HARKERS ISLAND — It takes countless hours of work for the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center to fulfill its mission of preserving Down East Carteret County’s heritage.

Located next to Cape Lookout National Seashore’s visitor center on Shell Point, offering on most days a view of the diamond-patterned lighthouse across the sound, the museum spotlights the history and traditions of the 13 unincorporated communities in the eastern part of the county through exhibits, programs and events.

While Executive Director Karen Willis Amspacher and about a dozen volunteers were busy setting up the morning of July 3 for the annual All-American Shrimp Fry taking place that Saturday, July 5, she told Coastal Review that “It’s the work that makes this place what it is” and the museum “was built on volunteers.”

From converting an old doctor’s office to the gift shop housed in the facility, clearing land and pulling stumps from Willow Pond behind the museum, to creating beautiful quilts and feeding thousands fresh local seafood and sweet puppies, “Core Sound has always been and still is — and hopefully will always be — grounded in the hard work, talents and dedication of the people of our community,” she explained.

So, when Gov. Josh Stein inducted Amspacher and nine others June 25 into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor in the state, she didn’t tell a soul.

Amspacher, who has been leading Core Sound since it was established in 1992, had been in Raleigh that last week of June with others fighting against a proposed law that would ban commercial shrimp trawling in the state’s inland waters and within a half-mile of the shore. The House chose not to push the contentious bill through.

She was reluctant to accept the award at the time because, she said, it wasn’t only her who had made the museum a success, and didn’t feel like a time to celebrate. Amspacher decided to meet with the governor anyway because it was a chance to speak to him about the proposed trawling ban.

She wrote in a social media post a week later a “confession of guilt for accepting something good that belongs to everybody that I have mommicked all along the way.”

Amspacher thanked everyone for their congratulations, “but know … WE have accomplished NOTHING alone. Since I moved back home in 1982 it’s been quite a journey, thank you to everyone who is still holding on for our fishing communities no matter what it takes,” she wrote, adding that she hopes her daughter, Katie, remembers when she “puts me in the ground on #redhill under those oaks to post a sign somewhere .. ‘Work is love made visible.’ I believe that … I do love ‘my crowd’ … and love means work.”

Amspacher paused between tasks the morning of July 3 to reiterate that she’s truly grateful for all of the volunteers, especially the young ones “who keep showing up to do the work it takes to keep the museum’s work moving forward.”

Her “shrimp boys” Liam Calabria, Nick Davies and Jackson Saunders, were among those setting up tables and chairs. The three best friends grew up together in Raleigh.

Calabria explained during a break that the nickname came from when he and his older brother, who is in college now, began helping at Core Sound about five years ago.

The first few years, “We had to clean all the shrimp, so that was the main focus, and then we would just help out where need be,” Calabria said. “Now we set up all the tables, chairs, water stations, and we’ve helped serve the food recently, and that’s the fun part because we make​ it a friendly competition.”

His family began in 2020 splitting their time between Carteret County and the state capital, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Core Sound decided to hold the shrimp fry again after pausing during the pandemic, Calabria said that his brother, who was in ninth grade at the time, needed volunteer hours and wanted to help the community.

“I decided to tag along with him,” and his family decided to continue to help. “Now, we started dragging our friends along,” Calabria explained, gesturing to Davies and Saunders.

Davies started helping about three years ago. Currently attending Wake Tech Community College, Davies said it’s “a lot of fun” at Core Sound and he gets to spend time with his best friends.

This is the first year for Saunders, who said he decided to join because he needed some community service hours for scholarships, and “thought it’d be fun to hang out with my friends. So I was just like, why not tag along?”

Calabria added, “We just love the community, and we’ve made a lot of friends and connections through Harkers Island over the five years we’ve lived here, so we just like to see them enjoying the time here and meeting up with some friends.”

Nearby, high school senior Thomas Lathan was helping his grandfather Bill Lathan, a board member for more than 20 years, hang banners that thanked the shrimp fry’s sponsors.

Thomas Lathan has helped at past events, but this is his first summer as an intern. He’s been working with a doctoral student to interview residents about their experiences with tropical storms and how the natural disasters affect and change the culture. He plans to present the findings when he’s done.

Bill Lathan, who still works full time as an attorney in New Bern, said he heads to Harkers Island whenever he’s available and decided to join Thomas that Thursday to help.

Amspacher explained in a later interview that many of the youth that help have been volunteering as shrimp cleaners and trash collectors since they came with their parents and grandparents when they were 9 and 10 years old.

“Now they are high school and college students and they are returning as interns and as the ‘power’ behind our events and projects. They care and each of them know they are part of us and always will be,” she said. “Troop 252 of Davis has been part of our events from the first year we were in this building in 1999. Many of them have children who are now Scouts, doing what they did.”

After the event, Amspacher told Coastal Review that the shrimp fry was a success. This year highlighted the Crystal Coast Water Rescue Team who traveled to Black Mountain during Helene response in fall 2024 and welcomed the Black Mountain Fire Department who called on Carteret County for help.

Core Sound has been reaching out to leaders in the mountains since Hurricane Helene caused untold destruction last fall to the western part of the state to help cope with the destruction and heartache.

Recognizing “our water rescue team traveling to help Black Mountain Fire Department was the same story. The shared experience, the bond that tragedy builds, the ever-knowing that we are all one storm away from needing them to come help us was heavy on everyone there. It was a moment that we will all hold dear,” said Amspacher. “The All-American Shrimp Fry is just that: communities coming together to celebrate our homes, our families and the traditions we hold sacred from across North Carolina.”

Families, teams and individuals have a little over a week to plan how they’re going win the Friends of Jockey’s Ridge sandcastle-building contest.

Set for Saturday, Sept. 14, as part of the nonprofit organization’s Dune Days, the contest for all ages and skill levels is being held at no charge at the end of the boardwalk at Jockey’s Ridge State Park near the dunes.

Dune Days kicks off at 11 a.m. with a board meeting, when hot dogs and snow cones will be available, followed by in-person registration for the contest at 12:30 p.m. Participants can register in advance by emailing info@friendsofjockeysridge.org.

The hourlong sandcastle contest that starts at 1 p.m. Judging is at 2 p.m. Prizes, which will be presented to first, second and third place winners, and rules are listed on the organization’s website.

For those wanting to stretch their legs instead, a park ranger will lead a dune hike, also at 1 p.m.

Red drum are widely known among coastal recreational anglers as one of the more fun fish to hook, particularly to those who love a good fight.

David Deuel grappled almost a mile down Hatteras Island’s Avon beach before landing the world record drum, a whopping 94 pounds, 2 ounces, in early November 1984.

But for a fish that’s one of the more popular recreational catches in North Carolina — it’s the official state saltwater fish — much remains unknown about red drum, where they spawn, their migration patterns, the distances they travel and where they go.

A two-year pilot satellite tagging study launched this month aims to unlock some of those mysteries.

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries in partnership with the North Carolina Marine & Estuary Foundation, will tag 20 mature red drum, or those stretching more than 32 inches long, collected next month during the division’s annual longline red drum survey in the Pamlico Sound.

This will kick off the first of two phases during the first year of the study, one that includes testing two different tagging methods. The first method will be by attaching the tag with a monofilament leader line through the musculature of the fish, allowing the tag to stream above the back dorsal fin. The second attachment method is the more conventional of the two and would allow the tag to stream closely to the side of the fish without interfering with its fins.

Marine technology manufacturer Desert Star Systems created the solar-powered SeaTag-GEO pop-up satellite tags to send daily transmissions from a fish to the ARGOS satellite to computer software that tracks the fish’s locations.

Each tag is about 7 inches long and weighs a little less than 1.5 ounces. The tags are one-time use.

During phase one of the study, division officials will be able to review the performance of the tags themselves, whether they pop off of a fish on the date they were programmed to detach (up to three months).

Data is collected daily until the tag detaches from the fish. Once the tag surfaces, it will pinpoint its final location and an accurate range of temporal and spatial data from the fish.

“This is an exciting new science for North Carolina that we will hopefully use to answer key questions and more,” said Cara Kowalchyk, red drum project lead biologist with the division. “This first year is a pilot study to learn what we can, but we just want to keep expanding. We want to keep being innovative. We want to provide positive engagement and focus on a species that is economically and socially important.”

The second phase of the project, which is expected to be complete in October, will also take place in Pamlico Sound.

During this phase, 14 fish will be tagged by division officials with the help of local fishing guides, people who know where the fish are and can take those officials to specific parts of the coastline “that we may not get through our predefined survey,” Kowalchyk said.

Tags attached to those 14 fish will be programmed to pop off at various durations, anywhere from four to six to 12 months. The additional tracking time will document more wide-ranging movement of red drum and allow researchers to pinpoint spawning sites and offshore migration locations.

Only trained division personnel will do the actual tagging. At $1,300 a pop, the tags aren’t cheap.

That cost, along with the $65 per tag, monthly subscription required to transmit recorded data from the tag to the software, has been covered by the Marine & Estuary Foundation, which approached the division about a year ago with the idea to use satellite technology to learn more about red drum.

“One of the things that we do frequently is look at the (fisheries) management plans that are developed either by the state or by the federal entities and look at their research recommendations that they put out and say, ‘OK, what are their needs here and if there are needs, can our foundation help meet those needs?’” said Chad Thomas, the nonprofit’s executive director. “So, in this specific example, one of the needs for red drum was to better understand how those fish are moving in and out of the inlet, specifically, where do they spawn, how often do they come inshore.”

Red drum are among five species the foundation “really has a focus on,” he said. The others are striped bass, flounder, weakfish and speckled trout.

“Those are the top five of what we consider our inshore coastal fisheries and whatever we can do to further the science with those five, in particular, and our understanding and our strong assumption is that when you improve the knowledge base for those five, then you’re going to improve the populations of many, many other fishes using those same habitats,” Thomas said. “It’s a great, great opportunity, I think, to look through the species that are so important to North Carolinians and say, ‘OK, how can we get better science?’”

The foundation will eventually have on its website a short educational video about the tagging efforts later this year.

Thomas said the foundation will be developing a budget and “hope to be able to strongly support the project for next year.”

The second year of the study will focus on tagging red drum in the open ocean. Tagging will be divided into two groups of red drum – one north of Cape Hatteras and the other south of the cape. Exactly how many fish will be tagged next year will depend on how much funding the program receives.

“We are going to be one of the first states implementing this, but we would love to lead the way for other states,” Kowalchyk said. “Since the northern and southern stock boundary is the North Carolina, South Carolina border, we would maybe love to participate with South Carolina, see if there’s stock mixing across that border or, with climate change, whether we’re seeing northward movement more regularly to Virginia, and partner with them. Just what we will have this year is exciting on its own and it will provide very valuable information.”

Recreational fishing guides interested in volunteering in the program may contact Thomas at cthomas@ncmefoundation.org or Kowalchyk at cara.kowalchyk@deq.nc.gov

MOREHEAD CITY — The reverence for North Carolina Coastal Federation founder Todd Miller was palpable Saturday night when he was recognized with two awards, including the governor’s highest honor for service, during the nonprofit organization’s Pelican Awards ceremony.

About 200 packed into the Joslyn Hall auditorium on the Carteret Community College campus for the annual awards program that the Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, began in 2003 to recognize individuals, businesses, organizations and agencies that have shown exemplary coastal stewardship.

In addition to Miller, staff at the Coastal Federation’s Northeast, Central and Southeast offices recognized more than a dozen at this year’s ceremony. A handful of the recipients were connected to the North Carolina State Parks system for their work to protect environmental, cultural and resources.

Miller, after more than 40 years leading the organization as executive director, turned the reins over in February to Dr. Braxton Davis, who left his leadership role at the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management to join the nonprofit. Miller now acts as senior adviser to the executive director.

“We are really excited to honor this year’s Pelican Award recipients. Each has gone above and beyond in protecting the coast, and their dedication, partnerships, and achievements are truly inspiring,” Davis told Coastal Review.

Davis and Board of Directors President April Clark presented Miller with a Lifetime Achievement Pelican Award and The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, on behalf of the governor, at the end of the hourlong ceremony.

A Carteret County native who spent his youth in the marshes of Bogue Sound, Miller founded the Coastal Federation in 1982 after completing his undergrad and master’s degrees at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

“Todd is a man of vision,” Clark said, and he has been instrumental in bringing supporters and partners together to accomplish the organization’s work.

“When he announced that he was moving on last year, I think everybody’s heart sunk. He’s left a legacy of work and a coastline that’s better for his presence than ever,” she continued.

After a standing ovation, Miller told the crowd that “the last 42 years have gone by in a flash for me,” and it has been rewarding to work with so many great people and be inspired by their energy.

“There are things that I can still contribute, and I’ll continue to do that, but it’s time for new leadership and new ideas and new energy in this organization. And I’m very proud that Braxton was willing to step up and take on that role. We’re in good hands, and just expect great things to happen in the future,” Miller continued.

Other accolades Miller has received while leading the organization include The Old North State Award from the governor in 2007, the National Wetlands Community Leader Award from the Environmental Law Institute in 2012, distinguished alumni of UNC in 2013, and the Peter Benchley Ocean Award for Hero of the Seas in 2015.

Miller had been on the stage to present awards in a new category, the Distinguished Career Awards, to Bill Holman, senior adviser with the Conservation Fund of North Carolina, and Derb Carter Jr., senior adviser for the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Holman was recognized “for a Distinguished Career Dedicated to Public Service and Environmental Conservation.”

Holman began his career in the early 1980s as an first environmental lobbyist and “has always been a steadfast ally, supporter and friend of the coast throughout his career,” Miller explained.

Holman was at the first meeting in April 1982, when the idea of Coastal Federation was born. “His collaboration with us and other environmental groups has resulted in countless environmental safeguards,” and his career protecting the North Carolina environment is nothing short of remarkable, Miller said.

In addition to his time as a lobbyist, Holman’s was appointed in 1998 by former Gov. Jim Hunt to serve as assistant secretary, and later as secretary, of the state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources, now called the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Other roles include executive director of the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust, policy program director at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute For Policy, and at The Conservation Fund as a state director.

“Today, he still has a hand in the game. He’s the senior adviser for the Conservation Fund, and his passion and commitment and impact on our environment continues to inspire all of us. His legacy protecting the natural resources will endure for generations to come,” Miller said.

He was not able to attend the ceremony but accepted his award in a prerecorded video.

“Receiving the Pelican Award from the NC Coastal Federation means a lot to me,” Holman told Coastal Review in an email. Adding he’s had the opportunity to work with members and staff of since its founding in 1982. “I’m proud to say I was there at the beginning.”

Holman said he knows the work of the Coastal Federation from his days as a lobbyist, and in his many leadership positions for the state.

“I admire, respect, and appreciate (the Coastal Federation)’s advocacy, its work in local communities, and its bold ideas,” Holman continued.

The Coastal Federation pushed for some of the first policies to reduce stormwater pollution, led the massive restoration of wetlands on the North River, has promoted living shorelines, and restored oyster reefs and the oyster industry, is helping clean up Lake Mattamuskeet and so much more, he explained.

“Our coast and our state are better places because of the Coastal Federation’s work, he said. “Thanks for the honor. Keep up the great work. I plan to spend more time enjoying our coast’s resources and people as I transition into retirement.”

After Holman, Carter was recognized “for a Distinguished Career Dedicated to Environmental Protection and Justice.”

Miller said he’s had the pleasure of working with Carter as long has he’s worked with Holman, since the 1980s, and “has had a distinguished career that has left his mark on the environment.”

Carter, who grew up in Fayetteville, began his career in 1980, when he worked to promote effective environmental advocacy that aligned policy with the everyday interests of residents, Miller said.

Carter’s vision “is best illustrated by the bumper sticker he allowed us to distribute for four decades now” which reads ‘No Wetlands, No Seafood’,” Miller said. The “simple, yet powerful message” circulated millions of times by the Coastal Federation “resonates deeply with our coastal communities” and is a “rallying cry for wetlands protections, symbolizing the direct link between healthy ecosystems and the livelihoods of countless North Carolinians.”

Carter began working closely with the Coastal Federation in 1982 to incorporate it into a nonprofit and help launch the organization.

“Understanding the importance of grassroots support, he was able to blend his legal work with a diverse coalition of fishermen, farmers, hunters , birders, scientists and environmentalists,” Miller said.

They worked to successfully stop the proposal to strip mine 120,000 acres of peat wetlands along our northeast coast. That effort led to securing permanent protection for those lands, which are now the Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes wildlife refuges, he said.

Carter’s notable legal actions include major federal lawsuits that enforce wetlands rules and successful petition on behalf because the Coastal Federation to designate 10% of coastal waters is outstanding resource waters. He played a crucial role in saving Bird Island from development, led the opposition to the PCS Phosphate expansion and helped block Mobil Oil’s plans to drill out the North Carolina coast in the 1980s and 1990s.

Carter told Coastal Review that it has been an honor to work with and represent the Coastal Federation since it was founded in 1982.

“I have met along the way many volunteers, staff, and board members committed to protecting what is special about the North Carolina coast. No organization has done more to protect coastal wetlands, oysters, clean water, beaches and inlets, and traditional ways of life,” he said. “I recall the first meeting with Todd Miller when he presented the idea that informing and engaging citizens in protection of coastal resources could make a difference. His vision and the accomplishments of the organization speak for themselves.”

Other winners were recognized by region.

Northeast

Outer Banks Kayak Adventures for Dedicated Partnership in Support of Coastal Environmental Education and Engagement

Outer Banks Kayak Adventures offers kayak and stand-up paddleboard ecotours for all ages and levels of experience.

Owner Eli Wisden partnered with the Coastal Federation in 2023 to lead “Oysters Uncovered: The Kayak Edition tours.” The tours that take place in the spring and October, which is Oyster Month in North Carolina, highlight the half-acre demonstration oyster lease and shoreline protection methods at the Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office.

“Eli’s in-kind donations of kayaks, gear and guiding expertise made these tours accessible and memorable for all who participated,” staff said.

Wisden told Coastal Review that he agreed to provide the tours because he thinks that people engage more if they have first-hand experience versus listening to a presentation.

You can sit in a room and listen to a presentation, see a few props but actually going out on the kayaks see the lease and the “different ways of protecting the shoreline, and show the effect that the oysters actually really have — you can go out and physically see that the water around the lease is noticeably cleaner than the other waters that are in the sound — a really cool way to get people that maybe get excited or feel like they want to get involved more.”

He said he’s flattered and honored to be chosen for the recognition, but he said Victoria Blakey, coastal specialist with the Wanchese office, is “as deserving of the award as I am,” Wisden said, because she approached him about the partnership, and put together the presentation.  

Daniel Pullen for Exceptional Efforts to Inspire Coastal Stewardship through Art and Actions

Coming from nine generations of Cape Hatteras Lightkeepers, Daniel Pullen grew up on the Outer Banks and has been documenting the realities of life on a barrier island for the past two decades.

“He makes his art available to the Federation so that we can better illustrate our story and inspire others,” staff said, this includes his effort to document the Hatteras Island Oyster Roast each year, litter cleanups and oyster restoration events, and his advocacy describing the impact of shoreline erosion along the Outer Banks.

Pullen has won countless awards for his work including being recognized by Time Magazine in its Top 100 Photos of 2020, and the North Carolina Press Association’s Photographer of the Year in 2021.

“I’m thankful to be recognized,” Pullen said at the event, adding he looks forward to the continued partnership with the organization in the future to preserve our coastal communities.

Central

Coastal Environmental Partnership for Outstanding Collaboration in Support of Oyster Shell Recycling

The public solid waste authority has collaborated with the Coastal Federation since 2021 to collect recycled oyster shells from Pamlico, Craven, and Carteret counties.

“We truly value our partnership with CEP and commend their efforts to go the extra mile in their commitment to oyster shell recycling,” staff said.

The partnership donates its time and energy to transport the oyster shells. Their commitment both mitigates waste and help revitalizes crucial oyster habitats that contribute to improving water quality and shoreline stability along the coast.

“Through community engagement and educational outreach, CEP fosters environmental stewardship by raising awareness about the importance of oyster reefs and their role in coastal ecosystems, and the importance of their preservation for future generations,” staff said.

“Coastal Environmental Partnership is honored to be selected as a 2024 Pelican Award recipient by the North Carolina Coastal Federation. We are excited to partner with them on the Oyster Recycling Program. As a public regional solid waste authority serving Carteret, Craven, and Pamlico counties, we have a firsthand interest in protecting the coast and advancing environmental initiatives,” Executive Director Bobby Darden said about the award.

Matt Windsor for Supporting, Promoting and Advancing the Use of Living Shorelines

Now superintendent of Goose Creek State Park, Windsor has worked at seven parks, including Hammocks Beach, during his nearly 30-year career with the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation.

Windsor reignited the partnership between the Coastal Federation and Hammocks Beach State Park, which allowed the organization to continue its salt marsh and oyster restoration efforts at the park in Swansboro through expanding living shorelines on the park’s mainland, Bear and Jones islands.

Windsor was involved with the education, funding, planning, permitting, research and monitoring effort to construct 6,578 additional feet of living shorelines at the park.

“The living shorelines Windsor helped put in place are working to reduce shoreline erosion, provide habitat, and are helping to improve the water quality of our coast. We are truly thankful for our long-term and valued partnership with Matt that will continue into the future,” staff said.

“I am really grateful to the NC Coastal Federation for being recognized for a Pelican award for living shoreline work along with so many other deserving award winners.  None of this would have happened without the assistance of the NC Coastal Federation central office, Native Shorelines, the staff of Hammocks Beach State Park, and hardworking volunteers from the local community,” Windsor said.

Claude Crews for Leadership and Dedication to Coastal Protection, Recreation, and Cultural Resources

The success of Hammocks Beach State Park in Swansboro is due in large part to the leadership of Crews.

Hammocks Beach was established as a state park for African Americans in 1961. Before this, there was limited access for Black residents and visitors to enjoy public beaches in North Carolina. The park integrated in 1964, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and Crews became its first superintendent in 1969.

Crews served as a leader both at the park and within the community. He left Hammocks Beach State Park in 1981 after being superintendent for 16 years, and was then promoted to superintendent at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park. Crews currently resides in Hubert and is still involved through the Friends of the Hammocks and Bear Island.

“By leading park management and development, he contributed to a broader awareness of the significance of preserving natural habitats and cultural heritage for all communities,” staff said.

“I would like to thank the North Carolina Coastal Federation for honoring me, I am humble to be one of the many recipients who have received this award. I am sincerely grateful for the recognition,” Crews said.

Southeast

Carolina Beach State Park for Dedicated Partnership to Protect and Restore Coastal Habitat and Water Quality

Carolina Beach State Park staff have collaborated with the Federation since 2014 on a range of projects, including a 200-foot living shoreline installed in 2015. Both worked with the Division of Marine Fisheries in 2017 to create the 5-acre artificial recreational fishing and oyster reef just off the shore.

In the following years, park staff, the Federation, state agencies, Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, Army Corps of Engineers, and engineers combined efforts to implement a large-scale restoration project funded by the Kerr-McGee Navassa NRDA Restoration Plan.

Park and other state agency staff have worked to reduce and control invasive Phragmites on 10 acres of the park, which enabled the excavation of a 2,600-foot-long slough to restore the hydrology and wetland function of the area, and allowed for more than 100,000 wetland plants to be installed.

Staff is currently working with the Coastal Federation to install more than 1,500 feet of living shoreline and restore an additional 4 acres of oyster reef habitat in 2025.

“We are so excited to receive a Pelican Award! As the new Superintendent at Carolina Beach State Park, I love to see the park recognized for all the hard work the staff and volunteers have put in. I have to give a special shout out to park ranger Jesse Anderson for his passion and enthusiasm for protecting our natural coastal resources and sharing all of that knowledge with me since my arrival,” Park Superintendent Crystal Lloyd said.

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Law Enforcement Officers in Districts 1,2 and 4 for Exemplary Efforts to Remove Abandoned and Derelict Vessels from Coastal Waters

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission law enforcement officers transitioned from rescue and recovery operations after Hurricane Florence in September 2018 to assessing damage and boats displaced by the storm.

The commission provided staff time and resources to locate, assess potential pollution hazards, report, and investigate hundreds of vessels between Carteret and Brunswick counties, then eventually coastwide after storms since.

This effort along with support and authorization from the N.C. General Assembly led to the commission launching its Abandoned and Derelict Vessel Program while simultaneously working with the Department of Environmental Quality and Coastal Federation to conduct the largest coordinated removal of ADVs in the state’s history.

At the forefront of this effort, the law enforcement officers along the coast in Districts 1, 2, and 4 dedicated an estimated three months of their time investigating, contacting owners, and enforcing the rules of the ADV program.

“These officers went above and beyond their normal duties to enable the removal of over 350 ADVs by the Commission, its partners, and local governments,” staff said.

The Wildlife Resource Commission Law Enforcement Division “truly appreciates the recognition of our efforts with the Coastal Federation in collaboratively removing abandoned and derelict vessels from NC waterways. These vessels pose significant public safety hazards to boaters while also causing harm to the resources. It is always our priority to assist in these endeavors so boaters and other outdoor enthusiasts may safely enjoy wildlife-associated recreation on the waterways of NC,” Col. Ben Meyer said.

Capt. Kyle van Althuis with District 2 told Coastal Review that the commission is honored to receive this award.

“A major part of our core mission is to conserve North Carolina’s wildlife resources and their habitats and to provide safe boating opportunities to the public. Our work in removing abandoned and derelict vessels, in partnership with so many other excellent organizations, directly serves to accomplish this mission,” he said. “In particular, we want to highlight the extraordinary lengths our officers have gone to in order to address the ADV problem in NC. They truly are public servants and willing to go the extra nautical mile.”

DREAMS Center for Arts Education for Excellence in Community Education and Engagement

DREAMS Center for Arts Education in downtown Wilmington has provided arts programming at no charge since 1997 to youth and their families. The staff hold to their mission to “create a culture of confidence for youth and teens through equitable access to arts education supported by the values of respect, family, and community.”

While its primary focus is on visual, performing and digital arts, the center has embraced stewardship of the environment, transforming its grounds into an oasis for outdoor learning experiences.

When DREAMS grew out of their first facility they relocated and renovated a vacant 1939 former City of Wilmington bus maintenance garage. In May 2012, the Historic Wilmington Foundation honored DREAMS with the Adaptive Reuse Award.

DREAMS worked with N.C. Cooperative Extension to install retrofits at their parking lot to reduce polluted stormwater runoff from flowing to Burnt Mill Creek, and with Cape Fear Surfrider Foundation and Rainstorm Solutions to install a cistern to capture rain runoff from the building’s rooftop.

Most recently, DREAMS collaborated with the Cooperative Extension, North Carolina Sea Grant and the Coastal Federation to create an outdoor educational garden that not only adds beauty to the landscape but teaches students and their families about the value of native plants through hands-on learning.

“The Federation is honored to host environmental education programming with DREAMS youth and is in awe of every student we work with at the Center,” staff said.

“The DREAMS Center for Arts Education is deeply honored to receive the Pelican Award for Excellence in Community Education and Engagement. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff, students, and community partners,” Executive Director Kimberly D. Lebby said. “We are proud of our commitment to not only nurturing young artists but also cultivating environmental stewards. By integrating arts education with ecological awareness, we believe we are creating a more informed and engaged citizenry. We are grateful for the Coastal Federation’s partnership and support, and we look forward to continuing our work together to protect and preserve our environment.”

Coastwide

The Inlet Inn’s Coins for Conservation program For Outstanding Community Leadership and Collaboration

As owners of the Inlet Inn in Beaufort, When Jay Tervo and Barbara McKenzie-Tervo felt it was their responsibility to ensure that the environment continued to flourish while helping visitors enjoy the coast.

They launched the online Coins For Conservation that allows businesses to support area nonprofits. Current partners are Atlantic Beach Sea Turtle Project, Coastal Carolina Riverwatch, Friends of Rachel Carson Reserve, and the Coastal Federation.

The Inlet Inn was the first business on board, leading the way for other businesses to join them in giving back to protect our coast. In addition to coming up with the idea, launching the program, and serving as a role model for other businesses, they continue to work tirelessly to recruit local partners, host events and encourage other businesses to give back.

“Jay Tervo and Barbara McKenzie are committed to going above and beyond for our coast,” staff said.

“Jay and I are very touched and honored to receive a Pelican Award.  We are joyous to have found a way to create a steady stream of resources for the NCCF and are very encouraged that Coins for Conservation has taken a foothold here, locally. We look forward to growing business participation throughout the entire coast.  Most importantly, North Carolina deserves a clean coast and NC Coastal Federation is a huge ‘mussel’ (pardon the pun) in getting the job done! We appreciate all the work you do,” McKenzie-Tervo said in an email.

Ryan Bethea for Exemplary Actions to Inspire Stewardship of Coastal Resources

Bethea has been raising oysters since 2015 in waters near Harkers Island in Carteret County. His interest in the oyster industry was piqued after reading about the up-and-coming oyster farming business in a magazine.

An eighth-grade teacher bartending on the side at the time, he decided to try his hand at growing oysters. A graduate of N.C. Central University, Bethea earned a certificate in oyster genetics and aquaculture from the William & Mary Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Bethea volunteers much of his time educating others about the environmental and economic benefits of oysters and the coastal habitats they depend on to thrive, hosts tours as a member of the North Carolina Oyster Trail, and teaches students at Boys and Girls Clubs and at Central University. He has been featured by Our State Magazine, PBS, NPR, Southern Living, and WRAL just to name a few.

“Ryan has used every step of his newfound career to inspire others to share his love and respect for the coast, ensuring a new generation of environmental stewards and coastal career professionals,” staff said.

“I’m honored to be recognized, and I’m proud to be able to spread the word about North Carolina oysters and our incredible resource we have here,” Bethea said.

Editor’s note: The organization provided the information on awards winners, which has been edited for length.

This story has been updated.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced a $421 million grant for a coalition of North Carolina and three other states working with nonprofit organizations for conservation and restoration projects that reduce carbon emissions and make communities more resilient to natural hazards.

The 21 proposed projects are estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 28 million metric tons by 2050. The grant includes roughly $30 million over five years for the Newport-based North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review.

North Carolina, via its Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, had applied for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program funding in April as part of a partnership called the Atlantic Conservation Coalition with South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and The Nature Conservancy.

The coalition plans to use the federal money for conservation and restoration projects for peatland wetlands, coastal habitats, and forests across all four states.

The projects proposed include salt marsh restoration, farmland preservation, conservation of land for outdoor recreation, construction of living shorelines. Cost assistance could be provided to small forest landowners, trees planted in cities and reforestation work.

The coalition has identified nearly 600 tracts as both low-income or disadvantaged communities that could benefit from the funding.

The nearly $30 million grant to the North Carolina Coastal Federation will be used in several key areas with an overall goal of protecting and restoring approximately 595 acres of coastal habitats in North Carolina, the organization said.

“The Federation is honored to be part of this historic award,” said Coastal Federation Executive Director Braxton Davis. “This grant will enable us to undertake major projects over the next five years by first identifying the most endangered coastal habitats, and then protecting and restoring at least 600 acres. We will also engage world-class scientists to determine the long-term fate of the carbon stored by these projects, which would otherwise contribute to sea level rise if lost to the atmosphere. By preserving these invaluable habitats, we are also supporting healthy fisheries, improving water quality, and reducing damaging flooding.”

The Coastal Federation said the funding would play a critical role in protecting and restoring coastal habitats that can store vast amounts of carbon. “These vital habitats face threats from persistent erosion, adverse land usage, and increased sea levels. By preserving these vital ecosystems, the initiative ensures that the stored carbon remains sequestered, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere and exacerbating global warming,” the organization said in a statement.

“Coastal habitats are some of the most efficient natural carbon sinks on the planet,” said Davis. “This funding will enable us to protect these critical areas and enhance their ability to sequester carbon, which is an important component in our fight against climate change.”

Jacob Boyd, the Coastal Federation’s salt marsh program director, noted that the collaboration among federal agencies, state governments and nonprofits sets a precedent for climate action.

“This is a model for not only how we can use natural infrastructure to help achieve our climate goals but how we can have a much greater impact through partnerships and collaboration,” said Boyd.

Boyd said the funding includes money for Duke University in both the coalition’s budget and in money marked for the Coastal Federation for assistance with project and research management.

He said a $350,000 contract with a company called Natrx will result in real-time satellite imagery-based analysis for evaluations and selections of project sites and for monitoring.

A $1.5 million contract with the U.S. Geological Survey is for advanced research to closely monitor carbon sequestration and storage results realized by the projects. “Project consultants include specialized experts to help with project development, site selection, management, and other specialized services that are needed to complete project tasks,” Boyd said.

$4.3 billion in grants

The funding is part of more than $4.3 billion in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants to implement community-driven solutions that tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate America’s clean energy transition, EPA said.

Gov. Roy Cooper released a statement Monday, noting that the grant was one of the largest grants the EPA has awarded and the largest for nature-based climate solutions.

The statement also noted the grant’s fit with the directives in Cooper’s Executive Order 305, which set goals to conserve and restore natural and working lands by 2040, and the North Carolina Natural and Working Lands Action Plan, which the Department of Environmental Quality published in 2020.

“Protecting our natural lands for future generations is not only critical to our fight against climate change but also our state’s economy and tourism industries,” said Cooper. “This major award from the Biden-Harris administration will strengthen our bipartisan partnership to conserve and restore public and private lands across state lines.”

Each of the four states will receive $50 million for “shovel-ready” projects. An additional $200 million will be allocated to The Nature Conservancy for additional high carbon-sequestering forest and wetland restoration projects across the entire coalition region, which will be implemented in collaboration with respective states and local partners. The 21 projects identified by the coalition will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 28 million metric tons of CO2e by 2050. These projects include salt marsh restoration, conserving land for outdoor recreation, building living shorelines, cost-assistance to small forest landowners, urban tree planting, farmland preservation, and reforestation among other activities.

The 25 selected applications will fund projects in 30 states, including one Tribe, that target reducing greenhouse gas pollution from six sectors: transportation, electric power, commercial and residential buildings, industry, agriculture/ natural and working lands, and waste and materials management.

The EPA said it plans to announce up to an additional $300 million in selections under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program for Tribes, Tribal consortia, and territories later this summer.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan was set to announce the awards Monday in Pittsburgh.

“President Biden believes in the power of community-driven solutions to fight climate change, protect public health, and grow our economy. Thanks to his leadership, the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program will deliver unprecedented resources to states, local governments, and Tribes to fund the solutions that work best in their communities,” Regan said in a statement. “Selected recipients have put forward ambitious plans to advance sustainable agriculture, deploy clean industrial technologies, cut emissions and energy costs in homes and commercial buildings, and provide cost- and energy-efficient heating and cooling to communities, creating economic and workforce development opportunities along the way.”

Chris Herndon of Cary is the new director of the North Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club.

The Raleigh-based nonprofit organization, which advocates for a clean, healthy environment and the well-being of all who live in it, made the announcement Wednesday.

Herndon, who has spent most of the past 12 years in executive leadership roles with the United Way, comes most recently from United Way of the Greater Triangle, where he was CEO. He also served as interim executive director of WakeUP Wake County.

Previously, he was chief marketing and engagement officer at United Way of Central Indiana in Indianapolis, and served on the United Way Worldwide Marketing Leadership Council.

The NC Sierra Club said Herndon, who moved to North Carolina in 2019, was a respected nonprofit leader in the Triangle.

“The work of the N.C. Chapter is more crucial than ever as climate change increasingly threatens our environment and communities. Our children and grandchildren’s futures depend on how effectively we meet this challenge,” Herndon said in a statement. “I’m eager to help protect marginalized communities from polluters in rural and urban areas, safeguard biodiversity and public lands, celebrate our connection to the natural world, and elect and hold accountable leaders at all levels of government who share these values.”

Herndon’s responsibilities include guiding staff and volunteers and working with Sierra Club national staff working in the state and region on environmental policies, priorities, and objectives set by the chapter’s elected volunteer leadership.

“The Executive Committee is glad to put our trust in Chris to steward this organization into its next era in collaboration with our volunteer leaders and staff,” Chapter Chair Katie Tomberlin said in the announcement. “The Sierra Club’s work is more essential than ever, and we’re happy to have a proven leader to bring new energy, ideas and commitment to our mission.”

Prior to beginning his nonprofit career, Herndon spent 16 years as a sports executive in Indianapolis.

Herndon currently chairs Cary’s Greenway Committee, is a member of the Cary Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Advisory Board and a member of the Dix Park Community Committee. He also serves as a board member for WakeUP Wake County.

“I couldn’t be more excited to serve the North Carolina community I love in this way,” Herndon said. “I’m especially eager to amplify the power of the N.C. Sierra Club’s passionate members to defend everyone’s right to a healthy world.”

The national Sierra Club, now more than 125 years old, works to “defend everyone’s right to a healthy world,” according to its website.

A nonprofit organization founded late last year honors the Secotan leader, Chief Wingina, who was beheaded by the English in June 1586.

Wingina was chief of the tribes that inhabited modern-day Roanoke Island and the mainland across the Albemarle and Croatan sounds. Wingina was first documented by the English during their initial contact in 1584, according to the “Secotan Alliance … and Beyond” website.

A respected regional leader in the Algonquian tribe, early on, Wingina and the tribe helped the English, but soon they realized that the colonists intended to take over the land. Wingina then began using the name Pemisapan out of regret over having invited the English to settle here.

He started working with other tribal leaders to drive the colony away from Roanoke, but the English had learned from an Algonquian hostage of Wingina’s plan to unite the tribes. As a result, he was murdered, one of the earliest documented in North America, according to state documents.

Gray Parsons of Frisco, a descendant of the Machapunga-Mattamuskeet people of the North Carolina inner banks, had the idea to form the nonprofit, “The Secotan Alliance … and beyond” after spending several years “wondering how to create a way to show proper historical respect to Chief Wingina and his Secotan Alliance people, who had been historically marginalized. And also, I wanted to share his traditional indigenous values in a modern-day world that, in my opinion, was sorely in need of it.”

Parsons, who grew up in Washington, graduated from East Carolina University in 1972 with a degree in parks, outdoor recreation and conservation. He spent his career in various fields, including human services, medical sales and marketing, and the organic and natural foods industry.

Now retired, Parsons, in addition to heading up the Secotan Alliance organization, is on the Friends of the Outer Banks History Center board of directors, a volunteer at the Frisco Native American Museum and Natural History Center, and is vice president of the Pitt-GAP chapter of Epsilon Chi Nu Inc., the first Native American fraternity in the U.S. He is the author of the book, “Hope on Hatterask,” published in 2013.

Parsons explained that he launched the nonprofit with the help of Joyce Bornfriend, director of the Frisco Native American Museum, which was approved for IRS 501(c)(3) status in late September 2023.

“Although I had founded and managed my own business for many years before retirement, I had never created nor managed a nonprofit. It’s not an exaggeration to say that without her help and support (the alliance) would likely still be a fantasy rather than a reality,” Parsons said.

Parsons said the focus of the organization is “the indigenous Earth ethic of balance and sustainability, both of which are reflected in the alliance’s dual mission statement.”

After getting the nonprofit started, Parsons has been directing his attention over the last several months to coordinating “In the Spirit of Wingina … and beyond,” the alliance’s inaugural event scheduled for May 30-31.

The symposium is two full days of discussion with professors, environmental groups and authors and is to take place at The College of the Albemarle’s Dare Campus in Manteo. There is no charge to attend but Parsons asks that those who want to attend reserve a seat ahead of time.

“We hope this program accomplishes the initial stages of our missions with a myriad of leaders and grassroots workers from the Outer Banks and Inner Banks … and beyond,” Parsons said, “And that they will be motivated to share what they learn over the packed schedule of this two-day event.”

A kick-off event is set for 4-6 p.m. May 29 at the Frisco Native American Museum with two of the speakers. Seating is limited.

Discussion on the first day of the session will focus on “the consequential (yet often marginalized) life of Chief Wingina/Pemisapan and his Secotan Alliance during early contact with English expeditioners, the English military and the effects of his death on the failed colonization attempt … and beyond,” according to the event webpage.

The second day is to transition from history to Wingina’s and the alliance’s longstanding Earth ethic and a traditional Indigenous approach to modern-day environmentalism. Several area and regional environmental organizations and indigenous people are expected to be on hand.

The symposium has been designed, Parsons explained, to “offer a unique indigenous and ‘indigen-us’ approach to reaching the everyday citizen in terms of modifying our collective behavior in protecting our Mother Earth.  We hope to learn and teach each other in that regard.”

Parsons said the symposium was made possible through grants from the Outer Banks Community Foundation, Dare Arts and a handful of people who are dedicated to making it happen.

Outer Banks History Center Executive Director Tammy Woodward will be joining Parsons as a moderator for the event.

Woodward explained that when Parsons started the nonprofit, he approached the center for feedback.

“When he decided to do this event, he was looking for volunteers to help with some of the duties,” she said, including announcing the speakers, and she volunteered to help. Also, by being director of the history center, she can help answer questions about what records are available locally.

“I think, us being a part of it also lends credibility because Gray’s nonprofit is fairly new. We believe in his mission and we support his highlighting this era of history,” she said. “I’m really excited about this symposium,” adding she’s looking forward to hearing the different perspectives.

The keynote speaker for the two-day discussion is Dr. Michael Leroy Oberg, distinguished professor of history at State University of New York Geneseo, and author of “The Head in Edward Nugent’s Hand, Roanoke’s Forgotten Indians” published in 2010.

“Dr. Oberg’s book tells the story of Chief Wingina instead of subjugating him to a secondary and relatively inconsequential character in the often-told story of ‘The Lost Colony,’” Parsons said, explaining that Oberg did not ignore the events during that chaotic period regarding the role of the English colonists. 

“He simply told the story accurately with balance, including the perspective of both the indigenous population as well as the early civilian and military English expeditioners and colonists. And it was done within the constraints of the academic world as per appropriate citation and peer reviewed scrutiny,” Parsons continued, explaining that this is the only academically accepted work he’s aware of that gave equal time to both the English and Indigenous perspectives in that period.

“From that moment forward, Dr. Oberg became somewhat of a hero to me personally and thus the obvious choice as our keynote and primary speaker at our first event,” Parsons said.

Parsons said that Dr. Charles Ewen, Harriot College distinguished professor of Anthropology at East Carolina University, also is expected to speak May 30.  

Ewen will discuss methods and techniques of how archaeological artifacts are gathered, identified and pieced together in the coastal environment to help better understand parts of the various aspects of culture. 

Dr. Arwin Smallwood, Dean of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at North Carolina Central University, and descendant of the Tuscarora people of North Carolina, will speak on the relationship between the state’s Tuscarora and the Algonquin people of The Secotan Alliance before, during and after English contact.

Dr. Gabrielle Tayac is associate professor in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University, as well as its faculty adviser for the Native American Student Association. She is a member of the Piscataway Nation, consulting curator for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and a contributing author on “Native Prospects: Indigeneity and landscapes. Speaking Sovereignty: Powhatan’s Mantle.”

Parsons said Tayac will present “The Indigenous Atlantic: Ancestors Rising,” focusing on land and water ethics, drawing from both her formal and indigenous traditional education models to discuss examples and how they are still relevant today.

The panel planned for the afternoon of the first day is to include representatives from the indigenous tribes, museums and general indigenous diaspora in eastern North Carolina, including the Roanoke Hatterask Tribe, the Machapunga/Mattamuskeet Tribe, the Chowanoke Tribe, Frisco Native American Museum, The Piscataway Nation and other indigenous individuals, Parsons said.

Muddy Sneakers Outdoor Classroom Executive Director David Webb, award-winning author of “The Spanish Seminole” and lifelong environmental activist and director of environmental non-profits from Florida to New York state, will be on hand May 31.

The panel discussion for the second day is to include representatives of Sound Rivers, Peace Garden Project, Coastal Carolina Riverwatch, Frisco Native American Museum, North Carolina Coastal Federation, Hatteras Island Wildlife Rescue, North Carolina Oyster Trail, Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, Ban Balloon Release NC, and from indigenous groups and individuals.

Aio Sifu, Cherokee descendant, will perform with indigenous flute, storytelling and a Women’s Eastern Blanket Dance demo at 5 p.m. May 31.

Parsons said the hope is attendees “walk away knowing that Chief Wingina was the first indigenous leader on the continent to give his life in resistance to the English destruction of a beautiful indigenous culture and their natural resources, and that Chief Wingina’s Secotan Alliance Earth ethic functioned sustainably for thousands of years and merits strong consideration for mainstream adoption.”

This year’s WinterLights at the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo is supporting area nonprofits.

Taking place on select evenings through Dec. 30 at 1411 National Park Drive, 13 charities were invited to decorate a tree that conveys their mission.

Each tree has a QR code or information on the participants, which include Lily’s Camp, Beach Food Pantry, Hotline, Community Care Clinic of Dare, SPCA, OBX Room in the Inn, Crossroads OBX, Outer Banks Relief Foundation, Coastal Humane Society, The Lost Colony, North Carolina Aquarium Society, Children & Youth Partnership, and Roanoke Island Food Pantry.

WinterLights is scheduled to be open 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20-22, Nov. 24-26, Nov. 28-30, Dec. 1-3, Dec. 5-10, Dec. 12-23 and Dec. 26-30. Visit elizabethangardens.org for a list of scheduled entertainment and evenings with Santa.

Timed-entry tickets must be reserved online and are nonrefundable unless the event is canceled by organizers. If inclement weather or other conditions prevent the lights from occurring, a notice will be sent out to all anticipated guests by 2 p.m.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for ages 6 to 17, $8 for ages 2 to 5 and free for under 2. Dogs are $6, one per adult.

Guests must park in designated spaces. Overflow parking will be available at the National Park Service parking lot. A shuttle will transport guests from/to this lot on Nov. 24-25 and Dec. 1, Dec. 2, Dec. 8, Dec. 15-16, Dec. 23 and Dec. 26.

Southern Bank and The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau have helped sponsor WinterLights, which benefits the Elizabethan Gardens.

The Garden Club of North Carolina adopted The Elizabethan Gardens as a project in 1951 and is dedicated to sharing its unique history, providing educational opportunities, enhancing the quality of the visitors experience and preserving its beauty and tranquility.

RODANTHE — Early in the last virtual meeting of the Threatened Oceanfront Structures Interagency Task Force Oct. 12, Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent David Hallac provided details about a pilot program in which the agency recently used nonprofit conservation trust funds to purchase two endangered oceanfront houses in Rodanthe.

The plan sounded like it could be the kind of solution the task force had long been seeking: The owners agreed to the deal, and the National Park Service is keeping tons of debris from another inevitable house collapse from scattering into the Atlantic and for miles on the public trust seashore and nearby private property.

But comments on an Oct. 16 article in the Washington Post illustrate why the task force was assembled in the first place: to remedy government paralysis and address overlapping rights and inadequate regulations to protect public resources that affect private property, a contentious and complicated consequence of climate change involving money, power and unequal misfortune. 

Since an oceanfront house in Rodanthe fell Feb. 9, 2022, three others nearby have collapsed onto the national seashore, where numerous structures still standing on 2 miles of eroded shoreline are also threatened. 

“They knew the risks, now pay the piper,” commenter “cat whisker” wrote in response to the article. “Declare eminent domain and pull those houses down, no buyouts. Why should tax payers subsidize greed and stupidity?”

Others expressed similar sentiments.

“Your insurance is subsidized by the insurance of others, who do not live in high-risk areas,” “doggone 1” wrote. “Many of us who put a lot of thought into buying our homes resent those who obviously did not, and who now expect a bail-out of some sort.”

While Rodanthe is hardly the only beachfront community in the U.S., it is an early — and dramatic — illustration of the impacts of climate change on coastlines as sea levels continue to rise.

Much of the response and planning for climate impacts is being done on a local and state level, while integrating with federal programs and funding. Rodanthe is unusual in that it’s a blend of local, state, federal and private interests in one concentrated area that affects many thousands of visitors to a national park with vital natural resources and popular attractions.

Although Rodanthe has one of the highest erosion rates on the Outer Banks, the beach in front of the problem houses had been relatively wide and stable until recent years, when the beach erosion rate accelerated over a short span of time. Soon, it became evident that no level of government was equipped with the clear authorities or incentives to get people to remove their threatened houses before the ocean took them.

In two previous meetings held since March, the task force has discussed issues with federal flood insurance, private insurance, septic systems and grant programs, among others. The focus of the most recent workshop was on government’s role, its potential actions and limitations and its effects on private property protections and rights. 

“We collectively found that few if any federal funding programs were available for property owners voluntarily or local governments to address erosion-threatened structures, through removal of the structure or relocation of the structures, especially where those structures were second homes or investment properties,” North Carolina Division of Coastal Management Director Braxton Davis told the task force.

The authority of the National Park Service “is very limited,” said Trish Cortelyou-Hamilton, an attorney with the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The ambulatory boundaries between mean low and mean high water are difficult to nail down precisely, making them difficult to enforce, she said.

“So there’s no rules or federal statutes related to requiring these folks to relocate,” Corelyou-Hamilton said.

And some houses were originally built much farther back from the beach, Hallac added. 

“But for those 2 miles of Rodanthe, there’s this collision of private properties and our seashore boundary,” he said.

Corelyou-Hamilton said that litigation by conservative law groups like the Pacific Legal Foundation represent plaintiffs suing over regulatory takings under the Fifth Amendment at little to no cost to the homeowner. Often the goal is to further national case law, making potential resolutions or settlements more difficult. 

To Corelyou-Hamilton’s point, Nags Head’s town manager Andy Garman said that the town has the authority to condemn an oceanfront structure and require repairs that make it safe. But the dilemma the town has faced is when the owners do the required repair, “many” have let the house sit on the beach.

“And we’ve had some for more than 15 years on the beach that are essentially uninhabitable the entire time,” he said.

Part of the reason the town’s hands are tied is because of a lawsuit that the town lost over its attempt to have an owner remove their house from the beach.

Even if there was additional authority, Garman said he would expect lawsuits to test it, meaning additional litigation over takings claims.

“So a lot of the burden has been put on local government to deal with these issues,” he said. “And having some sort of coordinated statewide approach — I know that’s the purpose of this group — would be much appreciated from our perspective.”

Other states have been grappling with houses collapsing on the beach, including in California where they fall off cliffs undermined by erosion. Some states have stricter measures in place than North Carolina when it comes to owner responsibilities for cleanup.

For instance, Hawaii, which experienced similar house collapses around the same time as Rodanthe, just passed new statutes that address debris removal and other concerns, North Carolina Coastal Federation Coastal Advocate Alyson Flynn told the task force. The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

In addition to setting up penalties, she said, the new laws also grant authority for the state to tap the private property value to cover costs of removal of illegal objects on public land, and provide drones to view the subject area. 

Overall, the panel agreed that more innovation, collaboration and cooperation will be needed going forward.

“Local governments been given a lot of authority, but it’s basically been very piecemeal,” said Webb Fuller, a former Nags Head official and a member of the state Coastal Resources Advisory Committee. “And when local governments requested the state to come in and help us on stuff, the state has always been very reluctant to do that.”

Hallac said that the working group will provide a report summarizing the ideas, challenges and recommendations by year’s end.

Whatever the recommendations, private property and public resources, they will not be a one-size-fits-all solution, he said. Nor is there a bad guy to blame when a house collapses in the surf. 

“Whether or not you end up in the ocean within a week, a month or five years, it’s just going to happen on beaches where there is a long-term trend of erosion — it’s going to happen,” he said. “And so to me, that has to be some level of threshold in government’s work, hopefully collaboratively with owners to find a solution.”

The nonprofit Unique Places to Save is terminating the purchase agreement with a Mooresville real estate development company for 82 acres on Eagles Island, adjacent to the USS North Carolina battleship across from downtown Wilmington.

The Chapel Hill-based organization announced this summer plans to raise the $16 million needed to buy the parcel for conservation from Diamond Development.

Related: Nonprofit leads effort to buy Eagles Island parcel

The group put down $100,000 to secure the purchase contract and was given to the end of the year to come up with the funds. Unique Places to Save applied for a grant from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund earlier this year to help purchase the land but the organization said its grant request was not approved.

Because of a lack funding through the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, “and no other viable state or federal grants for land acquisition, the project has gone cold and there appears to be no major donors who are interested in preserving the land and therefore no viable path forward,” the Chapel Hill-based nonprofit said in a release Tuesday.

Unique Places to Save Executive Director Clark Harris said in a statement that in the weeks after the Land and Water Fund decision, the nonprofit tried to find a path forward but could not.

“We remain committed to conservation and restoration on Eagles Island,” he said.

Unique Spaces to Save, a conservation group based in Chapel Hill, is trying to raise $16 million by the end of the year to acquire more than 80 acres across from downtown Wilmington for conservation and public use.

The 83 acres are between Battleship North Carolina and U.S. 17 on Eagles Island. The 3,110-acre island is between the Brunswick and Cape Fear rivers in New Hanover and Brunswick counties, according to county documents.

Diamond Development LLC., a Mooresville-based company that focuses on residential real estate development, commercial leasing and capital lending for real estate projects, currently owns the land. Documents submitted to the county show that the development would use 6 acres of the property already zoned for B-2, unused land, for the about 360,000-square-foot building that would have 146 rooms.

If the nonprofit is able to raise the funds and purchase the land, the group will work with other local partners to improve the site for outdoor recreation, education and the conservation of natural resources, according to the organization. Donations may be made on the website.

Before Diamondback Development voluntarily entered into a purchase contract with Unique Places to Save, the company worked for four years with Bobby Ginn, a developer of coastal resorts across the Southeast, to secure permits, utilities, plans and county approvals for the hotel and spa, according to the nonprofit.

The commercial site plan for the hotel and spa went before the New Hanover County technical review committee in December 2021 and is still under review.

“Recognizing the State of North Carolina’s commitment to funding for land conservation, we have applied for grants to fund the purchase of the land. This is our last chance to conserve and transform this land into a valued community conservation asset. If we don’t act now, this important environment, which is poised for development, will be lost forever,” Mason Williams, Unique Places to Save board member said in a statement.

If Unique Places to Save is unable to acquire the land, Diamondback Development would continue to work with Ginn to develop the property and all donations for the nonprofit receives for this project will be redirected to an existing Alligator Creek Restoration project on Eagles Island.

Unique Places to Save has put $100,000 down to secure the purchase contract. The group is working to raise funds from private and public sources, including applying for a grant from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund.

Though the group is hopeful it will receive funds from the Land and Water Fund, organizers say the need for private donations is vital. “Without private funds and strong local community support, this land and its potential for public use will be lost forever,” the group said.

Jay Shott, co-owner of Diamondback Development, told Coastal Review that “We decided to give conservation a chance” when Unique Places to Save approached the company about conserving the property.

“We worked very hard over the last six years to get it to a point to where it’s able to be developed,” Shott said, but, since so many people expressed interest in seeing the property be conserved “we gave them an opportunity.”

The deal with Unique Places to Save is $16 million but the property appraises “north of $25 million” but, since it’s a nonprofit, “we’ll be getting a tax deduction for the difference.”

Shott said they felt like was a fair option to give everybody an opportunity who wants to conserve that property a chance to do so. They’ll have until the end of this year to make it happen, and if they’re not able to pull it off at the end of the day, then they’ll go right back into developing the property.

Environmental nonprofit Sound Rivers recently premiered its 40th anniversary documentary, “A Sound River,” a look back at the origins of the organization that monitors the health of the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse river basins.

Virtual audience members were able to see what has changed over the last four decades during the Nov. 30 premiere, and what issues Sound Rivers is working on today. The screening concluded with a Q&A panel.

The Neuse River Foundation was established in 1980 and the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation was started in 1981. In 2015, these two groups joined forces and became Sound Rivers.

Sound Rivers Executive Director Heather Deck said the idea to make a short documentary to celebrate the 40th anniversary was a few years in the making. Deck has been with Sound Rivers for nearly 20 years, first as a riverkeeper and now as executive director of the organization.

“The main thing, too, is not only (to) honor the work of all the people that have been involved, and all the stories through the years,” Deck said. “But then also to think about, how do we use this as a tool to create energy and excitement and passion to help more folks join the cause for a clean water future?”

The documentary also looks at current and future priorities.

“It’s a combination of stories, but it’s also showcasing probably the biggest fight that we have now and on the horizon, which is related to climate change, and the impact that climate change is already having on our rivers and communities, and the work that needs to happen for us to become more resilient and better prepared and to ensure that that is done in an equitable manner,” Deck said.

Sound Rivers brought two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker Rain Bennett into the project late last year, and he started filming in the spring. Bennett was born in Washington, North Carolina, and so Deck felt he was the right person to bring a personal connection to the documentary. After the screening, the panel members acknowledged what they perceived as passion for the region in the beauty of the cinematography.

“He grew up on the Pamlico River. And so (Bennett) had that intimate knowledge of the area and the region,” Deck said.

The documentary, which is about 20 minutes long, includes interviews with current and past Sound Rivers employees, as well as people who have worked with the organization over the years. Together, they tell some of the stories that have made Sound Rivers what it is today. They talk about threats to water quality such as the Nutrien phosphate mine in Aurora and the Duke Energy coal ash spill.

The documentary also tells of Sound Rivers’ continuing priorities of addressing climate change and prioritizing helping communities that are disproportionately affected by things like pollution.

Bennett remarked after the film that despite having grown up in eastern North Carolina, he was not aware of the extent of Sound Rivers’ work and that he learned a lot while making the documentary. He added that he believes in the power of storytelling as a way to stand up to polluters.

“That’s how humans connect,” Bennett said during the panel discussion. 

Lower Neuse Riverkeeper for Sound Rivers Katy Hunt says in the documentary that riverkeepers are the voice for the river as well as the people of the river.

“We’re scientists, we’re advocates, we’re educators,” Hunt said. “Some days we’re all three and then some.”

But in addition, Hunt added that people should view riverkeepers as a resource when something seems amiss. She said people can call with questions or concerns.

“If they see something that looks like pollution, they can call us, we can go out and investigate,” Hunt said.  

According to Hunt, being a riverkeeper can sometimes feel like an uphill battle, considering how many threats there are to the health of rivers. But she feels inspired looking back on the history of Sounds Rivers.

“It’s really great to look back to the history and where we started,” Hunt said. “And to see how far we’ve come and to remind ourselves why it’s so important to continue doing what we do every day.”

Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Jill Howell agreed.

“I think it’s pretty important to remember how we started and why we started, if nothing else, because it was just a small group of people concerned about what was going on in their neck of the woods that came together and started this organization,” Howell said. “So, I think when we are frustrated, or maybe not moving as quickly as we’d like to towards clean water outcomes, I think remembering how a small group of people started what we are now today, and all the progress that has been made is really important.”

After the screening, audience members got to ask questions in a panel that included Down East Coal Ash Environmental and Social Justice Coalition President Bobby Jones, University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences professor Dr. Hans Paerl, Howell and Bennett.

Since the premiere took place on “Giving Tuesday,” Sound Rivers put forth a challenge to raise $10,000 during the screening. By the end of the night, they had raised more than $12,300.

Some viewers wanted to know how they could get involved with the work that Sound Rivers does. Deck recommends referring to the Sound Rivers website, which has resources for simple things that community members can do to protect the health of the rivers in the region.

Those that missed the premiere will likely get a second chance to view the documentary in the spring. Deck says that COVID-19 permitting, they want to host in-person screenings throughout the region where people can view the film and talk about how to keep the rivers clean and healthy now and for future generations.

As Sound Rivers board President JoSeth Bocooke remarked at the beginning of the premiere, “Where there is water, there is life.”

A half-dozen public health, environmental and environmental justice groups are demanding a federal response to alleged corporation negligence in handling chemical compounds that they say are poisoning residents of the Cape Fear region.

The Center for Environmental Health, Cape Fear River Watch, Clean Cape Fear, NC Black Alliance, Democracy Green and Toxic Free NC filed Wednesday a petition demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, pollution in communities downstream of the Chemours Co.’s Fayetteville Works site along the Cape Fear River.

The organizations urge in the petition that the EPA require Chemours to fund comprehensive health and environmental effects testing on 54 substances manufactured at the company’s Fayetteville Works facility.

The EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act has authority to order manufacturers like Chemours to determine the safety of their products and processes. Under the act, EPA has 90 days to respond to the petition. If the petition is denied, the law allows the groups to take EPA to court.

“All people have the right to clean air, clean water, pollution-free, and thriving vibrant communities. At NC Black Alliance, we are standing as plaintiffs in this case because we know the grave impact it has held on communities-of-color,” La’Meshia Whittington, campaigns director with the NC Black Alliance, said in a statement.

Whittington said the effects are apparent in that 56% of residents living within a 2-mile radius of toxic waste facilities are people of color and that the cumulative impact and dangers of PFAS on low-wealth communities and communities of color are immeasurable.

“These same neighborhoods that face major hurricanes and other storm systems, are the same neighborhoods facing the direct impact of health disparities exacerbated by PFAS, not to mention, this pandemic,” Whittington said.

A Chemours spokesperson said Wednesday that the company continues to act to decrease the amount of PFAS reaching the Cape Fear River.

“A new system to capture and treat one of the pathways at the site began operation on September 30, 2020, and under the agreed Consent Order Addendum, we will take a number of measures to address PFAS loadings from other pathways, including onsite groundwater to the Cape Fear River. We encourage all other sources of PFAS in the State of North Carolina to take similar actions to improve river quality,” Lisa Randall of Chemours said in a statement.

The groups said their petition builds on existing scientific understanding of the properties of PFAS. The proposed testing includes studies in laboratory animals as well as research into the relationship between health outcomes and PFAS exposure among people in Cape Fear communities. Studies to determine effects on fish and how the PFAS behave in the environment would also be conducted.

“CEH believes that chemical manufacturers should be required to test their products for safety, make that data public, and choose safer alternatives. For many years, Chemours was allowed to release PFAS chemicals into the air and water from its Fayetteville facility, without being required to test for safety. As a result, people who live adjacent to and downstream from the plant have been exposed to a mixture of these toxic PFAS chemicals. The community has the right to know what adverse effects these chemicals may be having on their families’ health. This petition will hold Chemours accountable for the risks it took with human health and the environment,” said Michael Green, Chief Executive Officer, Center for Environmental Health, in a statement.

The chemicals have been found in human blood, drinking water, groundwater, soil, air and locally produced food adjacent to and downstream of the plant as a result of emissions and discharges spanning decades and take centuries to break down.

“As a toxicologist who tries to understand how PFAS exposure affects the immune system, it’s surprising to me that more data aren’t available on their health effects. PFAS have been produced and used for decades but the data we have are limited to just a handful of the thousands of PFAS that we know are in the environment, in drinking water, and in our bodies. PFAS don’t break down, they move from place to place, they accumulate in living organisms, and the ones we’ve studied show adverse health effects. Additional testing is essential to understand if the health of people who have been exposed to PFAS emitted by the Chemours facility is being affected,” said Jamie DeWitt, associate professor, Pharmacology & Toxicology, East Carolina University.

“We should have had test data on these 54 PFAS before they could be used – now they are in our environment and in us and we do not know if they are safe,” Linda S. Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program and scholar in residence at Duke University, said in a statement.

OCRACOKE – Federal and state money to help Ocracoke and Hatteras recover from Hurricane Dorian has been slow getting here, but one Outer Banks nonprofit has been moving far more quickly than any government agency to provide relief where it can.

Jeff Byard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s associate administrator for the Office of Response and Recovery, denied on Oct. 8 Gov. Roy Cooper’s request for individual assistance for Ocracoke and other areas of the state Dorian devastated in September. A bill to provide state relief didn’t become law until mid-November.

The floodwaters that surged into Ocracoke Village Sept. 6 reached unprecedented levels. Nearly every structure on the island was damaged. Although FEMA had provided help in restoring infrastructure, the decision to withhold funds for individual assistance was unexpected, said Justin Gibbs, Hyde County Emergency Services director. Gibbs said the decision was not typical of the federal government’s disaster response in the past.

“It’s a very unique situation with not getting a federal declaration,” he said. “Usually this is something that is managed at the federal level. It’s not usually something that has to be managed locally.”

Recovery has also been slowed by transportation woes and a lack of housing for workers. Yet, recovery is happening.

“I’m not going to say ‘whole again,’ because they’re not ever going to be whole again, but they’re moving their recovery forward,” Gibbs said.

Based in Southern Shores, the Outer Banks Community Foundation was founded 37 years ago by, among others, David Stick and Andy Griffith. Moving quickly after Dorian, the foundation created the Outer Banks Disaster Relief Fund as the storm made landfall.

“On Friday, September 6, when Hurricane Dorian was still blowing, I started getting news that Ocracoke had just been slammed and that it was under water,” said Community Foundation Executive Director Lorelei Costa. “It became immediately clear that Ocracoke, which has always been a part of our service area, would need help of some sort. I talked to my board president, Scott Brown, and we decided to encourage donors to earmark gifts for Ocracoke or Dare County or split it between the two.”

By the end of the day, the Outer Banks Disaster Relief was on the Community Foundation’s webpage and press materials had gone out. The response was quick and powerful.

“By Monday morning (Sept. 9), we had raised $350,000. Five days after the storm we had raised a half million dollars. In two weeks, we had raised $750,000. In less than a month, $1 million and now we’re at $1.5 million,” Costa said recently.

The response has crossed borders, both state and national.

“I’ve gotten donations from all across the United States and beyond the United States. I’ve gotten donations from Asia, from Europe, and Canada,” Costa said. “We had donations with love letters to Ocracoke. We had donations from people who had never been to Ocracoke but told us they had always wanted to go there. We had letters from people who were married on Ocracoke, or who honeymooned on Ocracoke or vacationed there every year with their family. Same with Hatteras. People love the Outer Banks and want to help the community get back on its feet.”

The Community Foundation is the largest Outer Banks nonprofit and helps to fund local charities and nonprofit organizations with grants and by handling their endowments. The Relief Fund carries with it a distinctive stipulation.

“Our promise, our guarantee, is that every single penny contributed goes to the victims of Dorian. I’m not keeping a penny of it to pay for the stamps on the envelopes,” Costa said. “When somebody donates by credit card, we pay the credit card fees.”

Raising the money, however, was only one part of the equation. How to distribute those funds was equally as important.

“We gave a little bit of money to … help nonprofits whose own facilities or equipment or buildings were harmed,” Costa said. “A great example is the Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Association … with a fish house right on Silver Lake where fishermen would sell their fish and seafood. That building got completely wiped out. Coming up flounder season, the fishermen didn’t have an icehouse where they could store their fish. We gave them a grant of $7,000 to help rebuild their icehouse in time for that fishery.”

The Community Foundation also rebuilt the ballfields that were destroyed and helped buy books for the library.

“I think what makes Ocracoke special, it’s not a town. It depends upon Hyde County, and it really depend on its nonprofits for its quality of life,” Costa explained. “It was a nonprofit that built its ballfield. It’s a nonprofit that buys the books for the library. All of these wonderful places on Ocracoke that might have been public in other places, are all nonprofit.”

Helping the nonprofits, though, is a small part of where the money has gone.

As donations flooded into the Relief Fund, most of the money was being earmarked for Ocracoke.

“We’re at $1.1 million for Ocracoke and almost $300,000 for Dare County. That is commensurate with the needs for those communities,” Costa said.

Ocracoke had never dealt with that amount of nonprofit funding, something that became apparent as the process moved forward.

“Before this storm, a lot of disaster relief (on Ocracoke) was done by the two churches, but after this storm everyone realized this was beyond the capacity of the two churches to handle together,” Costa said. “We asked the fire department to help with the case management. Wonderfully, they agreed. Their business is putting out fires and helping with medical calls. They’ve not done anything like this, and it took us a while to get started.”

Charles Temple has taught high school English for 16 years. He is also a volunteer fireman, and he is one of six members of the committee who help distribute the money. Temple and Costa agreed that the distribution started slowly, mostly because everyone was dealing with their own disasters and no one was experienced in case management.

“The process of figuring out the way it was best to do this here took a minute,” Temple said. “There was probably some frustration about that, but we felt like it was worth doing right rather than doing fast.”

Temple noted the tight-knit nature of the Ocracoke community, saying it’s both a strength and a confounding issue when it comes to recovery.

“Down here, everybody is kin to, works with and (is an) ex of everybody else. It’s a very, very tight community where lines of loyalty, connection and obligation get very tangled, which is fine. It works really quite well,” he said. “But when you’re talking about handing out a million dollars, all of a sudden that changes the equation.”

Caseworkers were trained and those caseworkers then took on a second role.

“What we settled on was using caseworkers who could be advocates for their clients to us, but we wouldn’t know who the client was until we had already made decisions about giving out money,” Temple said.

And it has all been done on a volunteer basis.

A significant portion of the money has gone to taking care of immediate needs, moving quickly where government funding and agencies often take weeks if not months.

“Sometimes, if the water got in your house and it got to your washer and dryer, your stove and your refrigerator, you know you’re going to need that … OK, you’ve got an appliance package,” Temple said.

The firehouse committee, as the Ocracoke Fire Protection Association’s relief committee is informally known, has also helped with utility bills and has an agreement with the Variety Store, the local grocer.

“Getting to tell somebody you’ve got plenty of money, go get some food — don’t worry about that. Whatever else you’ve got to worry about, don’t worry about that. It’s pretty great,” he said.

The committee is doing more than funding household necessities. Through the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, or OSBM, Hyde County is purchasing 35 travel-trailers for use as temporary housing.

“They (OSBM) actually provided a $600,000 grant for temporary housing … They were FEMA assets that were used during Florence,” Gibbs said.

“We’ve committed $200,000 to help with hookups, placing power poles, water septic,” Temple added.

The Community Foundation and the firehouse committee are looking beyond the immediate needs, moving to ensure funds are available to address long-term issues.

“Long-term recovery is really long term — a year, even two years. That’s with home repairs and home rebuilds,” Costa said. “A lot of that is with volunteer labor in partnership with … the United Methodist Committee on Relief. They’re sending teams of volunteers to Ocracoke, helping families rebuild their homes. We are paying for the supplies and in cases of little projects that they can’t do, like electrical and HVAC, we’re helping with the subcontractors. We committed $300,000 for that on Ocracoke and maybe $100,000 to do that on Hatteras.”

The Ocracoke partnership among nonprofit funders, the community and government assistance as it becomes available is, Gibbs said, unusual and something that he said may need to be replicated in other places.

“I think with what we’re trying to do … I’m hoping we can be a model for a community in the future if they’re affected and they don’t get a federal declaration,” he said.

TOPSAIL BEACH – A Winston-Salem-based nonprofit granted $5 million in state funds aims to complete what could turn out to be several long-term, storm-mitigation projects along Topsail Island.

Resource Institute, or RI, which received the multi-million-dollar Division of Water Resources grant last year, will spearhead a yet-to-be formed committee that will prioritize a list of proposed projects in the three towns on the island.

The list of 23 proposed projects the towns submitted to RI totals an estimated $40 million and covers everything from stormwater mitigation to beach access ramps for vehicles, pumping systems for flood waters and sea oat planting to stabilize dunes, according to institute officials who provided the information.

“Projects that addressed water quality. Projects that addressed your drainage issues,” said Michael R. “Squeak” Smith, RI’s board chairman.

Projects proposed by North Topsail Beach, Surf City and Topsail Beach range in estimated costs from $15,000 to $15 million.

Smith and Charles Anderson, RI’s consulting agent, met last week with the Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Commission, or TISPC, in Topsail Beach to explain the role of the committee.

The task force, chaired by either Smith or Anderson, will consist of representatives appointed by each town (one person per town), two sitting RI board members — Dick Barber of Washington, North Carolina, and Roy Pender of Southport — and North Carolina Coastal Federation Executive Director Todd Miller. RI has asked town officials to submit the names of prospective task force members by Feb. 15.

The committee will review and rank each project, then those projects selected by the committee will be sent to Raleigh for approval.

“We’re going to come up with a vetting format to rank the projects,” Smith said. “Everybody gets one vote. Each project will have a number and, at the end of the day, each project will be ranked.”

The concept, he said, is that the $5 million will be allocated to projects that will help the towns recover more quickly after hurricanes.

When RI initially received the grant last summer, the nonprofit was instructed to use the money to work with coastal local governments and engineering firms “to explore opportunities for the development and implementation of emerging techniques that can extend the useful life of beach nourishment projects,” according to state budget language.

“Do something that’s going to be much longer term than pumping sand down the beach,” Smith said.

After Hurricane Florence hammered the North Carolina coast in mid-September of last year and beach towns suffered the remnants of Hurricane Michael later that same month, state lawmakers decided to change the wording, honing in on Topsail Island.

Storm surge pummeled the island’s dunes, stripped the beaches of tons of sand, leveled shoreline berms and damaged a multitude of homes and businesses. Both North Topsail Beach and Surf City are currently operating out of temporary town halls.

Resource Institute has done some work on coastal projects, including at the historic Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson site, where the largest state permitted living shoreline project is underway on the banks of the Cape Fear River in Brunswick County.

A majority of the institute’s work has historically dealt in inland stream- and wetlands-restoration projects.

Questions and rumors circulated as to why this particular nonprofit – based more than 200 miles west of the coast – was granted the funding to work on coastal storm mitigation projects.

Anderson explained in an interview before the TISPC’s Jan. 24 meeting that the nonprofit recognized a need along the coast.

“It came down to the coast needs a lot more help right now,” he said. “We are a project-driven organization nonprofit. If it can’t be a tangible item that we can see we prefer not to be involved.”

RI works with other nonprofits, local governments and private entities to aid in the planning, design, and engineering of projects. It also helps find funding sources for those projects.

Smith said he believes there will be more opportunities to get additional funding for hurricane recovery, money that could be put toward the projects that make the cut.

“We’re here for the long haul to get this stuff done and I look at this initial $5 million as a starting point,” he said to the commission last week.

Miller, who is to be a voting member on the committee, had not seen the project list, but he said the grant amount would be a big investment for stormwater retrofit and living shoreline projects.

“Those would be pretty significant because those things are widespread,” he said. “I welcome the opportunity to speak with the town officials about stormwater opportunities and living shoreline opportunities. Most of those can be done fairly quickly.”

RI has sent a draft agreement to the state with plans to form the project-selection committee within the coming weeks.

Anderson said the goal is to get projects on the ground within a year of approval.

“Our objective is to speed this thing along, make it happen,” he said. “We want to spend this money within 12 months.”