COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Getting Back to Nature 



Ever stand on the beach and wish 

 you knew more about its flora and fauna? 

 This spring and summer, our state parks, 

 museums and aquariums are offering an 

 impressive array of hands-on work- 

 shops and tours guaranteed 

 to illuminate those natural 

 splendors. 



• At the N.C. Aquarium 

 at Fort Fisher, spring 

 workshops teach the art and 

 fun of catching blue crabs 

 and digging clams. For epicures 

 who like some surf with their turf, the 

 "how to" of surf fishing is on the 

 calendar. If you're looking for more 

 traditional aquarium classes, pick 

 from programs highlighting the 

 natural abundance of the salt marsh 

 just outside the aquarium's back door. 



The N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll 

 Shores invites you to participate in the 

 annual sea turtle release. Take a boat trip 

 May 2 1 , when staff members release sea 

 turtles that have been temporary residents 

 of the aquarium. Other programs offered 

 this spring include salt marsh safaris, 

 maritime forest hikes and canoe trips in 

 the undeveloped Rachel Carson National 

 Estuarine Research Reserve. 



Experience a blast from the past at 

 the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island 

 with classic videos featuring aquatic 

 themes. On Friday, April 10, the 

 aquarium will screen The Mysterious 



Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, 

 The Creature from the Black Lagoon and 

 It Came from Beneath the Sea. 



The viewings are free with paid 

 admission to the aquarium. 

 Call the N.C. Aquarium at 

 Fort Fisher at 910/458-8257, ext. 

 208; the N.C. Aquarium at 



Pine Knoll Shores at 919/247-4003, ext. 

 123; and the N.C. Aquarium at Roanoke 

 Island at 919/473-3494. Or check out the 

 offerings for all three North Carolina 

 aquariums on their website: http:// 

 www.aquariums.state.nc.us/Aquariums/. 



• The North Carolina State Museum 

 of Natural Sciences offers the Bird 

 Rookery Bonanza, which gives you a 

 chance to spend the weekend of May 15- 

 17 at the Battery Island Audubon 

 Sanctuary. This is an excellent opportu- 

 nity to photograph large birds and their 

 nests, eggs and nestlings at close range. 

 Also, check out the Dismal Swamp Fern 



Foray on June 6, when you can witness 

 the reproduction of the wild Wood Fern. 

 (You'll also return home with a limited 

 collection of spores for your own 

 garden.) And if time is on your side, 

 the museum will take you on a 

 four-day trip to explore rarely 

 visited parts of the North 

 Carolina coast. You'll hike a 

 deserted island, stargaze in 

 the company of longleaf 

 pine savannas and kayak a 

 salt marsh tidal creek. 

 Call the museum's 

 education secretary at 733-7450, ext. 

 555, for a registration form. You can 

 look at the calendar of events on the 

 museum's website at http://museums. 

 mdmi.com/naturalsciences. 

 • Many of our state parks also 

 hold classes. At Hammocks Beach State 

 Park, for instance, spring and summer 

 programs focus on everything from 

 sea turtles and seashells to whales and 

 jellyfish. 



North Carolina state parks, recre- 

 ation areas and nature preserves have 

 wonderful programs throughout the 

 spring and summer. To get a rundown of 

 times and topics, contact the ranger at the 

 park you'll be visiting. Or dial up the 

 state parks' web page at http://ils.unc. 

 edu/parkproject/progcal.html. It will give 

 you the current calendar of events for all 

 the parks. — E.B. □ 



Coastwatch Wins CASE Award 



doastwatch magazine recently 

 was recognized with an Award of 

 Special Merit from the Council for 

 Advancement and Support of 

 Education (CASE) in the District III 

 (southeastern) region. The 

 magazine won in the "Other 

 Magazines" category, which 

 recognizes excellence in magazines 



sent to audiences external to the 

 university. The award is based on 

 content, writing, editing, design, 

 photography and printing. 



Senior editors Daun Daemon and 

 Jeannie Faris Norris stress that they 

 will continue to improve the magazine 

 for a general readership while pursuing 

 the goal of supplying news about Sea 



Grant's research and extension 

 activities. The focus of recent 

 changes has been to shape 

 Coastwatch into a magazine that 

 reaches people at the coast and 

 beyond with information about 

 the natural and cultural resources, 

 history, people and places of 

 eastern North Carolina. El 



4 SPRING 1998 



