Saving North Carolina’s Salt Marshes

The Coastal Federation and its partners have recently launched the North Carolina Salt Marsh Action Plan. This comprehensive strategy is designed to bring together the efforts of various groups throughout the state to safeguard, restore, and facilitate the migration of thousands of acres of salt marshes. 

This five-year plan’s ultimate goal is to ensure this precious natural resource’s continued growth and prosperity. Salt marshes are vital habitats for fish, they help to improve water quality, and they play a crucial role in protecting coastal communities from flooding. Furthermore, healthy marshes are effective in storing significant amounts of carbon, which helps to prevent its release into the environment which helps with our climate resiliency. 

The plan encourages collaboration between local, state, and federal stakeholders from academia, governmental agencies, communities, and other organizations. It prioritizes actions and optimizes the use of available resources within North Carolina. It also complements other initiatives aimed at protecting the coastal environment. It includes strategies and recommendations to increase carbon sequestration and the resilience of coastal habitats and communities in North Carolina.

Read the Full NC Salt Marsh Action Plan!

Realtors Give Back

Recently the Federation joined real estate professionals at the Low Impact Development Basics for Water Quality Protection workshop hosted by NC Coastal Reserve and Cape Fear Realtors. Our southeast educator presented to the group ways to use Smart Yard techniques to enhance property values. In addition, they learned about the value of wetlands, cost-share programs, oyster shell recycling, and more. 

After the 2-day workshop, the Federation’s team hosted volunteers for the Cape Fear Realtors Give-Back Program. On Arbor Day, volunteers took part in a living shoreline monitoring event at Carolina Beach State Park. The real estate professionals gained hands-on experience with living shorelines, water quality protection measures, oyster shell recycling, and marine debris removal efforts.

Are you interested in creating your own Smart Yard? Check out our DIY guide!

Coastal Specialist Georgia Busch works with a group of volunteers who are doing water quality testing.

Kenan Climate Leaders Visit the Coast

This month we had the opportunity to work with the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology, and Science’s (KIETS) Climate Leaders Program at NC State University.

Students learned about our community engagement efforts and then we headed outdoors to take part in a shoreline cleanup at Fort Macon State Park. Park Rangers as well as our partners at Carteret County’s Litter Free Land & Sea also joined in on the work!

We love working with groups like KIETS whose program is designed to create strong partnerships among students, faculty mentors, and internship hosts while working together to develop solutions for mitigating and adapting to climate change impacts.

These students blew us away with their hard work out in the marsh. In just a few hours they were able to find and remove about 1,300 pounds of marine debris from the park! We’d also like to thank NOAA’s Marine Debris program for supporting this cleanup effort.

A Park Ranger at Fort Macon State Park holds up a piece of marine debris found during a clean up.

King Mack and the Blues are Running

If you’re looking for a fun-filled musical event to attend, let us tell you about the Coastal Cohorts’ upcoming show! “King Mackerel & the Blues Are Running” is returning to Carteret County from May 23-26, 2024. 

This four-day celebration of music and storytelling will take place at the Joslyn Hall at Carteret Community College. The Cohorts are thrilled to be back on stage in Eastern Carolina, working together and entertaining their fans once again. “This is the best! Doing King Mackerel again with our longtime Core Sound friends, right where we first teamed up in Joslyn Hall,” said lead composer and guitarist Jim Wann, who is also known for the Tony-nominated and international musical hit “Pump Boys & Dinettes.” 

By attending one of their shows, you’ll not only have a great time but also support two great organizations – the Coastal Federation and the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. 

Tickets are selling fast so don’t wait, and grab yours now and get ready to enjoy an unforgettable musical experience! Visit our website to purchase your tickets today!

You can get your tickets, here.

An image of the band King Mackerel and the Blues are Running preforming on stage

Join Us for the Pelican Awards and Taste of the Coast Celebration

It’s time to mark your calendars for two great events, our annual Pelican Awards and Taste of the Coast celebration which will both take place on Saturday,  August 3, 2024, in Morehead City. 

Each year we like to take a moment and celebrate a handful of exceptional coastal stewards for their hard work and dedication to our beautiful coast. Join us at Joslyn Hall on the Carteret Community College campus for this special Pelican Awards. This is a free event, but seating is limited and pre-registration is required.

But the fun won’t stop at just the awards ceremony, following the event we’ll be welcoming guests at the Crystal Coast Civic Center for our Taste of the Coast celebration. 

There will be live music, a silent auction, incredible food including local oysters, and drinks, this is a coastal celebration you can’t miss! 

Get Your Tickets for both events today!

Support a Cleaner Coast!

Marine debris is a terrible problem on our coast, impacting habitat, wildlife, and public spaces. Your support will allow us to continue to remove huge amounts of marine debris from our coast and work strategically to prevent new debris through public awareness campaigns and by advocating for better construction practices for docks and piers.

Our marine debris clean-up efforts remove hundreds of tons of debris each year through volunteer clean-ups, collection of lost crab pots, removal of abandoned vessels, and the hard work of contracted teams working tirelessly up and down our coast. 

You can watch this short video below of one of those teams, led by Joe Huie, and make your gift to support this work today!

Give Today!

Federation In the News

Here is a look at some of the latest news  featuring the Federation: