Snapping turtles have quite the reputation, a larger-than-life mystique rife with legend and lore, but despite their fierce appearance, they are rarely aggressive toward humans while in the water, but on dry land — mind your fingers!
Commentary
Not just eye candy; flowers, pollinators they attract are vital
Flowers symbolize so many things — they say so much — but to really appreciate blooms is to get to know them and their essential food-producing, life-giving roles better.
Fishing spartina flats yields prize catches — with experience
Know the right gear for varying conditions and avoiding the snags that can rid you of your costly tackle. Capt. Gordon has suggestions.
Section 408: Missing from Cape Fear Memorial Bridge talks
Guest commentary: The project to replace the aging Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, if handled well, will for generations connect residents, military interests, the seaport and segments of the state’s economy, but a recent determination under the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 changes the discussion.
NC coast is state’s greatest investment; new budget treats it so
Commentary: Bipartisan agreement this year, combined with nurtured relationships, sound science and practical problem-solving, resulted in permanent funding to rid coastal waters of abandoned and derelict vessels and money for projects that improve water quality, bolster resilience and help preserve the natural resources that sustain economy and our quality of life.
Fibonacci plus his golden ratio equal sunflower mathematics
If you have ever marveled at a sunflower’s complex beauty, then you’ve seen one example of the ubiquitous sequence introduced to Westerners by an Italian mathematician named Leonardo Fibonacci.
Scientific data: Understanding rising sea levels for anglers
Dr. Shintaro Bunya, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Center for Natural Hazards Resilience, works with government agencies and communities to help them better understand and prepare for coastal flood risks, and here he does the same for anglers.
Tabb’s Trails: Resilience, beauty, variety in Nags Head Woods
Coastal reporter Kip Tabb explores Nags Head Woods Preserve, The Nature Conservancy’s 14-acre protected maritime forest on the Outer Banks.
Commentary: A personal journey ‘Beyond Pea Island’
Contributing columnist Joan Collins explains her decision to step back from her 16-year role on the board of directors of the Pea Island Preservation Society Inc. and focus her energy on documenting her ancestors’ Coast Guard service.
Summer is near, yet far from simply ‘Dog Days’ for fishing
Maybe for some the time is right for dancing in the street, but during the next few months, the informed angler will know where to be, what to take and when to get there.
Turn unused space into Butterfly Highway, Pollinator Pit Stop
Wide-open spaces were once rich with all kinds of grasses and flowering plants — a vital feast for pollinators, but as people moved in, habitat was lost, and now it takes extra effort on our part to create corridors for birds, butterflies and bees to travel.
‘Believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer’
“Superstition ain’t the way,” as Stevie Wonder wisely observed, and the same holds true when fishing. Just don’t bring bananas.
Recalling George Barnes, first Jockeys Ridge superintendent
Sam Bland pays tribute to his recently deceased friend, George Grantham Barnes, who, as Jockeys Ridge State Park’s first superintendent, leaves indelible footprints in the park’s constantly shifting sands.
I grew up on this coast; I won’t watch right whales disappear
Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales face a crisis they can’t outswim — and a recent move by the federal government threatens to make a dire situation even worse.
When did what we now know as weeds become … weeds?
A weed, by definition, is a plant growing where it’s not wanted, but when did we decide that colorful, beneficial, medicinal or otherwise useful species are not desired? Spoiler: It was not all that long ago.
Heed Al Lindner’s tip: ‘Limit your kill, don’t kill your limit’
Consider the famous angler’s advice, what it means and how it should influence and inform decision-making when fishing.
