Local advisory committees for seven coastal reserves will meet in November. The meetings are open to the public.
- The Buckridge Reserve Local Advisory Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Nov. 1 at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, 205 South Ludington St. in Columbia.
- The Buxton Woods Reserve Local Advisory Committee will meet at 1 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Buxton Volunteer Fire Department, 48103 N.C. Highway 12 in Buxton.
- The Permuda Island Reserve Local Advisory Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Nov. 8 at the North Topsail Beach City Hall, 2008 Loggerhead Court in North Topsail Beach.
- The Zeke’s Island Reserve Local Advisory Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Nov. 8 at the Fort Fisher Recreation Area Education Room, 1000 Loggerhead Road in Kure Beach.
- The Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve Local Advisory Committee will meet at 1 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Kitty Hawk Town Hall, 101 Veterans Memorial Drive in Kitty Hawk.
- The Bald Head Woods Reserve Local Advisory Committee will meet at 1 p.m. Nov.14 at the Bald Head Island Conservancy Auditorium at 700 Federal Road on Bald Head Island.
- The Rachel Carson Reserve Local Advisory Committee will meet at 4 p.m. Nov. 14 at the NOAA Beaufort Lab, Administration Building, 101 Pivers Island Road in Beaufort.
The committees consist of citizens and representatives from community organizations, government agencies and non-governmental partner organizations who provide the Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve staff with guidance and feedback regarding program activities and management of the reserve sites.
The division will seek applications from citizens and community organizations in January 2018 to fill vacancies on the local advisory committees. Citizens and community organizations serve five-year terms and bring knowledge and experience representing relevant topical areas, based on the needs and uses at each site. These topical areas may include: education, research, commercial use, recreational use, traditional uses such as hunting and fishing, neighboring property owners, citizen at large, volunteer, and non-profit community organization or interest group. Potential applicants are encouraged to attend the fall 2017 meeting for their reserve site of interest to learn more about how the committees operate. Additional information about the local advisory committees is available on the division’s website at: http://www.nccoastalreserve.net/web/crp/local-advisory-committees1.
The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve Program protects natural areas for education, research and compatible traditional uses. Since its creation in 1989, the program has preserved more than 42,000 acres of unique coastal environments at 10 sites along the coast.
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