The “central park” of Atlantic Beach, the 31-acre preserve and nature trail was once threatened by development and is now about all that’s left of the town’s natural environment.
Commentary
Sam’s Field Notes: North Carolina’s State Shell, The Scotch Bonnet
Everybody has their favorite shell, but in North Carolina, the Holy Grail of seashells seems to be the Scotch bonnet.
Coastal Legislators Made Bad Bill Better
Two state representatives pushed for significant improvements to a bill that remakes the state’s regulatory commissions.
Why the Federation Is Opposed to Drilling Off N.C.
Producing and refining oil and natural gas is a dirty, smelly business that pollutes the water and air, mars the landscape and, when an accident occurs, can have life-changing effects. And all for what? A few months supply of gasoline?
McCrory Should Step Lightly
A new poll found that a sizable majority of voters thinks it’s prudent for Gov. Pat McCrory to balance economic development with environmental protection.
Sam’s Field Notes: The ‘Spectacled Goose’
The largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, the northern gannets have long been tied to maritime culture.
Political Commissars Coming?
Thanks to a change in state law, Gov.-elect Pat McCrory now has lots more discretion to make state government a highly political place to work.
FEMA to the Beach Rescue… Again
After Hurricane Sandy passes, beach communities will again ask for federal money to rebuild their beaches, but it’s not clear that’s what Congress intended.
Sam’s Field Notes: The Migration of the Monarchs
When the temperatures start to drop,the king of butterflies — the monarchs — begin their long and amazing migration back to the mountains Mexico.
A Different Kind of Commute
Todd Miller’s commute to work can include flocks of cormorants blackening the sky and pound nets as “highway” markers.
Mega-Port: Time to Fix Costly Error
The land that the state bought for a proposed mega-port near Southport isn’t worth anything near what the state paid for it six years ago. It’s time for the state to do right by its taxpayers.
Sea Level and the Naysayers
The longer climate-change naysayers prevent meaningful collective action against global warming the more severe its economic consequences will be for all of us.
Sam’s Field Notes: The Call of a Nightjar
The call of the chuck-will’s-widow is one of Sam’s favorites… as long as it’s in the distance.
Groin Study Is Beyond Saving
A complete permit application for a terminal groin at Figure Eight Island has never been submitted. So we ask: Why is an EIS being prepared?
30 Years and Counting
The idea took shape while Todd Miller was clamming with his father. Here, he reflects on 30 years of advocating for the N.C. coast.
Time for a Face-to-Face Meeting
The legislative debate over sea-level rise revealed a disturbing antipathy toward science among some legislator. Here’s one thing we can do.
