The Wildlife Resources Commission has proposed requiring paid passes for recreational uses of state game lands, a plan that could improve safety during hunting season but may make access out of reach for large user groups.
Bittersweet event: Restored Reaves Chapel to be dedicated
The long, challenging restoration of one of the oldest African American buildings in southeastern North Carolina is finally complete, albeit after the death of one who spent the last 15 years of his life fighting to preserve it.
Oak Island looks to grow its Tree Preservation Project
Hurricanes and development have diminished this Brunswick County beach town’s naturally protective tree canopy, but a planting effort and new rules may reverse the trend and ensure the name remains fitting.
Researchers embark on study of shore-to-sea habitats
The UNC system project allows researchers to study habitat changes from the mouth of the Cape Fear River to the Gulf Stream’s warm waters.
Judge restores state’s 30 erased coastal development rules
A judge has ordered that more than two dozen longstanding rules used to guide coastal development and protect resources be placed back into the North Carolina Administrative Code.
Upriver Cape Fear plant releases high levels of 1,4-dioxane
Levels of the compound believed to be a human carcinogen at the Asheboro wastewater treatment plant far exceeded national limits in late January.
‘Words matter’: Accepted ‘pocosin’ definition unsupported
Duke University researcher Dr. Ryan Emanuel has found no documented evidence behind the long-used English translation of the Eastern Algonquian as a “swamp on a hill.”
Wildlife shelter posts reward to end maiming of pelicans
A wild bird rescue organization in Brunswick County is offering a $10,000 reward to stop the common winter occurrence of dead and severely injured brown pelicans washing ashore.
UNCW Blue Economy Index plunges following inauguration
The University of North Carolina Wilmington’s benchmark that tracks companies earning revenue via ocean resources has performed poorly since Trump returned to office.
Ports, suppliers in 40 states are invested in offshore wind
A new report from an ocean advocacy group finds that billions of dollars have been invested in U.S. ports in gearing up for or actively serving the offshore wind energy, which has created thousands of jobs, just as the new administration levels its anti-renewables sights at the industry.
Conservationists seek Farm Act changes to boost land gifts
Officials with land trusts across the state are concerned that incentives in the law that took effect Jan. 1 may not be enough to entice property owners to donate.
Agency nixes speed limits proposed to protect right whales
“Despite its best efforts, NMFS does not have sufficient time to finalize this regulation in this Administration due to the scope and volume of public comments,” NOAA said before Trump’s inauguration Monday.
EPA to NC: Solvent discharge limits deadline ‘mandatory’
A pending lawsuit notwithstanding, the Environmental Protection Agency has put North Carolina on notice: There’s no extension of the time frames for addressing the federal agency’s objections regarding the discharge of 1,4 dioxane into waters upstream of the Cape Fear.
Sleepy Creek trail segment planners intend to ‘keep it wild’
The idea behind a planned new portion of Mountains-to-Sea Trail through the Holly Shelter Game Land’s lush pocosin in Pender County is to lure hikers safely away from Highway 17 and most other signs of civilization.
Coastal Land Trust secures final million to buy ‘The Point’
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding $1 million to the state and conservation organizations to protect the 150-acre, undeveloped tract at the southern end of Topsail Beach.
Biden makes protections from offshore drilling permanent
President Joe Biden on Monday used his authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to withdraw from new oil development the entire East Coast, eastern Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, and remainder of Alaska’s northern Bering Sea.
