FROM THE EDITOR 



Life-Saving Message 



Some Mondays, many of us would rather not venture into an 

 overloaded e-mail inbox. 



But one Monday in August, I was thrilled to get a message that 

 was shared by Mary Doll, chief of interpretation for the Outer Banks 

 Group of the National Park Service. 



Pierre Berland and his family from Quebec had been visiting 

 Cape Hatteras National Seashore one Saturday. They thought the "Shell 

 Bingo" program, led by park staff, would be fun for the youngsters. 



"At the beginning of the activity, Eric gave to us information about 

 the rip currents," Pierre wrote in an e-mail, noting that this was the first 

 he had heard about rip currents. 



The following Thursday, his 7-year-old daughter got caught in a rip 

 current while playing in the surf near Buxton. There were no lifeguards 

 on duty at the time. 



"Because of the information given by Eric, I identified the rip," he 

 explains, noting that he knew that once he reached the girl, they could 

 swim parallel to the beach to escape its grip. Then he went back and 

 saved another girl who was visiting from Louisiana. 



Pierre can testify that rip currents are "dangerous, very dangerous" 

 —and that simple lessons save lives. 



He credits Eric and all who developed and continue to share the rip 

 current safety information. "Continue your excellent job." 



The Park Service has an added focus on safety this year. 



"I made it a standard for rip current information to be provided at 

 the beginning of our interpretive programs this year, regardless of the 

 park or the topic of the program," Mary explains. 



Sea Grant and the National Weather Service have worked with 



IN THIS ISSUE 



Contributing Writers: 

 Kathleen Angione a Ann Green □ Jamie Harris 

 E-Ching Lee a Katie Mosher 



Contributing Photographers: 

 Wendy Allen a NateBacheler KenBlevins ° Tim Cole 

 Chuck Gresham John Hackney ° Michael Halminski 

 DaveHeithaus Daniel Kim a Wayne Hoggard 

 Jamie Moncrief □ Paula Ouder Spencer Rogers 

 NormShafer □ Dale Suiter □ Scott Taylor a Nancy Voiland 



North Carolina's diverse coast offers countless interestingsubjects. 

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

 including Nags Head, Morehead City and Raleigh. 



the Park Service and Dare County Emergency Management over the 

 years to increase beach safety. Efforts this year included the addition 

 of 42 new "Break the Grip of the Rip" signs, along with thousands of 

 brochures. 



Some of those signs in the Salvo area were the special project of 

 Ralph Osborn, as a memorial to a family friend from Maryland who 

 died in a rip current on Hatteras Island in 2005. 



Not only did Ralph purchase signs and work with Doug Murphy 

 of the Park Service to get them posted, but he also encouraged a realty 

 company to use brochures and magnets, and he suggested a rip current 

 story in Carolina Country magazine sent to all electrical cooperative 

 members in the state. 



Ralph got a printer involved and together they worked with the 

 National Weather Service, which approved "Break the Grip" stickers for 

 vehicle bumpers and surfboards. 



In all, Ralph's mission is to make visitors aware of the power of the 

 ocean along with its beauty. Mary Doll agrees. 



"We do the best that we can to make sure that every family that 

 visits our parks goes back home whole." 



\Natch future issues o/Coastwatch for news on a survey by 

 researchers at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to assess 

 the impact of education efforts by the New Hanover County Rip Current 

 Awareness Strategies Team. Known as RCAST, the group includes a 

 variety of individuals and agencies — all committed to beach safety. 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



