Special report: The governor’s veto not withstanding, this legislative session’s farm bill is now law, and with it, state offsets and water quality protections for eastern North Carolina’s wetland environments may have evaporated.
Archives
Attorney General Stein discusses environmental concerns
Attorney General Josh Stein met Monday with North Carolina Coastal Federation members in Pine Knoll Shores to learn more about the work being done to maintain a living shoreline and manage stormwater runoff in the community.
NC river toxins threaten subsistence fishing, tribal practices
An advisory alerting people to PFAS contamination in certain fish species that inhabit the middle and lower Cape Fear River basin brings more bad news for people living in the region.
Topsail Beach board to discuss The Point rezoning request
Commissioners will propose and discuss conditions on Pendo CEO Todd Olsen’s conditional rezoning application, which seeks to remove fewer than 30 acres of the nearly 150-acre property from its current conservation zone.
Professional know-how a fisheries biologist’s fishing secret
A quarter-century career as a state fisheries biologist may give Chris Batsavage an edge on the water, but his personal database may be his most powerful advantage.
Lingering Chowan River algal bloom prompts state advisory
Counties currently affected include Chowan, Bertie and Hertford.
Manager says Corolla horses look ‘marshy’ for good reason
Meg Puckett, who manages the herd for the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, knows well the challenges and the horses themselves, but she says the work never gets old.
Rules panel sets Aug. 15 deadline on plan for beach mats
The state rules process to allow coastal towns, counties and private beachfront property owners to use portable, roll-out mats as an alternative to traditional beach walkover structures continues.
Wrightsville Beach angler lands new record red hind
Harrison Bachmann of Wrightsville Beach shows off his 9-pound, 12.1-ounce, fish. Photo: Division of Marine Fisheries
Calls to act on Topsail plan yield frustration, hearing date
Topsail Beach commissioners Wednesday set a public hearing for September and agreed to hold a workshop to discuss possible conditions for approval of the rezoning request Raleigh software entrepreneur Todd Olson submitted last October and that the planning board voted down in May.
State says limit consumption of fish from parts of Cape Fear
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends limits on consumption of certain freshwater fish from the middle and lower Cape Fear River based on concerns about exposure to chemicals found in fish sampled from that area.
Hunt club challenges recently approved shellfish lease
The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission’s Shellfish Cultivation Lease Review Committee meets Tuesday to consider the club’s petition.
Ghost forest education focal point of public science project
A public science project at Cape Lookout National Seashore is part of a bigger communication effort to have a conversation about what ghost forests represent.
Preservation work begins on Old Manns Harbor Bridge
The work is not expected to impact the purple martins that nest in the bridge during late July and August, because work will not take place between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. during the nesting season, officials said.
State cultural sites policy encourages use of native plants
The policy, effective July 1, is to help the department meet its mission of protecting the state’s natural heritage, officials said in the announcement.
State lifts swimming advisory for North River Bridge site
The advisory was posted July 7 at the public swimming area at the west end of North River Bridge off U.S. 70 near Otway.
