Northeast Region

Baskets of oyster shells, left, are transported to a dock on Ocracoke where commercial fisherman like Andy Oneal took them into Pamlico Sound near the island to build an oyster reef.

Commercial Fishermen Begin to Build Oyster Reefs in Hyde County

Several commercial fishermen Hyde County have begun distributing 3,000 bushels of oyster shells in Pamlico Sound behind Ocracoke to build habitat and supplement their income. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will pay the fishermen $2 a bushel to distribute the shells as part of the federation’s $5 million federal economic recovery grant. The grant also included building two large oyster reefs covering 48 acres in Pamlico Sound. That work was completed in May. The project has so far created about 135 jobs...read more

• Stimulus photo gallery on Facebook

Kill Devil Hills Students Pitch In at Jockey's Ridge

Middle-school and high-school students in Kill Devil Hills got sandy and sweaty to help us with shoreline restoration work at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head. Sixty eighth-graders took their end of the year field trip to the park, as one of the last events of the federation's Student Wetland Nursery Program. All four science classes worked to help us plant marsh grasses along the shoreline. They planted a tray of seedlings that they had grown in their classrooms. The students worked for a couple hours planting and then enjoyed seining and identifying plants and animals before heading back to school.

Football players from First Flight High School helped build an oyster sill, a small wall in the water made from oyster shells. About 35 players worked for just under 2 hours, helping us build 200 feet of sill on the sound side of the park.

• More on our project at Jockey's Ridge

Regional Calendar: Discover the Creatures of the Pamlico

Join a National Park Service Ranger and a federation educator and discover the wonders of Pamlico Sound every Wednesday, starting June 2 until Sept. 1. We’ll use a seine net and walk through shallow water to catch, identify and release the creatures living there. Park in the far end of the lot at the Oregon Inlet Marina, and we’ll meet in the parking lot at 2:30 p.m. Be sure to wear wading shoes. Contact Cape Hatteras National Seashore 252-473-2111. See our Regional Calendar for other ways you can get involved with our work along the northeast coast.

Our Wish List

Totes, knee boots and a vacuum cleaner are just a few of the things we need in our office in Manteo. Check our Northeast Region Wish List for stuff you might have in the attic or garage that we might need.

Current Projects

Advocacy

Duke Energy Has Plan for Wind Energy Duke Energy has compiled a map of potential routes for bringing a transmission cable ashore on Hatteras Island from its proposed wind energy study site in Pamlico Sound. The utility hopes to build up to three wind turbines about seven miles off the Avon… read more

Education & Restoration

	Helping the Long Shoal River The federation, engineers from N.C. State University and landowners in northeast Hyde are working to restore the area’s natural hydrology. This will reduce agricultural runoff and improve habitat and water quality along the Long Shoal River... read more Read press release
	Brochure Highlights Regional Restoration Work Our regional staff has produced a handy brochure that highlights our restoration work along the northeast coast. You can read about our work with farmers in Hyde County, our oyster projects in Pamlico Sound and the marsh we're helping create at Jockey's Ridge State Park. Download brochure

Low-Impact Development

Federation, Manteo Team Up on Stormwater The N.C. Coastal Federation and Manteo officials are working together to try and control polluted stormwater. We helped the town get a grant to build a park to control runoff and fashion tools that will encourage low-impact development… read more

Our Mission

To provide citizens and groups with the assistance needed to take an active role in the stewardship of North Carolina’s coastal water quality and natural resources.

Who we are: The N.C. Coastal Federation is the state's only non-profit organization focused exclusively on protecting and restoring the coast of North Carolina through education, advocacy, and habitat preservation and restoration. Our professional staff of 18 works out of three offices along the N.C. coast:

• Northeast Region – Manteo
• Central Region ­– Ocean
• Southeast Region – Wilmington

About the Region

It’s the heaving Atlantic surf and the quiet black water of juniper swamps. It encompasses the clam beds of Cape Hatteras and the traditional shad and herring runs of the western Albemarle Sound. The territory covered by Northeast Region runs along the Atlantic seaboard from the Virginia state line to the southern tip of Ocracoke Island and west up the Albemarle and northern Pamlico sounds. Within those thousands of square miles of shoreline are some of the state’s most diverse and threatened aquatic systems.

About Our Regional Staff

The N.C. Coastal Federation has three full-time professional staff working in our Northeast Region:

• Jan DeBlieu, an author and longtime resident of the Outer Banks, is the regional Coastal Advocate and directs the Northeast regional staff. [ Email ]
• Erin Fleckenstein is the region’s Coastal Scientist and works to restore threatened coastal habitats, such as wetlands and oyster reefs. [ Email ]
• Sara Hallas is the region’s Coastal Education Coordinator and works with other staff members recruit volunteers and educate children and adults about the coastal environment. [ Email ]

The staff works out of our office at 128 Grenville St. in Manteo. [ Map ]

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• Northeast Region:

• Advocacy
• Low-Impact Development
• Preservation
• Restoration/Education