Hurricane Matthew put living shorelines to the test, and proponents and scientists say the coastal management method that uses marsh grasses and oyster reefs to fight erosion worked as intended.
Special Reports
Gauging Matthew’s Environmental Damage
Efforts to measure the environmental damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, especially the flooding that occurred in its wake continue, but officials are crediting lessons learned from previous storms.
Matthew Relief Funding Remains in Limbo
More than a month since Hurricane Matthew inundated the state, requests for federal disaster aid appear to be stuck in an end-of-year morass.
Conflicts, Ill Will Threaten Red Wolf Recovery
Angry landowners, public mistrust and unsettled science spurred the recent dramatic policy reversal and continuing threats to end the endangered red wolf recovery program in northeastern North Carolina.
Rolling Back the Red Wolf Recovery Effort
In the first of a two-part series, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered red wolf recovery program, once hailed as a groundbreaking conservation effort, is now in danger of repeal.
Estuaries: Protection and Restoration
North Carolina’s valuable estuaries face a number of threats and water quality has been diminished by pollution and development, but efforts to protect and restore these coastal areas could yield big returns.
Estuaries: Understanding Their Vital Roles
Estuaries, where freshwater from rivers and streams meets the salty ocean, are vital to marine life, the coastal environment and the economy here, and ongoing research has revealed additional benefits.
Protecting Habitat Isn’t Always Scary
Protecting habitat that endangered species need to survive always comes with scary stories about how people will be restricted from using the land. Experts say those fears are almost always overblown.
Critical Habitats: What They Are, What They Do
Putting a plant or animal on the endangered species list isn’t enough to save it. Federal law requires that the habitat a species needs also must be protected. Yet, agencies are often slow to take this necessary step.
Navassa: Cleaning Up a Century of Pollution
It took decades, but a plan to clean up the legacy left by an old creosote plant is finally beginning to take shape.
Navassa: From Guano to Creosote
A black industrial town in an agricultural and tourist county, Navassa is the “poster child” for environmental justice issues, says an advocate.
Navassa: A Century of Contamination
CRO spends the next three days in Navassa, a predominantly black town in Brunswick County that has been the site of a century of industrial pollution. Today, we relive some of that history and outline the plan for the cleanup.
Will Beach Towns Seize Property?
Town officials hoping to build terminal groins say they don’t plan on taking private property for the needed easements. Eminent domain is politically unpopular and rarely used in North Carolina.
Terminal Groins: Easements Needed
Communities proposing terminal groins may have to get the permission of property owners to build these controversial structures. What happens if they say no? We explore possible answers in this Special Report.
Seismic Testing Q&A: Whales and Fishermen
The second part of our series on using air guns to survey for undersea oil and natural gas focuses on the possible effects on marine mammals, fish and commercial and recreation fishermen.
Seismic Testing Q&A: The Pros and Cons
We spend the next two days exploring the proposed benefits and possible problems with using air guns to explore for oil and natural gas off the N.C. coast. Today, the pros.