FROM THE EDITOR 



A Busy Season 



I he holiday season is upon us, but there is still plenty of work to 

 be done as 2006 ends, and 2007 arrives. 



The 21 members of the state's Waterfront Access Study 

 Committee, along with staff from North Carolina Sea Grant and the 

 N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center, are working 

 toward a draft report that will be the focus of meetings along the coast in 

 February and/or March. 



The committee will meet Nov. 20 at the N.C. Aquarium at 

 Pine Knoll Shores. Check the "Coastal Tidings" item on page 5 for 

 information on the meeting. 



Chaired by Sea Grant Executive Director Michael Voiland, 

 the study committee includes: 



• State Sen. Charlie Albertson, Senate cochair, 



Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture 



• State Rep. William Wainwright, House cochair, 



Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture 



• Mac Currin, chair, N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission 



• Courtney Hackney, chair, N.C. Coastal Resources Commission 



• Gordon Myers, division chief, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission 



• Brian Cheuvront, federal aid coordinator, N.C. Division of 

 Marine Fisheries 



• Charles Jones, director, N.C. Division of Coastal Management 



• Neal Lewis, director, New Hanover County Parks and Recreation 

 » Commissioner Allen Burrus, Dare County 



• Mayor Art Schools, Emerald Isle 



• Mayor John Vereen, Oak Island 



• Doug Wakeman, economist, Meredith College 



• Buddy Milliken, The Milliken Company, Brunswick County 



IN THIS ISSUE 



Contributing Writers: 

 Kathleen Angione a Ann Green Q E-ChingLee 

 Katie Mosher n Erin Seiling 



Contributing Photographers: 

 Elaine Logothetis a Jason Talley a Scott Taylor b Erin Whittle 



North Carolina's diverse coast offers countless interestingsubjects. 

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

 including Carteret, Perquimans and Brunswick counties. 



• Julia Wax, Emerald Isle Realty 



• Dave Inscoe, Carteret County Economic Development Council 



• Robin Mann, Paul Mann Custom Boats, Mann's Harbor 



• Hardy Plyler, commercial fisherman, Ocracoke 



• Ernie Foster, The Albatross Fleet, Hatteras 



• Barbara Garrity-Blake, cultural anthropologist/book author, 

 Gloucester 



• Jim Stephenson, policy director, N.C. Coastal Federation 



The N.C. General Assembly established the committee earlier this 

 year. For more information, go online to: www.ncseagrant.org/waterfronts. 



The N.C. Coastal Federation's North River Farm project 

 — featured in the Spring 2006 issue of Coastwatch — was honored 

 recently as the 500th project completed through the National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Community-based Restoration 

 Program in partnership with Restore America's Estuaries. 



The celebration drew local, state and national leaders. "This 

 watershed-scale project will have incredible benefits for North Carolina's 

 marine resources," says Timothy Keeney, deputy assistant secretary for 

 oceans and atmosphere in the U.S. Department of Commerce. "NOAA is 

 proud to be a part of this monumental effort." 



Sarah King, who directs restoration activities at the farm, noted the 

 value of the partnerships that leverage resources to complete projects such 

 as North River Farm, cited as the state's largest wetland restoration effort. 



"Together we can improve water quality and habitat in a way we 

 couldn't do alone." 



What better thoughts to close out one year and look forward to 

 the next? 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



