From the Editor 



Carson in Carolina 



Rachel Carson had homes in Maine and 

 Maryland, but she apparently had a soft spot for i 

 North Carolina as well. \ 



In her writings, she eloquently describes our 

 coastal life and landscape — the formation of 

 shoals off Cape Lookout, the spectacular image of 

 whistling swans at Lake Mattamuskeet and the saga 

 of mollusks whose shells we find scattered along 

 Cape Hatteras. But her North Carolina legacy is 

 more than a footnote. 



The Rachel Carson site, part of the North 

 Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve, is a 

 string of islands across from historic downtown 

 Beaufort. Tourists marvel at the islands' horses. 

 Families and school groups take day trips to the 

 reserve to learn about the life cycles and habitats of 

 our crucial estuary system. 



Before visiting the reserve, pick up Carson's Tlie Edge of the Sea 

 and 77?^ Sea Around Us. Chapters lead you to "The Rim of Sand" and 

 "The Coral Coast" and offer glimpses of "Hidden Lands" or "The 

 Moving Tides." 



Glimpses into Carson's personal life are harder to come by, but 

 A Seme of Wonder: A Play Based on the Life and Works of Rachel 

 Carson offers insight on the woman best-known for Silent Spring, her 

 book on the dangers of pesticides. The one-woman play, written and 

 performed by Kaiulani Lee, was crafted from Carson's letters, diaries 

 and books. 



Although Carson attended college in the 1920s, her words still 

 strike a chord with high school and college students. Dozens attended 

 a performance sponsored by the Center for Environmental Education 

 at Duke University. 



Carson was more than a scientist, explains Jenni Giles of Apex 

 High School. "She strived to be a woman who was a part of nature." 



The performance touched adults as well. Durham City Council 

 member Pam Blyth says Carson's works reinforce how urban 



planning decisions have impact downstream. 

 For example, the Neuse River flows from Falls 

 Lake in the Triangle to the Pamlico Sound. 



Carson's love of the sea blossomed with 

 her first glimpse of the waters at Woods Hole, 

 Mass. But Carson kept a focus on her family, 

 caring for aging parents and raising two nieces on 

 her salary as a marine biologist and later, as editor- 

 in-chief at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 



The play is set when Carson is in her 50s. 

 While battling cancer, she responds to the high 

 praise and harsh criticism of Silent Spring. She 

 also raises her great-nephew, Roger, whom she 

 adopts after both his parents die. Young Roger's 

 eagerness to enjoy the sea helps Carson keep alive 

 her own sense of wonder. 

 We think that Coastwatch helps rekindle your "sense of wonder" 

 about the sea and sounds, dunes and coastal plain. When you share 

 Coastwatch with friends, family and co-workers, the wonder 

 spreads like a rippling wave. Extend that wave by sending a 

 gift subscription to a special person, or to a local school or 

 senior center. 



In this issue, we look at the past and the future of human life 

 along the shore. Julie Ann Powers finds whispers of history in the 

 abandoned village of Portsmouth. Renee Wolcott Shannon ponders 

 the emerging practice of water-use zoning, and photographer Michael 

 Halminski shows the preparations for the movement of the Cape 

 Hatteras lighthouse. 



We look at nature as well. Ann Green takes readers to the North 

 Carolina Estuarium, while I tell of a new network to save stranded 

 whales. Odile Fredericks shares a treasure trove of coastal wildflow- 

 ers, while Shannon describes the tasty Atlantic bonito. 



What inspires your sense of wonder at the coast? Drop me a note 

 ore-mail — kmosher@unity.ncsu.edu. You could inspire a 

 future story. □ 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



Contributors 



Writers: 



Odile Fredericks D Ann Green D Katie Mosher D Julie Ann Powers n Renee Wolcott Shannon 



Photographers: 



Michael Halminski D Juliana Harding ° Herman Lankford H Scott D. Taylor 



