Rachel Carson Reserve

10/19/2026

Discover the wonders of Bird Island Reserve with us every 3rd Wednesday, starting this week! Join the Bird Island Stewards for a free guided nature walk to the Kindred Spirit Mailbox—no sign-up needed. See you there!

10/16/2026

On October 12, NC Dept of Environmental Quality educators partnered with NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources Lake Norman State Park to host a State of AWE educator workshop for 32 participants, including classroom teachers and non-formal educators. Participants received resources and hands-on activities to share with their students and other audiences.

Educators from NC Air Awareness, NC's Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources, and Division of Coastal Management led interactive lessons showcasing their areas of expertise. State of AWE (Air, Water & Earth), is a workshop developed by DEQ educators that explores soils and sediments, geology, air quality, water quality, and estuaries.

10/16/2026

CONGRATS to Drs. Madison Lytle, W. Judson Kenworthy, and Jessie Jarvis's on their new paper in "Marine Ecology Progress Series." The paper is one of Lytle's dissertation chapters.

Their research evaluated seasonal temperature and light conditions influence on 'Halodule wrightii' in NC and whether the proposed water clarity target in the 2021 Coastal Habitat Protection Plan amendment will support NC seagrasses.

Results highlight the need to consider seasonal light and temperature interactions when setting water clarity targets to sustain NC seagrass, especially near its biogeographic range limits. Graphic: Melissa D. Smith

UNCW Biology & Marine Biology Department



https://doi.org/10.3354/meps15240

10/11/2026

To celebrate National Estuaries Week last month, we went to the Beaufort farmers market, and a group of volunteers from a local book club participated in a shoreline cleanup at Bird Shoals in the Rachel Carson Reserve. They picked up almost 500 lbs of debris!

The reserve is located inside Beaufort Inlet and is susceptible to accumulating floating debris as the tide and storm surges come in from the ocean. The oddest find was ½ of a porta potty stall that had been adrift for quite a while.

Removing the debris allows foraging and nesting shorebirds to use the entire sandy beach and marsh habitats that would otherwise be covered and inaccessible. The garbage can smother smaller organisms where it falls, can be dangerous to reserve visitors, and ruins the natural landscape.

10/08/2026

This tasty salt marsh plant always turns a stunning red in the fall! Glasswort, or pickleweed as it's also known, is a tough halophyte plant that thrives in high salinity areas in the intertidal zone. Keep an eye out for its vibrant green color in our marshes during the summer, and take a bite if you're feeling brave! 🌿🌊

10/07/2026

Please extend a warm welcome to Sophie Johnson, the N.C. Coastal Reserve’s new Northern Sites Manager. We are very excited to have Sophie onboard to oversee the Currituck Banks, Kitty Hawk Woods, and Buxton Woods Reserve sites!

Sophie grew up in the Outer Banks, and received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from NCSU in 2023. Since then, she has worked with Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and the Coastal Studies Institute.

09/28/2026

Update! The sediment dynamics webinar was recorded and it is available for viewing at: https://youtu.be/RfH9QPxj2ek?si=aiGdl1WCTH-yXt-H

Webinar Alert for TOMORROW, September 29th, 2pm EDT – Register Today! 👇 The ever-changing Beaufort Inlet has an impact on the Rachel Carson Reserve and nearby areas, but did you ever think about how Bird Shoal may influence inlet dynamics? This is one of the topics, among many, that will be covered at an upcoming webinar that highlights research on the Beaufort Inlet area sediment dynamics. This presentation will be very technical, but we think both scientists and citizens alike will enjoy some of the takeaways!

Learn more and register: https://nerrssciencecollaborative.org/event/sediment-dynamics-nc

Photo credit and caption: Dr. Celso Bolinaga et al. Flow and wave boundaries associated with a numerical model that simulates sediment dynamics.

Town of Beaufort NC / NC State Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering / National Ocean Service

09/25/2026

Come say hi tomorrow!

𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗕𝗙𝗠,,, 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Spotlight on: Rachel Carson Reserve. Visit the Market this Saturday and stop by their booth to learn more and ask questions!

"Providing science-based environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians."

09/18/2026

It is World Water Monitoring Day! And we want to show off our brand-new System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) platforms designed to support additional research equipment with our research partners.

The North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve has conducted water quality, weather, and nutrient monitoring at multiple of our reserve sites for over 25 years. Monitoring is part of SWMP, which occurs at all 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRs) across the country.

By using rigorous standardized operating procedures across all the reserves, SWMP data helps establish the NERRs as a system of nationwide reference sites, as well as a network of sentinel sites for detecting and understanding the effects of changing conditions in coastal regions.

Reach out to NC Reserve researchers to find and use data to suit your needs. This includes all SWMP data collected here in NC, as well as those from the larger NERRS network. Check out this link to learn more: https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/nc-coastal-reserve/research/system-wide-monitoring-program

09/16/2026

Today is Plover Appreciation Day! We appreciate all the Plovers found in North Carolina, but especially our Piping Plover friend Blaze! Blaze visits the Masonboro Island Reserve each winter, flying from her summer home in Illinois.

Did you know North Carolina is the only state where Piping Plovers call the coast home all year long?