ft deck 



Hands On Stream Repair 



The consequences of construction, 

 paving and other changes to our natural 

 landscapes are often borne by streams, 

 creeks and rivers. These waters are 

 degraded when we build nearby, fill in 

 floodplains, straighten out their curves 

 and dredge their canals. 



The result is often a steep, eroded, 

 unhealthy stream that is less likely to 

 support aquatic wildlife. But this damage 

 can be corrected through bioengineering. 



North Carolina Sea Grant is offering 

 a two-day workshop in March to teach 

 bioengineering techniques to resource 

 managers and design professionals. 



The traditional stream repair 

 methods are typically costly and can 

 destroy aquatic habitats and the natural 

 beauty of streams. Culvert pipes or 

 concrete-lined channels can accelerate 

 the flow of water, which can worsen 

 erosion and flooding downstream. 



Bioengineering is a less expensive 

 and more environmentally sound 

 alternative. It pairs engineering prin- 

 ciples and biological expertise to reduce 

 erosion and maintain a more natural 

 stream. 



Last year, more than 60 people 

 participated in a similar workshop. 

 One hundred feet of eroded streambank 

 on Rocky Branch Creek in Raleigh was 

 repaired using bioengineering tech- 

 niques. The repair withstood the heavy 

 rains and severe flooding from Hurri- 

 cane Fran. 



Workshop space is limited. For 

 more information, contact Barbara Doll, 

 Sea Grant's coastal water quality 

 specialist, at 919/515-5287. 



Interim Director Named 



North Carolina Sea Grant Associate 

 Director Ron Hodson has been named 

 the program's interim director. Hodson 

 has served as the program's associate 

 director for more than 15 years. 



A committee is being assembled to 

 launch a nationwide search for the next 

 North Carolina Sea Grant director. 



North Carolina Sea Grant 

 Researcher Dies 



Sea Grant researcher Kimon Bird, 

 a biologist at the University of North 

 Carolina at Wilmington, died in late 

 October. 



Bird's marine biotechnology 

 research focused on producing 

 seagrasses through tissue culture, a 

 technique known as micropropagation. 

 Bird and other Sea Grant scientists 

 hoped that micropropagation of wetland 

 plants could play a key role in habitat 

 restoration and mitigation for the future. 



His research, along with that of 

 other Sea Grant researchers working in 

 the area of plant micropropagation, had 

 been featured in a recent North Carolina 

 Sea Grant publication, Wetland Plants 

 From Test Tubes, written by Carla 

 Burgess. 



"Kimon' s untimely death is a 

 significant loss to the research commu- 

 nity in North Carolina and to the Sea 

 Grant network," says Interim Sea Grant 

 Director Ron Hodson. "He was an 

 excellent scientist and a fine person. 

 We'll miss him." 



Encouraging Ecotourism 



North Carolina's Coastal Plain is a 

 rich natural area with an abundance of 

 rivers, swamps, cypress forests, estuaries 

 and barrier islands. Until recently, only 

 fishermen and hunters explored these 

 Coastal Plain treasures — tourists rarely 

 ventured away from the mesmerizing 

 sun and surf of the ocean beaches. But 

 a new attitude of respect and apprecia- 

 tion for the environment has begun to 

 change the way people vacation and 

 has given rise to an entire industry 

 called ecotourism. 



An upcoming workshop will 

 introduce the resources of the Coastal 

 Plain for nature-based businesses and 

 present information on ecotourism in 

 eastern North Carolina. The Coastal 

 Plain Nature-Based Tourism Workshop, 

 sponsored by North Carolina Sea Grant 

 and Partnership for the Sounds, will be 

 held March 1, from 8:30 a.m. until 4 



p.m. at Lake Mattamuskeet Lodge in the 

 Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge 

 in Hyde County. An oyster roast from 

 4:30 p.m to 6 p.m. will cap off the event. 



Participants will attend informational 

 talks by folks experienced in nature- 

 based tourism. Among the speakers will 

 be Bob Woody of the Cape Hatteras 

 National Seashore and Bonnie Strawser 

 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

 discussing public access to federal land; 

 Jim Murray of North Carolina Sea Grant 

 and Rebecca Dunning of the Tidewater 

 Research Station, discussing innovative 

 and emerging nature-based companies; 

 and Kristin Rowles of the Pamlico/Tar 

 River Foundation and Jim Falk of 

 Delaware Sea Grant, discussing the 

 importance of natural resources for 

 sustainable economics. 



Anyone with an interest in nature- 

 based tourism in the Coastal Plain can 

 take part, but space is limited to the 

 first 100 people who call, fax or write 

 in their intent to attend. Registration 

 and lunch are free. The oyster roast 

 carries a $5 fee, which is payable at 

 registration. Contact Partnership for the 

 Sounds, P.O. Box 55, Columbia, NC 

 27925 (telephone: 919/796-1000; fax: 

 919/796-0218) by Feb. 21. 



Communicator Leaves 



After more than six years as a Sea 

 Grant communicator, Carla Burgess left 

 the program in mid-October to pursue 

 free-lance writing and editing opportuni- 

 ties. While at Sea Grant, Burgess was 

 a regular contributor to Coastwatch, 

 provided the voice-over for Seascope 

 radio public service announcements, 

 edited and designed MAS News and 

 Conch Shell, and produced countless 

 publications, including the award- 

 winning Wetland Plants from Test Tubes. 



"Carla is a wonderful writer and 

 an excellent editor," says Kathy Hart, 

 Sea Grant's director of communications. 

 "We'll miss her tremendously, and our 

 Coastwatch readers will too. But we 

 wish her the best of luck in her new 

 endeavors." □ 



COASTWATCH 25 



