Saving Mother Nature One Drop at a Time

Water is a precious resource that people as well as the Earth need to survive. Finding small ways to help conserve water in your household will not only decrease your energy usage, which saves you money, it will also help quench our planet’s thirst. Below is a list of inventive ways to show Mother Nature that you are saving water; she will be so proud!

1. When watering your lawn adjust your sprinklers so that your grass is the only thing being watered, instead of your house, car, sidewalk, and mailbox.

2. To minimize evaporation, water your garden and plants in the morning or late afternoon when the temperate is cooler and there is less sun.

3. Make sure to only run your dishwasher and clothes washer when completely full. Running your dishwasher with only three plates and one cup can use up to 1,000 more gallons of water a month.

4. Instead of planting your garden in the spring when the weather is becoming hot, try planting a garden in the fall when there is more rain and less heat.

5. If you are a big water drinker, keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the water for every cup of water you drink.

6. Opt to sweep the leaves and dirt off your driveway instead of hosing the area down to remove the excess debris.

7. When you are cleaning out your fish tanks, provide your plants with a healthy treat and feed them with the old nutrient rich water.

8. Each day allow yourself one drinking glass that can be placed on a towel and reused throughout the day in order to reduce the amount of glasses needing to be washed.

9. If your dishwasher is a newer model, try reducing the amount of rinse time since newer models rinse more efficiently.

10. Wash your clothes in cold water. It will save energy, water, and help keep the color in your clothes.

11. More plants die every day due to over-watering as opposed to under-watering; only water plants when necessary.

12. When filling your glass with ice, a cube may fall on the floor on occasion, instead of throwing the fallen cube in the sink or letting it find its resting place on the ground, use it to water a house plant.

Bonus Tips!

If your workplace does not already have a team in place to discuss ways to make the work environment more eco-friendly, try starting a group or making suggestions on ways your employer can save on water and energy. Above all, share your water conservation tips and ideas with friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, strangers, or maybe just anyone you think needs a water tip of the day!

Visitors Beam over Baby Box Turtles

Baby animals of any kind are sure to put a smile on your face and box turtles are no exception. The NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher has created a new exhibit starring five tiny turtles.

Baby turtles were a popular request from visitors, so Aquarium staff created a permanent exhibit within the existing box turtle exhibit to house the turtles, ranging in age from one to two years old. The baby box turtles are offspring from the adults on exhibit. The eggs were removed from the nest and placed in an incubator to hatch. Otherwise, if the babies hatched on exhibit, they hide so well, it is hard to find them to make sure they eat enough. The juveniles are fed a mix of fruit, vegetables, and turtle gel. They are also fed earth and meal worms for added nutrition.

Box turtles frequently call North Carolina home, and rarely move far after they have found a habitat. Female box turtles lay three to five eggs in a shallow nest dug in moist soil. In early fall or late summer the babies hatch. The Aquarium propagates and raises its own box turtles each year.

An Eagle Spices Up the Garden

The NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher has added carnivorous plants to its lush gardens thanks to Jacob West, a junior volunteer at the Aquarium. The 40 square foot stone garden was built within the Aquarium’s garden, and houses several types of carnivorous plants.

Jacob West, a senior at Isaac Bear Early College High School in Wilmington, has always loved the Aquarium. This 17-year-old enjoys outdoor hobbies such as scuba diving, which led him to volunteer at the Aquarium for the last two years. During the completion of his Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America, West had to plan and implement a service project that benefits the local community. He knew immediately he wanted to pursue his Eagle project at the Aquarium. After clearing a 100 square foot area in the garden, Jacob constructed the stone garden where the carnivorous plants would be placed.

West is happy with the final outcome. “This new addition is something that visitors to the Aquarium will enjoy. I hope that since carnivorous plants are so special to this area that visitors will take the opportunity to learn about how unique and remarkable these plants are by visiting the garden,” he said. West recently completed all the requirements he needed to receive his Eagle Scout.

The garden now houses several diverse types of carnivorous plants, including yellow and purple pitcher plants, sundews, butterworts, and Venus flytraps, which are endemic to coastal North and South Carolina, mostly in the Wilmington area. Although widespread, carnivorous plants are rare. Carnivorous plants gain some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming insects and appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is wet, acidic and poor in nutrients.

Notice of Public Meeting

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management (DCM) has received a request for grant funds from the Aquariums Division of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR). The request is for monies from DCM’s Public Beach and Coastal Waterfront Access Grant Program to assist with the acquisition of an approximately 18,750 square foot parcel of land at 234 Carolina Beach Avenue North (Parcel No. 3130-65-0927) along the oceanfront in Carolina Beach. The intended future use of the parcel is for construction of an Ocean Educational Fishing Pier.

The Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 20 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Carolina Beach Town Hall, Council Chambers, to receive written comments for consideration by NCDENR. A representative of the Aquariums Division will make a brief presentation at the beginning of the meeting and answer questions.

This meeting is a “Public Meeting” and not a public hearing per 15A NCAC 07M .0306(g). Although a member of the CRC will be present to receive written comments, please note that the CRC will not act on or decide on the merits of the request. The CRC does not have the authority to approve or deny the N.C. Aquariums’ request; that authority rests with NCDENR per G.S. 113A-134(b).

A copy of the grant application is available for review at the Carolina Beach Town Hall, the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher, the DCM’s website at www.nccoastalmanagement.net and the Aquariums’ website at www.ncaquariums.com/aquarium-piers/carolina-beach.

Written comments on the CAMA grant application may be submitted via email to Mike.Christenbury@ncdenr.gov or US mail to Mike Christenbury, N.C. Division of Coastal Management, 127 Cardinal Drive Extension, Wilmington, N.C. 28405. Written comments must be received by Friday, Oct. 22 at 5:00 p.m. If you have questions please call Mike Christenbury at (910) 796-7426.

In a related matter, the Town of Carolina Beach and the N.C. Aquariums intend to enter into an official memorandum of agreement (MOA) about funding, development and construction of the Aquarium’s Ocean Educational Fishing Pier. Paper copies will be available for review at the Carolina Beach Town Hall and N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher. An electronic copy of the MOA may be requested from and written comments will be accepted by Tim.Owens@carolinabeach.org and Donna.Moffitt@ncaquariums.com until Friday, Sept. 17 at 5:00 p.m.

The Final Summer Camp Day has Arrived!

As the Aquarium bids farewell to summer camp for the year, the ocean explorers reflect on their week of fun, fish, and adventures! Here is what they had to say:

Corbin, "My favorite part of this week was feeding the jellyfish! The jellyfish are clear but when it ate the food you could see the food in it."

Katherine, "The best part of this week was getting to feed the stingrays and seahorses. I learned how to tell the difference between male and female seahorses."

Marybeth, "My favorite thing in the week was going to the beach."

Matthew, "I learned about being a bunch of different types of biologists and fed organisms."

Mary Elizabeth, "The best thing I learned this week was that the Aquarium breeds their own seahorses."

Cameron, "I loved feeding the animals this week! I learned some new things this week."

Daniel, "My favorite thing was seeing the alligator behind the scenes. My second favorite was feeding the shark!"

Spencer, "This week I loved that we got to be animal keepers and my favorite part about that is that we got to watch them feed the sharks."

Charles, "This week my favorite part about being an aquarist was getting to clean the quail and pet Wilson."

Hanz, "This week I learned that being an animal keeper is hard work, but it is also fun!"

Jacob, "My favorite part this week was feeding the stingrays. My group went in front of lots of people and hand fed the cownose rays. This week was a lot of fun!"

Hanna, "Today I learned how to imitate an alligator and quail sound."

Alex, "My favorite part was feeding the stingrays."

Alana, "We learned how much fish are in the big tank."

Summer Campers Feed the Animals!

On the fourth day of Aquarium summer camp the ocean explorers helped feed Aquarium animals. This is what they had to say about their experience:

Corbin, "Today I learned that jellyfish will sometimes lose their stingers. I learned that the Aquarium breeds their own jellyfish."

Marybeth, "Today we went to the beach, then we came back and had lunch. Then we wrote cards and fed the horseshoe crabs."

Alex, "I fed Shad to the catfish, sharks, and Mackeral. I learned that black shark's teeth are fossilized."

Daniel, "Today we fed sharks and catfish! It was awesome! I learned that sharks lose teeth when they eat. It was fun."

Matthew, "Today I learned that you have to be careful when feeding sharks because we got to feed them."

Mary Elizabeth, "Today we fed squid to the stingrays and horseshoe crabs in the touch tank. I learned how to tell a female and a male horseshoe crab apart. Males have little boxing glove pinchers and the girls don't."

Hanz, "I got to feed the stingrays and horseshoe crabs. I learned that horseshoe crabs don't use their pinchers for defense."

Alana, "Today I learned how to feed a stingray."

Katherine, "Today we got to feed the touch tank with the horseshoe crabs and stingrays. The stingrays used their mouths like suction cups to eat, and I learned how to tell a male and female crab apart."

Sophia, "Today I learned how to hold a horseshoe crab."

Charles, "Today I learned that box jellyfish can choose whether or not to sting."

Spencer, "Today we learned that box jellyfish can sting through thin wetsuits and we also got to see the new bonnet head sharks."

Cameron, "Today we went to the beach. We learned that jellyfish can control how they sting their prey. We saw new bonnet head sharks."

Ocean Explorers Become Animal Experts!

On the third day of Aquarium summer camp the Ocean Explorers visited the salt marsh and learned how to feed several different animals. This is what they had to say:

Katherine, "Today we fed the seahorses and the salt marsh exhibit. I learned how to tell the difference between male and female seahorses. We fed the salt marsh exhibit squid, fish flakes, and little pellets. The seahorses got brine shrimp."

Charles, "I observed that rat snakes eat more mice than venomous snakes. I also learned that snakes like to consume their food head first."

Hannah, "I learned that jellyfish eat different stuff."

Matthew, "Today I learned that alligators are good climbers and Squiggles needs a new cage."

Cameron, "I learned that king snakes eat venomous snakes. Snakes like to eat their prey head first."

Spencer, "We learned that they have to work as a team to feed the venomous snakes."

Alex, "I learned that tree frogs can eat their food in less than three seconds."

Jacob, "Today I learned what different kinds of turtles eat. We also learned how fast frogs eat."

Hanz, "Today I learned to tell a boy seahorse from a girl seahorse!"

Daniel, "Today I saw an escaped alligator! It was in a water filter. We also saw frogs, lizards and turtles! It was fun!"

Alana, "Today I got to feed the jellyfish. It was fun."

Corbin, "Today I learned that king snakes eat venomous snakes, and the venom doesn't do anything. I learned that rat snakes eat alot."

Mary Elizabeth, "Today we learned that they breed their own seahorses and how to tell them apart. Then we fed the salt marsh exhibit fish pellets and fish flakes and chopped squid."

Marybeth, "Today we went to the beach. We swam and had fun. Then we came back and had lunch. Then we fed the jellyfish."

Sophia, "I fed the sea nettle jellyfish."