In late July, the North Carolina Coastal Federation worked with two education-based groups on living shorelines and a shoreline cleanup. The students also learned more about estuaries and the importance of coastal stewardship.

“We love working with students to do service projects and teach about coastal stewardship,” said Rachel Bisesi, coastal education coordinator at the Ocean office. “Both groups did a great job helping protect or clean the shorelines, and we had a wonderful time exploring the estuary.”

EnviroKids, a group based out of Raleigh, joined the federation’s Ocean staff for a living shoreline workday in the White Oak River. These students helped place bags of recycled oyster shells, which help mitigate shoreline erosion while providing habitat.

EnviroKids is an eight-week camp for underserved youth in the Raleigh area. Through the camp, students from the upper grades of elementary school through high school learn more about the environment and STEM fields. They go on field trips where they get to see STEM work in action and even participate themselves.

Sixteen students spent a day with the federation learning about coastal wetland ecology.

With students from The Bridge Downeast, Ocean office staff cleaned up a shoreline and conducted a lesson on estuaries.

The Bridge Downeast is a nonprofit group based in Harkers Island that provides tutoring services and educational activities for local children. It offers after-school and summer programs, and it is open on the weekends.

Fifteen students helped clear out debris from a shoreline by the Harkers Island Bridge.

Click to enlarge photos from the workdays.