A Community Conversation About Coastal Change

Join the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center community as we discuss our relationship with place, the role of change in our lives and how it impacts our region and our future. Bound by our saltwater connections, we’ll join our neighbors from Ocracoke, Hatteras, and the Chesapeake Bay in conversation about our day-to-day observations of change and how we might prepare for a more resilient tomorrow.

The event will be held at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center on Tuesday, August 14 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public.  A light lunch will be served.

This conversation is in conjunction with Rising: Perspectives of Coastal Change, a multimedia exhibition currently on view at the Museum. Rising is made possible by The Community Collaborative Research Grant, a program of North Carolina Sea Grant in partnership with the William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science.

Additional support has been provided by Southern Cultures, The Center for the Study of the American South, Food for All, the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence, the UNC Department of American Studies and the Core Sound Museum

What We Do Down East - We Help Neighbors!

The link below is provided by WCTI12
http://wcti12.com/news/local/community-steps-up-to-help-shrimpers-in-hospital

If you can donate to the GoFundMe page, it will be greatly appreciated!  

You can click here to visit a GoFundMe page for the two shrimpers.

In addition, a fundraiser will be held July 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum for Rustick and Grant. Shrimp plates will be sold for $10. For more information on this event, you can call Aundrea O'Neal at (252) 503-8302.

Down East Counil Guest Speaker Jeff West, CALO Superintendent to Speak

 Down East Council will hold their monthly meeting Tuesday, July 10 at the Williston United Methodist Church.  The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm

The council will host Jeff West, Superintendent of Cape Lookout National Seashore.  He will discuss the park and the many opportunities available to visit and explore.

Down East Council meets monthly and represents all thirteen Down East communities.  Any resident of Down East is invited to attend and participate.  

For further information, please contact the chairperson, Lillie Chadwick Miller, vice-chair Tom Hesselink, Secretary Art Noyes, or Treasurer, Barbara Blake.

Duke University and NOAA Scientists Partner to Study Seagrass Communities Along the Straits


If you have traveled through Straits toward Harkers Island, you have probably noticed the strange collection of sticks and net along the shore!   After contacting Dr. James Morris of NOAA, he put us in contact with a student working with NOAA and Duke that provided us with a full description of the project, which is explained below.

In the coastal waters of North Carolina, seagrass communities are an essential habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish, crab, and shrimp species and contribute millions to the state economy annually.   The seagrass communities around the Straits are no exception and are well known to support a variety of fish and shellfish that are important to recreational and commercial fisheries.

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This summer Dr. Brian Silliman (Duke University Marine Lab) and Dr. Kenneth Riley (NOAA Beaufort Lab) have enlisted the help of a bright summer intern, Anjali Boyd, to study the seagrass communities along the Straits. The study site was selected because it is in an area that will be directly impacted by construction and replacement of the Harkers Island Bridge. 

 Ms. Boyd, an undergraduate marine science student from Eckerd College in Florida, was recently awarded a NOAA Hollings Scholarship. The distinguished award allows her to spend a summer at the NOAA Beaufort Lab and conduct marine science research that is supervised by Dr. Silliman and Dr. Riley. Ms. Boyd’s research focuses on examining a food-web based approach to seagrass conservation, through the inclusion and exclusion of juvenile pinfish in seagrass beds. For her field experiments, Boyd has set up cages, using bamboo poles and plastic netting, off the Harkers Island Bridge in the Straits. The aim of her project is to better understand how juvenile pinfish affect seagrass health. Currently, little is known about the effect of pinfish on seagrasses. Boyd has two hypothesis, (1) pinfish could directly affect seagrasses by consuming them or (2) pinfish could indirectly affect seagrasses through their consumption of mesograzers, small invertebrates that live on blades of seagrass. Mesograzers are responsible for eating algae that grows on seagrass and threatens their growth. Since pinfish are one of the most abundant fish species in coastal habitats and a common prey for many commercially and recreationally important fish species, it is important to better understand their role in theses coastal environments. Boyd is monitoring her experiments daily through July to better understand the effects pinfish can have on seagrass health and productivity.

Chief Ira Lewis Day - 100 Years of Service

Harkers Island's much-loved and appreciated Ira Lewis will turn 100 on August 2, 2018. To celebrate him and his commitment to our community and our country, we are celebrating his birthday with a gathering of all those who have served in the US Coast Guard and their families.

Carteret County is an official "USCG Community" and especially Down East. A day long event will include parade at 11:00, lunch and a tribute to Ira and the USCG community at 2:00 pm.

If you would like help plan/carry-out this once-in-a-lifetime celebration, please email the museum@coresound.com.

Harm's Way Exhibition to Open Thursday, June 21 at Core Sound Museum

Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center announces the opening of Harm's Way:  How Storms Have Shaped Our Communities, Our History and Us. 

Everyone is invited to attend and are encouraged to bring family and friends!  An exhibition viewing and time to visit begins at 6:00 pm along with a covered dish meal.  The opening is Thursday, June 21 with the program beginning at 7:00 pm.  

The program consists of community leaders, storytellers and historians as they share memories of Isabel, Donna, Hazel, Irene and what they have been told about the Storm of '33 and '44 and the Big Storm that broke up the community of Diamond City.

Special Guests from Long Island, NY will be here to share their stories from Super Storm Sandy and how their communities responded and how they are still recovering.
   
Questions to be asked are "How have things changed, and how have they remained the same?" -   What is it like to "lose it all"?  And, how are we better prepared for the next?
  

Read/Listen/Remember:  www.harmswaystormstories.com <http://www.harmswaystormstories.com>  <http://www.harmswaystormstories.com <http://www.harmswaystormstories.com> >

   
A message from the museum - -

All are welcome!  
Bring a Friend (All of them)  ...
Bring a Dish (If you have time, there will be plenty!) ...
  

Most of all .. Bring Your Stories!

 

RISING - A Look at Our Changing Coast

Rising has been officially installed at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center on Harkers Island and will be on view through September.   It is opening in tandem with Harm’s Way, a powerful exhibition of community perspectives of the storms that have shaped bankers over generations.

There has been a beautiful dialogue between the exhibitions already, and there is excitement for the potential for that to flourish as RISING travels back home to the communities from which it was born, created and serves.

If you’re interested in discussing change on our coast, please join the discussion at Core Sound Museum in August for a community conversation.  More details on that to come; but for now, if you’re visiting The Crystal Coast this summer,  make the beautiful drive to Down East and visit the institution at the end of the road. even when RISING isn’t there, it’s always worth it.

— at Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center.

Musical STEAM Program - July 16

Richard Coffey, the STEM teacher at Down East Middle School is designing a "Musical STEAM Program" for the library.  

"Think music doesn't involve science and math?  Think again! Come to this creative workshop and get your STEM rhythm jumping!"

Mr. Coffey loves doing these programs to get the 3-5 graders psyched up for STEM in middle school

"Zydeco Musical Instruments" on July 18, should be a big hit with everyone.  The Unknown Tongues, from Gloucester, a well known group from Down East, have agreed to come and show the kids their instruments, up close and personal, play them separately and then together.  This program was first planned for the 5-8 graders at The Bridge, who will have first priority signing up.  However, once we determine how many of them will be attending we are opening up the sign up sheet for all ages until we are at capacity.  

Story Time at the Library!

The Down East Library plans to "Rock the Summer Reading Program In" on June 18 with a musical puppet show during our regular Storytime at 10 am.  Ruth van der Grinten, who has been with the Wake County Bookmobile Services for Young Children  for  many years, will present the puppet show.  The library spoke with her  and she is already creating a show.  She visited last year and her show was enjoyed by children and adults.  The library will also have a musical instrument craft.

Please call the library if they plan to be at Storytimes so they can have enough crafts prepared for all.  Storytime hours are Monday at 10 am.  All of those must  be signed up for ahead of time since our space is so limited.

Down East Library Hosts Trey Wright - Carteret County Health Department

Trey Wright, the new Public Health Educator at Carteret County Health Department, will be at the Down East Public Library in Otway on Thursday, June 28 from 2 to 4 p.m.   He would like to speak with people from Down East to learn about health concerns in our communities.  Express your opinion by first taking part in the anonymous online health survey for the state at:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/healthenc.   Then come to the Library to meet Trey. If you can’t attend on the 28th but want to address a concern about health in this area, email Trey at trey.wright@carteretcountync.gov.  Please call Tia Douglass at 252-728-1333 to let her know if you do plan to attend. 

Core Sound Run

Early registration for Core Sound Run has been extended to 5:00 pm Monday, March 27!!

Core Sound Run is scheduled for Saturday, April 7.  This run is a family-friendly 10K, 5K and Fun Run on one of North Carolina's most beautiful islands — Harkers Island. The Core Sound Run begins and ends "at the end of the road" — at the edge of Core Sound.

Enjoy the event whether you walk, run or watch! 

FREE Diabetes School

THERE'S STILL TIME TO REGISTER!

Diabetes is becoming a health issue for many more of our citizens than at any other time.  Understanding the disease and learning how to manage it is extremely important and can do much in preserving a person's health and longevity.

Lucas Research is offering a free class on Saturday, February 24 at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum.  The session will be from 8:30 until 12:30.  Admission is free, but seating is limited.  To attend the school, go to www.LucasResearch.org to reserve your spot.

Topics to be covered are:
     *What is diabetes?
     *Types of diabetes?
     *Diagnosis & treatment of diabetes
     *Research in diabetes
     *Good Carbs, Better Carbs
     *Proteins, fats, and food labels

There will be a lot of time for you to ask your own questions, so come prepared!  Plus, you'll be able to learn from other people's questions as well.

There will be chef demonstrations and refreshments by The Flame Banquet Center.

For more information, call the Lucas Research office at 252-222-5700.

Down East Council

Down East Council will meet Tuesday, February 6 at the Williston UMC.  The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm.  The meeting is open to all Down East residents.  We strive to have at least two residents from each of our 13 communities. 

Please encourage yourself, family, friends, and neighbors to attend and join in our efforts to address issues that are in the best interest of our communities!