Gifts of the Albemarle: A Report on Science, Policy and Values of Coastal North Carolina (2004)

Undergraduates: Jason Kemp, Rebecca Bennett

Faculty Advisor: William Stott
Department: Geography

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This multi-disciplinary, team-based project was conducted at the UNC-Chapel Hill environmental field site in Manteo, NC. We conducted individual projects, in collaboration with a local environmental organization and/or municipality, on the use of water resources and their relationship to development, environmental quality and/or economic growth. We collectively examined the ways in which Albemarle communities define themselves culturally, historically and economically through their use of water resources. Topics included: oyster reef restoration in the Pamlico Sound; enhancement of blue crab stock; septic systems and community health; preservation of seagrass beds; impacts of tourism; historical study of the role of fishing; the ecology of pelagic seabirds; and the tensions between public/private interests with respect to beaches. The results produced a deeper understanding of how policy makers should account for the values people in this region place on the protection of watersheds and wetland ecosystems, on economic development, on property rights, and on a way of life related to the water.