COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Thigpen Acting Extension Director 



North Carolina Sea Grant has a 

 new acting extension director steering 

 the course for the field staff. 



Jack Thigpen, North Carolina Sea 

 Grant's coastal recreation and tourism 

 specialist, took on the new duties in March. 

 Since fall 1998, the extension program had 

 been headed by Steve Olson, who served 

 as associate director for outreach. Olson 

 is now director of governmental affairs 

 for the American Zoo and Aquarium 

 Association in Washington, D.C. 



Thigpen has extensive outreach ex- 



perience. Since coming to North Caro- 

 lina Sea Grant in 1998, he has focused 

 on sustainable coastal development and 

 the human dimensions of fishing and 

 wildlife. 



Thigpen previously was associate 

 professor of rural sociology and exten- 

 sion community development specialist 

 at Texas A & M University. In his new 

 position, he will coordinate Sea Grant's 

 extension and educational programs. He 

 also will continue to serve as the coastal 

 recreation and tourism specialist. - A.G. 



UNC-W Opens Center for Marine Science 



Th, 



I he 



long-awaited, 

 75,000-square- 

 foot Center for 

 Marine Science 

 at the University 

 North Carolina 

 at Wilmington 

 boasts 52 

 research labs, a 

 greenhouse and 

 aquarium 

 facilities, not to 



mention a 900-foot dock on the Intra- 

 Coastal Waterway. 



The new center across from 

 Masonboro Island is a far cry from the 

 maze of trailers and huts that housed 

 campus marine research programs for 

 many years. 



In addition to long-standing pro- 

 grams such as marine biology and coastal 

 geology, the center is expanding into new 

 programs, such as a master's degree 

 program in oceans and human health, a 

 multidisciplinary approach to coastal 

 ocean monitoring, and participation in the 

 Joint Institute for Caribbean Marine 

 Studies. 



Dedicated in March, the facility also 

 provides offices for cooperative programs, 

 including North Carolina Sea Grant, the 

 National Undersea Research Program, and 

 the North Carolina Coastal Reserve 

 Program. UNC-W faculty also lead the 



Lower Cape 

 Fear River 

 Program, which 

 offers research 

 and public 

 education on 

 water quality 

 issues in the 

 river and 

 estuary. 



A number 

 of research 

 projects at the 

 center have been funded by North Carolina 

 Sea Grant, including studies of inlet 

 migration, juvenile blue crabs, effects of 

 nutrient levels on benthic organisms, and 

 heavy metals in Cape Fear River sediments. 



"The results of Sea Grant research at 

 UNC-W have provided sound science 

 answers to a number of tough questions 

 North Carolina faces," says Sea Grant 

 Director Ron Hodson. 



"We are proud to be affiliated with the 

 marine science program as it continues to 

 grow both in range of study and in 

 stature," Hodson adds. 



The Sea Grant office, located on the 

 first floor of the center, includes offices for 

 Spencer Rogers, coastal construction and 

 erosion specialist, and fisheries specialist 

 Jim Bahen. 



To learn more about the UNC-W 

 center and programs, check the Web at 

 www.uncwil.edu and follow the links. - K.M. 



Summer 

 Learning 

 Can Be Fun 



As summer approaches, 

 most students may be eager to 

 close their traditional textbooks 

 — but the learning continues with 

 a variety of special classes and 

 workshops along the North 

 Carolina coast. 



For example, the North 

 Carolina Maritime Museum in 

 Beaufort will offer a maritime 

 archeology summer field school 

 July 1 7-21 . The program will offer 

 a hands-on introduction to 

 coastal and underwater 

 archaeology in North Carolina — 

 and techniques used in the 

 discovery and documentation of 

 shipwrecks and historic underwa- 

 ter sites. Cost is $1 00 for the 

 week. For more information on 

 the museum's summer pro- 

 grams, call 252/728-7317. 



Other coastal programs 

 abound, including Marine Quest 

 at the University of North 

 Carolina at Wilmington. For 

 information, contact Diane 

 Talley at 91 0/962-3798, 

 talleyd@uncwil.edu. 



If you are looking for day- 

 programs for the entire family, 

 check the North Carolina 

 Aquariums' calendars. 



Unks to the aquarium Web 

 pages and other coastal 

 education programs can be 

 found on the North Carolina Sea 

 Grant marine education pages. 

 Go to www.ncsu.edu/sea^ant and 

 follow the extension links to 

 marine education. — K.M. 



COASTWATCH 



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