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Source: NCDEQ, 4/5/21 The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve will conduct an application process to identify potential members for its Local Advisory Committees. Community members are needed for each of the Coastal Reserve’s ten sites: Bird Island Reserve, Bald Head Woods Reserve, Zeke’s Island Reserve, Masonboro Island Reserve, Permuda Island Reserve, Rachel Carson Reserve, Buxton Woods Reserve, Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve, Currituck Banks Reserve, and Emily and Preyer Buckridge Reserve. Local advisory committees consist of citizens and representatives from community organizations, government agencies, and non-governmental partner organizations who provide the Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve staff with guidance and feedback regarding program activities and management of the reserve sites. Local advisory committees promote effective communication between
the Reserve and the local community and represent a variety of perspectives
from communities around the reserve sites. Each committee includes members with
knowledge and experience representing relevant topical areas, according to the
needs and uses at each site. These topical areas may include education,
research, commercial use, recreational use, traditional use such as hunting and
fishing, neighboring property ownership, volunteering, and non-profit community
organization or interest group. Community members with knowledge and experience in one or more of
the topical areas as related to a site and an interest in serving as a local
advisory committee member are encouraged to consider applying. Applications
will be available at deq.nc.gov/coastal-reserve-LAC and
must be submitted between April 5 and May 5, 2021. Following the application
period, selected committee members are appointed by the Secretary of the
Department of Environmental Quality. Local advisory committee members serve
five-year terms. Additional information about the role, responsibilities, and
functioning of the local advisory committees can be found in the Local Advisory Committee Operating Procedures on the Reserve’s website. Interested parties are also encouraged to attend the spring meeting of the local advisory committee for their site of interest. Meetings will be held April 19-30, 2021 and details can be found on the event calendar. The North
Carolina Division of Coastal Management (DCM), a division of the N.C.
Department of Environmental Quality, works to protect, conserve and manage North Carolina's coastal
resources in the 20 coastal counties. The N.C.
Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, a program of DCM, protects natural areas for education, research
and compatible traditional uses. Since its creation in 1989, the program has
preserved more than 44,000 acres of unique coastal environments at 10 sites
along the coast.
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