Our Mission
The Friends of the Reserve (FOR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works exclusively to support the NC Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve. The Friends of the Reserve’s board of directors advocates on behalf of the state’s estuarine and coastal habitats and to ensure sufficient funding for the maintenance and programs of the Reserve. The board of directors is composed of representatives from the northern, central and southern site regions.
FOR supports the Reserves’ volunteer programs, and provides funding for trainings, appreciation events, and supplies. For instance, FOR has provided funding for the following:
Bike maintenance for sea turtle monitoring
Sign installation
Marine debris cleanup supplies & snacks
Diamond-back terrapin monitoring events
Shirts and nametags for volunteers
Hiring sea turtle monitoring temporary staff
Boat engine
Utility trailer
Treatment of injured native wildlife
FOR is excited to fund an undergraduate internship opportunity for work and experience at the Reserve! The 2024 application submission period has closed. Check back in winter 2024/2025 for the 2025 application.
Our Approach
Credit: NC Coastal Reserve
Steward
FOR enhances stewardship by raising awareness of the Reserves and providing opportunities for people to connect with them and the coastal places that they represent. We organize opportunities to learn about natural history within the 10 reserve sites including birding trips, kayaking, and native plant hikes.
FOR also supports an undergraduate internship award. Applications for the 2024 internship award will be available September 15, 2023 .
Credit: NC Coastal Reserve
Support
One of the most important ways that FOR assists North Carolina’s Reserves is by supporting volunteers. Volunteers help accomplish stewardship and education goals and are critical to the Reserve’s success. They monitor sea turtle and bird nests, collect data, clear trails, educate the public, and act as extra eyes in the field, where they help staff watch over the sites, and much more.
In an average year, Reserve volunteers donate more than 2,000 hours of their time, valued at $44,000
Credit: Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
Advocate
FOR communicates the importance Reserves to government representatives. We also engage with Reserve stakeholders and encourage them to speak to their representatives about the benefits the Reserve provides for their businesses, organizations, and/or well-being. This support is critical as the Reserves operate on a combination of federal funding from NOAA and state funding through the N.C. Division of Coastal Management.
What are estuaries?
And why do we love them?
Estuaries are places where freshwater from rivers mixes with salty ocean water. They contain many habitats, including marshes, oyster reefs, submerged aquatic vegetation beds, sandy bottoms and beaches and water—lots of water.
There are more than 2.2 million acres of estuarine waters in North Carolina, making it one of the largest estuarine systems in the United States.Estuaries and their habitats provide many benefits to people, sometimes called ecosystem services:
One of the most biologically productive ecosystems on the planet, estuaries provide habitat for two-thirds of the fish and shellfish that we eat.
Estuary habitats like wetlands help improve water quality by filtering the pollutants in stormwater runoff.
Wetlands nationwide provide $23 billion in storm protection every year.
NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), in partnership with 23 coastal states and Puerto Rico, monitors the health of estuaries, educates the public about these ecosystems, and helps communities manage their coastal resources. The N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of 29 reserves within the NERRS.
FOR is a member of the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA), a national nonprofit organization established in 1987 to advance the work of the NERRS. NERRA communicates the funding needs and priorities of the NERRS to Congress and federal agencies and educates the general public about the importance of estuaries and coasts.
Photo credit: Emily Woodard