More than a dozen chemical manufacturers and companies that sell products made with PFAS are included in a lawsuit New Hanover County filed in Superior Court last week.
Spotlight
BOEM seeks comment on proposed offshore wind leases
The Bureau of Ocean Management has opened the public comment period for its draft environmental assessment of potential wind lease areas offshore of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
Emergency coastal rules draw little notice during hearings
Few turned out for hearings the Division of Coastal Management held in Dare, Carteret and Onslow counties for the temporary replacements for “critical” protections Codifier of Rules Ashley B. Snyder — Sen. Phil Berger’s daughter — stripped from the books last year.
BeBot beach sweeper sifts surface sands for small debris
Keep New Hanover Beautiful’s BeBot, the first and only solar- and battery-powered, robotic beach sweeper in the state, is to supplement human-led beach cleanups and raise awareness about smaller trash and plastics that tend to get overlooked on beaches.
Dolan, Godfrey: Scientists proved Outer Banks are moving
Findings more than 50 years ago by coastal geologist Robert Dolan and husband-and-wife researchers Paul and Melinda Godfrey changed barrier island understanding and led the National Park Service to reverse longstanding policy.
North Topsail Beach empowers police to remove junk boats
Aldermen have adopted an ordinance giving the police department authority to rid the town’s navigable waters of abandoned or derelict vessels.
Foundation maps journey of its Lost Colony research
“Excavating the Lost Colony Mystery: The Map, the Search, the Discovery” is a compilation of essays and writings by historians, archaeologists and other experts on the last 20 years of research on Sir Walter Raleigh’s settlement.
Mattamuskeet carp numbers likely to be ‘a continual issue’
Refuge Manager Kendall Smith says the $1 million project to remove invasive common carp from the state’s largest freshwater lake will also require regular maintenance to restore vegetation and improve water quality.
Live Christmas trees can go back to nature after holidays
Now that the holidays are wrapping up, natural Christmas trees can find a new purpose, from restoring dunes to becoming mulch.
Excerpt: Conflict Over Water Access from ‘Time And Tide’
Outer Banks resident and author Tim Hatcher examines the long history of conflicts over water access on the North Carolina coast in this selected chapter from his 2023 book, “Time and Tide: The Vanishing Culture of the North Carolina Coast.”
Student study shines light on Outer Banks sea turtle nesting
Outer Banks Field Site undergrads who conducted a four-month study of how artificial light at night affects sea turtle nesting have presented their findings, which indicate conservation efforts may be working.
State Parks to ring in new year with First Day Hikes for all
More than 50 ranger-led First Day Hikes of varying degrees of length and difficultly are planned for New Year’s Day across the state, including here on the coast.
Commission sets hearings on emergency coastal rules
The Coastal Resources Commission is expected to vote in February on the temporary rules approved to replace those deleted after Rules Review Commission objections.
Commission restores 16 recently nullified, years-old rules
The Coastal Resources Commission on Wednesday adopted 16 emergency rules to temporarily replace the most critical of the 30 that were stripped from the books after the Rules Review Commission objected to them in October.
Hundreds celebrate opening of bridge to Harkers Island
More than 300 crowded onto the new Harkers Island bridge Tuesday to join in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the high-rise structure — and try it on foot.
Federation founder Miller to step back, Davis new director
North Carolina Coastal Federation Executive Director Todd Miller announced Monday that he is stepping down and that Dr. Braxton Davis, director of the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, will step into the role in February.
