COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Sea Grant Leaders Now Ambassadors 



STATE L15.1U.V U ' 1^; 1 .'j/flQUN* 



North Carolina Sea Grant 

 aquaculture leaders are among 10 

 Ambassadors of Agriculture 

 named by N.C. Agriculture 

 Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps. 



Ronald G. Hodson, Sea Grant 

 director, and Skip Kemp, Sea 

 Grant mariculture and seafood 

 marketing specialist, were honored 

 for their "active participation and 

 ongoing support of the aquaculture 

 industry in North Carolina." 



Hodson is recognized 

 internationally for developing 

 protocols for the successful 

 production of hybrid striped bass. 



Kemp is known for working 

 to improve methods to raise clams 

 and oysters in North Carolina. 



Phipps also honored Harry 

 Daniels and Tom Losordo, North 

 Carolina State University faculty 

 long associated with Sea Grant's 



Skip Kemp 



aquaculture outreach initiatives. 



Other newly named 

 "ambassadors" include Greg 

 Barnes and George Sullivan of 

 the N.C. Farm Bureau; Frank 

 Pore, Michael Twiddy and Lisa 

 Ruckdeschel of the N.C. Small 

 Business Technology Develop- 

 ment Center; and Greg Walker of 

 the N.C. Association of Soil and 

 Water Conservation Districts. 



"The public-private- 

 university partnerships among 

 these individuals and with the 

 North Carolina Department of 

 Agriculture and Consumer 

 Services have helped make North 

 Carolina aquaculture successful," 

 Phipps said in a press release. 



The awards were given 

 during the annual N.C. Aquacul- 

 ture Development Conference. 



-P.S. 



I n each of the past five years, the 

 East Coast has had an average of 1 2 

 hurricanes, but none has ratded North 

 Carolina like Hurricane Floyd in 1 999. 



To tackle the looming hurricane 

 season, two Hurricane Expos are being 

 planned. With our hurricane season 

 beginning June 1 , the events couldn't 

 come at a better time. 



• The WECT-TV 6 Hurricane Expo 

 2003 will be in Wilmington on May 31 . 

 Exhibits will be open from noon to 5 

 p.m. at the Coastline Convention 

 Center. 



• On June 7, Craven County's third 

 annual Hurricane Expo will join forces 

 with Neuse River Day in downtown New 

 Bern and Union Point Park. 



The New Bern expo will showcase 

 a variety of organizations, such as the 

 National Weather Service, as well as 



Hurricane Expos Set 



commercial businesses that promote 

 disaster preparedness throughout eastern 

 North Carolina. 



Participants will learn how to prepare 

 for a hurricane in a mobile home or in a 

 boat, how to correcdy use a generator and 

 how to purify water, just in case. 



Sponsors include Lowe's, the Coastal 

 Carolina Chapter of the American Red 

 Cross, WCTI-TV and the Sun Journal. 



Neuse River Day, sponsored by the 

 Neuse River Foundation, will occur at the 

 same time as the expo. Events planned will 

 include the annual raft race, a dunking 

 booth and a petting zoo. 



For more information about the New 

 Bern Hurricane Expo, call 252/637-3405 

 or the Neuse River Day, call 252/637-7972. 



For more information about the 

 Wilmington Hurricane Expo, call 

 910/791-8070. -G.C 



Jennette's Pier 

 Tradition 

 Continues 



Jennette's Pier at Nags Head is 

 getting a facelift. The site, recently 

 purchased by the N.C. Aquarium Society 

 for $4.55 million, is being renovated for 

 use as a fishing pier and educational 

 facility. 



"We are trying to bring the pier 

 back to its former glory," says manager 

 Mike Remige. 'The pier was built in 

 1 939 and is the oldest pier on the Outer 

 Banks. We want to maintain the pier as 

 a family tradition." 



In April, the pier reopened for 

 fishing. However, the formal dedication 

 will be held May 24. After the morning 

 ribbon cutting, anyone can walk on the 

 pier that day for no charge. 



"By the end of May, we hope to 

 have the educational facility open," says 

 Remige. "We will have a classroom 

 where we will have programs for all ages." 



Future improvements include a 

 lunch counter with grill and an arcade 

 with games. For more information, 

 call 252/441-6421. 



— A.G. 



COASTWATCH 3 



