The North Carolina Beach, Inlet & Waterway Association (NCBIWA) is dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing the North Carolina Coast by merging science and public policy in order to create a sustainable and resilient coast.
NCBIWA works on behalf of its members by encouraging government action and funding, educating and advocating for effective Federal and State policy and facilitating environmentally sound scientific and engineering solutions to its threatened beaches, inlets and waterways. NCBIWA began in 1998 as the North Carolina Shore & Beach Preservation Association using the Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association as its primary model but in 2005, the time to expand its scope was upon them, mostly driven by funding changes at the Federal level for coastal projects of all kinds and the need to respond to greater needs of shallow draft inlets and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW). Due to these funding changes, NCBIWA was created by merging three organizations with overlapping members and interests: NC Shore & Beach Preservation Association, Alliance for NC Inlets (ANCI) and the North Carolina Coastal Communities Coalition. Advocating for coastal preservation, renourishment, sustainability and resiliency requires collaboration with local, state and federal agencies along with the support of the N.C. General Assembly.
Educating elected officials and the public, through conferences and publications, on the economic value of its beaches and coastal communities is fundamental to promoting their goals. Ultimately, a combination of local, state and federal elected officials as well as attorneys, engineers and government staff who work together for the common goal of protecting our coast is how NCBIWA attains its goals.
