A local organization recently kicked off its annual summer program, offering educational opportunities for not only children but adults, as well. Yesterday, it presented a program about a prevalent creature in the region.

The NC Estuarium held a program about black bears yesterday — the third of the summer and the second of this month. The program, presented by Goose Creek State Park Ranger Joe Martin, gave attendees valuable information about the distribution of black bears in eastern North Carolina, the state and the country, as well as information about their biology like feeding behavior and reproduction. Martin also talked about how black bears exhibit humanlike behavior, something that draws many people to be interested in black bears and want to know more about them, Martin said.

“That seems to be why so many folks are interested in them,” Martin said. “People are interested in bears, and they have lots of questions about them. There are some misconceptions out there so we try to inform the general public. This (program) is kind of an outreach type thing. It was a subject the Estuarium was interested in presenting, and we kind of have a decent amount of experience dealing with bears and things like that so were happy to come out and help another agency out and reach a bigger audience.”

Russ Chesson, education coordinator for the Estuarium, said the organization continues its program offerings for children in the area, but has expanded its offerings for adults. This summer, the third Thursday of each month will feature a program designed specifically for adults and older children. In May, the Estuarium presented a program featuring Dr. Walt Wolfram, director of the North Carolina Language and Life Project at N.C. State University. Wolfram co-authored Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks: The Story of the Ocracoke Brogue and Talking Tarheel: How Our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina, spoke to attendees about the story behind why North Carolinians speak the way they do and understanding regional dialects and the importance of its preservation.

Next month, the Estuarium will host a program by Gabe Dough, the inventor of a new technology that makes it easier to process eastern North Carolina’s favorite decapod — the crab.

Chesson said while the adult programs are more culture-based, children’s programs offered at the Estuarium are geared more toward nature and learning about wildlife and the natural world in the region. The Estuarium partners with other organizations in the area like Goose Creek State Park to present an array of programs related to nature and the environment. Among the programs’ subject matter moving forward include snakes and insects. There is also a monthly program that ties art with nature, involving decorating t-shirts with prints of fish and other river creatures, according to the program lineup.

“The overall mission for the Partnership for the Sounds, which we’re apart of, is to promote sustainable and community driven economic well being and stewardship in our region,” Chesson said. “I think these types of programs kick off on that stewardship part in saying, ‘Our region is special for what reason? What’s special about where we are and how do we teach that to people that will, in turn, care for the region, if they don’t already and more, if they already do.’” For me, and in my goals as an educator, it’s to network with other educators in the area. We are a nature-based, culture-based stewardship, and it’s a good way for outreach to help people understand what’s around them. A lot of children’s programs are more nature-based, and we’re trying to tie in the more culture-based programs for adults.”

Each children’s program costs $3 and each adult program costs $4.

For more information, visit www.Facebook.com/ncestuarium or call 252-948-0000. For a full listing of upcoming events, visit http://www.littlewashingtonnc.com/venue/north-carolina-estuarium or partnershipforthesounds.org. The NC Estuarium is located at 223 E. Water St., Washington.