The Eastern NC Land of Water (LOW) initiative is an outgrowth of the Sustainable Coastal Economy project led by ECU Professor Stan Riggs and supported by the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science. The Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science along with the Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise and its Center for Competitive Economies are investigating a collaboration with the NC LOW team to help them gather market validation information from the many existing eastern NC economic activities, capture lessons learned from prior and current parallel efforts, and identify and initiate discussions with a combination of public and private funding prospects with the goal of securing commitments of substantial multi-year support. This collaboration would serve to build on the momentum that has been generated in this region to leverage and better inform the strategic considerations essential to the ongoing success of this effort. Specific goals of this project include (1) Integrating Interactions between Regions of NC LOW Coastal Systems, (2) Defining New NC LOW Economic Initiatives and Strategies, (3) Implementing Natural Resource and Cultural History-Based NC LOW Educational Programs, and (4) Enhancing Scientific Understanding of NC LOW Coastal System Change. In December 2014, NC LOW was awarded a $60,000 grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to support this project.
