North Carolina Coastal Federation

Over the past 41 years, the North Carolina Coastal Federation has worked alongside Coastal communities to protect and restore the unique North Carolina coast. As a member supported non-profit the Coastal Federation's goals are obtained through a variety of programs and partnerships with people from all walks of life. Through efforts for clean Coastal waters, living shorelines, thriving oysters, effective Coastal management, and marine debris removal, the Federation and North Carolina's Coastal communities continue to work together for a healthy coast! (continued on schedule o)in our work to protect the North Carolina coast, we focus in the following areas:water qualityintense rainstorms cause flooding and water quality degradation as the runoff funnels pollutants to our Coastal waters. Impacts are magnified by the altered landscape that channels rain instead of absorbing it.the nature-based stormwater strategies action plan released by the Coastal Federation in 2021 recommends specific policies and actions to reduce pollution and flooding caused by new land development; existing development and infrastructure; highways and streets; and working lands such as farms and commercial forests.in 2022, we completed restoration at the nearly 6,000-acre North river wetlands preserve, completing a 20-year restoration effort, one of the largest single wetland recovery projects in the nation.living shorelinesnorth Carolina's 12,000 miles of estuarine shoreline provide some of the most productive habitats in the world for fish and shellfish. Unfortunately, the erosion of these shorelines is increasing because of rising sea levels, concentrated waves from boats, more extreme storms, and poorly planned development practices. Erosion control structures like bulkheads are not as effective as living shorelines in protecting shorelines. By installing buffers using salt marsh, oyster reefs, and other natural materials, living shorelines control erosion while protecting the natural beauty and productivity of our estuaries.the Coastal Federation remains committed to making living shorelines the go-to approach for managing shoreline erosion. We have secured public and private funding that will help us provide increased financial incentives to landowners for living shorelines. In 2022, we constructed 1.21 miles of living shorelines at 34 sites along the coast.oystersour native eastern oyster (crassostrea virginica) is one of the most important species in our estuaries. Oysters benefit North Carolina's Coastal ecology and economy. These benefits can be summarized and referred to as the three "fs", for short: food, filter and fish habitat. They filter water, provide food for humans and create reefs that build homes for more fish. These environmental benefits, in turn, support jobs and provide economic opportunities for Coastal communities.oyster populations, worldwide, are at record lows. Despite some recovery in recent years, in North Carolina it is estimated that oysters are at about 15-20% of historic harvest levels. Oyster harvest is currently the best measure of the oyster population in our state.in 2021, the Federation worked with its partners to update the fourth edition of the oyster restoration and protection plan for North Carolina which now guides work on oysters until 2026.in 2022, the Federation worked on implementing the oyster restoration and protection plan for North Carolina, by collecting 2,778 bushels of oyster shells through our oyster shell recycling program.effective Coastal managementour Coastal management goal is deeply intertwined with, and supports our work for clean water, living shorelines, thriving oysters, and a coast that is free of marine debris. We work with a multitude of stakeholders to engage them in sound Coastal management decisions based on the best science and technology. In addition, we partner to secure adequate funds so that decisions can be implemented and enforced, and support and strengthen the legal foundation that enables us to protect and restore our coast.coastal resiliency is at the foundation of this goals work, recognizing that now is the critical time to prepare for the future. This means ensuring natural defenses are sound, waters are safe for fishing and swimming and we are free of emerging contaminants and other threats like offshore oil and microplastics. In 2022, we worked with topsail beach, surf city, North topsail beach and wrightsville beach to develop and adopt ordinances to ban the use of unencapsulated polystyrene in dock constructionmarine debrismarine debris results from storm-damaged docks, houses, and yards; lost fishing gear; poorly managed construction sites; abandoned boats; plastics contained in wastewater and stormwater discharges; and careless littering. The Coastal Federation partnered with community groups, academia, and government agencies in 2020 to develop and adopt the n.c. marine debris action plan to both clean up and prevent debris large and small.the Coastal Federation will continue working for the reduced use of single-use plastics, advocate for more storm resilient building and maintenance practices for docks and piers, and promote improved treatment and disposal of wastewater and stormwater to reduce the number of microplastics being discharged to Coastal waters. We will also partner with state and local partners to continue to mobilize fishers and contractors to remove tons of debris, lost crab pots, and abandoned vessels. In 2022, we worked with watermen and women and contractors to remove 652,180 pounds of large-scale marine debris from Coastal waters.