The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority executive director met this week with state science advisers to discuss adding a persistent compound to the state’s priority per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances list.
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Nonnative apple snails, zebra mussels found in NC waters
A type of snail harmful to native habitat, can make people sick and is outlawed in North Carolina is the second confirmed aquatic invasive species in the state in less than a month.
Wharf pilings and sawdust: Visiting Hyde’s lost villages
Drawing from maps created by a teacher and his students, historian David Cecelski aims to get a feel for the lumber mill villages in Hyde County that have long since disappeared.
Plans in motion to rid public lands of single-use plastics
The Department of Interior — including national parks — must phase out single-use plastic products within the decade, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Thursday, but advocates remain worried.
Edenton’s history ‘an everyday part of life’ for its residents
The Chowan County town of 5,000 boasts one of the largest groups of historic buildings in North Carolina, numerous notable figures from the past and the distinction of creating the state’s the historic preservation movement.
National Park Service plans unclear as shutdown looms
Update Oct. 2: The U.S. House and Senate have approved a continuing resolution that funds federal government operations through Nov. 17, putting a hold on potential closure of the three national parks located on the Outer Banks.
Outrigger club completes second leg of coastal NC trek
Wrightsville Beach Outrigger Canoe Club paddlers recently completed a three-day, 125-mile journey from Swansboro to Cape Hatteras in a traditional oceangoing Polynesian canoe to raise awareness of risks to water quality.
USFWS plans to chemically treat part of Lake Mattamuskeet
The EPA warning label for an algaecide proposed for use in a trial project at algal-bloom-plagued Lake Mattamuskeet cites the product’s potential risks to birds.
Budget strips certain powers from local governments
Environmental groups and Dare County officials object to provisions in the $30 billion spending plan that take away towns’ and counties’ rule-making authority, including for regulating plastics use and affordable housing.
Outer Banks homeless shelter grapples with cut in resources
There is a real need to help people experiencing homelessness in Dare County, but resources are limited, said Shari Fiveash, the new executive director for the Outer Banks homelessness program.
Researchers find how hogfish ‘see’ themselves change color
University of North Carolina Wilmington scientists have discovered photoreceptors that allow hogfish to monitor their own shifting hues.
Road to Makatoka: Logging the Green Swamp, 1910-1930
Early 20th century photographs of the Waccamaw Lumber Co.’s operations in Columbus and Brunswick counties also depict an almost Wild West-like society of loggers and lumbermen.
Study shows extreme disasters accelerate aging in primates
Rhesus macaque monkeys on an isolated island in Puerto Rico exposed to the 2017 Hurricane Maria showed molecular aging of around two years as a result, roughly equivalent to seven or eight human years.
Oyster Highway Project reaches milestone with final phase
This year marks the project’s third and final phase for the project to revive and restore the New River, which had become nearly choked to death by wastewater pollution.
Five years after Florence: A look back at resilience efforts
Guest commentary: The effects of Hurricane Florence in 2018 linger today, and though progress toward resilience has been made, the recent loss of wetland protections will come to bear after future storms.
Pilot projects may prove vital in Currituck Sound restoration
Currituck Sound, once the crown jewel of the Atlantic Flyway, but migratory waterfowl counts have plummeted. Years of pilot projects and collaboration led to a working plan for restoring this important marsh habitat.