COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Hurricane Expo Set for June 8 



Wa, 



rant to be prepared for the next hurricane? 

 Attend Hurricane Expo 2002 from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 8 at the Schwartz Center at 

 Cape Fear Community College in downtown Wilmington. The expo is co-sponsored by WECT 

 News 6 and Cape Fear Community College. 



More than 50 exhibitors, including North Carolina Sea Grant, will showcase information 

 and products to help educate the public about preparedness and recovery, according to Bob 

 Townsend, WECT community affairs director. For more information on the expo, contact 

 Townsend, btownsend@wect.com. For more information on hurricane retrofitting for coastal 

 homes, turn to pagel 2. — A.G. 



Aquarium Reopens at Fort Fisher 



Vis 



Visitors to the North Carolina Aquarium 

 at Fort Fisher can follow the "Waters of the 

 Cape Fear" from the river's headwaters, across 

 the Piedmont, through saltwater swamps and 

 into open ocean waters. 



The aquarium reopened recently after a 

 two-year makeover that tripled its size and 

 broadened its scope. 



The Open Ocean Gallery features a 

 235,000-gallon "Cape Fear Shoal" that gives a 

 spectacular view of nearly 500 saltwater 

 creatures. Several times a day, staff and 

 volunteer divers clean and maintain the tank — 

 and engage in conversation with visitors using a 

 high-tech underwater communication system. 



The Coastal Waters Gallery provides close 

 encounters with sea stars and horseshoe crabs, 

 while the Masonboro Inlet Jetty showcases 

 bluefish, red drum and other favorites of coastal 

 anglers. 



In addition, the Cape Fear Conservatory 

 — a newly added half-acre space — includes 

 freshwater streams, ponds and waterfalls, as 

 well as alligators, snakes, carnivorous plants and 

 a variety of indigenous fish. 



The reopening of the aquarium marks the 

 completion of two of the three aquarium 

 expansion plans first approved by the N.C. 

 General Assembly in 1993. The Roanoke Island 

 facility reopened two years ago highlighting 

 aquatic life of the upper coast. Expansion of the 

 Pine Knoll Shores facility, which features 

 coastal environments of the middle coast, has 

 not begun. 



The aquariums are open daily (except 

 Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's 

 Day) from 9 am to 5 p.m. For information 

 about events and programs at each location, go 

 to www.iicaquariwns.org. 



-P.S. 



UNGW 

 Undersea 

 Research Center 

 Gets Funding 



The University of North Carolina at 

 Wilmington has been awarded $2 million 

 to continue a marine research program 

 that features the nation's only underwater 

 laboratory station. 



UNC-W's National Undersea 

 Research Center (NURC) is one of six 

 research centers funded by the National 

 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

 The center at UNC-W supports undersea 

 research off the southeastern United 

 States from North Carolina to Texas. 

 NURC facilities and staff are located at the 

 university's Center for Marine Science in 

 Wlmington and at Key Largo, Fla. 



Scientists from around the country 

 conduct research using NURC subma- 

 rines, remotely operated submersibles and 

 Aquarius, an underwater ocean labora- 

 tory. Located off the Florda Keys, the 81- 

 ton Aquarius allows teams of six scientists 

 to spend up to 1 days doing research at 

 depths of more than 60 feet. 



Scientists have studied the nature of 

 offshore pollution, coral communities, the 

 causes of algal blooms, and the effects of 

 commercial fishing on marine ecosystems. 



For additional information about 

 NURC, go to www.uncwil.edu/nurc/. - P.S. 



COASTWATCH 3 



