Stewards of the White Oak River Basin: June 2008

2008-06-26

2008-06-25 Frenchs Creek, Camp Lejeune, NC

We launched our canoe and kayaks at the amphibious landing craft area near Weil Point at confluence of Frenchs Creek and the New River.

Here is the group at the launching area. L/R, Dale Weston from Jacksonville, Hugh and Linda Passingham from Maplehurst, Elmer Eddy from Swansboro,

Jack Cleaves from Cedar Point, Mary K. Gardner from Swansboro and Jim Niedermeyer from Hubert. Ed Gruca from Emerald Isle was the cameraman.

The following pictures will take you on our tour today as we explored up the southern shore line of Frenchs Creek and then up Jumping Run Creek and the

on the north shoreline up Cowhead Creek. All of these creeks could be opened to further upstream navigation if the blown down trees were removed. We hope this is done sometime in the near future.

A beautiful wildflower. We think it is a wild hibiscus.

The group again in the shade at an access at the end of a dirt road which ends at the point where Frenchs Creek bears to the right and Jumping Run Creek continues straight. We ate our lunch here on the way back from exploring Jumping Run. Ed set the camera up here and got in the picture himself on the right.

Jim and Elmer heading back downstream after lunch. That is a heavy chair we picked up. It is tilting our canoe slightly to the right.

All these creeks are beautiful as you can see.

Jack Cleaves suntanning his legs.

An osprey nest high up in a dead tree. We must have seen ten such nests on this trip. About half of them were in live pine trees which we have not seen before.
The adults scolded us as we paddled by each one.

Ospreys and alligators. Only one big alligator. Lots of small ones mostly in Cowhead Creek. The young ones didn't know what to make of us.

Our trash was very light and scattered. We got a bag of bottles and cans and plastics, the heavy chair some plywood pieces and an ammunition case numbered
C 23 on one line and 090 below that. A most unusual find was a one quart glass milk bottle. It said on it, "North Carolina approved" and "3 cents return". I'll clean it up and get a picture on here.

Here it is with the 5 cent bottle on the right. These bottles have been in these rivers for 50 or 60 or more years. Think of the countless millions of others that have been thrown into our waters over all these years. Our leaders must do something to stop littering. We suggest they begin to enforce our anti litter laws already on the books. If we don't do this, illegally discarded litter will become a greater problem than illegal aliens because we did not enforce those laws!

I touched up the 3c and 5c markings on the bottles with a ball point pen as they did not show up very good in the above pictures.
Most every one seems to feel that North Carolina should again have the bottle and can deposit law to help curtail littering. We must
do something to stop it or our rivers and road sides with be be our future landfills!

I was a lovely warm summer day and a most enjoyable trip on the water.

Next week we will put in where we did today and paddle down the New River to the 172 high rise bridge. Please plan to join us if you can. More later.Elmer

Elmer Eddy
Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman
Stewards of The White Oak River Basin
101 River Reach Drive West,
Swansboro, NC. 28584
910-389-4588 e-mail: elmer@whiteoakstewards.org
Please visit our website: http://www.whiteoakstewards.org/
"If no one litters, there will be no litter!

# posted by Elmer @ 10:16 0 Comments Links to this post

2008-06-23

Whaler Inn and Beach Club Time Shares for rent and sale

Jim Crownover, one of our original Stewards, lives in Pennsylvania. He and his family have been spending their vacations here. He will be paddling with us in three weeks but feels this may be the last time he can drive down. He has one time share for sale and another one for rent.

Please e-mail him if you or your relatives or friends are interested.

Vacation timeshare for sale
Week 28, efficiency deeded, Ocean front, $4,200.00
Whaler Inn Beach Club located on the ocean in beautiful Pine Knoll Shores.
Minutes away from restaurants, shopping and entertainment. Ocean fishing
from the beach.
Charter fishing and boat rentals available at nearby marinas.
Ocean front on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.
Balcony overlooking the beach. Full kitchen, washer and dryer in unit.
Indoor/outdoor heated swimming pool and Jacuzzi.
http://www.crownover.com/c06-28.html
This one can be rented for July 2008 for $750.00.

Vacation timeshare for sale
Week 30, efficiency deeded, Ocean front, $3,800.00
Whaler Inn Beach Club located on the ocean in beautiful Pine Knoll Shores.
Minutes away from restaurants, shopping and entertainment. Ocean fishing
from the beach.
Charter fishing and boat rentals available at nearby marinas.
Ocean front on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.
Balcony overlooking the beach. Full kitchen, washer and dryer in unit.
Indoor/outdoor heated swimming pool and Jacuzzi.
http://www.crownover.com/timesharec03.html

Jim ________________________________

# posted by Elmer @ 12:46 0 Comments Links to this post

2008-06-20

2008-06-19 Bear Island, Hammocks Beach State Park, NC

We launched our canoes and kayaks at Tommy Drive parking area in Cedar Point. This is two driveways towards Morehead on Rte 24
and two driveways to toward Swansboro from Barrier Islands Kayaks. This will become part of the new Wildlife Access Area went it is built.

We paddled directly across the ICW and the White Oak River which run together at this location. We went through the cut to Huggins Island
and followed Crystal Coast Canoe & Kayak Club's Huggins Island Canoe Trail to the back side of Huggins Island. We left the trail here and
headed into the marshes trying to find the way through them to Bear Island.

We were unsuccessful but did come out into the West Channel farther up than ever before.

The marsh was full of egrets feasting on the small bait fish.There were also some red fish around.

On the way back, we saw the Barrier Island tour group stop and the guide appeared to call an egret who flew to them and stood on the bank
directly in front of them. He remained there till we approached and left before we could get a good shot in focus.

Here are some shots of these truly beautiful birds.

That is Jim Morris of Morehead City on the left, Mary k Gardner of Swansboro, Hugh Passingham of Maplehurst, Cal Hansen of New Bern,
Jim Niedermeyer of Hubert, Bill Murray of Pine Knoll Shores, Jim Stevens of River Bend, Elmer Eddy of Swansboro, Pam Bader from Bethesda, Md.
but born in Cedar Point and back here on vacation with her friend Brook Bartell from Chicago, who is standing behind Julia Miner from Arapahoe,
Cal Hansen's friend from Newbern, George Speth from Wilmington and Ed Gruca from Emerald Isle.

Here is most of the group finally assembled after beating about the marsh trying to find our way through via the "middle stream",
a fast running little stream which empties the marshes on the out going tide and which is dry at low tide.

Approaching Bear Island. This is entering a stream with good flow into a pond or lake. Those are ocean front dunes you see in the background.

No wonder Elmer was so anxious to have Pam Bader on this paddle.

What a girl!

We walked over the sand dunes and had a swim and lunch on the beach.
Pam and Brook using their cell phones saying, "Wish you we here"!

On the Beach.

This pole is adjacent to Tommy Drive at Junior Freeman's ramp and docks which will become a part of the new Wildlife Access Area.

The swallows are feeding their young. They hang in mid-air just for a second when they transfer the bugs to the young.
Sorry I could not catch them in the act.

We had a most enjoyable day. All the trash, one bag, came from our put-in at Tommy Drive and at the point on Shark's
Tooth Island across the White Oak River and ICW.

One sad note, when we took my single canoe off the top of my truck and turned it over a house Wren's nest,with eggs in it, fell out.

Next week, Wednesday, we will return to French Creek in Camp Lejeune if the good weather continues. More later. Elmer

Thank you, Ed Gruca, for most of the fine pictures and for preparing this for the web site.

Elmer Eddy
Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman
Stewards of The White Oak River Basin
101 River Reach Drive West,
Swansboro, NC. 28584
910-389-4588 e-mail: elmer@whiteoakstewards.org
Please visit our website: http://www.whiteoakstewards.org/
"If no one litters, there will be no litter!”

# posted by Elmer @ 11:56 0 Comments Links to this post

2008-06-18

2008-06-17 Bogue Sound

A paddle of about 7.5 miles. We put-in at Langston Bridge on Route 58 going over to Emerald Isle.

This is where the new motorboat access ramps were to be constructed. NCDOT nixed the idea and

they will now be built at Tommy Drive in Cedar Point which we are now using as a Canoe and Kayak

access.

Fortunately for us they removed the fence to the water and this is now an excellent natural access

to Bogue Sound for canoes and kayaks off of 58 just before the bridge on the right

Our take-out was at Park Dr about mile 15 opposite the large parking area for beach access on Rte 58

in Emerald Isle. We paddled by the beautiful waterfront homes in Cape Carteret and went around the

south shore of Hunting Island where we crossed the ICW to cruise along the shores of the chain of islands

with sandy beaches along the ICW.

When we got to opposite Cedar Street in Emerald Isle we were so loaded with trash we had to paddle across
and unload our trash there. A couple on the pier called Town Hall for us to ask them to pick up the trash for us.

We were heavily loaded with the usual trash and about 15 ghost crab pots which had been thrown over into

the marsh. We left some more trash at our take-out at Park Drive.

We had a most enjoyable trip. Very profitable for Hugh Passingham who picked up a five dollar bill!

I feel I did better than Hugh as I got about 30 clams with some help from the others.

It was an ideal day to be on the water and we had the entire Bogue Sound mostly to ourselves.

Come an enjoy it with us. This is an ibis in its private little pond on a little island near the Island Marina.

Saltwater wild flowers

Harvesting ghost crab pots

We are only halfway into the trip and here we are pretty near fully

loaded. The abandoned crab pots are doing it.

About one dozen crab pots were tossed up onto the island across from the Cedar St Public Access

dock.

Someone went out of their way to do this. Obviously, they had a large boat to help do the job.

It might have occurred to them to haul them ashore and dispose of them properly. We pick up

hundreds of these ghost pots every year.

Any number of wild animals can trap themselves in these cages. We once rescued a hawk from one.

Lunch on ICW island

Ed Gruca does not need a kayak to paddle.

Elmer cooling off.

2008-06-17 Bogue Sound, Cedar Point to Mile 15 in Emerald Isle 007.jpg

R/L, Jim Niedermeyer from Hubert, Mary K Gardner from Swansboro, Hugh

Passingham from Maplehurst, Jim Morris from Morehead City and Ed Gruca.

Elmer Eddy from Swansboro took the picture.

Hugh checks out a duck blind near Archers Point.

This one has a old pew about 8 feet long.

Ed tries out the seating arrangements

Another duck blind. This one had an aluminum ladder. Post Hurricane Ophelia duck blinds are looking good.

That is Wood Island in the distance.

Approaching Wood Island

These pictures were by Ed Gruca. More will be added soon. We meet tomorrow at 9:00 at Tommy Drive in Cedar Point to
paddle over to Bear Island. Come and join us if you can.

# posted by Elmer @ 11:08 0 Comments Links to this post

2008-06-06

2008-06-04 Freeman Creek, Camp Lejeune, NC

Here we are at Freeman Creek boat ramp which is at the end of Freeman Creek Road

off of Route 172 in Section GH. This is about 4 miles west of the 172 Gate at Lyman

Road. That is Freeman Creek directly behind us and the ICW is the 2nd body of water

with Browns Island in the back ground.

To be sure you can use this boat ramp you need to call 910-451-3794 after 4:00 PM

the day before as it is frequently closed due to practice firing.

That is Jim Morris from Morehead City on the left. Jim's wife, Connie took these pictures.

Thank you Connie. Elmer Eddy from Swansboro is next and Jim Niedermeyer from Hubert

and Harry Patterson from Jacksonville.

We took a first right into the marshes and after twisting and winding a lot we had to

turn back. In 2005 when we paddled this creek the tide was so high we could turn

right immediately beyond the boat ramp.

When we got back and started up the main channel we passed these fishermen. They

had no luck and pulled anchor as we went by.

This is a example of the marshes and numerous alternate channels. It is like a maze.

We never did find where Freeman Creek enters the woods. We did in 2005.

This helicopter circled four times making practice landings and take offs.

That little black dot just below the helicopter to the right is an osprey nest with an
osprey sitting in it.

Connie and Jim in his home made tandem.

Harry is taking it easy. This about where we turned around. Studying the maps more
now, I believe we would have found where the creek enters the woods if we had explored
more channels on our left to the west.

I am trying to get that helicopter.

As we could not find a lunch stop in the marshes we paddled all the way back to the
ramp where we launched and ate there. The trip back was difficult as we had to pick
our way around oyster rocks exposed by the falling tide. Also the wind become very
strong from the southwest and we faced it head on on the turns.

We planned to paddle down the ICW but the wind discouraged us from doing this.
Harry left to get lunch as he did not bring any and Connie and Jim went shopping
in Jacksonville. We picked up all trash we saw which was very little and mostly all
at the ramp

Jim and I went clamming and came home with over 100 clams. This was a very nice
ending for a shortened but enjoyable day on the water.

Next week, Wednesday, we probably will do French Creek. Elmer.

Elmer Eddy
Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman
Stewards of The White Oak River Basin
101 River Reach Drive West,
Swansboro, NC. 28584
910-389-4588 e-mail: elmer@whiteoakstewards.org
Please visit our website: http://www.whiteoakstewards.org/
"If no one litters, there will be no litter!

# posted by Elmer @ 13:29 0 Comments Links to this post

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Stewards of the White Oak River Basin