listoric Lodge 

 Closes lor 

 Repairs 



CDoncern over structural deteriora- 

 tion in section's of Mattamuskeet Lodge 

 prompted the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

 officials to close the historic building to the 

 public. Structural repairs could cost $2 

 million and take a minimum of two years 

 to complete. 



Meanwhile, Roger Rulifson, director 

 of the East Carolina University Field 

 Station for Coastal Studies, is working 

 with the federal government to secure 

 travel trailers or mobile homes as living 

 quarters for students and researchers. 



Rulifson is hoping the alternative 

 facilities will be in place this spring, 

 allowing the program to continue to 

 operate, albeit at reduced capacity. 



The dorm, kitchen, classrdom and 

 lab space in the ECU wing of the lodge 

 could accommodate up to 27 individuals. 

 Since $1 .2 million federal and state funds 

 went into safety and cosmetic repairs to 

 the wing in 1 996, the field station has 

 logged about 3,500 "person nights" and 

 has provided logistic support for more 

 than 20 research projects. 



Chris Batsavage, a specialist with the 

 N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries at 

 Manteo, attests to the value of the field 

 facility. He experienced Mattamuskeet as 

 an ECU graduate student — once as a 

 student participant and twice as a 

 teaching assistant. "It's the real world, 

 from learning techniques for biological 

 monitoring to using equipment and 

 tagging fish," he says. 



The refuge is an ecological laboratory 

 where students gain skills they can take 

 down many career paths, not just fisheries 

 management, Batsavage says. "This 

 experience enables them to bring the 

 newest techniques and science to the 

 job," he adds. 



In addition to the lodge being the 

 base of operation for teaching and 

 research, a continuously recording 



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operates from the top of the observation 

 tower — the old pumphouse smokestack. 



The south wall of the lodge that 

 supports the smokestack was identified as 

 a possible hazard in a structural engineering 

 survey in November 2000. 



According to Rulifson, this is the side 

 with the largest expanse — the dining hall 

 downstairs and the ballroom upstairs. The 

 metal floor support beams in this area are 

 bolted directly to the weakened vertical 

 support beams, which reduces the load 

 bearing capacity of the ballroom floor. The 

 observation tower is attached to the south 



ballroom. High winds cause the tower to 

 sway slightly, contributing to the deteriora- 

 tion of the support column. 



'The building is not in danger of 

 collapse, but there is concern about the 

 load-bearing capacity being reduced from 

 the original building design," Rulifson says. 



The ECU dormitory wing, he adds, is 

 structurally sound because of a different ■ 

 support design and interior load-bearing 

 walls. 



University and refuge officials are 

 hopeful that Congress will appropriate the 

 renovation funds in this fiscal year. — - P.S. 



COASTWATCH 



