Claude Crews, the longtime Hammocks Beach State Park superintendent, ushered in a new era for state parks and served as a role model for many, including our Sam Bland, who is back with Coastal Review to pay homage.
Sam’s Field Notes
Sam’s Field Notes: Catch a wave … in Wyoming?
Having spent years surfing the North Carolina coast, Sam Bland was in for a surprise when he happened upon a group of surfers on the Snake River in Wyoming.
After Travels West, NC’s Coast Beckons
Columnist, nature photographer and retired state park superintendent Sam Bland is back from a cross-country adventure, guided home by familiar coastal beacons.
A View of Climate Change From 14,000 Feet
Our Sam Bland, a coastal creature who has recently been exploring Colorado, compares the effects of global climate change as seen from both sea level and far above.
Antarctic Melting and Sharks in the Collards
Our Sam Bland ponders the vulnerability of the North Carolina coast to sea level rise and new research that indicates melting Antarctic ice could exacerbate the problem.
Sam’s Field Notes: Wolves, Blood and Lunacy
Columnist Sam Bland notes that when the moon rises Sunday, there will be drama, blood and magic, together known as a full super wolf blood lunar eclipse moon.
Christmas Bird Count A Holiday Tradition
The 12 days of Christmas could be the perfect time to take part in a holiday tradition that goes back 119 years, the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count.
Sam’s Field Notes: Wildlife Festivals Ahead
Celebrate North Carolina’s wildlife during Swan Days Festival at Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge and Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival encore, both the second weekend in December.
Sam’s Field Notes: Interpreting Coastal Plants
A plant identification book, “Seacoast Plants of the Carolinas,” that was fundamental to our Sam Bland’s work as a park ranger on the coast has been updated and doesn’t disappoint.
Sam’s Field Notes: Hurricane Florence
An Emerald Isle resident, our Sam Bland weathered Hurricane Florence, which brought destruction to the community but also brought out the best of those who call it home.
Sam’s Field Notes: Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles
The rarest, smallest of sea turtles, the Kemp’s ridley has also long been one of the most mysterious, but turtle watchers recently assisted as hatchlings emerged from a rare nest in Emerald Isle.
Sam’s Field Notes: Diamondback Terrapin
It’s not a sea turtle but its home is aquatic and its future in peril. Our Sam Bland recently joined area wildlife researchers on a quest to document the diamondback terrapin’s abundance in coastal N.C. waters.
Sam’s Field Notes: ‘Let ’em Rest, Let ’em Nest’
It’s that time of year when beachgoers should watch where they step and take other precautions to protect nesting shorebirds, as our Sam Bland explains in his photo essay.
Sam’s Field Notes: Sandhill Cranes
Our Sam Bland shares his adventures trying to catch a glimpse of a pair of sandhill cranes that made a stop in Beaufort during their fall migration to the wintering grounds in Florida.
Sam’s Field Notes: The Balloon Problem
Balloon releases at concerts, games, weddings and other events have … well, ballooned in popularity but, as Sam Bland explains, coastal wildlife often suffers when they’re sent skyward, whether intentionally or not.
Sam’s Field Notes: Bats Get A Bum Rap
They’re the stuff of ghost stories and Halloween scares, but bats are not the blind, blood-sucking demons they’ve been made out to be. However, they are in trouble.
