COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Annual Commercial Fishing Show Set 



coastal education efforts. 



Amy Sauls 

 Tapped for 

 Honors 



Amy Sauls, a marine educator with 

 the N.C. National Estuarine Research 

 Reserve program, has been named 

 Informal Educator of the Year by the Mid- 

 Adantic Marine Education Association 

 (MAMEA). 



Sauls was cited for providing 

 opportunities for teachers to become 

 leaders in marine, coastal and environ- 

 mental science through workshops and 

 field study programs. Sauls also was 

 recognized for forming partnerships with 

 state, federal and private agencies for 

 teacher training. She helped develop 

 Estuary Live, an award-winning Internet- 

 based education program that enhances 

 classroom instruction. 



Sauls has been based at the Rachel 

 Carson reserve in Beaufort since 1 997. 

 She holds a bachelor's degree in biology 

 from Meredith College and a teacher's 

 certificate from the University of North 

 Carolina at Wilmington. 



MAMEA is a chapter of the National 

 Marine Educators Association, which 

 works to improve education about marine 

 and aquatic environments. 



It's that time of year again for the Annual 

 North Carolina Commercial Fishing Show 

 sponsored by the N.C. Fisheries Association. 

 The latest technologies will be showcased at the 

 Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern, on 

 Saturday, Feb. 22, from 9 am to 6 p.m, and 

 Sunday, Feb. 23, from 10 am to 4 p.m. 



The fishing community from up and down 

 the East Coast will gather to view this year's 

 marine technologies — and there are plenty of 

 activities for youngsters to enjoy. 



A variety of vendors will showcase new 

 electronics, gear, equipment, packaging, boats 



and more. North Carolina Sea Grant and other 

 agencies will host educational exhibits. Also, an 

 assortment of seminars will be held, including 

 the presentation of results from research projects 

 funded by the N.C. Fishery Resource Grant and 

 Blue Crab Research programs. 



For more information on seminar topics, 

 contact Bob Hines, Sea Grant fisheries specialist 

 at 252/222-6312, rjhines@unity.ncsu.edu. 



For more information on the show, call the 

 Fisheries Association, 252/633-2288. Online, go 

 to: www.nc.fish.org and click on events. 



-G.C. 



Tracking Black Bears in Coastal Plain 



How do you get a DNA sample from a black bear roaming the Hyde County coastal plain? 



Very carefully. 



North Carolina State University researchers have devised a way to snag hair samples from bears 

 lured into barbed wire corrals. Phil Doerr, professor of zoology, and doctoral student Tim Langer 

 "plant" various chemical scents to attract the bears into the corrals — constructed with a single strand 

 of barbed wire 1 8 inches high, and 1 8 feet square. Hair follicles caught on the wire are analyzed to 

 identify individual bears — without making physical contact with the animals. 



Mapping critters' movements takes a higher level of technology. Doerr and Langer are using 

 microprocessors and Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) to track ten bears that have been fitted with 

 radio transmitter collars. The collars are programmed to search for GPS signals and record bear 

 locations over a six-month period. 



The collars are programmed to fall off at a predetermined time. Then, the researchers will use a 

 radio receiver to collect them for analysis. The data will enable researchers to know the bears' 

 movement patterns, their habitat preferences, and their locations in relationship to human activity. 



The research is funded by NC State and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which is 

 interested in developing new methods for monitoring and managing black bear populations. 



One of the largest populations of black bears in the state is in the coastal plain, which provides 

 an abundant diet of winter wheat, com and soybeans from April through early winter. - P.S. 



4 WINTER 2003 



