The Donal C. O’Brien, Jr Sanctuary and Audubon Center
Audubon Sanctuary Site
Top 2% of Climate Strongholds protecting ¼ of climate imperiled species in U.S.A.
Representative Habitats within 2,600 acres
• Needle Rush Marsh – extensive Giant Cord Grass fringing marsh, and forested islands (1,800 acres)
• Evergreen Maritime Forest • Deciduous Swamp Forest • Stable Dune Barren • Red Bay Shrub Swamp • Open Fields • Freshwater ponds • and • Extensive SAV beds
Currituck Club • Hold conservation easement of 1,600+ acres • PI + CC + Public Trust waters = 14,000 acres in conservation in heart of Currituck Sound
Current Facilities supporting Research and Education
Dock and boathouses Pavilion
Current Facilities supporting Research and Education
Historic Lodge sleeps 17 Research Cottages
$40/person/night
Future Facilities supporting Research and Education
Great Hall Science Workshop
The Alliance for Currituck Sound
a community based
collaborative of diverse
stakeholders restoring the
health of Currituck
Sound
College Programs and Research
Universities onsite in 2017 Duke – Masters project NCSU – PR Undergrad UNC – Erosion intern Wake Forest – Climate Change class Chowan – Field Ecology Class Eliz. City State –a developing partnership
Research Duke – Historic marsh loss and socio-economic impacts Davidson – Tree Swallows UNC CSI – Low Cost Erosion Control, Coastal engineering Chowan –sediment behavior In marsh, amphibian survey, Marsh/Swamp/Upland maps WRC – Herp surveys
Marsh Mapping and Restoration Duke/ UNC -CH
• Duke Master Project Mapping Historic Shoreline Changes and Marsh Loss • UNC Undergrad doing experimental low cost erosion reduction techniques
Currituck Sound loses 72 acres of Marsh per Year
Biota Studies –
• Davidson – Tree Swallow Nesting and Range Expansion • NCSU – Online Herbarium of Pine Island
• NC Botanical Garden (BLM) – Seeds of Success – Local Genotype Seed Bank • NY Botanical Gardens – Lichen Biodiversity
• William and Mary – Black Rail Survey • Chowan University – Amphibian Calling, Night Flying Insects, etc.
• NC WRC – Herp Surveys
Chowan University – supported by SeaGrant
• Mapping boundaries between Marsh, Swamp and Upland for long-term change monitoring • Studies of Above and Below ground biomass (Phragmites vs. Spartina) • Study of Sediment deposition on marsh
Living Shoreline Demonstration Project
Clean Water Management Trust Fund Grant applied for:
CWMTF Planning Grant applied for: • To develop a long term protection plan and pilot restoration techniques for southwest facing marsh islands exposed to high erosion from long fetch • Explore solutions from highly engineered to less so.
A Conservation Plan for Currituck Sound and The Donal C. O’Brien Audubon Sanctuary
At Pine Island
The Donal C. O’Brien Audubon Sanctuary at Pine Island will be a primary catalyst for a healthy greater Currituck Sound ecosystem with diverse habitats sufficient for the long-term sustainability of populations of birds and other wildlife.