fisheries problems. For further infor- 

 mation about the Kitty Hawk 

 meeting, contact: Executive Director; 

 1 Southpark Circle, Suite 306; 

 Charleston, S.C. 29407; (803) 571- 

 4366. 



A Wake County farm- 

 er may rub his eyes 

 and take a second look 

 when he sees a snowy 

 egret standing at the 

 edge of his farm pond. 

 But what he's seeing is 



true. It seems young herons and egrets, 

 like the young in a lot of species, have 

 wanderlust just after leaving the nest, 

 says James Parnell, a biologist at the 

 University of North Carolina at 

 Wilmington. The maturing herons and 

 egrets leave their estuarine environ- 

 ment to visit the farm ponds of pied- 

 mont and eastern North Carolina 

 before flying south to Florida and the 

 Gulf for the winter. 



The young of other colonial water- 

 birds like terns and gulls are also on 

 the wing now along the coast. Once the 

 young of any colonial waterbird 

 species are able to fly, the colony, 

 which is formed for nesting, disbands. 



To learn more about the colonial 

 waterbirds you may like a copy of the 

 Atlas of colonial waterbirds of 

 North Carolina estuaries, by James 

 F. Parnell and Robert F. Soots, Jr. 

 Published by UNC Sea Grant, the 268- 

 page atlas provides information about 



the history, biology and management 

 of colonial waterbirds in this state, 

 along with a more specific account and 

 picture of each species found here. 



To purchase a copy of this atlas, 

 write UNC Sea Grant, P. O. Box 5001, 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27650-5001. Ask for 

 publication number UNC-SG-78-10. 

 The cost is $7. 



During 1980, UNC 



/fc«4uksb^ Sea Grant began plan- 

 W\'ff Mm\ mn g and funding its ma- 

 ^B§r jor research projects on a 

 \ \ : w-'J I two-year cycle. An im- 

 \ \fy^ / portant part of that cy- 



^ULS c ie i s a s ite visit made by 

 a panel that reviews and critiques Sea 

 Grant's proposed programs. Sea Grant 

 was host to a site visit last fall, and will 

 have another in the fall of 1982. 



But occasionally, research needs 

 arise that can't wait. For that reason, 

 Sea Grant holds funds in reserve for 

 new, important activities. These funds 

 can be used to initiate new projects, 

 provide a rapid response to urgent 

 research problems, or, in the case of 

 "mini-grants," provide for short-term 

 projects that test new ideas or supple- 

 ment projects already under way. 



Sea Grant's director, B.J. Copeland, 

 recently awarded two new mini-grants. 

 Lundie Mauldin, Sea Grant's marine 

 education specialist, will receive $700 

 to establish microcomputer programs 

 with marine concepts. Designed for 

 museums and school systems with 



microcomputers, Mauldin's project 

 will provide marine education through 

 two "games." Students can choose to 

 learn about underwater habitats and 

 diving or the energy balance in coastal 

 ecosystems. Mauldin is coordinating 

 the work on this project with John 

 Tashner of the Division of Science 

 Education at Appalachian State Uni- 

 versity. 



A $960 mini-grant was awarded to 

 Bob Hines, a marine advisory services 

 agent with Sea Grant, to set up a 

 demonstration for North Carolina's 

 commercial fishermen on a new 

 hydraulic net lifter. Hines recently 

 traveled to Maine to talk with 

 manufacturers and examine the equip- 

 ment he'll bring back to use in the 

 demonstration. Hydraulic net lifters 

 save labor for fishermen with gill nets 

 and long-haul nets. They also out- 

 perform conventional gear in rough 

 water and in cold weather. 



Coastwatch is published monthly 

 except July and December by the Uni- 

 versity of North Carolina Sea Grant 

 College Program, 105 1911 Building, 

 North Carolina State University, 

 Raleigh, NC 27650. Vol. 8, No. 8, Sep- 

 tember, 1981. Dr. B.J. Copeland, 

 director. Neil Caudle, editor. Kathy 

 Hart and Cassie Griffin, staff writers. 

 Second-class postage paid at Raleigh, 

 NC 27611. 



COASTWATCH 



105 1911 Building 



North Carolina State University 



Raleigh, NC 27650 



Second-class postage paid 

 at Raleigh, NC 27611 

 (ISSN 0161-8369) 



