Little Lunch Lectures
Little Lunch Lectures…
…are short educational talks on a variety of topics related to the North Carolina Coastal Plain. Created during the “everything-is-virtual” days of 2020-2021, the ~half-hour lectures offer glimpses into varied topics from Bertie County to Biodiversity, and Turkeys to Turtles. Enjoy!
Videos of Past Little Lunch Lectures:
September 25, 2021
Laurie McComas King, past president of the Coastal Land Trust Board of Directors, introduces Keynote Speaker Tom Earnhardt. Excerpt from our (virtual) Annual Celebration!
July 9, 2021
Janice Allen, Director of Land Protections, gives us a sneak peek into the upcoming conservation projects that the Coastal Land Trust is working on in 2021-2022!
May 28, 2021
Elizabeth Colhoun of NC Coastal Reserve gives a brief overview of the turtle species that can be found on Masonboro Island, and includes info about new research projects to study the diamondback terrapin population at Masonboro Island.
May 21, 2021
Tim Tabak, forester, will take us on a brief spin through the history of forestry, and then discuss sustainable forestry practices. Join us to learn about the careful management of several Coastal Land Trust properties. You’ll probably learn something you didn’t already know!
May 7, 2021
Work on Wilmington, Ann Gibson. Join us to learn about Work on Wilmington and Leadership Wilmington. Hear about several projects completed around Wilmington the last weekend in April, with an emphasis on the work at the Rehder Garden. Learn how YOU can be involved in WoW next year!
April 30, 2021
Sustainable trails, and why we build them! Setting aside land for recreation is important…and mountain bikers *realllly* love having places to recreate! Dave Ellegood, President of Cape Fear SORBA describes how to plan and build mountain bike trails, and tells about some of the great places to bike in southeastern NC!
April 16, 2021
Nesting Birds of SE NC. Jill Peleuses, owner of Wild Bird & Garden.
Learn how to create a good nesting habitat for birds in your area. Discover which species nest in coastal NC and their nesting habits. This short lecture will help to identify some popular nesters in our area.
April 9, 2021
Pollinator friendly landscapes. Amy Mead, Agent, NC Cooperative Extension, will teach us about native pollinators and how you can support them by adding beautiful, low-maintenance native plants to your garden. Amy will share a few of her favorite perennials, shrubs, and trees that will have your garden buzzing this summer.
April 2, 2021
Cynthia Crane, Executive Director of the Aurora Fossil Museum introduces us to the nonprofit science education resource center’s mission to educate the public about paleontology in an engaging manner while emphasizing the natural and cultural history of Eastern North Carolina.
March 26, 2021
Outer Banks Conservationists (OBC): Education Through Preservation
Since 1980, OBC has been preserving natural, historic, and cultural resources along the Outer Banks. OBC owns and operates the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in historic Corolla and Island Farm on Roanoke Island, and connects with the public through innovative educational programs, ongoing historic research, and special events and workshops. Presented by Executive Director Ladd Bayliss
March 19, 2021
Trees provide many benefits to our community – aesthetically, culturally, and economically.
Connie Parker, Chair, talks about the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees’ efforts to protect, preserve, and plant trees for the health of the community and the environment.
March 12, 2021
Capt CR of Cape Fear River Adventures tell us about paddling with groups of visitors and researchers on the Black River to visit the 3 Sisters…the oldest cypress trees on earth!
March 5, 2021
Emily Bunyea, North Carolina State Park Ranger. Merchants Millpond State Park is a hotspot for biodiversity. Home to distinguishing coastal plain flora and fauna, this North Carolina State Park is famous for its “enchanted” Bald Cypress and Water Tupelo forests, as well as many other unique species of both plants and animals.
February 26, 2021
Park Ranger Jesse Anderson describes Carolina Beach State Park’s three limesink ponds. Discover how they form, and learn about the plants and animals that rely on all that these unique ecosystems have to offer.
February 19, 2021
Nick Luccketti, James River Institute. 50 Miles into the Maine – Lost Colonist Sites in the Albemarle. Learn about the new discoveries at Site Y, just a couple miles upriver from Site X!
February 12, 2021
Kay Lynn Hernandez, Cape Fear River Watch. Discover Greenfield Lake – Learn about the history, flora, fauna, impacts and protective measures of Greenfield Lake…a cypress dome ecosystem in the heart of Wilmington.
January 29, 2021
Working Together to Save Bird Island – the story of a decade long collaboration.
Lauren Kolodij , Deputy Director NC Coastal Federation
January 15, 2021
Migration: The Journey of Birds. Why do birds migrate? What motivates them? How do they find their way? Join Jennifer Cox, Park Ranger at Jockey’s Ridge State Park , to get a basic understanding of migration and a look at birds you may see along the Atlantic Flyway.
December 18, 2020
Trail Development Plans Along the Coastal Crescent Route of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
The Coastal Crescent route of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail brings the trail through Southeast NC. Friends of the MST has been working with land managers and local stakeholders to establish priority focus areas and help make this planned trail a reality.
December 11, 2020
“Like many others in our region, my love of Brunswick Nature Park now runs deep” says Trish Farnham, Friday’s lecturer. “As a public servant, I have long understood that doing what’s right for the common good, including preserving our natural spaces, doesn’t happen by default or by accident. It requires intention. It requires collaboration. It requires heart.”
This week, learn the story of the Park’s creators and partnerships that brought vision to reality.
December 4, 2020
Scott Pohlman NC Natural Heritage Program presents the History of the Cape Fear Arch Conservation Collaboration – and Jesica Blake discusses how the Cape Fear Arch Conservation Collaboration coalesced, and provides a brief update on some of the activities partners are engaged in today.
November 20, 2020
Alton Perry, Roanoke Electric, Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project. The goal of the program is to empower black landowners to retain their land, generate income and maintain healthy and productive forests.
November 13, 2020
Joel Cook, Coastal Land Trust 2020 Summer Intern and Education Coordinator at Old Salem Museum and Gardens in Winston-Salem.
“Reaves Chapel – A Community Conservation Story”. Learn about one of the most unique projects and partnerships that the Coastal Land Trust has ever been a part of, the future vision of the project, and how community collaborations have come together to save this important piece of this area’s history.
November 6, 2020
Sam Cook, College of Natural Resources at NC State. Listen and Learn about how the College of Natural Resources Foundation’s Forest Assets Team practice Sustainable Forest Management on their 10 forest assets.
October 30, 2020
John Carpenter, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, The Life History and Current Status of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in North Carolina.
October 23, 2020
Camilla Herlevich presents the Coastal Land Trust’s vision for land conservation, focusing on the best and most imperiled lands in the NC coastal plain. Learn more about how we choose which lands to conserve and hear about what type of projects are ahead!
October 16, 2020
Mavis Gragg, American Forest Foundation. Heirs Property: Standing on a LOT of Love. Family property owned as heirs property, i.e. with multiple owners, presents obstacles for conservation. Explore the cultural and historical context of why families own property as heirs property, and explore how land trusts can engage with heirs property owners to protect natural resources on their land.
October 9, 2020
Ted Wilgis, Senior Coastal Specialist, North Carolina Coastal Federation “Oyster Farming: A Green Economic Engine for the Coast“. Join us to learn more about this fascinating and growing industry, and how oysters serve as a “keystone” species along our coast.
October 2, 2020
Heather Hodges, Executive Director, will share the work that the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor is doing to share Gullah Geechee history and culture using the cultural landscapes of the Lower Atlantic coast as a platform for documenting, interpreting, sharing and preserving a unique, world culture. “Gullah Geechee Heritage and Lowcountry Cultural Landscapes”
September 25, 2020
Ann and Bland Simpson took us on a photographic and narrative tour of the Inner Islands of NC, based on their travel adventures. Their 2006 book describes the Inner Islands of NC as “home to unique plant and animal species and well-established hardwood forests, and many retain vestiges of an earlier human history.”
September 18, 2020
Marae Lindquist, UNCW Doctoral Student in Biology and Marine Biology with Dr. Ray Danner, and recipient of the prestigious Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship, will share her study about saltmarsh sparrows and the impacts of sea level rise.
September 11, 2020
Bonnie Monteleone, The Plastic Ocean Project’s Executive Director and Founder: “Flattening the Plastic Curve” Monteleone discusses her North Atlantic plastic marine debris research, why plastic is more than a marine life threat, and how to flatten the plastic curve.
September 4, 2020
Lovay Wallace-Singleton, Executive Director of Veteran’s Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden. Dedicated to assisting disabled, disadvantaged and homeless veterans to acquire employment, agricultural skills and veteran specific information, VEBCOG and also provides access to fresh, nutritious, and affordable food for community members.
August 28, 2020
Bill Raney, one of the founders of the Society for Masonboro Island, and co-founder of the Coastal Land Trust, shared the story of the Society for Masonboro Island – their history, their success in rallying the community to save Masonboro, and the eventual merger with the Coastal Land Trust for the long-term.
August 21, 2020
Diamond Terrapin and NC Salt Marshes
Marissa Blackburn, educator from Bald Head Island Conservancy, discussed the new Diamondback Terrapin Management Area designation and the importance of salt marshes for this turtle species. Learn more about recent conservation efforts and how you can make choices to help preserve this special species.
August 14, 2020
Stewardship Stories from the Field
Jesica Blake, our Director of Stewardship and Associate Director, shared what it take for us to keep our promise to protect land forever. Learn a bit more about what land stewardship is, why it is important, and hear some stories that may surprise you!
August 7, 2020
Salters Creek Landing Dedication
Janice Allen leads us on a virtual tour of the 5,400 acre Salters Creek preserve in Carteret County to celebrate and dedicate this Top 40, high priority conservation project! Thank you to our partners and funders who made this possible!
July 31, 2020
2020 Cape Fear Area AmeriCorps
Local service members walk us through their service time at their different host sites, from environmental education to volunteer management at the Coastal Land Trust, Cape Fear River Watch, UNCW Marine Quest and Bald Head Island Conservancy.
July 24, 2020
NC Coastal Landscaping; A Guide for your Yard
Lloyd Singleton Director of NHC Cooperative Extension will talk about native plants and the “Coastal Landscape Initiative”
July 17, 2020
Nesting Waterbirds of Coastal NC
Lindsay Addison, Audubon NC, explores the natural histories of common nesting waterbirds found in the coastal NC and the habitats they depend upon.
July 10, 2020
Ev-Henwood Preserve
Roger Shew, Lecturer of Geology at UNCW in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, with a deep dive into the Ev-Henwood preserve in Brunswick County, NC!
June 26, 2020
Bringing Back Longleaf
Sarah Crate, Outreach Communications Coordinator for the Longleaf Alliance, will walk us through what longleaf pine restoration looks like in NC.
June 12, 2020
Little Rivers and Waterway Tales
Bland and Ann Simpson, longtime friends of the Coastal Land Trust, will lead us on a photographic tour of Eastern NC through their book, published with black and white photos and stories, in 2015.
May 29, 2020
The Croatan National Forest
Janice Allen, Coastal Land Trust’s Director of Land Protection, talks about North Carolina’s “ecological gem” – The Croatan National Forest – and the Land Trust’s priority focus in and around the Croatan.
May 22, 2020
Site X – Mr. Luccketti, First Colony Foundation’s co-director for archaeological research, will discuss the serendipitous discovery of Site X and the evidence which show that Site X was a splinter group of Lost Colonists.
May 15, 2020
Salmon Creek State Natural Area
Dr. Stan Riggs, founder and director of NC Land of Water, discusses the Natural Resources and Cultural History of the Salmon Creek Natural Area, a very special place in Bertie Co, NC.
May 08, 2020
Talkin’ Turkey
Tommy Hughes, retired Supervising Biologist for the Eastern EcoRegion of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, talks about the life history, population trends, restoration and management of Wild Turkey in NC.
May 1, 2020
Sea Turtles and Masonboro Island
NC Coastal Reserve’s Elizabeth Colhoun, Stewardship and Education Specialist, presented “Masonboro Island Conservation”, a discussion of habitat conservation to protect sea turtle nesting areas.
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April 24, 2020
Fire and Flytraps
The Nature Conservancy’s Angie Carl, former Coastal Fire and Restoration Manager, presented “Fire & Flytraps”, a discussion of the forests of southeastern NC and the importance of fire management to improve habitats for plants and animals.
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April 17, 2020
Leopold’s Land Ethic
UNCW’s Dr. Rob Hart discusses why Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac (1949) remains an environmental classic and why his essays on conservation are as relevant now as they were 75 years ago.
April 10, 2020
Biodiversity Hotspot
UNCW’s Dr. Stuart R. Borrett, Associate Provost for Research & Innovation and Professor of Biology presented “NC Coastal Plain – A Biodiversity Hotspot”, a discussion of how and why the coastal plain has an incredibly high diversity of plant and animal life.
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