The 17,000-acre preserve in Brunswick County is home to numerous species of rare birds, alligators and carnivorous plants, such as the Venus flytrap.
Titan Fight Approaches Benchmark
Five years have passed since a handful of residents and environmentalists sat in the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners’ chambers to learn more about a company’s plans to build a cement plant just outside of Wilmington.
Greening Up the State’s Travel Industry
Eleven coastal businesses are among the 53 restaurants, lodges and parks in North Carolina that been inducted into a fledgling state program that recognizes travel businesses that take extra steps to conserve.
Clean Water Trust Fund Helped Many
The fund has preserved thousands of acres of waterfront land across North Carolina. It has spent almost $260 million in the 20 coastal counties since 1996 and is now on the brink of extermination.
Protecting the Green Swamp
The Nature Conservancy recently bought more than 450 acres bordering the Green Swamp in Brunswick County. Pinch Gut Ridge will help protect the swamp and is a haven for longleaf pine and many species or rare plants.
Something Old, Something New, Something Green
For the bride and groom-to-be who want to celebrate their nuptials in an eco-friendly way, professionals say even the most minute choices can make a difference.
Onslow Residents Again Fighting Quarry
Residents of Maple Hill are again fighting a proposed quarry that Onslow County turned down a year ago. Martin Marietta has reapplied for a permit that the county Board of Adjustment will consider Tuesday.
Living Shoreline Permitting Still a Hassle
Though research increasingly supports the value of living shorelines over bulkheads and other types of manmade erosion-control methods, state and federal officials still struggle with streamlining the permitting system for them.
Swimming Standards May Be Tightened
North Carolina will likely tighten its recreational swimming standards this year at some places along the coast in response to new federal water-quality guidelines.
Pellet Plans Draw Mixed Reviews in Morehead
Plans to build a wood pellet facility at the state port in Morehead City raise questions about how such a facility may change the face of a town that relies so heavily on tourism. Some are skeptical, others cautiously optimistic.
Climate Change, Insurance and the Coast, Part 2
Part 2 of the series takes a look at efforts undertaken by specific locales to address problems of coastal insurance in a changing climate.
Climate Change, Insurance and the Coast, part 1
Part 1 of this two-part series takes a look at the insurance industry’s efforts to address coastal climate change in their risk assessment scenarios.
Who Will Pay for Ports’ Pellet Plan?
Aside from being a good tongue twister, that’s the $70 million question that has yet to be answered after the N.C. Railroad Co. declined to financially back a pellet storage facility at the state port in Morehead City.
Federation Leads Push for Review of Wood Pellet Plan
The N.C. Coastal Federation and an advocacy group in Carteret County are pushing the N.C. State Ports Authority to adhere to state law and do an environmental review of its plans to ship wood pellets from the port in Morehead City to European power plants.
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.
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.
