The North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve will hold its fall local advisory committee meetings from November 5 to November 18 at various reserve sites. The meetings are open to the public, with locations and times set for each site.
The schedule includes in-person gatherings at places such as the Fessenden Center in Buxton for the Buxton Woods Reserve on November 5, and a new location for the Rachel Carson Reserve meeting at The Beaufort Train Depot on November 6. Some meetings, like the Bird Island Reserve session on November 6, will be held virtually. Other sites hosting meetings include Zeke’s Island Reserve, Bald Head Woods Reserve, Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve, Currituck Banks Reserve, Masonboro Island Reserve, Permuda Island Reserve, and Emily & Richardson Preyer Buckridge Reserve.
Local advisory committees are made up of residents and representatives from community organizations, government agencies, and non-governmental partner organizations. These committees provide guidance and feedback to staff from the Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve about program activities and management of reserve sites.
According to the press release: “The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, a division of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, works to protect, conserve and manage North Carolina’s coastal resources in the 20 coastal counties. The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve Program protects natural areas for education, research, and compatible traditional uses. Since its creation in 1989, the program has preserved more than 44,000 acres of unique coastal environments at 10 sites along the coast.”
The series of meetings offers an opportunity for community members to engage with ongoing efforts aimed at conserving North Carolina’s coastal environments.
