I 



THE BACK PACE 



"The Back Page" is an update on Sea 

 Grant activities — on research, marine 

 education and advisory services. It's 

 also a good place to find out about 

 meetings, workshops and new publi- 

 cations. For more information on any 

 of the projects described, contact the 

 Sea Grant offices in Raleigh (919/737- 

 2454). For copies of publications, 

 write UNC Sea Grant, NCSU, Box 

 8605, Raleigh, N.C. 27695-8605. 



When lightning meets 

 sand on North Carolina's 

 beaches, a striking phe- 

 nomenon takes place. 

 Heat from the lightning 

 fuses elements in the 

 sand to form glass-like 

 tubes called fulgurites. 



"As lightning strikes the sand, the 

 electricity runs to the groundwater," 

 explains Lundie Spence, Sea Grant's 

 marine education specialist. "The heat 

 from the electricity actually melts the 

 silica, which is one of the major com- 

 ponents of sand in North Carolina's 

 beaches." 



Most sand in North Carolina is com- 

 posed of two minerals — quartzite and 

 feldspar. Quartzite contains the ele- 

 ment silica, which is used to make 

 glass. 



Fulgurites are rare in the state, 

 Spence says. But specimens can be 

 found. They vary in size and are usu- 

 ally finger-like with smooth interiors 

 and rough, sandy exteriors. 



You can find fulgurites on high 

 dunes after a rain. Spence suggests 

 searching the dunes of Bear Island and 

 Nags Head Woods. 



The rain washes away loose sand, 

 uncovering the fulgurites. 



If you find one, dig it out carefully, 

 Spence says. All fulgurites are collec- 

 tor's items, but larger specimens are 

 more valuable. 



To make room for new publica- 

 tions. Sea Grant is having a sale. In the 

 coming months, we'll feature some of 

 our popular booklets at reduced 



prices. 



If you're a birdwatcher, you may 

 want to order a series of books about 

 colonial waterbirds. Atlas of Colonial 

 Waterbirds of North Carolina Estu- 

 aries (UNC-SG-78-10) has been re- 

 duced from $7 to $5. And its 1983 sup- 

 plement (UNC-SG-84-07) has been 

 marked down from $2 to $1. 



Management of Colonial Water- 

 birds: Summary Proceedings of a 

 Workshop (UNC-SG-80-06) is re- 

 duced from $2 to $1. 



To order, send a check to Sea Grant 

 for the sale prices. Please specify the 

 publication number. 



Sea Grant is sponsoring a national 

 technical conference on surimi, a 

 minced fish product used in restruc- 

 tured seafoods. 



Until recently most surimi was made 

 from Alaska pollock. But Sea Grant 

 researcher Tyre Lanier has proved that 

 fatty fish, such as menhaden, are also 

 acceptable in making surimi. 



The conference, to be held in 

 Raleigh Dec. 8 and 9, will examine the 

 use of fatty fish in surimi. It will attract 

 industry leaders and international ex- 

 perts in surimi research. 



Write Sea Grant for more informa- 

 tion on the conference. 



Things are anything 

 but dreary around the 

 Great Dismal Swamp 

 these days. The U.S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Ser- 

 vice recently unveiled a 

 $6.4 million plan for 

 managing the huge refuge on the 

 North Carolina- Virginia border. 



The plan calls for protecting and 

 preserving the wildlife and history that 

 have been a part of this 106,000-acre 

 refuge for more than 200 years. 



In the late 1700s, George Washing- 

 ton attempted to drain the swamp and 

 use the land for farming and logging. 



And before the Civil War, the area 

 was a refuge for as many as 1,000 run- 

 away slaves. 



From the 1920s to the 1940s, logging 

 operations continued in the Dismal 

 Swamp. Then in 1973, the Union 



Camp Corp. turned over the land to 

 the U.S. Department of the Interior. 



Now, wildlife officials hope to bring 

 back bald eagles and red-cockaded 

 woodpeckers, restock the streams and 

 maintain the populations of bears, 

 bobcats, deer and more than 200 spe- 

 cies of birds. 



Plans also include forest regenera- 

 tion and four new visitor centers. 



The New Bern High 

 School coastal biology 

 class has published an- 

 other best seller. Last 

 year, we told you about 

 The Influence of Man's 

 Existence, a book about 

 the impact of man on the Trent and 

 Neuse rivers. Coastwatch readers 

 were so interested that the class re- 

 ceived orders from all over the state 

 and a few from as far away as Texas 

 and Indiana. 



This year 42 students worked to- 

 gether to produce A Walk on the Wild 

 Side: Croatan National Forest. "Wil- 

 derness for wilderness' sake, for pres- 

 ervation, for wildlife and for man, 

 that's what the Croatan National 

 Forest is," the students write. "There is 

 an unknown world on the east coast of 

 North Carolina waiting to be dis- 

 covered, with pathways of adventure 

 to meet a wide variety of interests." 



This 127-page book explores the 

 wilderness of Croatan National Forest. 



For a copy of the book, write New 

 Bern Senior High School, in care of 

 Coastal Biology, 2000 Clarendon 

 Boulevard, New Bern, N.C. 28560. 

 Enclose a check for $7.50 made out to 

 the New Bern Senior High School 

 Coastal Biology Class. 



Proceeds from sales will go for schol- 

 arships for the students. 



Shellfish farming is one of coastal 

 North Carolina's most productive 

 aquaculture industries. Residents buy 

 or lease submerged lands to grow 

 clams, scallops or oysters. 



Whether you're planting your first 

 crop or your fifteenth, it's important to 

 Continued on next page 



