Topics Related to Coastal Reserve

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will meet Feb. 21 and 22 at the Aloft Wilmington at Coastline Center, 501 Nutt Street, Wilmington. A public comment period is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. on Feb. 22. At the chair’s discretion, comments may be limited to 3 minutes per person. The Coastal Resources Advisory Council (CRAC) will meet Feb. 21 at 10:30 a.m. Following the CRAC meeting DEQ will kick off the 50th Anniversary of the N.C. Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) at 1:30 p.m.

The Coastal Resources Commission has extended the public comment period on several proposed temporary rules until Feb. 22.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has named Tancred Miller as the new director of the Division of Coastal Management (DCM) effective Jan. 29.

The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, a program of the Division of Coastal Management in the Department of Environmental Quality, hosted a stop on the “Discover the N.C. Coastal Reserve” Tour in early December. A guided walking tour of the Sunset Beach boardwalk and nature trail of the Reserve’s southernmost site, Bird Island Reserve, followed remarks by DEQ leadership, local, state and community leaders.

Through a collaborative research project funded in 2022 by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative, a team of researchers is assessing the use of uncrewed aircraft systems or drones for monitoring oyster reefs. This multi-reserve undertaking is the “Collaborative Development Of Novel Remote Sensing Workflows For Assessing Oyster Reef Structural And Demographic Characteristics To Inform Management And Restoration”.

Spread the word! The North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve has four internship positions open. Interested applicants can learn more about the Reserve on our website and our social media channels.

This past summer, the reserve had four outstanding interns. They contributed to our mission and learned a lot along the way. Below they each share a bit of advice or memories from their experience.