Beachgoers to Hyde or Dare counties during the busy season can sign up for ocean and beach condition text alerts from Outer Banks lifeguards, ocean rescue agencies and the National Weather Service.
parks-refuges
Tour highlights importance of state’s coastal reserves
State officials and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality staff took a tour Friday of Masonboro Island Reserve in Wilmington that highlighted the special coastal site.
Cracks in lighthouse walls will stall, increase restoration costs
Halfway into the $19.2 million project to restore Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, potentially dangerous cracks were discovered in critical structural components of the tower’s ironwork, creating inevitable project delays and unbudgeted cost increases.
Ferry service to Bear Island resumes next week
After being suspended since April 2024, ferry service from Hammocks Beach State Park to Bear Island resumes May 14.
Coastal Commission rejects effort to drop rules lawsuit
Coastal Resources Commissioner Jordan Hennessy garnered only two other votes last week for his effort to withdraw from the commission’s successful lawsuit challenging the state Rules Review Commission, which is set to appeal the ruling.
Hearing set on removing buffer zone around Buxton Woods
A public hearing is set for Monday on the proposed text amendment to remove restrictions on multifamily dwellings in the half-mile buffer around the 1,007-acre Buxton Woods Reserve.
Protective zone around Buxton Woods may be unenforceable
Dare County officials are now questioning the legality of the “zone of influence” buffer district the county enacted in 1988 to protect Buxton Woods Reserve from development.
Hatteras windsurfing spot mirrors US-Canada tensions
A windsurfing and kiteboarding destination off Hatteras Island known as Canadian Hole and the businesses that support visitors from up north have become a microcosm and barometer of a newly fraught international relationship.
Sandy Run Park: Town trail an overlooked Outer Banks gem
Tabb’s Trails: In our new photo-essay series, coastal reporter, photographer and hiking enthusiast Kip Tabb takes you along, starting with this easy half-mile loop around a pond and marsh in Kitty Hawk.
Bodie Island Lighthouse to open for climbing this month
Beginning April 18, tickets will on sale to visitors who want to climb the Bodie Island Lighthouse’s 214-step spiral staircase.
Outer Banks educators to celebrate Earth Day with fair
The Coastal Environmental Educators Network is hosting a free fair in celebration of Earth Day on April 22 at Jockey’s Ridge State Park.
Buxton restoration advisory board to meet for first time
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host the first restoration advisory board meeting 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club in Buxton.
Coastal reserve committees to hold spring meetings
Local advisory committees for the Rachel Carson Reserve and Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve are scheduled to meet later this month.
Carolina Beach State Park wetlands restoration in final year
A three-year partnership between park officials and the North Carolina Coastal Federation to replace invasive plants with native species is to include construction of an observation platform this year for visitors to learn about wetland habitats.
Survey open on proposed Dismal Swamp heritage area
The National Park Service is asking the public to provide input for a study to determine the feasibility and suitability of designating a future national heritage area that includes the Great Dismal Swamp and other areas in North Carolina and Virginia.
Boardwalk beneath the bridge
An angler recently tries his luck from beneath the Scuppernong River Bridge on the the Scuppernong River Boardwalk at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge visitor center in Columbia, in Tyrrell County. Money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was appropriated to replace the boardwalk, a project that was announced to take place in fiscal 2026. Congress directly appropriated $455 million to the refuge over five years for programs related to the previous administration’s America the Beautiful initiative announced in 2021. The nonprofit National Wildlife Refuge Association has said that continuing resolutions, such as the emergency funding bill signed into law last week, throw refuges into chaos and uncertainty and can prevent new project starts. Photo: Mark Hibbs
