North Carolina's Connection to the Southern Watersheds of Virginia
Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership (APNEP) North Carolina’s Connection to the Southern Watersheds of Virginia Stacey Webb Feken Policy and Engagement Manager City of Virginia Beach Sea Level Rise Summer Symposium Series September 19, 2018 V B G O V . C O M / B U I L D I N G A S H A R E D V I S I O N All of Virginia Is *Not* in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed virginiaplaces.org Celebrate Estuaries Week, September 15-22 www.estuaries.org Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System: Nation’s 2nd Largest Estuary Chesapeake Bay Albemarle Sound Pamlico Sound Cape Hatteras Cape Lookout Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System • Complex estuarine system • Network of 8 major sounds –Back, Bogue, Core, Croatan, Currituck, Roanoke, Albemarle, Pamlico • Drained by 6 major river basins • Semi-enclosed lagoonal system • Approximately 3,000 square miles of open water. Estuaries: Where Rivers Meet the Sea Over 28,000 square miles of land drain to the sounds through more than 10,000 miles of rivers and streams. 6 River Basins: Chowan, Pasquotank, Roanoke, Tar- Pamlico, Neuse, White Oak (Carteret County) 3 major basins originate in Virginia Why is the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system important? Estuaries: “Nurseries of the Sea” • Among the most productive ecosystems in the world. • Home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water. • Many animals rely on estuaries for food, habitat, places to breed, and migration stopovers. Ecosystem Services of Estuaries Economic Valuation of the Albemarle-Pamlico Watershed (RTI, 2016) Wetlands act as natural filters of pollutants Protection from floods and storms Reduce shoreline erosion Over $3.7 billion from fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing Annual value of $640 million for visits to national seashores, wildlife refuges, and state parks.
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