PEOPLE 



& PLACES 



North Carolina 

 Estuanum 



Showcases Sights and Sounds of an Ecosystem 



A 



By Ann Green • Photographs by Scott D. Taylor 



motorists rush across 

 eastern North Caro- 

 lina to the barrier 

 island beaches, they 

 often forget about the 

 magic and mystique 

 of swamps, rivers and 

 sounds. 



Along the dark, 

 winding Tar River, 

 frogs croak on the 

 muddy banks. 

 Further down on the 

 brackish Pamlico 

 River, osprey whistle 

 over the thick, tall 

 rushes. Underneath 



the shallow waters of the Pamlico Sound, 

 speckled trout chatter and purr when 

 calling for mates. 



The bountiful marine life and plants 

 are part of the vast ecosystem of the 

 Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system, 

 which includes the Albemarle and Pamlico 

 sounds and the surrounding waterways 

 and tributaries. The system stretches over 

 2.2 million acres of water, making it the 

 second largest estuarine system in the 

 United States after the Chesapeake Bay. 

 More than 90 percent of the seafood 

 caught by North Carolina fishers spends 

 at least part of its life in estuaries. 



The North Carolina Estuarium 

 showcases the sights and sounds of the 



The North Carolina Estuarium offers a glimpse into a unique region. 



ecosystem and demonstrates how human 

 life impacts the system. 



Located in downtown Washington on 

 a picturesque site overlooking the Pamlico 

 River, the 12,500-square-foot facility 

 opened in January 1998. It is the first 

 aquarium in North Carolina to focus 

 exclusively on the state's estuaries. The 

 only other estuarium in the United States is 

 at the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory near 

 Mobile, Ala. 



The North Carolina facility is 

 operated by the Partnership for the Sounds, 

 a nonprofit group striving to build a 

 prosperous economic base for the 

 Albemarle-Pamlico region by promoting 

 ecotourism and environmental education. 



To encourage 

 the protection of 

 North Carolina's 

 estuarine system, the 

 building is packed 

 with a variety of 

 educational 

 experiences, from 

 films to interactive 

 exhibits. 



"The environ- 

 ment and health of 

 the environment is 

 important to the 

 quality of life and 

 public health in 

 North Carolina," 

 says Jackie Peoples 

 Woolard, director of the Partnership for the 

 Sounds in Columbia. "When we bring 

 school kids into the estuarium, we are 

 planting a seed for a more healthy 

 environment and more environmentally 

 responsible citizens. It's investing in the 

 future of North Carolina to take care of our 

 environment." 



To stimulate interest in the state's 

 estuary system, an interactive wire and 

 driftwood sculpture dominates the lobby. 

 Designed by Washington native Whiting 

 Toler, the "Water Droplet Pinball" 

 sculpture shows the water cycle from 

 North Carolina's mountains to the 

 piedmont and down to the coastal sounds. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 23 



