Sandra Harris

Dec 15, 2001

Dreaming of a White Winter

If you think that a white Christmas on the Outer Banks is unusual, you haven't been around as long as Ignatius Doylon Midgett — I.D. to friends. "An Easter Sunday snowfall in 1939 was the heaviest I can ever recall," he says.

Dec 1, 2001

A NEW BAG OF TRICKS FOR CLAM FARMERS

With support from the Fishery Resource Grant program (FRG), Hooper is using bags to dramatically increase the survival of hard clams during the first critical year of grow-out. His findings could make other North Carolina clam mariculturists happy, too.

Dec 1, 2001

MENHADEN RESEARCH: ECHOES OF A FISHERY

It's almost dusk when North Carolina Sea Grant researcher Chris Taylor anchors an old white research boat in the middle of the Neuse River. As several seagulls flutter over the boat, Taylor drops a brown metal cylinder, similar to a fish finder, deep into the water.

Dec 1, 2001

PEOPLE & PLACES: Goose Creek State Park: Home to Diverse Ecosystems

As the drumming of the pileated woodpecker echoes through a tea-colored swamp, Goose Creek State Park ranger Phoebe Wahab surveys the water for signs of wildlife.

Dec 1, 2001

BEAUFORT FISHERIES: LAST MENHADEN PLANT IN STATE FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Inside Beaufort Fisheries, the strong smell of menhaden drifts through a dark, empty room. Large cobwebs hang down like a white veil on a light bulb. Huge presses sit empty throughout the room.

Dec 1, 2001

FISH FARMING: AQUACULTURE OFFERS DIVERSITY

As Eastern North Carolina farmers look to diversify their operations, aquaculture opportunities continue to draw attention.

Sep 1, 2001

SEA SCIENCE: Recreational Science: Drumming Up Fishery Conservation

In a two-year research project funded by the N.C. Fishery Resource Grant Program (FRG), George Beckwith of Down East Guide Service in Oriental, and co-researcher Rob Aguilar endured pests and foul weather to learn about post-hooking mortality in red drum. Despite it all, Beckwith remains so enthusiastic about the study — which he describes as groundbreaking — that he reapplied to FRG and is taking on another year of study.

Sep 1, 2001

LEGAL TIDES: Land Trusts: Protecting Coastal Resources and Cultural Values

And for good reason. Town Creek ranks as a nationally significant natural heritage site. The North Carolina Heritage Program considers it the best remaining example of the Lower Cape Fear River's original freshwater fauna.

Sep 1, 2001

PADDLING INTO NATURE: WATER TRAILS ABOUND IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

It is a quiet, cloudy day on the Pamlico River in downtown Washington. There are no sounds except for the lapping of paddles through the mossy green water. More than a dozen paddlers create a spectrum of color as they stroke slowly in red, green and yellow kayaks and canoes toward an old railroad bridge.

Sep 1, 2001

UNDERWATER EXPLORERS: ECU STUDENTS UNCOVER EDENTON SHIPWRECK

At the mouth of Pembroke Creek in downtown Edenton, several scuba divers bob up and down in dark, chocolate-colored water marked with tall white pipes. Nearby, divers stand shoulder deep in water with waterproof drawing boards. A few feet away, a man in a black wetsuit wades near cypress knees and green lily pads so thick they create a shamrock pattern in the water.