February 12 & 13, 2015
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| Beach view at the Trinity Center's private beach by Rob Greenberg |
If you've never been to the shoreline in February, you are missing out (big time!). My colleague and I traveled down east to Salter Path on a bright sunny Thursday. Our goals were two-fold. First to scout out a place to host a trip in November and secondly, to network with a gathering of local, ocean-going educators. Luckily, the weather cooperated and we arrived to find a lovely afternoon for a stroll on a private beach. Here is the story of our excursion ...
The Trinity Center
is synonymous with going easy on the island. Our destination for Thursday, we came to walk the shoreline and enjoy one of the most exclusive, sandy beaches on the "Crystal Coast.
Our purpose was to scout out Trinity Center as a destination for a November trip we are planning. We have stayed here numerous times both as participants and presenters involved with science workshops. We consider this spot one of the truly special things about the area.
This beautiful, family-friendly, facility is part of the Episcopal diocese, which early on, determined to develop the 62 acres in a maritime forest in balance with nature. Trinity Center is one of the best examples we know of how to live in harmony with a natural barrier island system.
Decisions made planning the Trinity Center site helped preserve the natural setting of the Center. Great care was taken to save the large, live oak trees and preserve the maritime forest intact. The camp and conference center was further designed to prevent coastal erosion by preserving the natural ecosystems at the sound and beach.
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| Maritime forest preserve at the Trinity Center - Rob Greenberg |
Trinity Center offers a variety of modern facilities and comfortable accommodations to meet the needs and desires of groups and programs. The unique property stretches from the estuary to the beach front, Trinity Center is a ideal setting for groups interested in nature programs.
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| Photo by Rob Greenberg |
The center contains conference and meeting spaces, guestrooms, dining facilities, dormitories, swimming pools, indoor and outdoor chapels, ocean beach frontage, sound-side docks and numerous walking trails and quiet spaces.
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The rates for our trip are all-inclusive and include lodging as well as all-you-can-eat buffet-style meals (with boxed lunches for our island trip). Any dietary needs of the participants (vegetarians, food allergies) can be accommodated. Please let us know this in advance
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| Dining buffet at Trinity Center by Rob Greenberg |
After checking in and our beach hike, it was time to go to...
A boat ride three miles off-shore brings you to the barrier islands of Cape Lookout National Seashore. Horse watching, shelling, fishing, birding, camping, lighthouse climbing, and touring historic villages--there’s something for everyone at Cape Lookout.
The famed Outer Banks of North Carolina are a slim and moving line of sand in the open Atlantic. South of Ocracoke Inlet there rises a luminous bar of sand 60 miles in extent, with no roads, no bridges, no hotels: the wild beaches of Cape Lookout, one of the few remaining natural barrier islands in the world.
We thank those who educated, sustained, sheltered, inspired and challenged us on our trip.
Mary Watson is a geologist, instructor, tour leader and freelance writer. When not in the classroom or leading a tour, she enjoys swimming, kayaking and perfecting her shrimp etouffee recipe. But not all at the same time. She lives (for now) at Jordan Lake in central North Carolina.
SciREN
is an informal way for all educational stakeholders at the coast (and beyond) to exchange ideas, contacts and requests in a inspirational setting - Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium.
Can you beat this as a back drop for a meet and greet?
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| SciREN, February 13, 2015 at Pine Knoll Shore Aquarium |
The SciREN 2015 networking event was an evening of relaxed conversations between educators and researchers. It was a FREE event and snacks were served for us. At SciREN, researchers provided educators with classroom-ready lesson plans, which are based on their current research and adhere to state and national educational standards. Additionally, SciREN provided researchers and educators opportunities to arrange classroom visits and to collaborate on curriculum development.
We left with a raft of classroom ready materials, new, ready-to-help contacts and a high opinion of the next generation of coastal educators and researchers. We came away with tons of ideas for programs to share. Thankfully, our precious, unique shoreline is in good hands!
Friday started clear and cold, but beautiful! Rob braved the freezing temps and wind to photograph the sunrise on the beach at Trinity Center.
For our November trip we are pleased to offer a boat adventure to Cape Lookout that will feature an exploration of the natural ecosystem of an undeveloped barrier island combined with a focus on the human activity of the area.
Cape Lookout as lagniappe!
Friday started clear and cold, but beautiful! Rob braved the freezing temps and wind to photograph the sunrise on the beach at Trinity Center.
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| Sunrise, Trinity Center, Salter Path, NC by Rob Greenberg |
After a delicious, leisurely breakfast, we met with the representatives of the Trinity Center to finalize the details for the November trip and arrange to offer this very special event at an affordable price.
On a whim, because we met the new educational ranger the night before at the SciREN get-together, we headed to Harker's Island and the visitor's center for Cape Lookout National Seashore to arranging our boat trip in November.
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| Photo by Rob Greenberg |
A boat ride three miles off-shore brings you to the barrier islands of Cape Lookout National Seashore. Horse watching, shelling, fishing, birding, camping, lighthouse climbing, and touring historic villages--there’s something for everyone at Cape Lookout.
The famed Outer Banks of North Carolina are a slim and moving line of sand in the open Atlantic. South of Ocracoke Inlet there rises a luminous bar of sand 60 miles in extent, with no roads, no bridges, no hotels: the wild beaches of Cape Lookout, one of the few remaining natural barrier islands in the world.
The video "Ribbon of Sand" examines this seascape and the transitory islands doomed to one day disappear as sea level rises.
Although Cape Lookout National Seashore is well known for its fishing, unspoiled beaches, and as a home for wild horses and shore birds, the area also boasts a rich and colorful human history. These islands have been home to fishermen, whalers and soldiers, troops and have borne witness to shipwrecks and daring rescues. As well as recognizing the unique natural features of Cape Lookout National Seashore, we will also discover the impact of the Civil war on the southern Outer Banks.Our November trip will cover topics ranging from the natural ecosystems to human history on the banks.
Kings BBQ Restaurant in Kinston, NC still stands in the same spot where the King family founded the original one 75 years ago. The site of my first ever job as a waitress, luckily, Kings survived the experience and thrives still. Did you know that Kinston now boasts a microbrewery?
One last stop
Kings BBQ Restaurant in Kinston, NC still stands in the same spot where the King family founded the original one 75 years ago. The site of my first ever job as a waitress, luckily, Kings survived the experience and thrives still. Did you know that Kinston now boasts a microbrewery?
Mary Watson is a geologist, instructor, tour leader and freelance writer. When not in the classroom or leading a tour, she enjoys swimming, kayaking and perfecting her shrimp etouffee recipe. But not all at the same time. She lives (for now) at Jordan Lake in central North Carolina.
