The Lea Island marsh and those surrounding nearby Figure Eight 

 Island are productive nurseries for finfish and shellfish 



of years, Golder says. 



Moreover, the history of the would-be 

 sanctuary speaks to why chances of develop- 

 ing any of the lots are slim to none. 



Less than a decade ago, two tiny islands 

 — Lea and Hutaff — existed between Topsail 

 and Figure Eight islands. In 1998, Old Topsail 

 Inlet closed between them, creating one, long 

 barrier island. 



Hurricane Fran and subsequent 

 hurricanes leveled the sand dunes. These 

 storms, combined with years of erosion, have 

 claimed the northernmost lots and two of the 

 three houses ever built on the barrier island 

 were washed away. 



"We're talking about serious overwash, 

 even during small northeasters. That means 

 it's bad for people, but great for sea birds and 

 turtles," Golder asserts. 



"This is a great chance to preserve one of 

 the last undeveloped barrier islands on the 

 North Carolina coast," he says. "It's one of 

 the most exciting things I have done profes- 

 sionally, and I'm going to do all I can to make 

 it happen." 



By Foster's assessment, all the pieces 

 seem to be in place for the success of 

 Audubon's Lea Island project, including 

 strong citizen advocacy and successful 

 collaboration with state and local agencies. 

 And, the most critical element — good 

 science. 



Foster would know. "Let the science do 

 the talking" has been conservancy dogma 



since he and his 

 late wife, CoCo, 

 launched the 

 citizen-based 

 organization in 

 1982. Among (he 

 earliest settlers on 

 Figure Eight 

 Island in the mid- 

 1960s, the couple 

 understood the 

 uncertain nature 

 of living on a 

 sWfting strip of 

 sand in the ocean. 

 Foster once told a reporter, "When you 

 live on a barrier island, you shouldn't put too 

 much money into a house, and you shouldn't 

 fall too much in love with it." 



He followed his own advice and built 

 two modest homes on the island — one 

 overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, and 

 one with a magnificent view of the ocean. 

 Last year, the ocean view got too close for 

 comfort. After consulting with Spencer 

 Rogers, Sea Grant's coastal erosion specialist, 

 Foster had the house moved 55 feet out of 

 harm's way. 



He calls the move "the final retreat" from 

 the natural forces constantly at work on any 

 barrier island. 



In the mid-1980s, as the pace of 

 homebuilding on Figure Eight Island stepped 

 up, Foster's group engaged scientists from the 

 University of North Carolina at Wilmington to 

 a conduct a baseline study of the shoreline 

 erosion of Figure Eight Island. Measurements 

 were taken monthly for more that two years. 

 At the time, major shifts were occurring in the 

 inlet throat — nearly a meter a day of beach 

 was being eroded at the north end of the 

 island. 



Paul Hosier, UNC-W associate vice 

 chancellor of academic affairs, recalls, "The 

 ocean continued to eat into the shoreline until 

 it was within a hundred feet of some homes. 

 Then, suddenly, it slowed down and went the 

 other way." 



Hosier and UNC-W coastal geologist 

 Bill Cleary, a Sea Grant researcher, still study 

 erosion on Figure Eight — assaulted by 

 hurricanes and winter storms — to consider 



how best to stabilize the northern tip with 

 more dredging, and to identify compatible 

 sand sources. 



According to Foster, the long-term 

 erosion studies help island homeowners 

 understand the coastal processes and the need 

 for shoreline nourishment. This spring, sand 

 from nearby dredge spoil sites will be 

 transported to Figure Eight oceanfront 

 properties at the expense of the Figure Eight 

 Homeowners Association. The association 

 also has submitted permit applications to 

 acquire sand from other sources. 



But Foster is most proud of efforts by the 

 Northeast New Hanover Conservancy to 

 improve the water quality of Futch, Howe and 

 Pages creeks, which flow through developing 

 mainland subdivisions into the sensitive tidal 

 marshes and the Intracoastal Waterway. 



In 1986, the conservancy funded 

 UNC-W biologists to begin studying an 800- 

 acre tidal marsh the group acquired in 1985. 

 Scientists conducted water quality, inverte- 

 brate and bird studies. The data established the 

 near-pristine quality of the marshes between 

 Figure Eight Island and the mainland — and 

 led to an Outstanding Resource Waters 

 designation by the N.C Environmental 

 Management Commission. 



This conservancy water quality project 

 was to become the model for The New 

 Hanover County Tidal Creeks Project, 

 established in 1995. UNC-W scientists now 

 monitor all the creeks in all the county's 

 watersheds for pollution, algal blooms, and 

 effects of tides and nutrient loading on water 

 quality. The project is supported jointly by the 

 county and the conservancy. 



The water quality data collected over the 

 years will give local officials a huge advantage 

 as they develop plans to comply with new 

 federal storm water management mandates for 

 small municipalities. 



On board his skiff, Foster navigates the 

 clear waters of Marta's Creek, past million- 

 dollar beach houses, en route to some of his 

 favorite places. 



"This is church. This is where I talk to 

 God," Foster says, as he slows the boat to 

 allow his passengers to fully absorb the 



18 SPRING 2001 



