FROM THE EDITOR 



Partners in Beach Safety 



As ! 



; summer swings into full gear, millions will 

 visit North Carolina beaches — and coastlines around the 

 country — to enjoy the sun and surf. 



This year's Beach Safety Week, beginning May 24, 

 includes the launch of a new rip current safety awareness 

 campaign developed through a National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/U.S. Lifesaving 

 Association (USLA) partnership. 



Watch local and national media that week for news 

 stories and a new public service announcement featuring 

 tips on how to '"Break the Grip of the Rip." Also, new 

 national signs, brochures and an updated Web site will give 

 a consistent rip current safety message across the country. 



NOAA partners are the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Re- 

 search, which includes the National Sea Grant College Program; the Sea 

 Grant Network of 30 programs around the country; the National Weather 

 Service; and the National Ocean Service. 



USLA, which represents thousands of lifeguards, provides training 

 and certification programs — and USLA members make many beaches 

 safer places to visit. 



A combined NOAA-USLA safety campaign effort brings together 

 the latest rip current research and forecasting efforts with outreach materi- 

 als, on-the-beach education and, when necessary, rescues. 



Countless additional partner agencies and groups will join the 

 awareness efforts at the state and local level — including beach patrols, 

 media, beach communities, chambers of commerce, hotel/motel associa- 

 tions, homeowner associations, schools and tourist bureaus. 



Personally, I have witnessed similar successful rip current partner- 

 ships in North Carolina, from Currituck to Brunswick counties. 



For example, Wrightsville Beach was among the first 

 towns to join a rip current sign effort led by Sea Grant and 

 the Wilmington NWS office, which is a leader in rip current 

 forecasting. 



Efforts expanded as community leaders added beach 

 flag warning information to new stickers for trash cans along 

 the strand, and requested brochures for all hotel/motel rooms 

 in the county. Soon, Wrightsville Beach hopes to have a full- 

 time, year-round ocean rescue manager — selected through 

 a national search announced through the USLA network. 



I expect the national NOAA-USLA campaign to give 

 added momentum to these and similar partnerships along 

 the East, West and Gulf coasts and the Great Lakes. 

 In addition, I have had the honor of serving on the national NOAA- 

 USLA rip current task force that has developed the new materials and is 

 planning the national news conference to be held Monday, May 24. 



I have worked with a dedicated team of professionals, whose focus 

 on beach safety is unparalleled. These include our own Spencer Rogers, 

 North Carolina Sea Grant's coastal erosion specialist who has worked on 

 rip current safety topics for more than 25 years. He was among the 

 organizers of a rip current science workshop in April. 



Our efforts will be highlighted during Beach Safety Week 2004. 

 The message, I hope, is one that will resound — and save lives — for years 

 to come. 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



PS: Media, teachers, town officials and otliers interested in downlinking 

 the UNC-TV satellite broadcast of the May 24 news conference should 

 check for media advisories to be posted at www.ncseagrant.org. 



N 



THIS 



ISSUE 



Rockingham Caswell Granville 



Contributing Writers: 

 Ann Green Q Katie Mosher ° Pam Smith ° Jason Talley 



Scott Kerrigan 



Contributing Photographers: 

 KenBlevins a Walker Golder 

 Michael Halminski a Steve Meador D David Nash 

 Pam Smith a Scott Taylor ° Roger Winstead 



North Carolina 's diverse coast offers countless interestingsubjects. 

 The large dots on the locator map indicate story settings in this issue — 

 including Dare, Tyrell and Carteret counties, and Frying Pan Shoals. 



