Annual NC WRRI Conference

rick.savage • March 30, 2024

Carolina Wetlands Association Makes an Impacts at the Annual NC WRRI Conference

The NC Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) was in full swing March 20-21, 2024. Carolina Wetlands Association was again a sponsor and an exhibitor at the conference location. In addition to myself, Chase Bergeson and Aaron Ellis attended the conference. In addition to staffing our exhibit booth, Chase judged student posters. Thank you, Chase!

There was a special conference section on Nature Based Solutions that was very interesting. The Plenary session was a panel discussion with Dr. Ryan Emanuel (Duke University), Samantha Krop (Sound Rivers), and Colleen Karl of the Chowan Edenton Environmental Group about community engagement and partnerships. I had a nice conversation with all three at the end of the panel discussion; Dr. Emanuel about our wetland restoration planning at the Lumbee cultural center, Samantha about coordinating more programming with Carolina Wetlands Association, and Colleen about a particular project they may need help with.

The highlight of the conference was probably the panel discussion on WOTUS (Waters of the US) sponsored and moderated by Carolina Wetlands Association. The session was entitled The ever changing world of the waters of the US: How can we deal with it, how can we change it, what can we do. The "all star" panel consisted of Julie Youngman (Southern Environmental Law Center and Carolina Wetlands Association Board member); John Dorney (Axiom Environmental); Bailey Recktenwald (Climate Policy Advisor to NC Governor Cooper); Phil May (an independent environmental consultant); and Norton Webster (wetland mitigation consultant and Carolina Wetlands Association Board Treasurer). The session was well attended and helped to explain the current state of wetland protection in North Carolina.

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By aaron.ellis • January 27, 2025

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By chase.bergeson • October 21, 2024

At this time of year, we focus on vegetation surveys along with hydrology and water quality. We have several reasons for this- for one, many of the plants we encounter still have mature leaves, are in bloom, or have fruited, which makes them much easier to identify. Our vegetation surveys can be somewhat intensive, depending on how many plants are located within the designated survey area. There’s lots of crawling around with plant books, lists, and photo taking to ensure we are capturing all of the species growing in the plot! We are very grateful for our plant-savvy volunteers who responded to our call for this monitoring season.