Emerald Isle commissioners are expected to consider at their meeting later this month raising tenfold the town-imposed penalty for violations involving damage to primary dunes.

The proposal, one that would increase the fine from $1,000 to $10,000, was unanimously approved last Tuesday by the town’s planning board and comes on the heels of Emerald Isle’s issuance of a cease-and-desist order for construction on an oceanfront lot.

Remarque Home Builders LLC was slapped with a notice of violation and ordered to stop working at 3405 Ocean Drive until the dune destroyed at the property, as well as a designated natural area on the lot, have been fully restored.

“I’ve been working as a beach town manager for most of my career, nearly three decades, and this is the most egregious violation I have ever seen,” Emerald Isle Town Manager Frank Rush said by telephone late Wednesday.

Carving more than 5,600 square feet of primary dune that buffered the lot from the oceanfront beach is a violation of the Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, minor permit the builder’s obtained May 1, 2024.

The developer also violated a town ordinance that requires 35% of a lot remain as undisturbed natural area.

The owners of the Cedar Point-based limited liability company did not respond to Coastal Review’s request for comment in time for publication, but in a statement to WCTI-TV, the owners said they were “cooperating fully” with the state and the town.

“We are working cooperatively with the regulators to finalize a remediation plan, to restore the dune in accordance with their directives, and to satisfy any lawful fines or penalties that may be assessed. We will continue to do what the Town and CAMA ask for us until this matter is fully resolved. Dune stewardship along the coast is a shared responsibility.”

It is unclear why the dune was leveled.

“The questions being examined at our property, such as how construction, landscaping and dune work interact with CAMA requirements, are not unique to 3405 Ocean Drive,” Remarque Home Builders said in the email. “We understand that similar work has been undertaken by other owners on Ocean Drive without triggering comparable regulatory action.”

“We raise this not to deflect responsibility, but to underscore that these are questions faced by many property owners along the coast, and by the regulators charged with applying the same standards to each of them,” the statement continues. “We welcome a regulatory process that produces clear, consistent guidance and even-handed enforcement across all similarly situated properties, and we are committed to helping that process succeed here.”

Rush said that sand from the dune was redistributed on the 0.43-acre lot and, in some cases, pushed onto adjacent properties.

“Essentially they have to put it back the way it was,” he said.

That entails restoring the dune to its original height of around 25 to 26 feet and planting it with vegetation commonly used for dune stabilization.

Under the terms of the notice of violation, the developer will also have to resubmit a new, separate pool permit so town staff “can judge that application on its own merits after this violation is completely resolved.”

The town’s notice of violation issued April 22 came with a $1,000 fine. The developer also faces an estimated $1,000 state-imposed fine, according to the town. If the limited liability company does not come into compliance within 60 days, the developer will be fined $1,000 a day until work is complete.

“They’ve indicated they intend to rectify it much sooner than that,” Rush said.

The town will not issue a certificate of occupancy for the 7,300-square-foot, 12-bedroom, 13 ½-bath house listed for $6 million until the repairs and restoration have been completed, he said.

Remarque, in its statement, reiterated that the property is privately owned and asked the media and public to stay off the lot where the conspicuously missing dune has drawn the ire of area residents and property owners who’ve taken to social media to express their outrage.

“If this is not escalated appropriately, it opens the door for others to push limits, take shortcuts, and deal with the consequences later. That is not a precedent we can afford to set in Emerald Isle,” Jamie Vogel, a former town commissioner, wrote in a social media post last month.

“The oceanfront dunes provide critical storm protection, aesthetic, and ecological value for Emerald Isle and the Town places the highest priority on a healthy beach strand and dune field,” Rush wrote in the May edition of the town’s newsletter Emerald Tidings. “Collectively, the community has invested tens of millions of dollars in beneficial beach nourishment projects over the past 23 years, and these sane placement efforts have resulted in the significant augmentation of existing dunes and the construction of new dunes to advance the Town’s goals. The Town’s existing dune protection regulation and State CAMA regulations are carefully crafted to balance dune protection, private property rights, and overall storm protection for the entire community and the violations at 3405 Ocean Drive were clear and obvious.”

The Emerald Isle Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing during its May 12 meeting at 7500 Emerald Drive before considering amending an ordinance to increase the penalty for violations that involve primary dunes. That meeting will begin at 6 p.m.

Guest Commentary

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues. 

It was a losing battle from the start, watching the inevitable rising and receding of the waves simultaneously fill up the hole I had been digging, and swiftly erode the accompanying pile of sand I had dug.

Perhaps it is an intrinsic childhood need to move sand from one location to another. As Sisyphean as the task may seem to an adult, sand is an all-encompassing playground; a place to dig in, sink into, and even to create your own tide pool/hot tub as the waves accentuate your enjoyment.

My first exposure to the sand with every beach trip was the arduous trek (for a young child) up the stairs of the public beach access point down Heverly Drive in Emerald Isle.

I would pause in equal measure to catch my breath and take in just how cool it was to be atop the dunes, peering down on the crashing Atlantic Ocean below. But my expeditions into the dunes as a child were limited to exactly this: brief crossings on established wooden traverses. The landscape of the dunes was dotted with sign after sign stating, in no ambiguous terms, to keep off of their sea oat-covered crests. 

Folks from all over North Carolina and beyond flock to the Crystal Coast to experience the sensation of warm sand on their toes, the waves crashing on top of them, and perhaps a shrimp burger (or 10). Whether or not they realize it, visitors and residents pass through several distinct ecosystems as they stroll toward the beckoning ocean. The first ecosystem is the maritime forest, where hardy Live oaks and Wax myrtles make their living despite the sandy soil.

Then you reach the dunes, where crystal skippers eke out a living amongst the stalwart grasses that stitch the Bogue Banks in place against the ravages of the wind and waves. Afterwards comes the open beach, which might seem like a domain reserved exclusively for beachgoers but is also one that provides critical habitat for nesting least terns and loggerhead sea turtles.

Lastly before the ocean, the area where the waves first crash on the beach is known as the swash zone, where sanderlings, a small wading bird, can be frequently observed searching for bivalves. All of these ecosystems are within sight of each other, and yet their differences can be felt the moment one no longer has a delicious sea breeze standing behind the dunes. 

Flash forward to the present day, and I am a member of a team of scientists tasked with flaunting each and every one of these signs, looking straight at passersby as we rock our highlighter yellow vests and our sweat and sunscreen-streaked faces. We catch our breath and explain to these folks the nature of what we are doing.

“We are researchers with NC State and the North Carolina Aquarium, studying a butterfly endemic to this area called the crystal skipper,” we repeat to various folks taking an interest in our work.

One of the most underappreciated skills required of us is the ability to clarify what terms like “endemic” mean or to satiate people’s curiosity about the subject while being fully conscious of just how bad we smell after a day of traversing the hot and humid dunes.

What is it like to walk through the dunes? In a word, or several, hot, breezeless, and saturated with ankle-seizing smilax. One step takes the energy of three normal steps as the sand inevitably gives way on your ascent. The dunes blocking the sea breeze is likely important ecologically for our skippers, but that perspective is hard to maintain as the stifling air quickly dishevels and frustrates us. For nature nerds like myself, the presence of snakes and wheel bugs as well as the opportunity to study a rare species are well worth the effort. 

To answer that aforementioned question about what “endemic” means, it’s a term used in biology to refer to an organism whose range is restricted to a very specific place. Marine iguanas are endemic to the Galapagos Archipelago, lemurs are endemic to Madagascar, and the crystal skipper is endemic to our own coastal North Carolina.

North Carolina’s barrier islands are famous for how thin they are, and the crystal skipper’s range spans a mere 30 miles of said barrier islands. We as researchers are fairly fortunate in that this range encompasses not one, but two state parks: Hammocks Beach and Fort Macon. This means that we have a considerable amount of public land to study this species on.

True to the moniker of the Bogue Banks, the species can be identified by the distinctive white “crystals” speckling its brown wings. If you are fortunate enough to see a skipper, however, in some cases you might see black markings on their wings. Those are the codes that we have written onto their wings as a part of our mark-recapture study, where we endeavor to estimate the population of skippers in a given area based on the percentage, we are able to recapture.

But our research isn’t limited only to the adults, we spend substantial time looking through the seaside little bluestem, which is the grass the skippers are dependent on, to find and track the development of eggs and caterpillars as they stitch the grass around them into tents that would make the Spanish architect Gaudí proud.

This is all in addition to studying the habitat itself, which encapsulates everything from collecting nectar samples to taking seaside little bluestem samples back to the lab to assess desiccation. 

One of my favorite things about our work is that we find ourselves with equal frequency in the backcountry of the Crystal Coast in remote areas such as Bear Island, part of Hammocks Beach, as often as we find ourselves in the backyards of, at times, residents and unsuspecting tourists. This seems to encapsulate the essence of both conservation and preservation in our project.

One of the most fortuitous happenstances in the preservation of the crystal skipper is that roughly half of its range is already protected within Hammocks Beach State Park in the Swansboro area, which encompasses some of the undeveloped dune habitat in the state outside of its two national seashores. This land offers researchers a chance to observe the crystal skipper in an area of land that is wild and remote.

While we hope that our work will help ensure the population remains robust, the lives of individual adult crystal skippers are not very long. All skippers emerge during two time periods: April through early May and July through mid-August. Insects as a rule are very short-lived, and the crystal skipper is no exception with a lifespan of only one to two weeks.

The nature of our line of work means that multiple cycles of technicians such as myself will study the crystal skipper over summers as ephemeral as the butterfly itself. And while the crystal skipper is immortalized through passing on its genes, we hope that our legacy in the dunes is immortalized in others taking up this work after we have gone. And yet, at the same time, the crystal skipper is always here in the dunes with us, even when passers-by cannot see it.

The caterpillars are going about their business eating, making tents, and growing as they wage an often-unseen struggle for survival against the ravages of hurricanes and the myriad predators of the insect world. This is a struggle unseen by most passers-by in the dunes, and yet forms of the crystal skipper are always present in and around these select islands. It was here before our study of it began, and hopefully it will be here long after, both ever-present and ever-ephemeral. 

The Crystal Coast is many things. From the least terns laying their eggs on the beach to the deft slithering of eastern glass lizards to the skips and flutters of our beloved crystal skippers, nature permeates the man-made structures of the Crystal Coast. It’s an area where the natural world and the human history of the islands are both preserved and lived-in.

The islands of the Bogue Banks are narrow and yet flanking both sides of the narrow dividing roads are natural wonders and all the facets of human life. We, the human race, are locked in an existential struggle trying to figure out how to balance our own needs with those of the natural world.

Existential crises are often easier to face when we can break them into bite-sized pieces, and I believe that by learning to harmonize human life with the natural world here in the living laboratory of the Bogue Banks, we can help create a template for how to do so in the world at large. All of that is reflected in the rare and humble crystal skipper, a butterfly that is uniquely our own.

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review or our publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

The Kayak for the Warriors annual paddle challenge is set this year for Saturday, June 7, on the Bogue Banks.

Kayak for the Warriors is a group based in Pine Knoll Shores that raises funds for Hope For The Warriors, a national nonprofit organization founded in 2006 aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Onslow County.

“All funds go to ensure that the sacrifices of wounded and fallen warriors and their families are never forgotten nor their needs unmet, particularly with regard to the short and long-term care of the severely injured,” event organizers said.

The 3.2-mile paddle through the Pine Knoll Shores canals begins at 10 a.m. Fee is $50 for a single kayak/paddle board and $100 for a tandem kayak. Fee comes with a shirt and lunch for each paddler.

The awards ceremony and barbecue will follow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Garner Park. For those not racing in the event, the cost to participate in the lunch is $10 per person or $15 per family.  Kayak shirts will be available for sale.

“Join us for the annual Kayak Challenge, a thrilling event where participants race through scenic waters to raise funds for veterans. Enjoy a day filled with excitement, camaraderie, and the spirit of giving back. All proceeds go directly to Hope for the Warriors, supporting veterans and their families,” organizers said.

Kicking off the weekend is a reception with silent and live auctions set for 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 5, at the Crystal Coast Country Club in Pine Knoll Shores. Tickets are $25 each. Registration to attend closes Monday.

There will be hors d’oeuvres, music, silent and live auctions. Online bidding for silent auction items opened Thursday.  Bidders do not need to be present to win.

The annual Warrior Golf Tournament scheduled for Friday has sold out.

EMERALD ISLE — The Carteret County Beach Commission when it meets later this month is expected to hear results of the latest beach survey.

Nicole Vanderbeke with consulting firm Moffatt and Nichol is to present a report on the “state of the beach” during the meeting set for 2 p.m. Sept. 23 in the town board room.

The meeting may also be accessed via Zoom using meeting ID 558 442 7512 and password 728557. For phone-only access dial 833-548-0276 and use meeting ID 558 442 7512 and password 728557.

The meeting agenda includes a public comment period.

As the holiday season comes to an end, the stockings that were hung by the chimney with care are back in the box along with the keepsake ornaments and strands of lights that were just adorning the branches of your natural Christmas tree.

Now, what to do with the tree itself?

There are quite a few options here on the coast for proper disposal, from putting the tree on the curb for your town to pick up to donating it for dune stabilization. All require the tree be free of any decorations, including tinsel, lights, garland, hooks and ornaments.

The trees also can be used as a substitute for traditional sand fencing.

“The use of Christmas trees as a sand fencing alternative is a long-standing practice on our beaches to help stabilize and grow the dune system,” Division of Coastal Management regulatory section chief Jonathan Howell told Coastal Review.

There are rules for how the trees should be placed. Rows should be the width of a single tree, installed at a 45-degree angle to the shoreline, no more than 10 feet seaward of the toe of the natural dune, and there should be a minimum of 7 feet between trees. Trees should not impede emergency vehicle and public beach accesses or endanger sea turtles during nesting season, which kicks off in a few months.

“Following the sand fencing rules ensures the placement of Christmas trees allows for the continued enjoyment of the beach by the public and the protection of existing vegetation and habitat,” Howell added.

Audubon North Carolina Coastal biologist Lindsay Addison reiterated in an interview that following the division’s rules or obtaining the proper permit is the only legal way to leave your live Christmas tree on a beach or barrier island.

“There are rules about how sand fencing is set up to minimize harm to sea turtles and native beach ecosystems,” she said.

She said a few years back, there were about 50 trees left on a protected island, prompting Audubon to post signs reminding visitors not to leave trees.

“People think they’re doing good when they dump their natural trees on beaches or barrier islands, and I appreciate the thought but it’s just not helpful in the long run,” she said. “I’ve seen trees washed into the marsh, out on the beach and half buried in the foreshore where it’s an impediment to sea turtles.”

Though the tree is essentially debris and can cause harm to the wildlife, “there are many things you can do with your Christmas tree that’s positive,” Addison said, including composting the tree or donating it to a dune stabilization program.

Onslow County Extension Agent Emilee Morrison agrees that recycling the Christmas tree is a great way to help the environment.

“By repurposing your tree, you could improve your garden, provide wildlife habitat, create fish habitat, or even help stabilize sand dunes. Live trees take years of care and maintenance to grow to the size you purchase them as, so why not add that resource back to the environment rather than taking them to the landfill,” she said.

Morrison suggested in a guide for recycling trees a handful of options including using a chipper to reduce small limbs to compost, place branches on top of landscaped beds, submerge the tree in a private fishpond to become a fish feeding refuge, check with area wildlife shelters to see if they can use the tree, or donate the tree for dune stabilization efforts.

Addison said Fort Macon State Park in Atlantic Beach “is a great example of a Christmas tree program.”

The state park has collected trees since the 1960s for dune stabilization.

Park Ranger Benjamin Fleming reiterated that tinsel and Christmas lights should be removed before dropping off the tree at the designated area in the parking lot.

“We continue to receive lots of trees that have both left on and we have to spend hours pulling it all off. And usually, the lights are in working condition,” he said.

Also on the island, Surfrider Bogue Banks is collecting natural trees at the corner of Islander and Emerald drives in Emerald Isle now through Jan. 26 as part of their seventh annual holiday tree collection.

“We ask that volunteers please drop off clean, live trees for us to recycle and use in essential dune creation at The Point in Emerald Isle,” Chair Jen Welborn said, adding the request that all lights, ornaments, plastic, tags, garland, tinsel and other decorations be removed from the trees before they’re dropped off.

The dune restoration event is scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 27. Volunteers will help move and secure all of the trees at The Point, the western most beach in Emerald Isle. Volunteers are needed, including those with pickup trucks, work gloves and rubber mallets.

“Last year we collected 336 trees with a grand total of over 1,000 since this projects’ inception in 2018. We are expecting even more trees this year as many local businesses and municipalities will be participating,” she said.

Jason Holland at Gimme Some Mower Lawn Care, LLC has volunteered to pick up trees for those who are unable. He can be reached at 919-623-0653.

For a $10 suggested donation, Sea Scout Ship and Maritime Explorer Club 7730 will collect discarded trees for Fort Macon State Park or Emerald Isle.

Those interested in volunteering can email volunteercoordinator@boguebanks.surfrider.org.

Cape Fear Surfrider is working with Carolina Beach for the organization’s ninth dune restoration event. The town will collect the Christmas trees to be used for restoration during scheduled yard debris pick up.

“This event is always a great way to kick off the year by helping to stop erosion of our dunes and reduce spending on beach re-nourishment, and also helps to rebuild natural habitats, protect ocean front property, and divert old trees from the landfill,” organizers said. Coffee and donuts will be provided. Bring a shovel, tape measure and scissors.

Better Beaches OBX expect a large shipment of Christmas trees in the coming days. Organizers will announce when volunteers are needed to help place the trees on dunes through its Facebook page.

A handful of wildlife rescues can also make good use of your natural trees including SkyWatch Bird Rescue in Castle Hayne at 855-407-3728, Wild at Heart Wildlife Sanctuary in Richlands at 910-430-0794, Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary at 119 Doe Drive, Hubert, and Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter at 100 Wildlife Way, Newport.

By County

Beaufort County does not offer Christmas tree recycling but the residents can dispose of the trees in their regular yard waste.

Brunswick County Landfill in Bolivia will accept live trees at no charge from Jan. 2-31.  After Jan. 31, normal tipping fees apply. Live Christmas trees are accepted for $5 per tree at the convenience centers from Jan. 2-31. All ornaments, lights and decorations must be removed..

Camden County does not currently have a county-run program for natural tree disposal or recycling.

Carteret County officials recommend donating live Christmas trees to Fort Macon State Park or explore options provided by towns across the county that accept trees for recycling.

Beaufort collects live Christmas trees from the curb, separate from yard debris by 7 a.m. every Monday this month. Cedar Point will collect live trees free of decorations from curbsides. Both will deliver the trees to Fort Macon.

Residents of Chowan, Perquimans and Gates counties can recycle their live Christmas trees by in the yard waste containers at one of the many convenience sites or taking the tree to the PCG Transfer Station in Belvidere.

Live Christmas trees are used in the composting program, which turns trees and yard debris into compost and mulch. Compost and mulch produced through this program are available free to community members and those living in the surrounding areas.

Edenton allows residents to put the natural trees for collection at the curb. Public Works delivers the trees to the American Legion Fairgrounds for the Edenton-Chowan Educational Foundation to host an annual bonfire using the trees as a fundraiser for the school system.

Craven County Solid Waste Director Steven Aster said there are several options for disposing of a natural Christmas tree.

Residents can take natural trees to any of the seven convenience centers in Craven County which are open from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and 1-6:30 p.m. Sunday. Craven County will deliver the natural trees to the landfill for composting or chipping.

Residents of the county’s municipalities should check with their town about curbside collection.

New Bern residents can place their natural Christmas trees free of all decorations, lights and the tree stand on the curb for pickup. The trees must be no more than 5 feet in length and 5 inches in diameter so that the town’s equipment can pick them up. These trees will be mulched to use in city landscaping projects.

Currituck County has eight recycling centers and each will accept live Christmas trees with all decorations and tinsel removed.

Dare County residents in unincorporated areas can take their undecorated Christmas trees to be turned into mulch to Manns Harbor Transfer Station at 1603 Cub Road or to the Dare County Public Works Compound on Roanoke Island.

Duck is collecting trees from the roadside Jan. 8 and Jan. 15. Undecorated and tinsel-free trees should be placed on the curb the night before for their scheduled collection day.

In Southern Shores, Christmas trees may be placed in limb/branch piles for collection during scheduled pickup. All metal and decorations must be removed.

Kitty Hawk residents should place their undecorated trees on the curbside on their normal trash collection day.

Kill Devil Hills will be collecting Christmas trees beginning Wednesday, Jan. 10. Trees must be placed in the street right-of-way no later than Tuesday, Jan. 9. No artificial trees or other bulk trash items will be collected.

Nags Head will collect undecorated Christmas trees as a part of the town’s monthly bulk item/brush roadside collection service.

Manteo will collect undecorated Christmas trees from roadsides as a part of the town’s regular Monday and Thursday sanitation runs.

New Hanover County residents who do not have residential trash and yard waste pickup from Wilmington can recycle their Christmas trees for free through Jan. 31.

“We know a lot of people take great pride in decorating for the holidays, but once the season is over many don’t have a way to dispose of their natural décor,” Recycling and Solid Waste Director Joe Suleyman said in a statement. “We’re grateful for this longstanding partnership with The Home Depot which makes sure that real Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands are recycled into mulch and composted for use in New Hanover County parks, gardens and grounds. This program helps reduce waste in our landfill and keeps our environment clean.”

The yearly program is a partnership between the county’s recycling and solid waste department and Home Depot stores in the county.

The drop-off locations are at the Home Depot, 5511 Carolina Beach Road, The Home Depot, 210 Eastwood Road, and New Hanover County Landfill, 5210 US Highway 421 North.  

Residents utilizing this service will see fenced-in areas in The Home Depot parking lots marked with signage to drop-off locations. At the drop-off site, residents are asked to stack materials as neatly as possible due to limited space.

All trees, wreaths and garlands must have lights, ornaments, stands and tinsel removed. Artificial trees and decorations will not be accepted.

Onslow County will accept real Christmas trees at the landfill and convenience sites at 122 Carver Drive in Jacksonville and 320 Old Folkstone Road in Holly Ridge. 

Cost is $3 per tree at the convenience sites and $31 per ton at the landfill, which equals to $0.31 per 20 pounds. 

Used Christmas lights may be placed in the red Christmas lights bin at the landfill for recycling.

All sites accept artificial Christmas trees as recyclable metal at no charge.

Jacksonville’s sanitation crew picks up Christmas trees as part of their yard waste collection and takes them to the county landfill. 

Swansboro residents can place their undecorated trees curbside Jan. 2-19 or drop them off at the public works yard outside the fence. Pickup will occur daily, however on Wednesdays, when yard waste collection occurs, ensure that the trees are placed curbside separately from yard waste.

Hammocks Beach State Park in Swansboro will not be accepting trees this year.

North Topsail Beach is having the “Grinding of the Greens” Jan. 17. Residents can drop off live Christmas trees at Jeffries parking lot, 316 New River Inlet Road, by Jan. 14. Free mulch will be available for pick up after Jan. 17.

Pamlico County residents can dispose of their Christmas trees at the county landfill at cost of disposal.

Pasquotank County residents can dispose of their natural tree at one of the county’s convenience sites or the landfill. Trees will be placed with other yard waste and chipped into mulch.

Pender County residents may dispose of their Christmas trees at the county’s convenience centers for three weeks following Christmas.

The Rocky Point Convenience Center at 16232 N.C. 210 is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The Hampstead Convenience Center at 250 Transfer Station Road is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Christmas tinsels, ornaments, lights, ribbons, etc., should be removed from the trees before being disposed of in the designated cans.

Washington County Landfill will accept real Christmas trees with all decorations removed.

Reprinted from Carteret County News-Times

PINE KNOLL SHORES — Current state Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein sat with staff from the North Carolina Coastal Federation and town officials Monday at Pine Knoll Shores Town Hall to learn more about the work being done to maintain a living shoreline and manage stormwater runoff in the community.

Since 2005, the Coastal Federation has received more than $2.5 million in Environmental Enhancement Grants, or EEGs, from the attorney general’s office to protect the environment.

During the discussion, Stein said his office has given more than 200 grants totaling $40 million over the years for conservation efforts.

Part of the money comes from an agreement with Smithfield Foods in which they pay the state $2 million annually to be regranted for environmental purposes.

“The funds go towards things like stormwater runoff mitigation or riparian buffers,” Stein said. “These water quality enhancements make sure our drinking water is safe and clean. We are trying to train the next generation of scientists, with one element of the program that identifies important agricultural technologies to try and mitigate the potential impact of particularly large-scale animal agriculture.”

Environmental enhancements are not limited in the state to only the coastal regions, Stein continued. Western North Carolina also has seen significant strides to address water concerns.

“Water quality is a real concern for all across North Carolina,” Stein said. “It’s been a really important program that we’ve been very proud to operate.”

Town Commissioner Clark Edwards explained at the meeting that the situation of sea level rise and recurrent flooding wasn’t something that was always really accepted, but that the public’s perception was finally catching up to the science.

“We live on the coast and people used to say if it floods, it floods, but we had no provisions for water,” Edwards said. “We’ll never say we’re there, but we’re almost to where people feel much more confident, and we have to recognize that mother nature is really in charge. That doesn’t mean we’re guaranteed no floods, but we’re much better off than we were 15 years ago.”

Also speaking on the subject at Monday’s meeting was Coastal Federation Executive Director Todd Miller, who addressed the progress that has been made over the past decade.

“Since 2018 and 2017, these types of living shoreline projects have caught fire around the nation,” Miller said. “It’s become easier to happen for the residential side.”

Part of these demonstration projects already installed in the area have made people comfortable with the technology and how it’s done, Miller explained.

“The consumers are more comfortable, and we’re seeing more demand,” Miller said. “Moderate and smaller scale projects happen more quickly, larger ones are still in the early adopter phase of getting people working through the policy questions. The big projects are still tough. Particularly at the federal and state level, they are doing a pretty good job keeping up with it, but there is a bottleneck in permitting. They just don’t have the staff to manage these big projects.”

Miller said his organization has several larger projects in the works right now that are sitting in limbo until regulations and permits are figured out, including a shoreline project soundside at Fort Macon State Park.

Following the discussion, Stein and company took a tour of nearby Memorial Park to view its living shoreline. They also visited Acorn Court to check out the subsurface water systems.

This story is provided courtesy of the Carteret County News-Times, published in Morehead City. Coastal Review partners with the News-Times to provide our readers with news of the North Carolina coast.

EMERALD ISLE – A state highway contractor is to begin Sunday instituting daytime lane closures on weekdays on the two-lane Emerald Isle bridge on N.C. 58 for the ongoing bridge preservation project.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the contractor is to follow the following schedule for lane closures on the B. Cameron Langston Bridge until March 31, when the project is scheduled to be completed:

• Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, potentially all day and night.

The contractor may elect to work either Saturday or Sunday, or both days, on the weekends, officials said. The contractor in September resumed the rehabilitation work under nighttime lane closures.

Drivers should proceed cautiously over the bridge and expect possible delays.

As with most highway contracts, there will be no lane closures on the bridge during the holiday periods of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The exact dates when there will be no closures over the upcoming holidays are listed at this DriveNC.gov webpage.

When a lane is closed, flagging operations will be used to allow traffic from each direction to take turns crossing the bridge, so drivers should expect delays and proceed cautiously in the work zone.

EMERALD ISLE – Town commissioners plan to hear from the public again before deciding on the next step for McLean-Spell Park. The 30-acre, sound-side maritime forest is the largest undeveloped track in town.

Mayor Jason Holland said Tuesday during the meeting, which was held in-person and streamed live on Facebook, that while the board was to hear proposed park plans that night, it would not be taking action. He added that there would be another meeting regarding the park in December or later with a public hearing before the board votes.

McLean-Spell Park, which has existing walking trails, is named after the town’s two founding families and is bordered by homes, a town park, the police and fire stations, a community center, Archers Creek — a tributary of Bogue Sound — and surrounding wetlands, according to town documents. The town purchased the property in 2018 for $3.1 million before a developer could move forward with a proposed 230-plus condominium development. The land had been zoned for multifamily development but has since been restricted to pedestrian traffic only.

“Acquisition of McLean Spell Park is a major accomplishment for the entirety of Emerald Isle. It helps to preserve a large segment of maritime forest, allow for public usage of the land, and protect the dark sky compliance for local military training operations,” Town Manager Matt Zapp told Coastal Review on Wednesday. Some of the funding to purchase the property was through the Department of the Defense, under the condition a restrictive easement was placed over the entire property to avoid development or uses that would be incompatible with Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and its outlying facilities.

Zapp recommended during the meeting Tuesday a two-phased approach for the park to both meet the needs of the residents and conserve the undeveloped land. The two phases were detailed in a master plan report, which Zapp presented to the board and public for the first time.

Phase one would include an arborist report, trail maintenance, exercise stations, a dog park for small and large dogs, a water fountain, and a picnic shelter. Phase two is to mostly take place outside of the McLean-Spell Park boundary, and would include updating the nearby Blue Heron Park restroom facility and adding an educational deck and pickleball courts, according to the town.

The $3.1 million property provided the town with the ability to maintain the undeveloped land, as opposed to seeing over 300 potential dwelling units built there, Zapp said. “So, one major victory has already been accomplished.”

The constant theme is keeping the park natural, preserving the maritime forest and focusing on green spaces, he added.

The project was paid for with $1.5 million from the Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program, $500,000 from North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, $545,000 from the Clean Water Management Trust, a $600,000 contribution and a 10-year installment loan from Truist Bank, the town manager explained.

The town contracted with the Wilmington-based Summit Design & Engineering this spring to develop a master plan for the park, which Zapp presented to commissioners Tuesday. The engineering firm worked with the town to ask the public what they wanted in a park, and collected socioeconomic information to ensure the community was accurately represented.  

Zapp said Tuesday that more than 1,200 people joined in the conversation about what they’d like to see at McLean-Spell Park through a survey, two virtual meetings and an in-person meeting over the summer. Zapp first presented the results of the survey during the town’s August meeting.

“I’ve been in this business for nearly 20 years, and this is quite possibly some of the highest density results I’ve ever seen of a town-driven study,” he said Tuesday.

Zapp said many responses had keywords, such as dog parks, picnic areas, pickleball courts and exercise areas.

“When asked for general comments about the future development of McLean-Spell Park, a significant number of respondents stated that they would like to ‘keep the area natural,’ ‘preserve as many trees as possible,’ ‘keep it green,’ etc.,” the master plan states. 

Zapp stressed that the town’s administrative staff, elected officials and constituents would also like to see the area be kept a natural preservation of the maritime forest. 

“The whole idea of ‘nice matters,’ but green matters. So, keeping it green for all of us,” he said.

“Nice Matters” is the town motto.

“We wanted to focus on a strong support of keeping mature trees, a strong support for active walking trails, the cleanliness of them, the safety of them, the meandering of those trails, and maintaining the shady forest at McLean Spell Park,” he said. 

The focus led to the “first and most prudent step” in the master plan: to have a certified arborist assess the trees in the park for safety before any work begins.

Zapp reiterated the plans do not call for removing trees. The arborist would be brought on to help the town with any issues such as hanging branches, or trees with diseases that could cause concern.

He said bringing in the arborist is a best management practice to ensure the park is safe for use and the cost should be minimal.

“The next step for our parks team would be to begin engaging in that conversation (with an arborist) if any type of a plan to move forward was approved,” he said.

The public input also included the recommendation of trail updates that would entail maintaining the existing trails along its same meandering path to make them safer and adding exercise stations that would blend into the environment, a picnic shelter, and a water fountain. 

Also part of phase one is the recommendation for a dog park. The proposed dog park would be about an acre. Zapp said the land would not be cleared, just fenced off, allowing for the pets to play within the existing mature trees. 

The engineering firm’s stormwater team reviewed any potential impacts from the dog park. Based on past experiences, Zapp said they found people clean up after their pets and the risk of contamination isn’t extremely high.

Zapp explained that the dog park project had been in the queue for a few years. 

“There was a goal of nearly $52,000 to be raised for the dog park and we have met that goal and a portion of that was raised from private citizens and then the match with the town.” At this point, he said the town has more than $50,000 allocated and dedicated to the placement of a dog park somewhere in Emerald Isle.

“I’d like to stress we can do everything in phase one. We can afford to reach phase one today,” he said.

Recommendations for phase two, which Zapp said is a little bit farther out of reach from a financial perspective, would include updating existing bathrooms serving Blue Heron Park across Archers Creek from McLean-Spell Park, and the community playground, and build a naturally designed outdoor classroom.

Zapp told Coastal Review Wednesday in a follow-up that recent conversations regarding limited development of the 30-acres is exciting and the proposed enhanced public trails and exercise stations help Emerald Isle meet its obligation to the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant process. Optional improvements include a dog park, pavilion, and even outdoor classroom space. 

“It is rewarding that 1,238 individuals shared their opinions and perspectives on the park system. The Town is working toward those wonderful goals,” he said.

Starting Tuesday night through the spring, motorists traveling the B. Cameron Langston Bridge in Emerald Isle should expect lane closures while rehabilitation work takes place.

NCDOT began work to extend the life of the 1971 bridge in late 2019. The work has required long periods of lane closures and travel disruptions. NCDOT pauses the work and lane closures for holidays and the busy season. The most recent work wrapped up May 20.

The project is to resume this week, and is expected to be complete by next spring, officials said Tuesday.

A contractor for the North Carolina Department of Transportation will be allowed to close one of the bridge’s two lanes at 9 p.m. and be required to reopen the lane by 6 a.m. the following day, seven days a week. This schedule will be followed through Oct. 30.

No lane closures will take place Sept. 23-24 and Oct. 21-22 for special events. Rain could postpone a nightly lane closure.

Beginning Nov. 1, the schedule for lane closures until spring 2023 will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, there will be 24-hour lane closures.

Lanes will not be closed on the bridge during the holiday periods of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.

When a lane is closed, flagging operations will be used to allow traffic from each direction to take turns crossing the bridge, so drivers should expect delays and proceed cautiously in the work zone.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

Reprinted from the Carteret County News-Times 

All five Emerald Isle commissioners expressed support Tuesday night for maintaining the 30-acre McLean-Spell Park in its current state: dense maritime forest with walking trails.

Commissioners spoke after Town Manager Matt Zapp presented the results of a monthlong online survey that showed an overwhelming majority of respondents wanted no development in the park, which is behind the town recreation center and along Archers Creek.

The board’s monthly session was in its meeting room beside the police department.

“No bulldozing and no cutting,” said Commissioner Jim Normile, who led off the comments. He noted that a $500,000 grant the town received from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, or PARTF, to help pay for the property in 2017 requires recreation on the site but does not require development. Walking is recreation, he said.

Normile also said the town should not even put a bathroom in the park, since there is one nearby, beside the basketball courts behind the police department and town meeting room.

Commissioner Jamie Vogel agreed. “I share the sentiments of the results of the survey,” she said. She added one suggestion, which came to her from resident Trevor Brownlow: putting up some educational signs about the trees and other plants in the park.

Commissioner Floyd Messer said Summit Design and Engineering of Hillsborough, the consulting firm that the town hired to develop a master plan for the park, is going to make three “concept” sketches based on the public input.

“I sincerely hope one of them is what I have in mind, and if it is, you will be happy,” he said to the audience, most of which was at the meeting to support conservation of the forest.

Commissioner Steve Finch said he had likely spoken to 150 people about the park in recent weeks, and the overwhelming majority didn’t want any clearing of the forest. Some suggested benches and picnic tables, ideas he supported, but without clearing.

Finch suggested that the town add some “personality” to the park by naming the trails and suggested one could be named for state Rep. Pat McElraft, an Emerald Isle resident who helped get the money to buy the land.

The final commissioner to speak was Mark Taylor. “I think we’re all thinking the same way,” he said.

He said the town could put bird houses and deer feeders in the park “to bring more animals in” to the safe spot in the middle of the town government center.

Taylor also noted that while Bogue Banks Water Corp. is leasing a small site in the park – 200 feet by 220 feet – the new well is essential to the town.

He suggested that the town put a fire hydrant in the park so if a fire broke out, the fire department could quickly access water to douse it.

Other than that, Taylor said, “I’m all about trees.” But he suggested the town clean up the trails a bit.

Zapp called the response to survey the best he’s ever seen. He said 78% of the 1,238 survey respondents were Emerald Isle property owners and 68% were residents of the town.

Although the sentiment was clearly to keep the park natural, he noted there were some respondents who favored some development, such as a dog park of swimming pool.

The town bought the 30-acre property, which was then zoned for multifamily residential development, for $3 million in 2017, with the idea of protecting it from development and to maintain water quality in Archers Creek, a tributary of Bogue Sound.

In addition to the PARTF grant, money for the purchase came from the town, through an internal loan, the North Carolina Land and Water Trust Fund and the U.S. Department of Defense, which was interested in precluding dense development in the flight path of plans that come and go from Bogue Field, an auxiliary landing strip and training facility for U.S Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point located on N.C. 24 between Morehead City and Swansboro.

Most of the land – about 20 acres – was to remain forever as a natural, maritime forest under terms of a state grant that paid much of the cost of purchase, but town officials have always said about 10 acres could eventually be used for such things as a dog park and possibly a ballfield.

Summit is expected to deliver concept sketches for the park and a cost estimate to the town in September, and a final report is to be submitted by the end of November.

This story is provided courtesy of the Carteret County News-Times, a newspaper published in Morehead City. Coastal Review partners with the News-Times to provide our readers with news of the North Carolina coast.

Reprinted from the Carteret County News-Times

EMERALD ISLE — Two years and slightly less than one month after it went up for sale, Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier owner Mike Stanley confirmed Tuesday that a sale is pending for his iconic property at the end of Bogue Inlet Drive in the rapidly growing resort town.

“We have an interested party,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “That’s all I’m going to say. We hope it goes through, and we hope they find the same value in it that we have always found.”

Stanley declined to name the potential buyer. He said the word got out recently because he listed the property for sale on the Multiple Listing Service, and the status recently changed from “for sale’ to “pending.”

“They have the ball,” he said of the potential buyer. “It’s OK. We’ve had a lot of people kick the tires.’”

When the property first went up for sale in July 2020, Stanley said he wouldn’t sell it for less than $18 million.

The sale, if concluded, will include the pier, parking lots, Surf’s Up Restaurant and Beachfront RV Park.

The pier was built in the late 1950s and has been in the Stanley family for 49 years.

“It’s just time to do it,” he said of the sale when he first put in the market.

The pier and other businesses on the property have been all-consuming, and Stanley has been hands-on, showing up for work and talking to customers, generally enjoying every minute.

The pier has been repaired, almost rebuilt, many times after hurricanes, and Stanley said he’s enjoyed keeping the whole thing running.

The business has grown with Emerald Isle, which was chartered as a town in 1957, and the Stanley family and the town have often been partners. For example, the town’s Fourth of July fireworks show has been launched from the pier for years, attracting thousands of visitors on a day the pier is not open for fishing, until he finally pulled out of the event this year.

Stanley last tried to sell the pier in 2006 when a developer from Raleigh was trying to put together a mixed-use project. The town was interested in taking over the pier as part of the plan.

Then the economy crashed, Stanley said, and “we almost lost it all.”

But he and his family persevered, making needed repairs, renovating the pier house and adding the restaurant. They’ve since greeted new generations of anglers, observers, surfers and beachgoers, who have used the parking lots and beach access ramp.

This story is provided courtesy of the Carteret County News-Times, a twice-weekly newspaper based in Morehead City. Coastal Review partners with the News-Times to provide our readers with news of the North Carolina coast.

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.

PINE KNOLL SHORES — Registration is open for the 15th annual Kayak for the Warriors hosted by the town in May.

The three-day event features a gala and silent and live auction, golf tournament and 3.2-mile kayak and paddle board race, and barbecue lunch benefiting Hope For The Warriors.

The Warrior Gala and Auctions kick off this year’s series of events 6-11 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Atlantic Beach Double Tree Inn. The $75 per person ticket price includes two drink tickets, hors d’oeuvres, dinner and music by Bryan Mayer and the I-42 Band. The silent auction begins online May 7 and closes out at the gala, but everyone can continue bidding up until the close. Peruse the items online.

On Friday, May 20, the third annual Kayak for the Warriors Golf Tournament kicks off at 8:30 a.m. at the Country Club of the Crystal Coast. The shotgun start tournament is $85 per player and includes 18 holes of golf, cart and lunch. Prizes will be awarded for first- and second-place teams, the longest drive and closest to the pin. Hole-in-one prizes are to be awarded by Hyundai of New Bern. Also, players can purchase mulligans. Registration for the golf event closes May 15.

On Saturday, June 4, the signature kayak and paddleboard race begins at 10 a.m. The 3.2-mile race starts at Garner Park and moves through Bogue Sound and the Pine Knoll Shores canals. Registration is $50 for a single kayak and $100 for a tandem. Both include a T-shirt and lunch. Loaner kayaks are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and need to be reserved by emailing coordinator@k4tw.org.

The Warrior Trophy is awarded to the paddler or team who brings in the most donations.

For those preferring to stay on land while supporting local veterans, military members and families, lunch is available for $10 per person or $15 per family.

Tickets for the Wine & Dine Basket, containing over $1,000 of restaurant certificates and wine, are available for $10. The drawing will be held at the kayak/paddleboard race June 4, but you do not need to be in attendance to win. For information and to purchase tickets, contact coordinator@k4tw.org.

“We are excited to be bringing back our Warrior Gala and auctions after a two-year hiatus.” said Jean McDanal, Kayak for the Warriors event organizer. “It should be a fun evening with great food, a great band, and lovely items on which to bid. Once again, our volunteers have been undaunted in their efforts to put our three events together. We are so incredibly grateful to the generosity of our supporters. Without these two groups of people, none of this would happen.”

“As Hope For The Warriors celebrates its 15^th year of serving military families, so does Kayak for the Warriors,” said Robin Kelleher, cofounder and president of the nonprofit organization. “The Town of Pine Knoll Shores and its dedicated volunteers have all been with us since the very beginning.”

Since 2008, Kayak for the Warriors has raised more than $700,000 benefiting Hope For The Warriors and its programs.

Founded aboard Camp Lejeune, Hope For The Warriors is a national nonprofit that assists veterans, service members and military families with a variety of programs including health and wellness, sports and recreation and transition services.

To learn more about Kayak for the Warriors or to purchase tickets or register for any event, visit k4tw.org or for questions email coordinator@k4tw.org.   

For more information on Hope For The Warriors, visit hopeforthewarriors.org, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.  

The public can swing by Pine Knoll Shores town hall between 4 and 6 p.m. March 24 to chat with staff and officials about proposed options to improve the town’s resilience to coastal hazards.

The town hall is at 100 Municipal Circle.

Folks can learn about potential resilience projects, ask questions and provide feedback on current risks and the needs to be addressed.

The meeting is being held as part of the state’s Resilient Coastal Communities Program, which is managed by the state Division of Coastal Management. The town received a grant to develop a list of projects that would address critical infrastructure needs, with a focus on increasing resilience to coastal risks.

The Resilient Coastal Communities Program is broken down into four phases: community engagement and risk assessment, planning, design and then implementation.

Public input is a key part of the process to determine what facility improvements are most important to the community, town officials said.

Those not able to attend the meeting can participate in an online survey, which can be accessed online. Comments should be submitted by April 7.

Reprinted from the Carteret County News-Times

The Carteret County Beach Commission voted unanimously Monday to elect Atlantic Beach Councilman Danny Navey as its chairperson and learned of the resignation of newly appointed member Ronnie Watson of Emerald Isle.

The meeting was in the Emerald Isle town commission board room and online via Zoom. The commission advises the county shore protection office, which plans and oversees beach nourishment and dredging projects, among other things.

The shore protection office manager is Ryan Davenport. This was his first meeting since the county hired him to replace longtime manager Greg Rudolph, who resigned late last year.

Watson, a resort business owner and former mayor of Emerald Isle, was appointed to one of the two Emerald Isle seats on the board in January by county commissioners, although the town had nominated Jim Normile, a former town commissioner, for reappointment. Normile was chairperson of the beach commission when his term expired.

Tuesday, Watson said he didn’t realize when he sent in an application for the beach commission – because he wanted to get involved in public service again – that he would knock out Normile if appointed.

He also said after reflection since his appointment, he’d realized resignation was the best thing to do considering comments he has heard.

“I hope I’m respected in Emerald Isle,” he said “There were 10 people living here when my family moved here. I love Emerald Isle and I love the county.”

But, he said, since his appointment to the commission, he’s heard “some people have some issues with it. I don’t need any controversy. I don’t want any.”

In the end, Watson said, he realized it was “better for the town” to pick its beach commission representatives rather than the county.

“I love the county commissioners,” he concluded. “This isn’t about them. I just thought it (resigning) was the right thing to do.”

He said he’d called Normile but hadn’t heard back from him.

Watson was the third beach commission member to resign in recent weeks. Longtime member Larry Baldwin, who held a county at-large seat, resigned Jan. 7, and Mike Fiorini of Salter Path, appointed by the county commission at the same time as Watson, resigned as well, citing other obligations.

Monday, the beach commission also reelected John Brodman, mayor of Pine Knoll Shores, to remain its vice chairperson and discussed the vacancies. Brodman told the newspaper he did not want to chair the commission.

The Emerald Isle commission, at its January meeting, nominated the town’s mayor, Jason Holland, to fill Fiorini’s Bogue Banks at-large seat.

But beach commission member Jimmy Farrington, who is a county commissioner, said during the meeting Monday he had talked to Darryl Marshall of Salter Path about taking that seat and Marshall had applied.

Farrington said he spoke to him because that seat has traditionally gone to someone from Salter Path.

“He was born and raised there,” Farrington said of Marshall.

If county commissioners make that appointment, the move would leave Holland to possibly fill the now vacant Emerald Isle seat. Tom Rule holds the other Emerald Isle seat.

The commission is made up of two representatives from Emerald Isle, two from Pine Knoll Shores, two from Atlantic Beach, one from Indian Beach, one from Bogue Banks at-large, one from the county at-large, one from the county commission and one from the Carteret County Tourism Development Authority, or TDA.

That TDA seat is also vacant. It had been held by Woody Warren, an Emerald Isle realtor.

The beach commission agreed during the meeting to think about who to nominate to replace Baldwin, who in his resignation letter said, “The last few months have made it apparent that my participation and majority commission votes are of little to no value.”

Tuesday, Baldwin, a soil scientist who had been on the commission for 12 years, said he resigned because of the county commission’s increasing involvement with the panel, such as rejecting the beach commission’s endorsement of Normile for reappointment after Emerald Isle commissioners nominated him. He said he knew the county board had that right, but believed it made his participation a waste of his time.

“To overturn that (Normile) endorsement, well, I just thought ‘why should I stay on this,’” he said.

He hopes the commission, with its many new members, and the new shore protection office manager will get up to speed fast because the beaches are so important to the county’s tax base and economy.

During the meeting, Navey thanked the board for electing him as chair and said he would do his best to lead the panel in a professional manner.

He acknowledged there has been a lot of turnover on the commission, but added, “We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other.”

This story is provided courtesy of the Carteret County News-Times, a newspaper published in Morehead City. Coastal Review partners with the News-Times to provide our readers with news of the North Carolina coast. 

I found this group of photographs at the State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh. They were taken in Salter Path, a fishing village on the North Carolina coast, probably in 1938 or 1939.

Salter Path is located on Bogue Banks, a 21-mile-long barrier island best known for being the site of Fort Macon State Park, the North Carolina Aquarium and some of the state’s most popular beach resort communities, including Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores and Emerald Isle.

I want to look at the history of Salter Path before the first hotels and condominiums were built there. When Charles A. Farrell took these photographs, Salter Path was the only settlement of any kind on the western two-thirds of the island.

At that time, no paved road yet led to Salter Path. People came and went largely in boats. Lights were few and far between. On a clear night, you felt as if you could see every star in the heavens.

Farrell’s photographs give us a glimpse of Salter Path just before the hotels and beach resorts showed up, the first paved road was built and all the rest.

I have paired Farrell’s photographs today with brief excerpts from a book called “Judgment Land: The Story of Salter Path,” which was written by an island visitor and sometimes resident named Kay Holt Roberts Stephens back in 1984.

Long out of print, Kay Stephens’ book lets us hear the voices of some of village’s oldest residents at that time. Several of those island people recalled when Salter Path was first settled in the 1890s.

The oldest of those islanders even remembered other settlements that were located on the western half of Bogue Banks in the late 1800s — Yellow Hill, Rice Path, Bell’s Cove and others. Those communities faded away in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some of their people moved to Broad Creek and other communities on the mainland, but others helped to build the new village of Salter Path.

With the help of those people’s memories and Farrell’s photographs, we can learn at least a bit about what Salter Path and the whole western part of Bogue Banks was like in those long-ago days.

* * *

Approximately a mile west of where Salter Path is now, in a section of the island that was nestled down among live oak glades and sand dunes, there used to be a little village called Rice Path.

In “Judgment Land,” Kay Stephens described how Rice Path got its name:

“Sometime between 1865 and 1880, a ship loaded with rice wrecked on the beach. The families living on the banks … went aboard ship, filled their bags with rice and carried it across the sand dunes through the low growing shrubs, through the closely knit live oak trees and then on to the shores of Bogue Sound. There they loaded the rice on their skiffs and took it home. From then on the path and the settlement that grew up in the vicinity was referred to as Rice Path.”

According to the old islanders who visited with Kay Stephens, the move of the people in Rice Path and the other little settlements on the western part of Bogue Banks to Salter Path was prompted partly by a changing economy and partly by a changing landscape.

“By 1896, some of the settlers on the western end of Bogue Banks were becoming dissatisfied with their homesites. Each year it became more difficult to raise a garden due to the encroaching sand and … salt spray. The families living … between Hopey Ann Hill and Yellow Hill were especially affected as portions of the banks were eroding rapidly. Also, the settlers felt a need to be closer to Beaufort and Morehead City, the towns they turned to for trade. Therefore in March of 1896 the first permanent settlers moved to the area, which would be called the village of Salter Path.”

One of Kay Stephens’ best sources is an unpublished memoir written by an island woman named Alice Guthrie Smith. Ms. Smith was born at the Rice Path in 1892, and she apparently wrote her recollections of her early life on the island sometime in the 1950s.

I have never seen her recollections, but fortunately Stephens quotes from them liberally.

Like quite a few other families, Alice Guthrie Smith’s family came to Bogue Banks from Shackleford Banks, the barrier island just to the east. Her grandparents, John Wallace and Hopey Ann Guthrie, left Shackleford Banks after he had a severe fall at the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and was left crippled.

Hopey Ann Guthrie apparently thought that life might be a little easier on Bogue Banks than at Shackleford. I am not sure why, though I suspect that she wanted a new home closer to the mainland and a bit more protected from the hurricanes that had been so hard on the villages at Shackleford.

John Wallace died two or three years after the family’s arrival at the Rice Path. Hopey Ann raised their large family on her own, living largely off the sea. The site of their home came to be known as Hopey Ann Hill.

In her memoir, Alice Guthrie Smith remembered when her family left the Rice Path and moved to Salter Path.

Kay Stephens quotes her in “Judgment Land”:

“Well, we lived to that house … until March 1896. (Our neighbors) Rumley Willis, Henry Willis, Alonza Guthrie and Damon Guthrie all decided they would move to the Salter Path. So, here we go. Well the day came for everybody to go down to the Salter Path and clear up their place, burn the pine straw and leaves and get their place ready to take their house down. So, Rumley put his house on a hill near the sound on the east side of the Salter Path that runs from the ocean to the sound. There were large oak trees all around his house. It was a beautiful place to build… There were only four families at first, but it wasn’t long before most of the people that lived to Rice Path, Yellow Hill, Bill’s Point and Belco moved to Salter Path and Broad Creek.”

The early settlers at Salter Path did not hold deeds to the property that they occupied, but saw the land being unused and made their homes there, a very old practice on the banks.

For that reason, the squatters, as they became known, later ran into legal entanglements, including a formal complaint from the land’s actual owner, a New Yorker named Alice Hoffman, who was Eleanor Roosevelt’s aunt. The legal issues were resolved in the 1920s and the Salter Pathers were allowed to stay on the land, though with restrictions that limited the village’s growth.

Community life at Salter Path revolved around a solitary church, a tiny graded school and, for the men at least, the general store. In her memoir, Alice Guthrie Smith recalled that first church in Salter Path:

“That was the place where all the churches in Carteret County would meet and have their summer picnics. Oh, wasn’t that a happy time for everybody present! Everybody was in love and harmony with each other, and we looked forward to that day. Everybody took their baskets full of good things to eat and after everybody got through eating and drinking lemonade…, we would have preaching and singing or somebody would make a speech. Now, that was the good old days!”

My mother was born and raised in Harlowe, a little community 12 miles from Salter Path on the mainland of Carteret County. I still remember her telling me about a Sunday school picnic on Bogue Banks. It may have been the only time that she visited the island as a child, which was around the time of these photographs.

She said it was quite an adventure. They made the journey by boat and at that age, she had rarely if ever traveled so far from home.

One of the state’s oldest and largest fisheries, the salt mullet fishery was a big part of life on Bogue Banks in the 1930s.

This is one of my favorite images from “Judgment Land”:

“In the summer when the mullet would run in big black schools out in the ocean, some of the settlers would come to the beach near Riley (Salter)’s home. They would encircle the mullet with the long nets which had … been knit by their women. Hundreds of pounds of mullet would be brought to shore. All day long the women would sit with their `sitting up babies’ between their legs and split and gut the fish. Their long cotton dresses and even their sunbonnets were slick where they had wiped their hands ….”

Mullet fishing is still important in Salter Path today, though perhaps it means more now to the fishermen’s hearts than it does to their pantries or pocketbooks. The beach seine fishery for mullet has come and gone elsewhere on the North Carolina coast, but a solitary crew of the village’s men still persist in fishing in much the same way as their ancestors did for many generations before them.

In “Judgment Land,” Kay Stephens also quotes Alice Guthrie Smith’s memoir about the way that the islanders traded their salt mullet for other things that they needed in life.

“They would wash and clean them so they could salt them down, head them up, and leave those barrels of fish on the beach until sometime later. In the fall, October or November, a large boat from Down East (the eastern part of Carteret County) would come up to Salter Path loaded with sweet potatoes and corn. They would trade the corn and potatoes for the fish that the people had salted. 

“The way they got the fish from the beach to the sound was to tie a rope around the barrel and two men would get a long pole and put it through the rope, take the poles on their shoulders, and carry the barrels down the Salter Path to the sound. There they put them in skiffs, took them out to the deep water where the large boat was and put them aboard the boat after they took the corn and potatoes out.”

According to legend, the coming and going of those mullet fishermen wore a sandy path from the ocean beach across the dunes and swales to the shores of Bogue Sound. The path ran by the home of Riley Salter and his family, which led people to call it Salter Path and gave the village its name.

When Kay Stephens was researching “Judgment Land,” she spent a great deal of time with Lillian Golden, a local woman who was born on the island in 1901.

I love Lillian Golden’s descriptions of island life because they are so granular: in Ms. Golden’s words, you can really hear and understand the practicalities of how the Bogue Bankers fashioned a life there on the edge of the sea.

In this excerpt from “Judgment Land,” Stephens recounts how Lillian Golden described how the islanders made their mattresses.

“The villagers made their ticking out of flat homespun. The mattress that was placed on top of the slats was stuffed with seaweed. A feather mattress was placed on top of the seaweed mattress. The seaweed used in the mattresses was gathered along the shore and spread on bushes. It was left there through several rains so the salt water and other material could wash out. The sun would then bleach the seaweeds.”

Well into the 20th century, the villagers made feather mattresses. Stephens talked with another local woman, for instance, whose mother had a mattress stuffed with robin feathers.

In the 1800s and into the 1900s, the islanders often caught robins and other songbirds in fishing nets spread among the wax myrtle and yaupon bushes around their homes. They valued the birds for their feathers, but also sought them out in order to feed their families.

Now and then, the sea provided very different kinds of gifts. In her memoir, Alice Guthrie Smith recalled, for instance, how wind and waves knocked a load of lumber off a schooner during the great hurricane of 1885.

The lumber washed up on Bogue Banks and after the storm, she wrote, “everybody that needed lumber went over to the beach and pulled up all they wanted. Dad saved enough to start him a small house to the Rice Path.”

I am always surprised, when I visit the old homes on Salter Path or on Ocracoke or some other island village, how often people tell me that this room’s floor or this chest of drawers or this table came off a shipwreck years ago.

It always feels as if there is no limit to the way that the islanders were bound to and shaped by the ways of the sea.

Now and then, I get a glimpse in “Judgment Land” at something that I rarely hear talked about: the fear that the island’s women felt for their safety and the safety of their daughters when their husbands were away fishing and hunting or when their husbands had died and left them on their own.

Kay Stephens tells the story, for instance, of a night during the Civil War when three men from the mainland forced their way into the home of Francis and Horatio Frost and raped two of their daughters. At the time, Horatio and their only son were gigging flounder on Bogue Sound.

In another part of the book, Lillian Golden recalled the fear that she and her widowed mother felt at their home in Salter Path when she was a girl.

“The neighborhood wasn’t thickly settled, and you didn’t think of calling nobody … I was scared to go to sleep nights. We were in the woods. The other young’uns had a father with them, you see.

Like so many other young women of the time, Lillian did not wear make-up and rarely wore jewelry in the hope that she could avoid men’s attentions.

I found Lillian Golden’s recollections of her widowed mother especially entrancing when I reread “Judgment Land” the other day.

Her mother, Mary Francis Smith, took her husband’s death very hard. He was scarcely 30 years old when he died after a long illness in 1901. Beset by grief, Laura Francis was visited by nightmares for years.

Lillian told Kay Stephens that, in order to comfort her mother, she slept with her, nuzzled against her back, from the time that she was a little girl until she was married in 1918.

Yet for all that, Mary Francis managed to provide for herself and her children.

”She clammed and caught soft-shell crabs in the spring and summer. She took in sewing, sometimes staying up late into the night to finish a dress that was wanted the next day. In the fall and winter she and her children would cut wood and sell it by the cord …

“She would cut the leaves off the yaupon (bushes) and sell them to a factory on Harkers Island. (Harkers Island is 18 miles east of Salter Path.) There the leaves were cured and put into sacks and sold under the brand name `Carolina Tea.’

“In 1905 after her aunt Mahalia Ann Guthrie was no longer able to serve as the village midwife, Laura Francis began her long career delivering the babies not only in Salter Path but elsewhere on the banks.”

She was a little bit of everything: fisherwoman, seamstress, woodcutter, herbalist, midwife and mother, as well as, for a time, the village’s postmistress.

To get by, Mary Francis saved and reused every little thing, kept two big gardens and spun her own thread and made her family’s clothes. Her neighbors shared and together they made do and got by.

My friend Karen Willis Amspacher is the director and guiding spirit at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island. Many of her ancestors came from Shackleford Banks, the island I mentioned earlier that is just to the east of Bogue Banks.

More than once, when we have been discussing how hard it was to survive on those islands back in the day, Karen has just shaken her head and told me, “Those were some tough folks, David. That’s all I can say. Those were some tough folks.”

Coastal Review is featuring the work of North Carolina historian David Cecelski, who writes about the history, culture and politics of the North Carolina coast. Cecelski shares on his website essays and lectures he has written about the state’s coast as well as brings readers along on his search for the lost stories of our coastal past in the museums, libraries and archives he visits in the U.S. and across the globe. 

Work to extend the lifespan of the B. Cameron Langston Bridge connecting Emerald Isle to the mainland resumed Monday, and motorists should expect delays because the ongoing project requires nighttime lane closures.

The work, anticipated to continue through May, is part of a project begun last year to preserve the bridge against the harsh saltwater environment, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Motorists should expect a lane closure between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Friday. Lane closures may also take place on Saturday or Sunday night if work during the week is delayed due to weather. Contractors are to employ flaggers at the ends of the work zone to direct traffic.

The department said it would announce regular updates as the schedule is expected to vary.

While a lane may not always be closed during the permitted times, drivers should anticipate this pattern and plan ahead as their commute may take longer than normal. NCDOT urges drivers to also use caution and remain alert around the bridge.

All questions and comments about the project should be directed to NCDOT, and can be sent to Lauren Haviland at lbhaviland@ncdot.gov. 

Traffic on the Emerald Isle bridge is reduced to a single lane at night as the structure is repaired.

The work began Sunday night and North Carolina Department of Transportation is closing one lane of the Cameron Langston Bridge at 7 p.m. and reopening it at 6 a.m. each night through Thursday.

The work includes repairing the bridge seats, on which the girders rest. The repairs were already scheduled for this year but were moved up after a recent inspection.

Flaggers are to be at the ends of the bridge directing traffic. Drivers should use caution near crews and the work zone and plan ahead as their commute may take longer than normal, according to NCDOT.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

The hopper dredge Liberty Island is on schedule to arrive in Emerald Isle Feb. 20 to begin dredging, holding, sailing and pumping sand on the beach at Reach 1, the far west of the Carteret County beach town, as part of Phase III of the post-Florence Renourishment Project.

The Liberty Island will complete Reach 1 and then move west to east to reaches 3, 4 and 5, through central and east Emerald Isle, according to the most recent project update from Greg Rudolph with the Carteret County Shore Protection office.

It is anticipated that more than 2 million cubic yards of sand from the Offshore Dredged Material Disposal Site, or ODMDS, associated with Morehead City Federal Navigation Project, will be used to nourish 9.4 miles of beach in Emerald Isle for Phase III.

The larger-capacity dredge, the Ellis Island, could arrive as late as April 1 but officials are working to have the dredge arrive sooner. If both dredges are working at the same time, the project could be completed before the April 30 environmental window closes for sea turtle nesting season and other biological resources.

The Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has been awarded the dredging contract. Phase III is similar to Phase I in 2019 and Phase II in 2020.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock set the first submerged pipeline, or subline, in Reach 1 on Jan. 19. Sand will be pumped through this subline once the hopper dredge Liberty Island arrives. Pipe will be added to this subline to pump sand west, then east from the subline landing point at the Point Emerald Villas/Lands End boundary. On Jan. 24, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock placed the second submerged pipeline just west of Bogue Inlet Pier in Reach 3.

Dates for the work to begin was pushed back a handful of times from the end of January, to Feb. 12 and now to Feb. 20. The Liberty Island and Ellis Island are working in Florida and Charleston, South Carolina, respectively and have been trying to complete their work at these jobs while also encountering COVID-related issues both at sea and on land, according to the county.

Emerald Isle Commissioners Tuesday night authorized Town Manager Matt Zapp to negotiate a contract with engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol to develop a comprehensive stormwater management plan.

The 5-0 vote came during the board’s monthly meeting, conducted on GoToWebinar.

Moffatt & Nichol is a global infrastructure advisory firm with an office in Raleigh. It has long been Carteret County’s beach engineering firm, designing and monitoring multi-million-dollar Bogue Banks beach nourishment projects for the county’s Shore Protection Office. The company also subcontracts to Geodynamics, a Newport firm, for the county’s beach sand measurement program.

Zapp recommended Moffat & Nichol to town commissioners after reading proposals from the company and six others that responded to the town’s request for proposals to develop a stormwater plan.

The others that submitted proposals were The Wooten Company; McGill, Morris, Ritchie and Associates; American Engineering; LDS; and McConnell & Associates.

Zapp told the board he got input from Carteret County officials before recommending Moffatt & Nichol, and said he is confident the company has the resources and expertise to develop a good stormwater plan for the town.

Commissioner Jim Normile, who serves on the county beach commission, said he concurred with Zapp’s recommendation and thanked the town manager for his “thoroughness” in the review of the proposals and his recommendation.

Normile made the motion to allow Zapp to negotiate the contract. The manager hopes the board can approve a contract at its 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8,meeting.

The town’s request for proposals stated, “Recent flooding events have highlighted the need to address stormwater drainage issues on a comprehensive town-wide basis.”

According to the request for proposal, or RFP, the company that does the plan is expected to evaluate existing stormwater runoff conditions, existing system capacity and identify areas with frequent flooding; evaluate existing capacity of stormwater infrastructure, pumping stations and identify additional capacity needs; identify capital stormwater improvements to reduce flooding risk, reduce damage to public and private property and improve access and safety; quantify the capital and ongoing maintenance costs for implementing the stormwater infrastructure projects; identify permitting pathways to implement stormwater system improvements; and prioritize stormwater system improvements.

Although the town already has an extensive stormwater drainage system for the flood-prone Coast Guard Road corridor, and there are private systems in some developments, town Planning Director Josh Edmondson told the board earlier this year too much flooding occurs even after thunderstorms, not just tropical storms and hurricanes.

Without a plan and some tougher, but fair, stormwater rules, the town, he said, would likely see more flooding from smaller storms in the future, as redevelopment replaces smaller old homes with larger new ones, impervious surface area increases and remaining vacant and more marginal properties are developed.

Emerald Isle now has a charging station for electric vehicles to meet the growing demand.

The state’s electric cooperatives, including Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative, or CCEC, are working to create a statewide network of electric vehicle, or EVs, charging stations, with the newest being a ChargePoint Level 2 EV charger on Islander Drive, the town announced Friday in a newsletter.

Electric vehicle owners can use the ChargePoint app to pay the $1 per hour to charge. The charging station provides about 20 to 25 miles of battery range for every hour the vehicle is plugged in.

“CCEC’s charger will provide residents and vacationers a place to ‘fill up’ while enjoying the beach or a stroll on Emerald Path,” according to the town.

The statewide network of EV charging stations is intended to enable more consumers in both rural and urban areas to adopt this technology, according to the town. “By expanding the state’s EV charging network, CCEC hopes to attract more EVs and their benefits-including improved environmental health, economic development and quality of life-to our service area.”

Learn More

• ncdriveelectric.com/CCEC

Featured Photo

EMERALD ISLE — A national environmental organization closed Tuesday for the town on a $3 million purchase of a nearly 30-acre tract behind the former town hall and recreation center on the north side of Emerald Drive, the Carteret County News-Times reported.

The Conservation Fund, which has an office in the state, will hold the property and is to convey it to the town in the spring of 2018, but will allow public use of it in the interim.

Half of the purchase cost, $1.5 million, is coming from the military because the land is in the flight path of jets that use Bogue Field, an auxiliary landing strip for the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

The military is interested in protecting the land from development because of the potential for a disaster should one of its aircraft crash in a high-density residential development.

Another $500,000 has already been approved by the state General Assembly from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, as has $545,000 from the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

State Rep. Pat McElraft, a Republican who lives in Emerald Isle, pushed successfully for the grants to be included in the state budget for 2017-18 instead of waiting for the normal, somewhat slower, approval process by those agencies. The town is chipping in the remaining $455,000.

The town will pay an additional $75,000 to The Conservation Fund for its service.

Learn More

• Full Story in the Carteret County News-Times

EMERALD ISLE – This Bogue Banks town won’t hear until late summer whether it will get grants to purchase a nearly 30-acre tract behind the town recreation center for a nature preserve and athletic fields, but scattered opposition and a recent report by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program have some officials wondering about the future of the effort.

But when Mike Schafale of the Natural Heritage Program inspected the property in April in response to the clean water grant application from the town, he wrote that, “The town’s proposal to retain nine acres of the tract for recreational development would … be a serious threat to the natural integrity of the site, given the small size of the site.

“Though development in the wetlands would be unacceptable, and protection of them is needed to protect the creek, the most significant feature of the site is the maritime forest,” Schafale added. “At 23 acres, it is a small example, but it is one of the few last remnants of the extensive forest that once covered the interior of Emerald Isle, and is one of the better remnants in this region of the coast.”

Development of nine acres for recreation would be a “serious loss,” according to Schafale’s report, and if development were to occur in the middle of the site, “it would destroy virtually all of its ecological value.”

The report encourages the town to use the land as a natural recreation area, with trails and small parking lots, but without clearing large areas of the maritime forest or wetlands.

Town Manager Frank Rush said that if the town isn’t able to use the land for anything except passive recreation, he’s not sure it’s worth it.

“In a nutshell, it is ultimately up to our board of commissioners, but I am not sure if the town is willing to spend $400,000 to $500,000 on the land purchase if there’s no ability to use it for any purpose other than preservation and trails in the future,” the manager said in an email. “That’s a lot of money for Emerald Isle. We have many other demands for those funds, and the town already has a much nicer and larger natural area (nearly 40 acres) at Emerald Isle Woods Park, directly on Bogue Sound.”

Rush said the town views the potential purchase of the Surfside Realty Tract as an opportunity to provide athletic fields and other active recreation amenities, after a public planning process, while preserving two-thirds of the undeveloped parcel.

“Again, the ultimate decision is up to the town’s elected officials, but to me it’s not a question of preserving 30 acres versus preserving 20 acres. It’s really more a question of preserving 20 acres versus preserving zero acres. I suspect that those who have expressed concerns would prefer 20 acres rather than zero acres.”

Rush said the parcel is the only one in Emerald Isle that can accommodate any sort of athletic fields.

“There are currently nearly 500 school-age kids in Emerald Isle, in addition to many more young and active people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond, who would benefit from these kinds of facilities, and we expect more in the future as technology changes and more people are able to work remotely and live in a place like Emerald Isle.”

County-maintained athletic fields are available just across the bridge at Western Park in Cape Carteret. But the town, Rush said, wants to be “a complete community that offers these kinds of traditional recreation amenities and opportunities.  It’s all part of the overall package that will help to make Emerald Isle an even better place than it already is.”

While Rush remains optimistic about the grants, two commissioners interviewed this week agreed with him about the ball field issue and the idea that conserving most of the forest is better than nothing, especially given the eventual likelihood of multifamily development.

“I don’t think there’s that much interest in doing this if there is not a good possibility of athletic fields,” said Commissioner Jim Normile. Even with grants, he said, “there’s still a very large commitment of taxpayer funds.”

If taxpayers are to make that kind of financial contribution to the purchase, he said, it’s reasonable for them to expect something other than the trails and other passive recreation opportunities that already exist in Emerald Isle Woods.

Commissioner Candace Dooley said that “People might think there aren’t many kids in Emerald Isle, but there are, and many of them are involved in sports and athletics.”

Emerald Isle, she said, “wants to maintain a family atmosphere,” and in most places, athletic fields are part of that.

“I agree that without that (reservation for ball fields), it doesn’t make much sense for the town to ask taxpayers to commit that kind of money,” she said.

Town commissioners, during their monthly meeting on April 11, voted unanimously to seek the two grants and money from the Marine Corps, augmented by the tax money, to buy the property.

The land is was platted for a subdivision way back in 1989, but it was never built.

The property is bounded by Archers Creek to the south, which separates it from the town government complex; by residential units along Live Oak Street to the west; residential units along Sound Drive to the north; and residential units along Archers Creek Court and Coral Court to the east.

Some area environmentalists have expressed concern about the plan. It’s the largest maritime forest tract in town, other than Emerald Isle Woods, and serves as habitat for painted buntings.

In addition to state grants, officials also are seeking $1.5 million from the federal government through Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. That request, Rush said, is feasible because the property is in the flight path for aircraft that use Bogue Field, an auxiliary landing strip across Bogue Sound in the town of Bogue. The military discourages development within the flight paths of its facilities, and often partners with local governments to minimize it.

Nate Halubka, manager of grants and outreach for the state parks and recreation fund, said this week that, at least for “acquisition grants,” his office isn’t concerned about how the land is used.

“We expect that the applicant will tell us what they expect it to be used for in the next five years, but that can change, and we know that,” Halubka said. “If the town says, for example, that they are going to put in ball fields, and that changes,” that doesn’t affect whether the town should get an acquisition grant.

“Public recreational use is our concern, whether it’s passive or active,” Halubka said. “It’s up to the town’s discretion to decide how it should serve the needs of the public.”

In other words, he said, if it’s ball fields, that’s fine. If it’s trails, that’s fine, too. And if it’s a combination, that’s also fine. The office funds all kinds of land-acquisition projects.

LuAnn Bryan, the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund recreational resources service coordinator for the state’s eastern region, said she believes her office will have about $5 million available for grants this year, and Halubka agreed.

“Of course, that all depends on what the legislature does, but they’ve been good to us in the past,” he said.

Walter Clark, executive director of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, said he hasn’t seen the property, having only moved into his new position a couple of months ago, after heading the nonprofit Blue Ridge Conservancy in Boone. But he also spent more than two decades as North Carolina Sea Grant’s coastal law, planning and policy specialist, so he knows coastal issues and concerns.

He saw Schafale’s report and called it “interesting,” and said it will play some role in the grant decision, but he’s not sure how much.

The clean water fund has 90 land-acquisition applications on its table, Clark said, and uses a “scoring” system to rank them. The final decisions are up to the fund’s nine-member board of trustees, and he said hasn’t been around long enough yet to have a “crystal ball” that would give him any indication of their leanings.

He added that the trustees will also factor public input – letters and other communications – into the decision.

In action at the April 11 meeting, the Emerald Isle board authorized Rush to execute a contract for purchase and set up a “due diligence period” that could result in a closing of the deal at the end of October.

Cherry Point officials have initiated the internal federal process to secure the money, Rush said, but it’s a process that likely will take several months.

Based on discussions with officials at Cherry Point, Rush said he expects a definitive commitment by September, but the money might not be available for a few months after that. The state grant decisions could also come by early September.

If the state grants come through, but actual cash from the military is not available by the planned Oct. 31 closing date, Rush added, the town could enter into a short-term financing arrangement with The Conservation Fund of North Carolina.

The Conservation Fund of North Carolina is part of a national organization whose mission is to assist communities in the acquisition and conservation of public land, and they are serving as the town’s partner on the acquisition. Under the military’s program, Rush said, MCAS Cherry Point can provide federal funding only to previously authorized partners, and The Conservation Fund has been involved in similar previous deals with Cherry Point.

The Conservation Fund would be the actual entity that would purchase the property from the owners. The Conservation Fund would then convey the property to the town.

In his memo to the board, Rush noted that if the town does not receive enough money for the purchase, “it will likely be possible to have The Conservation Fund proceed with the acquisition on the town’s behalf. The Conservation Fund would provide the balance of funding necessary to acquire the property, and would then hold the property for some mutually agreeable time period.”

If that were to occur, he wrote, “The town would remain eligible for grant funding, and could apply for funding from the same grant programs in 2018 or could apply for funding through other eligible grant programs.”

The other option is to simply abandon the effort, he added.

Rush said that if the town can get the land, nothing would happen fast.

“Ultimately, I would envision the board soliciting additional public input on desired park amenities in the future, and using that public input to develop a specific park plan,” he said.

Learn More

• Clean Water Management Trust Fund
• Parks and Recreation Trust Fund

EMERALD ISLE – Despite concerns expressed by some environmentalists, residents and an inspector for the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Emerald Isle Town Manager Frank Rush says the town can successfully protect water quality, preserve a significant chunk of maritime forest and eventually build athletic fields on a portion of a nearly 30-acre tract officials hope to buy.

The move would preserve the area, which is largely maritime forest, behind the town’s recreation center on Emerald Drive from residential development, but a state report based on a site inspection on April 12 calls the town’s plan for carving out the forest’s interior for ball fields, “a significant concern.”

Town commissioners, during their monthly meeting on April 11, voted unanimously to seek two grants and money from the Marine Corps, augmented by some tax money, to buy the $3 million property, the largest undeveloped tract in town. Commissioners also gave Town Manager Frank Rush the OK to apply for $545,000 from the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which awards grants for projects that protect or enhance water quality.

The plan is to preserve about 20 acres in its natural state, but with hiking trails and other opportunities for passive recreation, and to use nine to 10 acres for athletic fields, which have long been desired by town residents.

The land is owned by Surfside Realty Inc. and was platted for a subdivision back in 1989, but it was never built.

The property is bounded by Archers Creek to the south, which separates it from the town government complex; by residential units along Live Oak Street to the west; residential units along Sound Drive to the north; and residential units along Archers Creek Court and Coral Court to the east.

‘A Serious Loss’

Mike Schafale of the Natural Heritage Program did the inspection on April 12, in response to the town’s application for the Clean Water  grant, and noted in his report the town’s contention that, “If unprotected, it appears likely to be bought for residential development soon.” However, he also noted that, “The town’s proposal to retain nine acres of the tract for recreational development would also be a serious threat to the natural integrity of the site, given the small size of the site.

“Though development in the wetlands would be unacceptable, and protection of them is needed to protect the creek, the most significant feature of the site is the maritime forest,” Schafale added. “At 23 acres, it is a small example, but it is one of the few last remnants of the extensive forest that once covered the interior of Emerald Isle, and is one of the better remnants in this region of the coast.”

Schafale said the clearing of nine acres would be “a serious loss,” and if recreational development were to occur in the middle of the site, “it would destroy virtually all of its ecological value.” Development along the edge of the property, adjacent to neighboring houses, would be less destructive, but would still diminish the natural area’s significance.

“The town is encouraged to use the land as a natural recreation area, with trails and small parking lots, but without facilities that would require large clearings or remove any of the intact maritime forest or wetlands,” Schafale noted.

‘Balancing Act’

Rush, the town manager, said the very nature of the Clean Water grant the town seeks demonstrates intent to preserve the land and protect water quality. It’s the same funding source used for the town’s purchase of the Emerald Isle Woods land off Coast Guard Road.

In addition, the town board authorized Rush to apply for $500,000 from the state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, and officials also are seeking $1.5 million from the federal government through Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

The air station request, Rush said, is feasible because the property is in the flight path for aircraft that use Bogue Field, an auxiliary landing strip across Bogue Sound in the town of Bogue. The military discourages development within the flight paths of its facilities, and often partners with local governments to minimize it.

The final piece of the funding puzzle would be $455,000 from town taxpayers, most likely through a short-term loan, either internal or external. That wouldn’t happen until fiscal 2018-19, which will begin on July 1, 2018.

That taxpayer funding, Rush said, is an important consideration in how the property eventually is used, as residents and property owners will “have an investment,” and have long indicated in land-use plans and surveys that they’d like to see some kind of athletic fields in town. The site is about the only place that can happen, and it’s also within a stone’s throw of the recreation center.

“It’s a bit of a balancing act,” the manager said, but it’s important for all involved to remember that it’s also about saving about 30 acres, minus wetlands, from potentially intense development.”

Schafale reported that mid-Atlantic maritime evergreen forest occupies all of the upland parts of the site, with a canopy dominated by loblolly pine and laurel oak, with smaller numbers of live oaks and a few large pignut hickory trees. The understory includes swamp red bay, American olive and Carolina laurel cherry. Yaupon holly and witch hazel are also present, with plenty of poison ivy, greenbriers and Virginia creeper.

“The forest is mature, though it shows the effects of intense hurricanes about 20 years ago,” he wrote. “The old canopy trees are interspersed with gaps of up to an acre or two where understory-size trees predominate.”

Much of the marsh on the site is freshwater, but salt marsh is present along the Archer Creek channel where viewed from Lee Avenue, and a small amount may be present in the tract.

“Archers Creek presumably is tidally influenced, though the vegetation along it in most of the site suggests fresh water,” Schafale added in his report. “Saltier water appears to extend beyond Lee (Avenue), but not to the middle of this tract.”

Water Quality, Habitat Loss

Larry Baldwin, the Crystal Coast Waterkeeper based in Morehead City, said he supports the purchase because the land is zoned for multifamily development and could be used for up to 237 condominium units. That’s eight units per acre allowed under town zoning rules.

Baldwin, whose group is licensed by the international Waterkeeper Alliance, said he supports what the town is doing, “for now,” because it’s important that the tract not be used for dense condominium development, which would result in streets, roofs, sidewalks and other impervious surfaces that would increase stormwater runoff, the primary cause of water pollution along the coast.

“I’m not familiar enough with what they (the town) are doing to oppose anything yet,” Baldwin added. “But I do hope that they will do the right thing, which would be to preserve the whole 30 acres. I’m going to be interested in seeing what they eventually propose to do.”

One important factor, Baldwin  noted, would be the location of the ball fields within the tract; the distance from the wetlands and the creek is crucial.

Rush said the town has always tried to be a good environmental steward. He said the roughly four acres of wetlands on the site would be protected.

“I absolutely think that we could,” Rush said, when asked if he believes the town could design a project for athletic fields that would not hurt water quality. The bulk of the property is high and sandy, he said, whatever the town eventually designs would include buffers. In fact, Rush said he expects the Clean Water Management Trust Fund will require a conservation easement on a portion of the property, primarily along the roughly 1,100-foot shoreline of Archers Creek.

Sam Bland, a town resident, former Hammocks Beach State Park superintendent and North Carolina Coastal Federation employee, said he supports the town acquiring the property, but not the concept of developing nine acres for ball fields or other active park uses.

The problem, Bland said, is that there is very little maritime forest left in Emerald Isle. The other large section is the 41-acre, town-owned Emerald Isle Woods, which is a combination natural park and storm water management facility.

“We need to preserve what’s left,” Bland said. He added that clearing and developing any of the property would likely have some negative effect on water quality in the creek, which flows into Bogue Sound.

Another issue, Bland said, is that the property is prime habitat for wildlife, including raccoons, foxes and especially the resplendent painted bunting, which, in North Carolina, is listed as a federal “special concern” species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The bird also has been designated as a watch list species by Partners in Flight, and BirdLife International has categorized the population as near-threatened. Experts say the population has been declining for years, in part because it is caught in Mexico and Cuba for the caged-bird trade, but also because its habitat is shrinking.

In his report, Schafale stated that a survey for rare animals and for rare bryophytes – liverworts, hornworts and mosses – “would be worthwhile.”

Closing the Deal

In action at the April 11 meeting, the board authorized Rush to execute a contract for purchase and also set up a “due diligence period” that could result in a closing of the deal at the end of October.

MCAS Cherry Point officials have begun the process to secure federal funds, Rush said, but that’s likely to take several months.

Rush said that based on discussions with officials at Cherry Point, he expects a definitive commitment by September, but the money might not be available for a few months after that. Decisions on the state trust fund grants could also come by early September.

If the state grants come through, but actual cash from the military is not available by the planned Oct. 31 closing date, Rush added, the town could enter into a short-term financing arrangement with The Conservation Fund of North Carolina, part of a national organization whose mission is to assist communities in the acquisition and conservation of public land. The Conservation Fund is serving as the town’s partner on the acquisition. Under the military’s program, Rush said, Cherry Point can provide federal funding only to previously authorized partners, and The Conservation Fund has been involved in similar previous deals with the air station.

The Conservation Fund would be the actual entity that would purchase the property from the owners. The Conservation Fund would then convey the property to the town.

In his memo to the board, Rush noted that if the town does not receive adequate funds for the purchase, “it will likely be possible to have The Conservation Fund proceed with the acquisition on the Town’s behalf. The Conservation Fund would provide the balance of funding necessary to acquire the property, and would then hold the property for some mutually agreeable time period.”

If that were to occur, he wrote, “The town would remain eligible for grant funding, and could apply for funding from the same grant programs in 2018 or could apply for funding through other eligible grant programs.”

The other option, absent sufficient funds by closing, is to simply abandon the effort, he added.

What Kind of Park?

Rush said he’s confident the town can get the two grants, as well as the contribution from the military, but more money would be needed to build athletic fields.

In a memo to commissioners for their meeting, Rush listed potential field uses and sizes:

• Baseball field – about 400 feet by 400 feet, or three to four acres.
• Soccer field – about 300 feet by 400 feet, or nearly three acres, which could potentially be built in the outfield of a new baseball field.
• Tennis court – about 60 feet by 120 feet each; or about one-sixth of an acre.
• Dog park – sizes vary, but likely about an acre, potentially in the natural area of the new park, among existing trees.
• Skate park – sizes vary, but likely a half-acre or less.
• Splash park – sizes vary, but likely one-fourth of acre or less.

“Additionally,” Rush wrote, “it will likely be necessary to provide some amount of additional parking for park patrons.” He said about 80 spaces, along with access to them, would take up close to an acre.

The military’s program will limit the extent of building construction on the property.

Rush noted in his memo to the board the town would likely be able to build a small bathroom building, a storage building, a concession building and “other similar features,” but larger buildings would not be allowed.

Eight or nine residents spoke during the state grant-required public hearing on April 11, and while some expressed concern, none out-and-out opposed the plan.

Ken Stone, chairman of the town’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee, was one who spoke at the hearing.

In an interview, Stone said that, like others, he’d prefer that the property be kept mostly natural, with the exception of hiking and bike paths and maybe a small venue for outdoor performing arts.

But, he added, “We have to get the property first. And there are a lot of people who have been interested in having ball fields.” But, he said, protecting 20 of the 30 acres of mostly forested land in a natural state is certainly preferable to 237 condos or even single-family development.

“I guess I’m kind a realist,” Stone said. “If we have a chance to get this land, using grants, and don’t do it, that would be a heck of a missed opportunity.”

Rush said that if the town is able to get the land, nothing would happen fast.

“Ultimately, I would envision the board soliciting additional public input on desired park amenities in the future, and using that public input to develop a specific park plan,” he said.

Learn More

• Read the Natural Heritage Report

From a Tideland News report:

EMERALD ISLE – Town officials here have applied for a state grant to purchase a nearly 30-acre tract behind the old town hall and recreation center for a mix of preservation and recreational use.

Town Manager Frank Rush has applied for a $545,000 grant from the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund, He’s also working with the military, because the property is in the flight path for Bogue Field – an auxiliary landing field for the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station – and the Marine Corps is trying to discourage development, especially high-density development, in flight paths.

The tract, which has frontage on Archer’s Creek, is zoned for multi-family development, and is large enough for as many as 237 condominiums, Rush said.

The property is owned by Surfside Realty Co. Inc. of Emerald Isle, and the registered agent is Georgia Ricks. It has been appraised at $3 million.

Rush said that despite common belief, the property is very usable, with 26-27 acres of high land, much of it covered with maritime forest.

The town, he said, would almost surely preserve two-thirds of it in its natural state, and would, at some point, most likely use the remaining third for fields for sports like soccer and baseball. That could be a few years, maybe more, down the road after acquisition. Rush said the two-thirds that would be left natural are ideal for hiking trails.

“It’s really beautiful property, with a lot of great trees,” Rush said, and people would love it for nature walks and other passive recreational activities, such as bird watching.

All of this fits well with the mission of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which receives money in budget allocations from the state General Assembly.

The agency’s main purpose is to help local governments protect water quality, but Rush said it also has a stated goal to help provide buffers for military facilities.

At least part of Archer’s Creek, which borders the property, is classified by the state as Outstanding Resource Waters, the state’s highest classification. And the creek is a tributary of Bogue Sound, which also is classified ORW.

Grant awards are expected to be announced in September.

This story is provided courtesy of the Tideland News, a weekly newspaper in Swansboro. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Tideland to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast. You can read other stories about the Swansboro area here.

EMERALD ISLE – There’s danger lurking in Bogue Sound, on and around a small, rapidly eroding island just off the end of 24^th Street, where military officials are working to clean up years’ worth of unexploded ordnance and other material left by bombing practice flights decades ago.

The Navy has been working with Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to investigate, assess the risks and, starting again this month, remove potentially explosive material and inert metallic objects from tiny Wood Island. The effort is part of a sweep that takes place every three years or whenever a hurricane or tropical storm strikes this part of the North Carolina coast. The next cleanup is set to begin Feb. 21 and continue through about March 13.

Wood Island, which is less than 300 feet wide at its widest point and about 1,500 feet long, was used as a Navy bombing target in the 1940s and 1950s. The island is about a half mile north of Bogue Banks and about 1.5 miles south of the mainland. Although military documents refer to the site as the Cat Island Bomb Target BT‐2, the actual target locations were on and near Wood Island. Cat Island is about a mile and a half west of Wood Island and was never used as a bomb target.

Although the island and the waters immediately around it are marked on nautical charts and surrounded with “Danger” signs warning of unexploded ordnance, there’s evidence people are going ashore, said Patricia Vanture of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic in Washington, D.C.

“As much as anyone can stay away from the area, they should,” Vanture said.

From 1943 to 1952, BT‐2 was used for bombing practice using inert, target‐practice munitions, according to Navy documents. The Marine Corps periodically removed “munitions and explosives of concern” and “material potentially presenting an explosive hazard” from the surface of the island while the bomb targets were in use in the 1940s and 1950s. The Navy began using live ammunition at the site in 1952, including air‐delivered bombs as large as 2,000 pounds. A report dated 2001 indicates that general-purpose bombs; armor‐piercing bombs; semi‐armor‐piercing bombs; depth bombs; rockets; and .30-caliber to 20 mm machine guns were used for training activities at BT‐2.

The Navy said the site hasn’t been used as a target since about 1955 and there are no plans to reactivate it. Munitions have been periodically removed from Wood Island since 1957, most recently in 2014.

“The Navy and Marine Corps have been investigating out there since the ’60s, so this is a long-term project,” Vanture said, adding that because BT-2 is a closed munitions site, the Navy has a responsibility to clean up.

Investigations have concluded there isn’t a human health risk from any chemicals at the site, “But because there’s certainly the potential safety risk from people coming onto the island, we do surface clearance where all they do is go out and pick up all the stuff they see,” Vanture said.

Explosive ordinance experts remove most material from the island to nearby Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue.

“If they actually find a live bomb, that will have to be detonated in place,” Vanture said. “It’s too dangerous to move.”

She said that in those cases, there will immediate efforts to alert the public before the detonation. Such action has been required in the past.

In 2010, a high-explosive, 100-pound, general purpose bomb was found during a cleanup and was subsequently detonated on Wood Island. Vanture said vibration monitoring was conducted at the time and nearby homes were not affected.

“That would happen again,” she said of the monitoring.

Frank Rush, town manager in Emerald Isle, said officials in the western Bogue Banks community have been notified when cleanups were scheduled.

“It really hasn’t caused any concerns or problems in Emerald Isle,” Rush said. “In my time as manager, I’ve never heard of it causing a problem for anyone there and previous cleanup efforts have gone smoothly. It’s a good thing to get cleaned up and I’m glad they’re coming back.”

In 2009, an aerial mapping survey was conducted over about 10 square miles of Bogue Sound surrounding Wood Island to detect and accurately map the locations of magnetic anomalies. The survey identified about 10,400 magnetic anomalies, with the highest concentrations clustered within about 650 feet of the island.

“This mass of closely spaced magnetic anomalies corresponds to the expected pattern of ordnance distribution for an aerial bombing target,” according to Navy documents.

In October and November 2010, MCAS Cherry Point and the Navy conducted an expanded search and removal effort to identify and remove munitions-related items and other metallic items from Wood Island. About 3,900 pounds of potentially explosive materials were removed from the island, along with 120 pounds of other metallic debris related to recreation and fishing activities in Bogue Sound.

In March 2014, Cherry Point and the Navy did another cleanup, removing about 4,600 pounds of potentially explosive materials.

The ordnance penetrated the ground at varying depths, depending on the type of round, but erosion of the island is constantly bringing buried materials to the surface.

“As the sand shifts and the island erodes away, it uncovers more of these,” Vanture said.

In 2008, 16 warning signs were placed on the shoreline of Wood Island to notify the public of the potential munitions hazard and warn against trespassing on the island. Then, in March 2012, Cherry Point and the Navy placed 20 additional warning signs in the shallow water around the island, about 1,200 feet from its shoreline, to warn boaters of the danger posed by bottom-disturbing activities, such as anchoring, dredging or clamming.

Many of the signs on the island have deteriorated and are recommended for replacement during the upcoming cleanup.

Although, according to Navy documents, the surface danger zone extends 3 miles in all directions from the former target location, warning sings placed in the water around the island mark the boundaries of the highest concentration of bombs that are in the water.

“Outside the sign perimeter, anything that you would normally do while driving a boat should be sufficient,” Vanture said regarding safe travel near the zone, adding that the goal is just to keep people from anchoring nearby or going ashore.

“We’re just trying to keep people away,” Vanture said. “It takes a lot to detonate one of these items, but you don’t want to find out the hard way.”

Learn More

• Read documents related to Wood Island

A dory awaits fall and the start of the mullet season.

From left, Henry Frost, Tom Guthrie and Phil Guthrie are maintaining a century-old tradition of netting jumping mullet from the beaches of Bogue Banks,

The red, Farmall tractors are a sure sign of fall along Bogue Banks.

SALTER PATH – Outsiders may not know it, but those two large, red tractors pointed in opposite directions in an abandoned parking lot in this tiny barrier island community in Carteret County are certain signs of fall..

So is the quiet. Labor Day has passed, and with most of the tourists departed, the traffic hum from the highway that slices through the town is now gone, allowing the cry of a royal tern to be noticed.

The amount of sunlight each day is waning, and it will soon be at a day of balance. This transition to longer nights and from warmth to cold signals the equinox of autumn. The Latin meaning of the word “equinox” is equal night.

Astronomically speaking, the September equinox occurs the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from north to south. This happens either on Sept. 22, 23 or 24 every year. Along the N.C. coast, it happened about 10:30 last night.

That’s when fall officially began. It is hard to escape the signs, as a peregrine falcon swoops after migrating shorebirds along the beach, the muscadine grapes hang heavy on vines and the yellow cloudless sulphur butterflies dance through the air. To the natives of Salter Path and Bogue Banks, those red tractors sprouting up along the beach are as much a natural sign of fall as the goldenrod that is blooming among the sandy dunes.

When I first noticed the tractors, three men were stringing, or tying on, a new net onto a rope that stretched from the axel of one tractor to the other tractor, about 30 yards away. I have lived enough of my life in coastal North Carolina to know that these men were preparing for the ritual harvest of striped mullet.

Henry Frost, Phil Guthrie and Tom Guthrie, collectively have 170 years of mullet fishing experience. They were preparing for another season.

“Why?” I asked.

“Fun” was the answer.

While tying on the net, they also threaded in brown floats every three feet on the top of the net and silvery lead weights about every foot on the bottom. As I talked to the men, dark storm clouds announced the arrival of a cool front pushing across the sound. The snapping lightning and rumble of thunder in the distance had me nervously glancing towards the sky, while the men, undaunted, kept a steady hand threading the twine through the net anchoring it onto the line.

The striped mullet, also known as the flathead mullet and jumping mullet, is not that interested in biting a baited hook and is content to suck up small algae, zooplankton and decaying organic matter from sandy and muddy bottoms. Every fall, thousands of this oily fish migrate out of the estuaries then swim close to the shore before heading offshore to spawn.

These fish practically founded the town of Salter Path. In the late 1800’s, the collapse of the whaling trade and pounding hurricanes encouraged some residents of the Shackleford Banks community of Diamond City to relocate westward to the island of Bogue Banks. These hardy souls took advantage of a fish that practically swam onto the shore. Once their nets were pulled onto the beach, the fish were cleaned and salted down in wooden barrels.

Using the tractors, fishermen haul the net full of mullet onto the beach.

As the heavy barrels were carried from the beach to the sound, a well-worn path was etched into the ground through the thick maritime shrub thickets. At the end of this path, the barrels were loaded onto boats, destined for various locations. This path went right past a house owned by one Riley Salter, and soon, the town once called Gillikin, became known as Salter Path.

These settlers also relied on the salted mullet to barter for other commodities with mainland farmers offering sweet potatoes and corn. Along with being salted, the mullet was also dried and smoked to provide a few options since this fish would also sustain them through the lean winter months.

Throughout the 1900’s the annual mullet harvest supported about eight crews along the length of Bogue Banks. Each crew with its own unique name, such as Clam Rock, Red Bird, Money Island, Tea House, Hopey Ann Hill and Bell Cove, that typically reflected a  landmark on the island.

It was a good business, according to Frost, until Hurricane Hazel raked across the banks in 1954. The storm, he said, reorganized the topography and profile of the near shore ocean bottom and the character of the mullet runs has never been the same.

A school of mullet in the surf.

The mullet are loaded into the back of pickup trucks for the trip to the market in Beaufort.

Since then, the number of crews slowly dwindled down leaving only two active crews today. These two crews now actually join together and operate as one to increase the chances of a successful season.

Last fall, during October and November, I kept a close watch on the weather forecast looking for the conditions that would trigger what is known as a “mullet blow.” A drop in water temperature and humidity are thought to be factors that prompt these fish to move out of the estuaries, through the inlets and along the barrier beaches.

Near the western point of Bogue Banks, two of the tractors and one dory boat were strategically stationed at the base of the primary dune line, ready for action. Upon close inspection, the cosmetic appearance of the rusty tractors indicates a well-worn 70-year life of splashing through the surf and pulling nets. These Farmall model M tractors were favored for their power and high clearance that allowed them to operate in the loose sand and incoming waves of the surf zone.

Connected to one of the tractors was a rugged homemade trailer that cradles an all-white, flat bottomed 20-foot dory. At first glance it appears that the boat has no motor, however, an inspection reveals a motor nestled into an open well close to the bow of the boat. The shaft of the motor actually protrudes through a hole in the bottom of the boat. This allows the 400 yards of net to be easily deployed over the stern of the boat without interference from the motor. Made by Frost, the boat maneuvers easily in shallow water and is durable enough to be launched directly into the surf.

In early November, a strong cold front escorting a stiff north wind sent the mullet running west close to the shore. Before sunrise, the fishing crew was already on the beach starting the tractors, inspecting the nets and fueling the boats. As the sun kissed the horizon, they began to patrol the beach and scan the water looking for what looks like the dark shadow of a cloud passing under the sun.

Around 9 a.m. a school was spotted near the Bogue Inlet pier in Emerald Isle and a parade of tractors, with a dory in tow and pickup trucks hustled down the beach. The tractor with the dory was able to get down the beach ahead of the fish with enough time to allow the fishermen to deploy the boat directly into the surf. A few of the men pushed the dory off the trailer and spun the bow into the small ocean waves. One man leaped into the dory, and the motor roared quickly to life.

Heading out perpendicular from the shore, the dory was spilling out a net from the stern with one end anchored to the tractor. The dory quickly made a big loop around the schooling fish, headed straight back to the shore and ran directly onto the beach as the other tractor driver anxiously awaited.

A few more men jerked and pulled the net out of the dory and attached it to the Farmall. Both tractors then pulled the net, bulging with mullet, onto the beach just above the lapping waves. A line of men secured the bottom of the net to make sure none of the flapping fish escaped. It was all over in about five minutes.

The tractor pulls the dory along the beach as the sun rises and other fishermen scan the surf for jumping mullet.

The coordination of the strike was flawless. As the men called out instructions to each other, their Down East brogue became more pronounced and verged on being a foreign language. The number of hoot and hollers from the crew relieved that the operation went off without a hitch.

Recently, Neil Smith and Joey Frost, each with 45 and 40 years of experience working on a mullet crew, told me stories about times when things didn’t go so well, including swamped boats and waves breaking over tractors. But they also spoke of the rush of adrenaline and joy that pours through the body after the teamwork of 18 men results in a net full of fish.

The anxiousness and nervousness of the strike was over and the men now playfully teased each other as they began the real work of the day, loading the fish into a cluster of pickup trucks. Together, all the men in waders and rain slickers dropped to their knees and began pulling the slippery mullets bare handed from the net and tossing them into baskets. Once full, the baskets were dumped into the bed of a full size pickup truck.

Before long, a residue of slime, scales and sand coated their clothing. This haul, at 12,000 pounds seemed generous; however, the older men who had seen better days knew it was a modest catch.

As I watched them stowing their nets, a song about lobster fishing in Maine, by Dan Fogelberg, “The Reach,” popped into my head:

It’s father and son,

It’s the way it’s been done since the old days.

These mullet headed to a local fish house in Beaufort where some were sold locally but the majority were shipped to Florida. Some were   salted, others dried or smoked.

However, the female mullet, plump with red roe is much more valuable. The roe is bound for the markets in Taiwan and other Asian countries where it is a delicacy.

Today, in the United States, the mullet is looked down upon as only suitable for fish or crab bait. Yet, there is a modest following that love their mullet grilled over charcoal, fried, broiled or stewed. The mullet is even celebrated with an annual festival during the October mullet season in Swansboro.

Those early Salter Path families started a tradition of mullet fishing on Bogue Banks that has been going on for over 100 years. Great-grandfathers, grandfathers, fathers and sons have stood together pulling the nets, feeling the chilling north wind of a mullet blow on the back of their necks. They don’t do it for the money, because it is humble at best. The goal is to break even, hope to make a little money and pray not to lose any. It is family, community, camaraderie, tradition and heritage that keep them mending the nets, repairing the tractors and boats and waiting. Waiting for another day when the north wind blows cold, the ocean lays flat and the mullet run thick to teach another generation the pride of their ancestors.