Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care. The goals of the stewardship projects at the NIWB NERR are to provide long term protection for the natural resources within the North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and within our watershed community. Research, monitoring, and education activities improve our knowledge of existing resources and help us to better understand how natural events and human activities impact them. Examples of stewardship projects include monitoring invasive species, researching and monitoring species of concern, habitat mapping, habitat restoration, and the development of public education programs to increase awareness of good stewardship practices.

A view of the tidal marshes of North Inlet at sunset from the fire tower at Clambank Landing.

Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) is  a woody shrub native to the Pacific Rim that  was planted for erosion control on South Carolina beaches in the early 1990s. By the mid-1990s, plant specialists began to notice Beach Vitex spreading on state beaches where it was crowding out native species like Sea Oats. Beach vitex is now spreading rapidly and poses a threat to native plants and animals. The NI-WB NERR is working in partnership with The Carolinas Beach Vitex Task Force to map and monitor the spread of Beach vitex and to educate people about the threats this invasive species poses. To learn more about Beach vitex, visit beachvitex.org.

A habitat map is being developed for the area within the North Inlet Winyah Bay NERR using the NERRS Habitat and Land Use Classification System. This maps will serve as a baseline for temporal studies that examine trends in land use and habitat change. The North Inlet habitat map will also be used to examine habitat distribution and availability for key species in the reserve.