By Emily White

Posted July 12, 2016

I sat down in the pungent smelling classroom and looked excitedly upon the small squid splayed out on my metal tray. Following the instructions from the teacher, I used my small fingers to move the scalpel along the squid.

After a few minutes and a little help, I had retrieved my prize: the squid’s ink sac. The instructor gave me a quill made from the feather of a coastal bird and, with twinkling eyes, told me to write my name on a scrap of paper. It was messy, but so worth it.

This is my favorite North Carolina waterway memory, participating in the Sound to Sea program in the fifth grade.

Almost everyone has these moments of awe and excitement at some point during their life, especially if they live near a waterway or the coast. Christy Perrin, our sustainable waters and communities coordinator, shared this moment via Twitter recently.

Taking my young son out on the lake of my childhood – Christy Perrin @NCWSN on her #waterwaymoment #SeaGrantWater pic.twitter.com/aVwQij8uMc

— NC Sea Grant (@SeaGrantNC) July 3, 2016

As you may know, the National Sea Grant program celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. That’s five decades of helping to educate citizens, conserve habitats and fund research nationwide, all for the love of the coast. Each month, the national program will highlight a different focus area to showcase how its research, education and outreach make a difference coast to coast.

The theme for July is water resources, something we all need — but too often take for granted. North Carolina Sea Grant programs and projects address a range of water issues in the state, including quality, quantity, and supply or oversupply, in the case of flooding.

To celebrate our water resources, North Carolina Sea Grant is asking you to share your favorite memory of one of the state’s waterways. From fishing with Paw Paw to sailing the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, we want to hear them all.

Tag North Carolina Sea Grant in a post on Facebook or tweet us and be sure to use the hashtags #SeaGrant50 and #SeaGrantWater. Christy’s memory is a great example of a waterway memory tweet. Once you’ve added your story, check out the national Storify feed here.

Our stories are just a drop in the bucket. Help us create a sea of stories and support by participating with us!