The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has made each of 15 anglers $100 richer with the latest winners of its annual drawing of Multi-Species Tagging Program tag numbers announced Thursday.

The randomly selected tag numbers were from 496 fish tags that were turned in by participants in 2025. Three tag numbers were selected from each of the five species that are tagged by the program.

The $100 winners who turned in tags found on cobia were Joshua Bourne of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Mike Lintzenich of Williamsburg, Virginia; and Katie Daniel of Toano, Virginia.

The $100 winners who turned in tags found on red drum were Brad Smith of Maysville, Nicholas Stanley of Four Oaks, and Josh Whibley of Charleston, South Carolina.

The $100 winners who turned in tags on striped bass were Robert Tipton of New Bern, Scott Pope of New Bern and Anthony Richards of Wilmington.

The $100 winners who turned in tags on southern flounder were Jaxon Row of Wilmington, James Cone of Wilmington and Tyler Barnes of Hubert.

The $100 winners who turned in tags on spotted seatrout were Jamie Bright of Jacksonville, Chris Cobb of Hampstead and David Bishop of Belhaven.

The Multi-Species Tagging Program began in October 2014 and is funded by a Coastal Recreational Fishing License grant. Each year, staff and volunteers attach a yellow or red tag marked with “NCDMF” on thousands of fish in North Carolina’s coastal waters.

When a tagged fish is reported, along with the required information, participants receive a letter and personalized certificate with information about their fish, including days at large and distance traveled, as well as a reward. Those who return a yellow tag receive either a tagging program hat, fish towel or fish pin. Those who return a red tag marked “$100 REWARD” receive a $100. Those who return a tag are automatically entered into an annual drawing for $100.

Bourne, Lintzenich, Daniel, Pope, Richards, Rowe, Barnes and Cobb all received $100 when they turned in red tags for their respective fish and another $100 from the drawing, making their total rewards $200 each.

Information required when reporting a tagged fish includes the species, tag number, date, location captured, total length of the fish, fate of the fish (released or harvested) and the type of gear used to capture the fish. Tags may be reported by phone at 1-800-682-2632 or through an online form. Red tags must be cut off the fish and returned to the division for the participant to receive the $100 reward.

Information gathered from tag returns helps researchers determine species migration patterns, mortality, population structure and habitat use, which can be used to better manage the fisheries. Click for more information about the Multi-Species Tagging Program or contact John Mohan at 252-948-3913 or john.mohan@deq.nc.gov.

Currituck County is looking for public input on a nearly 200-page draft beach management plan that officials said will guide management, protection and restoration of the county’s 22.6 miles of oceanfront beaches and dunes, and address coastal hazards such as long-term erosion, storm impacts, and sea level rise.

The draft document can be viewed on the county website.

“The Plan provides a long-term vision for Currituck County to sustain the beaches that support a significant portion of their local economy and maintain the tax base located along the County’s beaches,” officials said on the website. “The Plan recognizes that beaches are a critical economic asset, supporting tourism, property values, and the County’s tax base. The overarching goal of the Plan is to preserve tourism-driven revenues while improving coastal resilience.”

The document features an evaluation of coastal hazards and vulnerability, introduces general management concepts that could be implemented, and a feasibility analysis detailing four separate reaches, or sections of coastline, along the Currituck County oceanfront that were identified for active beach management.

The feasibility analysis was applied to the North Corolla Reach, the Spindrift Reach, the South Pine Island Reach, and Central Reserve/Refuge Reach, which includes beachfront for the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge and the Currituck Banks Estuarine Reserve. Several alternatives were developed and evaluated for each.

Officials are encouraging asking specifically for feedback on the feasibility analysis on whether other reasonable alternatives should be considered for the four areas of coastline.

“If citizens believe that additional considerations should be made in these assessments, comments submitted will also be considered,” officials said on the website.

Comments can be submitted through the county website.

North Carolina lawmakers pushed forward a pair of bills Wednesday that, in tandem, would repeal a decades-old ban on hardened coastal erosion-control structures and secure state funding for terminal groins.

Senate Bill 1009 aims to erase the state’s 40-year prohibition on hardened structures, including breakwaters, bulkheads, seawalls, jetties, revetments, and terminal groins.

A provision in amended Senate Bill 1001 would allow state funds to cover permitting, building, or repairing terminal groins, rock- and steel-constructed wall-like structures built perpendicular to the shore at inlets to contain sand in areas of high erosion.

Both measures were advanced Wednesday morning to the Senate Appropriations Committee, but not without pushback. The next step for these bills is unclear as the Senate Appropriations Committee does not meet regularly.

Before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and Environment voted on the bills Wednesday morning, Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, questioned how state rules may be written to equally protect oceanfront properties facing severe erosion and adjacent properties that may be negatively affected by erosion-control structures.

Asking rulemakers, in this case the Coastal Resources Commission, to write such rules would be “asking them to pick winners and losers,” Mayfield said.

“It’s the vast majority of downstream, I say downstream, I don’t know if it’s called something else on the coast, but downstream properties are disadvantaged when these sorts of structures go in,” she said.

Hardened erosion-control structures have long been controversial because they capture sand that travels down the beach nearshore, depleting the sand supply to the beach immediately downdrift of the structure, stripping land that is natural habitat for, among others, sea turtles and shorebirds.

Sen. Michael Lazzara, R-Onslow, one of the primary sponsors of the bill to lift the hardened structures ban, responded to Mayfield by asking whether the many homes destroyed by landslides and floods caused by Hurricane Helene in 2024 should not be permitted to be rebuilt.

“It’s the same thing on the coast. We’re losing a lot of homes due to these erosions and anything that we could do to mitigate that is just responsible, the same that we’re addressing that in western Carolina. I think these natural storms have a lot of erosions, whether it’s in the west or the east and people are affected by it,” Lazzara said.

Mayfield said she appreciated the analogy, but that thousands of homes will not be rebuilt in western North Carolina “because the land that they were on doesn’t exist anymore.”

Furthermore, she said, Hurricane Helene was not a once-in-a-lifetime storm, but rather a “once-in-a-10,000-year storm.”

“But that’s not what happens on the coast, right?” she continued. “On the coast, we have storms much more frequently, not nearly as intense, but much more frequently, much more flooding on a regular basis. And, again, I acknowledge that there are houses standing in the water right this very moment, and we need a solution to that, because having them fall down and disintegrate in the water is not the right answer, but also, using these structures to try to protect homes – Mother Nature is undefeated. I’ll just say that.”

Republican Sen. Bob Brinson, who represents Beaufort, Craven and Lenoir counties, pointed out that Senate Bill 1009 also would direct funding to the North Carolina Collaboratory to update the state’s Beach and Inlet Management Plan. That plan was last updated 10 years ago.

He told the committee that sand nourishment, a method by which sand is typically removed from nearby inlets or offshore and placed on the beach to build up eroded ocean shorelines, is not always an appropriate erosion-mitigation measure.

“As I addressed last week, beach nourishment also is getting more and more expensive and not lasting as long,” Brinson said. “And so, in repealing the hardened structure ban, it’s giving our state the opportunity to explore other options rather than saying ‘no’ or ‘never’, it’s ‘how about this’ and ‘how about’ because it will be site specific.”

Some members of the committee asked whether other alternatives have been explored to address problems associated with escalating erosion along portions of the state’s coastline. On the Outer Banks, more than 30 homes have toppled in recent years on ocean beaches that vanished because of erosion.

“We shouldn’t keep banging our heads against the wall, doing the same thing over and over again,” Mayfield said. “That’s not helping. Homes will continue to be put at risk. Businesses will continue to be put at risk. I think it’s time to start looking for permanent solutions to problems we’re seeing on the coast and the only way that I can see to do that is to have a permanent buyout fund. You know, government works best when it steps in to where the private market doesn’t work, and the private market doesn’t work on the coast right now.”

Brinson said the repeal does not focus solely on homes, but also public infrastructure, including the erosion and overwash-embattled N.C. Highway 12.

“This gives the CRC the authority to drop rules for these hardened structures, which will be informed by the Beach and Inlet Management Plan that we’ve tasked the Collaboratory to do, and also the science board under the CRC and their report that’s coming out,” he said.

The science advisory panel’s report, intended as a guide for coastal managers and policymakers to tackle the escalating erosion along the state’s coastline, is on the CRC agenda for discussion Thursday in New Bern.

“Our constituents are tired of hearing ‘no, you can’t do this,’ and ‘no, you can’t do that.’ Repealing this ban gives the state the ability to say, ‘here’s what you can do,’” Brinson said.

Nearly 15 years have passed since the North Carolina General Assembly repealed the law banning permanent, hardened erosion-control to grant a handful of beach communities along the state’s southern coast the option to pursue installing a terminal groin at an inlet area.

Since then, Bald Head Island and Ocean Isle Beach have been the only local governments to fund and build terminal groins on their beaches.

As the law stands, state funds may not be used for terminal groins.

A provision in Senate Bill 1001 would allow money from the Coastal Storm Damage Mitigation Fund to be tapped for costs associated with the permitting, construction or repair of a terminal groin. In order to receive funds, terminal groin projects would have to meet specific requirements, including a determination that the structure would benefit public lands and that costs to build or repair a groin will “not include the costs of financial assurance or costs of implementation of any component of the applicable inlet management plan.”

Lazzara indicated Wednesday morning that the language pertaining to state funding for terminal groins in Senate Bill 1001 may be revised.

Coastal Review will not publish Friday in recognition of the Juneteenth holiday.

Dr. Joel Fodrie has been named the new director of Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort.

Most recently director of University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, Fodrie will succeed outgoing director Andy Read, who was in the leadership role for 10 years and will remain on the faculty once Fodrie comes aboard, Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment said Wednesday.

“The Duke Marine Lab is a gold standard among centers of coastal and marine research, both in the social sciences and the natural sciences. Its coastal setting is ideal for exploring how humans and natural systems affect one another. I’m very excited about working with the faculty, staff and students to support, and even enhance, place-based research and teaching that has local and far-reaching impacts,” Fodrie said in a statement.

Fodrie will join later this summer the lab that “has centered on field-based discovery, immersive learning and close mentorship” for nearly nine decades, the university said.

“As director, Joel will build on Andy’s legacy and further strengthen strategic connections between Beaufort and Durham while guiding the Marine Lab’s next chapter as a world-class leader in marine science and research,” said Lori Bennear, Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School.

Fodrie earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and history from UNC Chapel Hill, and his doctorate in biological oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego.

His research focuses on coastal and estuarine ecosystems, fisheries ecology and the resilience of marine communities and his scholarship includes more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and extensive external grant support.

“Joel has the research, academic and leadership expertise we were looking for in a director. But beyond that, he brings a reputation as a trusted community partner deeply appreciative of and knowledgeable about North Carolina coastal ecosystems,” said Erika Weinthal, the Nicholas School’s John O. Blackburn Distinguished Professor, who chaired the Marine Lab director search committee

Among various honors, Fodrie received recognition as an Early-Career Research Fellow with the Gulf Research Program, part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. In 2024, he was named one of five recipients of the Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy, a five-year term professorship to recognize and honor outstanding teachers and scholars.

“On a personal level, I grew up in Beaufort, North Carolina, and have known about the significance of the Marine Lab essentially my whole life,” Fodrie said. “I certainly view this as a one-of-a-kind opportunity to help shape the direction and impact of the Lab to ensure wise and sustainable use of our coastal and marine ecosystems.”

Motorists traveling along U.S. Highway 70 in the James City corridor over the weekend should expect a temporary traffic pattern as work begins on the Thurman Road interchange bridge.

State transportation officials said Wednesday that, weather permitting, U.S. 70 westbound lane closures are scheduled from 5 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday. U.S. 70 eastbound lane closures will then take place from 5 a.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday.  

As part of this phase, crews are to install reduced conflict intersections, or RCIs, with temporary traffic signals near the intersection of Thurman Road and U.S. 70 to manage traffic flow. This is the third of five planned along the U.S. 70 Improvements in the James City corridor.

RCIs, often referred to as a superstreet, a synchronized street or a median U-turn, describes the different designs that can be installed to improve safety and traffic flow on a highway, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

In advance of implementing the RCIs, sections of East Thurman Road and West Thurman Road will be closed between U.S. 70 and service roads from 5 a.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Monday.

“Intersections along U.S. 70 in James City are being converted to interchanges without traffic signals, improving traffic flow and reducing travel times. The Thurman Road interchange will allow for fluid cross street traffic under the highway, with roundabouts on both sides to manage the flow of traffic. Bridge construction marks the final stage of construction before the interchange is complete,” officials said.

The estimated $3.22 million James City corridor project began in 2022 to improve traffic on the 5.1-mile stretch of U.S. 70 from east of Thurman Road to the Neuse River Bridge in James City. 

Project plans include updating Williams, Airport, Grantham and Thurman roads and Taberna Way in James City into interchanges by taking U.S. 70 over these cross streets and providing access via ramps. These five intersections will become new highway exits for the future Interstate 42.​ The project is expected to be complete in 2027.

Travelers are encouraged to sign up for project updates and traffic alerts by providing an email address or cell phone number on the project website.

The project team is available to answer any questions by email at US70-JamesCity@publicinput.com, or by calling 1-855-925-2801 and enter code 7872 when prompted.

The coast is forecast to experience high temperatures this week and extreme heat “of this magnitude can be dangerous to your health,” warns North Carolina Division of Public Health.

The division’s Climate and Health Program alerted coastal counties Tuesday through its Heat Health Alert System to expect a maximum heat index, or the “real feel” from the combined heat and humidity, of 96 to 108, depending on the county. The heat health alert system incorporates meteorological data, such as how rare the high temperatures are compared to historic records, and data on heat-related illnesses, such as when people show up in the emergency departments. 

Temperatures this high this early in the heat season, which is May 1 to Sept. 30, can be especially dangerous because people, institutions, and daily routines have not fully adjusted to summer conditions, Heat Policy Innovation Hub Director Dr. Ashley Ward told Coastal Review. The hub is part of Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability.

“Our bodies acclimatize over time, so the temperature can pose a greater health risk in May or June than the same temperature later in the summer. People may also be less prepared behaviorally,” Ward said. “They may not be checking heat alerts yet, or they may not have adjusted their work schedules. Many underestimate how quickly heat illness can develop.”

Looking at the long term, the early season heat is a signal to treat heat less like a short-term weather event and more like a season-long public health risk.

“The concern is not that very hot days are occurring, but that the heat season is becoming longer, nights are staying warmer, and communities have less time to recover from one event to another,” Ward continued.

State Resilience Office’s Resilience Policy Adviser Andrea Webster said that anyone, regardless of age or physical condition, can experience a heat-related illness, which occurs when the body overheats from exposure to high temperatures.

“In 2025, there were more than 5,700 heat-related visits to emergency departments across the state, according to NCDHHS’s heat health tracking system. That number is far higher than the annual counts from the previous five years,” she said in an email response.

At-risk populations include those without access to air conditioning or working or exercising outdoors, as well as those who are pregnant, living with disabilities or underlying health conditions.

“Heat illnesses and deaths are 100% preventable. To stay safe, our residents and visitors can stay hydrated, take regular breaks in the shade and in air-conditioned spaces, and pay attention to the signs of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and other heat-related illnesses,” she said. “Also remember that young children cannot, or cannot fully, communicate that they may be experiencing heat stress. Infants and children rely on others to keep them cool and hydrated when it’s hot outside.”

Webster also pointed out that as temperatures increase, more energy is needed for air conditioning and that can strain the power grid.

“In addition, we are in the middle of hurricane season, when the chance of power outages is higher than other months of the year. To be prepared, residents can have several air-conditioned spaces in mind where they can go in case of a power outage,” she said. “This might be a community center with a back-up generator, the home of a friend or family member a town over, a movie theater or shopping mall. If transportation is a challenge, call a friend or local services for help.”

Ward said that while coastal communities may have sea breezes that moderate some of the daytime temperatures, they also face high humidity and warmer nights.

“There are also many activities in coastal communities that occur outdoors, both work and play,” Ward explained. “I would also pay close attention to tourists who are visiting the region, and who may not be acclimatized to the humidity and heat. Those who are arriving from cooler regions of the state or the country will be at increased risk for heat-related illnesses.”

The extreme heat can compromise water quality as well.

“High air temperatures can warm shallow waters, estuaries, sounds, and nearshore environments, especially during periods with limited mixing or prolonged calm conditions,” Ward said. “Warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen, which can stress or kill fish and shellfish. Heat can also worsen any existing water quality issues, particularly when combined with runoff, wastewater issues or drought.”

One major concern is harmful algal blooms.

“Warmer waters can favor algal growth. This further reduces oxygen in the water and creates conditions that make it impossible for the aquatic ecosystem to survive. Some blooms create toxins that are harmful to people and pets, creating issues for recreation and commercial fisheries. These have large impacts on coastal economies,” Ward added.

What’s driving this weather?

Ward said that while no single hot day can be explained only by climate change, it is the background condition in which heat events occur.

“People experience heat through a combined effect of temperature, humidity, sun exposure, wind, exertion, and nighttime recovery. A day that does not look extreme by air temperature alone can still be dangerous when humidity is high and the body cannot cool efficiently,” she said. Also, warmer nights matter because they reduce the body’s ability to recover after daytime heat exposure. 

“The climate change connection is not just ‘hotter afternoons.’ It is a shift toward longer heat seasons, more humid heat in the Southeast, more dangerous heat index values, warmer nights, and a greater strain on health systems, workers, schools, utilities, and community services,” she said.

North Carolina State Climate Office Assistant State Climatologist Corey Davis explained to Coastal Review Tuesday that at this time of year, a typical weather pattern has high pressure set up just off the coastline.

“This is the ‘Bermuda high’ that we love to hate because it funnels in moist air from the south, which gives us that classic North Carolina humidity,” Davis said.

Late last week, he continued, the state was in a variation of that pattern, with the high pressure centered more to the south, over the Gulf Coast.

“In that setup, we weren’t getting the direct feed of moisture from the south, but instead, we were in more of a westerly circulation around the north side of that high pressure system,” he said, adding that westerlies typically mean dry air since there just aren’t many moisture sources out in that direction. “That’s why last Friday had some unseasonably hot temperatures in the upper 90s, but also unseasonably low afternoon humidity values below 50%.”

Behind the cold front that moved in Tuesday of this week, normal temperatures are expected, and that will be followed by another warmup coming by the end of the week.

“In that case, we’re looking at high pressure sliding in from the west, which will again bring the sort of dry heat like we had last Friday and Saturday,” Davis said about June 11-12.

“This weekend, that high pressure may be sitting right over us, which means sinking air that blocks any potential for pop-up showers and thunderstorms. Even though the usual Bermuda high pattern can be uncomfortably muggy, at least it tends to bring daily rain chances,” he added. “In a pattern like we’ve been in, and like we’re heading into later this week, we don’t have the humidity, but that means it gets even hotter with even lower rain chances.”

He said another factor keeping humidity down and temperatures up, is the ongoing drought in the state. After the hot weather so far this month, any lingering moisture from that rain event over Memorial Day weekend is long gone, and without as much moisture in the soils and surface water sources, there’s not as much transpiration, or when plants absorb moisture then releases the extra, and water vapor in the air.

Essentially, at this time of year, if it feels dry outside, that’s because it is. “Moisture in the air and in the ground is all running low,” he said.

As for what the rest of the summer looks like, meteorologists are watching a few patterns.

In the seasonal outlook last month from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center showed much of the region with slightly elevated chances for above-normal temperatures this summer.

“That sort of forecast matches what we’d expect with high pressure to our south or east, so I’d say this summer will probably look familiar, but maybe with some hotter and less humid stretches like we’re in now,” Davis explained.

Additionally, precipitation chances at this time of year usually come from pop-up afternoon showers and storms, and those tend to be less widespread and more hit-or-miss.

“Better rain chances could come from any tropical systems, and we are starting to see the Atlantic come to life especially down in the Gulf, but it’s tough to tell if or when any systems could affect us in the Carolinas,” he added.

Davis said the other main pattern they’re keeping a close eye on is the developing El Niño. 

“NOAA confirmed last week that we are officially in an El Niño pattern, which makes this an early starting event. That gives it more runway to strengthen this summer, and that’s a big reason why a lot of forecasts are showing this being a strong event by later in the year,” Davis said.

“Because of how it strengthens upper-level winds, El Niño events tend to see increased wind shear across the tropical Atlantic and fewer storms forming. That could hurt our chances of seeing any significant tropical rainfall this year,” he continued. “But by the fall, we expect to see El Niño’s usual atmospheric impacts with a stronger jet stream anchored to our south, and that tends to bring more storm systems in our direction. That means we should eventually get into a wetter pattern, but that might not happen until October or November.”

Based on that forecast and how entrenched the drought already is, it’s very likely that the state will still be dealing with drought conditions and its impacts by the end of the summer, which means a difficult growing season for farmers, potential water restrictions as water supplies and groundwater stores wait for a better recharge later in the year, more favorable wildfire conditions along the coast. He gave the Rose Bay Canal fire in Hyde County as an example.

“I hope we get some better rain sooner rather than later to prove me wrong, but there’s a big concern that with how this summer has started, it will be a tough one to weather in the Carolinas,” Davis said.

This report has been updated.

Action appears likely in the North Carolina General Assembly Wednesday on two measures that stand to dramatically rewrite coastal policy.

The Senate Agriculture, Energy, and the Environment Committee, when it meets at 9 a.m. Wednesday, is expected to take up Senate Bill 1009, which would repeal the state’s four-decade-old ban on ocean shoreline hardened structures and an amended Senate Bill 1001, a coastal regulatory reform bill that would clear the way for state taxpayer funding of terminal groin construction and and maintenance.

Related: Brinson touts bills to ax ocean erosion-control structure ban

The session will be livestreamed.

The original 2011 terminal groin legislation resulted from a compromise that no state funds could be used for groin projects. The policy is to prevent pressure on legislators to fund oceanfront structures that coastal advocates say have significant impacts on beaches and usually result in the need for additional engineering projects — beach nourishment — which creates a cascading effect of funding requests.

Coastal advocates say the current law barring state funding is to avoid taxpayer funding of structures that protect unwise development.

Another related bill, Senate Bill 1008, did not appear as of publication on Tuesday on the legislative calendar.

My father’s service in the U.S. Coast Guard was something he deeply cherished and talked about often. His only regret was never having had the opportunity to attend the Coast Guard Academy. 

This was impossible in 1939 when he enlisted, as the only way a Black man could enter the service was to be a mess attendant. And this is how he began his career: shining shoes, making beds, and serving meals to white officers on a ship. Fortunately, and much due to his own determination, he was eventually transferred to the Pea Island station.

While my father is perhaps known best known for his service at the Pea Island Life Saving Station during World War II, his life also represents much more than that experience. It was because of this, at his memorial service in 2010, the title for a speech I gave about him was called “Beyond Pea Island.” The use of these three words for the title of my talk about his life came easily to me.  Although at the time I did not know anything close to what I know today about his life, his family history, and the heroic service at the historic station during World War II, these three words continued to stick with me as I believe they are so telling about his life.

Ironically, these same three words, “Beyond Pea Island,” have helped me to make the difficult decision some 16 years later to resign as a board member with the Pea Island Preservation Society Inc., or PIPSI. As I reflect on this decision, perhaps this is some way my father is speaking to me now.  He constantly encouraged change, always remaining open to new experiences and encouraging me to do the same. For me, my decision to resign from PIPSI has opened the door for me to be my own voice and to share what I learned in a creative way, something I continually strive to do. 

I joined PIPSI shortly after my father died, initially traveling to Roanoke Island from my Maryland home to attend PIPSI board meetings before moving here after my mother died. Although my involvement with PIPSI and the Pea Island Cookhouse Museum has rewarded me in ways I never imagined, I am comfortable with my decision to move on. I have struggled for a while now with this decision, as my passion for raising awareness of the story of Keeper Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers has not changed. However, I also know there is more to do and the time to do it is now.

I have also come to realize my family’s remarkable record of 400 years of combined service in the U.S. Coast Guard is very important. I want to focus more time and energy helping to make this story known. It continues to amaze me that my great-grandfather, Joseph Hall Berry, who began his career at the Pea Island station serving under the famed Keeper Richard Etheridge, had 21 members of his family follow in his footsteps and join the Coast Guard. This included one son and 14 grandsons. My father was one of these grandsons.

Since moving to Roanoke Island and working with PIPSI, I have also come to better understand the significance of the history of the Pea Island station and my father’s life. I have learned more about the challenges people like my father faced, especially during the Jim Crow era. Yet my father always remained positive, and his love for Roanoke Island and the Coast Guard never wavered. Although his race meant he was denied a great deal, he continued to do more, including obtaining his private pilot’s license at 26 years old while working at Pea Island and earning his GED several years later.

When things were winding down at the Pea Island station and the decision was made to decommission it, this is what he chose to do. He then used his free time to learn to fly. Since speaking at my father’s memorial service in 2010, I have also learned so much more about the place where he was born, the significance of his service, and the obstacles and challenges he faced. This is something I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to do.

I am also very grateful for my involvement with PIPSI. I gained so much from this experience. Yet I also know it is time to focus on sharing my father’s life story in my own way, an undertaking I realize now began 16 years ago when my father died. When my father passed, one of the first things that came to mind for me was to commission a portrait of him in uniform. I had heard him say often that as a kid he grew up longing to wear a Coast Guard uniform one day. I knew how important this was to him. Also, the most famous picture of him while serving at Pea Island is a picture of him in a Pea Island surfboat wearing a sweatshirt. He told me that, at the time the photograph was taken, his Coast Guard uniform had not yet arrived.

Having his portrait done compelled me to commission more artwork displaying images of my father and his family. Through my experience giving numerous talks for PIPSI, I learned art can be a powerful tool to preserve and teach others about my father’s life. My resignation from PIPSI will allow me to do much more in this regard, including continuing my research, which is also very important to me.  I will now have more time to do this and to write and speak about what I have learned.

I also want to bring to light new and lesser-known stories, particularly stories that shed light on the experiences and history of those who were not white and who lived on Roanoke Island. Unfortunately, these stories remain overshadowed by the colonial history that the Outer Banks and Roanoke Island are most known for. Most importantly, I hope to motivate others to share their own stories, particularly stories that will help fill in the gaps and provide a deeper understanding of the history of where my father was born and the challenges faced by men like my father.

So, while saddened to leave PIPSI, I am very excited about what is beyond. I am also incredibly grateful to my cousin, Darrell M. Collins, president emeritus and founder of PIPSI, who passed away about a year and a half ago. While my father opened the door to the Cookhouse Museum and the pathway for me to do and learn more, it was Darrell who let me in. A historian with the National Park Service for over 40 years, he was known worldwide for his incredible interpretation of the Wright Brothers’ famous first flight. However, the Pea Island story and the history connected to it was something equally important to him. His invitation for me to join PIPSI and work closely with him enhanced my life. I also am very appreciative of his support of my ideas to help raise visibility of the story of Keeper Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers and to have worked closely with him after moving to Roanoke Island. This meant the world to me.

I am also grateful to all who have supported PIPSI and my involvement with this organization over the years. I met and made many new friends through my involvement with PIPSI and helped share the inspiring story of Keeper Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers with thousands. I look forward to sharing my new “Beyond Pea Island” story in a unique and special way.

Coastal residents by now have likely seen their fair share of reminders to prep for the 2026 hurricane season. But what about readying for life after a storm?

Dare County has a simulation for that.

The Dare County Department of Health and Human Services, Dare County Emergency Management and Trillium Health are hosting a post disaster response simulation to show what it’s like in the weeks following a disaster, including the challenges and hurdles residents often face.

This free event is open to all adults and high school students and is set for 9 a.m.-noon Thursday at Manteo First Assembly’s Connect Center, 812 Wingina Ave.

During the event, participants will be assigned different roles simulating real-life situations, such as a homeowner whose house was badly damaged and needs to work with their homeowners insurance, caring for an aging parent and needing to fill that parent’s prescription or accessing money from a bank, or someone who needs to relocate after discovering mold in their flooded home.

“No matter your experience level, we can all benefit from sharpening our preparedness skills — and this simulation makes learning both practical and fun,” Dare County DHHS Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Greta Sharp stated in a release. 

Similar simulations have been held in other North Carolina counties, offering residents and organizations an opportunity to build preparedness skills and increase empathy for people affected by emergencies. These simulations also highlight how post-storm life affects individuals living with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and/or substance use disorders.

“The post disaster simulation gives individuals the opportunity to learn and understand the daily struggles one may face following a disaster,” Dare County Social Services Division Director Chuck Lycett stated. “For organizations who provide resources, it gives them the opportunity to evaluate their level of customer service and ask ‘Are we creating more barriers for our citizens?'”

Interested participants may register online or on the day of the event, when registration and a light breakfast will begin at 8:30 a.m. Early registration is encouraged because space is limited.

For additional information, contact Sharp at 252-475-5073.

While state lawmakers consider two bills that would eliminate the state’s longstanding ban on hardened structures along the ocean shoreline, a report providing details about the effects and effectiveness of coastal erosion-control structures is expected to be presented this week during the regular meeting of the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission.

The commission, which meets at 10 a.m. Thursday at the DoubleTree in New Bern, had assigned to its science advisory panel in February the task of creating the document that is intended as a guide for coastal managers and policymakers to address increasingly destructive erosion along the state’s 320 miles of coastline — dramatically illustrated in recent years by more than 30 houses on the Outer Banks falling into the ocean.

Two measures in the North Carolina General Assembly, Senate Bill 1008 and Senate Bill 1009, had not advanced as of the time this story was published, with some legislators expressing caution about taking action prematurely.

“I guess I’m a little concerned about putting the provisions of these two bills in place before that study comes out,” said Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, Wednesday during a meeting of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and Environment. “My instinct is, ‘Let’s just see what happens there, see what they say, see what that leads us to do that’s different than what’s here.’”

Impacts of climate change on long-term erosion rates are also a factor to consider, said Wake County Democrat Sen. Lisa Grafstein, noting that the topic may be covered in the CRC Science Panel report.

Sen. Bob Brinson, R-Beaufort and also representing Craven and Lenoir counties, told the committee while introducing the bills that while coastal communities suffer direct economic and personal losses from severe erosion, the general public is also affected. Alluding to safety concerns from fallen house debris spreading along public lands and waters, he said that there are also losses to the local tax base and tourism revenue as well as to visitor access to the seashore.

The two bills are different sides of the same coin, that is, the stated goal of allowing the option to build hardened structures that are now banned, if deemed appropriate.

The primary sponsor of the bills is Sen. Bobby Hanig, a Currituck County Republican who also represents Dare County in Senate District 1, which includes the Outer Banks’ beaches in both counties. Hanig did not respond to messages left on his cellphone seeking comment.

Senate Bill 1008 would establish a pilot program that authorizes construction of shoreline-stabilization projects at locations where oceanfront houses are at imminent risk of collapse. A limited number of projects would be evaluated and recommended by the North Carolina Collaboratory, which the General Assembly authorized in 2016 to apply scientific scrutiny to projects in the state that may serve the public good.

Senate Bill 1009 would eliminate the prohibition of temporary or permanent erosion-control structures and create regulations to ensure the structures “will not result in significant adverse impacts to private property or to the public recreational beach.”  In addition, the bill would require funding the Collaboratory to update the state’s 1,000-plus-page Beach and Inlet Management Plan, which was last fully updated in 2016.

Brinson told committee members that whatever pilot projects are approved would include strict limitations and monitoring requirements and would not be funded by the state. Still, in defending the need to eliminate the ban to allow the erosion-control structures, he cited the hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars spent in maintaining and repairing N.C. Highway 12 on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. But Brinson was referring to areas where virtually none of the typical hardened structures would work for long — if at all. Even if seawalls or other structures were affordable at those locations, the intensity of the coastal conditions would either soon undermine or pummel the structures, or create worse situations at the site or downstream.

Sandbags, which are considered temporary structures under coastal law, have been widely used for decades on the Outer Banks and coastwide. In a sign of the increasingly difficult challenges created by rising seas, shifting channels, and steeply and rapidly eroding beaches, today’s larger and tougher sandbags also often fail to hold back destructive surging surf for long. Protective coastal management measures have been evolving toward more nature-based solutions such as living shorelines, as well as combined measures, such as beach nourishment and one or more of various types of structures, according to an April 2025 study, “Challenges and lessons learned from global coastal erosion protection strategies,” published in the journal iScience.

And while erosion-control structures may buy time, coastal scientists warn that consequences are not always quickly evident. For instance, in one of the few success stories Brinson noted among the handful of existing hardened structures on the North Carolina coast, the terminal groin at Oregon Inlet also has had a significant, albeit slower moving, negative impact.

While providing the intended protection of the Bonner Bridge, now the Marc Basnight Bridge, and the tie-in to N.C. Highway 12, the groin has also caused a hazardous shoal to grow into the navigational channel, which is at risk of becoming much narrower and deeper as it is pushed closer to the groin. That could present a huge issue to Dare County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which share responsibility and costs of maintaining channels in the inlet, the only sound-to-sea passage between Virginia and Hatteras.

North Carolina’s ban on hardened structures first went into effect in 1985, when the Coastal Resources Commission put rules in place restricting their use to very few instances, such as protection of historic structures. After a court ruling upheld the ban, it was put into law in 2003.

In a recent social media post, Rob Young, the director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, wrote that the both political parties in the General Assembly voted in favor of the law because they recognized the harm the structures had done in other states, as well as in North Carolina.

“It was, and still is, good science and good policy,” Young wrote. “Seawalls destroy beaches and increase erosion on neighbors’ properties. Seawalls on individual parcels create a nightmare for coastal managers.”

But Young pointed to the provision in Senate Bill 1009 that would “ensure” no adverse impacts to public and private property, creating “an impossible standard to meet,” he noted.

“The bill would open the door to a coastal management free-for-all,” he wrote.

North Carolina Department of Transportation officials said the state agency is planning a project to install wildlife crossing structures on U.S. 64 in Dare County to help keep drivers safe and prevent crashes with wild animals, including black bears, white‑tailed deer​ and the world’s only population of red wolves.

The proposed project that aims to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity covers 2.5 miles within Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, stretching from east of the East Lake community to west of Robertson Landing Road in Dare County.

The project team is hosting a public meeting 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, at Manns Harbor Community Building, 6657 U.S. Highway 64, Manns Harbor to introduce the initiative and receive feedback.​

The public can submit comments during the meeting, by phone at 512-580-8850, enter project code 4799, or email wildlife-crossings-us64@publicinput.com.

The deadline to submit comments is July 10.

The comments and information received will be taken into consideration as work on the project develops, officials said.

For additional information or to mail comments, contact Matthew Seymour, P.E.  Project Management Unit – Team Lead, NCDOT, 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699.

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this workshop. Anyone requiring special services should contact as early as possible Aleksandra Djurkovic at 919-707-6024 or andjurkovic@ncdot.gov.

Persons who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494.

The state selected three coastal communities out of the 13 total to receive grants that support housing, infrastructure, and community improvement projects benefiting low- and moderate-income residents.

Gov. Josh Stein’s office and the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced Friday the 13 projects receiving a total of $13.7 million, with individual awards ranging from $693,773 to $2.5 million.

The projects reflect a variety of local priorities, including housing rehabilitation and reconstruction, infrastructure improvements, public facilities enhancements, and community development initiatives. 

The town of Windsor and Beaufort and Craven counties are receiving $950,000 apiece for their projects.

“North Carolinians need safe housing, reliable infrastructure, and places to enjoy,” Stein said in a statement. “These grants will help local governments address these critical needs, strengthen neighborhoods and local economies, and improve quality of life for North Carolinians across our state.”

The grants were awarded through the Department of Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization program, under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program administered in part by N.C. Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division. The program requires at least 70% of CDBG grant funds be used for activities and projects that serve households of low and moderate income. 

“CDBG-NR funding provides local leaders with the resources they need to invest in housing, infrastructure, and public facilities that support long-term prosperity,” Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said in a release. “These investments will help communities address local priorities, strengthen neighborhoods, and create new opportunities for economic growth.”

When compared to the excitement of spring or the sheer panic of fall, summer fishing can appear boring. The reality is that this is the season of abundance.

It’s when all the excitement pays off with day-to-day consistency. The weather is mostly predictable. North Carolina coastal patterns will set up and give us dependable conditions day by day. It allows us to pursue the fish that we dream of. There are challenges. Heat and sun conditions force us to modify our behavior. But the fish are there, and we can catch them.

Let’s start by reviewing a couple things we have previously mentioned. In the summer you need to start extra, extra early (like launching your boat before it’s light), do short trips in the evening (best after a daylong rain), or literally be getting started with fishing when everyone else is brushing their teeth for bedtime. By concentrating your efforts on these low light, or no light periods, we can maximize our ability to find fish in a feeding mood. 

Fish eyes are designed to maximize light into the brain. When it’s too bright, they don’t really love it. So, fish early and late, you won’t get quite as hot and you won’t need quite as much sunscreen.

Next let’s talk about what is going on during the summer months. In coastal North Carolina, let’s define summer as June, July, and August. There’s plenty to do. Offshore usually brings the Gulf Stream as close to shore as it’s going to be during June. Check the sea temperature charts and see where it is. Usually at some point it will be closer than 30 miles out. When that occurs it’s time to plan a run.

A center console boat in the 25-foot range will get you there safely. Be aware that the wind will often pick up in the afternoon so, regardless of how warm it may be, some foul-weather gear might be helpful. Watch out for thunderstorms too. 

Set up a trolling spread in whatever way makes sense for your boat. Run parallel to any weed lines or current seams you find. Be prepared with frozen cigar minnows or ballyhoo. Mahi mahi will be your most frequent guests with an occasional wahoo to keep you on your toes. 

Closer to shore there will be a consistent bite of bluefish and Spanish mackerel along the beaches and around the artificial reefs. The size will vary.  

King mackerel will be present. Fish for them in the manner covered in this earlier article.

Inshore of the barrier islands will see schools of red drum and the occasional large speckled trout cruise the grass flats. You need to get out there early.

I don’t do much bottom fishing but what I do know is that some of the best action of the year on all the available species — both nearshore and offshore — is during June. The party boats running from Morehead City can put you on them. 

July is going to bring most of the same energy as June. Be aware that this will bring the majority of the 90-degree Fahrenheit temperatures that we see throughout the year. Plan accordingly. Fish early. Fish late. Bring lots to drink.

The fish feel it too. The boom fishing that can exist in June will seem, at times, to disappear in July. These are the “Dog Days,” according to the Farmers’ Almanac, which goes on to explain that “the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth.” The added heat is due to the tilt of the Earth relative to the sun at this point. Also, according to the Almanac, “… the tilt of the Earth causes the Sun’s rays to hit at a more direct angle, and for a longer period of time throughout the day. This means longer, hotter days.”

So, the Dog Days have become synonymous with slow fishing, but a funny thing starts to happen in August. Even though it’s still not really fall, the fish start to sense the shortening days, also called photoperiod, and sometimes they get extra frisky. Usually, this is caused by baitfish aggregation. Gamefish that had been lazy for a while get charged up by prey species gathering in large numbers. This is difficult to plan for, but being prepared with the lures that imitate these small fish will allow us to be ready if it does.

A not uncommon occurrence of this type occurs when the first northeastern blow of the season occurs. This concurring occurrence is known ’round here as a “Mullet Blow,” and it’s when large groups of small mullet make their first run of the season out the inlets. Wise anglers will be prepared with cast nets to first catch said mullet and a hook rigged on a Carolina Rig to pursue the gamefish that react to their sudden appearance.

Expect red drum, speckled trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, flounder and whatever else might be around. I’ve had large sharks appear at my feet on days like this. Needless to say, we were both quite surprised. Nobody got a bite.

Again, summer is the time of plenty of fish, and no need for scrambling around. You don’t need to rush to the water to get in on the action, because chances are, it’s going to be there tomorrow. It’s a more relaxed pace. Sometimes it’s really good, other times not as good. But just enjoy the more relaxed pace. Fall is coming, however.

By then, you’d better have your act together, because if you miss it then. It’s over. But we’ll cover that at another time.

Most of us have heard of “No Mow May” or even “Slow Mow Summer.” You might be wondering why it’s such an important thing to let early blooming weeds and wildflowers hold sway.

Plants like dandelions and clover and all the other millions of tiny, barely noticeable flowering plants are an important food source for early pollinators. Later-blooming plants are just as vital and for the same reason. The blooms might not last long, but the seeds that follow are just as important, feeding countless birds and ensuring the next generation of plants.

Your neighbors or HOA might not be too be happy with your weedy looking yard, “but it’s for the chil’uns”— I mean the pollinators. Some states are actually paying homeowners to let their yards go natural or to plant native cover crops that will benefit pollinators more than artificial turf-looking lawns do.

While North Carolina doesn’t go quite that far just yet, some municipalities offer things such as tax incentives, fee waivers, and official protections for residents who embrace native plantings of wildlife-friendly landscaping. In addition to providing food sources, natives often need less spraying, watering, and fertilizer than non-natives.

When our great country was less populated — or perhaps less paved — than it is now, migrating birds and animals could pick and choose what and where they wanted to eat. Their constant movement kept land from being overgrazed or depleted. For other migrating critters, such as pollinators, all they had to contend with were weird weather patterns such as widespread droughts and floods, violent winds, or wildfires and predators.

The wide-open spaces were rife with abundant food sources, rich with all kinds of grasses and flowering plants.

Given the innumerable arrowheads and mounds and what have you that people have discovered and all the new discoveries being made on a nearly daily basis, there have been huge populations of humans on the North America continent for a long time. Far longer than some scientists and experts would have us believe. It’s inarguable, however, that few civilizations before us have negatively impacted the natural world as much as the present.

Where prior peoples used materials that already existed in nature and were gradually recycled to the Earth at some point, we tend to use more permanent methods. Dirt paths carved by buffalo or elk that became dirt roads have now become paved roads. Homes once made of hide or wooden poles have become far larger and much more permanent structures. Baskets woven of willow or oak have been replaced by plastic bags and containers.

Am I decrying modern amenities? Not on your life.

Do I mourn the loss of wild places and habitat? You betcha.

So what can we do to help?

Besides letting our yards do what yards or unused spaces, such as roadsides, are supposed to do, how about this?

The Butterfly Highway, managed by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, is a statewide network. Designed to restore native habitats, it establishes pesticide-free travel corridors in addition to providing essential pit stops for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

Along with roadside projects like the acclaimed North Carolina Department of Transportation Wildflower Program, which utilizes native seed mixes and specific mowing times, there is also the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s “Pollinator Garden.” Corrections staff and workers convert unused state facility land into certified pit stops.

Why does the state mow roadsides anyway? Maybe when cars broke down more often it was a necessity. Nobody wants to change a flat in waist high grass and weeds and have to worry about unseen fire ant mounds or copperheads. With cars nowadays being more reliable, roadside mowing is largely for driver safety and better visibility.

Even small spaces such as a balcony with potted plants can be registered as a Pollinator Pit Stop. These areas commit to growing native plants and not using harsh pesticides. Joining the Butterfly Highway is free. To register or to learn more about creating a pit stop, check out the North Carolina Wildlife Federation website.

There’s also a census for tracking how projects like the Butterfly Highway impact pollinator populations, and you can participate in the annual count. Directions are outlined at the Extension Gardener website. For information on sourcing native seeds and designing your own pit stop, check out the Butterfly Highway Habitat Guide.

Don’t be intimidated into thinking you have to only plant natives to be a part of the pit stop corridor. Feel free to plant zinnias or salvia or any of the other millions of blooming things butterflies and bees love. There’s a huge push right now trying to make people believe that it’s wrong to plant anything except natives. Not true! Maybe slack off on the harmful and invasive plants, but beautiful plants are meant to be enjoyed, and people innately love to plant, whether it’s the latest craze or old and beloved favorites.

More important than what you plant is probably what you spray. It’s hard to have a garden around here without spraying some type of chemical. Moths love to lay eggs, which hatch into caterpillars. Wasps use the caterpillars to feed their young, and so do birds. Handpicking the insects off your veggies and flowers is best, but as anyone who’s ever done that can attest, it’s a pain in the buttocks. And your back. And your calves. And …

The world is in a constant state of flux, never mind that during our limited lifespans, for the most part, the Earth seems to be a fairly stable place. Seasons shift on their own time, glaciers advance and retreat, coastlines expand out or retreat inland depending on which way the glaciers are moving. Hills rise up and become mountains, mountains erode and become hills, civilizations rise and fall.

As long as there are only just a few flowers and pollinators remaining, the Earth will recover and be repopulated. We need to make sure we do all we can to facilitate their ensured survival.

Officials at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point announced this week that training is to be conducted along with special boat operations in the air station’s bordering waterways beginning Saturday.

Training will continue through June 18, and special boat teams will conduct operations in and around the waterways that may go as late at midnight on various days during the period.

The air station’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal units will conduct explosive ordnance training at the MCAS Cherry Point range at varying times throughout the month. Residents who live on and around the installation can expect to hear the
occasional loud explosion.

For more information contact MCAS Cherry Point Communication Strategy and Operations at 252-466-4241 or cherrypoint@usmc.mil.

Brunswick County is asking residents and visitors to “diligently use water wisely” after declaring a stage 1 water conservation alert.

The alert, which was announced Tuesday afternoon, places water use restrictions on all Brunswick County Public Utilities customers, including those in unincorporated portions of the county, Boiling Spring Lakes, Bolivia, Calabash, Carolina Shores, Caswell Beach, Navassa, Northwest, Sandy Creek, Shallotte, Southport, St. James, Sunset Beach, and Varnamtown.

Utilities customers of Bald Head Island, Holden Beach, Oak Island, and Ocean Isle Beach are also under the water restrictions since those utilities get their water from Brunswick County Public Utilities.

“Demand for water has exceeded 80% of the available production and distribution capacity,” according to a county release. “As Independence Day approaches, water demands are expected to increase.

Under a stage 1 alert, water customers are asked to voluntarily adjust their water usage habits to help significantly reduce peak demands.

The biggest way customers can cut back on their water usage is by limiting irrigation, which is the bulk of non-essential water use.

Ways in which customers can specifically reduce water use in and around their homes include:

• Avoid watering lawns between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. and on Mondays. Residents with odd address numbers may irrigate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Those with even address numbers may irrigate Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
• Irrigate lawns between midnight and 4 a.m.
• Avoid overwatering lawns.
• Follow the 1-inch rule for grass (one inch of water per week).
• Use drought-tolerant plants.
• Do not water pavement.
• Regularly maintain landscapes by replacing mulch around shrubs and garden plants to help them retain moisture, removing weeds and thatch, and aerating soil.
• Limit the use of clothes washers and dishwashers, operating them only when fully loaded, and before 5 a.m. and after 11 a.m.
• Scrape food from dirty dishes into the trash before placing dishes in the sink or dishwasher.
• Do not leave faucets running while shaving, brushing teeth, rinsing or preparing food.
• Keep drinking water in a container in the refrigerator to avoid running water from a faucet until it is cool.
• Replace showerheads, toilets, faucets and appliances with water-efficient models.
• Bathe in a shower rather than in a bath and limit shower time to no more than five minutes.
• Clean showerheads and faucets regularly to remove mineral buildup and debris.
• Test toilets for leaks and replace old or worn-out toilet flappers.

“A unified application of voluntary water reductions by all water system users in Brunswick County can help to avoid mandatory water restrictions,” the release states.

The water conservation alert does not apply to Brunswick Regional – H2Go customers. Residents on private groundwater wells or those using highly treated reclaimed wastewater, including St. James, Winding River, Sea Trail and Sandpiper Bay golf courses, are also not included in the water conservation alert.

Residents will be notified of any necessary conservation measures and when conditions dictate that restrictions are no longer required.

Questions should be directed to water service providers or Brunswick County Public Utilities at 910.253.2657 or utilityadmin@brunswickcountync.gov.

Second in a series

SNEADS FERRY – The easy chatter of shellfish farmers gearing up for another day of work broke through an otherwise quiet morning landside of the lower New River’s sun-gleamed waters.

The air that early June day still hung cool over the small marina a handful of shellfish growers share as their waterfront hub in this storied fishing village in Onslow County.

Though they run independent shellfishing businesses, this tightknit group supports one another, sharing a passion for what they do for a living and the hardships that come with it.

“This just happened naturally,” oysterman Cody Faison of Ghost Fleet Oyster Co. said before firing up the motor of his well-weathered skiff. “Oyster farming, they’re stronger as communities. What you find here is five farmers who help each other out.”

Like Faison, many of the folks working shellfish leases in Onslow and Pender’s coastal waterways are first-generation aquatic farmers, men and women in an industry challenged by seasonal shellfish mortality events, water quality impacts, and, as of late, fewer areas in which they can farm.

“Part of the reason that all these farms are here is because they can’t go north and they can’t go south,” Faison said.

Temporary and permanent shellfish lease moratoriums in coastal counties to the north and south of Topsail Island have pushed growers to the waters of Topsail Island. The steady increase in shellfish leases has amplified concerns among property owners, boaters, and recreational fishers who argue shellfish farms, particularly those with floating cages, restrict access to prime fishing locations, obstruct scenic waterfront views, and create navigational hazards.

This is the second year in which local officials are pushing for a temporary shellfish lease moratorium in the waters behind Topsail Island.

On Tuesday afternoon, the House Rules, Calendar, and Operations Committee passed proposed House Bill 1113 sponsored by Rep. Ted Davis, R-New Hanover. The bill aims to extend New Hanover County’s shellfish lease moratorium by another five years, appropriate a one-time, $10,000 fund for public education activities related to that county’s lease pause, extend a leasing moratorium in Bogue Sound to July 1, 2028, and impose a two-year moratorium on new leases in parts of Onslow and Pender counties until July 1, 2028.

“This will not prohibit people from going out and getting oysters,” Davis said in the committee meeting Tuesday. “What this prohibits is any more of these new things being put into the water. And, I will say that one of the concerns is the fact, you know, people have the right to use the water. It’s a public trust, and when these cages are put up, it can inhibit people’s enjoyment of that public trust. I know where I live, if a boat was to hit one of these cages, it could be bad. If somebody water skiing on a jet ski, or anything else, hits one of these cages, it’s going to be bad.”

Growers argue a moratorium in Stump and Topsail sounds would only put the squeeze on areas that do not have moratoriums, including waters around Newport, Morehead City and Beaufort.

Faison is not alone in worrying that language in the proposed bill, which currently targets the sounds directly behind Topsail Island, might be changed to include all waters in Pender and Onslow counties, a move that would shut down new leases in bays and creeks in the New River.

“What if this moratorium goes from two to 10 years?” Faison asked during a recent tour of shellfish leases in the lower New River, where he farms a 4-acre water column lease in Traps Bay.

Faison worked his way up to this lease, starting out in the business roughly six years ago by subleasing from a fellow farmer in Topsail Sound. He personally believes the state should promote subleasing. He encourages anyone considering entering the business to go that route.

He doesn’t judge which types of gear or leases other growers use. Farmers who use Seapa baskets, which are smaller and weigh less than typical, heavy-duty wire-mesh floating cages, suspend the baskets from lines that they attach to PVC pipes. That’s why some water column shellfish lease farms are so populated with the pipes, Faison explained.

Faison’s lease is dotted primarily with low-profile floating bags, a method he has found that works best for him.

“This is the future,” he said as he coasted his boat next to a line of bags in his lease. “I think this is going to be my success. I’m not saying this is right for every other farmer.”

For North Carolina oyster farmers, floating gear is the only method for producing the much-sought, high-quality oyster that looks just as pretty on the plate as it tastes, he said. Oysters must be symmetrical, their outer shells clean and barnacle-free.

“We’re all growing oysters for the raw bar, and you can’t do that on the bottom,” Faison said. “There’s no other way to do it. We don’t have enough tide swing.”

Floating gear allows farmers to replicate low tide, giving oysters a twice-daily dry spell that helps them build stronger shells, deter barnacles, and extend their shelf life.

Those North Carolina-grown, presentation-perfect oysters served to customers at area raw bars cost a pretty penny to cultivate.

“Oyster farming is a very tough way to make money,” Faison said. “I think people think we’re out here just killing it.”

According to an economic analysis published in 2024, the average startup cost to launch an off-bottom oyster farm ranges from less than $60,000 for a single line of floating bags to more than $200,000 for 24 lines.

“The total annual cost, including depreciation and interest on invested capital, labor, fuel, seed and other expenses, is estimated to range from approximately $50,000 to operate a single line of floating bags to approximately $250,000 to operate twenty-four lines,” the study states.

As boats go, the 19-footer that Faison bought off a local fisherman is about as basic as they come. There’s no console. No seats — just a couple of stacks of colorful baskets placed to one side of the otherwise flat-bottomed, open vessel.

“Is the better way to look at this a lot more moratoriums or more strict on the DMF side?” Faison said, referring to the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, which permits shellfish leases. “I don’t know the answer. I don’t know that any of us quite yet know how to bridge this gap. Instead of trying to fight for really positive change, we’re just fighting. We’re strong as this big, massive group of people working together for a common goal.”

Brunswick County’s unincorporated areas and at least one of its beach towns are once again under a burn ban as drought conditions persist.

The ban that was issued by the county fire marshal went into effect at 5 p.m. on Monday and will remain in place until conditions improve, according to a county release. Oak Island also issued a town-wide ban effective Monday afternoon and, as of noon on Tuesday, a burn ban will go into effect in Leland.

“Current and future weather forecast models indicate conditions that are not favorable to open burning, particularly due to increasing drought conditions and fire danger risks for this week,” the release states.

Burning within 100 feet of any structure is banned in areas of that county that are not within a city or town limits. Residents within municipal limits may contact local officials for information related to the county’s burn ban.

The ban does not apply to open burning permits issued by the North Carolina Forest Service for open burning of natural vegetation outside 100 feet of an occupied dwelling.

For questions about the ban, contact the Brunswick County Fire Marshal’s Office at 910-253-2041. Additional information about local burn bans and open burning regulations is available on the county’s burn ban/open burning webpage.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is offering a new, online tool to provide real-time updates on the Wrightsville Beach bridge replacement project set to begin later this year.

Anyone who signs up for the new subscriber list will be kept up to date on the project via email and text.

Those who subscribe will receive newsletter updates featuring photos, videos and construction milestones.

The project entails replacing two bridges along West Salisbury Street over Lees Cut and Banks Channel, and one on Causeway Drive (U.S. 76) over Banks Channel, all of which provide direct access to and from the New Hanover County barrier island.

The estimated $105 million project to replace the aging structures has been designed to improve connectivity and provide long-term, safe and efficient multi-modal waterway crossings, including upgrades for pedestrians and cyclists, according to DOT.

The project is slated to be complete in late 2032.

First of two parts

SURF CITY – Capt. Ray Brittain wasn’t kidding.

The white PVC pipes he described at a public meeting last April as jutting from waters that hug stretches of banks and fill pockets of bays in the sounds behind Topsail Island are easily in the hundreds, if not thousands.

The pipes signal the locations of shellfish leases in Stump and Topsail sounds, the waters of which have become a hot commodity for shellfish growers shut out from farming in coastal counties north and south of Topsail Island because of temporary and permanent leasing moratoriums.

“We’re not over here hatin’ on anybody,” Brittain said one morning in late May as he stood on the bow of his sleek 22-footer equipped with rods, reels, tackle and other amenities advertised on his fishing guide website. “We don’t own the water. We’re out here sharing it with everyone else.”

Brittain, who owns Spring Tide Guide Service, has been fishing the waters around Topsail Island and the New River for more than 35 years. He’s witnessed firsthand the changes to the barrier island and adjacent mainland areas during that time, where development has exploded on the land and off.

It’s the latter he invited to show North Carolina Coastal Federation Coastal Management Program Director Kerri Allen during a listening session the nonprofit and North Carolina Sea Grant hosted in Surf City on April 14. The meeting was opened to Topsail Island officials, residents, and business owners like Brittain to discuss their experiences with shellfish leases, which have in recent years become contentious as more and more have been permitted.

The Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, will host an informal presentation and listening session for shellfish growers in September.

Allen; Lela Schlenker, the Coastal Federation’s newest coastal advocate; Capt. Mike Oppegaard, owner of Native Son Guide Service out of Hampstead; and this reporter joined Brittain on a warm, sunny mid-weekday morning on his boat for a tour through the sounds.

Our first stop of the tour was at a large bay punctuated by fields of white PVC pipes marking water column shellfish leases where lines of floating cages poke from the water’s surface.

Brittain didn’t hold back his feelings about the pipes, saying he is “sick of explaining” to curious customers why they’re there. Even so, he complimented the grower of the shellfish lease we visited first.

“He actually runs a good operation,” Brittain said. “Nobody’s arguing that. We’re just overrun here.”

Today, nearly 190 shellfish leases are in the waters behind the 26-mile-long barrier island from the New River and its adjacent estuarine waters south to Topsail Sound. The number of water column leases and bottom shellfish leases in Onslow and Pender counties has increased by roughly 46% since 2018.

The rapid expansion of leases, particularly water column leases where gear must float more than 18 inches above the waterbed, has led in recent years to complaints about impacts to the viewsheds of waterfront properties, boating and kayaking access, and infringement on popular fishing spots.

Those mounting complaints from community members and local government officials who serve them have prompted calls for a temporary pause on new shellfish lease permits in waters behind the island.

State Rep. Ted Davis, R-New Hanover, in late April introduced legislation to extend that county’s 2019-imposed shellfish leasing moratorium by another five years through to July 1, 2031. A little more than two weeks after Davis put House Bill 1113 forward, a section was added to the proposed law to temporarily prohibit new shellfish leases “in certain areas” of Pender and Onslow counties.

And, more recently, the Atlantic Beach Town Council adopted a resolution urging the North Carolina General Assembly to extend Bogue Sound’s moratorium on new shellfish leases. That 2019 moratorium is set to expire July 1.

Allen told those who attended the April forum that a pause would give the Coastal Federation and Sea Grant more time to consult with residents, recreational waterway users, and shellfish growers. Their feedback would help shape future policies to protect the industry, secure its long-term sustainability, and resolve user conflicts, she said.

The Coastal Federation and Sea Grant plan are in the process of creating a Geographic Information System, or GIS, database pinpointing areas where leases may or may not be suitable in the waterways behind Topsail Island. That database is anticipated to be published next year.

Like most who’ve vocalized their concerns about the number of shellfish leases that have been permitted in the waters behind the island, Brittain and Oppegaard say they support the shellfish industry.

“Nobody thought through the issues we’re having now,” Oppegaard said. “We’re saturated. The number one issue is density.”

The large schools of drum that used to swim into the bay where Brittain first stopped once easily accommodated a handful of fishing boats at one time, he said.

“You’ll catch a fish here and there, but you don’t see big schools anymore,” he said. “You can’t pressure them so much or they’re going to leave.”

Oppegaard piped in, “I just quit coming in here.”

The men raised numerous questions regarding shellfish leases, including how aquaculture noise and cages impact fish movement, whether the volume of PVC pipes some growers use is necessary, why growers are not required to carry insurance, and whether farming operations can be moved farther away from shorelines.

“You really want the bank,” for fishing, Brittain said as he coasted along the landward side of Permuda Island Reserve, a narrow, roughly 1.5-mile-long undeveloped island in Stump Sound in Onslow County.

“If you look, it’s all leased up,” he said, pointing to rows of floating shellfish cages near portions of the island’s shoreline. “Every point and pocket has stuff on it now. We’re all pushed into tighter places where there’s actually fish. If we can just get some perimeters in place. We’re just overrun here.”

Next in the series: Leaseholders say they’re boxed in.

Nearly a dozen new and amended state fisheries rules touching on everything from false albacore management to shellfish leases and franchises are now in effect.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission’s rule changes became effective June 1.

Under the new rules and amendments, North Carolina is now the second East Coast state behind Massachusetts to manage the false albacore, or “little tunny” fishery.

Rule 15A NCAC 03M .0523 authorizes the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries director to issue a proclamation to manage the false albacore fishery if landings exceed a predetermined threshold. The director must be given prior approval before issue a public notice regarding that fishery.

“The rule establishes means to manage this fishery in North Carolina in case the fishery continues to expand,” according to a division release.

Under one of the new amendments, fishers who use pots are required to mark their pots with one, not two, forms of identification.

Amendments to shellfish leases and franchises that codify current procedures and align with state laws include the following:

• Removing franchises from productions requirements and termination procedures.
• Clarifying that production requirements for shellfish leases are based on the date a shellfish lease was granted or last renewed.
• Clarifying who determines eligibility for additional shellfish lease acreage, the time at which the determination of eligibility for additional acreage occurs, what is considered additional shellfish lease acreage and what is considered acres under a shellfish lease.

Also in effect are amendments to five permit rules, including:

• Requiring seafood dealers that reports trip tickets electronically to report quota monitoring logs electronically.
• Codify four permits in permanent rule that have been required by proclamation, including a dealer permit for the estuarine flounder fishery and the Estuarine Gill Net Permit. There are no changes to the permit requirements.
• Clarify a fish dealer is required to submit a trip ticket for fish not sold, consistent with the North Carolina Mandatory Harvest Reporting law and Marine Fisheries Commission rules for commercial harvest reporting requirements.
• Codify into rule a permit condition that has been required by proclamation that makes it unlawful to refuse to allow Marine Fisheries Commission employees to obtain data for the conservation and management of marine and estuarine resources.
• Broaden the definition of “educational institution” to include schools and educational organizations.
• Add links to webpages in rules for supporting information that can change frequently.
• Repeal the Horseshoe Crab Biomedical Use Permit due to lack of use. Harvest continues to be allowed during the open commercial bait harvest season.
• Add email as an additional means to satisfy call-in requirements for the Scientific or Educational Activity Permit and Weekend Trawling for Live Shrimp Permit.
• Remove the requirement to notarize a permit application and, instead, require only the initial permit general condition form to be notarized.

Fittingly, it was a Carolina blue sky that greeted University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts as he joined Institute of Marine Sciences researchers for a boat ride Tuesday morning to Cape Lookout National Seashore’s undeveloped barrier islands, a stark contrast to the celebratory gridlock on Franklin Street that the Orange County city can expect after a big win.

Roberts was in Carteret County to meet with faculty and students and learn more about their research at the lab in Morehead City, one of the handful of stops for the chancellor’s second summer tour this year in eastern North Carolina.

The first summer tour in 2025 covered the western part of the state. The 2026 tour began May 29 with two days at Fort Bragg. After Carteret County, he stopped in New Bern, UNC Pembroke, UNC Wilmington and the USS Battleship North Carolina.

Roberts told Coastal Review Tuesday afternoon from inside the institute that these tours are the university’s connection to the state, and its people are “the source of our strength at Carolina.”

Because most of the state’s people do not live in Chapel Hill, Roberts explained that “it’s important to get out around the state and see people where they live and work and see as many communities across the state as we can.”

Roberts continued that most communities don’t have a facility like this one, “where we’ve made a large investment for a for a long time, and so this has been a particularly important part of Carolina’s history, having the physical outpost here, but the work Carolina scientists and researchers are doing is in every nook and cranny of the state, trying to help move the state forward.”

His visit Tuesday included a tour of the lab with a small group, including area media, led by Institute of Marine Sciences Director Dr. Joel Fodrie, a professor in the Earth, marine and environmental sciences department.

Fodrie said that the institute is approaching its 80th year, and the existing building was built about 25 years ago to house research for environmental processes, like water quality, biogeochemistry and geology.

Throughout the tour, Roberts was able to observe research as it was happening and speak to the scientists as they analyzed microbiomes on the coast’s shark species, collected data on how much sediment flows downstream from inland waterbodies, and harvested seagrass seeds for large-scale seagrass restoration. Fodrie also made a point of introducing Roberts to the facilities and administration staff as well, highlighting their important role in keeping the the lab running smoothly.

During a pause by the office of Dr. Rick Luettich, former institute director, the alumni distinguished professor out of his office to talk about an ongoing flood data collection initiative called the Sunny Day Flooding Project.

Luettich said they’ve been working with people on campus, in city and regional planning, and with N.C. State University on the project that uses sensors installed in storm drains and ditches to record water levels.

Luettich pointed to the neighboring office where research specialist in physical oceanography Tony Whipple was building the sensors that measure in real time how “frequently flooding is occurring now, not when a big storm comes, but just when it’s a King Tide, or with sea level rise.”

Luettich said there are sensors in New Bern, Beaufort, Carolina Beach and Down East Carteret County, and there’s a website that shows in real time what the water levels are in these understudied areas.

“We haven’t been really paying attention to whether they flood, but we’re seeing that they flood very frequently, and more and more often as sea level’s rising. So really interesting collaborative project that we’re kind of right at ground zero for,” Luettich said.

On the second floor, UNC Institute for the Environment Director Dr. Michael Piehler paused working on what he called a “really cool experiment” looking at salinity intrusion in farms to chat with Roberts.

Piehler said the “experiment is working on a farm where salinity is coming in and seeing how that affects both the way that the farmers experience the soil and the way we see it as a processor of nutrients, so it’s just another great case of IMS being a beautiful thing.”

When Fodrie directed the group outside of the facility, he gestured to what looked like abstract sculptures with concrete-saturated rope as the medium.

He said these were different types of structures used to build living shorelines, and the university is collaborating with the companies that make these alternatives for hardened bulkheads and seawalls for shoreline restoration.

“We get to play a valuable role,” Fodrie said. “We’re engaging a lot of companies that are doing that to help them refine their projects and protect shorelines better, and in more environmentally friendly ways” he said about what he called the bourgeoning industry.

Fodrie also used the tour to show the chancellor existing needs at the research lab.

The outdoor experimental tanks are high on Fodrie’s list to be modernized and be more accessible to all students for experiments and research, and they’re looking to expand the 2,100-square-foot dormitory that sleeps about 20.

“We would love to have students here,” for the semester, Fodrie said from inside the cramped living space beside the lab, and want to expand the dorm to accommodate about 32 beds. “We have the footprint. We have the space” and plans have been drawn.

“Our grad students have had an increasingly hard time finding a place to live,” Fodrie said. They used to rent beachfront homes and “that game is over. So, we have a real housing crunch.”

In the past, students could pool their resources and together rent the larger beach houses for a reasonable amount, but the by-owner vacation business has priced the students out.  

In the shorter term, Fodrie said IMS is going to invest in turning the existing dorm into four apartments that sleep four each.

“We’re going to actually reduce capacity to 16,” and the apartments will be small, but they’ll be perhaps livable for a whole semester. That only gets us to 16 and we’re trying to get to 32. It’s a good short-term fix, but not a long-term solution,” Fodrie said.

Roberts told Coastal Review after his tour of the lab that the university has had a presence on the coast for 80 years, and “when you spend time here, you realize why. How important it is to undertake the kind of research that our scientists and faculty are pursuing.”

The coast is crucial to the state and to its future, from standpoint of fisheries and the environment, the research into sustainability, oyster farms, and dozens of other areas of research everywhere you look.

“We have 75 people here year-round. It’s a remarkable effort supported by the people of North Carolina, and, and for a good reason, because what’s happening here is integral to North Carolina’s future,” he said.

In a follow-up interview, Fodrie told Coastal Review that the facility serves as UNC’s vanguard for meeting challenges facing the coast, as well as for discovering solutions in focal areas that include coastal resilience, water quality, human health, and fisheries.

“Knowing how broad and diverse the chancellor’s responsibilities are, we are very gratified and appreciative that he would choose to visit the Institute to learn more about our ongoing efforts to serve North Carolina and also explore with us ways to expand our capacity in research and teaching/mentoring,” Fodrie said.

Roberts’ choice to visit the institute also highlights the unique and high-impact role that it has played in UNC’s mission over the last 80 years, since the institute was created, Fodrie continued.

“In this regard, one telling statistic we discussed related to the Impact Awards that UNC uses to recognize graduate students that conduct research focused on serving the needs of North Carolina,” Fodrie said, explaining that IMS-based graduate students represent less than 0.2% of all UNC graduate students during the last decade but represent about 14% of all award recipients over that same period.

“In turn, we also appreciated the chance to learn more about the chancellor’s broader goals and priorities for UNC during his team’s visit, and therefore how IMS might continue to grow our impact within and beyond the university.”  

The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission, during its meeting June 18 in New Bern, is expected to hear from its science panel their findings on the effects of hard structures on sandy, open-ocean coastlines.

That’s according to the agenda that is posted along with briefing materials on the commission’s website. The agenda and order of individual items on it are subject to change. 

The meeting is to start at 10 a.m. in the DoubleTree New Bern Riverfront at 100 Middle St. The public is welcome to attend in person or streamed on North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s YouTube channel.

The commission, during its November 2025 meeting, directed the science panel to evaluate alternatives for managing oceanfront erosion. They are to present their report during the meeting this month.

Related: Special series on permanent beach erosion control structures study

The commission designates areas of environmental concern, adopts rules and policies for coastal development within those areas and certifies local land use plans. The Division of Coastal Management carries out the commission’s rules and regulations.

The science panel, made up of researchers and government agency representatives, provides the commission with scientific data and recommendations pertaining to coastal topics.

Elizabeth City State University biology students have become the first researchers from a historically Black college or university to participate in the American Campus Tree Genome Project and have their work accepted into a worldwide genetic database.

The research on one of the oldest oak trees on campus is now publicly available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information, or NCBI, one of the world’s largest repositories of genetic information.  

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, a nonprofit research lab in Alabama, began the American Campus Tree Genomes initiative to provide students a way to interact with the latest genome sequencing technologies.

The project involved biological research students Nicole Villardi, Camdyn Peck, Laneya Evans, Zakiya Sledge, Nyaziah Sears, Justin Franklin, Juelle St. Clair and Angelina Sanchez, and Dr. Alex Harkess, Lauren Whitt and Sarah Carey, all with HudsonAlpha.

Margaret Young, professor of biology and faculty expert in plant tissue culture at Elizabeth City State, said Friday in the release that the project marked a significant milestone for both the university and the HBCU community.   

“We are the first HBCU to be part of the American Campus Tree Genome Project, part of Dr. Harkess’ National Science Foundation CAREER grant. This is the first time that we are sequencing/annotating a tree on this campus and having the data readily available on NCBI,” Young said.   

Students collected leaves from an oak tree near the G.R. Little Library on campus and extracted high-quality DNA that was sent to HudsonAlpha for sequencing. Researchers returned the data to the university for the students to analyze before submitting the completed work to NCBI. The research is now available on the international database.

Young said each step of the process required a level of precision and expertise that is uncommon for undergraduate researchers.   

“We were praised by Dr. Harkess. Plant DNA can be difficult to extract due to the tough cell walls and the fact that plants store their waste and have secondary compounds in their cells,” she said.   

Unlike traditional laboratory courses, where experiments are often completed within a few hours, this project took an investment of several days.

“Extracting the DNA took several tries, about 8 hours each from start to finish. This would not work in a traditional lab setting, which is two to three hours,” Young said. “Annotating also took several hours. Luckily, the students had done Computer Programming and could figure out the coding when there were hiccups. Dr. Harkess’s staff also helped polish the data. In a course such as Biological Research, there is a lot of latitude—defined meeting times, plus meeting times each week the students decide upon, which makes it ideal for such a project.”   

SNEADS FERRY — Nearly a dozen abandoned marine vessels left to rot in North Carolina’s coastal waters are expected to be removed by July.

Crews this week pulled a dilapidated commercial fishing trawler and a sunken cabin cruiser from Wheeler Creek, a working waterway nestled off the New River in Sneads Ferry.

Mainstream Commercial Divers Inc., an underwater construction, maintenance, inspection and commercial diving company headquartered in Murray, Kentucky, also removed two rusted, battered barges from waters in the Onslow County fishing village.

On Monday, crews removed two vessels from the waters around Carolina Beach. Removal of the stranded commercial shrimper Claire Skye is scheduled for later this year. The vessel, currently stranded in Stump Sound near Morris Landing Clean Water Preserve in Holly Ridge, cannot be moved until its resident osprey chicks leave their nest built atop one of the trawler’s outriggers.

This marks the latest wave of abandoned and derelict vessel, or ADV, removals spearheaded by the North Carolina Coastal Federation through a $450,000 grant from the BoatUS Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on safe, accessible recreational boating for all Americans and promotes environmental stewardship.

The Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, was awarded the grant earlier this year to oversee the removal and disposal of 12 ADVs littering waters in Carteret, Chowan, New Hanover and Onslow counties.

Ted Wilgis, the Coastal Federation’s marine debris program manager, said Wednesday that the organization is actively working to remove another 30 ADVs.

“There’s probably another 10 to 20 more that we know of that we can’t get funding for,” he said, noting that money the organization has received through a four-year, $4.5 million federal grant, state appropriations, and BoatUS Foundation for ADV and marine debris removal is expected to run dry by late summer.

Along with seeking state funding for ADV removal, the organization is working with state lawmakers on legislation to establish a formal North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission abandoned and derelict vessel program, grant liability immunity to the commission, it’s agents and contractors, and other state agencies during removal operations, and permit emergency removals during declared emergencies.

“There are hundreds of vessels out there that haven’t been investigated yet,” Wilgis said. “There are areas where there are a lot of vessels that are kind of in a limbo state. There’s a big demand for removals and, especially in this economy, there’s going to be more and more.”

Unwanted and derelict vessels are often left by owners who can no longer afford to maintain them. During severe storms, some vessels break from their moorings and are either left adrift only to sink in tidal areas or strand in marshes, on shorelines or in reefs.

ADVs obstruct waterways and pose serious pollution risks because of their potential to leak fuel and other hazardous materials such as hydraulic fluid and oil. Most recreational boats are made of fiberglass, which can break down over time in the water.

ADV removal is usually a painstaking process that in some cases can take up to a couple of years to complete, depending on the location and condition of the vessel. Removal can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars for smaller recreational vessels to more than $100,000.

“It varies on where it is and how long it’s been out there,” Wilgis said.

BoatUS Foundation launched a national initiative supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program to remove hundreds of ADVs from coastal waterways. The project also includes the development of a national database to track ADVs.

More than $7 million in grants have been awarded to cover the costs of direct ADV removals in Alaska, Guam, Oregon, Washington, Louisiana, Maine, the U.S. Virgin Islands and North Carolina, according to BoatUS Foundation Project Coordinator Michael Moore.

The organization is hosting in early December its Turning the Tide Summit, a four-day event where government agencies, environmentalists, marine professionals and recycling and waste management experts from across the country will gather to discuss ways to responsibly and sustainably remove and dispose of ADVs and boating-related debris, and share new technologies and innovative recycling programs.

More than 450 ADVs have been removed from North Carolina’s coastal waters either through the Coastal Federation’s marine debris removal program, local governments, the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management or the Wildlife Resources Commission, Wilgis said.

In 2020, the North Carolina General Assembly authorized and funded the commission to inspect, investigate and remove ADVs associated with Hurricane Florence and other coastal storms. The agency also publishes a database that identifies ADVs and prioritizes their removal.

Beach towns and coastal counties have also in recent years taken steps authorizing their law enforcement agencies to remove abandoned vessels within their jurisdictions.

Coastal Carolina Riverwatch recently announced that registration and sponsor opportunities are open for the 2026 Water Quality for Fisheries Symposium, a collaborative forum for sharing recent research, best management practices, policy development, restoration and resilience projects, and advocacy that protects water quality and quality of life on the coast.

The annual event, set for Oct. 19-20 at the Sturgeon City Environmental Education Center in Jacksonville, is designed for fishermen, students, researchers, agency partners, local governments, decision makers, educators, advocates, and coastal community members who care about clean water, healthy fisheries, and the future of working waterfronts.

The 2025 Water Quality for Fisheries Symposium included 121 registrations, with 120 in-person participants, 21 speakers, 34 scholarship registrations, and 45 organizations represented. Organizers said the event created space for “real conversations across sectors, helping connect research, policy, and lived experience in ways that support fisheries resilience and coastal public health.”

Hosting the event this year at Sturgeon City in Jacksonville “reflects the strong local leadership and engagement shown during the 2025 event, including participation from Onslow County Commissioners who attended sessions, listened to fishermen and researchers, and joined discussions about water quality and fisheries impacts.”

This year’s conversations will focus on the issues coastal communities are already facing, including stormwater runoff, wastewater and septic concerns, industrial pollutants, plastic pollution, harmful algal blooms, fish kills, contaminants in seafood, restoration opportunities, and the need for practical solutions that support both healthy waters and strong coastal economies.

“These priorities are directly connected to the Water Quality for Fisheries program’s work to enhance the sustainability of North Carolina’s coastal fishing communities by addressing water quality issues that affect fisheries,” organizers said.

A reduced registration fee is offered to students and fishermen, “because these voices are essential to the conversation,” according to the announcement. General registration is also open. Register online.

Republished from the Island Free Press

Less than 12 hours after an oceanfront house collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean in Buxton, dozens of National Park Service employees, local residents, visitors, fishermen, and members of the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association (NCBBA) joined forces Wednesday to clear debris from the shoreline stretching from Cape Point to the Buxton groins.

The cleanup effort followed the Tuesday night collapse of an unoccupied house at 46000 Ocean Drive, which fell into the ocean at approximately 10:30 p.m., scattering debris along miles of shoreline and prompting Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) to temporarily close beach access from the north end of Buxton through the lifeguarded beach while officials assessed public safety hazards.

NCBBA Vice President Dan Rothermel began organizing cleanup efforts before sunrise Wednesday in coordination with CHNS Superintendent David Hallac.

Rothermel was on the beach at Cape Point shortly after 5 a.m., where anglers who were already fishing immediately began helping remove debris.

“The fishermen who were out there cleaned up around their areas and gathered debris into piles for us,” Rothermel said. “It was really helpful and was so great to see everybody pitching in.”

As the morning progressed, additional NCBBA members and volunteers arrived, and the cleanup operation expanded northward toward the southernmost Buxton groin.

By midday, several dozen volunteers were working along the beach, collecting lumber, insulation, siding, household materials, and other debris from the collapsed structure. The shoreline from the groins to Cape Point was effectively cleared within hours.

According to CHNS, 25 National Park Service employees worked for several hours alongside approximately 20 members of the NCBBA and local anglers, bringing the total cleanup workforce to roughly 45 people. Using heavy equipment and multiple dumpsters provided by Dare County, crews removed large quantities of debris from the beach and adjacent areas.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the seashore thanked its volunteer partners, including the NCBBA and the Buxton Civic Association, for helping coordinate and carry out the cleanup effort. Park officials also expressed appreciation to Dare County for supplying and transporting the dumpsters that made the large-scale debris removal possible.

The most recent collapse marked the latest in a series of erosion-related home losses along the oceanfront.

With Tuesday night’s collapse, 21 oceanfront homes have now fallen on Hatteras Island since September 2025, including 20 in Buxton and one in Rodanthe. Since 2020, a total of 32 oceanfront homes have collapsed along Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches.

The house that collapsed Tuesday had been identified as a threatened structure, and Dare County had been attempting to purchase the property from the owner in hopes of demolishing it before the upcoming Buxton beach nourishment project or before it collapsed into the ocean.

Following the collapse, CHNS issued a warning urging visitors to stay off the beach and out of the water from Buxton Village south to Cape Point because of hazardous debris scattered along the shoreline.

Cleanup operations are expected to continue in the coming days as crews work to remove smaller debris that remains in the area. Park officials said they are working to reopen affected beach areas as soon as conditions allow.

The Buxton Civic Association has announced an additional community cleanup effort for Thursday, June 4, at 9 a.m. at Cape Court. Volunteers will help bag smaller debris and move larger materials into piles for later disposal. Participants are encouraged to bring work gloves and wear closed-toe shoes.

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review partners with Island Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

By engineering metrics, the Military Cutoff overpass above Market Street in Wilmington is a 30,000-ton mountain of concrete, steel and towering earthen embankments. Stretching across seven consecutive city blocks, the sprawling massif pushed 15 small businesses out of its way. From the minute the plan was revealed, Sonny Nixon knew the highway would flatten the seafood business he had spent a lifetime building.

For 50 years, Nixon’s Oyster Plant had been a landmark for locals and tourists seeking the tastiest experience on the half-shell. Situated at Wilmington’s north entrance, the wholesale and retail seafood business stood as a welcoming beacon, one of those vacation-bound comfort zones that give a person butterflies of anticipation. As soon as Nixon’s came into view, motorists knew the ocean was close, not to mention another memorable conversation with Nixon himself.

Yet, when the time came for public comment during a 2005 Wilmington City Council meeting, Nixon did not fight the project’s massive footprint. He agreed that the expanding metro area needed modern roads.

“I don’t want to stop progress,” the realistic visionary said. Instead, he championed other people being displaced, urging leaders not to forget the human cost and asking for extra time to find alternatives for those rooted in the neighborhood.

Today, as thousands of vehicles a day traverse the colossal overpass, no trace of the oyster house remains. But the highway’s immensity can never match the outsized weight of Nixon’s legacy.

Shaped by grit and grace

Roadside signs designating the overpass as the Cornelius E. Nixon Bridge greet motorists. Probably, few commuters would recognize the name; locals knew Nixon simply as “The Oyster Man” or by his nickname, “Sonny.”

Many stopped by Nixon’s just to talk, scanning the place for the owner’s tan pith hat, a signature he wore for as long as anyone could remember. When the Rev. Jesse Jackson visited the plant during his 1988 presidential campaign, Nixon greeted him in that same weather-worn hat.

“The other day, I was talking to a couple of neighbors about him,” said commercial fisher Patty Rader, who sold oysters to Nixon. “One said, ‘I never met anybody that didn’t really, really love him … if somebody didn’t really love him, that’s not a person you’d want to know, because he was just so wonderful.’” Rader recalled one longtime customer who carried a creased and faded love note from Nixon, passed to her during their school days, tucked safely inside in her pocketbook. “She kept it all those years.”

Nixon’s unshakable grace and grit moved everyone who knew him. Starting as a self-described “country boy” in the Jim Crow South, he possessed the unyielding fortitude needed to become a successful businessman.

Born in 1921, Nixon grew up in the Middle Sound community long before the area evolved into bustling Ogden. His childhood was shaped early on by absence, resilience and the relentless determination of his elders.

When Nixon was just 4, his parents headed to Philadelphia, seeking better jobs than Black workers could find in the rural South. They left their son with his paternal grandmother, a staunchly religious woman who taught Nixon to show all people respect “regardless of what anyone did to you.”

When his mother returned two years later, the family moved into her mother’s home, and Nixon’s business education began. In a 1993 interview for Duke University’s “Behind the Veil” oral history project, which chronicled African American life in the South from the 1890s to the 1970s, Nixon fondly remembered his maternal grandmother as “a top-grade oysterwoman” who shucked and sold her harvest.

His grandfather peddled produce, processed hogs and sold liver pudding, while an uncle was a skilled farmer who both Black and white neighbors sought out for guidance.

Inspired by their enterprise, Nixon started one of his first businesses as a kid picking wild huckleberries and selling them door to door in Wrightsville Beach for 25 cents a quart. At a time when local laborers earned about 50 cents a day, a few large buckets yielded a small fortune. “In a couple of days, you had made more than they made a week,” Nixon recalled.

Despite his early gift for salesmanship, Nixon considered himself a loner. He helped on his relatives’ farms, tended his own crops to sell and gathered wood to heat the family home. Asked about playtime, Nixon was blunt: “The most of my childhood was spent working.”

No matter her son’s earning power, Nixon’s mother insisted he never miss a day at the segregated Middle Sound school near their home. Attending college became Nixon’s obsession. At Williston Industrial, the first accredited high school for Black students in North Carolina, he earned a small scholarship to Alabama’s Talladega College, a prestigious Black liberal arts school.

Nixon turned it down.

He preferred Hampton Institute, which offered a work-study vocational track to Black students who could not afford standard tuition. The $75 entry fee proved to be an impossible mountain to climb.

“I couldn’t get it,” he said. “Out of all my working, I couldn’t get it.”

From moonlighting to an empire

The tenacious Nixon pressed ahead. After his 1939 high school graduation, he tapped the National Youth Administration. The New Deal agency provided part-time jobs for high school graduates during the Great Depression.

Nixon used his first paycheck to buy groceries for his mother and grandmothers.

A year later, full-time construction jobs flooded the region thanks to emergency development of Camp Davis, a World War II anti-aircraft artillery training center that was in Holly Ridge. While opportunities for Black workers were limited by systemic racial discrimination, the 30 to 50 cents they earned hourly far exceeded the 12.5-cent rate for agriculture labor.

Camp Davis construction wound down in 1941 just as the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company broke ground in Wilmington. Nixon called the shipyard his first “real job to start making money,” and he maximized every opportunity.

Of small stature, Nixon was surprised to be selected from a crowd of much larger men to be a shipyard laborer. His work ethic paid off; he was soon promoted to manager of a departmental tool room and later offered a supervisory role. Ever the entrepreneur, Nixon leveraged his position to run a side gig, selling sodas and later oysters to supervisors and laborers.

“The selling that they allowed me to do in the shipyard earned me more money than my wages did.”

With Wilmington’s population booming due to wartime defense industries, Nixon started buying shucked oysters from local fishers and selling them door to door from a truck, much like his childhood huckleberry routes. Before turning 21, he purchased his first piece of land. By his mid-20s, Nixon was running three brand-new trucks to vend produce and seafood throughout the area.

In his 30s, state authorities deemed Nixon’s system of buying oysters, shucking and packing them in jars, and then selling them from trucks as unsanitary “oyster bootlegging.” Nixon vindicated his trade by inaugurating New Hanover County’s first certified oyster-shucking facility, a converted crab house on Greenville Sound. He ran a fleet of trucks and won contracts to supply area military bases and A&P supermarkets with fresh seafood.

In the mid-1950s, Nixon’s dream of a brick-and-mortar business on his own land finally came true. He constructed Nixon’s Oyster Plant at 6955 Market St. on the property where he grew up, near his childhood school and beloved Mount Ararat AME Church, and where he and his wife, Ruth, would raise their own family. He eventually acquired dozens of acres, including all the way to Ruth Avenue, named in honor of his wife and where the couple built their new home. Today, the road hosts a luxury apartment complex aptly named The Nixon.

Over the decades, the plant processed so many oysters it helped launch North Carolina’s oyster shell recycling program and became its third-largest contributor, returning empty shells to coastal waters to establish vital shellfish habitats.

Standing ground against the odds

Nixon spoke openly with “Behind the Veil” researchers about the ambition that propelled him. “It stemmed from the starting of not having, and I always thought my family was supposed to have.” Entrepreneurship, he added, was “just something that I figured was part of my heritage … it was always that urge to be doing something yourself.”

He also reflected how he managed individuals who could not comprehend that a Black man was capable of — or allowed to achieve — such a prominent level of success. He remembered a white woman on his first seafood route asking, “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“I was wondering,” Nixon said, “was I supposed to act different?”

Barriers persisted as his operation grew. While searching for commercial properties during the early years of his oyster-shucking business, Nixon was offered a seafood house in Wrightsville Beach. “But I was told that I couldn’t buy it in my name,” he recalled. “They had a covenant … the property, at that time, couldn’t be sold to Blacks. And this gentleman offered to buy it for me, but I turned that down.”

On another occasion, an inspector impressed by Nixon’s knack for the trade suggested he expand into full-scale oyster farming, but he advised Nixon to be a silent partner, with a white man fronting the business. Nixon declined.

No matter the racism he experienced, Nixon abided by his paternal grandmother’s foundational rule to show people equal respect. Regardless of race or economic status, he called every man “mister” and every woman “missus.” When a white Camp Davis timekeeper wrongly accused a young Nixon of being late and lunged at him, Nixon held his ground with the unflappably dignity his grandmother demanded.

“I never looked at whites as being kings,” Nixon said flatly. “I looked at them as people.”

Lifting an entire community

As development surged around Nixon’s hometown, he didn’t just grow with the changing landscape, he strived to lift everyone around him. He counseled young dreamers hungry to launch new businesses as readily as he advised his own relatives to hold out for the best price on their family land.

Decades later, that guidance echoed loudly at a dedication ceremony for the Cornelius E. Nixon Bridge signs. A group of men who reunited at the event recalled the indelible example Nixon set during their teenage years. Back in the mid-1980s, they worked as fish cutters for Hanover Packing, which leased space at Nixon’s Market Street plant.

Observing his legendary work ethnic transformed the crew, who evolved from what their former boss described as a bunch of kids, fishermen and hippies into an impressive roster of engineers, marine biologists, environmental consultants, construction managers and real estate brokers.

“He would just be out there every day. He was just unbelievable,” said fish-cutter-turned-geologist John Lair. “And when he said that we were hardworking, that was like the biggest compliment.”

Nixon had taken a substantial risk on the fledgling packing company. “Somehow, this seasoned seafood man agreed to lease the majority of his oyster plant to a 24-year-old kid with little to no real business experience,” Hanover founder Peter Mairs said. As the company flourished, Nixon kept the young team grounded, always encouraging a tight and tidy operation.

“Eventually, that growth, and those lessons, led us toward building North Carolina’s first HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) seafood processing facility,” Mairs said. “But before all that, there was Sonny Nixon. A mentor. An inspiration. And eventually a friend. I was honored to know him.”

Also in the audience at the dedication ceremony were graduates of Cape Fear Community College’s Nixon Leaders Center. Initiated by the Nixon family to continue their patriarch’s legacy, the center pairs students with mentors, tutors and career guidance needed to become community leaders.

Nixon’s devotion to his community was anchored heavily in family and the historic Mount Ararat AME Church. “His routine was church, the sick, and then call all his children, the girls and the boys, and hear what was going on,” his daughter Carolyn Nixon Kaham said. “And if I and my husband came to that point where we had a question about a business, he’d say, ‘Well, you know, let’s call your dad before we move in this direction.’”

An avid reader of business publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Nixon “was just prone to investing to make income for his family,” said his daughter Alice Nixon, who petitioned the state to name the overpass after her father.

Nixon worked at the oyster house almost up to his passing at age 90 in 2011. Even knowing the state’s impending highway plans would clear his land, he toyed with the idea of opening a smaller oyster market elsewhere.

“It was so hard when everything was torn down. You know, not only his business, but you know, that was our home. That’s where all of us grew up. It was heart sinking riding by there and seeing all of that gone,” Alice Nixon reflected. “Oysters were his life, his love.”

“It’s all the history of him.”

But even 30,000 tons of concrete, steel and earth cannot erase the enduring weight of Nixon’s example. It lives on in the green signs marking the overpass, and in the quiet halls of Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, where Nixon’s old pith hat rests inside a glass display case. Mostly his legacy perseveres through the impact it continues to have on the people of Wilmington.

“What a GIANT of a man … Not in stature, but in honor, values and hard work,” Tim Barefoot said in condolences to the Nixon family after Sonny Nixon’s passing. The expert offshore fisherman and widely known tackle innovator from Wilmington for a time sold seafood to Nixon. So did his son.

“If there were more Mr. Nixons in the world, this would be a better place for everyone.”

This year’s recreational flounder season is Sept. 1-14, the same dates as 2025, the two agencies that manage fishing in state waters announced Wednesday.

Anglers are allowed to keep one flounder per day if it is 15 inches or longer and was caught with hook and line in inland, coastal and joint fishing waters.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries manages coastal waters, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission manages inland fishing waters, and they work together to manage joint fishing waters, where coastal and inland waters meet.

The division said in a release that the recreational flounder seasons are scheduled for the same two weeks “so the season, size limit and daily bag limit will be consistent across jurisdictions.”

“North Carolina’s decision to open the 2026 recreational season to match last year’s season stems from a review of recreational data from 2025 and deliberate management actions aimed at balancing sustainability with angler access.” Division Director Kathy Rawls said in a statement. “Whenever we can, we aim to provide some consistency in the recreational flounder seasons from year to year.”

There was a time when the two agencies had conflicting rules and seasons but have been collaborating in recent years.

“We have worked closely with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to ensure that regulations match across jurisdictional lines. This will provide regulatory consistency and avoid angler confusion” said the commission’s Inland Fisheries Assistant Chief Ben Ricks in a release from the commission.

The following provisions will apply:

• Season opens at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 1 and closes at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.
• Bag limit is one fish per person per day.
• Minimum size limit is 15 inches total length from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail.
• All flounder that are kept must be reported to the division through an online form or iPhone App as part of the Mandatory Harvest Reporting Requirement. Learn more.
• Gears: Hook and line and gig fisheries only. Harvest of flounder with a recreational commercial gear license prohibited.

The division sets the season, size and bag limits for coastal and joint waters, as outlined in the proclamation, to comply with provisions of the N.C. Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 4.

The unoccupied oceanfront structure at 46000 Ocean Drive in Buxton that collapsed Tuesday night is the fifth to collapse this year, and the 32nd house since 2020 to be demolished by the Atlantic on Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches.

The collapse will not cause any delays for the beach renourishment project scheduled to begin later this month for the Dare County village.

Because varying amounts and sizes of hazardous debris is scattered along the beach to the south of the collapse site, National Park Service officials are “strongly urging” visitors to avoid the beach and stay out of the water from the Village of Buxton south to the Cape Point area.

Officials also have temporarily closed beach access from the north end of Buxton through the lifeguarded beach to access the situation.

Dare County Manager and Attorney Bobby Outten told Coastal Review Wednesday morning that the collapse will not affect the planned Buxton beach nourishment project.

The contractor for the project is a few weeks from mobilizing and the beach will be cleaned up by then, he added.

Catherine Kozak contributed to this report.

Through a partnership with a national nonprofit, the North Carolina Coastal Federation now owns more than 150 acres of protected land along U.S. Highway 70 at what is often called the gateway to Down East, Carteret County’s 13 unincorporated communities east of Beaufort.

The Conservation Fund purchased the land, placed a permanent conservation easement that limits future development on the 153 acres and conveyed ownership to the Coastal Federation, which called the acquisition, “another major step in the long-term protection of the North River landscape and coastal wetlands.” 

The newly conserved land is within the broader North River conservation landscape, where nearly 7,000 acres of wetlands, forests, and marsh migration corridors have been protected and restored over the past several decades, according to the Coastal Federation.

“This project represents the intersection of conservation, resilience, and public education,” Coastal Federation Executive Director Braxton Davis said in a statement. “These wetlands are not only vital to fisheries and water quality, but they also help protect coastal communities from flooding and storms.” 

A short public nature trail is planned designed to introduce visitors to the ecological importance of the North River region and the nearby North River Wetlands Preserve, one of the largest coastal wetland restoration and conservation landscapes on the East Coast, the Coastal Federation said in a press release.

The trail and interpretive exhibit will help visitors understand how coastal wetlands protect water quality, fisheries, wildlife habitat, and coastal communities from flooding and storm impacts. 

“Securing this property is a tremendous achievement for the North River landscape and for the future of coastal conservation in Carteret County,” Coastal Federation Senior Adviser Todd Miller explained. Miller helped coordinate the transaction on behalf of the Coastal Federation.

“This property reflects the continued growth of our land conservation program and the power of strong partnerships with organizations like The Conservation Fund, dedicated landowners, and our public funding partners,” Miller added.

North Carolina Land and Water Fund grants, donations and bargain-sale contributions from the property owners made possible the land purchase, conservation easement, transaction and title-related costs.

“This project demonstrates how collaborative conservation partnerships can permanently protect some of North Carolina’s most important coastal landscapes while also expanding opportunities for public education and climate resilience,” said Guenevere Abernathy, North Carolina State Director for The Conservation Fund. “We are proud to work with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, and the landowners to help conserve this remarkable property for future generations.” 

The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

Historian Glenn Blackburn, professor emeritus of history at University of Virginia’s College at Wise, has written his second book about Coastal Review’s publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the nonprofit’s history, people and accomplishments.

Released earlier this year, “A Spectacular Coast and Its Guardians” tells the Coastal Federation’s story and examines, according to the book’s subtitle, “its conservation, restoration, education, and advocacy work to protect and restore the North Carolina coast.”

The book chronicles the changes that have occurred on the coast since the organization was founded in 1982 to protect coastal water quality, with a shift toward helping coastal residents and the natural areas here adapt to the increasingly extreme weather that climate change has fueled.

“Through hundreds of interviews with staff, volunteers, fishermen, scientists, and community leaders, Blackburn’s books tell the story of the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s grassroots beginnings and its coastwide work to protect and restore the places we love,” according to the Coastal Federation. The book is a follow-up to Blackburn’s 2018 volume, “Saving Great Places,” which focuses on five projects the Coastal Federation and coastal residents took on to protect the  coast, including the organization’s first big win, stopping a proposed peat mining operation that put at risk wetlands and fisheries in the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula.

Blackburn will be on hand 5:30-7 p.m. July 14 at the Coastal Federation’s Wrightsville Beach office, at 309 West Salisbury St. for an evening of coastal stories, history, and conversation. Learn more and register online.

Guests will have the opportunity to meet the author, get a copy of his book personally signed, and learn more about the people and places that shaped the Coastal Federation’s history. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served. You may purchase the book online.

An Advocacy Organization That Saved Land and Water

The Coastal Federation was a small but very effective advocacy organization in the 1980s and 1990s. Led by Todd Miller it was a polite but persistent advocate that worked in alliance with large numbers of ordinary people on the coast.

A very popular advocacy campaign was the Federation’s strong support for the right of all people to have access to North Carolina’s beaches. Another was a long-term, still ongoing campaign to keep our coastal waters clean and safe. Three others focused on specific places on the coast where commercial or housing development threatened the well-being of a beautiful place and the people who lived there.

First, was the 1982-1984 alliance with local fishermen that blocked a peat mining operation in the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula that would have destroyed 120,000 acres of wetlands and undermined fishing waters.

Second was the 1983-1987 Stump Sound fight in which the Federation and local fishermen worked together to stop a condominium development that would likely have ruined the fishing waters in a lovely sound.

Third was a 1992-2002 struggle by the Federation, local residents, and other environmental groups to prevent a housing development from taking over valuable wild land on Bird Island near Sunset Beach. Full accounts of these three public fights are in Saving Great Places found online at nccoast.org.

And there was a very small beginning of advocacy about the threat of sea level rise.

Advocacy in Defense of Public Access to Sandy Beaches

The most popular policy the Federation has ever had is its ongoing advocacy that everyone should be able to enjoy our sandy beaches and all our public trust lands and waters, particularly the salt marshes. A huge number of North Carolinians are beach lovers, people who want to go to the beach to play. They want to play in the water, on the sand, in their boats, and on their surfboards. They want to see the beauty of the world on a spectacular coast. They want to feel the wonder and majesty of the ocean. They want to smell saltwater and hear birds sing. And a large number are fishermen who want to enjoy the riches of salt marsh habitats, particularly oystering.

From the 1980s on, the Federation has continually worked to educate North Carolinians about their legal right to use the state’s beaches. This work aligns exactly with long-established state policy stipulating that North Carolina’s beaches are held in public trust for everyone. The public owns and has the right to use any part of a beach up to the mean high tide mark. The dry sand area between the mean high tide mark and the base of the first line of sand dunes may be owned by individual property owners, but the public has the right to use this dry sand area so as to have access to the wet beach. These two rights are public trust rights protected by the state.

The right of public access to beaches is generally supported in North Carolina, although there is one gated island — Figure Eight — that keeps the public out and a few private housing developments that provide little if any, public access to beaches in front of them. And there are some chronic problems — not enough walkways for visitors to get to the beach, not enough parking spaces and toilet facilities for people wanting to spend a day at the beach. The Federation constantly pushes state agencies and beach town governments to provide more walkways, more parking, and more toilets.

The Federation also strongly opposes the building of oceanfront seawalls, because seawalls lead to the destruction of the beaches that belong to everyone. When sea level rise and hurricanes cause ocean waves to crash across beaches into the foundations of oceanfront houses, the instinct of property owners is to build something — a seawall or a row of sandbags — to block the ocean. But when waves hit a wall, the wave energy explodes and the explosion begins to eat out the sand in front of the wall. With explosion after explosion over days and months, the eaten-out sand is pulled back into the ocean bit by bit, and the sandy beach slowly disappears. A property owner may gain some protection, but the public loses its beach.

In the 1970s state policymakers began to realize that oceanfront seawalls do more harm than good, and in the 1980s the Federation, along with Duke University coastal scientist Orrin Pilkey and many others, began to push for a ban on all hardened structures on oceanfronts. In 1985, the Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) imposed a ban on seawalls and groins on the oceanfront (a groin is a wall perpendicular to a beach that is designed to capture sand from ocean currents thereby helping to restore an eroding beach). The ban eventually became state law early in 2003 after the Federation pointed out to Senator Marc Basnight that too many variances were being issued to the state’s seawall ban regulations by the CRC.

Within a few years of the original ban, a number of wealthy people who owned beach property allied with some developer organizations and began to try to find a way to circumvent the ban. Pressure on the CRC to modify the ban became so intense that in the early 1990s, the Federation had to organize a major letter-writing campaign leading to thousands of messages being sent to the CRC to demonstrate public support for the ban. The campaign succeeded in blocking the political pressure.

A few years later in the late 1990s, the Shell Island Resort on the northern end of Wrightsville Beach made another attempt to get around the ban. The Resort was built so close to Mason’s Inlet that inlet waters were threatening to erode the foundations of buildings, so the Resort’s owners (many of them out-of­state investors) sued the state seeking to get the right to build a permanent seawall. In 1998, the Federation joined the state in a legal defense of the ban on oceanfront seawalls on the grounds that a seawall would destroy the public beach. A court upheld the state ban, and the Resort was able to resolve its problem only by paying for a dredging operation to move the inlet away from its buildings.

The ban on oceanfront seawalls remained in place into the 21st century, but environmental attorneys believe that sea level rise will lead to more challenges to the ban. John Runkle, an attorney on the Federation’s Board, says bluntly: “If sea level rise speeds up, wealthy people who own oceanfront property will push hard for the right to build seawalls to protect their property” (John Runkle, July 18, 2009). Geoff Gisler of the Southern Environmental Law Center says the same thing in different words: “The conflict between nature and development will not go away. The desire to build terminal groins will be a continuing issue, as people will want to protect development in dynamic coastal areas through the use of hardened structures. These issues will be amplified by sea level rise” (Geoff Gisler, August 3, 2014).

Orrin Pilkey, the Duke scientist who has written numerous well-regarded books on barrier island beaches, is a long-time ally of the Federation. He insists that the most important thing we need to do on the coast is “preserve the beaches for future generations.” The Federation is very sympathetic to PiIkey’s argument (Dr. Orrin H. Pilkey, September 22, 2008).

Applications are being accepted for local advisory committees of North Carolina’s 10 coastal reserves.

Sitting members of these committees include residents and representatives from community organizations, government agencies and nongovernmental partner organizations who provide guidance and feedback regarding program activities and management of the sites, which are overseen by the N.C. Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Advisory committees “promote effective communication between the Reserve and the local community and represent a variety of perspectives from communities around the reserve sites,” according to a division release. Those sites include Bird Island Reserve, Bald Head Woods Reserve, Zeke’s Island Reserve, Masonboro Island Reserve, Permuda Island Reserve, Rachel Carson Reserve, Buxton Woods Reserve, Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve, Currituck Banks Reserve and Emily and Preyer Buckridge Reserve. 

Members of each of the committees are comprised of those with “knowledge and experience representing relevant topical areas according to the needs and uses at each site,” including education, research, commercial and recreational uses, traditional uses like hunting and fishing, neighboring property ownership, volunteering and nonprofit community organization or interest group.

Members of the community who have an interest in serving as a committee member and who have knowledge and experience in one or more of the topical areas related to a site are encouraged to apply.

The Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality will appoint committee members following the application period. Those selected will begin serving in 2027.

Committee members serve five-year terms.

Applications are available online. The application period closes June 30.

For more information about the role, responsibilities and functioning of the local advisory committees visit the Local Advisory Committee Operating Procedures on the reserve’s website.   

This story has been updated to correct the name of Duke University’s Jackson Ewing.

As part of a potential coupling of two regionally powerful electric utilities, a proposed agreement between Virginia-based Dominion Energy and Florida-based NextEra Energy includes a small corner of North Carolina territory in the state’s northeast. But Dominion’s main attributes lie over the border to the north, with its access to a slew of data centers in Virginia as well as what will be the nation’s largest offshore wind energy operation off Hampton Roads.

NextEra Energy, already the nation’s largest electric utility by market value, announced last month that it had reached a $67 billion, all-stock deal with Richmond-based Dominion Energy to essentially absorb its business.

“It’s too soon to tell if this will be overall good thing for North Carolina,” Director of Energy and Climate Policy Jackson Ewing at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, told Coastal Review in a recent interview. “There are several reasons to think that it might be.” But, he added, the opposite may also be true.

As the regulatory process plays out, including securing approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the details and consequent ramifications of the massive deal will become more evident.

“The combined company will be more than 80% regulated, serve approximately 10 million utility customer accounts across Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina and own 110 gigawatts (GW) of generation across a broad mix of energy sources,” the companies said in a joint press release on May 18.

With a market value of about $190 billion, NextEra’s marriage to Dominion, which is valued at about $59.4 billion, would become the “world’s largest regulated electric utility,” according to the release, allowing the business to “drive affordability in the long term by leveraging scale and … efficiencies as the company makes smart investments on behalf of its customers to meet growing power demand.”

The agreement still requires approval from the companies’ shareholders as well as federal and state regulators.

“We have not received any filing,” Lucy Edmondson, chief counsel with the public staff at the North Carolina Utilities Commission, told Coastal Review in late May.

Once it is filed, she explained, the commission would issue a procedural order that issues a docket number. At that, the details of the process moving forward would be publicly available online to view in the docket. By law, the cost-benefit to customers would be investigated, and the commission typically would schedule public hearings.

Although Edmondson said that there is no legal requirement on how long the process should take, the companies said in their announcement that they expect the transaction to close in a year to 18 months.

Ewing, with the Nicholas Institute, agreed that when scale is increased in utility industries, gains in efficiency can follow. For instance, the ability to streamline processes across a larger scale can lead to operational efficiencies, he said, and those can lead to cost savings for customers.

“So, with the larger scale, it’s certainly possible that the merged NextEra-Dominion entity could put more investment into modernizing the grid and developing clean energy sources,” he said. “NextEra has a really well-established track record of building out utility-scale renewable energy. With a greater capital base, potentially lower borrowing costs, and with more influence over their supply chains, you could have some dividends that come from that.”

On the other hand, Ewing said, negative consequences could be lying in wait down the road.

“When scale increases, you also risk having utility policies and approaches that are less appropriate for a particular small service territory,” he said. “In the case of Dominion, just being the northeastern part of North Carolina, this is going to become a relatively small piece of a much larger puzzle with the merger.”

In other words, Ewing elaborated, being a little fish in a big pond could decrease opportunities to innovate development of infrastructure tailored to the local environment or limit creation of programming that responds to those particular customers.

Dominion Energy North Carolina currently provides electricity to about 130,000 customers in much of the northeastern area of the state, including parts of Dare, Pasquotank, Currituck, Hertford, Pitt and Washington counties, among others.

As part of the proposal, $2.25 billion in bill credits would be spread, after the deal closes, over two years to Dominion Energy customers in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to the announcement.

The newly reorganized power provider would also fund an additional $10 million annually in charitable support for five years in communities within the three states. And it promised to continue “robust” utility assistance programs for customers facing hardship.

Additionally, Dominion Energy would continue to operate with the same moniker, relative to each of the three states, such as “Dominion Energy North Carolina.”

But the titles at the top will change. John Ketchum, the current chief executive officer at NextEra will become chairman and CEO of the combined company, and Robert Blue, the current CEO at Dominion, will become president and CEO of regulated utilities and a member of the board of directors.

In light of industry-wide electric bill increases, critics have noted bloat in CEO salaries. According to an April 21 article in Energy & Policy Institute that analyzed CEO salaries at investor-owned electric and gas utilities, in 2025 Ketchum was paid $24.2 million, the third highest salary, and Blue was paid just over $16 million, the 10th highest.

Even absent bumps in the regulatory road, electric utilities have been in the crosshairs of public ire as consumer’s power bills continue to climb upward. Mixed in the dismay with growing costs, data centers, which are typically large facilities that can be noisy and often strain local resources such as water, are popping up in communities, sometimes without residents’ previous input or even knowledge.

Nationwide, data centers, which are critical to power the boom in artificial intelligence, or AI, have become such a huge public concern that famed citizen activist Erin Brockovich has gotten involved, creating a website, brockovichdatacenter.com, to collect reports from consumers.

Virginia has some of the highest numbers of centers in the country. Numerous public reports estimate that there are more than 600 data centers in the state, mostly in Northern Virginia. According to an Oct. 25, 2025, article in Inside Climate News, citing a report from Cushman & Wakefield, as of last June, the state had 6,247 megawatts of data centers and an additional 2,610 megawatts under construction.

The existing centers are not the only asset the Florida company will gain in the proposed utility coupling.

When Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, aka CVOW, is completed in 2027, the 2.6 GW project will become the largest offshore wind farm in the United States. With 176 turbines, the project would generate enough energy to power as many as 660,000 homes and is expected to save customers about $3 billion in fuel savings in its first decade, according to Dominion.

While the result of NextEra’s environmental stewardship remains to be seen, Ewing said that an important point in its favor is the company’s record as an aggressive developer of renewables.

“Their integration with the supply chains for renewable energy and batteries and their capital base will allow them to build that out more aggressively than Dominion would have been able to,” he said. “And so there it is kind of a shot in the arm to big renewable and battery storage builds, which is positive for the environment.”

On the flipside, he said, large utilities tend to seek significant centralized control. For instance, NextEra has been resistant to compensating rooftop solar users in Florida for the energy it produces, and he expects that approach could carry over to North Carolina.

“It’s not dismissed those things out of hand, but it has not given many of the consumer advocates what they wanted in terms of compensation on that metering,” he said. “And it has been much more on the side of, ‘Well, the utility controls the grid, we’re responsible for this infrastructure, we don’t want to socialize those costs.’”

NextEra is also showing more of an appetite to build natural gas plants, Ewing said. Still, those types of sites take about five years to come online, where renewables can usually produce energy quicker and at less cost.

“So that’s the thing we all need to be watching, is how that actually progresses in reality in coming years,” Ewing said.

With this year’s Atlantic hurricane season beginning Monday, which is forecast to have below-normal activity, state officials are urging residents to prepare now for tropical weather impacts because “North Carolinians know that it takes only one storm to affect communities statewide.”

Gov. Josh Stein said Monday in a press release marking the start of hurricane season that this time of year brings uncertainty for families across the state.

“I encourage all North Carolinians to make a plan now to keep themselves and their families safe in case of a storm,” he explained. “Just as you prepare your family for hurricane season, the state emergency management team is preparing by closely monitoring forecasts, updating response plans, and coordinating with federal and local partners.” 

Related: Don’t get complacent with tropical outlook; ‘it only takes one’

The State Emergency Response Team has been preparing for the hurricane season that ends Nov. 30 by reviewing lessons learned from past storms, updating response procedures, meeting with all levels of government, coordinating with the private sector and nonprofit organizations, and conducting exercises.

“Preparation is the key to resilience during hurricane season. We encourage all North Carolinians to take time to develop plans and take proactive steps with their loved ones before a storm impacts our state,” N.C. Emergency Management Director Will Ray said Monday. 

Ray added that preparation includes “creating evacuation plans in case you must leave your home, securing all important documentation in a waterproof container, and checking your insurance policies to make sure you are properly covered. Home and flood insurance are especially important resources in returning to normalcy after a disaster.”

Officials recommend taking the following steps to be prepared before disaster strikes:  

• Put together an emergency kit with up to a week’s supply of nonperishable food, including one gallon of water per person per day, and prescription and over-the-counter medication.  
• Be aware of any unique needs for babies, elderly, or disabled members of the household, as well as pets.  
• Have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings such as a weather alert app on your phone, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio or other device and extra batteries to listen to NOAA Weather Radio, or app or radio access to local news outlets. 
• If you live along the coast or are planning to visit the beach this season, Know Your Zone! This is how local governments order evacuations along the coast when storm surge is a threat. Visit KnowYourZone.NC.Gov to search by address.  
• Establish an emergency evacuation plan and meeting point if your group becomes separated.
• Have a printed list of family member’s phone numbers, social media handles, email addresses, and medical information in case mobile devices lose power or otherwise become disabled.
• Have copies of important papers such as birth and adoption certificates, driver licenses, or military IDs. 
• Meet with your insurance agent so you know what is covered should a storm affect your neighborhood. 
• Prepare a full list of personal items, along with photos and videos of every room in your home, to help with insurance settlements or tax deductions.  
• Be sure you know how to shut off your utilities safely. Water, electricity, and gas are key services that can also cause special problems during an emergency. Do not try to turn the gas back on yourself. Call a trained expert. 
• The N.C. Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network, or FIMAN, features access over 700 flood gauges across the state. Visit Fiman.NC.Gov to search for the flood gauges closest to your home and to sign up for alerts.  

To become involved in preparedness efforts where you live, officials recommend learning about schools, workplace, and neighborhood emergency plans and join in preparedness exercises and drills.

Other ways include volunteering with a Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, to learn about disaster preparedness and receive training in basic disaster response skills, or contacting N.C. Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster at ncvoad.org for more ways to help.  

For more information on how to prepare for hurricane season, visit ReadyNC.Gov. 

The Hatteras-Ocracoke vehicle ferry route has been switched to an alternate schedule while dredging operations are underway in Sloop Channel.

The temporary schedule went into effect Saturday and is as follows:

• From Hatteras to Ocracoke: 5:30 a.m., 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
• From Ocracoke to Hatteras: 6:30 a.m., 6:45 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.

The federally contracted dredging operation is expected to take about one month to complete pending weather conditions, according to a N.C. Department of Transportation release.

The ferry route will return to its full summer schedule when dredging is complete.

Sloop Channel, which provides the entryway to the ferry’s South Dock terminal on the north end of Ocracoke Island, is being dredged by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor.

Ferry users may sign up for real-time text or email updates on weather and mechanical delays through the Ferry Information Notification System at www.ncdot.gov/fins. 

The scorching sun, nearly unbearable humidity and the impenetrable clouds of insects are no deterrent for the thousands who spend the day exploring either Shackleford Banks or the Rachel Carson Reserve, the natural environment for Carteret County’s wild horse herds.

Once visitors board the passenger ferries on the mainland that head to the undeveloped barrier islands, they are forsaking modern conveniences to observe the protected species as they graze in the marsh, feast on sea oats or, if the stars align, witness the extraordinary moment when a newborn foal attempts its first steps on wobbly legs.

Shackleford Banks is the 8-mile-long southernmost barrier island of Cape Lookout National Seashore, part of the National Park Service, that has a herd of more than 100 wild horses. The Rachel Carson Reserve, which is visible from the Beaufort waterfront, protects a herd of between 20 and 30.

The National Park Service co-manages its herd with the nonprofit Foundation for Shackleford Horses Inc. that was formed in 1996 since the Shackleford Banks Wild Horses Protection Act was signed in 1998. The Rachel Carson Reserve is one of 10 sites under the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management.

The organizations have rules and guidelines in place that allow visitors to make the most of their experience while also preventing the animal from becoming habituated, and losing its “wild lifestyle.”

In an effort to help protect the public and the herds, the two agencies and the foundation have partnered for the fourth year on the Pony Patrol program. The trained volunteers, identifiable by their bright yellow T-shirts or vests, commit to spending three or four hours a few times a month during peak season at either location to help manage wildlife and visitor interactions.

“As residential growth and tourism surge along the Crystal Coast, more people than ever are encountering the wild horses that define this place,” the reserve’s Stewardship Coordinator Paula Gillikin said. “Protecting the wildness and well‑being of these iconic animals — while also ensuring public safety and enjoyment — has never been more important. The Pony Patrol volunteer program offers a powerful way to safeguard the horses, educate visitors, and create safe, respectful experiences for everyone.”

Foundation President and Chairman Margaret Poindexter told Coastal Review last week that this year’s group 50 or so volunteers, referred to as the “Pony Patrollers,” is the biggest yet and “We’ve been blown away by their enthusiasm.”

All Pony Patrollers, both new and returning, went through training in April and began May 14 their three- and four-hour shifts, giving the organizations and volunteers time to smooth any wrinkles ahead of the notoriously busy Memorial Day weekend.

“The new folks have paired with veterans to get the benefit of their experience and insight. We’ve had coverage that exceeds what’s required, and we were well-staffed over the holiday weekend, which can be crazy sometimes,” Poindexter continued. “Going into June, signups for shifts outpaces the minimum commitment from the volunteers.”

Poindexter said that in conjunction with the foundation’s 30th anniversary celebration this year and to recognize the service of the Pony Patrol volunteers, the foundation is sponsoring a photography exhibit and competition to be on display at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center’s gallery at 806 Arendell St. in Morehead City. Core Sound is a community-focused history museum and gathering place on Harkers Island. The gallery is part of its outreach programming.

The opening reception is from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at Core Sound’s Morehead City gallery. The exhibit will be on display all summer.

Poindexter said the foundation wanted this exhibit to be different from others the organization has hosted in the past.

“We wanted to create an opportunity to recognize the service and dedication of our Pony Patrol volunteers, and we have some really gifted photographers among them,” Poindexer said.

“We thought an exhibit of photos, showcasing not only their talent, but more importantly, demonstrating their passion and love for the wild horses would help us show the public how fortunate we are to have this unique group of folks serving on Pony Patrol,” she continued. “As the Foundation turns 30, it’s gratifying to know that we have such a committed group of volunteers looking out for the wild horses going forward.”

Mark and Lynn Golitz, owners Bluesail Golitz Studios in downtown Morehead City, are judging the competition. Winners will be announced at the reception.

“Mark is a potter and Lynn is a painter, and together they are a creative force in our community. They are advocates for our local wild horses, they have wholeheartedly supported the work of the Foundation for years, and we are so grateful for their support,” Poindexter said.

There will also be a chance for folks to vote for People’s Choice while exhibit is up and the winner will be announced at the end of the show. 

Pony Patrol began as an idea in the late 2010s but didn’t take off until four years ago.

“We started meeting in 2019 about the program details, scheduled it for its first season in 2020, and then it was shelved because of the pandemic. We were able to get it back on track and launched it in 2023,” Poindexter explained.

The all-call for volunteers for the 2026 season went out early in the year and those selected were required to take part in a training session held April 15 in the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

The volunteers learned the history and goals of the program, heard from representatives of the National Park Service, NCDEQ, local law enforcement, how to speak with visitors and what is needed to prepare for the shifts that require being able to trudge through sand while dealing with extreme sun, heat, humidity, wind, and bugs.

There were a lot of new faces at the training, including Kim Ridel, a resident of Morehead City.

She said in an interview that she volunteered for the program when a friend who’s been a Pony Patroller since it started shared information with her about its purpose.

“I have been coming to this area all of my life, and I’ve been fortunate enough to live here full-time for the last several years. The ponies have always been a part of my best Carteret County days, and I’m really excited to share what I’ve learned about them through Pony Patrol, with visitors and locals alike,” Ridel said. “I’m also very committed to educating people about how important it is to let these incredible animals continue to live their best natural lives, by watching from a safe distance, keeping pets on leashes and not interfering with them — which will hopefully allow us to continue to coexist in the best way.”

When Ridel first spoke to Coastal Review on May 15, she said she expected to be “flying solo” during her first shift May 21, but was paired with an experienced Pony Patroller. Ridel said in a follow up email asking about her first shift, that the afternoon “went great.”

“The weather was beautiful,” Ridel said Wednesday in a follow-up email. They spotted nine horses during the shift, “all of which seemed to be doing well. The people we talked to were curious and respectful and it was a great first time.”

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

Speaking before a standing-room-only audience at the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla on Tuesday, Coastal Protection Engineering (CPE) Senior Project Manager Ken Willson said that beach nourishment on the north end of Corolla “appears to be the preferred alternative of the ones that we’ve evaluated.”

In his 45-minute presentation, Willson discussed four areas that were experiencing high rates of beach loss. The areas include the four-wheel-drive beach just north of the Horse Gate, an area Willson referred to as the Reserve/Refuge Reach. He also highlighted two relatively small areas, the Spindrift community and Pine Island South. The largest area is the North Corolla Reach, beginning at the Horse Gate on the north end and ending at Seabird Way.

Although the Spindrift and the Pine Island areas did not lend themselves to convenient solutions, Willson’s analysis of the North Corolla Reach indicated that beach nourishment was “the only one out of those three … that would technically meet the goals and objectives for the area south of the Horse Gate.”

The Reserve/Refuge Reach has a path forward with the recommendation of buyouts and removal of threatened structures by Currituck County, based on a cost-benefit analysis and the potential for legal challenges.

Willson’s presentation followed the February 2026 release of CPE’s five-year “Beach Monitoring and Beach Stability Assessment.” That report recommended additional monitoring, but did not call for any specific action to address property owner concerns about areas of the Corolla shoreline that are eroding.

Residents and the Corolla Civic Association have been pressing the county to be more proactive in addressing the loss of beach, and have presented a number of plans to county officials that include beach nourishment.

In his remarks, Willlson displayed a feasibility chart that presented options that included doing nothing, moving structures, and beach nourishment. In some areas, they included fencing and trucking sand to the beach, steps the county is already taking.

The charts offered an assessment of whether the project could be permitted under current law or would face significant regulatory challenges, as well as a cost-benefit analysis. But Willson also noted that, “We have not done a rigorous cost-benefit analysis the way the Corps of Engineers would do for one of these federal beach nourishment projects. We have made some assumptions … that we’ve seen with other projects.”

The Spindrift and Pine Island South areas have seen erosion on their beaches, but the affected shoreline is too short for a beach nourishment project, Willson explained, adding that, “When you build a very narrow section of beach (using) beach nourishment, there’s a lot of losses. We call them diffusion losses, off of the side of that project. For a project that’s 1,200 to 3,000 feet long, you’re almost losing more than you actually placed there.”

In a beach nourishment project, Willson explained, there is a taper “kind of a wedge-shaped fill,” on either side of the nourished beach that mitigates sand loss, But in a smaller project, the effect of the taper is minimal. Smaller projects, such as truck haul that have been used to protect sand the beach in Spindrift and Pine Island, may provide a temporary buffer, but are on a much smaller scale than nourishment.

In developing possible solutions, Willson noted one alternative that could not currently be permitted.

“We’ve considered the potential of putting some small structures on either side of the beach nourishment that might over the long term reduce the cost of the shorter beach nourishment projects,” Willson said. Those small structures would be short groins and would be considered hardened structures. Current North Carolina law does not allow hardened structures on the state’s beaches, a state Senate bill would repeal the ban.

Asked by the Voice after the meeting about the small structures, Willson acknowledged that “none of those short structures that we mentioned today could be permitted under the existing law, but,” he added, “the commissioners have asked us to consider everything.”

When he was asked about sandbags during a question-and-answer period, Willson responded that “Sandbags are designed to be temporary structures to hold the line until you can do something more permanent. Essentially, you have to be in really dire conditions to be able to qualify. The water line needs to be 20 feet from your structure, I believe, before they will allow you to install those.”

As he finished his presentation, Willson told the audience that “we haven’t gone into a ton of detail here, because we’re pushing the process and that determines the final alternatives.”

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review partners with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

While rain through the holiday weekend offered relief to some parts of the state, most North Carolina counties, including those along the coast, remain in severe or extreme drought conditions, according to the latest update from the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council.

A handful of counties in the western part of the state on Thursday were removed from the exceptional drought classification under which they were placed the previous week.

“The weekend rains were beneficial in much of the state,” Council Chair Klaus Albertin stated in a May 28 release. “For the first time in months, we actually saw the rainfall deficits drop a little. We still have a long way to go, but for the short term, soil moisture and stream flows have increased. The drop in reservoir elevations slowed as a result of the rain, but water demand is still higher than inflows to many water supplies.” 

Most of the 20 coastal counties remain under severe drought. While some portion or all of some coastal counties in the northern part of the state are in a moderate drought, western portions of two southern coastal counties, Brunswick and Pender, continue to experience extreme drought, a condition that extends to southern Georgia, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. From there, an area of even more extreme condition classified as exceptional drought extends along the the coast and back toward the Florida Panhandle.

The heaviest rains fell late last week and earlier this week on the southern Piedmont and western part of the state, including Asheville, which recorded nearly 8 inches of rain as of Wednesday. The precipitation improved the drought classification by one category in those areas of the state.

But reservoir levels, stream flows and other measures are “still much below normal,” according to a release.

In Boone and Raleigh, rainfall totals since August remain about 18 inches lower compared with historical averages for the same period, according to the N.C. State Climate Office.

“We are hopeful that the recent rains are an indication that the dry pattern we experienced since last August is shifting towards a more typical pattern for North Carolina,” Albertin stated.

Check your local water supply system for information related to water-use restrictions that may be in place.

Members of the advisory council, which is a collaboration of drought experts from various government agencies in the Carolinas and Virginia, meet weekly and submit their drought recommendations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Drought Mitigation Center for updates to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The monitor is a map of the nation’s drought conditions.

The state’s drought map is updated every Thursday based on conditions through the previous Tuesday.

A Leland man holds the new state record for the graysby grouper.

Wyatt Rabon’s 3-pound, 8-ounce catch on May 16 about 45 miles offshore of Southport was recently certified by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of marine Fisheries as the state’s largest on record.

Rabon, his father, and friends were fishing aboard their personal vessel using live pinfish for bait when he reeled in the grouper on 100-pound test with a Shimano Trevalla rod and Shimano Torso 30 reel.

“The crew nearly filleted the fish once they got home before realizing they might have a potential record,” according to a division release.

Rabon’s fish was weighed in at the Intracoastal Angler in Wilmington. It measured a little more than 17 inches long from the tip of the nose to the stretched end of the tail and had girth of 13 inches.

The previous state record for graysby grouper was a 3-pound, 0.8-ounce fish landed in 2022.

The fish unofficially ties the currently certified International Game Fish Association All Tackle World Record graysby grouper landed in 2023 off Georgetown, South Carolina.

Distinctive physical characteristics of graysby grouper include a rounded caudal, or tail, fin, uniform red dots over a tan or beige body, and nine dorsal spines. They are a small species of shallow water grouper that start life as female, then transition to male around 4 years of age, or 9-10 inches in length, after their first spawning season.

For all our time on this planet, we have been prone to believe that unrelated things have causality.

These things can often be irrational and can best described as superstitions. However, “When you believe in things, that you don’t understand, then you will suffer.” So warned the great songwriter, musician and philosopher Stevie Wonder.

Well, fishing and boating are no different. There are lots of people who will believe in things that have no basis in fact. Just because something happened to someone, that doesn’t mean it’s a real thing.

Let’s take a look, starting with one of the most popular superstitions: “Bananas don’t belong on boats.” The likely source of this myth is probably due to the presence of spiders in cargo ships containing bananas. It’s not for nothing that Harry Belafonte sang about seeing, “Deadly black tarantula.”

I’m not sure how it became a forecasting device for predicting fishing success, but I know captains who will go through snacks and other food items brought onboard before a trip and then throw any bananas overboard. I wasn’t like that, but if there were bananas in your bag and the fish didn’t bite, I might have pointed a finger or two. I’m not telling you not to bring bananas, but you should be aware of the consequences if you do.

Next, wind direction. This is a major part of whether a fishing trip will be a success. The old-fashioned saying was, “Wind from the west, fish bite best. Wind from the east, fish bite least. Wind from the south, fish don’t open their mouth.”

I was never able to determine what I was supposed to do if the wind was from the north.

The main thing to remember here is that, at some location and at some point in history, this was probably good advice. I assume that in some places it still is. But weather preferences change by location and season. I live in Carteret County so let’s use this spot as an example. Here, spring brings southerly winds, and good fishing depends on them. When it shifts north, you can count on things shutting down soon. However, prevailing southwest winds can make it difficult to fish the ocean in a small boat because of being exposed. This can mess up the ability to fish even though the fish might be there.

Fall in Carteret County provides the best bite with its northerly winds. Fish are on the move, and the east-to-west orientation of our beaches here provides a sheltered place to fish. When the wind is northwesterly, we can experience great action on almost all the types of fish we pursue during fall. This is due to migration patterns and ocean conditions.

And so, we see that just here at my home, the old myth turns all around. At every place you go, and every body of water you might visit, the myths will be just as convoluted. Toss the superstition away.

There are numerous tales about the phase of the moon as related to fishing success, or lack thereof. There are those who tell you that fishing is best on a full moon. Others may say that a new moon is best. I have also been told that both of those are terrible, and crescent-moon phases are the thing.

Here’s what we know for sure without having to call Neil deGrasse Tyson: The closer we get to the full or new moons, the more water movement we are going to get. Each day after the full moon hits, the current will slow until the next quarter, or waning, moon. At which point it will start strengthening again (waxing moon). This is highly simplified but will be enough to start.

There are no all-encompassing rules about when fishing is best or worst due to the phase of the moon. BUT… when the moon is in the shape of a bowl, it holds the fish. When the bowl turns over, all the fish fall out. Now I’m not saying that’s an absolute, I’ve just seen it happen enough times to have formed a certain superstition of my own. Hopefully I won’t have seven years of bad luck.

Basically, you need to determine which moon phases and amounts of current produce the conditions that you need to be successful in the places you fish and what you pursue. This “local knowledge” will turn you into the person whose opinion others will seek.

There are a couple of things that arose from dads and grandads trying to keep excited youngsters from driving the Old Man crazy. Number 1 is, of course, “Don’t talk, you will scare the fish away.” Of course, they can’t hear you speaking. If we’re just having a normal conversation and at a normal level of sound, fish aren’t going to spook. Now having said that, know the situation. If a huge redfish is tailing 40 feet away, don’t yell, “Hey! Look at that tailer!” You might get thrown out of the boat.

The other one is, “It’s bad luck to step over rods that are laying in the boat or on the bank.” This one was obvious to me the first time I heard it as a kid. Of course, you don’t want to step over rods, that’s how they get snapped.

It’s best to secure rods vertically, in my opinion. When I see bass-boat guys with what looks like dozens of rods scattered on their foredecks, I feel like I would lose my mind. Those fancy graphite rods cost a lot.

It seems like there is a lot of misinformation out there, but if you remember that many of our fishing superstitions have a basis in some form of reality and understand that the reality is based on some other truth, then we’ll be okay.

Except for bananas. That one is totally real.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Wilmington District is hosting a series of public meetings in June to discuss long-term strategies for maintaining North Carolina’s federal harbor channels.

The meetings, which will be held in-person and virtually, are an opportunity for the community to engage on the development of environmental impact statements for the Morehead City and Wilmington harbors.

Notices of intent for the Morehead City Harbor and Wilmington Harbor were published on Thursday.

The environmental impact statements will evaluate “reasonably foreseeable” environmental-related impacts to proposed updates to operation and maintenance, or O&M, dredging and associated activities, according to a Corps release.

Key topics include environmental compliance, navigational safety, and risk-based analysis.

The environmental impact statements will not evaluate or examine any changes in channel dimensions, dredged material volumes, or options where dredged material may be placed.

“Updates to O&M activities are expected to improve operational flexibility by updating avoidance and minimization measures, including adjusting the timing of dredging operations,” the release continues.

Morehead City Harbor meetings are scheduled as follows:

• In-person on Monday, June 8 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Morehead City Elementary School media room, 3316 Arendell St.
• Virtual, session 1, on Tuesday, June 9 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Virtual, session 2, on Monday, June 15 from 5:30-7 p.m.

Meetings for the Wilmington Harbor will be held:

• In-person on Tuesday, June 9 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Edwin A. Alderman Elementary School cafeteria/multi-purpose room, 2025 Independence Boulevard.
• Virtual, session 1, on Monday, June 15 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Virtual, session 2, on Tuesday, June 16 from 5:30 – 7 p.m.

The Corps will accept public comments at the meetings as well as by email to CESAW-WHOMEIS@usace.army.mil, online at https://sardn-eis-sardn.hub.arcgis.com/, or by mail: Attention: Teresa Young, Environmental Resources Section, USACE Wilmington District, 69 Darlington Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403.

Comments will be accepted through June 29.

North Carolina biologists are already receiving numerous daily calls from residents and visitors encountering alligators in several coastal counties, where the native species are on the move during their mating season.

“May and June are mating season for alligators which means they are moving around more,” Alicia Wassmer, a North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission alligator biologist, stated in a release. “Warmer weather also brings more people outside, so reports of encounters increase.”

Residents and visitors should not feed alligators, officials warn, because that teaches the animals, which are naturally fearful of and avoid close encounters with humans, to associate people with an easy meal. It is also against state law.

State wildlife officials advise residents and visitors to check out GatorWise, a multi-state project that offers tips on ways to safely coexist with the reptiles.

WRC Wildlife Management District Biologist John Henry Harrelson, who works in nine counties, including Brunswick and Columbus, said in a release that he is increasingly encountering alligators exhibiting a diminished fear of humans as he conducts several site visits each week within areas of the district he serves.

“People feeding alligators ultimately leads to those animals seeing humans as a potential source for food,” Harrelson stated. “Naturally alligators are shy, but through feeding, alligators can lose their fear of humans and that leads to a possible negative interaction between people and wildlife. Communities are reaching out to us concerned about animals that are approaching or being ‘aggressive’ towards humans.  Most of these behaviors are directly linked to animals being fed by people.”

Biologist Chris Kent, who serves District 2, which includes Carteret, Craven, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender and Pamlico counties, said he is receiving more calls reporting alligators in neighborhood retention ponds and ditches this time of year.

“We typically do not relocate as many alligators do not survive the relocation or they try to find their way back and sometimes get hit by vehicles in the roadways,” Kent stated in the release. “For emergency situations like in a swimming pool, against a house, under a vehicle in a parking lot, in a garage, or obstructing a public roadway, we will attempt to capture and release an alligator into the closest natural waterbody.” 

To the north, where alligators are most likely to be spotted in Dare, Tyrrell, or Hyde counties, most human-gator interactions are within wildlife refuges, especially Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, according to District Biologist Dallas Shoemaker.

“We’ve had issues with visitors there feeding alligators and bears,” he stated.

Development throughout the Southeast, including along coastal North Carolina, is crowding out alligators’ natural habitat, increasing human-gator encounters, and driving up the number of calls each year to the N.C. Wildlife Helpline.

“This loss of natural habitat and constant influx of newcomers, including many who have never lived in places with alligators, has amplified the need for state wildlife resource agencies to connect residents and visitors with vital information on how to live responsibly with alligators,” said Wassmer.

To protect people and alligators throughout the southeast, GatorWise offers six basic guidelines, which include:

• Assume alligators are present.
• Never feed alligators.
• Do not dispose of fish or food scraps in water.
• Never harass, capture, or handle an alligator.
• Be responsible for people and pets in your care.
• Maintain awareness anytime you are in or near water.

“I encourage people to enjoy the opportunity to see an alligator in the wild but view them from a safe and respectful distance,” Wassmer stated. “The only thing you should try to catch is a photo but use the zoom and give them room.”

American alligator are federally protected. Only authorized state wildlife employees or licensed agents can legally remove an alligator in the case of it requiring immediate action, such as one getting trapped in a swimming pool or wandering onto a public road and refusing to move.

N.C. Wildlife Helpline biologists may be reached at 866-318-2401 between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday with questions or concerns about alligators.

Violations or after-hours emergencies may be reported to Wildlife Enforcement at 800-662-7137.

Officials with the N.C. Artificial Reef Program announced Wednesday that major enhancements had been completed this month at two offshore reefs.

The two artificial reefs, which are off Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke, are popular destinations for anglers and divers. Anglers can expect to catch triggerfish, black sea bass, and many other bottom fish on both reefs, officials said. Divers often report visibility upwards of 50 feet.

The reefs, AR-230 and AR-250, each received about 1,500 tons of recycled concrete pipe and boxes. That material is now on the seafloor, creating new habitat, and improving public fishing and diving opportunities off the Outer Banks, officials said.

AR-230 is about 6 miles from Hatteras Inlet in 70 feet of water. Material was deployed in a dense field around 35 degrees, 6.166’ minutes north, 75 degrees, 42.895 minutes west. 

AR-250 is about 10 miles from Ocracoke Inlet in 80 feet of water. Material was deployed in a dense field around 34 degrees, 56.841 minutes north, 75 degrees, 55.022 minutes west.

Materials for the reefs were sourced from across North Carolina as part of the yearlong project that included public comment, planning, permitting and stockpiling. The materials, donated by businesses and the N.C. Department of Transportation, were damaged and unusable for their intended purpose.  

The Artificial Reef Program is part of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries and maintains 43 ocean and 29 estuarine artificial reefs. Artificial reefs and the reef materials placed on them are strategically located and designed to maximize access by anglers and divers while also serving valuable biological and ecological roles, officials noted.

In 1973, three young children were racing up the sand dunes of Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head when they heard the squeaky treads of a bulldozer as it leveled the sides of the slopes. Stunned, they raced home, tearfully sounding the alarm to their mother, Carolista Baum.

Ms. Baum rushed over to the dunes and defiantly stepped in front of the bulldozer, stopping the destruction of this iconic geographical monument. For good measure, she later returned to remove the distributor cap to disable the mechanical beast.

With the town starting to trend as a tourist destination, real estate was booming. This enormous pile of sand was coveted, a target in the crosshairs of ambitious developers. With her bold act of protest, Ms. Baum threw a monkey wrench into the development plans of Jockeys Ridge, protecting a unique coastal landmark. In a short time, Jockey’s Ridge would soon become a state park, setting in motion the life work of one George Grantham Barnes, who died April 23. He was 73.

A geologic wonder, the grains of sand that form the Jockey’s Ridge dune system began piling up thousands of years ago. Ancient quartz sands from the Appalachian Mountains flowed down into the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricanes and storms eventually washed the sand up and onto the beaches. Their howling winds pushed the sand inland, creating monstrous dunes along a section of the North Carolina coast now known as the Outer Banks.

On Jockey’s Ridge, the salty winds blow life into the dunes, constantly reshaping the sand, creating a dynamic living system. These dunes have micro ecosystems of dune grasses, maritime shrub thickets, maritime forest, ephemeral ponds and an estuarine shoreline along the Roanoke Sound. It’s a place so unique that it was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1974.

A native of Lumberton, George Barnes attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Not long after college, in the late 1970s, he first donned the green and gray uniform of a fledgling park ranger at Goose Creek State Park near Bath. Under the moss-laden live oaks that lined the quiet north shore of the Pamlico river, George settled in to the life of a park ranger.

Just east of Goose Creek, at Nags Head, the juggernaut of Ms. Baum and the nonprofit, People to Preserve Jockey’s Ridge, were successful with their “Save Our Sand Dune” initiative. Working with the N.C. Division of State Parks, the emergence of a new state park was now a reality. Truly a grassroots effort led by the residents of Nags Head. Their advocacy work, raising funds and lobbying politicians, was rewarded in 1975 when the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated funds to establish the park.

Private donations, federal funds and The Nature Conservancy also helped bankroll the purchase of the initial acreage.

During its inception, the first park ranger to patrol the dunes was Phyllis Goodwin. Her time at the ridge was brief, and by 1980, Ranger Barnes was selected by the superintendent of state parks to be the ranger in charge. At first, he commuted from Goose Creek, returning home each day. A real lone ranger, he was the only staff member at the park.

Starting from scratch, George was handed the metaphorical keys to a brand-new park. Given the opportunity of a lifetime, he was now the steward of a natural and cultural landmark so beloved that folks demanded its preservation — a daunting task that must have seemed overwhelming.

In the early days, when the dark summer thunderheads rolled in, he was lucky to have a fickle pickup truck to take shelter in. Ms. Baum checked in frequently to catch up on park operations and to let him know that he was not alone and that the community was there to help.

Carolista Baum’s feisty tenacious nature was buffered by George’s cool, laid-back style. They developed a mutual admiration for each other build on respect and their shared interest in making Jockey’s Ridge the best park it could be.

Ann-Cabell Baum and her siblings were the children who tattled on the bulldozer operator to their mom, Carolista. She remembers, as a child, riding over to the park with her mom on her visits to see George. Over time, she recalls, “he became one of the family, eating many meals with us outside under the shade of the porch.”

On occasion, George and Carolista clashed over their views on issues concerning the park. Recalling her mother, Ann-Cabell said, “She held his feet to the fire.” But despite any disagreement, “she always had his back.”

In 1981, George received some much-needed help when he hired Fran Crutchfield as an additional ranger for the park. She remembers the green, bare-bones, state-contract Chevy pickup truck with a “three on the tree” transmission. They shared the cramped truck cab as the park’s first unofficial office, along with a tiny windowless shed that housed a rotary-dial phone, manual typewriter and a makeshift assortment of tools.

Weekly staff meetings were held, just the two of them, at a local restaurant that served as their conference room. Fran remembers, “We would catch up on things, problems, concerns, and goings-on at the park, over lunch at Sam & Omie’s (Restaurant in Nags Head).”

For many years, the only incoming calls on the shed phone were from N.C. State Parks District Superintendent Cliff Phillips. As George’s longtime supervisor, Mr. Phillips told me that Ranger Barnes faced unique challenges not found at other parks.

With the sand dune ridge now a park, many past activities there conflicted with the philosophy, values and regulations of a state park. It was Ranger Barnes’ duty to curtail those uses.

He also had the unenviable task of enforcing new opening and closing hours in an area that once had 24-7 access. Both changes were unpopular. When neighbors complained, George and Fran had to even shovel windblown sand from private property back onto to park property. Try as he might, George was unable to control the wind.

With the park falling completely within the town limits of Nags Head, it was understood that the performance of the new park staff would be highly scrutinized. At times, George was feeling the heat as if in a pressure cooker. His calm and good-natured demeanor was often taken to task. This iconic dune was important to the Outer Banks beach community. Individual special interests were not shy about expressing their thoughts on how the park should be managed. He tangled with commercial, recreational and civic concerns. At times, he felt political pressures as well.

Undaunted, Barnes seemed as comfortable in the presence of state senators and representatives as he did with his fellow surfers as they sat in the lineup waiting for the swells to roll in. His decisions were made in the best interests of the park to maintain the integrity and dignity of the resource. He operated from a legal mandate straight from the North Carolina Constitution to “… preserve as a part of the common heritage of this State its forests, wetlands, estuaries, beaches, historical sites, openlands, and places of beauty.” During these times, Ann-Cabell Baum said, “He never wavered. It must have been tough for him.”

Mr. Phillips also remembered, “He rolled with the punches,” of which there were many.

George set about developing a park to address visitor interests while keeping intact the core park values of stewardship, conservation, recreation, education and safety. His easygoing demeanor, along with his trademark dark sunglasses, often hid the drive he had for his work. Slowly, the infrastructure commonly associated with a park began to grow: parking lots, restrooms, a staff office and maintenance shop, boardwalks, picnic shelters, a visitor/interpretive center, hiking trails and a recreational concession center.

Under his leadership, the staff grew. Rangers trained in environmental education, resource management, emergency medical, and law enforcement now patrol the park to service the growing visitation.

He also initiated coastal resiliency projects with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, including a living shoreline project along the Roanoke Sound boundary. Working with Southern Shores resident Peggy Birkemeier, a junior ranger program was established along with the Friends of Jockey’s Ridge, a nonprofit group supporting the park since 1990.

But George knew he didn’t accomplish all this on his own. He was quick to credit his supervisors, excellent rangers and the community that supported his vision of what the park could be. Throughout it all, Mr. Phillips said, “George Barnes led the way. He was loyal to the preservation of this park and was a dedicated person who can be given credit for his leadership in all areas of operations for Jockey’s Ridge.”

John Fullwood, who worked with Superintendent Barnes as a ranger at the park for 15 years, remembers George’s passion for his job.

“George had a big heart,” Fullwood said in a recent phone conversation. “If he loved something he gave 100 percent, and he loved Jockey’s Ridge.”

Over the years, George mentored hundreds of seasonal employees that wanted to work at this alluring state park. Many of these employees went on to work in careers involving management, protection and education fields related to environmental and natural resources. On such employee was Ben Wunderly, who worked at Jockey’s Ridge in the mid 1990s.

“His mentoring instilled in me an appreciation for the state park system and a deeper understanding of the connection one can have with a place, like the large sand dunes of Nags Head, or any natural area for that matter,” Ben said.

Ben has also gone on to have a long career, including as a park ranger. He is currently the central sites manager with the N.C. Coastal Reserves and National Estuarine Research Reserves.

As the tallest sand dune on the East Coast, its golden sands glow like a beacon on the horizon. For years, the ridge guided early sailors as they sought passage through the hazardous waters of the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Visible from the U.S. Highway 64 Virginia Dare Bridge, the dunes now flash like a neon sign guiding visitors to a natural oasis within a sea of rental cottages, hotels, restaurants, gift shops, outlet malls and miniature golf.

Here, visitors can learn about the park’s geology, weather, plants, wildlife, habitats and cultural history. Children — and adults — still race up to the top of the 80- to 100-foot-tall dune much like thousands before them. From the top, one can see far out to sea, catch the flicker of the Bodie Island Lighthouse and watch the endless swells as they race to the beach. In the evening, under the golden warmth of the setting sun, time seems stop, if only for a second. Over a million visitors a year are now drawn to the lumpy dunes of Jockey’s Ridge State Park, arguably the premier attraction for visitors to the Outer Banks.

After 32 years at the helm, George retired from Jockeys Ridge in 2009. He continued to keep his ear to the ground with his hand on the pulse of the park. Now, as a park watchdog, he continued to speak out on park issues that concerned him, as well as serving on the board of directors of the nonprofit Friends of Jockey’s Ridge.

Jockey’s Ridge had become part of his identity; it was who he was.

In retirement, he could often be found not far from the ridge, sitting on the beach at the end of Conch Street. In the good company of his family and dogs, he would be reading a novel, soaking in the beach life that he treasured so much. Wearing his Wayfarer sunglasses, with the wind in his hair and the sun on his face, George was in his nirvana.

George loved the Outer Banks. He didn’t need to go anywhere else, as he was already where he wanted to be.

In late April, George passed away after a long illness. Even though his footprints on the sandy slopes of Jockey’s Ridge have long since been erased, he is well remembered.

“The visitors that hike and play on the sands of Jockey’s Ridge may never know that this special place is intact due in large part to the hard work, long hours and dedication of this good man,” said District Park Superintendent Scott Daughtry, now retired, upon learning about Superintendent Barnes’ passing. “Thank you, old friend, for helping make the joy of the ridge part of the lives of uncounted people that you never knew.”

George’s good friend and Fort Macon State Park Superintendent Jody Merritt, also now retired, told me, “George had three main loves in his life: his family, the beach and state parks. These three things were all that George needed.”

Mr. Merritt added that the wind will always reshape the sands, “but the impression George left on the ridge is permanent. He spent his life guarding the shifting sands. His legacy is written upon the hearts and lives of those he served and the land he protected”.

We are all benefactors of the gift of his legacy. A legacy that the Outer Banks community, the Division of State Parks, the State of North Carolina and George Grantham Barnes can be proud of for generations to come.

Celebrations of George Barnes’ life are set for 2 p.m. May 30 at First Presbyterian Church in Lumberton, and 2 p.m. June 20 at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head.

Boaters in North Carolina can learn how to operate their vessel safely and legally without leaving home through an online boating safety course recently approved by the state.

BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water announced Wednesday that North Carolina is one of more than a dozen states that “now have a convenient free online course option that meets their state-specific boating education requirements.”

The course available at no charge on the website teaches navigation rules, safety equipment, handling emergencies and protecting the environment.

“Expanding into 15 additional states means more boaters can access boater safety education at no cost,” said Lynne O’Hearn, BoatUS Foundation program manager. “We believe cost should never be a barrier to learning how to boat safely, and these new state-approved courses help ensure more people have the education they need before they leave the dock.”

Designed to be completed in two to four hours, the self-paced course offers five interactive lessons that immerse students in a virtual boating experience, guiding them through different destinations while tracking progress.

The curriculum includes video-based learning, and concludes with a 60-question final exam with unlimited retake opportunities that can be completed at the student’s own pace.

Upon successful completion, most states issue a printable certificate that can be used immediately, though requirements and validity may vary by state. 

For more information about BoatUS Foundation’s additional free boating courses, visit the website. 

A panel of cultural heritage scholars will discuss their research on free women of color during the Revolutionary Era during a virtual program in June.

The State Archives, a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, has scheduled “Telling Our NC 250 Story: Free Women of Color in Revolutionary North Carolina,” being offered at no charge, for noon June 11. Register in advance on Zoom.

The program commemorates Juneteenth and the America 250 NC celebration.

Panelists include Arnetta Girardeau, a copyright law librarian, cultural anthropologist and cultural heritage consultant; Sheila Smith McKoy, an academic leader, author and consultant; Danielle Pritchett, a genealogy librarian at Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library; and Tyrone Goodwyn, a genealogist and historian.

The panelists are to talk about their investigations into hundreds of records from multiple archives, including freedom papers, census lists, marriage records and estate accounts

“These records document the lives of these women, along with their families and communities. Panelists will explore the experiences of these remarkable women who navigated the complex cultural, legal, and racial terrain of North Carolina and the new nation,” organizers said.

For more information, contact head of the collection services section, Mitzi Townes at mitzi.townes@dncr.nc.gov or 919-814-6863.

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune officials remind the public that Browns Island and its nearby waters are strictly off-limits because of the unexploded ordnances and ongoing live-fire training exercises that take place on the federally owned barrier island in Onslow County.

The restricted areas include all navigable waters in the area between the south bank of Bear Creek and the north bank of Browns Inlet, including the creeks and tributaries leading to and around Browns Island.

Officials, in their announcement May 22, added that military police, in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, regularly patrol the area.

“The primary safety hazards around and on Browns Island are everything from 500-pound air-delivered bombs all the way down to 25- and 40-millimeter high-explosive dual-purpose munitions,” explained Lt. Col. Jeffrey Cummings, director of Range Control, for Camp Lejeune, in the announcement.

“Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune wants to ensure the safety of our boating public,” Cummings added.

“Civilian watercraft must never beach or drop anchor on or near restricted areas that are posted with warning signs,” he continued. “Bottom-disturbing activities such as clamming, oystering or crabbing are prohibited. Foot traffic is also prohibited on any of the land areas on or about Browns Island at all times.”

Trespassers can face severe penalties, including citations that may require an appearance before a federal magistrate, and are subject to fines up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both.

For additional information on the off-limits areas and safety restrictions surrounding Browns Island, visit the base’s website.

Dr. Jared Bowden wanted to be the man you tuned your television to each day for a weather update.

His sole aspiration when he stepped onto the campus of North Carolina State University as a freshman in the mid-1990s was to become a broadcast meteorologist.

Today, that dream is but a fading memory for the Rocky Mount native who was recently named director of the North Carolina State Climate Office. Bowden’s new post became effective May 1.

That title, and the responsibilities that come with it, bring full-circle his passion for climate research, his love for his home state, and his desire to educate and serve his fellow North Carolinians.

“I take it very seriously that I want to do things to benefit our state,” Bowden, 47, said in a recent telephone interview. “What I love about this job is that it’s a public service center, so I’m serving the public and I’m trying to help the public with their problems related to climate.”

The State Climate Office is North Carolina’s leading scientific partner for understanding weather, climate, and atmospheric data. Its mission is to deliver climate-related services to local governments, state and federal agencies and businesses and residents.

The office was established in 1976 and originally housed at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. In 1980, the office was relocated roughly 25 miles east from the Tarheels’ campus to the home of the Wolfpack, Bowden’s three-time alma mater.

Bowden was about 2 years old at the time, toddling around in his parents’ house where his father, Donald Bowden, was presumably already kindling his oldest son’s desire to pursue a career in weather meteorology.

Up until his dad’s death in November, “everyone considered him the weatherman of the family despite me having the degree,” Bowden later wrote of his father in an email.

Bowden earned bachelor’s degrees in meteorology and marine sciences at the end of an academic year that, about a month into its beginning, exposed him and thousands of fellow eastern North Carolinians to one of the most destructive hurricanes in the state’s history.

After making landfall near Wilmington in September 1999, Hurricane Floyd dumped rain for more than 60 consecutive hours in some areas of eastern North Carolina, where just 10 days earlier rain from Tropical Storm Dennis had inundated waterways and saturated soil.

Bowden vividly recalls seeing rescue crews — swift water rescue teams and helicopters — temporarily stage in an area that was a short two-minute walk from his parent’s home near Stony Creek, a picturesque stream that converges with the Tar River.

His childhood home was ultimately spared from flooding, but his hometown would be changed forever.

The Tar River crested at more than 31 feet in Rocky Mount, where flooding claimed lives, wiped out local businesses and homes, and damaged Tarrytown Mall, eastern North Carolina’s first enclosed shopping mall, beyond repair.

“It was really an eye-opening experience to be honest with you,” Bowden said. “People that have experienced this type of flooding know firsthand of how devastating it is and it’s not just you, but also the broader community that’s impacted.”

That experience instilled in Bowden a drive to better understand extreme weather.

His senior year at State would be one where, as he put it, he got “sucked into the research world.” There, he discovered he was particularly good at atmospheric modeling.

Bowden went on to earn a master’s and doctorate in atmospheric science, landing a job as a postdoctoral researcher at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Research Triangle Park office, where he worked with “some of the best atmospheric modelers in the world.”

From there, he settled into a world of research related to atmospheric modeling, eventually accepting a job as a research assistant professor at UNC Chapel Hill.

“But that kind of took me away a little bit from my passion of climate,” Bowden said.

When the position of associate director opened up at the State Climate Office in 2024, he applied for the job, one that would get him back to not only his love of climate research, but climate research specific to his home state.

Bowden was named interim director of the State Climate Office in August 2025 following former director Kathie Dello’s departure to become the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s assistant secretary for resilience.

The North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resilinecy was established in the fall of 2018 in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, a storm that dumped more than 35 inches of rain in parts of eastern North Carolina and racked up an estimated $22 billion in damages in the state.

“We’ve seen quite a number of events over the years, and even in Rocky Mount there’s been events that haven’t been related to tropical systems that have created some really big flood problems,” Bowden said. “I didn’t see those types of things growing up. It is what I would say is a new normal that eastern North Carolinians are facing. But, as you know now, no place is safe within our state. From the mountains to the coast, everybody’s experienced something.”

Portions of western North Carolina continue to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that made landfall at Florida’s Big Bend and swept north. Wind and rain generated from the storm claimed the lives of more than 100 North Carolinians and caused an estimated $78.7 billion worth of damage.

Within just the last decade, the state experienced its hottest year on record in 2019. Last year, more than 5,000 heat-related emergency room visits were reported in North Carolina.

As of May 19, more than half of the state’s 100 counties are experiencing extreme drought. Most of the 20 coastal counties are under severe drought.

“The pendulum is swinging much more aggressively both ways and that’s what our state has to be prepared for,” Bowden said. “We have to work closely with our partners, we have to reach out to various groups to understand what those challenges are so that we’re able to serve them better.”

The office, which is comprised of 10 staff, is in the process of creating HANC, or Heat Atlas for North Carolina.

“It looks at, if you were to think about a hundred-year, three-day heatwave, what would that temperature be for your locations,” Bowden said. “That’s something I’m really excited about and we’re thinking about how to extend it to a broader footprint into South Carolina and possibly Georgia.”

The public is invited to ask questions and share their thoughts on a draft flood resilience plan tailored to the unique characteristics and needs of the Neuse River Basin.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Flood Resilience Blueprint program is hosting a virtual public information session on the draft Neuse River Basin Action Strategy at 6 p.m. June 11.

The strategy identifies actionable steps, including scientific data, local priorities and long-term sustainability objections, to enhance flood resilience across the river basin.

The River Basin Action Strategy equips local governments, the state and supporting organizations with data, tools and processes “to better understand flood risk, identify community needs and guide strategic investments to reduce flood risk and strengthen resilience,” according to a DEQ release.

The strategy, the largest proactive statewide flood mitigation in the state’s history, was developed using data from the Flood Resiliency Blueprint Tool and input from the Neuse River Basin Advisory Group and local Blueprint partners.

The virtual meeting will be held via Webex with meeting number/access code 2422 493 1280 and password blueprint. To join by telephone call +1-415-655-0003 and use passcode 25837746.

DEQ is accepting public input on the draft strategy through June 12 through a public feedback form or by email to blueprint@deq.nc.gov with the subject line “Neuse RBAS Feedback.”

DEQ was directed in 2021 by the North Carolina General Assembly to develop a statewide Flood Resiliency Blueprint, the heart of which is an online decision support tool designed to help local governments, agencies and nongovernmental partners develop, evaluate and prioritize resilience actions.

There are 17 river basins in the state. So far, DEQ has awarded more than $43 million to 84 blueprint projects in six river basins.

Paddlers looking to get in on the action in Pine Knoll Shores’ annual Kayak for the Warriors have just two more days to register online for the May 30 event.

The registration fee for participants who plan to race in a single kayak or on a paddle board is $50. Registration is $100 for tandem kayakers. Fees include a T-shirt and lunch.

Online registration is open until midnight Wednesday. Participants may also register on race day.

The 3.2-mile kayak and paddle board race will be held 9 a.m.-1 p.m. beginning at Garner Park, 162 Oakleaf Drive, Pine Knoll Shores. A Warrior Trophy is awarded to the paddler or team that brings in the most donations.

Lunch is available for $10 per adult and $15 per family to those who prefer to support local veterans, military members and families, on land.

Saturday will mark the 19th annual race to raise funds that benefit Hope For The Warriors, a national nonprofit founded in 2006 aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune by military spouses who “witnessed the urgent needs of service members returning from war with visible and invisible wounds.”

Kayak for the Warriors has raised more than $1.1 million for the program since 2008.

For questions, email coordinator@k4tw.org.

The Division of Marine Fisheries wants to bring the public into the blue crab stock assessment development process.

The division’s stock assessment scientists plan to review what a stock assessment is and how this data set is developed during a WebEx meeting from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 28. Register online to attend the webinar or attend the listening location at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Central District Office in Morehead City.

The Marine Fisheries Commission, which puts in place rules, policies, and management measures for fisheries, adopted the original North Carolina Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan in late 1998, Amendment 1 in 2004, and Amendment 2 in 2013, according to the division’s website. The division, under the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, acts as staff to the commission.

A review of the management plan was scheduled for July 2018, but the commission decided in August 2016 to begin a formal review, assess the status of the blue crab stock and identify more comprehensive management strategies, and began developing amendment 3.

As part of that amendment, the division used data from 1995 to 2016 for a benchmark stock assessment, which is a comprehensive assessment conducted every five years by reevaluating data and modeling methods. Results indicate that the state’s blue crab stock was classified as overfished in 2016, according to the division.

The 2018 benchmark stock assessment shows the state’s blue crab stock is overfished, which means that the population size is too small, and overfishing is occurring, or the removal rate is too high.

Amendment 3 was adopted in February 2020 to rebuild the blue crab stock. All Amendment 3 management measures have been fully in place since January 2021.

The division attempted to update the stock assessment in 2023, but staff and external peer reviewers had concerns with model specifications and the results and decided not to use the update to manage the species.

Existing data from division sampling and monitoring programs indicate a continued decline of blue crab stock.

The division’s stock assessment team is going through data now to develop a new benchmark stock assessment and gave an update to the Marine Fisheries Commission during its business meeting May 14 in New Bern.

Stock Assessment Program Manager Matt Damiano explained that part of his motivation to hold the webinar at this stage in developing the assessment is because a member of the fishing community brought to his attention that historically, the only public-facing part of the division’s process has been the peer-review workshop, when the stock assessment is essentially done.

“This webinar is something of a halfway point to where I would like to go with our stock assessment process, which is to make it more public facing,” he said, adding that he has been planning the webinar for several months.

Damiano said that he and Stock Assessment Scientist Matt Zink, the other member of the program’s team, have made progress on the stock assessment update.

“We have been able to analyze all the sources of data that we’re interested in including in the stock assessment, that essentially involves Matt and I digging through the data and determining whether it is usable and what it is telling us,” he said, adding that they’re using data collected through different programs.

The estimated pattern for 1974 through 2024 has fluctuated quite a bit, as marine populations tend to, and saw the highest abundance during the 1990s followed by a marked decline in blue crab abundance after around 2010.

“There have been some modest increases toward the end of that time series, but overall, there is a negative trend for the last 14 years,” Damiano said.

During the same time, the size of blue crabs in the Pamlico Sound have gotten smaller in general, while blue crab size in Albemarle Sound has been stable.

The fishery-dependent data from fish houses points to the size structure being stable, “which is likely more a function of people bringing a really stable set of sizes of crab to market than it is having to do necessarily what’s going on in the population,” Damiano said.

“Another interesting feature is when we looked at abundance over space, it has declined most in the Pamlico Sound, but the Albemarle Sound is still essentially the one big hot spot for blue crab,” he added.

“If you are fishing in Albemarle Sound, things may seem better than they actually are for the population,” but Damiano stressed that “two things can be true at the same time. You can be doing very well if you’re fishing in a particular area, but the population throughout the whole state can still be moving in a different direction.”

Damiano told the commission that for the webinar May 28 he plans to give a brief review of what a stock assessment is and spend some time on what happened with the peer review of the 2023 updated stock assessment.

“I get a lot of comments on why that did not pass peer review and wasn’t recommended for use and management,” Damiano explained, but those who reviewed the assessment left a “clear roadmap for how to improve it,” he said. “It’s those exact steps that they recommended that Matt and I have been taking with this stock assessment and that’s going to give a lot of context to why we did the analyzes we did, and why we’re considering the methods we are for the stock assessment.”

Damiano added that while the peer reviewers did not recommend the model for use in management, and the division decided to heed that advice, “I think the peer review was actually a success in that sense, because they identified really clear problems that we need addressing in the next model.”

The peer reviewers were Dr. Jie Cao, assistant professor at N.C. State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, or CMAST, and Dr. Yan Li, at Duke Cancer Institute Biostatistics Shared Resource at Duke University.

In an interview before the commission meeting, Damiano, who has been with the division about a year, pointed out that the only opportunity for the public to really engage with a stock assessment during the peer review, which is at the end of the process.

“That’s the only workshop that’s technically open to the public, and so I am trying to change that kind of incrementally as I learn what the communication needs are related to stock assessment. And it starts with this webinar,” he said.  

“We’re trying to create a space where we can be transparent about the work that we’ve done so far on the blue crab stock assessment, which is still ongoing, and solicit some feedback from the people,” such as their concerns about population, other sources of data to consider and give the public background for “some of the choices that we’re making while we’re doing the analysis. Really, it’s more just me trying to show my work and begin the dialog where we previously really haven’t had.”

He added that he hopes the webinar opens a line of communication that wasn’t there before.

Residents and visitors to the North Carolina coast this summer may tap an interactive public map that provides the locations of public beach and waterfront accesses.

The beach and waterfront access map, which may be directly accessed from mobile devices and desktops, includes a “find sites near me” feature that locates sites within 10 miles of a user.

The online map includes the locations and available amenities at those locations at more than 800 local, state and federally funded public accesses along North Carolina’s ocean beaches and estuarine waters.

The map features a “my location” tool, which pinpoints a user’s location, a “near me” tool that searches accesses within 1 to 10 miles of a selected location, a filter tool that allows users to search for accesses based on available amenities, including restrooms and showers, and a basemap tool that allows users to switch between several map styles, including satellite imagery, and street and topographic maps.

The map is made available by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management Public Beach and Coastal Waterfront Access Program, which provides funding to purchase land and construction projects, including walkways, dune crossovers, restrooms, parking areas, and piers, that improve pedestrian access to the state’s beaches and waterways.

Since the program began in 1981, 538 grants totaling more than $56.7 million have been awarded.

For questions and comments, email Rachel Love-Adrick at Rachel.love-adrick@deq.nc.gov. Include the site location in your correspondence. 

Newly constructed lanes of the Hampstead bypass in Pender County are set to permanently open next week.

On the evening of May 28, both southbound lanes of U.S. 17 near Leeward Lane will be directed to the new roadway before connecting back to the highway near Vista Lane through Hampstead, according to a N.C. Department of Transportation release.

Northbound traffic will continue to be routed through the current traffic pattern. Local motorists who need access to Transfer Station Road from U.S. 17 should use alternate routes.

DOT continues to advise motorists to slow down and use caution while traveling near the work zone.

The first segment of the U.S.17 Hampstead bypass from N.C. 210 to Sloop Point Loop Road is expected to open in late 2027.

The long-awaited bypass will increase connection and improve traffic flow along the U.S. 17 corridor.

The estimated $490 million project is expected to be completed in 2030.

Drought conditions are continuing to grip North Carolina, where all or portions of all 20 coastal counties are in severe drought, and the rain over the weekend isn’t expected to help.

Western portions of Brunswick and Pender counties are experiencing extreme drought conditions, according to the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council’s Thursday advisory. The drought map is updated every Thursday based on conditions through the previous Tuesday.

Much of the state — 66 of 100 counties — are in extreme drought, and five western North Carolina counties, including Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes, are now classified in exceptional drought.

“The drought is solidly entrenched and impacts are slowly increasing,” Klaus Albertin, advisory council chair, said in a release. “Stream levels were already at record lows in most areas. Reservoirs are slowly declining and utility conservation levels are ramping up.”

Since August of last year, rainfall totals in Wilmington and Raleigh are down more than 18 inches compared with historical averages for the same period, according to the N.C. State Climate Office.

Groundwater levels are near record lows in many areas of the state, according to the state’s network of monitoring wells.

Rain expected over the holiday weekend is not expected to improve current drought conditions.

“Looking at the forecasts, we are expecting to get, at best, an inch or an inch and a half in most places,” Albertin stated. “If that actually happens, it will keep us at status quo. We typically get an inch of rain a week on average, so if we get an inch this week, we will break even — with no improvement or degradation in conditions.”

Water systems in counties in exceptional or extreme drought conditions are advised to follow their water shortage response plan and implement measures to reduce water consumption. Those counties much report weekly water use and conservation to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resource’s local water supply plan website.

Residents should check their local water supply system for information related to water use restrictions.

Another 28 counties are in severe drought, and one county is in moderate drought.

The Drought Management Advisory Council is collaboration of drought experts from government agencies in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and organized by the N.C. Division of Water Resources.

The council meets weekly to submit drought condition recommendations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Drought Mitigation Center for updates to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The below-normal activity predicted for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t give North Carolinians a pass on preparation this year.

“For the Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA is predicting a below-normal season for 2026, with roughly a 55% chance of being below normal, a 35% chance of near normal, and a 10% chance of above normal,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Administrator Dr. Neil Jacobs said during a media conference Thursday morning from NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Lakeland, Florida.

“This equates to eight to 14 named storms with winds at or above 39 miles an hour. Of these, three to six hurricanes with winds at or above 74 miles an hour, and one to three major hurricanes, that’s your Category 3 to 5 with winds at or above 111 miles an hour,” he added.

Jacobs is referring to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, which categorizes maximum sustained wind speeds for tropical storms. Categories 1 and 2 are windspeeds between 74 and 110 mph, categories 3 to 5 are major hurricanes with speeds from 111 to 157 or higher, according to NOAA. Hurricane season begins Monday, June 1, and ends Nov. 30.

“Even though we’re expecting a below-average season in the Atlantic, it’s very important to understand that it only takes one,” Jacobs said, adding there have been Category 5s that made landfall in the past during below-average seasons.

During the news conference Thursday morning, Jacobs said that “what’s driving this forecast is largely an El Niño event. There’s a 98% chance of El Niño conditions occurring later this season, and an 80% chance that this El Niño will be moderate to strong.”

NOAA National Weather Service Director Ken Graham, who spoke after Jacobs, reiterated that “it just takes one,” and urged the public during the press conference not to “let words like ‘below average’” change the way you prepare.

“Now’s the time to start thinking about your hurricane preparedness,” Graham said. “Early preparedness is absolutely everything. Period. End of story. The actions that you take today really get you ready for the hurricane season.”

Especially a season like this, “there’ll never be a Hurricane Just-a. We’ll never make that a name. There’s no such thing as just a Cat 1, just a tropical storm, just a Cat 2. That is absolutely not the case,” Graham said. “It doesn’t matter what it is, you got to look at the size, the forward motion, little wiggles matter on the impacts. Even the smallest storm, if it’s slow enough and big enough, it’s going to create catastrophic flooding and storm surge.”

Graham said that the public needs to pay attention to every single one of the storm “systems, and the actual impacts, not the category, not the name, but the actual impacts associated with that storm, and that includes the tornadoes, heavy rain, damaging winds, even the high surf and rip currents, as well, including storm surge.”

Erik Heden, warning coordination meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Newport office, said in an interview with Coastal Review that just because the forecast calls for a below-normal season, residents shouldn’t let their guard down.

“Just because the outlook says it’s going to be a low year doesn’t mean we won’t be impacted,” he said, adding “It just takes one storm. The graphic says a 55% chance below-normal year, but if we get one storm, it really doesn’t matter what the prediction was, it could be a big deal for us.”

Heden also warned in the interview against making decisions based on the category of the storm.

“Categories are only wind,” he said. Wind is to be respected, but the other storm impacts are more likely to be more frequent in terms of issues in our area.

“Water is what kills people. About 85% of people that die in hurricanes, it’s water related — nothing to do with the wind. but it’s, it’s things like rip currents, storm surge, and flooding. Those are the three things that would get us if we get a storm.”

Two years ago, the Southeast faced a potential tropical cyclone that didn’t have a name. No. 8 resulted in almost 20 inches of rain in the Wilmington area, and last year Tropical Storm Chantal produced six to 10 inches of rain in Raleigh.

Steven Pfaff, meteorologist-in-charge for the National Weather Service’s Wilmington office, in an email to media partners Thursday morning, also expressed concern that the forecast for below-normal activity can cause messaging challenges because people may misinterpret what it means for any potential local impacts.  

“All it takes is one storm to define a hurricane season regardless of the outlook,” his emphasis, “Given southeast NC’s and northeast SC’s hurricane history our communities must prepare the same way every year,” Pfaff continued. “Now is the time to prepare for hurricane season, and remain vigilant this summer and fall.”

Jacobs said during the press conference that for official forecast guidance, go to hurricanes.gov.

“June 1 is almost here. Be ready, have a plan, listen to your state and local emergency managers. Preparation is essential. You can learn more at ready.gov,” Jacobs added.

Heden told Coastal Review that the best way to stay informed in eastern North Carolina is to remember “if it’s the weather you love, it’s weather.gov,” where there’s up-to-date information, as well as on the office’s website, Facebook or X.

Coastal Review will not publish Monday in observation of Memorial Day.

Whether tempted to dip your toe or cannonball into a pond, lake or other waterbody this summer, check the color of the water first.

Elevated temperatures, increased sunlight, low or no water flow, and increased nutrient loads create a recipe for harmful algal blooms, which can be toxic to humans, pets and aquatic organisms.

The N.C. Division of Water Resources is reminding people to avoid contact with discolored water, which could indicate the presence of an algal bloom. 

While algae naturally occur in all waterbodies, certain environmental conditions can cause rapid algal cell growth, which leads to blooms, according to the division.

“You cannot tell for sure by looking at a bloom whether it is harmful or not,” according to a division release.

Algal blooms may be reported to the nearest state Department of Environmental Quality regional office or via an online report. Reported algal bloom events may be viewed at the division’s Fish Kill & Algal Bloom Dashboard.  

DEQ may collect water samples for further testing to an algae lab for analysis based on preliminary reports received through the reporting tool if an investigation is needed and resources are available.

To help staff, please provide detailed reports with a high-quality photo, contact information and a description of the bloom. 

The public should steer clear from coming in contact with large accumulations of algae and children and pets should be prevented from swimming or ingesting water water in an algal bloom.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health suggests safeguarding against algal blooms through the following steps:

• Keep children and pets away from water that appears bright green, blue, discolored or scummy.
• Do not handle or touch large mats of algae. 
• Avoid handling, cooking, or eating dead fish that may be present. 
• If you come into contact with an algal bloom, wash thoroughly.
• Use clean water to rinse off pets that may have come into contact with an algal bloom. 
• If your child appears ill after being in waters containing an algal bloom, seek medical care immediately. 
• If your pet appears to stumble, stagger, or collapse after being in a pond, lake or river, seek veterinary care immediately.

For tips on water safety, heat protection and food safety visit the health and human service’s website.

Reprinted from Island Free Press

The long-planned effort to repair one of Buxton’s historic groins can now officially move forward after the final major federal permit required for the project was issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week.

According to Dare County Assistant County Manager Dustin Peele, county officials received the Army Corps permit Tuesday, clearing the final regulatory hurdle for the project after approvals had already been secured from other stakeholder agencies, including the National Park Service and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

“We had a pre-construction meeting Monday for the groin project,” Peele said in an update Wednesday. “Bids are due back later this month. We intend to have a low bidder ready for Board approval during the June 9 meeting.”

The permit approval marks a major milestone for a project that has been in development for years and was intentionally fast-tracked to align with the county’s upcoming 2026 beach nourishment project in Buxton.

Officials have previously noted that obtaining permits for shoreline stabilization work can often take two years or longer due to the extensive environmental reviews and coordination required among multiple agencies. In this case, the process was streamlined as much as possible to coincide with the scheduled beach nourishment effort, which is now expected to begin in mid-June.

The repair project focuses on the southernmost of Buxton’s three groins, which are located along the shoreline near the end of Old Lighthouse Road.

The structures were originally constructed by the U.S. Navy in 1969 and 1970 near the former Naval Facility Cape Hatteras in an effort to slow shoreline erosion and help protect nearby infrastructure. However, maintenance of the groins largely ceased after the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was relocated approximately 2,900 feet inland in 1999.

Over time, the groins deteriorated significantly under constant wave action and lack of maintenance.

Under current North Carolina coastal regulations, only the southernmost groin qualifies for repair. State officials determined that enough of the structure remained intact, at least 50%, for the project to be considered a repair rather than a reconstruction, allowing it to move forward under existing rules. The other two groins have deteriorated beyond that threshold and are not eligible for reconstruction under current regulations.

County officials and coastal engineers have emphasized that the repair project is not intended to stop erosion entirely, but rather to help retain sand placed during nourishment operations and slow the rate of shoreline loss in a small but vulnerable stretch of oceanfront.

Plans for the repair work include removing deteriorated materials, installing new steel sheet piles, and placing additional stone scour protection around the structure. The final repaired groin will follow the same footprint, extending 640 feet into the ocean.

The groin repairs are intended to work in conjunction with the 2026 Buxton beach nourishment project, which is now expected to place roughly 2 million cubic yards of sand along approximately 2.9 miles of shoreline extending from the Haulover Day Use Area to the groin area near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Dare County officials have repeatedly described the nourishment and groin repair efforts as complementary projects aimed at improving the resilience of Buxton’s shoreline and protecting N.C. Highway 12 from future erosion and storm impacts.

The Army Corps permit was issued through the agency’s Wilmington District under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, authorizing work within federally regulated waters and wetlands.

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review partners with Island Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

An Outer Banks nonprofit has a two-day program planned for next weekend that digs into historic and modern-day agricultural practices as part of its mission to honor the indigenous Earth ethic.

The Secotan Alliance … and Beyond’s “In the Spirit of Wingina 3: Seeds of Wisdom and Sustenance,” begins at 9 a.m. Friday, May 29, and continues starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 30, in the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center in Manteo.

There is no charge to attend, but organizers ask those interested in attending to register online through the website. There are also volunteer opportunities listed as well.

Gray Parsons of Frisco is a descendent of the Machapunga-Mattamuskeet, and is president of the Secotan Alliance … and Beyond.

Parsons founded the Outer Banks-based nonprofit in 2023 to honor Chief Wingina and indigenous environmental history. Wingina was chief of the Roanoke-Secotan tribe that inhabited Roanoke Island and the nearby mainland. Wingina established the Secotan Alliance with other village leaders to resist English colonization. The alliance territory included current-day Dare, Hyde, Beaufort, Washington and Tyrrell counties and its inhabitants were of Algonquin culture and spoke what has been called a “Carolina Algonquin” dialect. The chief’s attempt to expand the alliance farther inland resulted in his beheading by the English military in 1586, the website explains.

The mission of the nonprofit “is to educate the public on the traditional indigenous principles of the Secotan Alliance under the leadership of Chief Wingina specifically in terms of their application and value in today’s world…and to educate the public regarding the need and the methods to protect Mother Earth through individual, community, corporate and government actions based on the traditional indigenous earth ethic.”

Parsons explained to Coastal Review that this year’s program is following a similar outline as the first two events, though the focus has changed a bit.

The dual mission doesn’t change, “that will always be paramount, but the focus of how we accomplish that will change from year to year,” Parsons said. The inaugural program in 2024 focused on indigenous environmental history and last year’s program emphasized the unique leadership roles of women.

“This year it’s on Seeds of Wisdom and Sustenance,” Parsons said, and will focus on agricultural patterns with an emphasis on ancient, indigenous agricultural methods on May 29, and modern-day gardening with some connectivity to the ancient on May 30.

The keynote speaker for the two-day event is retired professor Dr. Tom Shields, who will speak Friday morning about the “Images of Sustenance: Writings and the Archaeology of Foodways from the 1580s.”

Shields taught early American and frontier literature, at East Carolina University. His publications focus on the Spanish and English literature of colonial North America, particularly the “Lost Colony” and 17^th century English explorer and writer John Lawson. Shields helped establish the Roanoke Colonies Research Office at ECU in 1993, according to the university.

Shields told to Coastal Review that the first idea that many of us had of what Native American life was like along the Outer Banks in the 1580s came from the John White watercolors and the Theodore de Bry engravings based on those drawings. He referenced the website, Virtual Jamestown, where the watercolors and engravings are indexed and compared.

John White, who was eventually made governor of the “Lost Colony,” was an English artist and cartographer who accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh on his voyage to the Americas in 1585. He was brought along to create a “visual representation of the people, plants, animals and way of life in the New World,” according to the National Park Service. Based in Germany, de Bry engraved a set of plates to illustrate scientist Thomas Harriot’s account of the 1585 journey to the Roanoke colony, “A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia,” published in 1595.

“These were done about the same time that Ralph Lane, governor of the 1585-86 English colony on Roanoke Island, wrote the line promoters of North Carolina still like to use, that this is ‘goodliest soil under the cope of heaven,’” he said, adding it’s just as often given as “the goodliest land under the cope of heaven.”

“Whether ‘soil’ or ‘land,’ the emphasis tends to be agricultural — how well maize (corn) grows, sometimes along with beans and squash, the classic Native American Three Sisters companion planting,” he continued.

“The idea of a North American agricultural paradise created in these works influenced how Europe viewed Native America back then, and it continues to influence how people think of that past even today. The pictures and writings from the 1580s English expeditions are still important primary sources about the Algonquian tribes that lived in the region.”

However, Shields explained, archaeological work along the Outer Banks and “throughout the inland Sound Country of northeastern North Carolina paints a more complex picture. The various Algonquian settlements of the inner and Outer Banks shared a language and culture. At the same time, the foods that dominated people’s diets — an important part of any culture — differed according to where the various settlements were located in the region,”

New to the lineup is North Carolina Extension Master Gardener Cheryl Anby of Manteo. She will speak the second day on “A-Maizing Corn.” Anby is the alliance’s secretary and is of French-Canadian indigenous ancestry.

Parsons said that there are a handful of return speakers this year, including Dr. Gabrielle Tayac, associate professor at George Mason University and Piscataway tribal citizen, will speak about “Gourds and Thunders: A Piscataway Return to the Water.”

Dr. Arwin Smallwood, of Tuscarora descent, is Dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at North Carolina Central University, and will present, “War, Enslavement and Migration: The Tuscarora Diaspora and its impact on the Tuscarora Nation 1711 to 1722.”

David Rahahę́·tih Webb, a member of the Tuscarora Indians of Kahtenuaka Territories, will present on “Relational Living: Lifeways Rooted in Responsibility.” The Kahtenuaka Territories include the Roanoke, Neuse, Trent, Tar, Cape Fear and Pee Dee river basins, Lake Mattamuskeet territory, archeological sites and traditionally occupied lands throughout the coastal plains of present-day North Carolina and South Carolina, according to the territories website.

Sara Hallas, education and outreach director for the North Carolina Coastal Federation will give a talk on “Environmental Stewardship: Future Engineers and Innovators.” The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

Her focus has been to bring in public school students who have achieved either recognition or some type of honor within the scope of environmentalism, Parsons explained.

Parsons added that presenter, Sound Rivers Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman, will speak about the effects of agricultural runoff into the water in her presentation, “The Impacts of Modern Agriculture on our Rivers and Communities.”

“Because of our geography, because we’re surrounded by water, water will always be part of the theme or the content, but each year, there will be a theme that sort of expands that,” he said.

Last year, organizers brought in the jazz band, the Benjie Porecki Trio, based in the Washington, D.C., area, and invited the band to return this year. The performance is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head.

Alliance Board Member Erica Lewis said about this year’s programming that she feels everybody can get something out of the concept of seeds and how it connects with their own family history that of the region.

“People should be able to walk away with newfound information about the parallels of a seed like a native plant in the Outer Banks, and then the seeds of their family,” Lewis said.

The Swan Quarter-Ocracoke and Cedar Island-Ocracoke ferries have begun offering additional routes across the Pamlico Sound to accommodate summer traffic.

As of Tuesday, the schedule for these ferries are as follows:


• Cedar Island-Ocracoke: 7:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
• Ocracoke-Cedar Island: 7:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
• Swan Quarter-Ocracoke: 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
• Ocracoke-Swan Quarter: 7 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.


Officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s ferry system highly recommend those who plan to use the ferry routes during the summer to make reservations online or by phone by calling 1-800-BY-FERRY.

Ferry users may sign up for the Ferry Information Notification System to receive real-time text or email updates on weather or mechanical delays.

If you’ve worked on removing abandoned vessels, developing recycling solutions for fiberglass or shrinkwrap, or building programs to prevent boating-related debris, the BoatUS Foundation wants to hear from you.

June 1 is the deadline to apply as a speaker at the 2026 Turning the Tide Summit. Interested presenters can apply online.

The summit is set for Dec. 6-9 in New Orleans and organizers say it will bring together government agencies, marine professionals, environmental experts, and waste management leaders from across the country to share best practices, emerging technologies, and innovative programs for the responsible removal and disposal of abandoned and derelict vessels and boating-related debris.

The BoatUS Foundation is specifically seeking speakers with experience in the following fields:

• Abandoned and derelict vessel removal and vessel turn-in programs.
• Sustainable disposal and recycling solutions for abandoned and derelict vessels and boating-related debris.
• Initiatives or programs focused on preventing abandoned and derelict vessels and boating-related debris.

The summit is open to attendees beyond just speakers. Environmental experts, boating and waste industry leaders, and policymakers are all encouraged to participate. Programming will include panel discussions, keynote addresses, and resources focused on abandoned and derelict vessels and sustainable disposal solutions for boating-related waste, including fiberglass and shrinkwrap.

The Turning the Tide Summit is part of the BoatUS Foundation’s broader ADV Program, which aims to remove abandoned and derelict vessels from the nation’s coastal waters and the Great Lakes. The program is also developing a national database to track abandoned and derelict vessel locations and monitor the removal progress. Both the summit and the broader program are supported by the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

The popular expanse of undeveloped land known as ‘The Point’ at the south end of Topsail Island was ceremoniously transferred on Tuesday to the state, which will manage and protect the property.

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson joined officials with the North Carolina Land Trust and local beach towns, including Topsail Beach, on the oceanfront shore the Topsail Nature Preserve on Monday afternoon to officially mark the transfer.

“The Topsail Nature Preserve is a unique coastal resource and we are committed to protecting its natural integrity and maintaining responsible public access,” Wilson said. “Conserving places like this strengthens the long-term resilience of our coastal communities, protects natural habitats and preserves the natural features that help our coast adapt to changing environmental conditions.”

The ceremony turned the page in the newest chapter of the spit of pristine land in Topsail Beach, the southernmost town on the nearly 26 mile-long island that runs through Onslow and Pender counties.

The land had been in the center of a campaign by Topsail Island locals and long-time tourists who wanted to keep it free from development, a goal that was ultimately achieved when the Coastal Land Trust purchased nearly 100 acres of the privately owned property for $7.5 million in April of last year.

“The Coastal Land Trust is proud to have partnered with the Topsail community to help conserve the South End,” North Carolina Coastal Land Trust Executive Director Harrison Marks said in a release. “We are thrilled to see this remarkable coastal resource permanently protected for future generations under the stewardship of the State of North Carolina.”

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management will manage the preserve, which will remain open and accessible to the public, “with a continued emphasis on conservation, education and responsible recreation,” according to a DEQ release.

“Visitors are encouraged to follow posted guidelines designed to protect wildlife, sensitive habitats and the overall integrity of the site,” the release states.

The area will be managed in coordination with local and state partners and will include the implementation of best practices for coastal stewardship and opportunities for community engagement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving ahead with plans to strike down the nation’s first-ever health standards for chemical contaminants found in the drinking water sources of millions of North Carolinians.

The proposal, announced Monday, comes just shy of the one-year mark from when EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said he would eliminate and reevaluate enforceable standards for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, including the compound branded GenX. The agency also wants to push the deadline in which water utilities must comply with enforceable standards for PFOA and PFOS, chemicals that are no longer manufactured, by two years from 2029 to 2031.

In what it describes as a “comprehensive PFAS strategy,” the agency explains in a five-page release that drinking water systems would be given the option to opt in for the two-year extension, giving them more time to sample source water for contaminants, test new controls, and train their workforce to manage those controls.

The agency states that the proposed rule to rescind current federal standards for HFPO-DA, commonly referred to as GenX, PFNA, PFHxS and PFBS, would follow the letter of the law in establishing regulations for drinking water standards. The Trump administration argues that the Biden administration failed to follow the proper statutory requirements under the Safe Water Drinking Act when it established the drinking water standards for those four chemical compounds.

Under the proposal, the EPA would provide nearly $1 billion in new funding to states to address PFAS in drinking water and another $1 billion through the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities program.

“The Biden administration cut corners and failed to follow the law,” Zeldin said in the release. “We are fixing that error with standards water systems can actually implement and that will hold up to scrutiny, while addressing PFOA and PFOS, two the best-studied PFAS with well-documented health impacts.”

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated in the release that PFAS contamination is “a serious public health challenge that demands rigorous science, clear standards, and practical solutions. Across HHS, we are advancing gold-standard research to better understand PFAS exposure, toxicity, and long-term health impacts on Americans.”

Critics of the proposed rules immediately hit back, calling the announcement a “PR stunt” to try and shade the more than 100 million people across the country whose drinking water sources have been contaminated by PFAS.

“Zeldin and Kennedy are trying to sell potions out of the back of a covered wagon,” Dr. Anna Reade, Natural Resources Defense Council Director of PFAS Advocacy said in a Monday release. “The millions of Americans demanding safe drinking water are not going to fall for their hocus pocus. By repealing and delaying PFAS standards, EPA is abandoning communities in desperate need of drinking water protections, especially those who live near polluting industries.”

News of the proposed rules particularly smacked the Cape Fear region where residents, environmental organizations and public water providers have banded together to fight for regulations that would put the onus on dischargers to keep PFAS out of drinking water sources.

Almost nine years have passed since the Wilmington StarNews broke the news that Chemours, a DuPont spinoff, had for decades been directly discharging PFAS, including GenX, from its Fayetteville Works facility into the Cape Fear River. GenX is specific to Chemours’ Bladen County plant more than 70 miles upstream from Wilmington.

Today, more than 1,000 residents living near the Cape Fear River Basin are participating in a study where researchers measure the levels of GenX and other PFAS in people’s blood.

PFAS are a group of chemicals used for their ability to repel water, stains and grease to produce a host of consumer goods like food containers, waterproof-gear and makeup.

These chemicals are ubiquitous because they do not naturally break down in the environment.

The EPA now categorizes nearly 15,000 PFAS, an overwhelming majority of which have yet to be studied for their potential effects on human health.

Some of the known human health effects of PFAS include weakened immunity, low birth weight in newborns, thyroid disease, and certain types of cancers.

“Our community was ground zero for the discovery of GenX in public tap water, impacting over half a million water users across ten counties in southeastern North Carolina,” Clean Cape Fear Co-Founder Emily Donovan stated in a Monday release. “The United Nations Human Rights Council investigated our contamination crisis and publicly named chemical companies like DuPont and Chemours, along with state and federal regulators, for failing to protect us from business-related human rights abuses. We believe today’s announcement perpetuates those abuses. It does not fix our growing PFAS contamination crisis. It stops monitoring it. You don’t cure a fever by breaking the thermometer.”

Related: Public hearings set on proposed wastewater discharge rules

Earlier this month, the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission wrapped a series of six public hearings hosted throughout the state on proposed monitoring and minimization rules for discharges of PFOS, PFOA and GenX, and 1,4-dioxane into the state’s surface waters. The EPA classifies 1,4-dioxane, which is primarily used as a solvent in industrial manufacturing, as a likely human-carcinogen.

An overwhelming majority of people who spoke at those hearings argued that the proposed rules would do little to protect drinking water sources because the rules do not set specific discharge limits or penalties for PFAS dischargers found to be in violation of those rules.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is accepting written comments on the proposed rules through June 15. Most of the thousands of written comments already submitted to DEQ concur with those made at the public hearings, according to department officials.

Public water utilities that serve residents in the Cape Fear region have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to treat PFAS from their raw water sources.

The Biden-era PFAS drinking water standards established in 2024 are in litigation in a lawsuit brought by chemical companies and water utility associations. A decision on that case, which is in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, is not expected before sometime next year.

“By abandoning and delaying enforceable limits on dangerous industrial chemicals like GenX and other PFAS, the agency is putting polluters’ profits over people and sending a clear message that corporate interests matter more than human lives,” Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney and Water Program Leader Kelly Moser stated in a release. “This reversal is a slap in the face to every community that has fought for clean drinking water. EPA’s decision isn’t grounded in science or law – it’s a political choice that endangers families throughout America.”

The EPA will accept written comments on the proposed rules for 60 days after they are published in the Federal Register. The rules will be published at www.regulations.gov under Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2025-1742 and Docket ID EPA-HQ-OW-2025-9654.

The agency has also scheduled a virtual public hearing for July 7. Those who wish to speak must register online.

Questions related to the public hearing may be directed to PFASNPDWR@epa.gov.

The North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan steering committee plans to discuss the 2026 update for the interagency effort to protect state waters during a web conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 27.

Meeting details, including the link to register, and a full agenda can be found on the plan’s webpage.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality initiative focuses on “long-term enhancement of coastal fisheries through habitat protection and enhancement efforts.”

The plan was first adopted in 2004 by the state’s Marine Fisheries, Environmental Management, and Coastal Resources commissions and has been updated in the time since. The steering committee includes two commissioners from each of the commissions.

North Carolina’s heat season runs from May 1 to Sept. 30 each year, and the state has launched an effort to raise awareness about the dangers that high temperatures pose to people’s health.

North Carolina Heat Safety Week, which began Monday and ends Friday, highlights resources to keep residents and visitors safe from extreme heat, Gov. Josh Stein’s office announced Monday.

“Being resilient to extreme heat means understanding how it can affect you and your community,” Stein in the release. “All North Carolinians can take actions to protect themselves and their families, employers can protect their workers, and local governments can protect their residents. Our state agencies and local governments are working hard to help keep people cool and safe.” 

Officials said in the release that heat-related illness and death are largely preventable.

“Recognizing the symptoms of heat illness is key to preventing serious complications, including death. Some signs and symptoms include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, racing or weak pulse, dizziness, headache, fainting, and nausea or vomiting. Awareness of extreme heat events can help people take the necessary steps to keep themselves safe,” they added.

While heat-related illnesses can affect anyone regardless of age or physical condition, those who live or work outside, are pregnant, children, older, athletes, low income or with underlying health conditions are at a disproportionate risk of experiencing adverse health effects. 

“As our summer days and nights stay warmer for longer, it’s critical that all North Carolinians learn about the symptoms of heat illness and the steps to take to cool down,” North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson said. “DEQ’s State Resilience Office is working closely with local governments to help them identify strategies to help manage extreme heat.”

The state highlighted State Resilience Office programs to help communities plan for extreme heat, including the Heat Action Plan Toolkit, the Planning for Extreme Heat Cohort and NC Resilience Exchange website, which provides a complete collection of resources to help local and state leaders easily find information and data to support resilience planning. 

The health department offers the NC Heat Health Alert System, a free email service to alert when dangerous heat is in the forecast. The emails alert recipients of when the daily maximum heat index is expected to reach dangerous levels.

“As we see the number of heat-related emergency department visits continue to increase, it is important that you and your loved ones stay weather-aware as the temperatures rise,” said N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “We encourage everyone to sign up for the heat health alerts, know the symptoms of heat-related illness and protect your health this summer.”  

Additionally, Operation Fan Heat Relief is underway now through Oct. 31. Contact the local aging agency to see if they qualify for a free fan for the hot summer months.

City officials in Jacksonville announced on Monday that an early morning sewage spill reached a tributary that leads to the nearby New River.

According to the announcement, which is required by state law, 35,751 gallons of untreated sewage spilled into Mill Creek near the area of Dewitt Street in Jacksonville. Officials attributed the spill to a bypass pump that malfunctioned.

City crews stopped the discharge at 8 a.m. Monday by swapping in a new relay on the primary pump.

Crews have deployed chlorine tablets and pelletized lime at the site, according to the mandated announcement. Sampling in multiple locations along the creek will continue until bacterial counts clear up.

“At no time was city drinking water compromised and there is no danger to the public,” officials stated.

State requires that owners or operators of wastewater collection or treatment works issue a press release when an untreated wastewater discharge of 1,000 gallons or more reaches surface waters. The city’s announcement was in accordance with that regulation and issued to the media covering Onslow County.

The state Division of Water Resources was notified of the spill and is reviewing the matter, according to the press release. If you’d like more information, call city hall at 910-938-5249.

If the tide’s ebb and flow have appeared more extreme than usual over the last few days, it’s because of the king tide event that began Friday, the everyday term for exceptionally high and low water levels that happen when the moon is either full or new and orbiting at its closest to the Earth.

The Sunny Day Flooding Project, a group of researchers who studies chronic flooding in Eastern North Carolina, has a particular interest in these natural and predictable tides because they illustrate what average tidal cycles may look like as sea levels change.

While sunny day flooding sounds counterintuitive, it is a chronic issue coastal communities are facing more often, especially during king tides.

“As local sea-level rise, land subsidence, and development continue to increase in coastal areas, so does the frequency of flooding,” the project website explains. “The tidal cycle now takes place on higher average sea levels, resulting in ‘sunny day’ flooding of roadways during high tides. Sea water also infiltrates stormwater drainage systems at normal tidal levels, such that ordinary rainstorms lead to flooding. While these minor floods draw less attention than catastrophic storms, their high frequency imposes a chronic stress on coastal communities and economies by disrupting critical infrastructure services.”

Two of the project’s leaders, scientists Katherine Anarde and Miyuki Hino, told Coastal Review in an email response that sunny day flooding is inundation that happens without any rain or storm taking place.

Anarde is an assistant professor in North Carolina State University’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, and Hino is an associate professor in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s City and Regional Planning and an adjunct assistant professor in the Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program.

“It can be a perfectly sunny day, but due to tides or wind, water levels in the ocean are high enough to cause flooding,” they explained. “King tides occur during the coincidence of perigee and spring tides – when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit and in alignment with the Sun, which exerts the largest tide generating force on the world’s oceans.”

The Sunny Day Flooding Project launched in 2021 “to understand and address the incidence and impacts of chronic coastal flooding, which includes sunny day floods but also ‘flash floods’ from routine rain events coinciding with high tides” and is currently funded by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation and NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

“We partner with communities to monitor how often floods are occurring, measure their impacts, and evaluate potential adaptation responses,” Anarde and Hino explained.

The team collects measurements, holds interviews and conduct surveys to better understand the effect of floods on residents, economies and human health. They communicate the flood risks through its flood alert system and king tides program.

While king tides “are not a new phenomenon,” the higher sea levels combined with sinking land, called subsidence, allows tides to rise relatively higher and higher, inundating low-lying infrastructure that was built decades ago, they said.

“The most visible impact is flooding on roads, often due to water backing up through stormwater drainage networks. However, the high water levels can also affect other aspects of infrastructure, such as septic tanks and underground sewage pipes,” the two continued.

A now-retired researcher at UNC Institute of Marine Sciences based in Morehead City started about a decade ago the North Carolina King Tides Project to study the floods that historically occurred during king tides, in association with the international King Tides Project. The global initiative began in Australia in 2009 and asked the public to document and share their photos showing how these higher tides affect shorelines.

North Carolina’s project began releasing a calendar with predicted high tides and encouraged the community to photograph and submit their observations of shoreline water levels.

The Sunny Day Flooding Project absorbed the N.C. King Tides Project after the researcher retired a few years ago and now publishes the calendar of when to expect king tides each year. The project also encourages the public to upload photos and details through the free Coastal Observer app.

The first king tide of this year was April 17-19, the current king tide is supposed to end Thursday, and more are expected June 13-16, July 12-15, Aug. 10-13, Oct. 25-31, Nov. 23-27, and Dec. 24-25, according to the calendar.

The calendar notes king tides as well as amplified tides, which they define as a nonscientific term for when higher and lower water level events are expected that “result when perigee and spring tides almost co-occur, yet are offset by a day or more.”

On the project website, the team offers the caveat that the calendar “does not predict coastal flooding.” Floods are often caused by wind and pressure, seasonal changes in sea level, and land-based factors like high groundwater, rainfall, and existing infrastructure.

“With sea-level rise, flooding during the perigean spring tides has become more and more common, but flooding is also occurring during moderate tidal cycles in some communities,” the website states.

Researchers recommend checking the NOAA Monthly High Tide Outlook for flooding probabilities.

The team also communicates flood risks through its flood alert system available for Beaufort, Carolina Beach, Down East and New Bern, where there are water level sensors. Those interested can sign up to receive an email whenever water levels overtop the roadway at the chosen sensor location.

On the project website, researchers explain that the chronic flooding affects people differently than extreme events like hurricanes because it is not as deep and widespread as storm surges from hurricanes, but it is more frequent. The high rate of constant flooding interrupts travel and could also increase infrastructure maintenance costs for coastal communities.

Anarde and Hino said that there are ways to address the impacts of chronic coastal floods, and the right response is going to differ from place to place.

“Elevating infrastructure can help keep it dry and reduce damage from saltwater. Scheduling trips to avoid the highest tides can help avoid flooded roads and keep travelers safe. Given that this type of flooding is projected to become more frequent in the future, it’s important to consider both immediate, short-term responses and longer-term strategies,” they said.

A North Carolina Highway Historical Marker commemorating a landmark court case that changed voting in the state will be dedicated Sunday in Bertie County.

The ceremony for the Bazemore v. Bertie County Board of Elections court case marker is to begin at 1 p.m. at the intersection West Watson and Sterlingworth streets in Windsor.

“The case originated in May 1960 when Nancy Bazemore, a 47-year-old African American resident of Bertie County, walked into the Woodville precinct to register to vote. What followed was a legal battle that would reach the North Carolina Supreme Court and reshape voting rights across the state,” according to information provided by the Highway Historical Marker Program, which is a collaboration of N.C. departments of Natural and Cultural Resources and Transportation.

“Bertie County’s racial demographics told a stark story. Black residents outnumbered white residents by a 3-to-2 ratio, yet registered white voters outnumbered registered Black voters by nearly nine to one. County registrars maintained this disparity through a literacy test, a tool created in the late 19th century specifically to disenfranchise Black voters across the South,” the program continues.

For the test in Woodville, the registrar read aloud the state constitution and the applicants transcribed what they heard with spelling errors counting against them, though the state attorney general had declared in March of that year that spelling-based dictation tests were illegal.

Bazemore received a failing grade and was denied registration and appealed immediately.

Her attorney, James R. Walker Jr., an Ahoskie native and University of North Carolina School of Law graduate, announced at her hearing a week later that Bazemore refused to submit to another dictation test.

When the board rejected her appeal, Walker filed a lawsuit which ultimately landed before the North Carolina Supreme Court, where the attorney argued that the literacy test as administered in Bertie County was unconstitutional under the state constitution’s separation of powers clause, because it effectively granted legislative authority to local election officials.

He documented that the dictation requirement was applied exclusively to Black applicants, and identified the test’s inherent vulnerabilities to abuse, stating that a registrar’s pronunciation, reading speed, a voter’s hearing or speech patterns, and the registrar’s own discretion in grading could all determine the outcome, with little accountability. The court ruled in Bazemore’s favor in April 1961.

Though the justices declined to find bad faith on the part of Bertie County officials, they found the test as administered unreasonable and beyond legal intent.

“The significance of the court case extended beyond Bertie County. Federal civil rights reports and subsequent voting rights discussions cited the case as evidence of the burden of literacy tests imposed on African American citizens,” the program explained in the press release.

For more information about the historical marker, visit the Nancy Bazemore blog post or call 919-814-6625.

The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust is hosting its 16th annual Flytrap Frolic on Saturday, June 6, in Wilmington.

Participants of the free event will receive an education on the types of carnivorous plants that grow in southeastern North Carolina, why they grow there, and how they trap their prey.

The event will be held 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden, 3800 Canterbury Road, where garden guides will help guests find carnivorous plants in the garden and answer questions.

There will be carnivorous plant-themed games, arts and crafts, and face painters, educational tables with partners from Halyburton Park, Carolina Beach State Park, The North American Sarracenia Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy.

A limited number of ethically sourced flytraps will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis to benefit the Coastal Land Trust.

Anyone who would like to volunteer at the event may sign up online.

With a “troubling rise” in boating fatalities already reported in North Carolina this year, state officials are emphasizing safe boating practices and the dangers of operating vessels under the influence ahead of the summer travel season.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and State Highway Patrol, with support from local police and sheriff’s officers and non-governmental organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, have kicked off the annual campaign On the Road, On the Water, Don’t Drink and Drive.

“While the overall number of boating incidents investigated has been declining in recent years, last year we saw a troubling rise in fatal boating incidents,” Lt. Anna Barbosa stated in a release. “So far this year, fatalities have currently surpassed last year’s numbers. Our goal is for everyone to enjoy their day on the water and return home safely. To do so, avoid alcohol while boating—or if you choose to drink, designate a sober operator. And remember, life jackets save lives—don’t just have enough on board. Make sure everyone wears one.”

Authorities have investigated 26 boating incidents, five of which were fatal, already this year, according to the Wildlife Resources Commission. Alcohol was a factor in three of those fatal incidents, which have resulted in the deaths of five people.

Statistically, that’s a more than 65% increase during this same time period a year ago, according to the commission.

Last year, there were 25 fatal boating incidents, six of which included passengers wearing personal flotation devices, reported in the state. Alcohol was reported in four of those incidents.

The number of boating incidents has slightly decreased a little more than 9% from the year prior.

Most recreational boating incidents occur between the months of June and August, with operation inattention being a leading cause of accidents, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

On the Road, On the Water, Don’t Drink and Drive supports National Safe Boating Week, which started May 16 and runs through May 22.

For additional boating safety information visit ncwildlife.gov/boating.

There’s something almost poetic in how Thomas Marcinowski describes his plans for his final farewell.

Whenever that time comes, the U.S. military veteran wants to be cremated and put to sea.

“That way my ashes touch every continent my boots walked on,” Marcinowski said.

That long-carried thought surfaced when Marcinowski, on a commercial flight returning to Wilmington from an organizational event in 2019, read an article about people taking the ashes of their loved ones to be interred in an artificial reef off the Miami coast.

By that time, several years had passed since he’d retired from service, rounding out a military career spanning more than 20 years that began when he enlisted in the Air Force as a teenager and ended after becoming an officer in the Army National Guard.

Marcinowski, a physician assistant at Wilmington Veterans Administration Health Care Center, wasted no time after reading the article. He began bouncing an idea to friends and colleagues about a nonprofit organization that would build a living legacy beneath the waves where those who’ve honorably served would be memorialized, their stories preserved and their mission of service continued.

“The motto that I like to use is, ‘Those who served continue to serve,’” Marcinowski said. “They’ve passed away, but yet they’re still giving back to the nation and to the world by being out there to create something even greater and protect for future generations.”

Just two years after he first pitched his idea around, Veterans Memorial Reef held its first ceremony honoring veterans whose cremains were interred in eco-positive reef modules that were placed on the seafloor about 5 miles off the coast of Carolina Beach.

The nonprofit hosted its sixth annual three-day event this past weekend at the Fort Johnston Museum and Visitor Center in Southport, interring the ashes of nine people – six veterans and three spouses of veterans – in memorial markers to be lowered into the sea on Monday.

Those memorialized Saturday joined 30 others whose cremated remains are preserved in aquatic urns that are sealed into the square-shaped markers, each of which has a plaque engraved with the name, branch of service, and birth and death dates.

Veterans whose cremations are interred in the reef represent every branch of service – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Some served decades. Others, like Marine Corps Pfc. Ethan Eldrige, who died at age 21, served only a matter of months.

Several served in combat, veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm.

Then there’s Felix Bigalke, a Coast Guard service K-9, also memorialized at the reef.

This is Marcinowski’s passion project, one that goes beyond recognizing veterans to educate the general public about the military, rehabilitate and protect natural ocean reef ecosystems, and provide researchers opportunities to study how the environment and the organisms that live within it respond to an artificial reef.

“Working at the VA, just hearing the stories and having served in battle, having lost me of my own in battle, brings it home for me because I see the internal scars that they bear. It’s moving to me because I understand those scars,” Marcinowski said. “So, to be able to give them honor and share their stories that they may never have told their families, it is very rewarding.”

And, for the veterans memorialized at the reef who either have no family or are estranged from family, “It becomes really important that they not be forgotten,” he said.

The Veterans Memorial Reef website includes a Fallen Heroes tab where viewers can read veterans’ biographies, along with any medals awarded to them. Users can simply scroll over a ribbon bar or medal and click to learn more about that award.

“Those are things people don’t understand the meaning behind what they do, the risks they take to earn something like that or to be recognized for that,” Marcinowski explained.

Today, fewer than 1% of the country’s population serve as active-duty military.

“It’s dwindling,” said University of North Carolina Wilmington Director of Military Affairs Bill Kawczynski. “As our population grows and less and less folk either consider going in the military or even qualify for the military, it’s getting worse each year. And so, as director of the office of military affairs it gives me great satisfaction when I can connect students and others to things such as VMR or other military and veteran resources.”

On Saturday, Armed Forces Day, the nonprofit hosted in Southport a “Fallen Heroes Ceremony” for those whose remains will be placed in the sea. The honors-packed military tribute typically includes honor guards, the presentation of a 13-fold American flag to one member of each veteran’s family, taps, and a bagpipe rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

In a final sendoff, usually two days after the ceremony, families are invited to board the Vonda Kay, a 72-foot head boat based in Carolina Beach, to watch their loved one’s memorial marker get submerged and placed onto the Veterans Memorial Reef.

To honor and to serve (research)

The North Carolina Division Marine Fisheries determines where the memorial markers will be placed on a large, open sandy bottom anywhere below 30 to 50 feet of water.

Veterans Memorial Reef has partnered with Raleigh-based Natrx that creates artificial reef structures called ExoForms, which are designed to promote habitat growth and ecological benefits and produced using 3-D printers.

The memorial reef is in what Troy Alphin, a senior research associate with the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science, describes as a dynamic environment with strong currents. Alphin was one of the people Marcinowski initially contacted for validation of his memorial reef idea. The two have known each other for several years and Marcinowski knew Alphin had studied the effects of underwater structures on the environment off other coasts.

Alphin thought an offshore monument for veterans a novel, innovative idea, one that not only honors veterans, but also offers a host of research opportunities.

“This is a passion project to meet the needs of veterans that’s providing us with an opportunity to address some questions that are really relevant for local marine science and in our coastal area,” he said. “This provides an interesting palette for researchers to come in and propose different questions. Are fish going to be attracted to it? Are other organisms going to be attracted to it? What’s that development through time? The Center for Marine Science and UNCW are well positioned to address a lot of those questions.”

This year, students in the university’s coastal engineering program launched a capstone research project to try and answer the question of what the wave energy is like around the Veterans Memorial Reef.

Students used the university’s wave flume, 9,500-gallon-capacity glass and steel tank that can be programmed to imitate varying degrees of wave energy, to collect data that will help in future studies of the artificial reef site.

“We’re going to put some sensors on some of these monuments that are being deployed and start gathering data on what that looks like in the real word,” said Alphin, who sits on the Veterans Memorial Reef board of directors. “We want to know what that flow environment around these structures is really going to be.

“We’re really at the very beginning,” he continued. “There’s a lot of potential right now. I’m hoping that we’ll get a lot of students in the future and a lot of researchers that will be able to go out there and do some work around these structures.”

Guest Commentary

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues.

When I was a little kid, my aunt used to point to the foam washing up on the beach and tell me it was whale poop. I wasn’t sure I believed her. I kept a cautious distance from the foam, just in case, but the idea stuck with me.

Sea foam, of course, isn’t whale poop. She knew that. But years later, I learned that my aunt wasn’t entirely off in spirit: Whales really are ecosystem giants, fertilizing the sea and fueling the plankton blooms that support everything from the fish we catch to the oxygen we breathe. Remembering that early sense of wonder now, it’s impossible for me to look at the decline of one species, the North Atlantic right whale, with anything but urgency.

These gentle giants called our North Carolina waters home long before our coastal towns had names. Today, though, these critically endangered whales are facing a crisis they can’t outswim — and a recent move by the federal government threatens to make a dire situation even worse.

Lethal cost of speed

On March 4, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an advance notice that it is considering deregulating the very rules designed to protect these endangered whales from boat strikes.

North Atlantic right whales are particularly vulnerable to ship strikes. They spend long periods near the surface, and they are hard to spot because they are dark in color and lack a dorsal fin.

The problem is simple but deadly: The faster a vessel is moving, the greater the chance that a collision will injure or kill a whale. Even a strike from a midsize boat can be fatal. And these impacts can be dangerous and devastating to boaters as well, including sinking boats and injuring passengers and crew.

That’s why in 2008, NOAA issued the Vessel Speed Rule. It established two types of management tools to slow large boats and protect North Atlantic right whales from boat strikes. First, the rule required boats 65 feet or longer to slow down to 10 knots in Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs) where North Atlantic right whales are expected to be present. Second, the rule established a voluntary speed limit of 10 knots in Dynamic Management Areas (DMAs), which are triggered by North Atlantic right whale sightings and acoustic detections. Off North Carolina, the SMA near Cape Fear is active from Nov. 1 through April 30 — the months when North Atlantic right whales migrate through our waters on their way to calving grounds farther south. The rule was designed to reduce the risk of collisions. Studies suggest boats traveling under 10 knots are less likely to kill North Atlantic right whales should they collide.

These seasonal protections cover a narrow window of time, but they align with when whales are expected or detected, and they remain one of the few safeguards the species has as it moves through some of the busiest shipping and recreational boating corridors on the East Coast. It’s a proven strategy. It works.

Mirage of technology vs. proven solution

Despite this, NOAA’s recent notice suggests that mandatory speed limits could be replaced with “advanced, technology‑based, strike‑avoidance measures.” While innovation is welcome, there is currently no technology proven to protect these whales at the scale and speed of East Coast boat traffic.

Relying on unproven technology while weakening mandatory speed limits is like removing a school zone speed limit because we hope one day cars will have better sensors. The only practical, proven, and scalable measure to protect right whales, particularly when they are migrating with their new calves, is the Vessel Speed Rule.

There are plenty of ways to strengthen the rule now, including updating the times and areas of speed zones to align with the whales predicted path today – not what it was in 2008, all speed zones mandatory, and including smaller boats in the protections. But to weaken or eliminate it all together will only hasten this species’ extinction. We cannot take away one of their best chance of survival.

More than just a whale: an ecosystem giant

The case for protecting right whales isn’t only about compassion for an endangered species. It’s also about safeguarding the health of the Atlantic. North Atlantic right whales act as ocean engineers, cycling nutrients as they migrate along the East Coast, which fuels the growth of phytoplankton, or plant-like organisms in the ocean.

When I think back to those childhood days on the beach with my aunt, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t trying to teach me anything profound about the ocean. She was probably just teasing me, the way adults do with kids who take everything a little too seriously. But the joke stuck, and so did the feeling that the ocean was full of mysteries bigger than I could understand.

Now, years later, I know that whales really do shape the ocean in ways that are just as surprising as anything she could have made up.  Losing them would mean losing far more than a species. It would mean losing a piece of the ocean that shaped us — the same ocean where I learned wonder, caution, and responsibility long before I had the words for any of it.

We have a choice now. We can let the North Atlantic right whale slip quietly into memory, or we can act with the urgency this moment demands. Defending and strengthening the Vessel Speed Rule is one of the simplest, most effective steps we can take to protect these whales and the ecosystem they support.

My aunt may have been wrong about the foam, but she wasn’t wrong about the ocean. Everything out there is connected — and right now, the North Atlantic right whales are depending on us.

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review or our publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

Matthew Godfrey, a sea turtle conservationist with extensive experience in several regions, is the the featured guest this month for the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s “Green Drinks” speaker series in Morehead City.

This month’s session is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28, on the third floor of Jack’s on the Waterfront at 513 Evans St.

The casual monthly gathering for people who care about the North Carolina coast is hosted by the Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review.

“Whether you enjoy boating, beach days, or simply want to keep our waters clean and our communities strong, this is a relaxed space to connect with others, hear from local voices, and stay up to date on important coastal topics,” according to organizers.

Godfrey began working in North Carolina in 2002, after being hired by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to coordinate the North Carolina Sea Turtle Project. Since then, he has played a key role in monitoring and protecting sea turtle populations along the state’s coast.

Godfrey will give an overview of sea turtle nesting and nest protection in the state, highlighting some of the joys and challenges associated with sea turtle conservation along North Carolina’s coast.

Grab a drink from the bar and join the conversation. These events are free and open to the public, however registration is strongly encouraged.

Dr. Reide Corbett, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute on the East Carolina University Outer Banks Campus in Wanchese, is the featured lecturer this month at the institute’s “Science on the Sound” lecture series.

The public is encouraged to attend Corbett’s lecture, “Holding the Line? Coastal Change and Barrier-Island Dynamics on the Outer Banks.” The program is set for 6 p.m. May 28 at the institute and there’s no charge to attend.

From collapsing oceanfront homes to repeated beach nourishment projects, coastal change is becoming increasingly visible across the Outer Banks. But what do these changes reveal about how barrier islands function — and how different management approaches interact with these naturally dynamic systems?

Corbett will discuss the science behind erosion, storms, overwash, sediment transport, and sea level rise, while exploring how shoreline management strategies influence beaches, infrastructure, and long-term resilience.

“Rather than focusing on simple solutions, the discussion will examine the tradeoffs, time horizons, and challenges associated with managing development on a constantly changing coast,” organizers said in their announcement.

Whether you work in coastal science, policy, planning, or simply care deeply about the Outer Banks, this presentation offers an opportunity to better understand the processes shaping one of the most dynamic shorelines on the East Coast.

The program will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

Corbett is a coastal oceanographer and geochemist whose work focuses on coastal change, sediment dynamics, shoreline processes, and the geomorphic evolution of barrier island systems.

Born and reared on the North Carolina coast, he earned his bachelor’s in chemistry and his master’s and doctorate in chemical oceanography from Florida State University before beginning his academic career at Tulane University in New Orleans. He later returned to North Carolina to join ECU, where he serves as dean of Integrated Coastal Programs, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute, and professor in the Department of Coastal Studies.

Corbett’s research examines the dynamic interface between land and sea, from estuaries and continental shelves to barrier islands and polar coastlines. His work has taken him from North Carolina and Puerto Rico to New Zealand and Antarctica, with a particular focus on how storms, sea level rise, sediment movement, human activity, and long-term geologic processes shape coastal environments. Through the lens of North Carolina’s coast, he helps communities better understand shoreline change, barrier island evolution, and the choices needed to adapt to a changing coastal future, organizers said.

Resources to help prepare for tropical storms will be in one place 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 30, during Carteret County’s annual hurricane preparedness expo at the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City.

Carteret County Emergency Services, Carteret County government and the National Weather Service’s Newport office are offering the expo ahead of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

During the expo, representatives from North Carolina Emergency Management, Carteret County departments and other organizations will be available to answer questions, and provide preparedness resources.

Information presentations are to begin at 9:30 a.m. and will include “Preparedness for Hurricane Season 2026” by Warning Coordination Meteorologist Erik Heden, emergency managers, county staff and community organizations, including the Salvation Army and local volunteer groups.

There are some vendor spots still available for businesses and nonprofits that provide storm-related services, supplies and resources. To reserve a vendor space, visit carteretcountync.gov. 

For more information, call Carteret County Emergency Services at 252-222-5841.

For the past year, lifelong Carteret County resident Shannon Adams has been using the skills he’s built through his career in technology to digitize about five decades of the local newspaper for the county’s public library system.

He never expected that by taking on this volunteer project to get editions of the Carteret County News-Times from between 1963 and 2012 from microfilm to the computer screen would lead to a connection between his alma mater, Appalachian State University, and his hometown of Beaufort.

The News-Times has always been a part of Adams’ world. As a child, he said his mother would take him to the store to buy the most recent newspaper for herself and a treat for him.

“That’s kind of how I learned to read. Mom always had it on the table, and it just stuck with me for years. Even when I was away for school, I subscribed to the News-Times,” Adams said. “I think my whole life I’ve always been into local news.”

Adams said that as he got older, he started digitizing whatever media he could: family photos, yearbooks, old film, and home movies.

When he decided to take on the project to digitize the library’s microfilms, Adams recruited a friend also in the technology field, Kris Pettijohn, who resides in Minnesota.

Pettijohn, who told Coastal Review that he has an interest in preserving local history and records, came up with a way to digitize the microfilm using a camera and backlight setup, rather than using expensive commercial scanning equipment.

“A lot of it was trial and error, but it made large-scale digitization much more practical and affordable,” Pettijohn explained.

Once the digital copies were in front of Adams for processing and organizing, he said he would often find himself going “down rabbit holes” while looking through these decades-old editions.

One night in May of last year during one of these deep dives, Adams read a May 1977 article about five visitors from App State who spent a few days in Beaufort to record interviews with notable residents, including the late Grayden Paul, Shirley Babcock, Jean Kell and Eugene Pond, for the Appalachian Oral History Project. The project was launched in 1973 to collect oral histories from residents in Watauga, Avery, Ashe, and Caldwell counties.

According to the article, the professor directing the project, Pat Morgan, was encouraged to go to Beaufort by Borden Mace, who was executive director of the Appalachian Consortium. No longer in operation, the consortium operated from 1970 to 2004 to preserve the region’s heritage.

Mace “grew up in Beaufort and recommended it as a good area to study,” Morgan explains in the article. Adding that the interviews with the town’s residents “reveal a lifestyle which has been maintained over the years and can be used to further research and as a teaching tool.”

Adams, who graduated from App State in 1993, immediately shared the article with fellow alum Karen Willis Amspacher, because “Karen and I have always connected over Appalachian because there aren’t many people in Carteret County who went there.”

Amspacher, a 1981 graduate, is executive director of the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island, and she encouraged Adams to find out what he could about those oral histories.

Adams then contacted the university and was connected to Mark Coltrain, an oral historian for the campus’s Special Collections Research Center.

Coltrain told Coastal Review that he was aware of the trip that Morgan took with his assistant and students to Beaufort in May 1977, because he had stumbled on some paper files about the visit in the project’s physical collection while researching another topic several years ago.

He later learned that the trip was at the behest of Mace, who “was inspired by the oral history project’s focus on documenting the memories, experiences, and traditions of rural mountain folks and wanted Morgan to explore a possible partnership that might initiate a counterpart of sorts in rural Carteret County,” he continued.

Another clue about the trip was found in the proposal, “Boone to Beaufort,” that had been stored in the archival collection, which Coltrain shared: “The purpose of the visit is to begin an exchange of interviews and exhibits between the people of the two towns. The Project hopes to conduct a variety of cultural-social interviews with people who are residing in Beaufort and begin making a comparative study of the cultures of these two areas of North Carolina.”

“It appears that ‘the Project’ never took off after that initial excursion but we are left with a small collection of fascinating, rich recordings documenting the experience. The recordings are a combination of tours the Appalachian State group took with local guides and oral history interviews they conducted with local residents,” Coltrain continued.

Coltrain was looped into the email conversation between Adams and the university archivist in May 2025, giving the 1977 trip even more significance.

“I recalled the documents I had seen previously. I dug a little deeper and soon found recordings from the trip.” He shared those finds with Adams, prompting his first visit to the research center.

Adams and his wife Cecilia, also an App State graduate, headed to the mountains in the following month to listen to the recordings and said he “was just blown away,” by the interviews. They returned to Boone a few months later with Amspacher.

In the time since, Coltrain has been working to transfer the physical recordings to Core Sound and has been able to track down one of the five visitors to Beaufort, Audrey Jackson McGee, and connected her with Adams and Amspacher.

McGee, who grew up outside of High Point and lives in Vale now, attended the university from 1974 to 1979, and was in the same work-study program as Amspacher. That’s how McGee ended up in Beaufort with a few other students, Morgan, and another staff member.

While McGee remembers the trip, she said she doesn’t remember all the details. Memories that stick out are setting up the cultural exchange exhibit in the county library and staying in “one of the beautiful historic homes on the water.”

One aspect she found interesting about the project was being able to meet Beaufort residents and to hear about their lives, “about things that were so different from my own experience.”

McGee has revisited the recordings since being Coltrain contacted her, and it “has been wonderful to be able to hear those and some of the people that we met there.”

Coltrain said Adams’ “excitement at hearing some voices of people important to the history of Carteret County was palpable and contagious. These recordings had not been heard in years. It wasn’t long after Adams’ first visit and then his follow-up visit with Karen Amspacher in October 2025 that I knew these recordings should go back ‘home.’”

Amspacher knows more than most about the Appalachian Oral History Project. Her work-study assignment was to listen and transcribe the recordings, and it’s a large part of why the museum has such a sizable oral history collection.

During her first semester on the Boone campus in 1979, she worked “in this little white house” where the Appalachian Consortium was located, “and my job was to transcribe on an old IBM Selectric with headphones and foot pedals these oral histories from the mountain people.”

After about the third one in, she said she thought about home and wondered why oral histories weren’t being recorded in Carteret County.

“Oral histories are important on so many levels. It’s not only the information, but it’s the voices, it’s the time period they represent,” Amspacher explained in an interview. Adding that her top priority at the museum is oral history, and that is because of Appalachian State University and her work with the Appalachian Oral History Project.

Now, the Core Sound museum has more than 600 oral histories in its collection “and I don’t know if we’d have that if I hadn’t going to Appalachian and had that job,” she said. The museum has invested a lot of time, work, and grant money to build the collection because oral histories offer a perspective that documents or artifacts can’t.

To welcome the recordings that will grow the museum’s collection even more, Core Sound is holding an evening program Tuesday to talk about the chain of events leading to these recordings becoming part of the museum’s collection. The covered dish dinner starts at 6 p.m. and Coltrain and Michelle Moriarity Witt, Core Sound’s digital archivist, are to lead the program that begins at 7 p.m.

The museum has the recordings available online now and will be receiving the collection from Coltrain when he arrives for the program.

Amspacher and Adams both have been reaching out to the family members of the people who were interviewed to invite them to the special evening. They are encouraging anyone related to or interested in these recordings to come out to the museum for the special program.

They also contacted this reporter, a 2002 App State graduate and previously with the News-Times, to explain the chain of events.

Coltrain said working with and getting to know Adams and Amspacher has been a highlight.

“It is a real pleasure to connect with people so passionate about their community’s history and reinforces why I’m in this field. The fact that they are both Appalachian State alumni is icing on the cake,” Coltrain explained.

“As a steward of Appalachian State’s oral history collections, ensuring historical materials are in the community where they belong through methods like cultural repatriation is an important value that I take seriously,” Coltrain explained.

“The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum made sense to me as the organization where these materials should go because of Amspacher’s recognized work preserving her local community’s history through methods like oral history. Amspacher’s work, the work of the Appalachian Oral History Project half a century ago, and the continuing work of collecting and preserving oral histories at Appalachian State feels linked in a cosmic way that is impossible to ignore. I am honored to have a role in making these historical connections stronger and these voices more accessible to the community and the world.”

Since time immemorial, humans and weeds have — for the most part — coexisted quite happily. For a great part of that time, weeds weren’t just something to be gotten rid of at any cost, these weeds were vital resources, used for food, medicines, dyes, textiles, insect repellants, and even building materials.

What constitutes an actual weed, other than the fact we humans don’t like a certain plant? A weed, by definition, is a plant growing where it’s not wanted. So, corn growing in a cotton field or a watermelon growing in your yard could technically be termed weeds.

A broader definition for weeds might be plants that are harmful to humans.

But are weeds really harmful to us? Unaesthetic, perhaps, to our order-seeking minds.

Some obviously don’t like us, poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) for example, or sandspurs (Cenchrus echinatus). Think the grumpy old man who doesn’t tolerate kids on his lawn, maybe throws an occasional rock and yells a lot. He’s still a human, albeit not a very likable one.

Humans spend an inordinate amount of time and money trying to eradicate plants we don’t like. My personal theory is that the harder a plant is to kill, the better and more beneficial to humans it is – like, cures cancer beneficial. Like a bored teenager in high school, we’re just too hardheaded to take advantage of the wisdom the teachers are imparting.

When exactly did eliminating weeds become such a major thing? Used to be, we let weeds grow where they wanted, for the most part. If you lived on a farm, the yard around the house was kept mowed, but other than that … there was a path to the barn. A path to the creek. To the fields. The rest was left natural.

Somewhere along the way, perhaps with the need to keep a garden weed-free so our chosen veggies would grow …

… or maybe it was the advent of modern medicine. Who wouldn’t rather take a pill than choke down a disgusting wad of mushed-up leaves?

… or when chemical substitutes for everything became popular, never mind the side effects.

All of those combined with the advent of high-powered lawnmowers and suburban lawns and the competition to see who could grow the greenest grass made us lose sight of the value of weeds.

Instead of utilizing their value, we mow them, spray them, dig them out, and cuss them when we can’t kill them.

And in all that kerfuffle, the natural order of things got skewed all out of whack.

Our mindset changed, kind of the way some people get upset now if a dog eats a bone. Dogs have been noshing on bones as long as humans have been utilizing plants.

Bones, per se, are not bad for dogs. Dogs are supposed to eat bones. Bones are really good for dogs.

But not cooked bones.

As our gradual loss of knowledge about so-called weeds continued unabated and our growing misdirection as to their purpose, feeding dogs bones became a thing of the past. Bad information was passed down from generation to generation until it solidified into erroneous fact.

So, in our quest to have a weed-free garden, or a golf course-worthy lawn, we’ve lost sight of just how good weeds can be for us. And not just us. Pollinators need a steady source of plants and blooms, which weeds happily provide. Weeds provide shelter, food, someplace to lay their eggs, someplace for the newly hatched young to shelter and feed.

Weeds, with their plethora of colors and shapes, provide us with much beauty. While weeds are often not as showy as deliberately planted flowers, they have a delicate beauty all their own.

Oftentimes, where weeds are growing can tell you much about the environment. Things like how wet or dry your soil is, the pH, whether the area gets more sun or more shade.

Like ever-elusive morels, people used to seek out specific weeds. They knew where to find the ones they wanted or needed, when to harvest for the best effect, and what part of the plant they needed, whether it be leaf or root, bark or blossom, or seed.

That said, gardening is a much more dependable — and often tastier — food source than foraging.

With the advent of technology, humans have gained great knowledge. But it’s knowledge of an entirely different kind, about entirely different things.

In the last hundred years or so, supplanting knowledge gained over thousands of years about the natural world, humans have possibly lost more hard-won knowledge about plants than during any other time in human history.

Thankfully, people are realizing just that, and working to change the tide.

People are re-learning to nurture natives, to mow later so the weeds have a chance to bloom and the pollinators a chance to feed. Even a tiny patch can be a great benefit.

Insects such as monarch butterflies (Danaus Plexippus), while their numbers are still significantly below historical highs, are showing an increase in population.

The problem isn’t that people don’t care, it’s that they don’t know to care. To these people, butterflies and bees and flowers are just … there.

Until they aren’t.

The good news is, despite all our efforts to the contrary, weeds produce infinite seeds and can repopulate amazingly quickly. Remember when the experts all predicted how many decades upon decades it would take Mount St. Helens to ever be green again? They severely underestimated the power of plants and animals to regenerate, which is, without overstating the obvious, their purpose.

Take dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), for instance. Some love their cheery yellow blooms, some loathe them. Some see wishes, some see weeds. Every part of a dandelion is edible or medicinal to humans.

Or thistles. As unpleasant as they come, thistles are typically regarded about as well as a cluster of sandspurs stuck to your shoelaces. They are nasty but edible, if you can get past the spines. Thistledown is one of the best things to use for tinder as it’s extremely flammable.

Like that crotchety old neighbor nobody likes much, even weeds have their place.

Island Farm on Roanoke Island is set to host Corolla Wild Horse Fund Herd Management Coordinator Kirsten Morse for a special program on Friday.

Colonial Spanish mustangs have existed for 500 years on the Outer Banks, Island Farm noted in a press release. The feral herd lives on through careful conservation, management, and ongoing educational efforts, event organizers said.

The May 15 program is set for 10 a.m.-noon, at Island Farm, 1140 N. U.S. Highway 64, just north of Manteo.

Morse will join Island Farm’s historical interpreters to bring modern context to the history of the Spanish mustang breed. Also included in the program will be the history of the colonial Spanish mustangs, their introduction to the Outer Banks, and historic uses over the centuries.

At Island Farm, the breed is represented in the site’s Heritage Livestock Program by two horses, Grace and Rainbow.

In the 19th century, banker horses were used endlessly across the Outer Banks in traditional farm work and transportation and in maritime pursuits like hauling nets or patrolling the beach after shipwrecks.

Today, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund protects and manages the existing herd along the northern beaches in Currituck County.

Island Farm’s Banker Pony Program continues weekly throughout the 2026 season, where visitors are encouraged to interact with the farm’s horses and learn more about the history and vast importance of the breed. 

Admission to the site is $11, and children 3 and younger are admitted free of charge.

Island Farm is open March to December, Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., where programming and events vary throughout the season.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation announced this week that Dr. Lela Schlenker has the nonprofit organization as its new coastal advocate for northeastern part of the state.

Schlenker comes to the Coastal Federation, publisher of Coastal Review, most recently from Avangrid Renewables, where she led the fisheries team across the company’s U.S. offshore wind projects and focused on communicating with fishing communities, identifying research needs, and coordinating marine policy.

Schlenker is a fisheries ecologist with a research career spanning topics such as the effect of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on mahi-mahi, how climate and weather affect North Carolina shrimp populations, and the impact of catch-and-release fishing practices on white marlin. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with fishing communities along the U.S. coastline, building strong and collaborative partnerships. 

“We’re excited to have Lela join our team. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on coastal issues,” explained Coastal Management Program Director Kerri Allen. “Lela is joining us at a time when there are several major issues facing the Outer Banks region, including threatened oceanfront structures, ongoing water quality concerns, increased pressure to lift hardened shoreline restrictions, and the growing need for long-term coastal resilience planning. Her scientific background, policy experience, and collaborative approach will be a tremendous asset for both the Federation and the coastal communities we serve.” 

Schlenker has an undergraduate degree from Smith College, a master’s from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and a doctorate in marine biology and ecology from the University of Miami.

Schlenker says that her career path was inspired by both a strong conservation ethic and an undergraduate research project in which she sampled fish aboard a commercial trawling vessel. 

“I am really looking forward to connecting with the community as well as working with managers, scientists, and policy makers to continue the great work the Coastal Federation has done and find new ways to protect beautiful coastal North Carolina,” said Schlenker. 

Schlenker started with the Coastal Federation on May 5 and will be based out of the office in Wanchese.

She has been delighted to call the Outer Banks home since 2020. In her spare time, she enjoys finding ways to be on, in, or near the water and growing as much butternut squash as possible in her garden.  

Drivers in Wrightsville Beach can expect to see work around the West Salisbury Street bridge over Lees Cut as soon as this week as crews prepare to replace the structure some time later this year.

Surveying operations and right-of-way staking will occur in the lead-up to utility relocation, which is anticipated to begin as early as late June and is a critical step in preparing the area to replace the bridge, according to information provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Work by contract crews for NCDOT to relocate utilities will require intermittent lane closures. Details regarding specific lane closures, including dates and times, will be released at a later date.

The bridge will remain open to traffic through Labor Day.

The West Salisbury Street bridge over Lees Cut is one of three bridges that provide direct access to and from Wrightsville Beach in New Hanover County.

DOT plans to replace all of these aging structures, including the bridge on West Salisbury Street and the bridge on Causeway Drive that span Banks Channel, “to improve connectivity and provide a long-term, safe, and efficient multi-modal crossing,” according to a department release.

The bridges will include upgrades for walkers and cyclists.

Additional information about the bridge replacements is available at NCDOT’s project webpage and by following NCDOT on social media.

Travelers along sections of N.C. Highway 12 in parts of Currituck and Dare counties will have to slow their roll beginning later this week.

North Carolina Department of Transportation crews on Friday will change signs to reflect seasonal speed limit reductions through a series of villages and towns ahead of the peak summer tourism season.

The speed limit will be lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph on N.C. 12 through the tri-villages of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo, and in Avon, Corolla and Frisco.

The seasonal speed limit will also be lowered in areas of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, including the area near the Haulover Parking Lot south of Avon.

NCDOT crews will revert to off-season speed limits on Sept. 15.

A section of N.C. 12 between Porpoise Run and Sea Oats Train/13th Avenue in Southern Shores will be permanently increased from 35 mph to 40 mph. Southern Shores Town Council requested the new limits to “reduce conflicts between low-speed vehicles and cars and trucks,” according to an NCDOT release.

Real-time travel information is available at DriveNC.gov and on NCDOT on social media.

BUXTON — Large amounts of underground oil contamination left behind decades ago at a former beachfront U.S Naval facility may finally be gone after the recent completion of an intensive seven-month excavation project, but additional sampling will still need to be done in the fall to confirm that petroleum is no longer a threat.

By month’s end, Army Corps of Engineers contractors, after removing tons of tainted soil and untold gallons of polluted water, will have restored dug-up areas off Buxton Beach and removed the heavy equipment.

“We’re hoping to be out of your hair when the tourists get in your hair,” joked Hillary Weber, program manager for contractor Bay West, at the April 30 quarterly update held in Buxton.

In a presentation at what is officially known as the Restoration Advisory Board, or RAB, for the Buxton Naval Facility Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) property, Weber provided details about the latest challenge in the decades-long effort to clean up the former Navy base, with sporadic, reoccurring incidents since September 2023 of petroleum odors, sheen and shoreline tar balls on the eroded beach and nearshore ocean area after storms.

In the wake of a report of sheen by Cape Hatteras National Seashore last August, the Corps’ Savannah District awarded a contract for petroleum containment, limited soil removal, and monitoring, and then another contract in September for removal of petroleum-contaminated soil.

“It takes quite a bit of effort to get to this site,” Weber said. “A lot of man hours were put in in September and October to get us ready for a successful season.”

Inherent project challenges weren’t helped by heavy rain that saturated the site in November, she said. Still, the first load of soil was able to be removed starting in December.

“Our goal was to minimize our footprint before the holidays,” Weber told the RAB members and a small audience at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club building. By January, “we really hit our stride,” she said, with excavation at the areas of highest impact.

The site demobilization was originally scheduled to be completed by May 7, but the exit was delayed until just before Memorial Day to allow more time to bring in additional sand to restore the site.

Although Weber reported that 17,000 cubic yards of affected soil and 315,000 gallons of water were removed, Sara Keisler, the Corps’ Savannah District FUDS Program manager, said in a later interview that those numbers were merely estimates. But the exact amounts, which have specific contractual maximum volume limits, were still being calculated, she added. 

“So the intent of this action was to remove a majority of that contamination that potentially could be eroded away and washed out to sea,” Keisler told Coastal Review. “And that’s what we accomplished during this this response action.”

All told, Keisler confirmed, the project consumed about 31,500 labor hours, required 10 “pieces of yellow iron” — heavy equipment — and removed an estimated 275 feet of asbestos pipe, 5 million pounds of concrete, and 2,800 pounds of infrastructure debris.

As Keisler explained, the contaminated soil was sent to a regulated hazardous waste landfill in Canada. The Emelle, Alabama, Subtitle-C landfill that the Corps used in 2024 to dispose of earlier excavated soil from Buxton was not currently available, she said.

Much of the Corps’ time and resources have been dedicated to cleaning up the former top-secret submarine-monitoring facility, which operated from 1956 until 1982 through a special-use permit with the National Park Service, the property owner.

Starting in 1989, the Corps, the federal entity designated to clean up FUDS properties, removed above-ground storage tanks. Next, the FUDS office handled removal of below-ground storage tanks. Subsequent years involved testing, sampling, removing, and monitoring contaminated soil and/or water at various areas of the 50-acre site.

There was a lull, except for some monitoring, after September 2009, when the Corps determined that no further action was warranted. But in September 2023, severe shoreline erosion associated with a series of storms exposed chunks of buried infrastructure and evidence of even more petroleum contamination. Since then, the Corps has spent parts of every year investigating and cleaning up the site.

In the fall, another contractor will sample soil and groundwater within the project area to determine if and where any additional petroleum contamination remains.

Much of the petroleum contamination removed in the recent excavation had been at the site of a former heating plant, Keisler said, which lines up to where there was a previous fuel pipeline.

“That was where the bulk was that we were able to find,” she said. But because the extent of the contamination at that location in the polygon used to delineate areas at the site wasn’t initially known, a modification had to be made to the contract.

“The comprehensive sampling contract was awarded prior to this response action that we’re working on right now,” Keisler said. “When we awarded it, we were basing it upon other data. Then we had to award this response action because we were actively seeing releases again.

“And so, because in that whole polygon, the soil was all mixed up,” she elaborated, “because we were digging it and removing and putting new soil in. We went and modified that contract so that it would be a more evenly dispersed amount of borings across the entire polygon so that we would get the data we need, since the site conditions change due to that response action.”

If further remediation is required, the Corps would have to address it in an additional response action, she said.

Meanwhile, once funding is obtained, the Savannah office plans to return to Buxton for yet another project, known as “a Military Munitions Response Program,” which would address lead contamination at the former small arms range. Compared to decades of environmental cleanup of petroleum and other dangers, remnants of some ammunition almost may seem innocuous. 

“It’s located on the southwest side of that pond,” Keisler said. “It’s a very small area. It’s got a whole bunch of growth on it. It’s not accessible.” 

Visitors to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras can see what happened on the Outer Banks during the American Revolution through a new temporary display.

“The Raid on Ocracoke Inlet” unveiled April 15 focuses on events that took place at Ocracoke between patriots and loyalists during the American Revolution. 

The display features a diorama and several panels that provide additional context for some of the main characters behind the raid and the stories as they unfolded.

“We’ve been exploring ways to help bring local stories about the Revolutionary War to our community and visitors,” education curator Molly Trivelpiece said in a release. “This new display helps us do that.” 

The museum, under the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free.

The display is part of the state’s America 250 NC initiative, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and is led by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. For more information about America 250 NC, visit america250.nc.gov.

A crew on Monday began removing a storm-battered, dilapidated waterfront boardwalk near Jacksonville’s Northeast Creek Park boat launch area.

The removal marks the first step in a series of park improvements and additions, including a new boardwalk, fishing pier that will be built out into Northeast Creek and parallel to the shore, and an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant kayak launch.

The Northeast Creek Park restoration project also entails construction of a new living shoreline and wetlands restoration.

Work to rebuild and expand the site is expected to begin in later winter into the spring of 2027, according to a city release.

“We are excited to be able to get this project underway,” Jacksonville Stormwater Manager Pat Donovan-Brandenburg stated in the release. “Having a safe boardwalk and pier as well as adding a kayak launch for public is important to improving quality of life here in Jacksonville. Equally important, is addressing the erosion we see along our waterways due to storms and water rise. Expanding on the wetlands and installing a living shoreline will work to preserve this.”

The project has been funded through a multi-year, $16 million National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant the city was awarded in October 2024. Funds from that grant are also being used to expand the city’s Oyster Highway project, Scales Creek flood mitigation and watershed restoration, and shoreline and wetland restoration for Phillips Park and Chaney Creek.

These projects will be headed by the city’s stormwater and engineering divisions.

Part of an ongoing series on North Carolina’s observance of America’s 250th.

More than 40 stops in eight southeastern North Carolina counties are being highlighted as part of the 250th commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The program, “The Roadmap to Freedom: Your NC First in Freedom Celebrations Guide,” is a passport booklet featuring historical, cultural and natural destinations, including the Wilmington Railroad Museum, Missiles and More Museum, N.C. Maritime Museum in Southport, Duplin County Veterans Museum and Flying Machine Brewing Co.

Moores Creek Battleground Association and the First in Freedom Festival have coordinated the program launched during the inaugural North Carolina First in Freedom Festival held the last week in February, which culminated with a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge at Moores Creek National Battlefield in Pender County.

“The passport, which is valid through Dec. 31, offers day-trip adventures to the region’s hidden gems,” said Jim Buell, president of the Moores Creek Battleground Association in a statement. “Each destination highlights a piece of America’s 250th anniversary.”

Moores Creek Battleground Association formed in 1857 and was chartered in 1899 to preserve the significance of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. The battle in the early hours of Feb. 27, 1776, was the first decisive victory by patriots in the American Revolution.

“The passport program launched during the First in Freedom Festival kickoff in February,” Buell said. “I have a First in Freedom Passport, and it has been an enjoyable experience to be a tourist in our own backyard.”

Related: Rainy remembrance marks Revolution’s first decisive win

The passport functions like a traditional travel passport, Buell explained.

At each location, visitors receive a stamp and signature verifying their visit. After visiting most or all sites, participants may return their passport to the battlefield to become eligible for prizes at the end of the year, which include America 250 items based on the number of sites visited, from a commemorative pin to a T-shirt.

Jason Collins, chief of interpretation, education and volunteers at Moores Creek National Battlefield, said they’ve had their first participants to complete passport program.

“This couple traveled to more than 40 sites in southeastern North Carolina and explored more than 250 years of American history represented at these locations,” he said.

The Roadmap to Freedom Passport is available at participating destinations, Moores Creek National Battlefield, the Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, and members of the Wilmington Area Hospitality Association.

For more information, visit the webpage at ncfirstinfreedomfestival.com/passport. The effort is supported by America 250 NC, the state’s official commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary under the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Sites by County

Bladen

• Harmony Hall
• Lu Mil Vineyard
• Jones Lake State Park
• Singletary Lake
• Turnbull Creek
• Cape Fear Winery and Distillery
• Goldston’s Beach and Pier
• Bladenboro Historical Museum

Brunswick

• Bald Head Lighthouse
• Brunswicktown/Fort Anderson State Historic Site
• NC Maritime Museum at Southport
• Museum of Coastal Carolina
• Ingram Planetarium

Columbus

• NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Whiteville
• Lake Waccamaw State Park

Duplin

• Cowan Museum
• Liberty Hall
• Duplin County Veterans Museum

New Hanover

• Bellamy Mansion
• Battleship North Carolina
• Wilmington Railroad Museum
• Fort Fisher State Historic Site
• Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens
• Cameron Art Museum
• Latimer House
• Airlie Gardens
• Children’s Museum of Wilmington
• Flying Machine Brewery

Onslow

• Hammocks Beach State Park
• Onslow County Museum
• Onslow County Parks and Recreation
• Swansboro Historical Association
• Sturgeon City Environmental Education Center
• Jacksonville City Hall

Pender

• Missiles and More Museum
• Moores Creek National Battlefield
• Sara Beasley Turtle Center
• Pender County History Museum
• Poplar Grove Plantation

Sampson

• Sampson County History Museum
• Coharie Tribal Center

Editor’s note: Coastal Review regularly features the work of North Carolina historian David Cecelski, who writes about the history, culture and politics of the state’s coast. More of his work can be found on his personal website.

Cecelski stumbled on this travel account while looking for historical sources for a story focused on Marshallberg’s Crockett cannery and the sea turtle fishery in the 1930s. 

In the May 13, 1903, edition of the Raleigh News & Observer, correspondent C.J. Rivenbark told the story of his journey to Graham Academy, a school on the outskirts of a fishing village called Marshallberg that is located in the Down East part of Carteret County.

Marshallberg is on a peninsula bound by Sleepy Creek, Core Sound, and a body of water called The Straits that runs between the village and two islands, Harkers Island and Browns Island.

In the early 1900s, Marshallberg was far more out of the way than it is today. It is only 8 miles east of Beaufort, the seat of Carteret County, but at that time, no bridge had yet been built across the North River, and no roads had been paved anywhere east of Beaufort.

As we can see in Rivenbark’s account, people, freight and mail in Marshallberg all came and went by boat.

Rivenbark arrived in Morehead City by train on May 11, 1903. He then boarded the naphtha launch Violet for the trip to Marshallberg.

Operated by the Morehead City, Beaufort, and Ocracoke Steamship Co., the Violet left Morehead City on a regular schedule, stopped just across the river in Beaufort, then worked its way Down East.

The Violet’s captain carried mail to the fishing and farming communities between Beaufort and Cedar Island, then crossed the sound to the southern end of the Outer Banks. First to the village of Portsmouth, then to the village of Ocracoke on the other side of the inlet.

Along the way, the captain picked up and dropped off passengers and freight as the need arose.

According to Jack Dudley’s lovely book “Ocracoke Album,” the steamship company’s captains left Beaufort at first light on Monday mornings and aimed to be in Ocracoke by Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.

After spending the night in Ocracoke, they set off for home early the next morning, hoping to make it back to Beaufort by 6 p.m. on Saturday.

On the spring day that Rivenbark was on board, the Violet was only carrying him, the captain and two other passengers.

“Aboard the Violet…,  the writer has but two traveling companions. Dr. W. T. Paul, of Atlantic, who is recovering from a fractured rib, the result of a fall through the trestle work at Pier No. 1 at Morehead…, and a lonely widow, en route to the Island of Hatteras.”

I could not confidently identify the Violet’s “lonely widow en route to the Island of Hatteras,” but I wondered if it might have been Viola Johnston Scarborough, a Hatteras Island woman who had lost her husband only a month earlier.

Ms. Scarborough’s husband, George M. Scarborough, was said to have been a native of Cape Hatteras.

At the turn of the 20th century, Scarborough was the assistant keeper of the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, a screw-pile lighthouse located at the southern end of Croatan Sound.

On April 14, 1903, he had been home visiting his wife and child on Hatteras Island, then set off in what was apparently rough weather in a sail skiff bound for the lighthouse. His boat overturned in the storm about a mile offshore, still in sight of his family.

Viola Scarborough– if it was she on board the Violet— was left feeling grief upon grief. According to a notice of her husband’s death that appeared in the North Carolina Advocate (20 April 1903), she had already lost one husband in her young life.

The Advocate’s story did not say how her first husband died, and it could have been anything. But thinking of that time and place, one can’t help but wonder if she had also lost him to the sea.

The Violet’s only other passenger that day, Dr. W. T. Paul, was born in Pitt County, N.C. in or about 1848.

Paul served in the Confederate army’s reserves during the Civil War, when he was no more than 16 or 17 years old.

“His youth gave great promise,” one source said.

The village of Atlantic, where he came to practice, was on the northern end of Core Sound. It was some 30 miles north and east of Beaufort, and like Marshallberg, it was reachable only by boat.

In Atlantic, Dr. Paul did whatever was in his powers to do: he treated the sick and dyspeptic, delivered babies, mended broken bones, and performed surgery when, as was almost always the case, there was no time to get a patient to a hospital.

In those days, the people of Atlantic made their livings largely by fishing, waterfowl hunting, and going to sea, though many of the village’s women also worked in a clam cannery that was there for a few years around the turn of the century.

Like so many of the local fishing villages, Atlantic also seemed to attract outsiders, perhaps like Dr.. Paul, who were looking for a place to hide from the world or to shelter their frailties.

Dr. Paul died on New Year’s Day, 1917. He was 69 years old. I found several of his obituaries, and while only disclosing so much, they make it seem as if he had had a tough time of it.

In the Greensboro News & Record’s (2 Jan. 1917), for instance, the obituary writer implied that Dr. Paul had been worn down by “drink and dope,” to the point that he had long been reduced to poverty.

(At that time, “dope” most often meant opium, morphine, or heroin, not marijuana.)

Dr. Paul ended his life at the Confederate Soldiers’ Home, a residence for indigent Civil War veterans in Raleigh. He committed suicide there on New Year’s Day 1917.

I guess it is always that way. If seen from a distance, the scene would have seemed so idyllic: a boat, a captain at the helm, the three travelers, the sea around them, the lighthouse in the distance.

I am reminded again of how little we know of the burdens that others carry, or of the wounds they bear.

-To Be Continued-

Supporters can symbolically adopt an active sea turtle nest on Cape Hatteras National Seashore for the 2026 nesting season.

The donation of $100 or more for the annual “Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest” Program goes to fund critical projects that protect and enhance the seashore, according to organizers, Outer Banks Forever, the official nonprofit partner of the three national parks on the Outer Banks.

“Our program is now in its seventh year, and more than 600 supporters have helped raise close to $126,000 to protect and enhance the Seashore,” Nicole Erickson, Outer Banks Forever’s development and adoption programs manager, said in a statement. “That collective effort is being felt every day.”

When the gift is made, adopters will be sent a confirmation email. In early June, nests are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, and the adopter will receive an adoption certificate by mail or email with initial details about the nest.

After the nest hatches, adopters will receive a personalized update with details collected by National Park Service biologists, including how many hatchlings made their way out to sea.

“It’s fun for us to send updates to each person who adopts a nest, particularly sharing the number of sea turtle hatchlings that make their way out to sea. This program provides people the opportunity to learn more about these special island visitors and the great work National Park Service staff does every day to help protect them,” Erickson said.

Organizers noted that no individual or group that participates in this program can claim ownership of a sea turtle nest, eggs, or hatchlings.

“For the safety of the sea turtles and in alignment with National Park Service guidance, your nest’s exact location will not be shared until after it has hatched,” they added.

Fishing means many things to people. We have been over the very topic in this space quite a few times. The one thing we have in common, however, is that we would all like to catch a few.

What we do with the ones we catch can and does have an impact.

Al Lindner of In-Fisherman Magazine and TV shows, “Lindner’s Angling Edge” and “Fishing Edge,” coined the phrase, “Limit your kill, don’t kill your limit”, in the ’70s. Let’s take a look at what that means and how it should influence and inform our decisions today.

First let’s look at some details of what we are talking about. There are two different types of “limits” that come up in fishing. First is size limit. This is the size of the fish that we as anglers are allowed to keep. We measure the fish with a ruler and if it “measures up,” we can keep it. The second is the creel (or bag) limit. This refers to how many fish, of legal size, that can be in our possession. This can be a stringer, cooler, fish box, or anyplace else fish can be stored.

Size limits concern us when the population is dependent on a healthy number of spawning size individuals. As of this writing there are new regulations concerning the minimum size of sheepshead that can be taken.

First, if you are keeping 10-inch sheepshead, there needs to be a serious conversation about your fishing method. We’re talking about a fish that gets much bigger, so if you are not getting them, do your research.

Secondly, we need to have at least one good spawning season from them in order to maintain the population we’re taking from.

There is also a trend towards slot limits. Fish that are at least a minimum size, but no bigger than a maximum may be kept. This protects long-lived fish that produce massive amounts of eggs as they grow and provide an extremely valuable source of spawning fish.

Slot limits have been shown to be extremely effective for red drum. Most states have a 17- or 18-inch minimum and a 27- or 28-inch maximum.

I’ve seen a lot of people get in trouble by not paying attention to the maximum. They can’t even imagine releasing a fish so big. I have called people out for it on piers and public fishing areas. The fine is hefty.

Centuries ago, it was thought that the ocean was so vast fish could be harvested at will. But over time it has become obvious that is not the case. There are still many who turn a blind eye to this reality. They just say, “Fish have tails,” or “The reason you don’t catch anything is because you don’t know what you’re doing.” This kind of thought is both irresponsible and dangerous as well as just plain rude.

When fish are not using the areas they have been in traditionally, the primary reason is usually due to human activity. The number one cause is water quality. This is undeniable and irrefutable. However, in the face of water quality degradation, tough decisions must be made to ensure the fish will continue to exist. This is the reason in our modern age that we have to travel farther and farther afield. If we don’t limit ourselves in the number that we take out, there will soon be no more.

If a population of fish is both robust and well known, it will be depleted until fewer and fewer people are fishing there with more and effort being spent on what is left, until those fish are essentially gone. The fishing efforts will then shift to the next location or species.

In some places in the world, the only fish left are the forage species that the bigger fish feed on. Those small fish provide the basis of the food web. You see it here with menhaden fishing. If the forage fish get wiped out, there will be nothing left to build back.

As with so many things, common-sense regulation is what will benefit the largest and do the greatest good, just like Mr. Spock said.

“Well, Capt. Gordon, what the heck does that mean?”

Just because we’ve always done it a certain way doesn’t mean we should still. When your favorite team is playing a defense that just isn’t working, what does the smart coach do? Answer: Change the defense. It’s the same with fisheries. If what we’ve been doing for generations does not lead to improved fishing for all, maybe it’s time to change the whole thing around.

That might mean killing fewer fish, or maybe changing the style of fishing. It’s pretty obvious. But one thing I can definitely say, as Ben Franklin once told me, “We must all hang together, or we will all hang separately.”

The May meeting of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission is scheduled for next week in Raleigh.

According to the commission’s Thursday, May 14 draft agenda, members will consider a federal petition to incorporate National Ambient Air Quality Standards into state air quality rules.

When newly enacted Environmental Protection Agency air quality standards take effect, the new rules effectively apply to state standards, which must be revised to align.

The proposal before the EMC would omit the state from having to go through the process of updating its rules every time a federal air quality standard changes.

The commission will also receive an update on the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint.

DEQ released on April 1 improved advisory flood maps for the Cape Fear, Lumber, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico and White Oak river basins. These maps are designed to help local governments, agencies and non-governmental partners develop, evaluate and prioritize resilience actions, and plan and secure funding to implement those actions.

The commission’s committees will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Archdale Building’s ground floor hearing room, 512 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh.

Those meetings will be livestreamed by Webex, meeting number/access code 2427 265 5562, password NCDEQ (62337).

The full commission will meet at 9 a.m. on Thursday in the Archdale Building. The meeting may also be viewed via livestream, meeting number/access code
2429 624 8234, password NCDEQ (62337).

To listen to the meetings either day by phone dial +1-415-655-0003.

Agendas for the committees and the full commission are available on the EMC’s website.

Ms. Doris Creecy has been a familiar face to locals on Roanoke Island for a long time.

This 90-year-old “Senior Delight,” the official title she is called by one of the several organizations she supports, is known by many. She is a frequent presence at events, especially programs close to her heart and those that include youth.

Standing tall, typically wearing a beautiful hat, a colorful outfit, and with cane in hand, this elegant lady cannot easily be missed. She and her daughter, Coquetta Laverna Conyers Brooks, are frequently seen. They are an often-noted twosome at community, church, and school events,

Ms. Creecy is not letting her age slow her down. She is always ready to encounter new experiences, learn more, and to talk about history, a topic she loves.

Born Aug. 1, 1935, in Wilmington, and a graduate of Clifton University in South Carolina, she was licensed to teach in four states: South Carolina, Virginia, New York, and North Carolina. On Roanoke Island, where she moved after teaching in Wilmington, she taught third and fourth grade students and served as a reading specialist at Manteo Elementary School from 1977 to 1990.

Thousands she taught in her lifetime have become educators, entrepreneurs, first-time homeowners, musicians, pastors, nurses, fishermen and so much more. The pivotal role Black educators played in Wilmington and the surrounding area during challenging historical times influenced her decision to teach.

She is a lifelong and proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (AKSA) the first intercollegiate historical Black sorority. She has been a former board member of several organizations, including presently serving as an honorary board member for our organization, the Pea Island Preservation Society Inc.

Ms. Creecy can most easily be found at church each Sunday morning, sitting faithfully in her favored spot, front-row pew and left side of the sanctuary at Haven Creek Missionary Baptist Church. There she serves as a deaconess and as a Sunday school and vacation Bible school teacher.

This church is connected to the story of the Freedmen’s Colony on Roanoke Island, where thousands sought freedom and a safe haven during the Civil War. Her faith and love of God have always been primary in her life and teachings.

Ms. Creecy is perhaps best known as the founder of the Echoes of Heritage, or the shortened Echoes they are called, an a cappella singing group she formed shortly after moving to Roanoke Island. She is the directress and leader of the group.

Originally 12 singers, the Echoes have had three different sets of singers over time. Over the years they have performed at countless events under her guidance.

Ms. Creecy is the heart and soul of the group known for singing spiritual songs. Once she and a singing partner even had a regular Tuesday spot on a local radio station. Although the Echoes are not as active or big in number as in the past, still today at 90 years old, Ms. Creecy continues to receive requests to perform.

Today she and her daughter Coquetta, typically with two, three or four additional singers, occasionally delight audiences at selected events with spiritual songs. In recent years, they have performed at several events. This includes events held at the College of the Albemarle – Dare campus and other locations for programs sponsored by our organization, Dare County, and the Town of Manteo. Many of the programs she attends result in her warmly greeting adults who were former students.

As a born educator, she especially enjoys sharing her own experiences, including the joys, challenges and difficulties she faced as part of her own personal journey.

In recent years she and her accompanists have performed at three of our five annual Juneteenth “Sounds of Freedom” celebrations held at the Pea Island Cookhouse Museum, where the story of Keeper Richard Etheridge and the surfmen he commanded at the historic Pea Island Life-saving Station is told.

Ms. Creecy is a devoted supporter, always ready to raise awareness of this history. On several occasions theEchoeshave performed at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Day celebration held on Roanoke Island.

These events are two of her favorites. Seeing and watching her so passionately sing songs that serve as living history and which reflect her own personal journey is touching. It is also an important reminder of how the music inspires and unites.

Past members of the Echoeshave included many with roots on Roanoke Island. The late Dellerva Collins, who served as mayor pro tem and as a Manteo town commissioner for years, was part of the original 12. Likewise, the late Virginia Tillett and Naomi Augusta Collins, both pioneering community leaders and educators on Roanoke Island, sang with the Echoes.

Images showing women joyfully singing along with her who were known advocates for voices most often not seen or heard. Several through the years, past and present, are the descendants of those who lived on the Freedmen’s Colony or who are part of Ms. Creecy’s beloved church community.

When asked the most important lesson her mother has taught her, Coquetta quickly says, “to choose kindness always in spite of others.”

Her son Damian, a Manteo High School and Elizabeth City State University graduate, and who currently is pursuing a master’s in the computer engineering field, is someone Ms. Creecy is especially proud of.  She and her grandson are very, very close, Coquetta adds. 

When asked what lesson his grandmother has most taught him, Damian says, “never remain stagnant and to pursue improvement daily,” two lessons that also reflect the guidance Ms. Creecy has passed along to her many students over the years.

All are encouraged to help celebrate Mother’s Day this year by sending Ms. Creecy (or Ms. Pledger as some know her by her late husband’s last name) a special card. She has no idea of this request so please also help us to keep it a surprise! Without a doubt, the avid reader she continues to be, she will greatly enjoy reading these special cards on Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day or any greetings may be sent to: Mrs. Doris Creecy, P.O. Box 1068, Manteo, NC 27954.

State and weather officials are hosting a virtual meeting on Monday to discuss ways in which local governments can prepare for North Carolina’s heat season.

During the meeting, which is open to the public but targeted to local government staff including emergency managers, public health personnel, planners and administrators, officials will provide a forecast for the 2026 heat season, review signs of heat illness and preventative actions, and provide tools and resources available to local governments to address heat impacts in their communities.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s State Resilience Office is hosting the event 1-3 p.m. in partnership with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, North Carolina State Climate Office and the National Weather Service.

Officials will highlight DEQ’s Planning for Extreme Heat Cohort, a free program that aids local governments in developing heat action plans and connecting with climate and policy experts from North Carolina and across the nation, and the North Carolina State Climate Office will present its Southeast Heat Monitor, a new tool that forecasts statewide heat stress threats.

“We all know that it gets extremely hot in North Carolina during the summer, resulting in serious health problems for people of all ages,” DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson stated in a release. “We encourage local governments and the public to participate in our Heat Season Kickoff Meeting May 11 to understand the health risks and identify ways to protect communities from extreme heat.”  

July 2025 was the second warmest July for North Carolina in 130 years. There were more than 5,700 heat-related visits last year to emergency departments in North Carolina, according to DEQ.

Last year was also globally the third-warmest year on record, following 2023 and 2024.

“We want you have to a safe and healthy summer, but with thousands of heat-related emergency department visits last year, it is critical to be prepared for extreme temperatures to protect yourselves and families,” N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai stated. “NCDHHS continues to work with state and local partners to inform North Carolinians about health effects from extreme heat and ensure resources are available for people at risk of experiencing heat-related illness.”

During the meeting, DHHS will share its resources to manage heat-related health impacts, including the NCDHHS Heat Health Alert System, which notifies subscribers of dangerous heat indexes throughout the summer months and provides materials to support prevention.

The department also publishes weekly reports detailing heat health impacts for each region of North Carolina, and trains health care workers and others across the state to recognize and respond to heat illnesses.

Extreme heat has broad impacts across the state, damaging roads, electrical infrastructure and North Carolina’s agricultural industry. The state’s heat season began May 1.

Local governments can open local cooling centers, share educational information, integrate heat action into long-term planning for infrastructure, and plant trees to help protect residents from extreme heat.

Those who would like to attend the meeting may register online.

The draft 2026 Cape Fear River Basin plan, one that highlights areas that need additional protection, restoration or preservation within the state’s largest and most populous river basin, is out for public comment.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources is accepting comments through Aug. 4 on the draft plan, which focuses on water quality data collected between 2000 and 2020.

The plan includes an overview of water use and availability in the basin, a brief discussion of changes in water quality over a 20-year period, existing management strategies and approaches for addressing point and nonpoint sources of pollution, and addresses ongoing studies and actions to manage and reduce pollution from emerging compounds, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and 1,4-dioxane.

Waters in the basin, including the Haw and Cape Fear rivers, have been found to be contaminated with these compounds.

PFAS, which are used in the manufacturing in a host of consumer goods including waterproof clothing and disposable food containers, do not break down in the environment and can build up in humans and animals. There are more than 15,000 of these substances today, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. While their effects on human health continue to be studied, PFAS exposure has been linked to adverse health effects including thyroid disease, high cholesterol, and increased risks of certain cancers, including kidney and testicular.

The EPA classifies 1,4-dioxane, a synthetic industrial chemical, as a likely human carcinogen.

The basin covers more than 9,300 square miles and includes portions of the urban population centers in the Triad as well as the Triangle, and the cities of Fayetteville and Wilmington. Major rivers in the basin include the Haw, Deep, Cape Fear, Black, South and Northeast Cape Fear.

The basin has experienced increased growth, poultry production and stormwater and wastewater discharges, all of which have boosted nitrogen and phosphorus levels that simulate plant and algal growth.

Written comments may be submitted by email to DEQ.DWR.BasinPlanning@deq.nc.gov or by mail to NCDEQ Division of Water Resources ATTN: Nora Deamer, Basin Planner 1611 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1611.

Based on the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture, agriculture in the basin has seen an overall decrease in cattle and swine numbers but a substantial increase in poultry production. 

Information on the division’s basin plans are available at Basin Planning Branch | NC DEQ. 

The North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve are holding a series of local advisory committee meetings during May and June.

Residents and representatives from community organizations, government agencies and nongovernmental partner organizations that sit on the local advisory committees provide staff with the N.C. Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve guidance and feedback regarding program activities and management of the state’s 10 reserve sites.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a partnership program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and coastal states that protects and studies estuarine systems.

The North Carolina Coastal Reserve is a program of the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, a division of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, and is the state partner with NOAA.

The Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve this year are opening the application process to identify potential members for each of the reserves. Those sites include: Bird Island Reserve, Bald Head Woods Reserve, Zeke’s Island Reserve, Masonboro Island Reserve, Permuda Island Reserve, Rachel Carson Reserve, Buxton Woods Reserve, Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve, Currituck Banks Reserve and Emily and Preyer Buckridge Reserve.

Applications will be accepted June 1-June 30.

Applicants are encouraged to attend the local advisory committee meeting of their interest this spring.

The meetings are open to the public and will be held as follows: 

• Zeke’s Island Reserve. May 11 at 10 a.m. at the UNCW Center for Marine Science, 5600 Marvin K Moss Lane, Wilmington.
• Masonboro Island Reserve. May 12 at 1 p.m. at the UNCW Center for Marine Science.
• Permuda Island Reserve. May 13 at 10 a.m. at the Onslow County Library, Sneads Ferry Branch, 1330 N.C. Highway 210, Sneads Ferry.
• Rachel Carson Reserve. May 19 at 3 p.m. at the NOAA Administration building, 101 Pivers Island Road, Beaufort.
• Currituck Banks Reserve. June 15 at 1 p.m. at the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, Currituck Heritage Park, 1160 Village Lane, Corolla.

NEAR BEAUFORT — Officials wielded ceremonial gold-painted shovels Monday to break ground on an economic development project specifically tailored to the needs of coastal communities, a plan that one advocate likened to successful technology-incubation hubs but instead intended to support shellfish aquaculture jobs.

When construction begins at the recently cleared site this summer, the Shellfish Mariculture Hub will feature a 2,500-square-foot structure on county-owned land next to the boat ramp at Straits Landing, just across from Harkers Island. The building will be outfitted with cold storage, equipment, an outdoor workspace and crucial water access — shared resources for shellfish growers, officials said.

Tom Looney of Wrightsville Beach, a former vice president and general manager of Lenovo North America and a longtime board member with Coastal Review’s publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, said he had been involved a decade ago in developing the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, which works to recruit new business, assist existing businesses, help companies with international trade, promote the state as a tourist destination and counsel small companies and startups.   

“Today, it’s the number one workforce engine in the country for the last three out of four years,” Looney said. “We know how to attract businesses. We know how to create new businesses. What I learned in that role was, some of the most economically challenged regions in our state were our coastal communities. We had to find new ways to create jobs for people to feed their families, grow a business, have opportunity.”

Looney, who was an IBM man for more than 30 years, said that, since 2013, North Carolina’s oyster industry has grown more than 500%. Today, the state boasts one of the fastest-growing oyster industries in the country, generating more than $300 million annually.

“And let me tell you, folks, this hub will set it on fire, as far as North Carolina as a state,” Looney said.

That success will be the result of combined forces, including the shellfish aquaculture program at Carteret Community College, and provide a good return on the investments made by the legislature, the county, the Coastal Federation and others, he said. Looney praised Coastal Federation staff, including Chief Program Officer Ana Zivanovic-Nenadovic for shepherding the project.

“We’re doing it the right way. We’re creating jobs while protecting the culture and our coastal waters,” Looney said.

He said the mariculture hub would apply the same principle as American Underground, a Google tech hub for startups in Durham, but with oysters.

Coastal Federation Executive Director Braxton Davis said the hub project was “about putting down roots for an industry that has been proving its worth in eastern North Carolina and across the country for a long time now.”

Shellfish mariculture, Davis said, combines economic opportunity, environmental benefits and a unique cultural heritage in a way that few other industries can.

“It creates jobs, it supports working waterfronts, and it keeps seafood production local, which is fantastic,” Davis said. “And at the same time, our oysters are out there every day, quietly doing their work, cleaning the water, filtering the water, improving clarity and water quality across the coast. So, that all together is a combined return on investment that you rarely find and few industries can match. It’s driving economic growth while actively improving water quality and protecting the coast.”

Also on hand for the event was Sen. Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico, and who also represents Carteret, Chowan, Halifax, Hyde, Martin, Warren and Washington counties. Sanderson explained how his district has a “very important role to play in our seafood industry,” as producers and consumers. He noted the move to transfer the Division of Marine Fisheries from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to the Department of Agriculture as part of the Republican-led legislature’s regulatory reform efforts. “Because too many times, it hinders the growth that we could use here on the coast to create jobs and to make our economies more stronger and more prosperous.”

Sanderson described his district’s rankings in the state Department of Commerce economically distressed counties tier system. Under this system, the department ranks the 100 counties’ economic well-being and assigns a corresponding tier number, 1-3. Commerce designates the 40 most distressed counties as Tier 1, the next 40 as Tier 2 and the 20 least distressed as Tier 3.

“I have four counties, five counties that are Tier 1s, which is the most economically distressed counties in the state of North Carolina. And so anything that we can do to help those counties is going to be a blessing,” Sanderson said.

He said the Mariculture Hub was one of the few projects to get legislative support from all corners.

“This one is an easy one to sell, because I think people, first of all, they love seafood,” Sanderson said, adding that he hoped that the project becomes a prototype for others.

“We have over 300 farmers now farming oysters for at least a secondary income. We’re hoping that it will eventually become primary income for them,” he said.

Rep. Celeste Cairns, R-Carteret and Craven, also spoke at the event Monday. She said the project was “a real collaboration among state folks, local folks, and great organizations like the Coastal Federation, and I know I speak for Senator Sanderson as well when I say, when everybody is moving and pulling in the same direction, it is a rare and beautiful thing.”

Cairns said she had been told the total number of leases and franchises was about 500.

“Each of those, whatever the number — it’s a lot and growing — and each of those folks represents a small business or family or an individual trying to make a livelihood on the water.”

The Rocky Mount-based Golden LEAF Foundation, created by the North Carolina General Assembly to award proceeds from the 1998 National Cigarette Manufacturer Settlement Agreement, uses that money to create economic opportunities in rural, tobacco-dependent and poorer counties.

Golden LEAF’s early support and $200,000 in backing in August 2022 helped build momentum for the project. Jason Rochelle evaluates funding proposals for the organization, works to implement Golden LEAF priorities, and oversees project monitoring and compliance.

“At the time, the project represented a strong vision, one rooted in supporting local aquaculture, strengthening coastal economies and creating new opportunities for shellfish growers in the region,” Rochelle said. “Today, it’s incredibly rewarding to see that vision move forward. The shellfish hub is a strategic investment in the future of Carteret County and addresses real needs identified by the shellfish farming community by providing shared infrastructure such as dock access, refrigeration, storage, grading and loading equipment and a central point for distribution. This facility will make a meaningful difference in the day-to-day operations of local growers.”

Rochelle said the hub would serve up to 15 operations and generate around $2 million annually.

“By locating the facilities near the fishing waters, growers will be able to spend more time harvesting, less time on logistics,” Rochelle said. “This increased efficiency will translate to higher production, increased income and the creation of high-quality jobs in this community.”

Assistant Carteret County Manager Matt Reynal said the project reflects “who we are as a county, from Harkers Island to Cedar Island and all across Down East, our connection to the water has always been central to how we live and work. Shellfish mariculture builds on that tradition.”

Reynal said that economic development “isn’t just about bringing in something new or shiny” to Carteret County.

“It’s about supporting the industries that are already here and ensuring that we have the infrastructure to grow,” he said. “That’s why the county was proud to provide this land. We see the long-term value and what this project supports working waterfronts local businesses and innovative opportunity that stays rooted in our communities, and that’s especially important for Down East.”

Chris Matteo, president of the North Carolina Shellfish Growers Association, said that when he was first told of the plan, he “immediately agreed to participate.” He said Coastal Federation founder Todd Miller and Looney had seen a similar model in Australia, and that infrastructure helped fuel a thriving shellfish aquaculture industry there.

“And today we are finally breaking ground on our shared vision. I’m very excited for our local shellfish farmers and for our industry. This is a special day, not just because we are breaking ground on a new building, but because we’re laying the foundation for the next stage of growth in our young industry,” said Matteo. “This project took years of persistence, collaboration and a shared belief that working waterfronts and shellfish mariculture are critically important to North Carolina’s coast.”

The fun part lies ahead, Matteo said.

“This shellfish hub will create job local jobs, support family businesses and keep waterfront communities working on the water. It will do so while helping grow one of the world’s most sustainable and healthy animal proteins, and as if that wasn’t enough, it will also improve our estuaries. Every oyster grown in our waters does more than feed someone. It is filtering water, creating habitat, rebuilding public trust stocks of marine species, and proving that economic growth and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.”

Matteo said he was especially proud that shellfish farms in North Carolina filter more than 600 million gallons of estuarine water every day.

“This hub will help us grow that number further,” he said. “As a shellfish grower here in North Carolina, I can tell you firsthand, this hub isn’t just a nice to have. It solves real-world problems that growers across the state deal with daily. While shellfish farming has enormous potential, the reality is, starting and scaling a farm is not easy. For many growers, one of the biggest barriers has always been access to waterfront infrastructure.”

For small operations, the costs can be terminal.

“Shellfish farmers haven’t been limited by demand or ability,” Matteo said. “They’ve been limited by not having a place to work on the water, the equipment to process and refrigerate their product and an efficient way to get it to market.”

The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry has begun offering summer service between Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island’s Silver Lake Harbor.

This marks the eighth season the popular ferry is offering passengers the opportunity to skip the lines for the vehicle ferry and take a 70-minute ride directly into the heart of Ocracoke Village. From there, visitors may walk, rent bicycles or golf carts, or hop a ride on Hyde County’s free Ocracoke Village Tram to village shops, restaurants and attractions.

Tuesday-Thursday, the passenger ferry will depart from Hatteras at 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:45 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Returns from Ocracoke for those days are scheduled for 9:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Departures from Hatteras Friday-Monday will be at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Returns from Ocracoke will be at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Passenger ferry service is not available on Sundays.

A round-trip ticket is $15. Children under 3 ride for free. There is an additional $1 charge to bring a bicycle on board.

Reservations may be made up to 90 days in advance and are highly recommended.

The fare is $15 for a round-trip ticket, with children under 3 riding for free, and an additional $1 to bring a bicycle on board. Reservations are available 90 days in advance and highly recommended during the busy summer season. Reservations may be made online or by telephone at 1-800-BY-FERRY.

The free Hatteras-Ocracoke vehicle ferry route runs 52 scheduled departures daily between Hatteras and the north end of Ocracoke Island. Reservations are not accepted on the Hatteras vehicle ferry.

To sign up for real-time text or email updates on weather or mechanical delays visit the Ferry Information Notification System.

For real-time text or email updates on weather or mechanical delays, sign up for the Ferry Information Notification System. 

The Crystal Coast Tourism Development Authority in Carteret County announced Monday that Karen Gould will become its executive director, effective May 16.

The TDA is responsible for promoting and developing tourism in Carteret County. It receives funding for these marketing efforts from a 6% county occupancy tax on short-term accommodations that is shared 50-50 with the county commission responsible for Bogue Banks beach nourishment projects.  

The TDA said that Gould brings extensive experience in destination marketing, stakeholder engagement and tourism strategy to the role. An area native, she has been with the TDA for more than a decade, most recently serving as its deputy executive director.

“Karen brings a deep understanding of the destination and region’s tourism landscape and there’s no one else I’d rather have as my successor,” said current Executive Director Jim Browder in the announcement. “That, paired with her extensive destination marketing experience, makes her an exceptional fit to lead the TDA. She has a clear vision for sustainable growth and thoughtful destination storytelling, which are instrumental when it comes to promoting our destination on both a regional and national scale.”   

In her new role, Gould will oversee the TDA’s strategic direction, including marketing, communications, stakeholder engagement and tourism development initiatives.  

“I’m honored to step into this new role at the Crystal Coast Tourism Development Authority,” said Gould. “The Crystal Coast holds a special place in my heart, not just because it’s home, but because of its natural beauty, rich history and strong sense of place. I look forward to building on the foundation I’ve built over the last ten years, while continuing to share the destination’s story with travelers.” 

For more information about North Carolina’s Crystal Coast visit www.crystalcoastnc.org/ 

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission is expected to vote on proposed language for Atlantic bonito management when it meets May 13-14 in New Bern.

The meeting at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, 100 Middle St., is open to the public and will be livestreamed on YouTube.

During its February meeting, the commission chose its preferred management option and associated proposed rulemaking language for the management of Atlantic bonito. The expected action will be to approve a notice of text for rulemaking for the adoption of 15A NCAC 03M .0524. Approval would begin the formal rulemaking process, which requires a 60-day public comment period that would occur later this year.

Also on the agenda are the following:

• A presentation by Dr. Joel Fodrie on the legislative study of coastal and marine fisheries.
• A presentation on the background, life history and fishery characterization of kingfishes in North Carolina.
• An update on the blue crab benchmark stock assessment process and information about the associated public webinar.
• A presentation on the Deepwater Oyster Recovery Areas adopted in the Eastern Oyster Fishery Management Plan Amendment 5.
• Updates on currently open and ongoing implementation of adopted fishery management plans.

The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. May 13, and at 9 a.m. May 14. The commission will accept public comments beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday and at 9 a.m. Thursday.

For those who choose to speak at in-person public comment sessions, complete the following steps:

• Sign up at the hotel prior to the public comment sessions.
• To facilitate the meeting, and to accommodate as many speakers as possible, the chair will limit each speaker to three minutes.
• Those making comments will be asked to speak only once, either Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, but not during both public comment periods.
• Those who wish to submit handouts to the commission during the public comment period should bring at least 12 copies to the meeting.

People can also submit written comments via the following methods:

• An online form on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meetings webpage.
• Mail to Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting Comments, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, NC 28557.
• A hard copy dropped off at the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Morehead City Headquarters Office at 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City.

The deadline to submit written comments for this meeting is 4 p.m. on Monday, May 11.

A full agenda and meeting materials, as well as a link to the YouTube livestream, are available on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meetings webpage.

Stewards of North Carolina’s rivers and streams have created a manual designed to assist local governments in establishing land use rules that protect water quality and boost community flood resilience.

The new guide, “Gold Standard Development Practices for Watershed Protection,” was developed in response to river keepers’ documentation of irresponsible land use practices that have resulted in severe and devastating impacts across the state, said Neuse Riverkeeper and Sound Rivers Inc. Director of Advocacy Samantha Krop.

“We realized that how our cities approach land use practices is one of the most important indicators of water quality and flooding mitigation we have,” she said. “So, we’ve taken a very thoughtful pivot to focusing on land use policy because we see it as inextricably linked to our community health and safety in the future.”

The guide, created by Waterkeepers Carolina with support from the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, provides an array of options local governments may consider implementing in land use rules, developers can offer as proffers or in conditional rezoning applications, and concerned residents may use as an advocacy tool.

Counties, cities and towns throughout North Carolina establish key land use regulations through a single, consolidated document called a unified development ordinance, or UDO.

A UDO governs land use, zoning, and development standards aimed at guiding growth and protecting natural resources.

Local governments use these ordinances to govern land use in ways tailored to their communities.

Down-zoning ban limits local governments

In 2024, the North Carolina General Assembly banned local governments from being able to initiate a process called down-zoning, which is when property is rezoned to less dense or less intense use.

The ban effectively restricts those governments’ ability to enforce land use rules because the law requires that they must get written permission from all affected property owners before amending zoning text or maps.

The down-zoning ban in Senate Bill 382, a 2024 disaster relief bill, one vetoed by then-Gov. Roy Cooper, has prompted cities like New Bern and Durham to pump the brakes on updating their UDOs because the law lacks clarity, Krop said.

“I think that is presenting a lot of challenges, both in what the letter of the law says and also in what municipalities are sort of perceiving it to say, or sort of worried it’s created this boogeyman that I think is creating a lot of fear in municipal governments around can we do anything at all,” she said. “There are a lot of things that we can still do, both in passing changes to local UDOs and also in asking for more in some of these rezoning cases as proffers to protect waterways and communities from some of the harms that we’ve been documenting associated with development practices.”

Waterkeepers Carolina and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice last week in Durham hosted an event, “Designing Communities that Protect our Waters,” to discuss development and zoning practices aimed at protecting water and building community flood resilience.

Counsel for Environmental Justice James Huey at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice explained that one tool local governments have is something called conditional zoning.

Conditional zoning is a process in which a property owner and local government negotiate conditions in a rezoning request.

Local governments, “can impose conditions that address lots of various potential issues that might come up with any sort of development,” he said. “A lot of times with development, there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all and I think that’s why this document is important to show that there is a path forward, especially for those local governments that are concerned about their authority and also a little bit confused about if they should always be implementing a certain system or what systems to implement.”

Tree retention protects water quality

The guide also highlights how local governments can implement overlay districts that identify and bolster protections specific to sensitive and important areas such as drinking watersheds.

“With water quality, it really boils down to silver bullets, and that starts with leaving more trees in the ground,” Krop said. “The single, best thing that we can do when developing a landscape, a forested landscape, is leaving as many trees in the ground as possible. That looks like tree retention instead of removal and replacement with young saplings.”

Targeting tree retention around waterways, expanding riparian buffers, making sure wetlands are protected and buffered and increasing overall tree connectivity on the landscape are crucial in protecting water quality.

In areas where multiple acres of trees are being removed at one time, it is crucial that exposed soil is stabilized as soon as possible to prevent erosion, sedimentation and pollution in waterways. Local governments can regulate timeframes for which developers must establish ground cover to avert erosion.

Waterkeepers Carolina continues to push for a change in state law that would require developers to monitor all discharges coming from their sediment basins to prove they’re not pumping dirty water into creeks and streams.

“We would argue that this is something that needs to happen, at least in all sensitive watersheds where there’s evidence of construction practices polluting waterways,” Krop said.

She encourages communities to look at those that are implementing forward-thinking rules and protections for waterways.

“I think we can learn from each other and try to create more universal, more consistent protections across the whole state,” she said.

Recreational red snapper season will be open 62 days this summer for anglers willing to take part in a pilot project designed to monitor the tightly regulated fishery.

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is one of four Southeastern states to receive a federal exempted fishing permit, or EFP, that lets anglers take part in testing out a data-collection program that will use a mobile application to monitor the recreational red snapper season. The hook-and-line-only season will be July 1-Aug. 31.

Anglers who would like to participate must dowwnload the VESL mobile application to receive a copy of the EFP, which they will be required to keep throughout the season. Participants must agree to record their red snapper harvest and discard information. 

Owners and operators of charters and headboats must complete an online request form to receive a copy of the EFP. Boat captains must agree to continue reporting their harvest of red snapper and discards through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reporting system.

There is no size limit. Private recreational anglers are limited to one fish per person or four fish per vessel, whichever is more restrictive. Charter boats, or those with up to six passengers, are also limited to one fish per person, or four fish per vessel, whichever is more restrictive.

Headboats, or those with more than six passengers, are limited to one fish per person or 20 fish per vessel, whichever is more restrictive.

Yamaha Motors’ conservation program Yamaha Rightwaters is supporting the project with a $300,000 grant.

The project does not affect commercial red snapper management, according to DMF.

For additional information, visit the division’s red snapper season webpage or email RedSnapper.EFP@deq.nc.gov.

A weekslong, statewide open burning ban in North Carolina has been lifted for 81 counties, including the 20 coastal counties.

The ban was revoked for all but 19 counties in the Piedmont as of 8 a.m. Sunday.

The North Carolina Forest Service issued the ban on March 28 due to rain-starved conditions felt across the state.

“The recent rainfall has provided some relief and has moderated fire danger enough for us to lift the ban on open burning in 81 counties,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler stated in a release. “However, we’re still in the thick of spring wildfire season when conditions can change quickly and frequently. We still need rain to move us forward with drought recovery, improving soil moisture and water levels. Be extremely vigilant with any outdoor burning if you’re in one of the 81 counties no longer under the state-issued ban. Make sure you have a valid burn permit, tools and a water source, and stay with your fire. If you’re in one of the 19 counties still under the state-issued burn ban, be patient and hold off on burning. We need more rain in your area to lift the ban. With the persistent drought, it’s important for all of us to use extreme caution when handling potential ignition sources such as machinery and motorized equipment. When in doubt, lean on your N.C. Forest Service county ranger’s office for guidance and best practices.”

Residents in counties where the burn ban has been lifted may obtain a burn permit from any authorized permitting agent or online at https://apps.ncagr.gov/burnpermits/. 

Permits granted before the ban were canceled once the ban went into effect. A valid permit must be obtained.

Residents should check with their local fire marshal’s office to determine whether burning is permitted within 100 feet of an occupied dwelling.

Contact your local N.C. Forest Service county ranger or fire marshal’s office with questions.

Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes and Union counties remain under the burn ban until further notice.  

For more information about preparing for and preventing wildfires, visit www.preventwildfirenc.org.