Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_8 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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and Robert Buerger, biologists at UNC- Wilmington, have been using computers to record the consequences of human impact on the island. To perform their research, the two take nothing to the island but their laptop computers and a camera. "The goal of the Sea Grant research is to establish a data base of biological, chemical and physical aspects of Masonboro Island," says Taggart. "If we have a good background of data, then researchers who work on specific projects will already have that to work with." Today there are few limitations on what you or I can do on Masonboro Island. There are a few standard regulations — don't use the island markers for target shooting, don't pull up plants, don't disturb anyone's research project. But these rules hardly interfere with enjoyment. People still swim, fish, watch birds, collect shells, surf, camp, sail and even hunt. Yet the lack of public restrictions may be a problem for Masonboro
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Walter Bateman drops in. m because Masonboro Island is uninhabited, many critters are attracted to its solitude. Peregrine falcons have been reported as seasonal visitors. Brown pelicans are common, frequently seen feeding and flying near the island. In the spring, large colonies of terns and other shorebirds seek its isolation for nesting. In summer, female loggerhead turtles drag their hefty bodies ashore to lay eggs along island beaches. at reserve sites. He reviews research results and reports them to NOAA. The three also formulate a manage- ment plan, which involves assembling a local advisory committee that represents a cross section of Masonboro Island users. "To have Masonboro Island as a remnant of the original coast is impor- tant," says Taggart. "People can enjoy seeing what North Carolina is in its most natural context." Yet the intent of the reserve system is to preserve estuaries as research sites. "It's a wonderful, wonderful laboratory for scientists and researchers," McPhaul says. But McPhaul doesn't have to advertise the island's value to the research community. Scientists from Rutgers University in New Jersey are using the reserve to study treated wood and its contribution to water pollution. Graduate students and professors from the nearby University of North Carolina at Wilmington are regulars on the island. Sea Grant researchers Jeffery Hill 8 MARCH/APRIL 1995

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