-
Watershed protection guide help towns develop land use rules
Waterkeepers Carolina created the guide with support from the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, to provide options to protect water quality and flood protection that local governments can consider when implementing in land use rules.
Spotlight
-
Emerald Isle officials consider tenfold increase of dune fines
It remains unclear why it was done, but the large-scale flattening of protective primary frontal dune at a newly built 12-bedroom, $6 million house in Emerald Isle has town officials eyeing stiffer penalties.
News Briefs
-
Pilot project extends summer red snapper season 62 days to willing anglers
The recreational red snapper season will open July 1 – Aug. 31 to anglers willing to take part in a pilot project that aims to monitor the tightly-regulated fishery.
-
Twenty coastal counties among those no longer under statewide burn ban
The N.C. Forest Service on Sunday lifted a statewide open burn ban on 81 counties, including North Carolina’s 20 coastal counties, after recent rains have helped relieve hazardous wildfire conditions.
-
Group kayak trip to explore Moores Creek, cypress swamps
Cape Fear River Watch and Moores Creek National Battlefield in Currie invite participants to join in a roughly 2.5-mile, out-and-back paddle on May 16 in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
-
Waterfowl, migratory game bird season dates announced
Dates, bag limits and associated regulations have been announced for North Carolina’s 2026-27 waterfowl, webless migratory game bird, and extended falconry seasons.
-
Surf City to test temporary signal near island roundabout
Beginning May 6, drivers crossing the bridge onto the island side of Surf City will be stopped by a temporary traffic signal near the island roundabout.
Get the news of the North Carolina coast delivered daily.
Subscribe to Coastal Review
Special Coverage
America’s 250th Celebration
This July Fourth, the United States will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Coastal North Carolina sites and residents played an outsized role in the Revolution. Explore their history.
News & Features
-
Watershed protection guide help towns develop land use rules
Waterkeepers Carolina created the guide with support from the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, to provide options to protect water quality and flood protection that local governments can consider when implementing in land use rules.
Science
-
Scientists record female sperm whales assisting in calf’s birth
A research team was working the summer of 2023 off the coast of Dominica when they made the “impossibly rare” observation of a mother sperm whale giving birth and the newborn assisted by the other whales in taking its first breath, all while recording their underwater vocalizations.
Commentary
-
Dumb stuff happens while fishing, don’t let it happen to you
Remember “That Thing” that happened “That Time” while fishing that still comes up in the context of significant events? Right. Here are some examples to avoid.
Our Coast
-
Rough dig: Dismal Swamp Canal never quite lived up to plans
With poor initial funding, shoddy engineering and enslaved laborers forced to work in awful conditions, the man-made connection between the Albemarle Sound and Chesapeake Bay fell victim to competition but is now thought to be the country’s oldest operating canal.
-
Bestselling author’s path to fiction began with journalism
Kristy Woodson Harvey, a New York Times bestselling author who resides in Carteret County, will begin her tour this weekend as part of the official launch of her newest contemporary women’s fiction novel, “Summer State of Mind.”
-
Chance encounter reveals shared family history of service
Joan Collins, director of outreach and education with the Pea Island Preservation Society Inc., relates how she happened to meet Johnnie Van Willis of Marshallberg and the discovery of what their two families have in common.
Featured Photo
-
Pit viper stare-down
Two cottonmouths, aka water moccasins and known scientifically as Agkistrodon piscivorus, came face to face while foraging Sunday at the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s 6,000-acre North River Wetlands Preserve, with one rising up and the other backing down. One of six venomous snakes in North Carolina, the cottonmouth is the most aquatic, preferring wetter habitats. It’s a pit viper, having a pit on its face that senses heat. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission offers tips on how to coexist with snakes. Photo: Doug Waters
