From the Editor 



Autumn Arrives 



In North Carolina, the shift from summer l 

 to fall tends to be subtle. September and 

 October are still prime months for beach visits 

 before the first chill hits. 



But there is a hint of change in this 

 autumn issue of Coastwatch. We are adding 

 Legal Tides to the list of topics that fill our 

 back pages. 



Legal Tides is new to Coastwatch, but it 

 is not new to North Carolina Sea Grant. For 

 13 years, Walter Clark, our coastal law and 

 policy specialist, has edited the Legal Tides 

 newsletter. In its pages, Walter and guest 

 writers from around the state offered perspec- 

 tives on court decisions, legislation and 

 regulations that affect our coast. 



Many law and policy issues — such as proposed estuarine 

 shoreline regulations or water-use zoning — have been topics 

 for Coastwatch articles. We are incorporating Legal Tides into 

 Coastwatch in order to reach a larger audience. 



We have made other adjustments to be more cost- 

 effective. For example, we are using a lighter paper for our 

 magazine cover — but you can be sure the high-quality 

 content in Coastwatch will remain. 



North Carolina Sea Grant publications continue to grab 

 top honors. Our publications received two Awards of Excel- 

 lence in the 1999 Awards for Publication Excellence (APEX) 

 from Communications Concepts Inc. 



Coastal Water Quality Handbook was honored in the 

 instructional publication category. Sea Grant specialists 

 Barbara Doll and Lundie Spence wrote the handbook, which 



was edited by Daun Daemon and Renee 

 Wolcott Shannon and designed by Kathy 

 McKee. 



The Spring 1999 issue of Coastwatch 

 received an APEX award for magazine 

 writing. Coastwatch also received the 

 "People's Choice" award for best magazine 

 at Sea Grant Week 1999, a national meeting 

 held in Portland, Ore. 



We continue efforts to widen our 

 Coastwatch audience. Each new reader gains 

 insight into our coast and the North Carolina 

 Sea Grant mission — and each new subscrip- 

 tion offsets our costs a little more. 

 A new brochure that introduces 

 Coastwatch to potential readers is available in many state 

 parks and visitors' centers along the coast. The magazine is 

 also available in a number of bookstores. Coastwatch has been 

 a hit among tourists and locals alike. 



But our greatest opportunity to share the coast with others 

 comes from you, our readers, who pass the magazine on to 

 friends and family. New subscribers often first see the maga- 

 zine on a friend's coffee table. Others receive it as a gift. 



As Renee, Ann and I begin our second year with Sea 

 Grant and Coastwatch, we look forward to maintaining the 

 standard of excellence that has been a Sea Grant tradition. 



I invite you to sit back for an autumn trip to the North 

 Carolina coast. Catch a wave with surfers on the Outer Banks. 

 Uncover the mysteries of fall migration at the Wings Over Wa- 

 ter festival. And visit a flounder-fattening farm in Cedar Island. 

 Enjoy your trip. □ 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



Contributors 



Writers: 



Ann Green D Katie Mosher ° Julie Ann Powers D Renee Wolcott Shannon D Cynthia Henderson Vega 



Photographers: 



Michael Halminski D Herman Lankford D Chuck Liddy Melissa McGaw 

 Katie Mosher a Renee Wolcott Shannon a Scott D. Taylor n Lindsay R. Whichard 



