rebounded, according to a CWMTF report. 

 Hydrocarbons in sediments decreased nearly 

 70 percent, total nitrogen has been reduced, and 

 fecal coliform levels have been significantly 

 reduced. 



Donovan-Potts says that the project also 

 succeeded in restoring dissolved oxygen levels 

 in Wilson Bay from zero to near normal levels. 



As a result, the WBI has 

 maintained a bottom community since 

 Spring 2001 and has achieved a higher 

 diversity offish and waterfowl. 



"We reopened the river and the 

 bay to recreational and commercial 

 uses in 2001 — what was closed for 10 

 years we reopened in two," she says. 



Students gain hands-on 

 experience through activities — 

 ranging from wetlands restoration 

 to water quality monitoring and 

 even leadership development. 

 In time, many become 

 volunteer teachers. 



The synergy of the Wilson Bay 

 project has attracted about $6 million 

 dollars in grants from various sources. 



Both Hargett and Donovan-Potts 

 attest that much of the overwhelming 

 response reflected in funding, com- 

 munity participation and local media 

 attention can be attributed to the 

 undeniable success of the project. 



However, before there were suc- 

 cesses with WBI, the city and its many 

 partners took a science-based leap of 

 faith. "You have to believe in the pos- 

 sibility," says Donovan-Potts. 



An extra $4.2 million from 

 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will help 

 keep the bay clean in the future by focusing on 

 wetland restoration and storm water management 

 in the area. 



"We're addressing stormwater runoff from 

 all of the neighborhoods that border Wilson Bay 

 and this portion of the river," says Donovan- 

 Potts. Twenty-seven projects in these neighbor- 

 hoods will filter, reroute and change stormwater 

 flow through use of bioswales, rain gardens and 



other options to filter the water before it makes 

 its way to the bay or river. 



Donovan-Potts was hired as the field 

 coordinator for the Jacksonville water quality 

 initiative along with technician Dubois. Their 

 duties are ever increasing as the WBI continues 

 to grow and spawn new projects. 



"The lessons learned in Wilson Bay's 



we'd like to see them return," says Donovan- 

 Potts. However, because this species is endan- 

 gered, a full return is unlikely, she adds. 



But it's not just about the symbolic stur- 

 geon. Donovan-Potts hopes that, if anything, 

 her students will take home the message that 

 "with privilege comes responsibility." 



This sense of stewardship is encouraged 



LEFT: Oysters and other bivalves provide filtration as part of the Wilson Bay restoration. 

 RIGHT: The view of a growing Wilson Bay from the 27-foot biotower will remain a steadfast feature of 

 Sturgeon City post construction. 



rapid recovery should encourage restoration 

 projects around the state," adds North Carolina 

 Sea Grant Director Ronald Hodson. 



STURGEON CITY VISION 



Sturgeons are the ghosts of Wilson Bay. 

 Once swimming right up to the shore to feed, 

 sturgeons now are nonexistent in the New River 

 and endangered throughout their range. 



"Sturgeons are indigenous to the river, and 



after school, on weekends and over summer 

 through an array of environmental educational 

 programs — Wilson Bay Keepers, Science 

 Explorers and seven Sturgeon City Institutes. 

 Students gain hands-on experience through 

 activities, ranging from wetlands restoration to 

 water quality monitoring and even leadership 

 development. In time, many become volunteer 

 teachers. 



Kira Alsop, an eighth grader recruited 



10 HIGH SEASON 2004 



