Fall 2016

HURRICANE FRAN REVISITED: Lessons From a Benchmark Storm

The summer of 1996. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years. Atlanta was prepping for the summer Olympics, DVDs were the new technology from Japan, and two new websites called eBay and Amazon were about to forever change the way we shop. But for me, it was hurricanes Bertha and Fran that made the summer of ’96 so memorable.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: NC Sea Grant’s Resilience Efforts Meet Varied Needs

Earlier this year, resilience was one of the monthly themes as the National Sea Grant College Program celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016. The national and state programs highlighted efforts to build resilience among coastal communities nationwide.

FROM SEEDS TO SHORELINE: Expanding Minds and Restoring Marshes

Armed with shovels and planting trays, 12 determined fifth-graders make their way down to the water’s edge to plant smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, at the living shoreline demonstration site on Pivers Island. The members of Team Spartina, as they call themselves, gently pull seedlings from the trays and say their goodbyes before planting them in clusters along the shoreline.

Scotch Bonnet: An Invasion of Naked Sea Butterflies

In late July, beachgoers were surprised to see naked sea butterflies on the northern Outer Banks, along with lower 60-degree F water.

image: boardwalk through a marsh with standing water.

CURRENTS: A Cohesive Strategy: The North Carolina Watershed Stewardship Network

This particular patch of earth, also known as the Black Creek watershed, once was home for Christy Perrin, the sustainable water and communities coordinator for North Carolina Sea Grant and the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina system. Like Perrin, we all live in a watershed: an area of land that drains all rainwater or snow to one location, such as a river or lake.

Sharing Water Moments

In July, the National Sea Grant program — which is celebrating 50 years of research, education and outreach on coastal topics — focused on water resources. For five decades, Sea Grant programs and projects nationwide have addressed a range of water issues, including quality, quantity, and supply or oversupply, in the case of flooding. Throughout the month, North Carolina Sea Grant staff and friends shared their favorite waterway memory. Here are some highlights.

PEOPLE AND PLACES: Story Map Reveals Oyster Treasures

Holder liked the oyster idea, and with funding from Sea Grant, the pair set off on a quest to crack open the secret life of oysters.

NATURALIST’S NOTEBOOK: The Quiet Decline of the Humble Eel

Standing at the end of a dock on the Neuse River, a young John Fear would cast, wait for a bite, and soon feel the thrilling tug at the end of the line.

SEA SCIENCE: Sharing Perspectives on Community Adaptations: Whitehead Joins Panel for Sustained National Climate Assessment

When Hurricane Hugo hit the city in September 1989, Whitehead was in Illinois for her mother’s graduate program. That meant she had power. “That night was my first ‘forecasting’ experience. It was the pre-internet days, so we were on the phone with our Charleston neighbors all night, relaying what we were seeing on The Weather Channel,” she recalls.

MARINER’S MENU: A Little of This, A Little of That: Variety is the Spice of Seafood

It can be boiled, broiled, baked, sautéed, fried or grilled. No wonder then when you combine the myriad of delicious preparation techniques with a wide selection of fresh ingredients, the results are magical.