Keith Rittmaster of Beaufort is amused by his Pelican Award for his work preserving and protecting whales and dolphins. Most of the marine mammals he encounters professionally, he notes, are already dead.
Our Coast
Our Celestial Coast: Andromeda Rules Sept.
This is a good month to view the Andromeda Galaxy, the home to more than a trillion stars that are 2.5 million light years away from our home.
Our Coast’s Food: Stuffed Shrimp
Brown shrimp and blue crabs reach their maximum size this time of year. Put them together as a fitting homage to the end of summer.
Coastal Sketch: Carlton Campbell
Carlton Campbell of Cary spent much of his life in the quiet of a greenhouse or out in the marshes, slowly revolutionizing the way our salt marshes are restored, protected and preserved.
Catch a Glimpse of a Turtle Nest
Visitors to Cape Hatteras National Seashore are invited along to watch rangers excavate hatched sea turtle nests. If they’re lucky, they might even see a baby turtle scurry to the sea.
Some Birds Get A Head Start on Migration
For some birds, the “fall” migration actually starts in July and August when they leave northern nesting grounds and head south looking for more food.
N.C. Aquarium Turns into Turtle Hospital
The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores last week opened its tanks to five injured or sick baby turtles, the first of the nesting season. Many more are expected.
Celestial Coast: Perseid May be Showstopper
The Perseid meteor shower will be the main show in the night sky through mid-August, and experts think this year’s display will be particularly spectacular.
Coastal Sketch: Michele Lamping, Turtle Saver
Michele Lamping, volunteer coordinator of the Atlantic Beach sea turtle patrol for the last seven years, shares her passion for protecting the ocean creatures as they come ashore to nest.
Our Coast’s Food: The Perfect Crabcake
When it comes to preparing the perfect crab cake, less is more – unless you’re talking about the crab meat.
Pilkeys Seek to Inspire Young Scientists
Noted geologist Orrin Pilkey and his son Charles provide a scientific method for loving the coast in their new book, “Lessons from the Sand: Family-Friendly Science Activities You can do on a Carolina Beach.”
Our Celestial Coast: Planets, Meteor Showers
July will begin with Jupiter, Mars and Saturn all prominent in the evening sky and will end with two meteor showers, the Delta Aquairids and the Perseids.
Coastal Cookbooks You Must Have
Our food writer Liz Biro picks the books that help tell the story of Eastern North Carolina cooking. They are essential reading for anyone who loves our coast, she writes.
Coastal Sketch: Brooke Breen
As an experienced wildlife rehabilitator, the new executive director of the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter in Carteret County knows time is of the essence.
Of Lifesaving, Life Taking and Ghosts
The Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Station now serves tourists as a dining hot spot on the Outer Banks. No one much remembers its past except for maybe the ghost that roams its rooms.
Coastal Sketch: Oyster Ladies of Ocracoke
Two Ocracoke women plow the waters of Pamlico Sound at their Devil Shoals Oyster Farm for the tasty bivalve that they sell to local restaurants.
