BY LARRY BALDWIN, CRYSTAL COAST WATERKEEPER
Since obtaining a license from Waterkeeper® Alliance on January 12, 2016, the Crystal Coast Waterkeeper® has fought on many fronts to protect the beautiful North Carolina coastline. The Waterkeeper joined citizens, communities and businesses up and down the coast in opposition to offshore drilling – a call that the Obama administration heeded in March 2016 when it announced a five-year ban on offshore Atlantic exploration.
Other threats to North Carolina’s coast include seismic blasting and a proposed Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminal. As the state of North Carolina reported in 2015, such a facility would be economically unfeasible, given the lack of supporting infrastructure in the state and competition with projects up and down the Atlantic Coast. The Waterkeeper will stand with local communities in protecting our shores from unwanted fossil fuel infrastructure projects.
The Waterkeeper’s work will support the fisheries of local commercial oystermen and fishermen. Threats to fisheries come in many forms. Stormwater runoff from developed areas impacts streams, sounds and the ocean off the coast as does the still-commonplace use of septic systems along the coast and in the Bogue, Back and Core Sounds. The natural beauty and the heritage of this area deserves all the protection that it can get. The Waterkeeper will work with local citizens and communities to protect their waters for generations to come.
Many of the watersheds draining into the sounds of the Crystal Coast suffer from waste pollution by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, primarily poultry and swine facilities. The Waterkeeper works to protect water quality downstream and monitors problematic facilities to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations. Because state agencies don’t have the resources to watch these facilities, we patrol by land, air and water to protect our downstream coastal waters.
The Crystal Coast is a popular vacation destination for people from all over the country. It is also a sensitive breeding and nursery area for a huge variety of aquatic, land and avian species, many of whose habitats are increasingly threatened. Educating the public to understand that the protection of this wildlife is key to preserving the tourist economy is a crucial part of our mission. As we say, “A Healthy Crystal Coast Makes Sound Sense!”