“With Orrin, the stories never stopped,” writes author and Coastal Review contributor Gilbert M. Gaul of the acclaimed Duke University scientist who died Sunday. “Some of them were even true.”
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DEQ adds applications for 4 permit types to online portal
The Department of Environmental Quality said the additions were part of a continuing effort to update and improve the permitting process.
Flying colors over Radio Island
A rainbow reaches skyward from the Newport River as viewed from the marsh at Radio Island following Sunday showers. The island was formed by the placement of dredge spoils from an early channel-deepening project at the Morehead City port in the 1930s and takes its name from Carteret Broadcasting Co.’s WMBL, which began broadcasting in 1947 at 740 kHz. Photo: Mark Hibbs
Coastal commission lawyer: CAMA a 50-year ‘balancing act’
Coastal Resources Commission legal counsel Mary Lucasse, speaking during a recent legal symposium in New Bern, said the Coastal Area Management Act balances development and private property rights with protecting natural resources.
Researchers aim to offer Nags Head wave energy options
Could the ocean’s power be tapped as a renewable, acceptable, backup energy source for Outer Banks residents? That’s what National Science Foundation-funded research at the Coastal Studies Institute seeks to find out.
Commission to hear NCDOT request on Pea Island sandbags
The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission will hold a special meeting at 10 a.m. Monday by web conference to hear a variance request from the N.C. Department of Transportation regarding sandbags at Pea Island in Dare County.
Proposed revised state rule aligns with federal PFAS limits
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality will accept comments through February 2025 on a proposed rule revision that would adopt federal limits of certain PFAS in drinking water provided by public utilities.
Draft changes to oyster, clam rules comment period open
Comments on the proposed changes to eastern oyster and hard clam management plans are due to the Division of Marine Fisheries by Jan. 15, 2025.
Oyster farmers argue penalty too harsh for minor violations
Shellfish farmers are petitioning the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission to change the punishment for what farmers call clerical errors and minor permit violations.
Descender devices: Safely resend released fish to their depth
Bringing up a fish too quickly is rough on the fish, and if not a keeper, releasing it improperly results in barotrauma, meaning the poor thing is shark bait — that’s where descenders come in.
Lookout to take cabin reservations, sell vehicle passes Jan. 4
Cape Lookout National Seashore is set to begin selling off-road vehicle permits and taking reservations for the 23 rustic, oceanfront cabins on South Core Banks.
Energy company secures financing for Chowan wind facility
Apex Clean Energy, based in Charlottesville, Virginia, has secured construction funding for the 45-turbine wind facility currently being built in Chowan County.
History’s not-so-humble hedgerow habitat was nearly lost
If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now, it’s just native habitat and an ancient permaculture ecosystem almost completely wiped from Europe after World War II that’s perfectly suitable here.
Blue Economy Index perks up slightly, lags benchmarks
The University of North Carolina Wilmington Blue Economy Index, which measures the economic activities in the world’s oceans, rose by a modest 0.02% in November, dampened by election uncertainty.
Winter Waterfowl Excursion to resume after 4-year pause
The Coastal Culture and Waterfowl Watching Excursion, a two-day adventure through Pamlico, Hyde and Dare counties, is being offered twice next year.
Teams take to sky to survey North Atlantic right whales
Small survey teams will again this year collect information and aerial imagery off the North Carolina and South Carolina coasts on North Atlantic right whales during calving season.
