2024 Coastal Resiliency Research Symposium

Thursday and Friday - September 19-20

Duke University Marine Lab - Beaufort, NC

 

Sponsored by:

 

Researchers and practitioners strengthening the region’s coastal protected areas

The Park Institute of America invites you to join National Park Service Superintendents, regional conservation leaders, and students, research staff, and faculty from North Carolina’s top universities as we explore two questions:

How can we make coastal protected areas more resilient?

How can we do better research in these same coastal parks?

If you are coastal resilience professional, researcher, or agency official working with park and protected area managers, we invite you to attend this event. Register now to reserve your seat as participation is limited.

Are you a student? Information on student pre-registration can be found here.

Topics

 

This symposium will make use of many unique collaborative spaces of the host facility, and although discussions will be facilitated in a variety of formats, their themes will center around three core topics.

 
 

POLICY

How can we develop forward-looking legislation and regulatory frameworks that anticipate coastal protected area management challenges of 2030 and beyond?

SCIENCE

How can we use emerging technologies to capture and communicate knowledge that supports communities, institutions, and coastal resiliency frameworks?

OUTREACH

How can we increase both stakeholder engagement and community buy-in to build lasting support for coastal stewardship strategies?

 

Goals

 

Participants will spotlight new research, policy, and outreach approaches to coastal resiliency being implemented locally that protected area managers in NC should know more about, as well as those approaches already working for the state’s National Seashores that could transfer to other coastal parks.

 
 
 
 

Local Partnerships

1. Identify and disseminate best practices for increasing stakeholder engagement while encouraging the furtherance of community-based science initiatives.

2. Assist our partners in developing locally sustainable practices for conservation efforts of their unique ecosystems.

NC Coastal Protected Areas

3. Identify the unique challenges of the Outer Banks and “Down East” North Carolina and leverage the confluence of local and national resources to maximize state-level initiatives to protect this vulnerable ecosystem and the communities that live in it.

4. Provide vignettes of lessons learned, best practices, and coverage gaps in protecting this vibrant and ever-changing landscape.

Coastal Parks Nationally

5. Amplify others’ work proven effective in their localities or regions and promote the most widely applicable techniques or trends to all our protected and conserved areas.

6. Expand the body of knowledge to reduce the challenges, both unique and universal, facing all coastal ecosystems.

Featured Discussion

 

August 16th, 2024

7th house collapse onto Cape Hatteras National Seashore since 2020

Photo: NPS

District Director Lindy Robinson of US Representative Dr. Gregory Murphy’s office will discuss the Representative’s recently introduced legislation on the treatment of at-risk coastal structures, including the events that catalyzed the bill’s broad support and the bill’s impact on coastal protected area managers if enacted.

“To [protect] against damage and loss resulting from the erosion of and undermining of shorelines available under the National Flood Insurance Program”
— Preventing Environmental Hazards Act of 2024 (H.R. 8637)

Read the bill here

Agenda

Local, Regional, and National Practitioners

All activities will occur on the Duke University Marine Lab campus.

Wednesday, September 18

  • 5pm – Informal reception dinner and oyster roast (canceled due to storm recovery)

Thursday, September 19

  • 8:30am - Registration and coffee

  • 9:30am - Welcome address by Nicholas School Stanback Dean Lori Bennear

  • 9:45am - Coastal Protected Area Resiliency Challenges

    • 9:45am - Disappearing Seashore: Land Management in a Changing World
       David Hallac - Superintendent, Cape Hatteras National Seashore

    • 10:15am - Buxton Beach Access: A Case Study in Coastal Management
      Meaghan Johnson - Chief of Resource Management and Science, Cape Hatteras National Seashore

    • 10:40am - Navigating the Law of Coastal FUDS
      Julie Youngman - Senior Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center

    • 11:00am - Morning Break

    • 11:15am - Threatened Oceanfront Structures Work Group Findings - Panel Discussion
      Tancred Miller - Director, N.C. DEQ Division of Coastal Management
      Braxton Davis - Executive Director, North Carolina Coastal Federation
      Lindy Robinson - Deputy Chief of Staff / District Director, Congressman Gregory F. Murphy, MD
      Michelle Nowlin (moderator) - Clinical Professor of Law, Duke Environmental Law & Policy Clinic

  • 12:30pm - Lunch social

  • 1:30pm - Improving Research Partnerships in Coastal Protected Areas

    • 1:30pm - Evaluating the Effects of Adaptation Strategies on Ocracoke Island, N.C.
      Laura Moore - Professor and Director, UNC Chapel Hill Coastal Environmental Change Lab and C-CoAST

    • 2:00pm - NC Salt Marsh Action Plan Release
       Jacob Boyd - Salt Marsh Program Director, North Carlina Coastal Federation

    • 2:30pm - Resilience and Monitoring in the N.C. Coastal Reserve
      Paula Gillikin - Central Sites Manager, N.C. Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve

    • 3:00pm - Afternoon Break

    • 3:15pm - UAV Research in Coastal Protected Areas - Panel Discussion
      Jamie Womble - Program Lead / Biologist, Southeast Alaska Network (National Park Service)
      Kristen Hart - Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey
      Hannah Sirianni - Assistant Professor, East Carolina University
      Dave Johnston (moderator) - Professor and Director, Duke University Marine Robotics & Remote Sensing Lab

    • 4:15pm - Constructing a Pivers Island Digital Twin with UAV Lidar
       Alejandra Rios - Graduate Student, Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment

    • 4: 30pm - Enhancing Coastal Resiliency in North Carolina Using Drones
       Sarah Pettyjohn - Graduate Student, East Carolina University

    • 4:45pm - High Resolution Inundation Forecasting
       Meg Manning - Graduate Student, Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment

  • 5:00pm - Research Facility Tour - Sponsored by Sea & Shoreline

    • Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab

    • Research Vessel Shearwater

  • 6:30pm - Waterside buffet dinner social

FRIday, September 20

  • 8:30am - Arrival and coffee

  • 9:00am - Engaging and Uniting Coastal Stakeholders

    • 9:00am - Driving Consensus on Climate Adaptation Priorities for Coastal Cultural Resources
      Abu SMG Kibria - Postdoctoral Researcher, North Carolina State University

    • 9:30am - Coastal Cultural Resource Preservation - Panel Discussion
      Jeff West - Superintendent, Cape Lookout National Seashore
      Liz DeMattia - Research Scientist, Community Science Initiative, Duke University Marine Lab
      Xiao Xiao - Associate Professor, Arizona State University
      Andy Coburn (moderator) - Associate Director, WCU Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines

    • 10:30am - Morning Break

    • 10:45am - Advancing Coastal Park Resilience Through Advocacy
      Sarah Barmeyer - Deputy VP of Conservation Programs, National Parks Conservation Association
      Eboni Preston Goddard - Southeast Regional Director, National Parks Conservation Association
      Jeff Hunter - Southern Appalachian Director, National Parks Conservation Association
      Vanessa Trujillo - Senior Conservation Program Manager, National Parks Conservation Association

  • 11:45am - Closeout address by Park Institute of America Executive Director, Tyler Sammis

David Hallac

Superintendent - Outer Banks Group, National Park Service

Jeff West

Superintendent - Cape Lookout National Seashore, National Park Service

Sarah Spiegler

Coastal Resilience Specialist - North Carolina Sea Grant /
Commissioner - Town of Beaufort

Tancred Miller

Director - North Carolina Division of Coastal Management

Meaghan Johnson

Chief of Resource Management and Science - Outer Banks Group, National Park Service

Chris Baillie, Ph.D.

Resilience / Climate Adaption Coordinator - Eastern NC Sentinel Landscape (ENCSL)

Paula Gillikin

Central Sites Manager - North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve

Braxton Davis

Executive Director - North Carolina Coastal Federation

Kristen Hart, Ph.D.

Research Ecologist - U.S. Geological Survey

Participating Organizations

 
 

University Faculty and Research Teams

  • Duke University

    • Duke University Marine Lab

    • Marine Robotics & Remote Sensing Lab (MaRRS)

    • Duke Environmental Law & Policy Clinic

  • North Carolina State University

    • North Carolina Sea Grant

    • Center for Marine Sciences and Technology

    • Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative

  • East Carolina University

    • Center for Geographic Information Science

  • University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

    • Coastal Environmental Change Lab

    • Center for Natural Hazards Resilience

    • Socio-Ecological Change Research Lab (SECR)

  • Western Carolina University

    • Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines

  • Arizona State University

Government agencies

  • National Park Service

    • Outer Banks Group / Cape Hatteras National Seashore

    • Cape Lookout National Seashore

    • Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

    • Inventory and Monitoring Division

  • North Carolina Division of Coastal Management

  • US Geological Survey

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Regional Stakeholders

  • North Carolina 3rd US Congressional District

  • Town of Beaufort

  • Eastern North Carolina Sentinel Landscape

  • North Carolina Coastal Federation

Partners

  • National Parks Conservation Association

    • Southeastern Regional Team

    • Sun Coast Regional Team

    • Water Team

  • Southern Environmental Law Center

  • Sea & Shoreline LLC

 

Attendance

 

Registration

Visit our event portal here to complete your registration.

Fee

The event fee of $75 provides each registrant with:

  • Reserved seating for all speaker and panel sessions

  • Full admission to all networking events

    • Welcome reception / oyster roast (Wed, Sep. 18)

    • Waterside dinner social (Thu, Sep. 19)

  • Conference meals

    • Mornings - coffee and pastry selection

    • Lunch - salad and sandwiches

  • On-site vehicle parking

  • Welcome packet

    • Program map and materials

    • Nametag

Speakers & panel guests - A discount code will be sent directly to you.


Accommodations

For those attendees requiring lodging accommodations, we have coordinated a bundle room block at the Inlet Inn in downtown Beaufort. Simply reference the Coastal Symposium when reserving your room. This block expires August 19th so we encourage you to make your reservation early.

The Inlet Inn
601 Front St, Beaufort, NC 28516

inlet-inn.com | (252) 728-3600

 

Location

Duke University Marine Lab
135 Duke Marine Lab Rd, Beaufort, NC 28516

 

Attire

No requirement; business casual recommended. This event will include many outdoor social events and optional research vessel tours so we discourage overly formal attire.

Event Sponsors

 
 
 

Questions

Please direct any event inquires to Tyler Sammis at the Park Institute of America.

email | (919) 229-9554