A contract was issued to the Coastal Federation to develop a Water Quality Management Plan and Site Plan Development Guidelines for the new Maritime Museum to incorporate the protection and improvement of the existing wetlands on-site. Implementation of this plan is intended to demonstrate how development can incorporate the protection and enhancement of natural features to provide an overall benefit for the project and environment. One component of the plan is to demonstrate an alternative method of shoreline stabilization through the use of shoreline rock sills instead of a traditional bulkhead. Rock sills provide protection for the shoreline and allow the survival of marsh vegetation for wildlife and aquatic life habitat. The Coastal Federation has initiated an education/outreach program on the techniques developed in the plan and the use of marsh vegetation for shoreline stabilization.

The Coastal Federation convened the North Carolina Maritime Museum Site Expansion Planning Team which has met on a regular basis for the past two years. The responsibilities of the team are to approve the site plan, review permit requests and modifications, develop a timeline for project completion, and review issues related to placing a conservation easement on the property.

On June 7, 1999, the Coastal Federation and NCWRP coordinated a planting and monitoring project on Maritime Museum property to demonstrate how marsh vegetation can be used for shoreline stabilization. To implement this project, the Maritime Museum and Cape Lookout High School volunteers planted 1,500 Spartina alterniflora on 4,000 square feet of shoreline. For more information about the Maritime Museum Shoreline Stabilization Projects, contact Mac Haupt.

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