A Successful Evening at the Coast

Earlier this month, we had the privilege of recognizing a group of outstanding individuals, businesses, agencies, and organizations who have shown exceptional dedication to the protection and restoration of our coast. At our Aug. 3 Pelican Awards ceremony, we presented 13 awards to those who truly embody the spirit of Working together for a Healthy Coast.

During the event, we also bestowed a lifetime achievement award to Todd Miller, the Coastal Federation’s founding executive director, in recognition of his exceptional leadership and dedication to coastal protection and restoration. At the ceremony, Todd was also presented with the Governor’s  Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award. 

We invite you to check out the latest edition of Our Coast to learn more about the Pelican Award winners and their contributions to the coast. Following the Pelican Awards, we hosted the 2024 Taste of the Coast Celebration, which was a wonderful evening filled with good friends and fantastic seafood. 

We extend a huge thank you to everyone who attended, our vendors, oyster growers, and event sponsors. Your support enables us to continue our important work to enhance water quality, revive oyster populations, safeguard salt marsh habitats, and tackle marine debris.

An Oyster’s Journey

The Coastal Federation is working to restore wild oyster populations by recycling oyster shells and putting those shells back into the water. It’s a critical step in ensuring North Carolina’s coastal ecology and economy thrive. 

Our shell recycling partners are a crucial part of the Federation’s recycling efforts, and there are several resources available to help support shell recycling.

If you’d like to take a closer look at how recycled oyster shells are paving the way for the next generation of oysters and learn a bit more about how some of the oysters at your favorite local restaurants end up on your plate check out the video below!

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#WadeIn to Estuaries Week

Next month we’ll be gearing up to celebrate National Estuaries Week, on Sept. 21-28th. The goal of this week is to increase public awareness of estuaries and to encourage people to become involved in their protection and restoration. 

An estuary is an area at the end of a river between land and the ocean. In estuaries, fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from the ocean, creating water that we call brackish. These areas are vital for several reasons. They provide habitat for many fish, shellfish, mammals, and birds. Estuaries are also home to nearly 75% of the fish and shellfish we eat! 

But that’s not all, estuaries protect the coast, acting as a buffer from flooding and storm surge, and estuaries can soak up excess water. They are also important for their economic value and benefit the fisheries and tourism industries.

In short, we LOVE estuaries and we hope you’ll join us in September as we celebrate.  Staff from our northeast office will be at Day at the Docks in Hatteras Village on Sept. 14, our central office team will be at National Estuaries & Coastal Awareness Day at the Olde Beaufort Farmers Market on Saturday, Sept. 28th, and you can find staff from our southeast office at our Coastal Ambassadors meeting on Sept. 26th. We are planning even more events as part of the week-long celebration so be sure to keep an eye on our events calendar.

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