Driving to the outpost of Carova on the northern Outer Banks can get tricky since the paved road stops in Corolla 11 miles away, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of tourists from making the trip each year. Some wonder how bad traffic will get if a new bridge is built across Currituck Sound.
News & Features
Fresh, Local Veggies Just a Mouse Click Away
Recently, several groups of small farmers and gardeners, assisted by grants, have turned to the Internet to connect to that vast potential market of customers along the coast who want fresh, local produce.
Get Paid to Plant Juniper
The N.C. Coastal Federation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have a deal for you. They’ll pay 80 percent of the cost of planting rare Atlantic white cedar on your property.
Living Shorelines Require Careful Planning
Living shorelines offer many benefits over the wooden and rock walls that are customarily used to control erosion along estuarine shores. But researchers say they have to be carefully planned to maximize their natural elements.
Living Shorelines: The Natural Alternative
Techniques to control erosion that use oyster shells and marsh grasses are often better alternatives than the traditional wooden bulkhead or rock seawall.
Legislature Tips Its Hand on Offshore Drilling
Fracking was the energy issue of the last session of the General Assembly, but that doesn’t mean that the pro-drilling legislature has forgotten about offshore.
From Lifeless Shells to a Vibrant Reef
Groups like the N.C. Coastal Federation spend a lot of time and effort building oyster reefs to create marine habitat and improve water quality. But do the reefs really work? Do the lifeless piles of shells actually become a sort of living organism?
How’s the Water?
Many times when they visit the coast and head out for a day on the beach, people ask each other, “How’s the water?” Drop by Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head today to get some answers.
Mixing Summer Fun With Learning
Why do some shells have holes in them? And why are trees on barrier islands so short? Kids who attend the federation’s summer day camps on Jones Island know.They also get wet and dirty.
A Healthy Forest Is a Burned One
“Fire dependent” may sound like an oxymoron, but a fire now burning in the Croatan National Forest will ensure that the longleaf pines will survive.
Figure 8 First Out of Gate With Groin Project
Four communities are planning to take advantage of a new state law that allows small jetties, called groins, to be built at inlets to control beachfront erosion. Figure Eight Island near Wilmington is the farthest along.
Roanoke River at Risk if Uranium Mined
The potential contaminants from any uranium mining in the Roanoke River basin in Virginia could have effects far downstream as the river flows on to the N.C. coast.
N.C. Could See Effects of Uranium Mining in Va.
North Carolinians should pay attention to the ongoing debate in Virginia about uranium mining. Yes, the stuff they make bombs out of. One of the possible mine sites is just across the Va. border in the Roanoke River basin.
Clean Water Fund Gets Whacked Again
The state budget passed this week by the N.C. General Assembly cuts the appropriation to the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund to the lowest level in the agency’s history, leading its director to wonder if the state’s leading conservation fund can survive.
Buying Your Piece of Coastal Heaven
Before making an offer on that perfect place for your retirement or coastal getaway, there are things like erosion rates and setbacks, hurricanes and flood insurance that you need to know about.
A Failing Grade on the Environment
Using the recession as its backdrop and rules cost jobs as its mantra, the Republican-led legislature has slashed environmental budgets, weakened laws and earned record low scores for protecting the state’s environment.
