Supporting Local Growers
This month, we officially broke ground on a first-of-its-kind Shellfish Mariculture Hub in Carteret County. This project has been a long time coming for the Federation and its partners, who have worked for more than 8 years to get to this point.
The goal of this Hub is to break down barriers by expanding waterfront access to small local shellfish growers. The 2,500-square-foot facility will also provide refrigeration, processing equipment, and storage space, allowing growers to scale up their production.
“From costly water access to long hauls for refrigeration and distribution, oyster growers face logistical barriers at every step,” explained Coastal Federation Oyster Program Director, Alyson Flynn. “This facility is the solution towards streamlining operations and strengthening the shellfish mariculture industry.”
Aside from supporting local growers, this facility is part of a larger vision to grow the state’s oyster industry into a $100M sector by 2030 – creating jobs, strengthening the coastal economy, and advancing resilient working waterfronts. By addressing a critical industry gap, the hub will lower barriers to market entry for new growers while enabling existing growers to expand and scale their operations, supporting the next generation of shellfish farmers.
Construction is expected to begin this summer, and project leaders hope to have the facility open by the end of the year.
The Coastal Federation also hopes this facility will be just the first of many. “Not only is the hub a centralized support facility for growers, but it is also an innovative model for the future of shellfish mariculture—equipping growers to thrive and serving as a blueprint for industry growth and investment along our coast,” said Flynn.
Read more about the groundbreaking celebration here.
Planting for Restoration
It’s been almost a year since the first planting took place at North River Wetland Preserve’s one-acre salt marsh nursery, and this month, a group of volunteers returned to add to the thriving marsh. Approximately 1,000 new plants went into the ground, and soon these grasses will mature enough to help sustainably support our restoration projects along the coast.
Thank you to everyone who joined us on what turned out to be a beautiful day in the marsh!
Welcome to the Federation
The Coastal Federation is excited to welcome Dr. Lela Schlenker as the new coastal advocate to its northeast team. Schlenker comes to the Federation most recently from Avangrid Renewables, where she led the fisheries team across the company’s US offshore wind projects and focused on communicating with fishing communities, identifying research needs, and coordinating marine policy. Schlenker is a fisheries ecologist with a research career spanning topics such as the effect of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on mahi-mahi, how climate and weather affect North Carolina shrimp populations, and the impact of catch-and-release fishing practices on white marlin. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with fishing communities along the U.S. coastline, building strong and collaborative partnerships. We are thrilled to have her on our team.
Join Us for a Drink and Turtely-Great Conversations
We hope you’ll make plans to join us for this month’s Green Drinks Speaker Series at Jack’s on the Waterfront in Downtown Morehead City.
This month, we are welcoming Matthew Godfrey, a sea turtle conservation expert with extensive experience in several regions. Matthew earned his PhD from the University of Toronto, where his research focused on how temperature affects the sex ratios of sea turtle hatchlings and the broader implications for conservation. Subsequently, he was lucky to work on several different sea turtle conservation projects in South America, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean.
In 2002, Matthew moved to Beaufort, North Carolina, after being hired by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to coordinate the North Carolina Sea Turtle Project. Since then, he has played a key role in monitoring and protecting sea turtle populations along the state’s coast.
Matthew will give an overview of sea turtle nesting and nest protection in North Carolina, highlighting some of the joys and challenges associated with sea turtle conservation along coastal North Carolina. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of sea turtle conservation in North Carolina, including the critical role of monitoring, habitat protection, and community involvement in supporting these species.
This can’t-miss event is happening on May 28, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.
A Spectacular Coast and Its Guardians
Discover the story behind more than four decades of coastal conservation by the North Carolina Coastal Federation in a new book, A Spectacular Coast and Its Guardians, just released by historian Glenn Blackburn.
Drawing on more than 150 interviews, the book captures the people, partnerships, and persistence that shaped the organization’s coastal conservation movement. It also explores the challenges facing our coast from rapid development to climate change, and the citizens working together to protect North Carolina’s remarkable coastal environment.
We’re Moving
The Coastal Federation is moving into the new Center for Coastal Protection and Restoration this summer! We’ll soon begin hosting new programs drawing on the various amenities on the grounds, the Education Classroom, and the Event Center.
Before we can dive in, we need to finish outfitting the Center, and we need your help!
While we are moving many functional items from our existing office over to the new Center, some of our current furnishings are on their last legs. Please explore our online “Wish List” of items needed to get this new Center up and running. It’s a gift registry for the coast! Your gift toward any of these items would be a great help! In some cases, we might end up purchasing a slightly different item based on availability.
In the News
- With houses falling into the ocean, NC Senate looks to repeal jetty ban -WUNC
- Proposed bill could lift North Carolina’s decades-old ban on coastal jetties and groins -WWAY
- Effort seeks to replicate tech incubators for shellfish growers – Coastal Review
- Coastal Federation Welcomes new Coastal Advocate – The Outer Banks Voice
- NC may end coastal hard-structure ban as erosion pressures rise – AOL
- Sea turtle program coordinator Matthew Godfrey to speak -Coastal Review
- N.C. Coastal Federation breaks ground on shellfish mariculture hub in Straits -WCTI