The estuarine system of the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve is the third largest in the country, encompassing more the . This system is of prime economic importance to the coastal area—90 percent of the commercial
seafood species caught in the state spends at least part of their lives in an estuary. The North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve was established to preserve these fragile natural areas and the variety of life they support.
The state is representative of two major biogeographic regions located north (
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
n) and south (Carolinian) of
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina.
Long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests create a unique environment where wind and waves shap ...
. Therefore, NOAA and the state of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
created a multi-component reserve with the following sites:
Currituck Banks (960 acres near
Corolla), Rachel Carson (2,625 acres near
Beaufort),
Masonboro Island (5,097 acres near
Wrightsville Beach) and Zeke's Island (1,165 acres near
Kure Beach).
References
North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve
External links
The North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve
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Protected areas of North Carolina
National Estuarine Research Reserves of the United States
Estuaries of North Carolina
Protected areas established in 1982
1982 establishments in North Carolina