters for shellfishing. Millions of trees, shrubs, and marsh grasses were planted, and water control structures were put into place to reduce runoff from not only this property but also other nearby farmlands.
Did you know that you can take a trip out to the North River Wetlands Preserve? Just head to our website to learn more about the restoration work that was done and how to visit.
Funding Secured for 9th year of Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Efforts
The Federation is gearing up for another season of our Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Program that will begin in January. This project hires commercial fishermen and women to help find and remove lost fishing gear and crab pots which if left in the water and marshes can threaten wildlife and create navigational hazards in our coastal waterways.
We are grateful for the support of the N.C. Commercial Fishing Resource Fund Grant Program which is supporting our efforts.
This grant funding is from commercial fishing license fees and a newly created fund, meaning that ultimately the money that covers our program comes from commercial fishermen and women and will be going right back to those who work with us to find and remove the lost gear.
In 2022, a total of 1,983 crab pots were found and removed by 48 commercial watermen and women, we look forward to having help from those that know these waters the best once again when we being the 2023 effort in January.
High Schoolers Learn all about Oysters
This month, our central region Education Coordinator Rachel Bisesi presented interactive lessons on oysters to environmental and marine science students at Havelock and Croatan High Schools. Students discussed the importance of oysters and their history before taking part in a hands-on oyster dissection to learn about their external and internal anatomy. Shells from the dissection were recycled to become part of a future restoration project!
Additionally, students learned how oysters have the ability to take irritants, like sand or food particles stuck inside their shells, and coat it with layers of nacre (or mother of pearl) to eventually form a pearl. Thus, they take something negative in their life and turn it into something beautiful, which is certainly a lesson we can be reminded of!
Over the past month, our educators also took some of their lessons to younger students, Rachel recently spent some time teaching students in the 4th-grade class at Arthur W. Edwards Elementary and the 2nd-grade class at White Oak Elementary school all about rain gardens.
The 4th-grade class did an interactive stormwater lesson, while the 2nd graders heard a rain garden story before exploring and adding mulch to their school rain garden.
When asked which animals use the rain garden as a habitat, one 2nd grader at White Oak Elementary proudly said “Wildcats!”. Since a wildcat is the school mascot this made a lot of sense, and while there weren’t any actual wildcat animals identified on-site, three classes of 2nd grade “wildcats” did make an appearance to help tidy it up that day!
Support the Coast this Holiday Season
There’s still time to fulfill all your charitable giving goals this year! If you’re still thinking about a gift of stock or a charitable distribution through an IRA, don’t wait!
Those gifts need to be completed by December 31 to qualify for your 2022 taxes. Contact Sarah King today via email or at 252-393-8185 for more information.
You can also make a special gift to support our new donor marsh online today or until midnight on December 31st. Your gift will help our new donor marsh become a renewable source of wetland plants for years to come. This donor marsh will be a vibrant outdoor classroom for students, and will provide a sustainable supply of plants to restore even more wetlands in the future!
You can give with confidence this holiday season as the Coastal Federation has earned a Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar and a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator.
Celebrating 40 years of Coastal Restoration and Protection
As 2022 comes to a close so does our 40th anniversary!
Thank you for celebrating with us over the year. We look forward to working with you over the coming years as we continue protection and restoration efforts for clean water, living shorelines, thriving oysters, and a coast that is free of marine debris.