Almost everyone makes a 

 trip to the beach during the 

 summer. Why not use a little 

 of your beach time to learn 

 more about this salty environ- 

 ment. If you want to know 

 how to spot a rip current or 

 identify a shell, send for these 

 Sea Grant selections. 



SEASHELLS BY THE 

 SEASHORE 



No day at the beach is 

 complete without a shell 

 search at the surf s edge. 

 We're all attracted to these 

 wonders of molluscan 

 architecture, but how many of 

 us know a coquina from a 

 cockle? 



To identify the shells you 

 collect, send for a copy of 

 Seashells Common to North 

 Carolina. This 36-page 

 booklet lists more than 100 

 shells frequently found along 

 Tar Heel beaches. 



Most listings have a brief 

 written description of the 

 shell and an accompanying 

 photograph or drawing for 

 easy identification. The guide 

 can be used on the beach or 

 in the classroom. 



For a copy, write Sea 

 Grant. Ask for UNC-SG-72-09. 

 The cost is $2. 



RIP CURRENTS 



This poster can save your 



life. 



Rip currents can be 

 deadly if you don't know 

 how to spot them and how to 

 get out of them. 



Sea Grant's Rip Current 



Poster ll-by-28 1/2 inches, 

 explains what causes the 

 dangerous cunents, how to 

 detect them and what to do if 

 you're caught in one. 



This valuable informa- 

 tion saved the lives of a 

 Charlotte woman and six 

 swimming companions. It 

 can save yours too. 



For a copy, write Sea 

 Grant. Ask for UNC-SG-86-09. 

 The poster is free, but please 

 enclose Si to cover postage. 



DELIGHTFUL DUNES 



Dunes are a beautiful 

 backdrop to the roaring 

 ocean. But the sandy 

 mounds and the plants that 

 stabilize them offer more 

 than beauty. 



They offer protection. 

 They buffer inland areas from 

 wind, waves, tides and 

 storms. 



Although sand makes 

 the dune, vegetation holds it 

 in place. And the plants that 

 stabilize dunes have some 

 special adaptive features that 

 enable them to withstand the 

 harsh beach environment. 



To learn more about the 

 ecology and biology of our 

 coastal dunes, send for a 

 copy of A Guide to Ocean 

 Dune Plants Common to 

 North Carolina. 



This 72-page guide will 

 teach you about dune habitat 

 and the plants - trees, 

 shrubs, vines, herbs and 

 grasses - that call this 

 environment home. It 

 contains more than 50 



Book Store 



Publications to Enrich Your Coastal Library 



botanically accurate drawings 

 of dune plants frequently 

 found on Tar Heel beaches. 



For a copy, write Sea 

 Grant. Ask for UNC-SG-87-01. 

 The price is $4.50. 



SALT MARSH PLANTS 



As a companion to our 

 dune plant guide, Sea Grant 

 offers a smaller, but equally 

 informative Guide to Salt 

 Marsh Plants Common to 

 North Carolina. 



This guide describes the 

 plants that live in the brackish 

 tidal waters of the salt marsh. 

 Like their cousins on the 

 dunes, salt marsh plants also 

 have some special features 

 that allow them to adapt to 

 the tidal marshes. 



To identify the marsh 

 plants, this guide also 

 includes botanically accurate 

 drawings of more than 25 

 shrubs, vines, herbs and 

 grasses. 



For a copy, write Sea 

 Grant. Ask for UNC-SG-81-04. 

 The cost is $2. 



HOT OFF THE PRESSES 



When it comes to soft 

 crabs, demand still exceeds 

 supply. 



But Sea Grant agent 

 Wayne Wescott has devel- 

 oped some new technology 

 that may increase supply of 

 these soft crustaceans. 



Until recently, thousands 

 of miles of waterfront 

 property were unusable for 

 soft crab production because 

 of poor, murky water. In 



some areas, water was so 

 turbid that the gills of peelers 

 being held in shedding trays 

 would clog and the pre-molt 

 crustaceans would die. 



Now, Wescott has 

 developed a pool filtration 

 system that will remove 

 suspended sand, silt and 

 debris from the water of 

 flow-through shedding 

 systems. Used in marginal 

 water, the same filtration 

 system prolongs the holding 

 time for peelers. 



To learn how to con- 

 struct a filtration system, send 

 for the four-page illustrated 

 Blueprint, Improved Flow- 

 Through Shedding Using 

 Sand Filtration. Ask for UNC- 

 SG-BP-91-02. It's free. 



When ordering Sea Grant 

 publications, please use your 

 mailing label from Coast- 

 watch or the customer 

 identification number that 

 appear above your name. 

 This will speed delivery. Also 

 be sure checks are made 

 payable to Sea Grant unless 

 otherwise specified. 



Send all publication 

 requests to: Publications, Sea 

 Grant Box 8605, North 

 Carolina State University, 

 Raleigh, NC 27695. If you 

 wish to order multiple copies 

 or need further assistance, 

 contact Carole Purser, 

 publication distribution 

 manager, at 919/737-2454. 



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