PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



"It was awesome standing in the 

 middle of the bay and picking up oysters and 

 crabs," says English. "The reef was more 

 movable than I thought it would be." 



The group also investigated coastal 

 environments in North Carolina — from 

 kayaking in choppy waters in Shallowbag 

 Bay to an aerial tour of the barrier islands. 

 "We had a great time kayaking," says Mike 

 Jordan of Raleigh, a 1999 NC State 

 graduate. "We saw thousands of jellyfish in 

 a marsh creek." 



One day the group traveled from Nags 

 Head to Buxton to observe coastal pro- 

 cesses, stopping at the Pea Island National 

 Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 

 1938. During the winter, migratory 

 waterfowl feed in the large ponds. 



On the beach in front of the refuge, 

 participants sampled different kinds of sand 

 — from the dunes to the surf — and used 

 their fingers to collect sand samples. 



Operation Pathfinder with program leader Terri Hathaway and Park Ranger 

 Doreen Ruffing at the Cape Hatteras lighthouse site. 



For example, science and literature lessons 

 can be combined. 



Beth Howard, a teacher at Dixon 

 Elementary School in Onslow County, 

 will use the coastal experiences in her art 

 curriculum. While on the field trip, Howard 

 has sketched marine life, coastal buildings 

 and other coastal memories in her journal. 



"I am going to share the journal with 

 my students," she says. "A picture is worth 

 a thousand words. It's cheaper and more 

 personal than photos." 



TCclChCrS began the 

 COAST course in Virginia, where they 

 waded on a restored oyster reef on the 

 Piankatank River, measured plant zones in 

 a salt marsh at the York River State Park in 

 Lightfoot and participated in activities at the 

 Virginia Marine Science Museum in 

 Virginia Beach. 



"You can take a piece of tape and re- 

 move sand for further study in the class- 

 room," says Spence. "Students can compare 

 and contrast the diversity of the sand." 



The teachers got a glimpse of maritime 

 history at the Chicamacomico Lifesaving 

 station in Rodanthe, one of the first seven 

 U.S. Lifesaving Service complexes used to 

 rescue shipwreck survivors at sea. The ser- 

 vice later became the U.S. Coast Guard. 

 The site is now a museum packed with life- 

 saving devices and rescue boats. 



"It was awesome standing 

 in the middle of the bay and 



picking up oysters and crabs ... 

 The reef was more movable 

 than I thought it would be. " 



Kathryn English, Bayboro, N.C. 



Behind the lifesaving station, the 

 teachers looked at houses threatened by a 

 high erosion rate. "This reinforced the dy- 

 namics of the beach to the teachers," says 

 Spence. 



One of the highlights of the trip was 

 watching the relocation of the Cape 

 Hatteras lighthouse. The teachers joined 

 the crowd of people lined against the fence 

 to see the lighthouse move along rails, 

 powered by hydraulics. 



"It was fascinating seeing how the 

 lighthouse move is related to earth science 

 and geology," says Andrew Cohen, an earth 

 science teacher at Butler High School in 

 Matthews. "It was also interesting to see 

 how a natural phenomenon affects society." 



Spence is excited about the quality of 

 the teachers in the program. 



"I am looking forward to seeing how 

 they apply their coastal experiences this fall 

 in their classrooms," she says. □ 



For more information on future 

 COAST/ Pathfinder programs, contact 

 Lundie Spence by phone at 919/515-2454 

 or by e-mail at lundie_spence@ncsu.edu. 



COASTWATCH 25 



