The oyster season opens today along the N.C. coast and another good year is expected. No diseases and efforts to restore oyster beds and recycle shells for new reefs have contributed to the rebound.
Archives
Are the Horseshoe Crabs Telling Us Something?
An unusually high number of small horseshoe crabs started showing up in Stump Sound. That got a noted naturalist thinking about global warming, changing ecosystems and the powers of observation.
Living in the Storm Track
Another hurricane season draws to an end and we here on the coast can begin to breath easier, but it’s worth remember what it’s like to live in the storm’s track.
Pelican Award Winner: Lovey’s Cafe Owners
Marie Montemurro and Karen Stewart, owners of Lovey’s Natural Foods and Cafe in Wilmington, have been among the leaders of the fight to stop Titan America’s proposed cement plant.
Fish Can Now Get Around Old Obstacle
For almost 100 years, spawning fish heading up the Cape Fear River ran into an unmovable obstacle called Lock and Dam No. 1. Now a passage that resembles natural rapids gives them a chance.
Old Light Tower May Get New Life
One of the more unusual deals in the history of Outer Banks real estate closed last week, when a Minnesota businessman signed off with the federal government on the purchase of the Diamond Shoals Light Tower.
Slow Down: Merger Idea Needs More Study
A report that was mandated by the N.C. General Assembly on merging the state’s fisheries and wildlife agencies recommends that the legislature move cautiously and take more time to study the idea.
A Beacon of Wind in Morehead City
A small wind tower astride N.C. State’s Center for Marine and Science Technology in Morehead City may be a beacon for small-scale renewable energy along the coast.
The Albatross Fleet
Seventy-five years ago, Ernal Foster of Hatteras had a notion that sportsmen might actually pay to go fishing. The three elegant boats that arose from that simple idea are still taking folks fishing and are now a part of Outer Banks lore.
Preserving a Piece of the Woods
Nags Head and the N.C. Nature Conservancy have bought a 20-acre tract that was the center of a dispute last year over development in the Nags Head Woods Preserve.
Community Colleges Offer Courses in Green Jobs
Someone will have to install those solar panels and tend to those wind farms. Several community colleges along the N.C. coast offer courses to teach the skills needed by alternative energy companies.
Oyster Reefs Could Combat Warming
UNC researchers think that oyster reefs in certain settings can be very effective in storing carbon and may be an essential line of defense against global warming.
Using Marshes to Combat Global Warming
Salt marshes may store far more carbon than tropical rain forests and other types of habitats. In the first of a two-part series, we explore these valuable weapons in the fight against global warming.
When It Rains, It Pours
That’s what it’s done all summer in Nags Head, where a 50-year-old network of ditches, culverts and pipes dramatically showed its age after more than 3 feet of rain.
Pesticide-Laden Runoff Kills Blue Crabs
Thousands of crabs died after a pesticide sprayed on a cotton field washed into a canal near the Pamlico River, causing state officials to wonder what these deadly chemicals are doing to aquatic life. They don’t know because no one really keeps track.
Toxic Air Battle Joined Anew
A battle that began earlier this year over legislation cutting back the state’s air toxics program starts up anew this week when state regulators seek public comment on changes to regulations on toxic air emissions.
