Reprinted from Island Free Press

With the Rodanthe Pier closed for the 2021-2022 winter season, repairs are currently underway to fix the damage that the pier sustained during an early November storm.

The storm brought ocean overwash to the Outer Banks and closed N.C. 12 for three consecutive days from Rodanthe to Oregon Inlet.

While structural damage was mostly minimal on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, the Rodanthe Pier had two consecutive sections cave in, as well as other damage, such as the loss of the pier’s fish cleaning table.

“Repairs are to fix the (storm) damage, and to do preventive maintenance, (such as) replace old bolts and structural timbers,” said Terry Plumblee, owner and manager of the Rodanthe Pier. “The pier is 60 years old, so it’s time to examine the older parts of the pier, and repair what is necessary.”

The work should be completed in mid-January, and well before the pier is scheduled to reopen in the spring for the 2022 season.

Visit the website for more information on the Rodanthe Pier.

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast. 

Reprinted from Ocracoke Observer

Update: Covid/Omicron variant watch. There may be restrictions on participating in these two bird counts, especially for Portsmouth Island. If you are interested in participating, contact the compiler right after Christmas when we will have a better idea of a possible new wave spread.

Following tradition, the Ocracoke and Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Counts will be held on the last days of the year, with Portsmouth on Dec. 30 and Ocracoke on Dec. 31.

This year, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, now in its 122nd year, is expected to have nearly 80,000 volunteers to tally birds in more than 2,600 locations across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Each individual count is performed in a count circle with a diameter of 15 miles. The data gathered from these surveys help to track bird populations and can flag declining or increasing numbers of a given species.

The two local counts will be entered into the NC Bird Atlas, in its first of a five-year project to gather information about the state’s bird populations.

Ocracoke has run a count every year since 1981 and Portsmouth since 1988, with a couple of cancellations due to adverse weather. The historical results of these counts can be found on the Audubon Christmas Bird Count website.

To participate or for more information, contact the compiler Peter Vankevich, text/cell 202-468-2871 and petevankevich@gmail.com.

This story is provided courtesy of the Ocracoke Observer, a newspaper covering Ocracoke island. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Ocracoke Observer to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.