The Cape Fear River provides economic, recreational and ecological benefits to our area and has a rich cultural and maritime history. Larger ships demand a deeper river, and dredging has increased the river’s depth from 12 feet in 1871 to 42 feet today. This lecture discusses the current proposal to deepen the river further and the short and long-term environmental and economic impacts of doing so.
Roger Shew has taught at UNCW for nearly two decades, both in the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences. He is actively involved with local organizations, including Cape Fear River Watch, the Cape Fear Arch Conservation Collaboration and the Nature Conservancy.