Hurricane Season Begins

The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially began earlier this month, making now the perfect time to prepare your home and property for potential storms.

Did you know that much of the marine debris collected by the Federation and our partners in recent years has been linked to hurricane damage? To help reduce storm-related debris and protect your property, we encourage you to review our “Tie It Down!” guide. It includes a comprehensive checklist of items around your property that should be secured before a storm hits.

Planting for Future Restoration

20,000 plugs of salt marsh grasses, four days, and dozens of volunteers—that was the scene at the new Nursery Salt Marsh at North River Wetlands Preserve in late May.  It took an incredible amount of work, and much of that by dedicated volunteers, but this one-acre marsh is now ready to serve as a vital habitat for a variety of wildlife and to supply salt marsh plants for future coastal restoration projects.

Bree Charron, Coastal Federation water quality program director, explains that this sustainable salt marsh nursery will help alleviate some of the supply issues the Federation has dealt with. “We do a lot of salt marsh restoration projects along the coast and one of our biggest needs for those restoration projects is salt marsh plants, unfortunately it’s hard to grow those in a nursery setting so we have a huge need but a low supply so this project is set up to become a demonstration living nursery for salt marsh plans.” 

Thank you to everyone who joined us over the course of the three-day planting. We couldn’t have done it without your help!

The Federation Team Grows

The Coastal Federation welcomed a new team member to the southeast office this month.

Britta Vivaldi joined the Federation’s development team on June 2. Britta will focus on donor engagement and foundation support.

Britta brings with her two years of experience in the renewable energy industry, most recently serving as Senior Project Manager at NextEra Energy Resources, a leading company in the sector. Her focus was predominantly on large-scale utility solar paired with storage that produced over 150 mW.

In addition to her professional background in renewable energy, Britta proudly served 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, during which she was deployed twice and stationed in 4 states. She departed the Marine Corps honorably in 2023. That spirit of service continues today in her role as Executive Director of Upper Canyon Outreach, based in Alder, Montana, an organization that supports veteran resiliency through equine therapy.

Britta is an esteemed graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where she earned a degree in Oceanography and competed as a Division I women’s soccer player. Drawing from her background in leadership and teamwork, she looks forward to bringing that same energy to the Federation—collaborating closely with our program teams and building strong, meaningful relationships with both internal and external partners.

Britta currently resides in Holly Ridge, NC, with her husband, Hunter, and their dogs, Lola, a Chihuahua mix, and Cardi, a “Philippine Street dog”. She and Hunter were married on April 19th in Surf City. As an active-duty Marine, Hunter is preparing for a deployment. Outside of work, Britta enjoys running, then, when peace is offered, quiet time at home with her family.

New Green Drinks Speaker Series Begins in July!

The Coastal Federation is excited to announce the launch of the Green Drinks speaker series in Morehead City! This new monthly series will feature a variety of environmental topics presented by different experts each month. 

We invite you to join us for the kickoff event on July 17, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Jack’s Waterfront Bar and Grill for a fun and informative chat.

Be sure to subscribe to our events calendar for more details about this event!

Experience a Taste of the Coast

Mark your calendar for the 2025 Taste of the Coast, set for September 20 on the Morehead City waterfront. The Federation’s signature event is sure to be a festive celebration with the return of our silent auction, great music, and, of course, delicious food and drinks, as well as locally grown oysters!

Tickets go on sale soon. Head to our website for more information!

Just before the Taste of the Coast, we will host our annual Pelican Awards that will celebrate and recognize the exceptional work of businesses, agencies, institutions, and extraordinary people who make outstanding contributions to our beautiful coast. The awards celebration will take place at 5:00 pm at Carteret Community College on September 20.

2024 Taste of the Coast
2024 Taste of the Coast
2024 Taste of the Coast

Supporting the Coast

We’d like to thank this month’s sponsors for their support. Thank you,  Aloft Wilmington Coastline Center, Guy C Lee, Trader Construction, and Talbert & Bright.

In the News