A land owner is fighting to move a proposed pump station farther inland to protect Masonboro Sound. “I don’t feel like there’s hope at all,” he says. “I don’t believe in miracles any longer.”
Archives
UNC to Honor Todd Miller
Todd Miller, the founder and executive director of the N.C. Coastal Federation, will be honored Saturday by UNC-Chapel Hill as a distinguished alumnus.
Building Simple While Building Green
There will come a day when low-impact development is simply development. When that day comes it may look something like the house that Toni and John Cornelius built in Wilmington.
A Sign of Autumn: Fall Webworms
Look for the white, cottony webs in the trees this fall. Inside are hundreds of caterpillars munching on leaves, fattening up for a winter’s hibernation. They will emerge as moths next spring.
Group: Terminal Groin Changes Merit New Study
A new design and location for a proposed terminal groin at Figure Eight Island are so extensive that the Army Corps of Engineers should restart the review process, says the N.C. Coastal Federation.
How Many Alligators in N.C?
To try and answer that question, Lindsey Garner, a graduate student at N.C. State University, is conducting the first alligator census in the state in 30 years.
Pamlico Land Clearing Raises Concerns
Environmentalists fear that a major land-clearing operation near the Neuse River in Pamlico County could be destroying wetlands without the required permits.
Ports Board Approves Morehead Projects
The board of the N.C. State Ports Authority approved projects at the port in Morehead City that would export wood pellets to Europe and import a form on iron ore.
Our Coast’s Food: No-Frills Seafood
The simple clam chowder, the basic drum stew with cornmeal dumplings or broiled mullet paired with fresh watermelon are the sorts of recipes that might have been lost had it not been for “Coastal Carolina Cooking.”
Clean Water for Swimming the Loop
Swim the Loop participants this weekend will benefit from years of work to clean up waters near Wrightsville Beach.
Pelican Award: Gaskill and Ballance
Gene Ballance and James Barrie Gaskill, two lifelong watermen, have restored oyster reefs off their native Ocracoke and off Beacon Island, a brown pelican rookery. Their work earned them a Pelican Award.
Turning on the Federal Spigot?
If N. Topsail Beach succeeds in its fight to change the boundaries of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, federal money can be spent to subsidize flood insurance and development in town for the first time.
30-Year-Old Law Provokes a Fight
The federal Coastal Barrier Resources Act was meant to discourage development on some barrier islands. It hasn’t worked very well on N. Topsail Island and property owners there want it changed.
CRC: ‘Essentially Out of Business’
The state’s Coastal Resources Commission had to postpone this week’s meeting in Nags Head because it’s still severely shorthanded after the legislature fired most of its members.
State Declines $600K in Federal Grants
Environmental officials turned down almost $600,000 in federal money to test water quality in streams where fracking could occur and to monitor wetlands.
The Battle Over Ballast Water
EPA has adopted a new permit intended to protect U.S. waters from invasive species by imposing new regulations on ballast water released from ships. Many at the time probably thought a long legal battle was over.
