Take a walk on the beach with three coastal experts who reveal the secrets and the science of the North Carolina shoreline. What makes sea foam? What are those tiny sand volcanoes along the waterline? You'll find the answers to these questions and dozens more in this comprehensive field guide to the state's beaches, which shows visitors how to decipher the mysteries of the beach and interpret clues to an ever-changing geological story. Orrin Pilkey, Tracy Monegan Rice, and William Neal explore large-scale processes, such as the composition and interaction of wind, waves, and sand, as well as smaller features, such as bubble holes, drift lines, and black sands. In addition, coastal life forms large and small--from crabs and turtles to microscopic animals--are all discussed here. The concluding chapter contemplates the future of North Carolina beaches, considering the threats to their survival and assessing strategies for conservation. This indispensable beach book offers vacationers and naturalists a single source for learning to appreciate and preserve the natural features of a genuine state treasure. Southern Gateways Guide is a registered trademark of the University of North Carolina Press

Step into the past in this visual history of Carolina Beach in North Carolina through the lens of over 200 vintage images. Federal Point was once the name of a peninsula 15 miles south of Wilmington, bounded by the Cape Fear River, the Myrtle Grove Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean. Fort Fisher, Kure Beach, Carolina Beach, and Seabreeze now line its sandy shores. Fort Fisher played a pivotal role in the Civil War, and when it fell in 1865, the Confederacy lost its last supply line. A century later, the Fort Fisher Hermit became a local legend, teaching a litany of common sense and simplicity to legions of visitors. Carolina Beach and Kure Beach suffered a spate of fires and hurricanes that destroyed amusement park rides, arcades, and especially fishing piers. Seabreeze was an all-black resort during the Jim Crow era, and its greatest legacy is the R&B music and dance of the 1940s that gave rise to today's ever-popular beach music and shag dancing. The Army Corps of Engineers created Snow's Cut in 1930, connecting the river to the sound and turning the peninsula into an island that is now known as Pleasure Island.

The North Carolina barrier islands, a 325-mile-long string of narrow sand islands that forms the coast of North Carolina, are one of the most beloved areas to live and visit in the United States. However, extensive barrier island segments and their associated wetlands are in jeopardy. In The Battle for North Carolina's Coast, four experts on coastal dynamics examine issues that threaten this national treasure. According to the authors, the North Carolina barrier islands are not permanent. Rather, they are highly mobile piles of sand that are impacted by sea-level rise and major storms and hurricanes. Our present development and management policies for these changing islands are in direct conflict with their natural dynamics. Revealing the urgency of the environmental and economic problems facing coastal North Carolina, this essential book offers a hopeful vision for the coast's future if we are willing to adapt to the barriers' ongoing and natural processes. This will require a radical change in our thinking about development and new approaches to the way we visit and use the coast. Ultimately, we cannot afford to lose these unique and valuable islands of opportunity. This book is an urgent call to protect our coastal resources and preserve our coastal economy.

Fun and learning come together in Georgia's Amazing Coast, an inviting collection of one hundred short, self-contained features about the flora, fauna, and natural history of that fascinating place where land meets sea. Each page includes a full-color illustration and breezy, fact-filled commentary on coastal wildlife from fifty-foot-long northern right whales to single-cell plankton, from shy coyotes to overbearingly sociable sand gnats. Readers will learn about the lifespan of the gopher tortoise, the acting talents of the hognose snake, the health benefits of eating pawpaws, the importance of tidal fluctuations, and much more. Written for the general reader, yet solidly researched, Georgia's Amazing Coast will spark our sense of wonder and inspire us to learn even more about our natural heritage and what all of us can do to preserve it.

Discover the ruins of the colonial port town of Brunswick and the large earthworks of the Civil War's Fort Anderson in this collection of historic photographs. Established in 1952, Brunswick was once the major port in colonial North Carolina and was partially burned by British troops twice during the American Revolution. During the American Civil War, Fort Anderson was constructed atop some of the ruins of the town and served as part of the Cape Fear River defenses below Wilmington. Today, visitors to the site can see the archaeological ruins of the foundations of the colonial buildings that once stood as a port town, along with the shell of St. Philip's Anglican Church. The site still conducts archaeological excavations each spring. Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson State Historic Site is administered by the Division of State Historic Sites in the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Jim McKee has been an interpreter at Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson Historic Site for over 10 years. His research has greatly added to the academic and archaeological knowledge of this fascinating historic site.

Ever wonder where sand comes from? Or why shells are colored differently? Or how to estimate the size of a wave? Featuring more than forty fun hands-on activities for families with children, Lessons from the Sand reveals the science behind the amazing natural wonders found on the beaches of North Carolina and South Carolina. Easy-to-do experiments will help parents and kids discover the ways water, wind, sand, plants, animals, and people interact to shape the constantly changing beaches we love to visit. Featuring colorful illustrations and clear instructions, most activities require nothing more than an observant eye and simple tools found at local stores. You will learn about geology, weather, waves and currents, the critters that live on our beaches, and the environmental issues that threaten them. Chapters also include indoor activities for rainy days and activities for nighttime discovery. This book will become an indispensable companion for families, teachers, and students heading to the Carolina coast for years to come.

The coasts of today's American South feature luxury condominiums, resorts, and gated communities, yet just a century ago, a surprising amount of beachfront property in the Chesapeake, along the Carolina shores, and around the Gulf of Mexico was owned and populated by African Americans. Blending social and environmental history, Andrew W. Kahrl tells the story of African American–owned beaches in the twentieth century. By reconstructing African American life along the coast, Kahrl demonstrates just how important these properties were for African American communities and leisure, as well as for economic empowerment, especially during the era of the Jim Crow South. However, in the wake of the civil rights movement and amid the growing prosperity of the Sunbelt, many African Americans fell victim to effective campaigns to dispossess black landowners of their properties and beaches. Kahrl makes a signal contribution to our understanding of African American landowners and real-estate developers, as well as the development of coastal capitalism along the southern seaboard, tying the creation of overdeveloped, unsustainable coastlines to the unmaking of black communities and cultures along the shore. The result is a skillful appraisal of the ambiguous legacy of racial progress in the Sunbelt.

A popular destination for bird-watchers from across the country, the coastal region of North Carolina is a seasonal home to approximately 400 species of birds, some of which are found more easily here than anywhere else in the United States. A Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina is the first guide to the prime bird-watching spots of the Tar Heel coast and nearby areas--including national seashores, national forests and wildlife refuges, state parks and game lands, and other public areas. Written for both casual and serious birders, the book features detailed site guides to the entire coastal region, including the Outer Banks. John Fussell provides an annotated checklist, habitat information, and bar graphs indicating seasonal abundance for all regularly occurring species. The book also includes a chapter on the 140 most sought-after species on the coast. Fussell describes the best places and conditions--seasonal, weather, and tidal--for finding these popular varieties. Detailed maps of most of the major birding sites complement the text.