Scientists and community leaders will come together on Aug. 24 to discuss harmful algal blooms in northeastern North Carolina. State officials have issued multiple warnings this summer for residents and visitors to avoid contact with algae on waters in the region.

The meeting, at the College of the Albemarle location in Edenton, will start at 8:30 a.m. with public presentations. Then at 11:15 a.m., partners from universities; federal, state and local agencies; and community organizations, will hold a work session aimed at improving communications among organizations and for the public. Both sessions will be at the college’s Culinary Arts Building at 118 Blades Street.

“The presentations will highlight what we know and are learning about algal blooms in the region, with a particular focus on the Chowan River and upper Albemarle Sound” notes Gloria Putnam of North Carolina Sea Grant. “Researchers will present initial findings from two ongoing projects that are providing insights on the region’s ecology and current conditions. Also, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources will explain the process to report new blooms.”

With funding from the Community Collaborative Research Grant program, the research partners include Chowan Edenton Environmental Group and scientists from NC State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. CEEG had worked with Sea Grant and other partners on previous citizen science efforts in the region.

Other partners involved in the outreach program include Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, N.C. Water Resources Research Institute, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Beaufort Laboratory, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health, and Town of Edenton.

For more information on the meeting, contact Gloria Putnam, gloria_putnam@ncsu.edu, 919-513-0117.

Link for forum agenda and research projects’ details.

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