Coastwatch 



Senior Editors 

 Daun Daemon 

 Jeannie Faris Norris 



Contributing Editor 

 Debbi Sykes Braswell 



Designer 

 Linda 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 1 2-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 

 bimonthly, six times a year, for $15 by the 

 North Carolina Sea Grant College Program, 

 Box 8605, North Carolina State University, 

 Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8605. 

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

 E-mail: faris ©unity .ncsu.edu or 

 ddaemon@unity.ncsu.edu. 

 World Wide Web address: 

 http://www2.ncsu.edu/sea_grant/seagrant.html. 

 Periodical Postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 



POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 



Coastwatch, North Carolina Sea Grant, 

 Box 8605, North Carolina State University, 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. 



Front cover and 

 table of contents photos 

 of "the Point" at Cape Hatteras 

 by Scott D. Taylor. 



Printed on recycled paper. © 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Wings Over Water 



Eastern 

 North Carolina 

 is a naturalist's 

 paradise, and the 

 bird-watchers who 

 travel there do 

 more than identify 

 birds with their 

 binoculars — they 

 stay in hotels, eat at 



restaurants, go shopping and visit tourist 

 attractions. 



This fall, when bird-watchers from 

 around the country converge on the coast 

 for the Wings Over Water Festival Nov. 6- 

 8, Sea Grant's Jack Thigpen will be there 

 to study them and their habits. Thigpen, a 

 coastal tourism and recreation specialist in 

 Nags Head, will survey the folks attending 

 the event to find out who they are and how 

 they spend their money while in the area. 



A common misconception about 

 birders is that they are wealthy fanatics 

 with deep-seated desires to add to their life 

 lists. But studies show that this type of 

 birder comprises only a small percentage 

 of bird-watchers. Many simply enjoy 

 viewing birds in their natural habitats. 



And no matter who they are, they 

 spend money to pursue their hobby. Some 

 estimates indicate that birders pump 

 billions of dollars into the national 

 economy. The impact on local economies 

 can be significant as well. Once communi- 









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ties and businesses 

 understand the 

 kinds of birders 

 who visit their 

 areas and how 

 they spend their 

 money, they can 

 develop more 

 effective market- 

 ing strategies, 

 Thigpen says. His study of the participants 

 in Wings Over Water is intended to help 

 coastal businesses do just that. 



'This information will be useful for 

 planning and marketing next year's event 

 and will demonstrate the economic impact 

 of birders," Thigpen says. "And other 

 communities will find the information 

 useful as well." 



Watch for Thigpen' s results in a future 

 issue of Coastwatch. 



The event-packed festival — 

 sponsored by the Dare County Tourist 

 Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

 Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society and the 

 Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce — 

 will include more than 100 workshops, 

 field trips and seminars. Participants can 

 take a ferry to Ocracoke Island, climb 

 Jockey's Ridge, canoe a salt marsh and 

 more. For registration information, 

 contact the Dare County Tourist Bureau 

 at 1-800/446-6262 or send e-mail to 

 dctb-info@outer-banks.com. □ — D.D. 



In the Next Issue of Coastwatch 



Last December, the Food and Drug Administration began enforcing a 

 seafood safety regulation designed to protect the nation's supply of shrimp, 

 crabs, fish and other coastal favorites. How have North Carolina processors 

 and dealers fared under this regulation? Debbi Sykes Braswell investigates. 



Also, Wilmington resident Rowan LeCompte takes stained glass art to 

 new heights. He talks to Odile Fredericks about his creations, which can be 

 found from coastal North Carolina to the Washington National Cathedral. 



Finally, Julie Ann Powers visits Feather Phillips at Pocosin Arts, an 

 educational organization that connects culture to the environment through 

 native art. □ 



2 AUTUMN 1998 



