A new study suggests that as many as 344,000 acres of forestland along the coast — one of the world’s most productive for growing timber — could ultimately be converted to other uses.
News & Features
‘Animalcules’ and the Poison of Mercury
The estuaries least glamorous of beings — bacteria — drive the entire ecosystem and play a crucial role in the birth of mercury’s most insidious form.
State Tries to Grapple with Mercury
Every water body in North Carolina is polluted with this potent toxin, with the highest concentrations in coastal waters. The state has a plan it says will begin to bring those levels down.
Coastal Law: Mega-Dumps and Beaches
Two recent court cases — one dealing with a state law on large landfills and the other with condemned buildings on the public-trust beach — may have far-reaching implications.
Federation Wins Home Builders’ Award
The Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association gave the federation its 2012 Coastal Green Built Award, a symbol of the growing relationship between the two disparate groups.
‘No Child Left Inside’
Every year, the federation’s educators take kids out of the classroom to plant marshes, create oyster reefs, build rain gardens and learn about the natural wonders of our coast.
State Marine Fisheries Division May Disappear
The state legislature is contemplating merging the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and the Wildlife Resources Commission.
Washing Boats While Keeping the Water Clean Too
Methods — some expensive, some cheap — exist that allow marinas and boatyards to power wash boats without polluting the water in the process.
Boat Washing Often Fouls Coastal Waters
Citing a lack of money and staff, state regulators do little to ensure that marinas and boatyards follow the law when power washing boats.
Plans for Old Coast Guard Base Raise Trepidation
Neighbors of the old Coast Guard base in Buxton worry about stormwater controls after developers announce plans to buy and restore the property.
Environmental Agencies May Face Smaller Cuts
It looks like the N.C. General Assembly will spare the regional offices of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources but may cut its budget again.
Jones Island: Education and Restoration
Kids enjoy the days camps on this undeveloped island, and everyone pitches in to restore marshes and oyster reefs. Pay a visit this spring or summer.
Students Get Dirty for Oysters, Clean Water
Students at John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington braved nasty weather last week to get their hands dirty and help create cleaner waters and a more stable shoreline at Oak Island.
‘Would You Really Dig Up Our Bodies?’
The residents of East Lake told N.C. DOT this week what they thought about a proposed widening of U.S. 64 in Dare County that would force them from their homes and their ancestors from their graves.
Break Out the Trowels and Go Native
It’s spring, which among other things means it’s time for our annual Native Plant Festival. We’ll have crafts, music and a talk from the famed Orrin Pilkey. Oh, yes, we’ll also be selling more than 4,000 native plants.
Protecting Those Special Places Along the Coast
The N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund has spent about $255 million along the the N.C. coast. Here are just a few of the places that money has protected.
