FROM THE EDITOR 



Full Steam Ahead 



By i 



now, we are getting used to writing 2002 on 

 various documents. For the new year, some of you 

 may have made personal "resolutions," while others 

 are assembling lists of "action items." 



One North Carolina Sea Grant project this year 

 will be an update of our presence on the World Wide 

 Web. Use of the Internet has grown in recent years, 

 and we recognize a need to provide rapid access to 

 information on Sea Grant topics. 



But, we also realize that more traditional forms 

 of communication — including printed newsletters 

 and magazines, books and brochures, as well as videos 

 and other formats — continue to play important roles 

 in conveying information. 



In every communication effort, including the 

 Web, we look at content, audience and presentation. 

 We will provide more information from extension 

 specialists and university researchers via the Web. We also will strive to 

 make it easier for the public — teachers and students, property owners 

 and public officials — to find information on our site. 



Our Web committee includes Sea Grant staffers and members of 

 our Outreach Advisory Board, who represent members of the public that 

 use Sea Grant resources. We will seek input from a wider audience as 

 well — and Coastwatch readers can help. For example: 



Why do you choose the Web as an information resource? 

 What coastal topics do you include in your searches on the Web? 

 Do you look for broad topics, such as water quality? Or do you seek 

 specific information, such as how to build a rain garden to filter 

 stormwater runoff? 



What elements of a Web site make searches easier? Can you 

 identify specific sites that are easy to navigate and offer useful informa- 

 tion? Give examples. 



Are you likely to download or print specific pages or simply read 

 the items on screen? 



The answers to these questions can help us develop a better site. So, 

 if you are stuck inside on a blustery winter day, I ask you to think about 

 your needs for coastal information. Drop me an e-mail at katiejnosher 

 @ncsu.edu with your answers to these questions and other comments on 

 the Web. 



Looking ahead in 2002, we also will offer some 

 new topics in Coastwatch. In the past year we have 

 given you more stories on Sea Grant-funded projects, 

 including research on menhaden and corals. This year, 

 we anticipate stories on Sea Grant projects in the social 

 sciences — such as sociology, anthropology, 

 demographics and economics — alongside stories on 

 water quality and coastal erosion. 



For example, Jeffrey Johnson of East Carolina 

 University and Mike Orbach of Duke University have 

 looked at the role of "networking" in the development 

 of policy. They found that individuals may vary in 

 their view of how an overall network is structured — 

 and how they, personally, fit in. 



But one conclusion was clear. "If you are 

 powerful, you must have a high level of knowledge of 

 the network," Johnson says. "People who are powerful 

 know who is connected to whom and how. They are very astute at that." 



In addition, the most influential members of a network often are 

 those who can provide a link between groups that otherwise would not be 

 connected, Johnson says. 



Another Sea Grant project will look at the changing demographics 

 in the coastal counties. As retirees increasingly choose a coastal lifestyle, 

 how are communities responding? As the number of Hispanic immigrants 

 increases in urban regions, is there a similar increase at the coast? 



And amid all this change, who are making decisions and setting 

 policy on coastal topics? From time to time, we will introduce readers to 

 elected and appointed leaders, who may explain how they sort through 

 difficult policy decisions. Or, they may describe the people and places that 

 have touched their lives. 



In this issue, we feature Marc Basnight of Manteo, president pro 

 tempore of the North Carolina Senate, who shares some of the lessons he 

 learned in his youth on the Outer Banks. 



Of course, we will continue to offer stories on all aspects of the 

 coast. In this issue, you will meet pound netters pondering their future and 

 researchers announcing cutting-edge findings on natural antibiotics. And 

 we take you along for visits to Hammocks Beach and Bear Island. Enjoy 

 this winter visit to the North Carolina coast 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



CONTRIBUTORS 



Writers: 



Ann Green Katie Mosher n Pam Smith 



Photographers: 



Aycock Brown n Nancy Cowal D Michael Halminski 1 

 Ken Taylor a Scott D. Taylor D Doug Smith B 



Herman Lankford D Katie Mosher 

 Pam Smith D Drew Wilson 



