That’s the goal of the N.C. Coastal Federation’s educational programs. Taking kids out of the classroom to build oyster reefs and plant rain gardens, research shows, enhances their understanding of the coastal environment.
Archives
There’s No Classroom Like the One Outdoors
Research at N.C. State University shows that taking kids outside significantly improves their understanding of ecology and their attitudes about the environment.
Federation Requests Hofmann Records
The N.C. Coastal Federation has asked the Army Corps of Engineers for information about thousands of acres in the Hofmann Forest that appear to have been cleared.
Court Battle for Park Land Continues
The state Supreme Court, in a ruling released last week, agreed to review a N.C. Court of Appeals decision in a long-running legal dispute that could add 289 acres to Hammocks Beach State Park.
What? Fracking on the Coast?
Banning the use of injection wells for wastewater from fracking and expanding the regions under consideration for exploration, including several coastal counties, were among the issues detailed in a recent meeting of a legislative committee.
Chemical Maker Hit With $2.5M Fine
A federal judge found that Elementis Chromium Inc., which has a plant near Wilmington, failed to notify its workers about the possible health hazards of one of the chemicals made at the plant.
Sam’s Field Notes: Glasswort Offers Colorful Display in Marsh
The three species of glasswort that grow along the coast are hardy and salt tolerant and go out in a blaze of glory.
A Different Bird for the Holidays
Several farms on the coast offer “pastured” turkeys, which are bred and raised the old fashioned way. No hormones or growth additives. These birds actually run around and eat bugs.
Flounder Gigging
Each fall, flounder begin to find their way to the ocean, with fishermen in pursuit. Some use hook and some use net. Sam Bland, our intrepid naturalist, explains the age-old art of gigging for them.
Work Begins on Controversial Subdivision
After years of environmental and legal disputes, land created when man-made canals were dug along Topsail Sound in Surf City is being developed.
Saving the Soul of Ocracoke
The Ocracoke Foundation has closed on the half-acre Ocracoke Community Square and its docks, shops and views of postcard-pretty Silver Lake harbor. The acquisition is a vital step toward protection of the vibrant heart of the village.
Water Bill Worries Jones, Others on Coast
As it heads to a conference committee, the federal water resources bill still has some skeptics on the N.C. coast, chief among them U.S. Rep. Walter Jones.
Glimpse Behind the Fish Tanks
The state aquarium at Fort Fisher offers behind-the-scenes tours that bring you nose-to-nose with all kinds of sea critters, like this porcupine puffer.
The Flight of the Oystercatcher
Little backpack transmitters attached to six American oystercatchers are helping N.C. scientists understand the plight of a troubled species.
A Gathering of Keepers’ Descendants
More than 250 direct descendants of the men who manned the Bodie Island Lighthouse came together in Dare County to take part in a homecoming.
Pamlico Commissioners Want Answers
The Pamlico County commissioners voted last night to ask the Army Corps of Engineers to re-examine its decision that wetlands aren’t present on hundreds of forested acres near Merritt that were cleared for farming.
