DURHAM, NC (March 17, 2020) – The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office has announced a grant awarded to Audubon North Carolina that will bolster resilience work on Currituck Sound and Audubon’s Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Sanctuary at Pine Island, south of Corolla. The $97,604 grant from the NC Environmental Enhancement Grant (EEG) Program will allow Audubon to expand a comprehensive marsh restoration planning and design project on the sound.
The marshes and islands in Currituck Sound are among the most important bird habitat in the hemisphere, but this sensitive ecosystem is facing new challenges, from rising seas to worsening storms. The EEG grant will support an ongoing restoration project and help Audubon work with partners and communities to plan for protecting marsh in the areas that need it most.
By reviving and conserving the sound’s marshes, we can make bird habitat and neighboring communities more resilient to flooding, sea level rise, and storms.
“Currituck Sound is a special place where birds and people share a deep history, but it’s also facing rapid coastal change. The Environmental Enhancement Grant Program will help Audubon restore marsh habitat and work with partners on the sound to plan for a more resilient future,” said Cat Bowler, coastal resilience program manager at Audubon North Carolina. “Audubon will leverage EEG funding along with other state and federal grants to create a comprehensive marsh conservation plan for Currituck Sound.”
The funding adds to other state and federal grants awarded to the Currituck Sound project in 2019. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded a $95,808 grant to Audubon for the project, while the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund awarded a separate $99,500 grant.
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.
Audubon North Carolina, a state program of the National Audubon Society, has offices in Durham, Boone, Corolla, and Wilmington. Learn more at www.nc.audubon.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Media contact: Ben Graham, ben.graham@audubon.org, 919-880-3793
