Waterfront property owners along our coastal sounds, bays, rivers, tidal creeks and waterways may soon be eligible for financial aid to naturally control their eroding shorelines.
News & Features
Barges Proposed as Dredging Alternative
A UNCW professor and his graduate students have proposed using barges for offloading cargo as an alternative to channel deepening at the state port in Wilmington to accommodate the larger ships now able to transit the Panama Canal.
Deadline Approaches for Permit Appeal
Groups opposed to a planned 21-lot subdivision on an undeveloped, oceanfront stretch of Sunset Beach are awaiting a decision on whether they will be allowed to appeal a recently issued state permit for the project.
Catfish Blues: Rule Threatens Native Species
Scientists and commercial fishermen worry that a recent regulatory change could kill the commercial market for blue catfish, an invasive species that left unchecked could wipe out native fish populations in North Carolina waters.
‘Sad’ Little Boat Tells a Story of Courage
Four women visiting the Cape Lookout National Seashore came upon a small, rusted boat on the beach with strange yellow markings. Thus began the search for the story that the “sad” little boat surely told.
Making Inlets More User Friendly, Less Scary
The chairman of the panel that manages coastal development rules wants to create a new term that downplays the perils of owning beach property near coastal inlets.
Little Money for Leaking Underground Tanks
There are more than 5,000 sites in the state — 720 along the coast — that are contaminated from leaking, underground petroleum tanks. Thanks to budget cuts, there’s not nearly enough money to clean them up.
Wind Farm Bill Got Caught in Turbulence
A bill that would have banned land-based wind farms in most of Eastern North Carolina was one of the victims of a late-session showdown between the state House and Senate. It didn’t pass, but its sponsors say they’ll be back next year.
Building Oyster Reefs Without Going to Jail
Members of a Russian environmental group recently visited Carteret and Dare counties. They helped build oyster reefs and restore salt marshes, and government agents didn’t tap their phones, follow them around or threaten them with jail.
Sunset Beach De-Annex Bill Fails to Survive
A controversial bill to remove three properties from Sunset Beach’s town limits couldn’t make it out of a state House committee. Meanwhile, legislators are trying to hammer out yet another bill to weaken rules before they go home for good.
Corps Issues Final Study on Figure Eight Groin
The Army Corps of Engineers has released its final environmental study on Figure Eight Island’s proposed terminal groin project, and island homeowners have applied for a permit to build the structure at Rich Inlet.
North Topsail Asks for Sand Tube Extension
For the second time in less than a year, North Topsail Beach will ask for more time to remove an illegal portion of a sand bag wall it built in 2014 at New River Inlet. Now, the town wants six more years.
Not All Happy With Proposed N.C. 12 Bridge
Holding signs and chanting “Save our Sounds,” a small group of Hatteras Island property owners protested against a projected bridge that they say will hurt property values, livelihoods and lifestyles.
Critics Charge an Ill Wind Blows From Raleigh
Supporters say a bill passed Monday by the state Senate will protect vital military air space from land-based wind farms, while opponents charge it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing and is intended to kill wind energy.
Sunset Beach Votes to Go to Court
The Sunset Beach Town Council voted Tuesday to file a lawsuit against the company planning to build an upscale development on a portion of land that the town says it owns.
Group Gets New Keeper, New Direction
Nicole Triplett has hit the water paddling as the new riverkeeper for the White Oak-New Riverkeeper Alliance, which has remade itself with a new board of directors and a new direction.
