A comprehensive reworking of water quality protections and a major set of studies of beach re-nourishment are among dozens of special provisions in the state Senate’s version of the state budget that passed today.
Archives
Our Celestial Coast: A Triangle of Planets
The triangle formed by Mars, Saturn and Antares will continue to parade across the southern sky this month. And Saturn will be about as bright as it gets.
Native Plants Offered
The N.C. Coastal Federation is holding a native plant sale at 3609 N.C. 24 near Newport. Prices start at $4 and plants are selected to be appropriate for the region.
From Unsightly Ponds to Saltwater Creek
Two weed-infested urban ponds in western Carteret County have been transformed into a saltwater creek and freshwater marsh to treat polluted stormwater runoff.
Land Trust Buys Acreage Near Newport
The N.C. Coastal Land Trust has purchased for conservation and as a buffer for Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point 302 acres of forested land along Mill Creek in Carteret County.
Ocracoke Makes Top 10 Beach List
Geologist Stephen Leatherman, known as “Dr. Beach,” picked the lifeguard beach at Ocracoke as among the top 10 beaches in America. It is the only N.C. beach on the list
Geologist Bob Dolan Remembered at UVA
Robert “Bob” Dolan, a geologist who discovered the coastal processes that shape the Outer Banks, is being remembered at the University of Virginia, where he worked nearly 50 years.
CRC Tackles Sandbag Rules Again
With its temporary sandbag rules tossed aside over a technicality, the state Coastal Resources Commission this month set its sights on drafting the permanent rules it needed to do anyway.
Our Coast’s Food: Potato Salad
The Memorial Day weekend is the symbolic start of summer. Liz Biro, our food writer, kicks off the season with a story about a staple of backyard barbecues, church reunions and fish fries.
Wood Pellet Company to Protect N.C. Forests
Enviva, the wood pellet manufacturer, will give $295,000 in grants to two conservation groups to protect bottomland forests along the Neuse and Roanoke rivers. The company has come under fire from environmentalists for cutting down hardwood trees that its mills then turn into wood pellets that are burned by European power plants.
A Living Shoreline Laboratory
Morris Landing, 50 acres of preserved shoreline on Stump Sound in Onslow County, has become a testing ground for various techniques to protect shorelines and create oyster reefs.
Forget the Saffir-Simpson Scale
As we approach a new hurricane season, a storm expert reminds us that It’s not a hurricane’s winds that will get you. The wall of water called the storm surge causes much of the damage.
Sunset Beach De-annexation Bill Advances
A bill to remove certain areas of Sunset Beach from the town’s corporate limits moved forward in the N.C. General Assembly Tuesday, clearing a Senate State and Local Government Committee.
Will Beach Towns Seize Property?
Town officials hoping to build terminal groins say they don’t plan on taking private property for the needed easements. Eminent domain is politically unpopular and rarely used in North Carolina.
Terminal Groins: Easements Needed
Communities proposing terminal groins may have to get the permission of property owners to build these controversial structures. What happens if they say no? We explore possible answers in this Special Report.
Report: A Third of Bird Species Need Help
More than a third of all North American bird species need urgent conservation action, according to an annual report released this week.
