Population growth on the North Carolina coast has ramped up pressure on conservation groups to acquire and set aside land, such as the more than 2,000 acres in coastal counties recently protected from development, areas with natural landscape features that reduce flood risk, improve water quality and provide vital habitat.
endangered species
Critically endangered right whale found dead off NC coast
The carcass of a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale was spotted about 25 miles offshore of Avon on Jan. 27.
Nonprofit sues over inaction on horseshoe crab protections
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit Monday against the National Marine Fisheries Service for not publishing initial findings on a petition filed February 2024 to protect American horseshoe crabs.
Jean Beasley, passionate sea turtle protector, dies at 90
The founder of the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center on Topsail Island, which she named in memory of her late daughter, was driven to protect the beloved ocean dwellers.
Opinion: For whose benefit are barrier island horses?
Guest commentary: Invasive species pose a serious challenge for ecosystems that have not evolved alongside them, and such is the case with North Carolina’s crystal skipper and the nonnative horses allowed to roam the barrier islands that are the butterfly’s only habitat.
Vessel operators urged to slow down for endangered whales
Aerial surveyors spotted four critically endangered North Atlantic right whales off Ocracoke Island, and operators of vessels of all sizes are asked to travel no faster than 10 knots through the area.
Fort Fisher aquarium plans to close ahead of $65M renovation
The project, announced earlier this year, is to include building the largest shark habitat in the state, expanding the facility to the largest in the North Carolina, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources said Wednesday.
Raleigh Civic Symphony to highlight red wolf conservation
The Raleigh Civic Symphony performance Sunday of composer Stephanie Ann Boyd’s “Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals” conducted by Peter Askim will feature the world premiere of a new movement honoring the endangered eastern red wolf population in northeastern North Carolina.
‘Cautiously optimistic’: Right whale population rises 2.1%
The North Atlantic right whale population rose slightly in 2024, but while marine scientists are encouraged, they say strong protective measures are still needed.
Biologists heartened by red wolf program’s recent successes
While still far from recovered, more endangered eastern red wolves in northeastern North Carolina are breeding, more pups are surviving, coyote hybridization has been cut, and there are fewer mortalities from vehicle strikes and gunshots.
Public invited to learn more about red wolves, recovery efforts
The information session set for Sept. 23 will include the latest on revitalized recovery efforts for the species, the status of recovery efforts in the eastern North Carolina red wolf population area, coyote-management strategies and planning.
Shark meat could be high in mercury, mislabeled: Study
Meat labeled “shark” for sale in grocery stores and fish markets may be from critically endangered species or have significant mercury in its tissue, according to a UNC Chapel Hill study.
Only half of state’s known sea turtle nests hatched before Erin
Many of the state’s sea turtle nests had hatched before Hurricane Erin passed offshore but those still incubating suffered overwash, and some nests were entirely lost.
US Fish and Wildlife proposes listing Southern hognose snake
More than 12 years after the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the agency, its officials proposed on Thursday listing the southern hognose snake as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Conservation group’s US 64 study finds ‘remarkable carnage’
More than 5,000 vertebrates representing 144 species of wildlife were killed on U.S. Highway 64 just halfway through a two-year survey.
Center for Biological Diversity sues feds over red wolf listing
The nonprofit conservation group is challenging the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, alleging it acted illegally in deciding to continue classifying the critically endangered population of red wolves as “nonessential,” a designation of lesser protections.
