Thirteen local realtors joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation at Carolina Beach State Park for living shoreline maintenance and a shoreline cleanup on April 4 for Realtor Action Day, a large volunteer event organized by Cape Fear Realtors.

The volunteers planted marsh grass that will protect the shoreline from erosion. Photo by Cape Fear Realtors.

They helped straighten oyster bags on a reef that was displaced by Hurricane Matthew last fall. They also place 50 more bags of oysters on the reef for stabilization and planted spartina alterniflora behind the reef. This living shoreline will protect the shoreline from erosion while creating and maintaining important salt marsh habitats.

After the bags were set and marsh grasses were planted, volunteers walked along the shoreline to pick up trash.

The 2017 event marked the third year of Realtor Action Day.

“Realtor Action Day was started in 2015 as an effort of members to corporately make a difference in the community as a group,” said Shane Johnson, chief operating officer of Cape Fear Realtors. “Many of our members are involved throughout the year, but wanted to link arms together through community involvement.”

Patrick LaJeunesse, director of marketing & communications for Cape Fear Realtors, said the event, which was accompanied by “perfect spring weather,” was very successful. Over 520 realtors participated in 21 projects in the Wilmington, Carolina Beach and Topsail regions.

A big thank you to the 13 volunteers who joined us. Photo by Cape Fear Realtors.

This was the second year that the federation hosted a group at Carolina Beach State Park for Realtor Action Day. The federation is thankful for the help of Cape Fear Realtors and their commitment to performing community service in the region.

“We’re really grateful to have been part of Realtor Action Day these past two years,” said Jessica Gray, coastal outreach associate for the federation’s Wrightsville Beach office. “We appreciate the labor volunteers provide to maintain our restoration projects, but we also hope they learn about the benefits of living shorelines and pass that information along to their clients.”

To learn more about how to get involved with the federation as a volunteer, visit nccoast.org/volunteer.