October Brings 

 2005 Big Sweep 



Wa, 



'ant to help clean up North 

 Carolina's rivers, lakes or ocean? 



North Carolina Big Sweep needs 

 volunteers from across the state to retrieve 

 litter from the state's waterways on Oct. 1 . 



N.C. Big Sweep is a component 

 of the International Coastal Cleanup, 

 held annually on the first Saturday in 

 October. Volunteers participate in cleaning 

 waterways in more than 90 countries 

 around the world. 



Carteret County's Big Sweep is 

 scheduled for Oct. 8 to avoid conflict with 

 the N.C. Seafood Festival. 



The North Carolina cleanup was 

 founded as Beach Sweep in 1987 by Lundie 

 Spence, then North Carolina Sea Grant's 

 marine education specialist. The 1 ,000 

 volunteers swept the coastal counties and 

 collected more than 14 tons of debris. 

 In 1 989, the sweep expanded inland and 

 became Big Sweep. 



In 2004, N.C. Big Sweep reported 

 that 1 2,700 volunteers collected 206.5 tons 

 of debris. The volunteers found five animal 

 entanglements in 2004 - significantly less 

 than the 20 reported in 2003. 



For volunteer registration and 

 additional Big Sweep information, go to 

 www.ncbigsweep.orgor call 800/27-SWEEP. 



-J.H. 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Wings Over Water 



Get your sunscreen and binoculars ready 

 for the 9th Annual Wings Over Water Festival 

 Nov. 1 to 6 on the Outer Banks. Wings Over 

 Water is a celebration of wildlife and wild lands 

 in eastern North Carolina for everyone who 

 enjoys the outdoors. 



Participants can go binding on the Alligator 

 River, Oregon Inlet marshes, around the Bodie 

 Island Lighthouse and on the Mackay Island 

 National Wildlife Refuge's impoundment dike. 

 On paddling trips, participants might glimpse 

 river otters, owls, woodpeckers and Atlantic 

 White Cedars. 



The festival includes a "Shorebirds 

 for Dummies" workshop on distinguishing 



characteristics between sandpipers, dowitchers 

 and yellowlegs, as well as a chance to learn 

 about hummingbird banding. In addition, 

 participants may join a natural history trip to 

 "Pelican Island" guided by a ninth-generation 

 captain or use radio telemetry equipment to 

 listen for red wolves on the Alligator River. 



Stop by the Pea Island National Wildlife 

 Refuge Visitor Center that will feature the 2005 

 Federal Duck Stamp exhibit and Wings Over 

 Water bird lists. 



For more information on the Wings Over 

 Water Festival, visit www.northeast-nc.com/ 

 wings. Or, call the Outer Banks Chamber of 

 Commerce, 252/44 1 -8 1 44. -J.H. 



Core Sound Waterfowl Weekend 



"The Core Sound Waterfowl Weekend will have sights of carvers meticulously creating decoys, 

 scents of Down East cooking and sounds of carolers on the porch. 



The annual event will be Dec. 2 to 4 at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum on Harkers Island. 

 The event spotlights artists helping to preserve North Carolina's cultural and natural heritage. 



The weekend will feature traditional music, net hanging, 

 photography, boat building and storytelling foryoung and old. 

 I J>\ Visitors also may enjoy the hiking trails and duck blind building. 



^""/""T : ' 'Ji Harkers Island starts the weekend's events on Friday with 



X f\ 1 jMrrfj an outdoor decorating contest. This is the "official opening" of 



decoy season on the island. The celebration ends with a Sunday 

 morning community fellowship. For more information, visit 

 www.coresound.com, or call 252/728-1 500. —J.H. 



'Waterfowl ^Museum 

 & 'Heritage Center 



4 AUTUMN 2005 



