35
ROBERT HERRING
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
Environmental groups like Cape
Fear River Watch (CFRW) use
the space to get children excited
about nature and the part they play
in keeping the river clean. These
programs have a heavy focus on
conservation efforts and water safety
practices.
“Environmental education is really
about giving them a different kind of
experience, a way of visualizing and
getting hands-on with these kinds of
things so that we can create that bond
between them and the environment,”
says Madi Polera, assistant project
manager with CFRW. “The locks
and dams were first built in the early
1900s, so you have a really rich, mas-sive
structure to be able to talk about
the history and the heritage of the
river and the people and the fishery.
We can bring all of that together and
you can visualize it there and you can
stand on that land and actually see this
100-year-old monstrosity.”
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers completed the plans
and the clearing of the Lock and
Dam #1 site in 1912. Construction
began on March 15, 1913, starting
with the cofferdam — a watertight
enclosure that’s pumped dry to allow
construction below a waterline. The
pouring of the foundation began in
late December.
The project ran into many prob-lems
along the way, including leaks
and flooding in the cofferdam.
Buckeye Drive
off Middle Sound Loop
8 Marsh Front Lots for Sale
Need We Say More?
Sara Humphrey • Gardner Noble
910-799-8755
www.trasklandco.com/current-listings/
Cape Fear River Watch assistant
program manager Madi Polera
teaches a summer camp group
on July 17, 2018.
COURTESY CAPE FEAR RIVER WATCH