From the Editors 



Claiming the Future 



If we're going to make wise choices about the future of our 

 coast, we need the best information possible. 



Never has this been truer than now. North Carolina is at a 

 crossroads as it manages the many demands for its coast's rich 

 natural resources — the waters, beaches, creatures and fisheries. 

 It must find a way to balance the economic benefits of a burgeoning 

 population and those resources that attract and sustain the people 

 who come here. 



The people who have a stake in these decisions — people who 

 live at the coast, visit occasionally or simply appreciate its beauty — 

 should be part of the process. They should understand the issues, 

 make decisions based on good information and get involved. 



One of the best opportunities for fishers to get involved is 

 through the Fishery Resource Grant Program. The legislature 

 created this first-of-a-kind program to pay for qualified citizen 

 research into ways to improve fish stocks and habitat. It lets average 

 people contribute to the health of the resource and gives them a 

 stake in the outcome. 



In this issue, you'll read about new seafood technology 

 developed through this program, which is administered by North 

 Carolina Sea Grant. The project — one of 34 funded in 1997 — 

 discovered a way to bind small scallops into thick, chewy medal- 

 lions without heating or freezing the meat. As a result, North 

 Carolina seafood processors have a new way to sell scallops that 

 were previously too small to market successfully. 



Nineteen new projects were funded this spring, and more 

 money will be available later this summer for another round of 

 proposals. 



The Fishery Resource Grant Program has become a model for 

 other states. It offers a positive way for people to contribute to issues 

 they care about. And, perhaps more importantly, it lets people claim 

 their stake in the future of the coast. 



Also in this issue of Coastwatch, read how others have staked a 

 claim to their coastal past. 



Julie Ann Powers tours the 82-year-old Mattamuskeet Lodge. 

 After sitting empty and decaying for two decades, the lodge is 

 being renovated into a university research field station and 

 environmental education center. Odile Fredericks profiles Karen 

 Willis Amspacher, a proud preserver of Harkers Island's vanishing 

 heritage. Amspacher has galvanized support for a museum in the 

 most unlikely of places — a rugged swamp island. And David 

 Cecelski chronicles the great guano fertilizer boom that built the 

 small coastal town of Navassa. Even the most humble places can 

 have grand histories. 



Brooks Preik rounds out the issue with a look at coastal 

 waterfront property. It's some of the most scenic real estate in 

 North Carolina, but the hazards should be considered by anyone 

 thinking about making a purchase. Erosion and storm damage are a 

 fact of life, and the more information people have about these risks, 

 the better able they are to decide what is right for them. 



From shoreline erosion to seafood technology, Sea Grant and 

 Coastwatch supply the latest and best information to help people 

 make responsible decisions about their coastal resources. ® 



Jeannie Norris Daun Daemon 



Contributors 



Writers: 



Debbi Sykes Braswell • David Cecelski • Daun Daemon • Odile Fredericks 

 Kathy Hart • Jeannie Faris Norris • Julie Ann Powers • Brooks Preik 



Photographers: 



Joel Arrington • Herman Lankford • Jeannie Faris Norris • Spencer Rogers • Ken Taylor • Scott D. Taylor 



