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.
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Brinson touts bills to ax ocean erosion-control structure ban
Sen. Bob Brinson discussed the bills last week in committee, measures that would undo four decades of coastal policy, just as the science advisory panel to the Coastal Resources Commission readies a report on these structures’ effects and effectiveness.
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.
Moratoriums leave NC shellfish farmers with few options
Shellfish lease moratoriums covering several coastal counties have pushed growers to the waters near Topsail Island, and the resulting pushback could lead to further restrictions, but growers say producing in-demand, presentation-perfect oysters is difficult enough without the fight.
Fishing guides cast concerns over shellfish lease proliferation
Special report: The state’s rapid growth of shellfish leases, especially water column leases where gear must float, has not only led to viewshed complaints from waterfront property owners but also frustration among fishing guides over the operations’ effects on access.
Chancellor visits Institute of Marine Sciences, its researchers
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts spent Tuesday in Carteret County meeting with researchers at the university’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City as part of his second summer tour.
Crews set out to pull more abandoned boats from area waters
The North Carolina Coastal Federation, with a $450,000 grant from the BoatUS Foundation, has launched its latest effort to rid coastal marshes and waterways of abandoned and derelict vessels.
State names bridge for Cornelius Nixon; city recalls his grace
Wilmington’s staggering growth has displaced numerous homes and businesses, but “Sonny” Nixon refused to let his longstanding and pioneering Market Street wholesale and retail seafood business stand in the way of progress.
New book, ‘A Spectacular Coast and its Guardians’: An excerpt
Author Glenn Blackburn, professor emeritus of history at University of Virginia’s College at Wise, has written his second book about the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the nonprofit’s history, people and accomplishments.
‘Too soon’ to see NC’s effects from a NextEra-Dominion deal
The potential $67 billion, all-stock merger of electric utilities, Virginia-based Dominion Energy and Florida-based NextEra Energy, could boost further renewable power development in northeastern North Carolina and create a massive utility, but whether it will be an overall good thing for the Tar Heel State remains to be seen.
Volunteer Pony Patrollers protect public, Carteret wild horses
For the fourth year, volunteers are spending their days on Shackleford Banks and Rachel Carson Reserve in an effort to guide visitors on safely observing Carteret County’s wild horses.
‘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.
Serving public a passion for State Climatologist Jared Bowden
“I’m trying to help the public with their problems related to climate,” says Dr. Jared Bowden, a Rocky Mount native who became director of the North Carolina State Climate Office early this month.
DMF to give update on blue crab stock assessment progress
The Division of Marine Fisheries stock assessment team during a May 28 webinar plan to review their work on developing a new benchmark stock assessment for the blue crab fishery.
