Maurice Ballance, a waterman and musician who died recently, will be remembered with love and respect. He is considered the last of a generation of Ocracoke men who were true “old salts.”
Horseshoe Crabs: Our Coast’s Living Fossils
Conch fishermen, little shorebirds called red knots and flu vaccinations all share something in common. That’s right. Horseshoe crabs.
Wilder Than a Bengal Jungle
In the last of two parts, the writings of famous American author Henry David Thoreau are compared to the scenery of Ocracoke Island.
Walking With Thoreau
In the first of two parts, a “Coastal Review Online” writer mirrors her beach walk on Ocracoke Island with the writings of famous American author Henry David Thoreau in his expedition of the Cape Cod coastline.
Is a Brown Tide Rising in N.C. Waters?
Brown algae has fouled coastal waters from New York to Texas, killing shellfish and suffocating grass beds. So far North Carolina has been spared. Have we just been lucky or is it merely a matter of time?
The Passing of a ‘True Ocracoker’
Friends and relatives remember Wayne Teeter, a fisherman and businessman who was as Ocracoke as you can get. He died last week, and the roosters along O’Neal Drive crowed in mourning.
Kayaking Ocracoke in Winter
A winter paddle through the marshes of Ocracoke may bring you face to face with a belted kingfisher, which will impress you with its diving aeronautics.
Seashell Bounty
Take some time on this holiday weekend to comb North Carolina’s beaches for their bounty of seashells. We offer some tips.
Roaming Ocracoke Inlet
A trip through the inlet feature sites of Civil War forts, Blackbeard’s lair, the deserted village of Portsmouth and baby pelicans on Beacon’s Island.
The Invasion of the Reed Plant
A native plant that was once part of healthy coastal wetlands is being pushed aside by a foreign cousin that is invading our marshes, creating a barren ecosystem in its wake.
The Coast’s Underwater Gardens
Only a few feet below the surface of the state’s coastal waters, expansive beds of eelgrass and shoal grass form underwater gardens where life flourishes.
A New Approach to Rebuilding Oyster Reefs
The state and commercial fishermen on Ocracoke will try a new method to replenish oyster reefs around the island in hopes of reducing losses to sponges, crabs and other predators.
Reviving Ocracoke’s Oysters
Ocracoke residents gathered around a pot-bellied stove on a cold winter day to learn how to best monitor little oyster spats and thus bring about the revival of the species.
Shark Star Mary Lee Drops by Ocracoke
A two-ton Northern Atlantic great white shark that has achieved Internet stardom as Mary Lee paid a visit to Ocracoke last week.
Global Warming’s ‘Evil Twin’
Rising acid levels in the oceans is one of the more alarming consequences of global warming. Corals, oysters, clams, starfish and sand dollars are just a few of the sea creatures that can be affected. “The oceans will become hot, sour and breathless,” says one scientist.
