CoastWise | Oak Island, NC

Started in the Summer of 2025, the CoastWise initiative is a collaborative partnership between the Town of Oak Island and the UNCW College of Science & Engineering (UNCW).

This partnership will be mutually beneficial, as it utilizes the knowledge and resources of UNCW to benefit the Town's natural environment, while at the same time providing valuable spaces for students and staff to research, study, and contribute to the ecology of marine habitats.

This page provides information on the projects created through this partnership, which focus on enhancing coastal communities through community engagement with Living Shorelines, Environmental Education and Citizen Science Projects.

CURRENT PROJECTS

Click the tabs below to learn more:

Living Shoreline Project

NOTE: This project is scheduled to kickoff in the Spring of 2026.

Check back on this page for future updates as they become available!

A Living Shoreline uses natural materials like plants, stone, sand, and other organic materials to control erosion. Unlike traditional, hardened structures like bulkheads or seawalls, the natural materials of a Living Shoreline either promote development of marshes or biodegrade through time.

These help to maintain connection (and exchange) between living resources and the adjacent waters, while also helping to protect, restore, and even enhance ecosystem functions of natural marsh edges.

Erosion along the waterways can cause LOSS of:

Sediments
Marsh Coverage
Critical Habitat
Ecosystem Function

This project will focus on evaluating living shoreline approaches, and engage the community to build knowledge of and support for various living shoreline approaches.

The Living Shoreline Project will be THREE-YEAR efforts that includes:

Year 1: Site review and evaluation and implementation.
Year 2: Data gathering (how is it working).
Year 3: Analysis and recommendations.

This will include community involvement and engagement at every stage! It will Provide hands-on opportunities for citizens to get involved and assist with data collection. It will also provide opportunities for grant development with the community, based on specific conditions and needs in Oak Island. Finally, this effort will provide opportunities to interact with and promote the regional Sand Management Project on the beach side of the Island as well.

How to Get Involved

Once the Living Shoreline Project launches, information will be made available on this page on how to participate, either as an individual, civic group, or business.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The CoastWise Initiative Kickoff Event with UNCW

has been scheduled for

Saturday, March 14, 2026 • NOON

at the Nature Center (5202 E Yacht Drive)

TO LEARN MORE about this or any other upcoming events provided directly by the Center for Marine Science, visit the Outreach & Events page of the UNCW website at www.UNCW.edu or click the link below.

LEARN MORE

Click the information tabs below for full program details and information:

About the CoastWISE Initiative

During the July 8, 2025 meeting of the Oak Island Town Council, Ron Vetter, Founding Dean of the College of Science and Engineering first proposed a three year partnership to evaluate living shoreline approaches at multiple Oak Island sites. Later in the meeting, the Town Council unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to the new partnership.

Through this unanimous vote the Town Council approved a new collaborative effort to work with UNCW on a the Living Shoreline and a number of other projects, thus establishing the CoastWISE initiative.

As the CoastWise initiative grows and develops, new projects will be added, further enhancing the natural benefits to the Town and the educational resources to the University.

About the UNCW and the College of Science & Engineering

Founded in 1947 as Wilmington College, the school joined the University of North Carolina System as UNCW in 1969. Less than a decade later, UNCW began offering Master's Degrees in 1977.

In 2000, the Center for Marine Science was constructed, and now offers Bachelor’s Degrees in Coastal Engineering ... the first of its kind in the U.S.

Today, UNCW enrolls nearly 20,000 students annually, with over 2,300 permanent staff and more than 106,000 alumni.

College of Science and Engineering Highlights

Cutting-Edge Wave Flume Lab
Pioneering Work on Flu Vaccine Development
Research Doctoral Programs
Tackling Regional and Industry Challenges
205+ Staff / 115+ Faculty / 3,700+ Students / 34 Degree Offerings