and Robert Buerger, biologists at UNC- 

 Wilmington, have been using computers 

 to record the consequences of human 

 impact on the island. To perform their 

 research, the two take nothing to the 

 island but their laptop computers and a 

 camera. 



"The goal of the Sea Grant research 

 is to establish a data base of biological, 

 chemical and physical aspects of 

 Masonboro Island," says Taggart. "If 

 we have a good background of data, 

 then researchers who work on specific 

 projects will already have that to work 

 with." 



Today there are few limitations on 

 what you or I can do on Masonboro 

 Island. There are a few standard 

 regulations — don't use the island 

 markers for target shooting, don't pull 

 up plants, don't disturb anyone's 

 research project. But these rules hardly 

 interfere with enjoyment. People still 

 swim, fish, watch birds, collect shells, 

 surf, camp, sail and even hunt. 



Yet the lack of public restrictions 

 may be a problem for Masonboro 



Walter Bateman drops in. 



m because 



Masonboro Island 

 is uninhabited, 

 many critters are 

 attracted to its solitude. 

 Peregrine falcons 

 have been reported 

 as seasonal visitors. 

 Brown pelicans are 

 common, frequently 

 seen feeding and 

 flying near the island. 

 In the spring, large 

 colonies of terns and 

 other shorebirds seek 

 its isolation for nesting. 

 In summer, female 

 loggerhead turtles 

 drag their hefty bodies 

 ashore to lay eggs 

 along island beaches. 



at reserve sites. He reviews research 

 results and reports them to NOAA. 



The three also formulate a manage- 

 ment plan, which involves assembling a 

 local advisory committee that represents 

 a cross section of Masonboro Island 

 users. 



"To have Masonboro Island as a 

 remnant of the original coast is impor- 

 tant," says Taggart. "People can enjoy 

 seeing what North Carolina is in its most 

 natural context." 



Yet the intent of the reserve system 

 is to preserve estuaries as research sites. 

 "It's a wonderful, wonderful laboratory 

 for scientists and researchers," McPhaul 

 says. 



But McPhaul doesn't have to 

 advertise the island's value to the 

 research community. Scientists from 

 Rutgers University in New Jersey are 

 using the reserve to study treated wood 

 and its contribution to water pollution. 

 Graduate students and professors from 

 the nearby University of North Carolina 

 at Wilmington are regulars on the island. 



Sea Grant researchers Jeffery Hill 



8 MARCH/APRIL 1995 



