FROM THE EDITOR 



The Summer Scene 



Ah! Sunny days delight us as spring turns 

 into summer. We are all ready for a beach trip. 



At a recent workshop, Sea Grant colleague 

 Barbara Doll talked about growing up in Currituck 

 County when beach houses were truly cottages 

 down sandy roads and driveways. 



Today's "cottages" may come with five 

 bedrooms and an in-ground pool, not to mention the 

 paved street, driveway and shopping plaza nearby. 



Such is the story of change along much of our 

 coast. 



And while coastal communities were not 

 singled out, they are prime examples of topics 

 considered during the 2000 Emerging Issues Forum 

 held at North Carolina State University earlier this 

 year. 



For example, the "smart growth" catch phrase 

 usually refers to limits to suburban expansion in the rings outside 

 urban areas. But some coastal counties — including Dare, New 

 Hanover, Carteret and even Brunswick — also have seen rapid growth 

 in recent years. New businesses hope to build on the tourist trade and 

 the arrival of retirees. 



And not everyone has to wait until retirement. With cell phones, 

 e-mail and Internet connections, a variety of business consultants find 

 themselves drawn to the shore year-round, where they can work on a 

 laptop on the deck or take a conference call while walking on the 

 beach. 



But such prosperity is not universal. Other coastal counties have 

 seen their populations drop. Without a business base, they lose young 

 adults to jobs inland or in the tourist-concentrated areas. Often fishing 

 families, in places such as Hyde County, make a living by mixing 

 land-based jobs with crabbing, shrimping or fishing. 



Thus, coastal residents may have differing views of another catch 

 phrase: sustainability. 



Where growth is rampant, the coastal environment may be at risk 

 as drainage patterns are changed and nutrients run off from fertilized 

 turf or through paved parking lots. 



Where development has been limited, opportunities may also be 

 limited. Residents may be looking to draw business and tourist dollars 



without challenging the environment or their 

 existing communities. 



North Carolina Sea Grant extension staff seek 

 to preserve the sustainability of both the environ- 

 ment and the coastal communities. For example, 

 several hundred people recently attended coastal 

 development workshops that focused on water 

 quality issues. At the same time, Sea Grant staffers 

 are working with a coastal paddling initiative that 

 would first assess and then promote paddling as a 

 nature-based tourism option. 



Such extension projects are the heart of the 

 Sea Grant program. In addition to developing long- 

 term topics, Sea Grant specialists offer rapid 

 response to immediate needs, such as coping with 

 the effects of the 1999 hurricanes. For example: 

 Water quality specialist Barbara Doll is 

 working with Sea Grant researchers and state agencies to develop a 

 fact sheet to explain testing done on waters used for recreational 

 activities, from swimming to canoeing or riding personal watercraft. 



Marine education specialist Lundie Spence will lead a workshop 

 for teachers June 26-29 to consider the cause and effects of the 

 flooding that accompanied Hurricane Floyd. The teachers will take 

 the lessons back to their classrooms. 



Coastal construction and erosion specialist Spencer Rogers 

 conducted an inventory of buildings damaged by hurricanes Dennis 

 and Floyd. 



Coastal law and policy specialist Walter Clark prepared 

 information explaining rebuilding options or limitations in oceanfront 

 areas that sustained major damage. See Legal Tides, page 22. 



Want to know more about effects of the 1999 hurricanes? Check 

 out Sea Science on page 24 to learn about Sea Grant-funded water 

 quality research as well as the economic impact of the floods. 



Also, turn to page 3 for a Coastal Tidings item on a conference 

 at East Carolina University in late May that will consider the effects 

 of Hurricane Floyd and options to limit damages in future catastro- 

 phes. The conference will feature reports by several Sea Grant 

 researchers. 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



CONTRIBUTORS 



Writers: 



Ann Green D Katie Mosher Pain Smith D Cynthia Henderson Vega 

 Photographers: 



Michael Halminski D Cliff Hollis D Herman Lankford D Spencer Rogers a Pam Smith ° Scott D. Taylor a Erin Wall 



