Coastwatch 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Managing Editor 

 Katie Mosher 



Senior Editors 

 Ann Green 

 Pam Smith 



Contributing Editor 

 Cynthia Henderson 



Designer 

 L. Noble 



Circulation Manager 

 Sandra Harris 



The North Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Program is a federal/state program that 

 promotes the wise use of our coastal and 

 marine resources through research, extension 

 and education. It joined the National Sea Grant 

 College Network in 1970 as an institutional 

 program. Six years later, it was designated a 

 Sea Grant College. Today, North Carolina Sea 

 Grant supports several research projects, 

 a 1 5-member extension program and a 

 communications staff. Ron Hodson is director. 

 The program is funded by the U.S. Department 

 of Commerce's National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration and the state 

 through the University of North Carolina. 

 Coastwatch (ISSN 1068-784X) 

 is published six times a year by the 

 North Carolina Sea Grant College Program, 

 North Carolina State University, Box 8605, 

 Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8605. 

 Telephone: 919/515-2454. Fax: 919/515-7095. 

 Subscriptions are $15. 

 E-mail : katie_mosher@ ncsu.edu 

 World Wide Web address: 

 http://mvw.ncsu.edu/seagrant 

 Periodical Postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 



POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 



Coastwatch, North Carolina Sea Grant, 

 North Carolina State University, Box 8605. 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. 



Front cover photo of a Cedar Island "boom 

 truck" and table of contents photo of 

 the White Oak River near Stella 

 by Scott D. Taylor. 

 Printed on recycled paper. ® 



Wildlife Refiiges Celebrate Century Mark 



It all began in 1 903 when President 

 Theodore Roosevelt set aside the five-acre Pelican 

 Island off the Florida coast for the protection of 

 pelicans and other species from market hunters. 



From that humble beginning arose 

 America's National Wildlife Refuge System, which 

 now encompasses more than 95 million acres on 

 more than 540 refuges and thousands of 

 waterfowl production areas. 



This year, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is 

 celebrating the Centennial Anniversary of the 

 National Wildlife Refuge. 



Twelve refuges are partially or completely 

 within North Carolina's boundaries. The refuges 

 include Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge at 

 the tip of Carteret County and Mackay Island 

 National Wildlife Refuge at Knotts Island on the 

 north side of Currituck Sound. 



The state's first refuge was Swan Quarter, 

 established in 1932. It includes areas 

 frequented by migratory waterfowl and other 

 marsh birds. 



"Refuges in North Carolina provide 

 important habitat for migratory waterfowl, 

 songbirds, shorebirds and numerous 

 endangered species, as well as a wonderful 

 outdoor setting for people of all ages to enjoy 

 and learn about the natural world," says Bill 

 Grabill, refuge supervisor for the U.S. Fish & 

 Wildlife Service in North Carolina, South 

 Carolina, Georgia and the Caribbean. 



To find about more about North 

 Carolina's national wildlife refuges, visit: 

 http://refuges.fws.gov and follow the links. 



To learn more about the Cedar Island 

 Wildlife Refuge, turn to page 6. — A.G. 



'What's Cookin' In Cape Fear' 



During the 1800s, Wilmington's 

 wharves were crowded with a variety of goods 

 — from barrels of sugar to citrus. 



Experience the development of the 

 region's food from 1800 to 1900 in a new 

 exhibit at the Cape Fear Museum in 

 Wilmington. The "What's Cookin' in Cape 

 Fear" exhibit runs through Nov. 20. 



The interactive exhibit focuses on the role 

 of the Cape Fear River and Wilmington's port. 

 Visitors also can track the import and export of 

 food over time — from locally grown to exotic 

 international foods — and learn about 

 changing preservation technologies. 



For more information, visit the Web: 

 www.capefearmuseum.com — A.G. 



In the Next Issue of Coastwatch 



Fam Smith shares a "call to action" for anyone who has relished a fresh-caught sea bass 

 dinner or reveled at a Down East oyster roast. Learn how to help shape the emerging 

 Coastal Habitat Protection Plans — a coordinated state effort to preserve the productivity 

 of all fisheries. And Cynthia Henderson shares the latest research results regarding blue 

 crabs, the state's leading commercial fishery. 



2 EARLY SUMMER 2003 



