Coastwatch 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Managing Editor 

 Katie Mosher 



Senior Editors 

 Ann Green 

 Pam Smith 



Contributing Editor 

 Cynthia Henderson Vega 



Designer 

 L. Noble 



Circulation Manager 

 Sandra Harris 



The North Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Program is a federal/state program that 

 promotes the wise use of our coastal and 

 marine resources through research, extension 

 and education. It joined the National Sea Grant 

 College Network in 1970 as an institutional 

 program. Six years later, it was designated a 

 Sea Grant College. Today. North Carolina Sea 

 Grant supports several research projects, 

 a 12-member extension program and a 

 communications staff. Ron Hodson is director. 

 The program is funded by the U.S. Department 

 of Commerce's National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration and the state 

 through the University of North Carolina. 

 Coastwatch (ISSN 1068-784X) 

 is published six times a year by the 

 North Carolina Sea Grant College Program, 

 North Carolina State University, Box 8605, 

 Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8605. 

 Telephone: 919/515-2454. Fax: 919/515-7095. 

 Subscriptions are $15. 

 E-mail: kmosher@unity.ncsu.edu. 

 World Wide Web address: 

 http://www.ncsu.edu/seagrant 

 Periodical Postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 



POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 



Coastwatch, North Carolina Sea Grant. 

 North Carolina State University, Box 8605, 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. 



Sealant 



North Carolina 



Front cover photo of snowy dune 

 and table of contents photo 

 of snowy beach 

 by Michael Halminski. 

 Printed on recycled paper. ® 



Do Go Near the Water 



C 



/lean water is essential to vacationers 

 as well as recreational water-dependent 

 businesses in eastern North Carolina. 



Thanks to Barbara Doll, Sea Grant 

 water quality specialist, there's a Web site 

 designed to help determine if it is safe to 

 drink the water, eat the seafood, or go for a 

 swim at your vacation destination. 



Click on www.ncsu.edu/seagrant and 

 go to Recreational Water Use and Human 

 Health: A Fact Sheet for Coastal Vacation- 

 ers and Water-Dependent Businesses. 



Doll collaborated with experts from 

 several state agencies to compile this "go to" 

 source of critical information. It is designed 

 to help vacationers and recreational 

 managers make informed decisions about the 



risks associated with recreational water 

 exposure in local areas. 



The online document addresses 

 frequently asked questions about water 

 quality, offers a glossary of terms, and 

 includes Web sites for additional informa- 

 tion. Presented in user-friendly question and 

 answer form, it focuses on the three main 

 areas of recreational water contact and 

 human health: microbial pathogens; harmful 

 algae; and toxic contaminants. 



The good news is that North Carolina 

 officials maintain ongoing monitoring 

 programs for rivers, estuaries and ocean 

 waters. And that, overall, recreational water 

 quality along the coast is considered 

 excellent. - P.S. 



In the Next Issue of Coastwatch 



Rim Smith continues to examine coastal water issues, including wastewater 

 disposal and the implementation of the next phase of federal stormwater 

 management rules. She'll also look at the state's Cape Fear River Basinwide 

 Water Quality Plan. Meanwhile, Ann Green takes readers on a tour of the diverse 

 wetlands at Goose Creek State Park. 



2 HOLIDAY 2000 



