Third Annual Johnston Coastal Sustainability Symposium
Bald Head Island 2063
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
“I was forty-two years old when Hadley was born, so I asked scientists and thinkers to paint a picture for me of what the world will be like in 2063, when she will be sixty, the age I was when I began to travel again in 2021… It is a time when I will not be alive. So what will that world be like? And how will my daughter fare in it?”
— A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World: Tales of Fire, Wind, and Water by David Gessner
Sustainability Presentations
at BHA Generator Society Hall
This session will feature guest speakers and round table discussion on pressing concerns for Bald Head Island’s next 40 years, including Frying Pan Shoals, development, and maritime forest protection.
Attendees will also enjoy a special presentation from Johnston Graduate Fellow in Coastal Sustainability Kimmy Hansen from UNC-Chapel Hill. Kimmy’s presentation, “Impact of Different Buildout Scenarios on BHI’s Maritime Forest,” will be followed by a round table discussion and public Q&A.
There is no cost to attend this morning session, but please register by emailing BHI Conservancy Executive Director Dr. Chris Shank (shank@bhic.org). Spaces are limited—please RSVP by April 5!
Morning Session Schedule
9:00-9:05 Welcoming Remarks and Updates since 2023 – Chris Shank – Bald Head Island Conservancy
Session 1 What We’ve Learned since 1983
9:05-9:20 BHI Development: Past, Present, and Future – Chris McCall – Village of BHI
9:25-9:40 40 Years of Discovery at the Bald Head Island Conservancy – Beth Darrow – BHI Conservancy
9:45-10:00 40 Years of Shifting Shoals: Trends in Coastal Change at Frying Pan Shoals – Joe Long – UNC Wilmington
10:05-10:20 40 Years of Real Estate Market Dynamics on BHI – Dylan McNamara – UNC Wilmington
10:20-10:35 Break
Session 2 Adaptation and Planning for 2063
10:35-10:50 Blue Carbon: How Marshes, Seagrasses, and Oysters Help Moderate Climate Change – Molly Mitchell – Virginia Institute of Marine Science
10:55-11:10 Living with Water: Ecosystem Resiliency – Community Sustainability – Terry DeMeo – Battleship North Carolina
11:15-11:30 Build-out Analysis of BHI: Impacts of Future Development and Zoning Scenarios on Maritime Forest – Kimmy Hansen – UNC Chapel Hill (Johnston Graduate Fellow in Coastal Sustainability)
11:30-11:55 Roundtable Discussion – Communities and Coastal Sustainability – Todd BenDor – UNC Chapel Hill
11:55-12:00 Concluding Remarks – Dick Johnston and Chris Shank
Dinner Lecture
at BHI Club
Following drinks at the Club, Environmental writer David Gessner’s lecture will begin at 6:00. Gessner will share stories from his most recent book, A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World: Tales of Fire, Wind, and Water. He will also be answering questions about how human interactions and impacts on the natural realm could play out over the next forty years. Dinner will be served at 7:00 following the presentation.
Reservations for this session must be made separately through the BHI Club. Cost is $49 per person. BHI Club Members should use the ClubNow App for reservations. BHIC non-members and members may also email diningres@bhiclub.net or call 910.477.5010 to make reservations. Please RSVP by April 3!
Many thanks to Pat and Dick Johnston for sponsoring the BHIC’s Coastal Sustainability Center Initiative.
More information at https://bhic.org/third-annual-johnston-coastal-sustainability-symposium/
NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
El proyecto NEA Big Read es una iniciativa del National Endowment for the Arts (el Fondo Nacional para las Artes de Estados Unidos) en cooperación con Arts Midwest.
