Wilmington District leads multi-agency effort to restore Currituck Sound  

Mitch Hall, right, Liz Noble, left, and Tara Anderson analyze submerged aquatic vegetation data in Currituck Sound. A volunteer rakes submerged aquatic vegetation for identification. (Photo by Chuck Wilson)

Mar. 30, 2007

By Hank Heusinkveld
Wilmington District

Yates Barber, an 85-year-old retired wildlife biologist from the National Marine Fisheries Service, remembers when the waters of Currituck Sound were pristine and abundant with all kinds of animals.

"Well, the water was clear and there was lots of waterfowl," he said.  "But things have changed a lot.  Geese used to stay pretty much in the sound, but following World War II they began to fly inland.  Speedboats never helped by stirring up sediment.  I think the decline of the food supply is what made the birds start dwindling."

Barber was one of dozens of concerned scientists and biologists who gathered at Elizabeth City State University, N.C., for a Wilmington District-led think tank to find out what is causing the slow death of Currituck Sound. 

The big mystery of the declines in waterfowl and fish populations lies below the surface of Currituck Sound.  Submerged aquatic vegetation or SAV is slowly dying out.  SAV provides food and habitat for fish and, in turn, provides food for waterfowl.  So, the goal of the Wilmington District, project sponsor North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and various other agencies is to find out how to reverse the damage that has been done to this fragile ecosystem.

"Usually when you have a project you know what the problems are and what you want to restore it back to," said  Mitch Hall, project manager for the Currituck Sound Restoration.  "There is still debate about what the problems really are and that is why we have to collect the data.  Our job is to understand the facts."

Liz Noble, project coordinator for the Remote Sensing Program at Elizabeth City State University, said that the data that is currently being collected is helping to substantiate decisions for management goals and objectives.

"That is where I think we are in this meeting.  I hope that the data that has been collected over the last several months will be scientifically sound to help guide us when it is evaluated," she said. 

The gathering of scientific minds is slowly melding.  Hypotheses are hashed out and rehashed until everyone can agree on one or several solutions to a problem. 

"We're trying to establish goals that everyone can work with," Hall said.  "Everybody knows that there's a problem, but fully quantifying what the problems are has not yet been completed.  Everybody has seen the results of the problem, but nobody has defined it. And to add to the pot you have different groups of people with different ideas about the issues.  This is why we have to go through the data collection and modeling process so that we can understand the problems.  Second, we have to propose alternatives that would address the issues."

Wilmington District biologist Chuck Wilson heads the Living Resources Work Group, which addresses the status of the sound's plant and animal life.  Looking at the big picture of the study he said that Currituck Sound is worth restoring because it is a critical component of a nationally significant estuarine ecosystem, the Albemarle Pamlico National Estuary. 

"The Albemarle Pamlico is one of the largest estuaries on the east coast after Chesapeake Bay, and, since the Currituck Sound is fresh to slightly brackish water, it is a unique component of the system," Wilson said. 

Wilson also said Currituck Sound supports extensive but diminishing SAV beds, a critical food source for wintering waterfowl as they migrate up and down the east coast. 

"Without a healthy Currituck Sound there would be a tremendous effect on that waterfowl population,"   he said. 

Tara Anderson, lead planner, said the Currituck Sound Restoration Project is one of the largest "group effort" projects ever for the Wilmington District.  At least 19 outside agencies such as the North Carolina Coastal Federation, Virginia Marine Resources Division and North Carolina Audubon Society are pooling their thoughts and ideas to find solutions to help restore the sound. 

"This is a very complex study," she said.  "Currituck Sound is a huge area for our data collection effort, and it has been challenging trying to determine the impacts of man-made versus natural influences.  Currituck Sound has historically fluctuated from fresh to saltwater, so conducting a thorough assessment of this 153-square-mile estuarine system and surrounding watershed is essential for success."

The project is cost shared between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.  Each cost share partner pays 50 percent of the feasibility phase costs, and federal dollars paid for the reconnaissance phase.