Spring 2005

Table of Contents

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

It’s a hawk. It’s a heron. Even an eastern phoebe. Pam Smith joins a Wings Over Water birding event — and learns how the Outer Banks has sparked interest in a North Carolina Birding Trail Initiative.

VIPS: Friendly Fishing Competition

Ann Green takes readers to an Outer Banks fishing tournament that is an annual highlight for visually impaired persons from around the state. Hundreds of participants and volunteers fill piers and fishing boats for the one-day competition.

NATURALISTS NOTEBOOK:
Forecasting Waterspouts: New Service Aims to Increase Safety

Waterspouts may be beautiful — but from a distance. Lilly Loughner explains how boaters and beachgoers along the state’s southern coastline can go online for daily waterspout outlooks, thanks to the National Weather Service.

PEOPLE & PLACES:
Rediscovering New Bern

From colonial capital to contemporary city, New Bern’s flair has shown through the centuries. Pam Smith checks on how the community has come together — and now provides a model for revitalization projects that highlight history.

SEA SCIENCE:
Sound Sense

Marine mammal entanglements in fishing gear is a major concern for many in coastal North Carolina. Kathleen Angione joins two N.C. Fishery Resource Grant researchers as they test whether new acoustic alarms can keep bottlenose dolphins away from gill nets.

LEGAL TIDES:
Blowin’ in the Wind: Solar Center Studies Potential Energy Source

Can the coastal breeze be harnessed as a potential energy source? Ryan Reynolds offers an update on the Coastal Wind Initiative, a project of the N.C. Solar Center.