National Estuaries Week, Sept. 21-28, is a celebration of economically and ecologically vital and sensitive ecosystems, and there’s still time to take part and learn more.
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‘Total mess’ after third Rodanthe house in four days falls
“I would say the debris field was so dense and thick, for the first quarter-mile south of the house collapse site that it was difficult to actually walk,” Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent Dave Hallac said.
Nuts about figs? These edible, inverted flowers thrive here
There’s something about figs, the fruit that’s actually not, and the easy-to-propagate tree that — like so many of us — simply loves life on the North Carolina coast.
Van der Vaart: Likely carcinogen does not equal carcinogen
Chief Administrative Law Judge and Director of the Office of Administrative Hearings Dr. Donald van der Vaart revoked permit limits of 1,4-dioxane for municipal wastewater treatment plants that discharge a compound the EPA calls a likely human carcinogen into the drinking water sources of tens of thousands.
BOEM begins planning second Atlantic offshore wind lease
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is in the early stages of planning to determine new wind energy areas for the Central Atlantic region.
Bald Head Island ferry firm, passengers reach settlement
A proposal submitted to the North Carolina Utilities Commission earlier this month would ease pushback over schedules and issues with capacity.
Work gets underway to pinpoint Buxton pollution source
Corps of Engineers contractors are to start work Friday near Old Lighthouse Beach in an intensified effort to find the source of intermittent fuel odors and oily soil first exposed more than a year ago by storm erosion.
Storm thrashes NC coast: historic rainfall, crumpled roads
Brunswick and New Hanover counties each saw more than 15 inches of rainfall over the past two days as the storm that formed off the East Coast came ashore near Myrtle Beach.
Topsail Mayor Smith ‘was always doing his homework’
Steve Smith, a Virginia native and East Carolina University graduate who was serving his second term as Topsail Beach mayor and had a reputation for educating himself on coastal issues, died Friday at 73.
Preserved Skinnersville church bears builders’ handprints
Rural Washington County is home to a restored 170-year-old house of worship on the National Register, and the nonprofit group formed to restore the structure likely built by enslaved people says it offers revealing glimpses into our past.
Vesta says olivine sand carbon project at Duck yielding data
The light green sand from a Norway mine deposited nearshore earlier this year in Duck is part of a pilot project studying how the material, when activated by seawater, removes carbon from the ocean and atmosphere.
Update: PFAS groundwater rule OK’d for public comment
The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission on Thursday unanimously waived the normal 30-day public notice, expediting the rulemaking process covering the compounds classified as likely carcinogens.
Plan in motion to build resiliency in Carteret’s North River
Coastal Carolina Riverwatch has worked with North River residents on a long-term plan to address multiple flooding challenges in the flood-prone, unincorporated area of the county .
Redfish through seasons: Target wisely, release carefully
Popular with anglers, to catch red drum, the state saltwater fish, takes experience and know-how, and preserving them for the future requires care and expediency in returning to the water those you boat.
Cape Lookout dredge spoils used to restore vanishing island
A haven for waterbirds since at least 1970, the quickly vanishing Sandbag Island near Harkers Island was recently expanded from a tenth of an acre to 5 acres using spoils from a dredge project around Cape Lookout Lighthouse.
NC focuses on helping municipal water, sewer — not septic
Some towns are providing assistance for people on private systems, about half the state’s households.
