Autumn 2005 Issue.pmd - Ohio State Engineer - The Ohio State ...

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ebuilding nature: The dedicated efforts of the Nature Conservancy Organization are creating successful conservation projects along North Carolina’s Eastern Coast by katie kennedy Although most Americans are familiar with popular conservation projects like ‘Save the Rainforest’ they are often unaware of environmental research projects and wildlife refuges. The relative obscurity of projects such as the Pamlico Sound Reef Project, Jockey’s Ridge State Park, and the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge fails to reflect the significance of these projects. All three are situated on North Carolina’s Eastern Coast, and each of them is contributing greatly to the restoration and preservation of animal and plant species, as well as entire ecosystems, in this area. The Nature Conservancy, an organization that supports thousands of conservation projects around the world, is funding and completing all three of these projects. The Pamlico Sound Reef Project: Healthy Ecosystems One Oyster at a Time The researchers working on the Pamlico Sound Reef Project are trying to restore the formerly dominant Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) species by establishing a selfsustaining complex of oyster reefs throughout the subtidal and intertidal regions of the sound. An oyster reef can support the same biodiversity and abundance of life as a coral reef. When oysters create reefs, they essentially “engineer” an ecosystem by providing refuge and a nursery habitat for other species such as fish, shrimp, clams, and blue crabs. The oyster is one of the most important species in the estuarine system, and both the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission have declared oyster reefs an essential fish habitat and a requirement for the economic growth of the fishing industry. In addition to filling this foundational role, oysters also clean water while they filter feed. Each oyster is capable of filtering up to fifty gallons of water per day. The healthier and more abundant the oyster population is, the cleaner the surrounding water will be. Restoration efforts have been focused on the construction of potential reef locations. Oysters tend to flourish in areas of the sound where the bottom is firm and there is a continuous flow of water bringing in new food and flushing out wastes. Oysters begin life as mobile plankton, but grow into sessile adults that attach permanently to solid objects in large clusters to create colonies. With these facts in mind, the Nature Conservancy is building highrelief limestone mounds throughout the sound and placing oysters of different -05- Autumn 2005
ages on them in order to attract other oysters to permanently settle there. The broad hope of this project is that restoring the reefs will replenish the declining ecosystems and that the results of restoration will benefit both humans and animals. Jockey’s Ridge State Park: Home of the Tallest Sand Dune on the Atlantic Coast Jockey’s Ridge State Park is a unique place, with its high winds, extreme temperatures, lack of water, and shifting sand dunes. The dune for which the park is named, Jockey’s Ridge, is the highest point in the park, and is technically a medano, or a huge hill of shifting sand without vegetation. This park has been compared to the Sahara desert, nestled into a tiny space between two great masses of water — the Atlantic Ocean and the Roanoke Sound. The views from Jockey’s Ridge are breathtaking: both the mighty Atlantic Ocean and the scenic Roanoke Sound are visible. This huge natural sand dune system varies in height from 80 to 100 feet, depending on the season and the weather. The sand is blown southwest in the winter and back northeast in the summer, keeping the dunes intact, though the net effect is a decrease in the sand masses. The dunes were formed years ago when strong hurricane water currents washed large amounts of offshore sand onto the beach; the wind then aided in moving the sand inland. Jockey’s Ridge is a beautiful natural wonder that gets smaller every year. Though it was once threatened by residential communities, the efforts of private organizations, residents, and The Nature Conservancy produced enough money to preserve this beautiful ecosystem by making it a 420- acre National Park. The park includes miles of trails as well as learning workshops about the ecosystem both in Jockey’s Ridge State Park and in the adjoining Roanoke Sound. A major sport of the park is hang gliding, and lessons, camps, and international contests are held regularly. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge: Saving North Carolina’s Endangered Red Wolves Although conservation efforts are aiding red wolves throughout the southeast United States, Alligator River is the largest and most successful refuge in the world. The red wolf (Canis rufus), among other species in the Alligator River Refuge, is being reintroduced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent its extinction and restore the ecosystems formerly inhabited by these animals. The red wolf is one of the most endangered animals in the world. Around 1970, its population had been reduced to less than 100 animals confined to a small coastal area of Texas and Louisiana. Once these animals were targeted for recuperation, only 14 of the animals were needed to provide the necessary genetic Autumn 2005 -06-
Page 1 and 2: the ohio state engineer Autumn 2005
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Page 15 and 16: Mechanical Engineering Amir Amini M
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