Spring 2006

Table of Contents

A MILLION REASONS TO LOVE NORTH CAROLINA

Leaders around the state are rallying around the “One North Carolina Naturally” banner to preserve natural resources that sustain life and livelihoods. Pam Smith shares the program’s goals — and the on-the-ground results revealed in coastal preservation and restoration projects.

CRUISING INTO HISTORY:
Dismal Swamp Canal Scenic, Peaceful

Learn of the locks and lore of the Dismal Swamp as Ann Green takes readers on a picturesque cruise aboard the Bonny Blue. The trip from Elizabeth City, N.C., to Deep Creek, Va., highlights the canal’s engineering and it’s role in history.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING:
Crabbers, Scientists, Managers Improve Communication

A Blue Crab Research Program project by North Carolina Sea Grant fisheries specialist Sara Mirabilio provides insight into crab challenges — harvests, management and research. Ann Green explains the project and takes readers on a crabbing trip in the Currituck Sound.

SEA SCIENCE:
Studying Southern Flounder

How long do southern flounder stay in the ocean? Do they return to estuaries every spring? Do males and females have similar behavior patterns? Erin Seiling introduces three N.C. Fishery Resource Grant research teams delving into these and more questions about one of the state’s most important fisheries.

NATURALIST’S NOTEBOOK:
Beach Vitex: Kudzu of the Coast?

As if hurricanes and shoreline erosion weren’t enough, beaches in North and South Carolina face a new threat: beach vitex. Kathleen Angione examines how this invasive dune plant is creeping across the Carolinas — and the efforts of a two-state task force to stop it.