The Center for Biological Diversity said Wednesday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been notified about the expected legal action for the federal agency “failing to designate critical habitat for red knot shorebirds in a timely manner.”
endangered species
Nonprofit, developer carve path to protect Sledge Forest tract
The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust has come to a tentative purchase and sale agreement with Charlotte-based Copper Builders to preserve more than 3,200 acres of Sledge Forest on the Northeast Cape Fear River.
NCDOT begins planning wildlife crossing structures for US 64
NCDOT officials said the state agency is planning a project to install wildlife crossing structures on U.S. 64 in Dare County to help keep drivers safe and prevent crashes with wild animals.
I grew up on this coast; I won’t watch right whales disappear
Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales face a crisis they can’t outswim — and a recent move by the federal government threatens to make a dire situation even worse.
Hatteras supporters can symbolically adopt a sea turtle nest
Outer Banks Forever, the official nonprofit partner of the three national parks on the Outer Banks, has launched for the seventh year its annual “Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest” Program.
Scientists record female sperm whales assisting in calf’s birth
A research team was working the summer of 2023 off the coast of Dominica when they made the “impossibly rare” observation of a mother sperm whale giving birth and the newborn assisted by the other whales in taking its first breath, all while recording their underwater vocalizations.
Our Coast: At the Whales, Whaling Symposium in Beaufort
Historian and author David Cecelski writes about the talk he gave earlier this month on bottlenose dolphin fishery at Hatteras Island during the annual Whale and Whaling Symposium in Beaufort.
Event to highlight whaling cultural history, conservation
The N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort’s annual Whales and Whaling Symposium March 20 will explore whales and whaling from multiple perspectives, highlighting both the cultural history of whaling and today’s conservation efforts.
NOAA Fisheries considers changing right whale protections
As more than 20 North Atlantic right whale mother and calf pairs prepare to migrate up the U.S. Atlantic Coast, the Trump administration is considering rolling back protections for the critically endangered species.
Amid record growth, groups protect tracts from development
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.
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.
