The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management announced Monday more than $2.8 million has been awarded to 14 local governments to improve public access to coastal beaches and waters for fiscal 2024-25.

The awards include $350,000 for Topsail Beach, which is partnering with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust and North Carolina Division of Coastal Management to purchase in fee title property at the south end of the island totaling more than 149 acres and known as “The Point.” The $350,000 grant will be used purchase 1.5 acres of the parcel for public access. The Coastal Land Trust is to purchase the property and immediately transfer 1.5 acres to the town with the remaining acreage to be transferred to the state.

Related: Coastal Land Trust takes fresh approach to save ‘The Point’

“The natural resources of North Carolina’s coastal communities draw residents and visitors alike and are a vital part of the state’s economy,” said Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser in the announcement. “Supporting projects that help local governments and communities sustain safe natural shoreline spaces and improve access to our beaches and waterfront continues to be a priority for our agency.”

In addition to Topsail Beach, grants were awarded to the following local governments:

• Atlantic Beach received $58,243 for improvements to the Beaufort Avenue beach access to rebuild and extend the existing wooden walkway.
• Atlantic Beach also received $60,574 for improvements to the Greenville Avenue beach access to rebuild and extend the existing wooden walkway.
• Carolina Beach received $132,322 improvements to the 1810 Canal Drive site to build a parking lot with accessible parking spots, and construction of a six-foot-by-150-foot Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant wooden walkway allowing access from parking area to beach strand.
• Carteret County received $225,000 for improvements to the Straits water access site including adding 33 paved parking spaces with two spaces for people with disabilities at the old Harkers Island Bridge site. The project also includes the addition of a picnic shelter.
• Carteret County received $300,000 for improvements to the West Beaufort water access to add walkways connecting the existing amenities to Beaufort’s sidewalk system, improvements to the kayak launch area and additional parking for the boat ramp.
• Dare County received $114,010 for new construction at the Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton. The project includes construction of a new restroom and shower facilities.
• Elizabeth City received $378,000 for improvements to the Causeway Park access site to replace dilapidated pilings and boardwalk; add a kayak launch and connecting boardwalk segment; replace the current observation decks and fishing pier; and install a concrete pad sufficient to provide two accessible parking spaces.
• Indian Beach received $179,863 for improvements at the Ocean Club neighborhood beach access to replace the entire length of the boardwalk. The new plans for the boardwalk include the reconstruction of the original walkway and a 10-foot-by-10-foot observation deck overlooking the beach.
• Kill Devil Hills received $77,928 for new construction at the Hayman Boulevard beach access for construction of a dune crossover. The walkway will be elevated to traverse the growing dune system at this site.
• Manteo received $95,738 for improvements at the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse Pier to replace decking on the pier leading to and surrounding the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse replica in Shallowbag Bay.
• Morehead City received $205,084 for improvements at the 10th Street access site. The project has two major components: removal and reconstruction of the western dock to include and improve accessibility, stabilization and site protection features, and installation of nature-based resiliency features, a living shoreline, to further reduce and disable wave energy to the northern shoreline and site structures.
• Nags Head received $207,669 for improvements at the June Street public beach access to build an approximately 6-foot-wide, 1,650-square-foot, accessible, wooden dune walkover, a 16-foot octagonal gazebo and an upgraded shower-station and lamppost.
• Oak Island received $32,000 for new construction at the SE 31st Street kayak launch to install a new ADA-compliant kayak launch with a 3-foot-by-12-foot safe launch, a 4-foot-by-12-foot open slip and an ADA-compliant transfer platform and new aluminum gangway.
• Ocean Isle Beach received $54,000 for improvements to the Concord Street beach access. The existing beach access currently terminates within the dune system, this project will extend the access from its current location and result in it terminating roughly even with the frontal dune. To meet ADA compliance, the stair system will be replaced by a wheelchair-accessible ramp that will have appropriate 5-foot landings per every 20 feet of inclined ramp. The access will also be widened to 8 feet across and have engineered X-bracing supports.
• Sunset Beach received $392,175 for new construction at Majestic Oaks Park to build 1,000 feet of pervious walkway, and about 460 feet of boardwalk and a wildlife observation area.

The program has awarded 530 grants totaling more than $55 million to improve public waterfront access sites since it began in 1981. For more information about the program, go to the Public Beach and Coastal Waterfront Access website.

The Public Beach and Coastal Waterfront Access program provides matching funds to local governments in the 20 coastal counties. Governments that receive grants must match them by contributing at least 25 percent toward the project’s cost.

Funding for the grant program comes from the North Carolina General Assembly through the state’s Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. Access projects may include walkways, dune crossovers, restrooms, parking areas, piers and related projects. Funds also may be used for land acquisition or urban waterfront revitalization. Staff with the state Division of Coastal Management selected the recipients based on criteria set by the Coastal Resources Commission.

How much do you really like fishing? What’s the longest you think could go without?

Do you think that if you quit fishing, you would just live your life like nothing happened? Is it really that important to you, or do you just do it for fun? If somebody told you that you could not go fishing anymore, what would you do?

Now for most of you this is conjecture, it is not a situation you have been faced with, and you possibly never will. But on Aug. 10, 2023, I suffered a stroke.

At this point, I can hardly move my right hand at all, and I have limited mobility of my right arm. My core muscles don’t work very well, so my balance is poor, and I have limited use of my right leg and foot.

The most frustrating thing is that I’m sitting here as one of my best friends has had the best fishing of his life catching exceptionally large speckled trout, and I have not been able to join him. I’ve written before about what it is I love about fishing, and I think now at this point, it might be time for me to revisit that due to my current situation.

I used to say that my favorite thing about fishing was the anticipation of going. Now I’d say my favorite thing might just be getting the opportunity to go. We give each other opportunities throughout our lives.

As a coach of high school sports, I have always told my athletes to make the most of every situation, to do the thing that you like to do, and get the most out of it. That is valid for young athletes because, by doing so, it gives them the best chance of success.

At this point in my life, I’ve found that just wanting to go fishing and getting the most out of it would be the thing I would like the most. It’s the thing that I miss the most in my life right now. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to be on a boat right now. It would be kind of dangerous and I would not want to put anyone in a difficult spot. There is some equipment out there that’s supposed to help with holding a rod, I’ve been talking about getting some, but right now it just is not working out.

I miss the time being with my friends on the boat, or in the stream, or just talking about fishing. That’s tough to get used to being without. Maybe you know, I’ve been doing this for a long time, and because of that, most of my friendships revolve around fishing, the act of fishing, or talking about fishing. And right now, we don’t have a lot to talk about. So unfortunately, I’ve kind of lost track of some my friends. I don’t blame them. They have things to do, as do we all, and I’m trying to stay in touch with them as they also are trying to stay in touch with me, but it’s difficult because it’s not the same.

As I’ve been writing this very column I’ve had to adjust my writing style from what used to be, sit down and hammer away and type a whole article in a very short period of time, to struggling with using a voice-to-text keyboard and editing with only one hand. You’ll have to be the judge of whether this is any good, this will be the first column I have submitted that I had not already written previously.

I would give anything to be able to be on the boat right now with the wind blowing through my hair (what there is of it), feel the sun on my face, going out with a friend and trying to pursue our favorite gamefish. But right now, all I can do is keep working on my physical therapy and trying to get better every day.

As I reflect on this past year, I have to thank all the people in my life who have helped me: therapists, doctors, friends, family members and the athletes and coaches I work with. They have stood by my side and have not allowed me to feel sorry for myself and get mad at the world. Yes, it’s difficult, but I’m trying every day.

I also want to thank the editorial staff of Coastal Review for allowing me to continue submitting my columns during all this. I really appreciate it.

I have received offers to go on boats everywhere between Cape Cod and Florida. Hopefully I can make the most of some of those offers before too long. As Thoreau told us, “Be true to your work, your word, and your friends.” Maybe soon I’ll figure out how to actually catch a fish with one hand and see what that looks like.

It appears that what I used to say that I enjoyed about fishing — the anticipation of going fishing — is still the same, because I’m still anticipating the opportunity to go again. Hopefully, that wait won’t be too long.

You’ll be seeing me out there again before too long. I’m not sure exactly when, but I’m doing my best.

This story has been updated.

Ahh, the beach walkover.

They’re as common along North Carolina’s developed ocean shorelines as seashells scattered on the sand.

These typically wooden structures built to link private properties to the beach could, like the waters at low tide, eventually fade from shores.

The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission earlier this year submitted to the state Rules Review Committee proposed amendments that will allow coastal towns and counties, government agencies and private beachfront property owners to choose an alternative to traditional accessway structures – the beach mat.

These portable, wood-like mats can be rolled out over sand to create a surface suitable for feet and wheels. And, they may reduce debris typically left behind from walkovers damaged and destroyed during coastal storms.

The committee has given the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management an Aug. 15 deadline to submit technical corrections to the proposed rules, according to division officials.

“If the RRC staff are satisfied with DCM’s responses, the proposed amendments will be on the RRC September agenda,” division officials said in an emailed statement. “If the proposed amendments are approved, the effective date will be Oct 1^st.”

The use of beach mats has in recent years have been gaining traction in North Carolina beach towns as a way to provide wheelchair accessibility from public accesses to the shore.

Carolina Beach and Kure Beach in New Hanover County and Topsail Beach in Pender County have in recent years received variances from the commission to install matting on the beach seaward of the frontal dune, which is just landward of the beach, and to enhance handicap accessibility on the shore.

The Coastal Resources Commission in 2021 amended the rules to allow beach matting for public accesses only. Until that rule change, only elevated, pile-supported structures built out no farther than the seaward toe of a frontal dune, those at the landward of the beach, were allowed.

That limited the use of beach mats to local, state and federal governments, a decision made at the urging of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Those agencies were concerned the use beach mats waterward of the frontal dune might adversely affect sea turtle habitat.

The latest proposed rule changes would allow beach mats on the dry sand beach without a variance from the commissions long as they’re sponsored by a local government to provide handicap accessibility to the shoreline. The placement of those mats is subject to review by state and federal wildlife agencies.

Division of Coastal Management officials explained in an email responding to Coastal Review’s questions that, under the proposed rule amendment, private property owners can install beach mats without a permit if they comply with the standards set for structural accessways. Mats must be no wider than 6 feet, no farther waterward than 6 feet from the toe of the dune, and must not require excavation or fill.

“Residential application of matting material will need to adhere to the same standards previously approved for government entities, including installation at grade and prohibiting extension onto the public trust beach,” according to the division. “We anticipate that beachfront property owners will maintain these mats because of their personal financial investment in the mats. While there will likely be some debris resulting from storm displacement and/or long-term deterioration/abandonment of some access mats, we are hopeful that the overall amount of marine debris associated with coastal storms will be reduced by replacing the wood and metal materials associated with traditional walkovers, including boards, nails/screws, wires, and other materials.”

The division is to work with local governments and local permitting officers “to monitor this closely and ensure that any mats not conforming to the State rules are brought into compliance (or they will need to go through the proper permitting process).”

While the division has not seen a boost in requests from private property owners to install beach mats, it “has seen an uptick in unpermitted use of access mats along the coast over the past few years.”

“In North Carolina we are seeing the need and the request more and more for Mobi-mats,” said Sandrine Carpentier, managing director of Mobi-mats, an outdoor portable access surfaces manufacturer in New Jersey.

Mobi-mats have been growing in popularity, she said, because they are easy to install and remove, have demonstrated they can withstand coastal storms, and are more cost efficient than traditional beach access structures.

The average cost of a beach mat is about $42 per foot in length, according to the division. Structural accessways cost on average of $333 per linear foot.

Mobi-mats come with anchoring accessories, are made of recycled plastics and are 100% recyclable, Carpentier said. Their life span ranges between seven to 10 years, after which time they may be returned to the manufacturer where they will be recycled and used to make new matting.

Holden Beach West Property Owners Association President Chad Hock is anxiously awaiting what he hopes will be a final approval by the Rules Review Commission of the rule amendments.

“We’re transitioning 100 percent with Mobi-mats as soon as we can do it,” he said.

The gated community on the Brunswick County barrier island has mats or a hybrid of wooden walkways and stairs and matting at all seven of its beach accesses after receiving temporary approval to do so by the Coastal Resources Commission and the town.

Using beach mats comes down to three factors, Hock said: cost, convenience and that they do not cause the damage structural accessways do during coastal storms.

Structural beach accesses are one of two of the association’s biggest expenditures, Hock said. It costs anywhere between $30,000 and $50,000 to rebuild wooden walkways and stairs damaged in coastal storms. Property owners in the gated community must also pay to maintain the private roads in the community.

“When a hurricane is coming, we can actually roll up our walkway, put it away and not lose our walkway,” Hock said. “It’s also better for the overall dunes in the end. The honest truth is the way that the wood and everything was done there, there was a lot more damage issues that came with it.”

One of the community’s beach mats did break loose during a storm and was found on a neighboring beach, he said. The mat, intact and with little damage, was returned to the owners association and replaced along the accessway.

Chris Driver, an association manager with Seaside Management Inc. in Kitty Hawk, was first introduced to beach mats when he began recently managing a couple of communities in Duck.

The oceanfront communities of Osprey and Sea Ridge both use mats at their private accesses to the beach.

The mats were rolled up and removed to clear the way for beach nourishment and replaced after the project was completed.

“For the most part, it just makes the walking to the beach tremendously easier for everybody, but especially elderly,” Driver said. “They’re very easy to roll up. One man can definitely do most of the work. They’re pretty easy to work with.”

Coastal management officials advise beachfront property owners to contact their local Division of Coastal Management office or local permitting officer with questions regarding the use of beach mats.

A little more than $1.7 million will go to four coastal local governments for parks facilities for children and veterans living with disabilities.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced Friday that the Parks and Recreation Authority granted $9.6 million for 21 total projects statewide during a March 3 meeting.

The 2021 state budget included $10 million for the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to provide matching grants to local governments. Grants of $500,000 were awarded to 12 towns and counties, and grants ranging from $171,313 to $470,000 were awarded to 11 local government projects.

Bertie County was awarded $500,000 for an outdoor education and event space project, called a Tall Glass of Water, or TGOW, will offer open access to the water, hiking and camping. Accessible components include an ADA-accessible ramp, beach mats for improved navigation onto the beach and an accessible walkway from the parking area to the beach.

Also on the coast, Arapahoe was awarded $274,960 for Arapahoe Community Park, Jacksonville was awarded $500,000 for an inclusive and accessible baseball field at the Commons Recreation Complex called Inspiration Field, town documents state, and Wilmington was awarded $470, 044 for Maides Park inclusive playground, at 1101 Manly Ave.

“These projects touch communities from Watauga to Wake to Pamlico with lasting, accessible infrastructure for recreation that will bring improved health and quality of life for North Carolina families,” Cooper said in a statement. “The focus of accessibility reflects our need for — and commitment to — investing in projects that reflect the needs and abilities of all of our residents and visitors.”

Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary D. Reid Wilson said because the governor and General Assembly included historic funding levels in the budget for the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, “we are able to provide these grants to every corner of our state to improve accessibility in community recreation. These grants will produce significant progress toward providing recreation that meets each North Carolinian where they are.”

The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund is administered through the state Division of Parks and Recreation, which is part of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Local governments, including some public authorities, were eligible to apply for the matching grants.

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday in mid-June at Oceanana Pier in Atlantic Beach, perfect for Adaptive Surf Project of North Carolina’s first adaptive surfing day of the year.

Several blue beach access mats formed a path across the soft sand from the pier house about halfway to where the nonprofit had a few party canopies set up beside the pier. A crowd of volunteers, friends and family were finishing up a lunch donated by Panera Bread before heading back into the waves early that afternoon.

In its sixth year, the project based in Morehead City gives individuals living with any disability at any age a chance to surf. Volunteers join surfers on a modified surfboard to ride tandem or the surfer rides solo while volunteers in the water help steer the board safely to shore.

Director Christine Chadwick said in recent interview that the June event had about two dozen show up to surf, the biggest turnout they’ve had since she and her husband Will, along with a team of volunteers, launched the project. Chadwick is a professional photographer who resides with her family in Morehead City.

“It was amazing. There were nice waves, the weather was perfect, and the water was perfect.” In addition to the 24 surfers, there were about 20 volunteers on hand, and “none of this is possible without them,” Chadwick said.

Lisa Mozingo was there that Saturday, her first time with the project. “I swallowed half of Atlantic Beach bc I couldn’t stop smiling per usual. Butttttt I had an amazing time … thanks to Adaptive Surf Project,” Mozingo posted on Facebook June 16. 

Mozingo told Coastal Review in a followup interview that the surfing event was the first time she had participated in an adaptive sport in the 13 years of being completely paralyzed from a spinal cord injury. 

“I had seen friends surf before and always thought it looked like a blast. So once my wheel friend told me about the Adaptive Surf Project event, I knew this was my chance, and I had to be there,” she said. 

“The volunteers truly embody what it means to serve others. They do it gladly with a smile on their faces and joy in their heart. Those smiles and that joy definitely transferred to those of us that participated in the surfing event with our many different disabilities,” Mozingo added. “I fully believe that we are all deserving — disabled or not — of abundant lives, and I’m so thankful that ASPNC allowed me the chance to live abundantly that day.”

Chadwick said that many first-time adaptive surfers have a similar experience. Sometimes the surfer is unsure, but then you can see the joy on their face once they catch that first wave. “They’re ear-to-ear smiles.”

There will be two more adaptive surfing days this summer at Oceanana Pier. Registration is open online for the Aug. 20 surf day, which starts at 10 a.m. The last surf day of the year will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 24.

The adaptive project extends to the families of participants as well, Chadwick said. Though the project volunteers aren’t necessarily teaching surfing lessons, if a family member wants to join, they’re welcome. 

Chadwick’s journey to establish the Adaptive Surf Project in North Carolina started when her older brother – she is one of four siblings — was injured at 17 in a dirt bike accident and became quadriplegic. He died 13 years after his accident on Christmas Eve. While he was alive, she said their family was heavily involved in the disability community. After his death, she said she wanted to stay involved and find a way to honor her brother. 

Though her brother loved to ride dirt bikes, Chadwick said that wasn’t something she did. She had heard of adaptive watersports though, and since she and her husband like to surf, she started looking for adaptive activities at the beach to volunteer. This was about 13 years ago. 

She learned of an adaptive surfing event at Wrightsville Beach, and they decided to check it out to see how adaptive surfing works. 

Though it was a small turnout, “I just remember I cried happy tears the whole time.” There were people like her brother as well as others in completely different situations, “and it was just so cool to see.”

From then on, Chadwick said they volunteered at the adaptive surfing events. During this time, she met a few Carteret County residents living with disabilities who would attend. She talked about having an adaptive surfing event on the Crystal Coast, but was unsure of how many would show up and if there were enough people in the area who would be interested. Still, she decided to move forward with the idea.

While working on establishing a nonprofit organization, Chadwick learned about a group in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, named the Adaptive Surf Project. She contacted the South Carolina group’s organizers who offered to help by making the North Carolina project a chapter.

The two programs have a similar name and work together, but the two organizations are separate entities. “We handle our finances. So the money that is donated to us goes right back out into our communities,” Chadwick said.

The first surf day was held in 2016 at Fort Macon State Park. Two surfers and a handful of volunteers showed up, including volunteers from the Myrtle Beach organization who brought the special gear needed for adaptive surfing. 

In the beginning, the North Carolina project relied on the Myrtle Beach organization for equipment. Now, Chadwick said, they’ve raised enough money to buy their own gear. A few years back they received a grant to purchase a trailer to store and transport everything.

“The first few years was a little bit slow to take off,” Chadwick explained, noting that while she didn’t think that there was a need in Carteret County, “ever since we started, people have been coming out of the woodwork.”

To get the surfer safely in the water, beach wheelchairs made to move roll across sand that floats in the water are used. Once in the water, volunteers help transfer the surfer onto an adaptive surfboard, which is like a modified paddleboard, and then either ride tandem and paddle the board out or help the surfer paddle out if they’re riding solo. During the ride, more volunteers form lines on each side of the surfer to help keep the them safe all the way to the shore.

When people ask her about volunteering, she tells them they don’t have to learn or be able to surf, “as long as you like hanging out on the beach all day, it’s for you” and there’s plenty to do on the sand, especially help with check-in, selling T-shirts, coordinating lunch on adaptive surf days and more generally. 

As for donations, funds and equipment are welcome. People can donate extra life jackets and wetsuits, in any condition. A volunteer takes the older wetsuits to make elbow and wrist pads for surfers, to help prevent pressure wounds. Monetary donations go toward buying equipment. Right now, they’re trying to raise money for more beach access mats. 

During surf days, beachgoers often drop by and ask about the program, talk to those participating and ask if their friends or family can join. They’re able to learn about adaptive surfing and see that “anybody can do anything. They just might need a friend to help them out,” Chadwick said.

The American Council of the Blind awarded the Wright Brothers National Memorial the 2022 Achievement in Audio Description Award in the visual art/museums/visitor centers/organization category.

The award for accessible exhibits installed in 2018 in the National Historic Landmark visitor center at Wright Brothers National Memorial was announced Monday by the council.

The exhibit was designed with a heavy emphasis on universally accessible experiences, including audio description, Braille brochures, tactile models, manipulative interactive exhibits and expanded audio description of the memorial grounds through the National Park Service Mobile App.

“While developing new exhibits for Wright Brothers National Memorial’s visitor center, National Park Service staff, both past and present, worked diligently to make them accessible and inclusive,” David Hallac, superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, said in a statement Tuesday. “Thanks to their hard work, the park received this prestigious award.”

Achievement awards are given to individuals or organizations for outstanding contributions to the establishment and continued development of significant audio description programs, according to the American Council of the Blind.

“Audio description uses words that are succinct, vivid and imaginative to convey visual images from television, film, DVDs, theater, museums and many other settings,” Dan Spoone, president of the American Council of the Blind, said. “The organizations and individuals honored with these awards are among the leaders in description.”

Learn more about accessibility at Wright Brothers National Memorial on the Park Service website.

Kure Beach has the state’s go-ahead to place a mat for wheelchair users at three varying beach accesses throughout the season.

The Coastal Resources Commission during its regular meeting April 28 in Manteo approved the variance to place the Architectural Barriers Act/Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant beach accessibility mat at accesses at 99 Atlantic Ave., 110 Atlantic Ave., and 140 Atlantic Ave.

The town plans to use one mat and vary the location of that mat between May and September.

The town applied Feb. 21 to the Division of Coastal Management for a Coastal Area Management Act minor development permit for the proposed use of the mat. The division denied the application March 8 because of an inconsistency with two rules, which is why the commission was voting on the variance during the meeting.

The intent is for the beach mats to facilitate greater beach access for individuals with mobility disabilities, to foster greater sense of independence for those individuals and enhance opportunities for public beach access, Alyssa Wright, assistant general counsel, explained to the commission during the meeting.

Jim Eldridge, town attorney, added that the mat is flexible, durable, nonobtrusive, easy to remove and easy to install.

The commission had previously approved accessible beach mats for other towns including Carolina Beach.

Summer Michaud-Skog has called a small coastal town in Oregon home the last few years during the pandemic.

Before the world stopped, she had been traveling the country in her mother’s old minivan, establishing chapters of Fat Girls Hiking and finding accessible hiking trails.

Fat Girls Hiking, a group she founded in the mid-2010s, is described as a nationwide fat activism, body liberation and outdoor community to take the stigma out of the word fat and empower people to live their best life. Fat Girls Hiking has more than 37,000 Instagram followers and nearly three dozen official chapters across the country.

After Michaud-Skog’s cross-country trip, she was approached by Timber Press in Portland, Oregon, to write about the Fat Girls Hiking community. “Fat Girls Hiking: An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability” was published March 29 and is available online.

In 2014 when Michaud-Skog, who is now in her early 40s, and her girlfriend at the time began hiking frequently, she didn’t often see people that looked like her on the trails or on outdoor-focused social media.

“I am a queer, fat, heavily tattooed woman with chronic pain who hikes in dresses,” Michaud-Skog writes early in the book. “I don’t have money for ‘proper’ outdoor gear and most of it doesn’t even come in my size, so I get by with what’s available.”

She wrote that often during their hikes, especially during challenging sections, they would sing “we’re just two fat girls hiking.” It made them laugh. “It was a comfort to know that it didn’t matter to us that we were fat girls hiking, we just loved being outside.”

The next year, in 2015, Michaud-Skog began looking for diversity in outdoor social media. She decided to create the Instagram account, Fat Girls Hiking. “I shared photographs and wrote about trails, campsites and road trips.” She also has a Fat Girls Hiking Facebook page. The community grew through the online presence, evolving into in-person meetups.

In the book, she stresses that the goal of Fat Girls Hiking is not to lose weight but to create a community “where fat folks could be outdoors together.” She uses the phrase, “Trails Not Scales” to emphasize the importance of “a fat outdoor community that isn’t focused on weight-loss or diet talk.”

Michaud-Skog, who spent her youth in rural Minnesota, and others in the Fat Girls Hiking community share in the book how they found their place outdoors.

“The FGH community is full of people with lots of different identities and backgrounds who come together to support one another and find joy and healing in one another’s company,” she writes. “Each member is finding their own ways to connect to the outdoors.”

She also writes advice on how to hike, what to wear, equipment, what to bring and other ways to make hiking in larger bodies more comfortable, which can be applied to many outdoor activities.

In a recent interview with Coastal Review, Michaud-Skog explained that though the name is Fat Girls Hiking, the community is not just for fat girls and not just hiking. Instead it’s pushing back on the idea of who representation in the outdoors, and to redefine what it means to be a hiker and to hike.

“It doesn’t have to be a certain mile. It doesn’t have to be a certain elevation gain, I think the most important thing is to go somewhere,” she said, whatever is accessible, if it’s the wetlands, old-growth forests, “find something that excites you.”

The “gatekeepers,” as she calls them, can happen in any industry and are those saying you have to do this a certain way and be wearing a certain thing, otherwise it’s not considered a real hike.

“For me, it’s a hike if you’re outside walking in nature. It’s a hike, and I think it’s the intention. You don’t have to let other people define what the hike is,” she said.

Michaud-Skog said that you can use mobile apps or Google to find features that pique your interest and stir the motivation.

“I really got into birding when the pandemic started, so that was really exciting to me,” she said, “I honestly never thought that would interest me but now I am fascinated with different types of birds.”

She bought binoculars and a book on birds and spent a lot of time outdoors birdwatching, she said.

It’s a fun activity to do outside, she continued, and feels like the pace of the activity, particularly for slower hikers, those with chronic pain or a disability, is pretty accessible, especially if you have like a place to sit. “And it’s a really cool connection to nature because you get to see birds up close. To me, it’s exciting.”

Michaud-Skog explained that hiking also motivated her try other outdoor activities.

“I think it really inspired me to try things that I didn’t think that I could do because of the size of my body. Would it be different? And how would it be different?” she said. “I think for me doing a lot of research on a particular activity that I want to try before I would do it is really helpful.”

She cited kayaking and paddleboarding as examples of popular activities on the coast that may seem inaccessible for some body types.

“There are things you need to think about with something like kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding,” such as, is there a weight limit? “This is something that I think people who maybe aren’t fat or plus size, they wouldn’t even think about … that it might not even work for somebody who’s a certain way.”

Michaud-Skog leads retreats where participants do more than hike, and she has to call ahead and ask if the equipment works for people who are this size or that size.

“And so for me, I think the easiest way for me to feel more comfortable in taking up space is to have the information that I will need in order to feel comfortable, or at least know what to expect when I get to the outfitter, or get to the place where I’m going to rent a kayak. Do they even have gear that’s going to accommodate me? That’s really important.”

Many don’t want to put themselves in an uncomfortable place by trying something new, but Michaud-Skog said doing so was an experience of personal growth for her.

“Even if maybe I didn’t do well, because a lot of times trying new things — especially if you’re not a person who’s represented usually in kayaking or watersports — you’re probably not going to be good at it,” she said. That can be really hard for some, but the confidence comes after, not when you’re doing it.

She said people tell her all the time that the outdoors is for everyone, and she fully agrees, “but the thing that’s tricky is (that) we’re not all represented in the same way,” and that’s especially true for people who have access needs, including wheelchair users or those with chronic pain.

If a person wants to get outdoors, Michaud-Skog said its critical to know what their body needs and not allow shame to interfere with those needs.

“If you’re outdoors and need to sit down, there’s nothing wrong with that,” she said, adding that while it may not look like how other people hike a trail, it’s what you need, and once we are able to meet our own needs, we grow trust and confidence. “Plus, having that connection with nature is so special. It really improves our mental well-being,” Michaud-Skog continued.

It’s also good for the environment, she added.

“I think (that) if more people are in love with nature, more people are going to want to protect it,” she said. “The more people we have in the world who say ‘I want to protect natural spaces, and I want future generations to have access to this’ — that’s really important to me, too — but it starts with people being able to feel comfortable to go out there and take up that space and see the amazing beauty that nature has to offer.”

The state Coastal Resources Commission has granted the town of Topsail Beach permission to install beach mats for wheelchair users at three handicapped-accessible beach access sites during the summer months.

The action came during the commission’s regular meeting Wednesday at Beaufort Hotel. The commission sets policy for the state’s coastal management program and adopts rules regarding coastal development.

“We’re pleased to roll out this blue carpet and to welcome those who are disabled to our beaches to enjoy it,” said Steve Coggins, an attorney who represented the town in the variance request.

The town applied in April for the Coastal Area Management Area minor permit to install the mats for use from May through September. The mats are 5 feet wide and are between 80 feet and 100 feet long. The division in May denied the permit because the mats do not comply with two oceanfront setback rules.

Topsail Beach then sought the variance to continue placing the beach mats for wheelchair access to the dry sand beach, as they’ve done each summer since 2019.

Floating structures

The commission also heard from the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Ana Zivanovic-Nenadovic, assistant director of policy, on floating structures, which are structures like pilings, gear anchors and floating platforms associated with shellfish leases and may require a CAMA permit.

The commission in recent years has seen increased interest in the floating structures. The division requested new guidance on how limitations detailed in a general policy can be incorporated into a supportive management strategy for the expanding shellfish industry while limiting effects on public trust waters. Under state policy, floating structures are not allowed in coastal public trust waters except in permitted marinas, and all floating structures must conform with local regulations for on-shore sewage treatment.

Records of shellfish farming in North Carolina date back at least 150 years, Zivanovic-Nenadovic said in noting the cultural and historical significance of aquaculture.

She explained that the North Carolina General Assembly in the last few years had given weight to encouraging the development of private, commercial shellfish cultivation in ways that are compatible with other public trust uses.

About five years ago, the state mandated a stakeholder group look at ways to foster development, which the federation headed up. The North Carolina Shellfish Mariculture Strategic Plan set the goal to grow the industry to $100 million in market value by 2030. Now the industry is between $3 million and $5 million. The General Assembly passed legislation based on recommendations in the plan, she said.

In addition to leading the stakeholder process, the federation developed a feasibility study to learn the industry’s logistical needs, finding that the top impediment to existing growers and the top barrier to entry for new growers is access to prime growing water. This is mainly due to the high cost of waterfront property. Growers also lack work areas, and the federation seeks to establish a hub for shellfish farmers to work and helped develop a low-interest loan program.

Some of the main activities performed on floating structures include harvesting oysters, culling and packaging for market and tagging the bag — all of which must be done under shade.

While this can be done on land, it’s not practical, she said, because of a lack of public access to the water and access to storage and refrigeration in rural areas.

Based on conversations with growers, Zivanovic-Nenadovic said it was determined that a movable floating structure able to fit an oyster grader, power washer and a work area is the biggest need. Benefits include work area, protection from the elements and better product shading.

The commission asked the division staff to research and pursue options to help the growers while also protecting the public trust areas.