dredge material as part of its regular 

 channel maintenance program. 



But not any more. 



Tougher environmental regulations 

 limit the dumping of materials that can 

 readily wash back into the estuary and 

 potentially damage fish and shellfish 

 habitats, Parnell says. And now there is 

 competition for dredge material too. 



Beach communities are clamoring for 

 the clean sand with which to renourish 

 eroding beaches. In most areas in North 

 Carolina, dredge fits the bill as "clean 

 sand"; so, more often than not, it ends up 

 on the beach. 



What's a management committee to 



do? 



In a hot simmer day. a half 

 hour off the nesi...can mean 

 a colony of cooked eggs." 



James Parnell 



Pinpoint critical islands and apply for 

 permits, Parnell says. This year, the 

 Wildlife Resources Commission applied for 

 permits to renourish South Pelican and 

 Ferry Slip islands — two important nesting 

 sites in the Cape Fear River that were 

 eroding away. 



The committee just received word in 

 late October that the permits were 

 approved, and this winter the corps will 

 give the islands a heapin' helpin' of fresh 

 sand. 



Other islands may be considered for 

 future replenishment, but managers aren't 

 going to rely solely on this method of 

 habitat restoration. Golder says he and 

 teams of volunteers have manually 

 stripped vegetation from some of the 10 

 private islands or sanctuaries managed by 

 the Audubon Society. 



Henson says he has done the same 

 on some of the state-owned islands. Other 

 times they have used salt or environmen- 

 tally safe herbicides to reduce vegetation. 



Whatever the method, the Waterbird 

 Management Committee is striving to offer 

 nesting populations of terns, gulls, herons 



and ibises a variety of nesting choices. 

 They want to spread the birds over more 

 sites, reduce the size of their colonies and 

 diminish the threat posed by human 

 interference. 



Although habitat tops the list as the 

 biggest concern for waterbird managers, 

 they are also worried about increased 

 disturbance from people. 



the nest by the parents can mean a colony 

 of cooked eggs, Parnell says. 



Even after they hatch, young nestlings 

 can't regulate their body temperature for 

 about 10 days, Golder says. They can die 

 of exposure if their parents aren't nearby 

 to shade them from the heat. 



"People just don't think," Henson 

 says. "They see this large number of birds 



Herring gull at rest 



Birdwatchers and others seeking an 

 isolated slip of beach can devastate a 

 nesting colony. 



"Waterbirds are very susceptible," 

 Golder says. "One person can completely 

 wipe out a colony site." 



The birds react to people by leaving 

 their nests and flying overhead or nearby. 

 This leaves the eggs vulnerable to 

 predation from other birds such as crows 

 and to heat and cold. 



On a hot summer day, a half hour off 



on this island, and they think the birds 

 abound. They never realize they may be 

 looking at a large chunk of this state's 

 nesting population of that particular bird." 



This vulnerability has led the Wildlife 

 Resources Commission to pass regulations 

 that will deter people from disturbing the 

 birds during nesting season, which lasts 

 from April until August. 



Wildlife officers post warning signs on 

 the 21 islands managed by the commis- 

 sion. Federal and state park officials post 



4 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1992 



