Spotlight

New & Exciting at the North Carolina Estuarium

The North Carolina Estuarium has been working on updates and has some exciting things planned for 2023! If you're not familiar with the Estuarium, it is the world's first of its kind, and one of North Carolina's most innovative environmental centers that celebrates our estuary and coastal waterways.

Posted Updated
Image
By
Written by: Paula Stephenson

The North Carolina Estuarium has been working on updates and has some exciting things planned for 2023! If you’re not familiar with the Estuarium, it is the world’s first of its kind, and one of North Carolina’s most innovative environmental centers that celebrates our estuary and coastal waterways.

Director Tom Stroud says one of the programs planned is the ‘Estuary-Yum’ series that started in 2022. One ticketed event featured a shellfish specialist who focused on oysters and crabs, their habitats, and harvesting. 2023 will see a program on rockfish and sampling a local favorite, rock stew. These events celebrate the species that live in our Pamlico-Albemarle estuary, by teaching different ways to enjoy them and how to keep the estuary healthy and thriving. Stroud says the plan is to present two to three of these features this year, including one on blue crabs in the late spring.

The crustacean fun doesn’t stop there.

“One of our big goals this year is we’ve started a planning grant for a major new exhibit in our nature room that will be related specifically to oysters, but tied in to other bivalves and crustaceans that are native to our estuary.”

Science Programs Specialist Sophia Phillips is excited about the updates to the exhibits as well. “We are getting some new semi-aquatic frogs. We are getting those as tadpoles, so people will be able to see them in their metamorphic cycle as they get older.”

Phillips says the facility is also getting new baby alligators.

Also, she says since Earth Day falls on a Saturday, “We are going to be doing a celebration on Earth Day, which will include educational activities for kids with the educators from the Estuarium, as well as things for adults.”

“We’d like to get some local vendors out here to help spread the message that shopping local and having that smaller impact can also benefit the planet.”

She says they have always hosted a lot of school groups, and they plan to start an educational outreach program for homeschool groups. “We want to host a field day opportunity with these groups in the spring at Goose Creek State Park with myself, Estuarium staff, and staff at the park.”

Phillips says the Estuarium is also planning on redesigning and refreshing the landscape outside so more people of all demographics can enjoy it. She says the outside space is filled with native species, but the plan is to take it to the next level to get people more immersed in the experience of the local environment. “As far as passersby, they may not be familiar with what the building is or what we do here. We want to create a space that is clearly an educational space. We want to continue to cultivate those native plant species, but also have some signage to include people who may be hearing impaired or sight impaired. We want to incorporate maybe some braille, and other things where you can touch the plants, smell the plants, so folks can learn about why these species are important [to our estuary].  We want to create a space that is clearly educational, an outdoor space that is welcoming and shows that we are an educational center.”

Phillips says that they want to have a garden area that supports the pollinators. “In 2022, the Estuarium raised Monarch butterflies. It was really exciting, and we want to continue on that note, displaying and explaining why those pollinators are important.”

Another exciting aspect Stroud says is 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the North Carolina Estuarium. There will be events and exhibits commemorating that occasion throughout the year.

If you haven’t been to the Estuarium before, please make plans to bring your family this year. If you have been, come back in 2023 for a renewed experience that celebrates the Pamlico, its estuary, and the biosphere that supports it.

The NC Estuarium is located at 223 East Water Street and is open Monday-Saturday 10:30am to 3:30pm.

For more information, call 252-948-0000 or go to https://www.partnershipforthesounds.net/nc-estuarium.

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.