Staff Report
The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s April Southeast Coastal Ambassador training will be part two of a series of meetings to discuss conservation work in the lower Cape Fear River basin.
This training will take place at the Fred and Alice Stanback Coastal Education Center in Wrightsville Beach on April 18. An orientation for new members will begin at 5:30 p.m. The program begins at 7 p.m.
Meeting two of this multi-part series focused on the lower Cape Fear River Blueprint will focus on plans for oyster restoration, mariculture and fishery enhancement in the estuary. The federation is working with stakeholders on this blueprint, which will provide a roadmap for future conservation work in the estuary.
“The blueprint is a very large conservation effort and we want our Coastal Ambassadors to be as knowledgeable about it as possible,” said Jessica Gray, coastal outreach associate for the federation. “Their first meeting on this project was back in February and provided more of a project overview. This meeting will help them better understand some of the specific strategies the federation and partners will take to protect and restore the estuary habitats.”
This event falls during National Volunteer Week, which is “an opportunity to recognize and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent, voice and support to causes they care about in their community,” according to Points of Light, organizer of National Volunteer Week. The Coastal Ambassador program gives volunteers the opportunity to represent the federation at various events around the area. They must attend five training meetings per year and participate in a minimum of three federation events. This program is designed for participants 16 years or older.
Each month the federation holds a Coastal Ambassador training meeting that alternates monthly between a day field meeting and an evening program meeting. The program is designed to be fun and interactive, allowing volunteers to socialize with one another while learning more about the work of the federation and the coastal environment.
The Fred and Alice Stanback Coastal Education Center is located at 309 W. Salisbury Street in Wrightsville Beach. Registration for the training is required and can be done at nccoast.org/events.
For more information on this event or on the Coastal Ambassadors in general, contact Jessica Gray at [email protected] or 910-509-2838.
