Lumberton residents participated in NC State researchers’ photo booth to share their stories about community resilience.<\/p><\/div>\n
Building Resilience by Innovating through Diverse Group Engagement: Long-Term Recovery from Hurricane Matthew; Bethany Cutts of NC State. <\/i><\/p>\n
Robeson County is still feeling the effects of Hurricane Matthew, which struck in fall 2016. The county grapples with persistent poverty, and experienced record-breaking high-water marks during the storm. To explore how Robeson residents perceive the relationship between coastal hazards and resilience, researchers will develop a comprehensive \u201ccommunity voice\u201d framework that builds upon interviews, mapping and public videos.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project is full of stories of hard work and hope,\u201d says Bethany Cutts, a social scientist in NC State\u2019s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. \u201cEven our early efforts to launch a photo booth as part of community events have allowed us to learn a lot about the strength and creativity of disaster survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Results will be shared with residents and local decision-makers, including Lumbee tribal leaders, recovery professionals, city planners and community-based organizations. Long-term, the team will continue empowering small museums, libraries and cultural centers to document recovery experiences and share the information to many audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommunity members in Lumberton and Robeson County are working every day to create a more resilient future,\u201d Cutts says. \u201cThey are looking to find ways to connect with other locations to share knowledge, experiences and strategies to create meaningful change in the ways humans interact with their local environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
EXPLORING OYSTER REEFS<\/h4>\n
Evaluating Cultch Oyster Reefs as Essential Fish Habitat; David Eggleston of NC State. <\/i><\/p>\n
With historically low oyster populations, reef restoration efforts have increased globally. In North Carolina, these habitats also provide important health benefits for the ecosystem, such as removing excess nutrients, stabilizing shorelines and creating essential fish habitat.<\/p>\n
A team from NC State will look at cultch, or the mass of broken shells and grit on which an oyster bed is formed. Reefs formed from cultch not only increase commercial oyster harvests, but also support fish species such as black sea bass, gag grouper, sheepshead, weakfish, red drum and tarpon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that planting of cultch materials on the estuarine bottom by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has a positive effect on oyster populations by providing a place for larvae to settle and grow, with subsequent harvest by fishermen when oysters reach a legal size,\u201d says David Eggleston, a marine ecologist who also leads NC State\u2019s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith funding from Sea Grant, we\u2019re excited to determine how the planting of structurally complex cultch materials will provide important habitat for recently juvenile fish, as well as larger predatory fish that may use these cultch oyster reefs as foraging areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
By partnering with state fisheries officials, the team will share the research results with management experts. The data also will be a key element for an educational website.<\/p>\n
UNDERSTANDING SHORELINE MANAGEMENT<\/h4>\nUNC-CH graduate student Carter Smith (right) and UNCW undergraduate student Evan Hill (left) assess living shorelines. Photo courtesy Devon Eulie<\/p><\/div>\n
Quantifying the Geomorphic, Ecological, and Socioeconomic Impacts of Shoreline Management Strategies: A Multidisciplinary Approach; Devon Eulie of UNCW; with Rachel Gittman of ECU and Charles Peterson of UNC-CH. <\/i><\/p>\n
As natural and human pressures continue to affect estuarine shoreline habitats, understanding both the temporal and spatial causes is vital. By using a multidisciplinary research approach, a team representing three universities will assess long-term patterns of\u00a0change in shoreline and habitats, as well as socio-ecological factors influencing those changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe project team is excited to work on such a collaborative, interdisciplinary study that will enhance our understanding of the impacts on estuarine shoreline habitats,\u201d says Devon Eulie, a coastal resource management expert in the UNCW Department of Environmental Sciences and leader of UNCW\u2019s Coastal and Estuarine Studies Lab. \u201cWe look forward to working with citizens and other stakeholders throughout the project.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team will develop and test a citizen-science based approach for future shoreline monitoring. The results will help educate homeowners on shoreline conservation and management, which could lead to long-term change at the state and regional levels.<\/p>\n
SURVEYING RIVER HERRING<\/h4>\n
Quantifying Spawning Populations of River Herring Using Environmental DNA; Erin Field of ECU; with Michael Brewer and Roger Rulifson, also of ECU. <\/i><\/p>\n
River herring, prey for commercial and recreational fish species, is in decline. Using cutting-edge eDNA surveying methods, researchers from ECU will build on an earlier pilot study and continue to analyze N.C. spawning habitats for river herring.<\/p>\n
The team will develop a two-week, field-based fisheries quantification course to provide ECU students hands-on experience with traditional and innovative eDNA surveying methods for river herring. In addition, researchers will also develop a citizen-science network for K-12 schools and community colleges to aid in sample collection during the spawning season, thus building a repository of eDNA samples from across eastern North Carolina.<\/p>\n
Erin Field, a biologist at ECU, says these results will be compared to the results of collaborators across the Mid-Atlantic region to better assess the current river herring stock along the East Coast. \u201cWe are thrilled to begin this project, as we have the opportunity to work with so many amazing scientists, students, and community members to develop a fast and accurate way to monitor this important fishery in North Carolina and ultimately aid in its recovery.<\/p>\n
OBSERVING OYSTER-LEASE HABITATS<\/h4>\n
Habitat Value of Oyster Leases within Estuarine Landscapes for Finfish and Crustaceans; Joel Fodrie of UNC-CH; with James Morley and Abigail Poray, also of UNC-CH. Christopher Taylor of NOAA Ocean Service also will participate. <\/i><\/p>\n
As marine aquaculture \u2014 and especially oyster production \u2014 increases in North Carolina,\u00a0effects of these mariculture habitats on fish and crustaceans are unclear. To learn more, researchers will survey commercial oyster leases known as \u201cbottom leases\u201d and surrounding landscapes to record data that will be used to create descriptive models of fish density and biomass. By studying leases and the surrounding areas, researchers can monitor residency patterns of fish and crustaceans.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur preliminary results show that fish and shellfish are using leased bottom, but the species composition differs when compared to adjacent undisturbed habitats,\u201d says James Morley, an ecologist at UNC-CH. \u201cSome desirable species that appear to aggregate towards culture gear include juvenile gag grouper and sheepshead.\u201d<\/p>\n
The scientists will extend an ongoing field experiment in the Pamlico Sound that is examining how seagrass communities respond to the establishment of oyster culture gear. Overall, the project will help determine the effect of commercial oyster leases on fisheries habitats within an estuarine landscape.<\/p>\n