Woolard, Elizabeth Noble and Hankinson prepare to take water samples. Noble and San Juan spend many hours aboard the vessel. Fischer helps to dock 



"The students took several digital 

 photographs that showed SAV beds in various 

 locations along northern Albemarle Sound 

 shorelines," says Elizabeth Noble, director of the 

 ECSU Remote Sensing Lab. 



Preliminary results in Currituck Sound 

 show that the most extensive SAV beds are in 

 and around protected areas such as the Currituck 

 National Wildlife Refuge, she adds. 



State and federal officials will use the data 

 in conjunction with the CHPP and other natural 

 resources planning initiatives. CHPP — which 

 will be presented to the N.C. General Assembly 

 in the 2005 session — will provide protection 

 for a variety of habitats, including wetlands, 

 spawning and nursery areas. 



Salt Marsh Restoration 



ECSU researchers also partnered with the 

 NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat 

 Research in Beaufort to monitor salt marsh 

 restoration sites on the Newport River estuary 

 in Carteret County. Built by the N.C. Coastal 

 Federation, the sites incorporated stone sills and 

 marsh plantings that serve as a natural buffer 

 against wave energy. 



"This was interesting work," says 

 Bazemore. "I had to count and measure a couple 

 of thousand fish, including mullet, pinfish and 

 spot." 



After sampling the restored salt marshes, 

 the team found that finfish, crabs and shrimp 

 frequently utilized the marshes where marsh 

 grass had begun to colonize. 



At the Kitty Hawks Woods Estuarine 

 Research Reserve, students are monitoring the 

 colonization of the invasive reed Phragmites 



australis that grows along roadsides, ditches 

 and dredged areas and forms dense stands that 

 invade wetland communities. 



"Phragmites is a hardy, aggressive 

 colonizer and is challenging to eradicate," says 

 Noble. "Our students are assisting with different 

 techniques to eradicate invasive species, 

 including burning, flooding and spraying with 

 a herbicide. We have found that sometimes a 

 combination of methods work." 



A few miles from the reserve, students 

 also used GPS to conduct vegetation surveys 

 on the effect of development in several zones 

 in Southern Shores. The areas included the fore 

 dune — where sand accumulates above the 

 high tide line — as well as sandy flats behind 

 the fore dune, high dunes behind dune swales, a 

 maritime forest and a marsh. 



"The practice of clear-cutting lots is 

 increasing, and native vegetation is being 

 replaced by non-native landscaping that requires 

 more water and fertilizer," according to Heather 

 Allen, a recent ECSU graduate who worked on 

 the study. 



Vegetation Survey 



Southern Shores residents realized that 

 preserving native vegetation would help keep 

 the town aesthetically pleasing, adds Allen. 



To determine how the town's landowners 

 had used the property, students set up the 

 following categories: unimproved lots that 

 had not been built on and had natural growth; 

 clear-cut lots with significant cleared vegetation; 

 non-native lots with less than 40 percent native 

 vegetation; and native lots that had a house and a 

 lot of native vegetation. 



From December 2003 to January 2004, 

 the ECSU students found 614 unimproved lots, 

 477 non-native lots, 41 clear-cut lots and 1,766 

 native lots. 



This baseline data will help the town 

 of Southern Shores educate residents on the 

 importance and ecological value of native 

 vegetation to their community, says Noble. 

 Also, the information can be used for future 

 planning efforts, ensuring that the town 

 preserves and protects as much vegetation as 

 possible, she adds. 



In the future, GEMS students will 

 continue studying various aspects of the 

 estuarine system in the Albemarle region, 

 including invasive plant species. They also 

 will collaborate with the University of North 

 Carolina Coastal Studies Institute in Manteo. 



To boost enrollment, the department is 

 planning community outreach and science 

 teacher training, says San Juan. A new degree 

 program in earth and environmental sciences, 

 with a minor in secondary education, also is 

 proposed. 



To expand students' opportunities beyond 

 graduation, Noble says they will continue to 

 engage students in hands-on experiences in 

 marine sciences and coastal ecology. 



"The use of remotely sensed data and 

 spatial technologies is an integral part of this 

 effort," she adds. □ 



To find out more about the ECSU 

 Department of Geological, Environmental and 

 Marine Sciences, visit the Web: www.ecsu.edu 

 and follow the links to academic programs. 

 Or call 252/335-3375. 



COASTWATCH 29 



