The newly formed North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency announced the appointment of three resilience officers to lead the state’s initiative to help storm-affected communities recover, rebuild and prepare.
News Briefs
New Buxton Beach Access to Open May 24
Cape Hatteras National Seashore plans to open May 24 the Buxton Beach Access, formerly a U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard base at the end of Old Lighthouse Road, to provide improved public access to oceanside recreational activities.
BOEM Opens Virtual Archaeology Museum
BOEM’s Virtual Archaeology Museum displays video, detailed 3D models and mosaic maps of shipwrecks from the 19th and 20th centuries, including the Blake Ridge Wreck off of the N.C. coast.
Public May Comment on Seismic Plan Review
The Division of Coastal Management is accepting comments related to an application to do seismic testing off the N.C. coast as questions about the firm’s plans remain unanswered.
DEQ to Test New Hanover Wells for PFAS
The state plans to begin testing groundwater from monitoring wells in New Hanover County after learning PFAS compounds were detected in six of 25 wells that provide water to a Cape Fear Public Utility Authority plant.
State Gets Grant to Buy Meter Point Tract
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant will allow the state Division of Coastal Management to add more than 35 acres on Little Colington Island to the Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve.
Tillis: ‘Lake Mattamuskeet Needs Our Help’
Sen. Thom Tillis writes in a commentary for Ocracoke Observer that though Lake Mattamuskeet is in jeopardy, he will continue advocating for Hyde County and restoration efforts to save the lake.
FEMA Grants Available for Home Elevation
The Dare County Planning Department will host a meeting May 15 for year-round residents to learn about applying to the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Tip of Cape Point Closes Due to Nesting
Due to a large colony of nesting least terns beginning to nest in the area, the tip of Cape Point at Cape Hatteras National Seashore closed Monday.
DEQ Orders New Sampling for Contaminants
The Department of Environmental Quality has ordered operators of wastewater pretreatment facilities in the Cape Fear River Basin to begin testing water flowing into their plants for 1,4 dioxane and PFAS.
Six Rehabilitated Sea Turtles Head Home
Six sea turtles were released Saturday after being rehabilitated for months by the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island’s Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center at the Frisco Bath House.
Six Sea Turtles to be Released Saturday
There will be six rehabilitated sea turtles released Saturday morning by the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island at the Frisco Bath House on Hatteras Island.
Offshore Oil, Gas Safety Rules Loosened
The Trump administration moved Thursday to relax the safety regulations adopted after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon blowout, despite push back on the effort to expand offshore drilling and oil exploration.
Bierly Named for Posthumous Award
The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters recognized with a lifetime achievement award the late Dick Bierly, who served as president of the North Carolina Coastal Federation board of directors.
Barden Inlet May Lose Aids to Navigation
The public can submit comments until Monday on the U.S. Coast Guard’s proposal to remove aids to navigation in Barden Inlet, the main access to Cape Lookout National Seashore, which is only accessible by boat.
Judge Allows AG to Intervene in Land Dispute
A judge has granted the state attorney general’s motion to intervene in a case in which a property owner seeks to develop waterfront property in Morehead City set aside in 2003 for conservation.