MVI was contracted by Weeks Marine Inc. to provide Endangered Species Observers (ESOs) and sea turtle sampling equipment in support of hopper dredging and sand placement activities to address critical shoreline erosion at five locations in North Carolina’s Outer Banks: Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, and Duck. ESOs worked in rotating shifts to monitor and report on 24-hour dredging operations.
Some of the technologies used for this project included Reticle binoculars, a DSLR camera, ODESS reporting tablets, a PIT tag scanner, and sampling equipment. MVI coordinated closely with the client to ensure a fully compliant number of qualified ESOs were available and successfully mobilized across multiple deployments and vessel assignments throughout the project. In addition, MVI supplied experienced shorebird monitors and arranged local lodging to support daily beach surveys for nesting birds during sand placement activities.