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
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.
Thunder Moon
Our naturalist Sam Bland explores the lure of full moons on coastal animals and residents and takes stunning photos of a recent “supermoon.”
Coastal Sketch: John Runkle
Meet John Runkle, an environmental attorney and the only person to serve on the N.C. Coastal Federation’s board of directors for all 32 years.
Sanctuary Could Include Almost All Shipwrecks
Expansion of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary off Cape Hatteras could encompass nearly all of the existing wrecks off the N.C. coast.
