Waters near Cape Lookout have become increasingly perilous because of shoaling and shifting channels, despite a two-year-old agreement between Carteret County and the National Park Service that has provided more than $5.67 million for dredging.
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Corps collecting data for 20-year dredged materials plan
The Army Corps of Engineers is identifying sites and gathering data for a 20-year management plan to provide answers on where spoils from nonfederal dredge projects may be placed.
Senate budget includes fisheries studies, ferry funding
The state Senate’s two-year spending plan approved last week includes funding for fisheries research, expanding the shellfish lease program and a new loan program for growers, along with a new dedicated fund for Ferry Division capital expenses.
Superfund process, cleanup to end for 20+ acres in Navassa
Officials say more than 20 acres in the 200-acre, creosote-contaminated Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. site in Navassa will have met cleanup goals by this fall.
Hatteras Village relies on commercial fishing, a safe inlet
Alana Harrison, Hatteras Village seafood market owner and fish dealer, worries that shoaling in Hatteras Inlet will cause local commercial fishermen to relocate to neighboring fishing ports.
Language from PFAS bills rolled into Senate budget
Provisions aimed at stepping up state monitoring of contaminants known as per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances were wrapped into the Senate budget plan released this week.
Process for defining droughts in NC a matter of degrees
Drought conditions and flooding are possible in North Carolina at the same time, but this apparent paradox isn’t as absurd as it may seem.
Visitors urged to ‘leave no trace’ on public lands
During Great Outdoors Month this month, managers of state and federal lands urge visitors to protect their natural lands and wildlife.
Flood-resilience study reveals solutions, big challenges
The large-scale Stoney Creek project in Wayne County has shown that using natural and working lands to hold back stormwater can be an effective solution to repeated flooding of homes and infrastructure, but some places face a losing battle.
‘Ditch of Death’: Navigation in Hatteras Inlet dicey … again
Shoaling threatens navigation in economically vital Hatteras Inlet, prompting frustrated fishers to dub the South Ferry Channel the “Ditch of Death.” A consultant, responding to conditions, told the Dare County Waterways Commission Monday that continuing to dredge the passage appears “futile.”
Our Coast’s History: The Herring Workers
Charles Farrell’s photographs of herring workers from 1937-1941 remind us of a different time and perhaps give us a vision of what could be again if the Chowan River is restored to health, writes historian David Cecelski.
Piggish behavior when feeding earned hogfish their name
These predators hunt for food on the sea floor using their hog-like snouts to make meals of mollusks and crustaceans, but their sex lives are far more unusual than that of most farm animals.
Senate, House settle on spending caps, details to follow
House and Senate negotiators last week settled on increased budget ceilings for the next two years, but exact numbers by department have yet to be spelled out.
EPA revives climate change website, adds ‘indicators’ data
The Environmental Protection Agency recently reactivated its climate change website taken offline in 2017 and added new data, including information relevant to the NC coast.
Drones allow scientists a bird’s-eye view of seabird colonies
Instead of trekking on foot, a Duke University team used drones to count large seabird colonies on a small island chain off the Falkland Islands.
Plastics, lax enforcement blamed as roadside litter worsens
Volunteers who pick up litter along coastal NC roadways say plastic pollution is a growing part of the problem as the numbers of charges and convictions for littering dwindle.
