COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Counting | 



Horseshoe j 



Crabs For i 

 Research 



A sunset walk on the beach 

 may be romantic for some. But for 

 volunteers at the Rachel Carson 

 Estuarine Research Reserve, it's an 

 opportunity to be part of a 

 scientific study of horseshoe crabs. 



Researchers at the reserve are teaming up with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries to 

 establish a monitoring program that aims to determine where spawning populations lay their eggs. 

 The information is an important step in developing a management plan for this declining fishery. 



Volunteers and reserve staff count horseshoe crabs during beach walks daily just after sunset 

 and when tides are high through the end of July. That's when horseshoe crabs come ashore to spawn. 

 Females bury themselves into sand and release thousands of eggs to be fertilized by attending males. 



Scientists say horseshoe crab populations are down throughout their range — from Maine to the 

 Yucatan Peninsula. The prehistoric-looking creatures have been used for fertilizer, animal feed and 

 bait since the 1800s. In recent years, blood from horseshoe crabs has been harvested for human 

 pharmacological applications. 



Interested volunteers can contact Whitney Kurz at 252/728-2170 or whitney_kwz@ncerr.org. 



-P.S. 



Planting Marsh Grass with Pit Crew Speed 



In what could be some kind of horticul- 

 tural record, about 20 volunteers planted 

 750 marsh grass seedlings in just 75 minutes. 



The volunteers from the N.C. Coastal 

 Federation were completing a shoreline 

 restoration project at Duke University Marine 

 Laboratory on River's Island. 



Natural erosion-control methods were 

 used for the 23,000-square-foot restoration 

 project that included the removal of a 260-foot 

 sea wall. The design included a rock revetment 

 and planted berm to reduce erosion and 

 contain contaminated stormwater runoff. 



The work was funded by a grant from 

 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration. 



In all, 7,000 seedlings were planted, 

 most of them a year ago. The recent planting 

 marathon, headed up by the federation's Kathy 

 McEvoy, was considered "filling in" spots where 

 some die-off occurred. 



The N.C. Coastal Federation has nearly 

 20 demonstration projects along the coast, 

 including several alternatives to bulkhead sites 

 designed in collaboration with North Carolina 

 Sea Grant. — P.S. 



Kathy McEvoy led a team of volunteers 

 to plant marsh grass. 



Be Prepared: 

 Stormy Weather 

 Ahead 



I lurricane season will be taking the 

 Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean coastal areas 

 by storm if all goes as predicted for 2003. 



The season, June 1 to Nov. 30, has 

 the potential for high levels of hurricane 

 activity, according to the National 

 Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration's 2003 Atlantic Hurricane 

 Season Outlook. 



Expected weather conditions, 

 including la Nina, have contributed to the 

 outlook's estimate of 1 1 to 1 5 named 

 tropical storms — six to nine of those 

 becoming hurricanes, with two to four 

 being classified as major hurricanes. 



With such a high risk for dangerous 

 weather patterns, NOAA has focused on 

 improved forecasting as a preventative 

 measure. 



Data gathered by NOAA's newest 

 Gulfstream-IV hurricane surveillance jet 

 has equipped forecasters with the ability 

 to create five-day storm forecasts that are 

 equal in accuracy to the three-day 

 forecasts of the past. 



"This five-day forecast provides a 

 valuable planning and preparedness tool 

 and is a tangible step forward in our 

 efforts to protect lives and property, and 

 enhance the U.S. economy," said James R. 

 Mahoney, NOAA deputy administrator. 



The forecasts will be especially useful 

 to those needing additional time to move 

 or make arrangements for people and 

 resources. — L.L. 



COASTWATCH 3 



