The North Carolina Coastal Federation could use some extra help this week with living shoreline maintenance work and collecting marine debris at Carolina Beach State Park.
The living shoreline maintenance and debris cleanup is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Friday. Registration for the event is required and can be made online.
Sponsor Spotlight
Living shorelines help improve water quality, Protects oyster populations, and restores the natural and productive estuarine shoreline, according to the nonprofit organization.
Marine debris can be anything from bottle caps and balloons to lost fishing gear. Not only is it unsightly, it is hazardous to fish, wildlife and humans.
Volunteers collecting the marine debris will also be asked to record what and how much litter they collect to identify the sources of debris and focus educational efforts.
Coastal Education Coordinator Bonnie Mitchell said in a statement that the federation is beyond grateful for the support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marine debris program, and through state-appropriated funding from North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, which funds the work.
“Due to the pandemic, we have not hosted a public volunteer event at Carolina Beach State Park since 2019, so we are really excited to be back at this site conducting much-needed marine debris removal and living shoreline maintenance with our team of amazing volunteers,” Mitchell, event organizer, said. “Not only does this living shoreline protect the shoreline from erosion, but it also helps to absorb and filter stormwater runoff, provides important habitat to commercially and recreationally important fish, and promotes the growth of new oysters.”
Sponsor Spotlight
The North Carolina Coastal Federation is a nonprofit membership organization that has worked since 1982 to keep the coast of North Carolina a great place to live, work and play. The federation publishes Coastal Review.
