Old photos and artifacts, like an old whale gun, tell the story of the hardy fishing families who once lived in Diamond City and the other settlements near the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.
Our Coast
A Celebration of Watermen
The annual Day at the Docks festival in Hatteras is a confirmation of the strength of community, heritage and the living traditions of the island’s watermen.
Coastal Sketch: David Paynter
Meet David Paynter, treasurer for the N.C. Coastal Federation’s board of directors. When he’s not bird watching or kayaking on Hewlett’s Creek, he’s trying to protect it.
Alligator River Refuge
The watery wilderness that is the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is 30 years old this year. The red wolves, the red cockaded woodpeckers, the black bears and, yes, the alligators should be rejoicing.
Our Coast’s Food: Dining Over the Century
Dining culture at Wrightsville Beach wasn’t always flip flops and ice-cold white wine. Our food columnist tells how it’s changed over the last 100 years.
A New Clue Into the New World
A historic document could unlock leads about the mysteries of English colonization on Roanoke Island, perhaps even the fate of the so-called “Lost Colony.”
Pelican Award: Sue Weddle
Find out why this Sunset Beach resident won an award for being a dedicated, persistent and effective advocate for our coast.
Sea Pansies and Blue Buttons
Our naturalist Sam Bland spotted these two unusual finds that washed up from the deep ocean on a beach walk in Emerald Isle.
Miss Blanche of Ocracoke
Blanche Howard Jolliff is 94 and an island treasure. She remembers, for instance, the shipwreck that led to the first road on Ocracoke and the first road collision.
Pelican Award: Allen Propst
A Realtor and occasional developer first raised the alarm about possible illegal ditching of wetlands in Pamlico County.
Honoring the Last “Old Salt” of Ocracoke
Maurice Ballance, a waterman and musician who died recently, will be remembered with love and respect. He is considered the last of a generation of Ocracoke men who were true “old salts.”
More Room for Memories at Hammocks Beach
Find out what makes the state park our naturalist Sam Bland’s favorite place and why he’s glad it’s getting bigger.
Our Coast’s Food: Chicken-Necking
A good crab boil starts with a chicken-necker. That’s someone who uses a dip net, a piece of string, a fishing weight and a chicken neck to catch blue crabs. We tell you how.
Democracy Honeybee Style
Fountain Odom doesn’t belabor the metaphor, but he does seem to appreciate the workings of democracy with honeybees more so than those of his former colleagues in the N.C. General Assembly.
Horseshoe Crabs: Our Coast’s Living Fossils
Conch fishermen, little shorebirds called red knots and flu vaccinations all share something in common. That’s right. Horseshoe crabs.
Remembering the ‘Library Lady’
Sarah Hamilton is remembered for her environmental activism, volunteerism and dedication to the N.C. Coastal Federation, but most of all for her love of books.