Fall 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.

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.

PEOPLE & PLACES: Cliffs of History

From atop the trail, the view is typical of many mountain forests. Lush foliage, steep inclines and animals scurrying about. But this is not a mountain forest. This is the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park in the small town of Seven Springs, near Goldsboro.

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.

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.

The Wilmington Port Project: Expanding Prosperity

Upriver is the State Port. Erik Stromberg's Wilmington. Dockside, the view of the Cape Fear is partly obscured by stacks of box-car sized containers. Skyscraper-tall cranes deftly move cargo on and off giant vessels flying flags from distant places. People. Trucks. Rail tracks. Choreographed motion and commotion.

And Sharing the Wealth

When the Wilmington State Port channel-deepening project began last year, it represented thousands of hours of detailed planning by dozens of federal and state agencies, engineering and environmental consultants, safety specialists, and community stakeholder groups.