Currituck Sound, once the crown jewel of the Atlantic Flyway, but migratory waterfowl counts have plummeted. Years of pilot projects and collaboration led to a working plan for restoring this important marsh habitat.
Marshes throughout the Currituck Sound are disappearing at a rate of about 70 acres per year. Now, a new plan released by the Currituck Sound Coalition lays out a pathway to not only stop the degradation, but reverse its course.
WUNC Pine Island Center Director Robbie Fearn plays bird call recordings at one of the survey points on the Pine Island Reserve.
It was overcast and windy on a late afternoon in late May. Robbie Fearn, Cat Bowler, and their team slipped in to their waders to prepare to head in to the marsh by Currituck Sound. It felt warm cloaked in the neoprene waders inside the lodge, but the cool ocean air made for just the right temperature outside.
Before heading out, Fearn, who directs of the Audubon North Carolina Pine Island Sanctuary, pulled up a map of the reserve s 2,600 acres and pointed to where they would be heading.
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