A three-year partnership between park officials and the North Carolina Coastal Federation to replace invasive plants with native species is to include construction of an observation platform this year for visitors to learn about wetland habitats.
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DEQ chief: Emerging compounds ‘top priority’ for state
N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson said addressing PFAS and other emerging compounds is a top priority during the N.C. Water Resources Research Institute’s annual conference Thursday.
Survey open on proposed Dismal Swamp heritage area
The National Park Service is asking the public to provide input for a study to determine the feasibility and suitability of designating a future national heritage area that includes the Great Dismal Swamp and other areas in North Carolina and Virginia.
NC officials promote joining state government workforce
Last week, NCDEQ officials and staff tried to recruit for the long-understaffed agency during a conference, and the governor’s office announced a website for those displaced due to Hurricane Helene or recent federal cuts.
It’s time to relearn ancient knowledge our grandparents lived
Lives of convenience have taken us father away from understanding nature’s rhythms and cycles, but many are now coming back around to respecting and revering the land that feeds them.
Ferry Division adds departures to, from Ocracoke Island
The state Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division will increase the number daily transits of Pamlico Sound from four to six starting this week.
Southport maritime museum to explore 18th-century fashion
Visitors will have the opportunity to interact with a professional seamstress who will draft a gown in a day and learn about how clothing defined status, gender, and occupation.
EPA drinking water grant for Brunswick snarled by DOGE
The Trump administration tried to cancel as “wasteful” a $20 million federal award to help Brunswick County’s rural communities of Supply, Ash and Longwood replace lead water pipes and clean up nearby wetlands, while the cofounder of a recipient nonprofit insists, “Our grant is so much about community.”
State under burn ban until further notice: NC Forest Service
Forest Service officials have issued a ban on all open burning and canceled all burning permits across the state because of the increased risk of fire.
Weather spotters needed to help document rain, hail, snow
Home-based and amateur weather spotters in North Carolina are encouraged to join a countrywide network that documents the size, intensity, duration and patterns of rain, hail and snow.
Institute, visitors bureau to screen ‘Cigarette Surfboard’
The Coastal Studies Institute is partnering with the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau to host a screening of the award-winning film, “The Cigarette Surfboard,” which uses surfing as a vehicle for a message about protecting the marine environment.
Tie on the correct leader when targeting the toothiest species
If you want to get a Spanish or king mackerel, shark or bluefish on the end of a line and actually land it, you need to be prepared with the correct leader for each type of fish.
Southport gives state more time on proposed land deal
The Southport Board of Aldermen voted 4-1 last week to extend an option agreement to the state Wildlife Resources Commission to purchase from the city more than 400 undeveloped acres, but one member objected to the $637,000 price.
Boardwalk beneath the bridge
An angler recently tries his luck from beneath the Scuppernong River Bridge on the the Scuppernong River Boardwalk at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge visitor center in Columbia, in Tyrrell County. Money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was appropriated to replace the boardwalk, a project that was announced to take place in fiscal 2026. Congress directly appropriated $455 million to the refuge over five years for programs related to the previous administration’s America the Beautiful initiative announced in 2021. The nonprofit National Wildlife Refuge Association has said that continuing resolutions, such as the emergency funding bill signed into law last week, throw refuges into chaos and uncertainty and can prevent new project starts. Photo: Mark Hibbs
Public hearing set on proposed Adams Creek shellfish lease
The hearing is set for 6 p.m. April 2 at the Craven Community College Havelock Campus.
EPA targets remaining federal isolated wetlands protections
New Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency is pursuing a definition for the waters of the United States “that is simple, that is durable and it will withstand the test of time.”
