April 14 Coastal Conference Draws NC Leaders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Katie Mosher, 919-515-9069, katie_mosher@ncsu.edu

Posted Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Updated March 18, 2015, to note that evening reception will be held at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences Nature Research Center.

North Carolina’s Coastal Conference on April 14 will provide lively discussions and perspectives from a mix of leading university researchers, government officials from the federal, state and local levels, and leaders of nonprofits and industry.

“We are honored to have distinguished experts from so many arenas coming together to discuss critical coastal issues,“ notes Susan White, North Carolina Sea Grant executive director.

Sponsored by the University of North Carolina system and hosted by North Carolina Sea Grant, the event will include panels and discussions at NC State University’s McKimmon Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A reception that evening at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences Nature Research Center will include demonstrations of new tools and technology for those who work and live at the coast.

The morning opening session will include remarks by NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson. The plenary panel will include Rebecca Tippett, director of Carolina Demography at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who will note population changes that have occurred and are expected in coastal counties. Also, Phil Prete, senior environmental planner in Wilmington, will discuss challenges for a coastal city, while David Eggleston, director of NC State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology will share the range of research topics and partnerships in the state.

Throughout the day, six other panels will include a range of topics and speakers, including two members of Gov. Pat McCrory’s cabinet.

• Energy Resources: Secretary Donald R. van der Vaart of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Billy Edge of NC State and the UNC Coastal Studies Institute; and a representative of the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
• Coastal Economies: Wit Tuttell of Visit North Carolina; William Hall of UNC Wilmington; and Alison Willis of North Carolina Catch.
• Healthy Coasts and Communities: Louis Daniel of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries; Reide Corbett of East Carolina University and UNC Coastal Studies Institute; and Todd Miller of N.C. Coastal Federation.
• Hazard Preparation and Response: Braxton Davis of the N.C. Division of Coastal Management; Margery Overton of NC State; and Steven Pfaff of the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
• Marine Industry Development: Bob Rheault of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association; Bob Peele of Wanchese Marine Industrial Park; and Rachel Noble of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences.
• Coastal Infrastructure: Secretary Tony Tata of the N.C. Department of Transportation; Jim Medlock of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Wilmington District; and Larry Cahoon of UNC Wilmington.

The evening reception will include remarks by Majority Leader Harry Brown of the North Carolina Senate, UNC President Tom Ross and Emlyn Koster, director of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, as well as a the demonstrations of tools and technologies. Shannon Vickery of UNC-TV will serve as emcee.

Registration is required for North Carolina’s Coastal Conference: There is a $30 fee for attending the panels and discussion. There is no cost to attend the reception, but registration also is required for the evening program.

For more information, go to ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/nc-coastal-conference/. The draft agenda is available here.

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