File:Coast watch (1979) (20037900904).jpg

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_16 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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A Greater YeUowlegs is a welcome addition to avid birders' lifelists. Rich Inlet shoals provide a stopping-off place for thousands of migratory birds. pets to stormy high tides. At low tide, the shoals off the small estuarine islands provide an abundant food source for resident and migrating birds. "These intertidal shoals are essential to shore birds who gather to feed and rest for the next big leg of their journey," Golder says. Shorebirds must store a gram of fat a day to complete their long migration. The nearby islands and surrounding marsh provide habitat for both resident and migrating birds. Golder and a team of wardens stationed at the coastal sanctuaries conduct year-round field work. He also is working with graduate students to survey the Lea-Hutaff Island complex, south of Figure Eight Island. "We are establishing baseline data that will enable us to monitor nesting success of birds there," he explains. Volunteers and chapter members provide "extra hands" for many projects. A group of volunteers from General Electric- Wilmington are helping restore habitat on a protected island near the Cape Fear River. The idea is to provide a succession of habitats — from flat sandy areas to thickets and tall trees. Members of the Cape Fear Garden Club are long-time supporters of Audubon's Battery Island. Over the past three years, they have purchased and planted an acre with yaupon and red cedar trees. The trees provide ibis, heron and egret habitat. Community volunteers also pitch in during annual Big Sweep to help clean up debris that comes ashore at island sanctuaries. Trash, such as discarded fishing line, can mean certain death for birds, Golder notes. Science Still Matters "It's important to use good science to show why it's critical to preserve habitat — from intertidal shoals to mountain streams," says Canfield, who assumed the state leadership role in 2000. In 1997, Camilla Herlevich, executive director of the Coastal Land Trust, was hired as the director of the newly reorganized Audubon North Carolina. She and the state board of directors set a full agenda and conducted a national search for a permanent executive director. Priorities include research, education, public policy work, and chapter support. "I think that Audubon has several traits that distinguish it from other environmental and conservation organizations. It is rigorously science based. Its policy expertise is based on sound science and hands-on experience as the owner of a stellar system of sanctuaries for birds and other wildlife," Herlevich says. And, it is focused on environmental education. "The education focus points to Audubon's future strength," she says. For Audubon, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to education. Part of its strategic plan is to establish a network of community-based Audubon Centers, says Andy Wood, education director. The centers would provide hands-on 10 SPRING 2003

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