Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

Debbie Swick has a way of spotting problems that most people barely notice — and then refusing to let them go.

On the Outer Banks, the Southern Shores resident is best known as the driving force behind the push to ban balloon releases, a grassroots effort that helped shift public awareness around a form of litter that can travel hundreds of miles before landing in waterways and harming wildlife.

This time, her focus is something less visible but just as persistent: discarded monofilament fishing line — the nearly invisible plastic filament that can linger in the environment for centuries, entangling and injuring marine life long after it’s been cast aside.

In partnership with the Outer Banks Anglers Club, Swick has helped launch a new monofilament recovery and recycling program — one that aims to intercept that line before it becomes a long-term hazard in the water by installing and maintaining collection vessels at sites across the Outer Banks.

“It is a strangling mechanism,” Swick said. “It becomes entangled in fish gills, sea turtles, seals, porpoise. It doesn’t break down. It will amputate and maim marine life.”

Discarded fishing gear — including monofilament line — is widely recognized by marine scientists as one of the most dangerous forms of ocean debris. Research has found that roughly 740,000 kilometers (about 460,000 miles) of fishing line enter the ocean each year — enough to circle the Earth more than 18 times.¹

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), at least 260 marine species are known to be harmed by entanglement in marine debris, including sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals.² Monofilament line is particularly dangerous because it is nearly invisible underwater and extremely durable, capable of persisting in the environment for hundreds of years.³

That is something David Masters Jr., vice president of the Outer Banks Anglers Club, sees regularly. “It’s usually tumbled up in seaweed or buried in the sand,” he said. “I pick it up all the time. I’ve seen birds with fishing line caught on the wings or legs and that’s very sad.”

Local conservation groups and park officials have long warned that sea turtles along the Outer Banks can become entangled in discarded fishing line, which can impair their ability to swim or feed — and in some documented cases, lead to death.⁴ Necropsies of stranded turtles in North Carolina have identified monofilament entanglement as a contributing factor, underscoring the long-term danger posed by fishing line that remains in the environment.⁵

Swick is a member of the Outer Banks Anglers Club and last year’s Member of the Year. That, combined with her reputation as an accomplished environmental advocate and volunteer — including recognition with a Governor’s Medallion Award — gave her the standing and credibility to introduce the idea of monofilament recovery to the
anglers. She brought the concept to the club’s board in January, and by February, they were building the collection vessels.

“I told the board, under no circumstances were we going to half-ass this,” she said.

This time, Swick wanted something different: accountability. Each location would be “adopted” by a member of the Outer Banks Anglers Club, responsible for monitoring, emptying, and maintaining the vessel.

“I have the list,” she said. “I know who is supposed to be picking it up, when and where.”

Recreational fishermen are often among the strongest stewards of the waters they fish — a point echoed by fisheries managers and conservation organizations who increasingly emphasize angler participation in sustainability efforts.⁶

The Outer Banks Anglers Club has its own track record, including helping spearhead the creation of artificial reef AR-165 off Oregon Inlet.

The program itself is simple by design. Collection vessels made from PVC pipe have been installed at fishing-heavy locations across the Outer Banks, including piers, marinas, and public access points. Among the initial sites are Kitty Hawk Pier, Avalon Pier, Jennette’s Pier, the Manteo waterfront, Wanchese Marina, and several others.

“We haven’t spoken to one entity that said no,” Masters said, noting support from local governments, property owners, and organizations.

Anglers deposit used monofilament line into the vessels. From there, club members assigned to each site collect the material, clean it, and bring it to monthly meetings. Swick then weighs the line and ships it to a recycling facility operated by Berkley Fishing in Iowa. There, it is processed through the company’s national recycling program, which
has collected millions of miles of monofilament since 1990 and repurposes it into products such as tackle boxes, other plastic goods, and components used in aquatic habitat structures.⁷

The program is still in its early stages, but initial results are encouraging. At one early collection site at Pirates Cove, volunteers gathered 4.5 pounds of monofilament in a single pickup. “That could have all ended up in the water,” said Swick.

As of now, about a dozen sites are in place, with a goal of reaching roughly 20 locations. Organizers are also working to expand the program through local tackle shops and a developing partnership with the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association, whose members could help collect discarded line from beach areas on Hatteras and further south.

Swick has set a clear benchmark for the program’s first year: 100 pounds of collected line. But success, she said, will be measured in other ways too. “When the community starts talking about how much less monofilament they are seeing in the water,” she said, “and when they start asking for us to put more vessels up — that’s a good sign.”

For Masters, the effort reflects something broader about the club itself. “It’s important people realize recreational fishermen really respect the natural resources we have here, because it is our love to fish here,” Masters said. “We want to keep it pristine.”

Sources

1. Global estimates on lost and discarded fishing gear and ghost gear impacts, based on peer-reviewed research (Richardson et al., 2022, Science Advances), including annual losses of fishing line and gear.
2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — Marine Debris Program, documenting entanglement impacts affecting at least 260 marine species.
3. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — monofilament fishing line persistence estimates (up to ~600 years in marine environments), widely cited in coastal management and debris mitigation guidance.
4. Outer Banks Forever — Cape Hatteras National Seashore conservation guidance on sea turtle entanglement risks from discarded fishing line.
5. Outer Banks Voice — regional reporting on North Carolina sea turtle necropsies identifying monofilament entanglement as a contributing cause of mortality.
6. NOAA Fisheries — Recreational Fishing Policy, emphasizing “proactive stewardship” and collaboration with the angling community as essential to sustainable fisheries management.
7. Berkley Fishing — Berkley Conservation Institute, “Dedicated to the Future of Fishing,” documenting the company’s national monofilament recycling program (established 1990) and reuse into products such as tackle boxes and habitat materials.

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review is partnering with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

SURF CITY – Kerri Allen acknowledged early on what was also obvious to her audience.

“I do not need to tell anyone in here we have a really high density of leases,” the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s coastal management program director said. “In our public trust waters, when you have that many users, there are going to be conflicts.”

Several people sitting inside the Surf City Municipal Complex’s town council chambers that April 14 afternoon nodded in agreement, eager to share their thoughts on the subject.

With either temporary or permanent shellfish leasing moratoriums in North Carolina waters to its north and south, Topsail Island’s waters have become a hot commodity for oyster growers.

There are now nearly 190 shellfish leases in the waters behind the 26-mile-long barrier island from the New River and its adjacent estuarine waters south to Topsail Sound.

That’s a roughly 46% increase from the collective number of leases in 2018 in Onslow and Pender counties.

The squeeze put on the waters around Topsail Island has prompted ongoing calls for a temporary moratorium on new shellfish leases in the area.

The Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Commission, or TISPC, which is composed of elected officials from each of the island’s three towns – Topsail Beach, Surf City and North Topsail Beach – initiated a request for a temporary pause on leases more than a year ago. Commissioners in Onslow and Pender counties did the same.

Shellfish lease moratoriums in the state may be enacted only by the North Carolina General Assembly.

On April 10, 2025, Rep. Carson Smith, R-Pender, introduced legislation requiring a statewide study on shellfish leasing and the current lease moratorium.

House Bill 841 made it no further than the Senate’s Rules and Operations Committee.

“If there is a temporary moratorium, we don’t feel that’s unreasonable,” Allen said last week.

A pause would give the Coastal Federation and North Carolina Sea Grant more time to talk with those who live along and use the waters around the island and come up with suggestions to help shape future policy that would protect the industry, make it sustainable long term, and ease user conflicts, she said.

Additional focus groups, including one for shellfish growers, will be scheduled this fall.

Meanwhile, a temporary moratorium that has been repeatedly extended since it was first enacted in New Hanover County in 2019 is set to expire in July.

“It’s very reasonable to say if we were able to open up some of these other areas that could help alleviate the pressure that this area is seeing,” Allen said. “A lot of the oyster growers that we work with in this region live in New Hanover County and they would love not to have to drive up here to take care of their farms. We are actively trying to get New Hanover to not extend their moratorium. I do not have a good feel, one way or another, how that’s going to go yet, but we are having those conversations.”

Surf City Mayor Teresa Batts said officials on the island do not intend to wait for a decision before asking for a temporary moratorium.

“I know you’re going to go through the procedural steps, but the TISPC, we’re not going to sit back and wait,” she said. “If we see that New Hanover County is trying to extend their moratorium, then we’re going to try to slide in there on their session and piggyback on their moratorium.”

The Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, and North Carolina Sea Grant teamed up last year to launch a Geographic Information System, or GIS, database pinpointing areas where leases may or may not be suitable in the waterways behind Topsail Island. The GIS database is anticipated to be published next year.

Recommendations shared with the organizations will help shape the North Carolina Strategic Plan for Shellfish Mariculture, a plan commissioned by the General Assembly in 2017.

This document is effectively the state’s roadmap for a sustainable shellfish industry. It’s not meant to be a fixed document, rather one that evolves as the industry evolves and conditions change, Allen explained, adding, “which they very much have changed since 2017.”

In the years since, the state has seen a shift where shellfish farmers are using floating gear to grow oysters in the water column, a method that allows them to maximize the spaces in which they grow their product.

Unlike cages that are placed on the waterbed, those in water column leases poke up from the water’s surface.

And, as more water column leases have been granted, complaints have mounted about their impacts to the viewsheds of waterfront properties, boating and kayaking access, and infringement on popular fishing spots.

Fishing guide Capt. Ray Brittain offered to take Allen and N.C. Sea Grant Extension Director Frank López on his boat, and on his dime, to show them how the leases affect his business.

“There’s so many PVC pipes out there,” Brittain said. “You don’t need a thousand PVC pipes to mark,” a lease area. “We can’t fish in those. I mean, mark your outer edge to show people where it is, but a lot of it is just unnecessary stuff.”

Brittain was among nearly 30 attendees at the April 14 meeting, where participants were asked to break into two groups to discuss concerns and recommendations that will be documented and shared with local elected officials, legislators, and state agency officials.

Those at the meeting in Surf City last week touched on a host of issues, raising concerns related noise associated with shellfish farming activities, nighttime navigation around shellfish leases, the density of leases around Permuda Island Reserve, and linear placement of leases along estuary island shorelines blocking anglers from following fish.

Some asked for shellfish farmers to be required to carry liability insurance, while others suggested the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries create a more robust public notification system announcing lease applications that would include property owners whose land is within and adjacent to the viewshed of a proposed lease.

Other recommendations included an implementation of buffers by moving leases further from shorelines based on specific locations within a waterbody, potentially increasing lease fees, decreasing the length of time a lease is valid, and the possibility of commissioning studies on the impacts of floating cages on the ecosystem.

The Coastal Federation and Sea Grant are accepting comments online through the Stump Sound shellfish mariculture planning – stakeholder input form through Aug. 1.

From a Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center announcement

As the Los Angeles Dodgers start the new baseball season hoping to win their third consecutive World Series title, it seems like a good time to remember a Morehead City native who helped the team reach even greater heights more than 40 years ago.

Ben Wade didn’t display his real talent, as it turned out, on the pitching mound. Prone to wildness and home runs, he was merely an average major-league pitcher in a five-year career during which he bounced around the National League. He showed his real skill later, as a scout and then longtime scouting director for the Dodgers. Wade’s ability to project the type of players youngsters would become led to nine pennants, seven World Series appearances, and four titles.

Frank Tursi, Coastal Review’s founding editor and the author of a new book about North Carolina natives who played major-league baseball, will talk about Wade and his brother, Jake, also a big-league pitcher, on Saturday, April 25, at the Core Sound Museum Store, 806 Arendell St. in Morehead City. His book, “Tar Heel Boys of Summer: North Carolina’s Major League Ballplayers,” will be available for purchase, and museum members will get a 10% discount. Tursi will sign copies.

The stories of 34 big leaguers are featured in the book. Included are all seven Hall of Famers: Luke Appling of High Point, Rick Ferrell of Friendship in Guilford County, Jim “Catfish” Hunter of Hertford, Buck Leonard of Rocky Mount, Gaylord Perry of Williamston, Enos Slaughter of Roxboro and Hoyt Wilhelm of Huntersville. Tursi also tells the stories of players who almost made it to Cooperstown like Johnny Allen, the hot-headed orphan from Thomasville, and Ferrel’s brother, Wes, the dairy farmer with the Hollywood good looks.

At least 50 Black North Carolinians, like Leonard, played major-league ball during the time of the sport’s apartheid. They played in their own leagues, mostly unseen by white fans. Most never heard of Red Grier of Catawba County, who threw a no-hitter in a Black World Series 30 years before Don Larsen pitched his perfect game, or Charlie Smith of Hamlet, who could very well be the best hitter there ever was. Tursi tells their stories as well as those of other Negro Leaguers for the first time in his book.

Tursi, a journalist who lives in Swansboro, has spent almost 40 years roaming North Carolina writing about its people, culture and history. His book paints a picture of a state now long gone, he noted. “Collectively, these stories tell of a North Carolina of the early and mid-20th century,” he said. “It was a rural state of small towns and family farms where tobacco and cotton were kings.”

Baseball, he noted, was truly America’s Game, back then, played in every school yard and hamlet. In the era before free agents, few got rich playing it professionally, he said. “I hope these stories give readers a sense of what it was like when farmers and mill hands and fishermen’s sons, like the Wades, left the tobacco fields, mill villages and small towns to play a game, not for the money, really, but for the pure pleasure it brought them,” he said.

The book, Tursi’s fourth, also includes thumbnail sketches of all 501 North Carolinians who played in the majors – the most-extensive compendium compiled of native players – complete career pitching and batting statistics and Top 10 rankings in major offensive and pitching categories.

A North Carolina-based nonprofit is offering one lucky winner an opportunity to get away — really away — from it all for a few days.

FPTower Inc. is raffling off a four-night, five-day mission immersive eco-adventure at Frying Pan Tower for its 2026 “Save a Life” fundraising campaign to strengthen coastal rescue capabilities while supporting offshore research operations.

Participants of the raffle will be entered for a chance to win a stay on the former U.S. Coast Guard light station, which sits a little more than 30 miles off the coast from the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

Funds will be used to purchase and donate four U Safe self-propelled, remotely controlled, lifesaving buoys to the coastal communities that receive the most public nominations through raffle participation.

Each raffle ticket equates to one “coastal point.” The top four communities with the most points will receive a buoy.

“This campaign represents a direct investment in public safety,” FPTower Inc. Executive Director Richard Neal stated in a release. “By combining community engagement with lifesaving technology, we are helping coastal communities enhance rescue readiness while continuing our offshore research and maritime safety mission.”

The winner and up to three guests will be provided charter vessel transportation to and from the tower, private ocean-facing accommodations, chef-prepared meals, marine exploration opportunities, a guided tour of the historic station, and world-class stargazing.

The tower, which was completed in November 1964 and retired from active Coast Guard service in 2004, now serves as a platform for environmental research, coastal resilience initiatives, and maritime outreach.

The raffle runs through 11:59 p.m. Memorial Day, May 25. The winner will be announced at 9 a.m. May 26.

Join the debut of Earth & Arts OBX, a celebration of Earth Day and the official opening of Nags Head’s new soundside boardwalk on April 22.

The event, hosted by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, is scheduled to kick off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. at the Soundside Event Site, 6800 S. Croatan Highway.

There will be live music by Brooke & Nick and HotSauce, a curated marketplace featuring environmentally conscious artists and makers, hands-on children’s activities, and opportunities to interact with local nonprofits that focus on conservation and sustainability.

“We’re excited to share this incredible new gathering spot with the community,” Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Executive Director Lee Nettles stated in a release. “This event is an opportunity to experience the new Soundside Boardwalk while connecting with the people and organizations dedicated to preserving the character and environment of this special place for generations to come. The views from the boardwalk are spectacular and give us all yet another way to experience the natural beauty of the Outer Banks.”

The event will wrap up at sunset.

NEWPORT — State Rep. Celeste C. Cairns, R-Carteret and Craven, members of the Carteret County Board of Commissioners, county staff, area town officials and project partners broke ground Friday for a new public boat launch in the growing western part of Carteret County.

The ceremonial groundbreaking for the Western Carteret County Boat Launch Facility at 4411 N.C. Highway 24, Newport, has been in the making for a long time, said Commissioner Mark Mansfield, the county board’s vice chairman, at the event. “As you can see, the western part of the county has been deficient in access to the water for quite some time, and this will hopefully enable us, with all the growth that’s going into the western end of the county, provide access to the waterways, which actually helps with the tax base and the property values in this area”

Former Commissioner Robin Comer, who was in office years ago when the project was conceived, was also on hand for the ceremony. He said the launch site is on one of the last available parcels that would facilitate the kind of facility needed in this part of the county where residential development has been rapid.

“This project became so popular — and when I say popular everywhere — everywhere we went to try to round up money for this thing, everybody was on board,” said Comer during his remarks.

Comer said the state provided money, as did the federal government using funding from a Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point program to buffer its nearby auxiliary airfield from residential encroachment. “And everybody wound up, everybody we asked, wound up putting money, time and effort in this thing.”

He said that Emerald Isle businessman Ronnie Watson represented the site’s then-landowner, Steven Stroud.

“If anybody knows Steve, he’s a tough businessman, so a lot of appreciation goes there to (Watson),” said Comer.

Cairns, in her remarks, credited her predecessor, former Rep. Pat McElraft, who served eight consecutive terms ending Jan. 1, 2023, for providing the initial momentum that made the project possible.

“I’m here to celebrate this occasion, that it has finally come to fruition with all the hard work that your county commissioners and my predecessor and others have put into it,” Cairns said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for folks on the western end of the county to be able to get access to the water. A wonderful collaboration with the Coastal Federation conservation folks. It’s just beautiful all the way around this great project. And I’m just honored, as I can be, to be a part of it today.”

The North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, is developing an abutting parcel for its new Center for Coastal Protection and Restoration being built on Bogue Sound. Construction on that project began in late 2024 and is anticipated to wrap up later this year. The center will share access with the county facility through a common driveway.

County Commissioner David Quinn, who represents the Newport area, expressed how meaningful the boating access is to residents here.

“If you’ve lived in Carteret County, you know that the water isn’t just scenery, it’s part of our daily life. It’s how we relax, it’s how we work, it’s how we make memories with our families,” Quinn said. “Bogue Sound has always been central to who we are, and having safe, dependable access to it matters. That’s exactly what this facility is going to provide for folks who live here year-round and for visitors who come to enjoy the coast. This gives people a safe, convenient place to get on the water. It also helps take pressure off of other boat ramps that have been overcrowded for years.”

Quinn said that with six launch ramps and a transient floating dock, boaters will be able to get in and out more efficiently with less waiting and less congestion, especially during peak season.

“That makes a real difference for families, makes a real difference for fishermen, makes a real difference for anyone that’s trying to enjoy a day out on Bogue Sound without frustration,” he said. “But in Carteret County, access alone isn’t enough. We also understand, if we don’t take care of the waters, then the waters will not take care of us. This project was built with that in mind.”

He explained that the 159-space trailer and vehicle parking lot will help keep vehicles out of sensitive areas. A channel connecting to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway was designed to minimize the environmental impact while still proving easy for navigators.

“One of the most important features is the living shoreline,” Quinn noted. “Instead of concrete walls, we’re using natural systems that protect marshes, reduce erosion and preserve submerged vegetation that helps improve water quality and it keeps it healthy for a long time for fishing, for boating and, more importantly, for future generations. This site isn’t just about boats, the nature trails connecting Bogue Sound to the Croatan National Forest will give people another way to experience our outdoors, whether that’s a quiet walk, learning about the marsh, or just slowing down and enjoying where we live.”

He said the partnership with the Coastal Federation was important.

“It shows what can happen when public access and environmental stewardship work together instead of against each other. That kind of cooperation reflects Carteret County values: It’s practical, responsible and rooted in long-term thinking,” Quinn said.

Quinn said that in addition to the expected economic benefits of the facility, the project strengthens our connection to the water and to each other.

“It’s a place where kids learn to fish, neighbors cross paths, families spend time together, making memories together, the same way generations did before us,” said Quinn. “Found here in this body of water is the mind-clearing quiet of nature, and the small sounds of its islands are stark and healing, the squeaky flap of a cormorant’s wings overhead, the sizzle of salt foam over broken shells in a backwashing wave, the clicking of sandfiddler claws as they scuffle in the mud, and the splash of a jumping mullet breaking that flat water.

“My granddaddy was a commercial fisherman on these waters. My daddy was born here. I was raised on Bogue Sound. It isn’t just a place that I love, it’s who I am. I want to see my sons and future generations of Carteret County citizens to enjoy, to protect and to appreciate this beautiful place we call home.”

Editor’s Note: Tabb’s Trails is a commentary photo-essay series with coastal reporter, photographer and hiking enthusiast Kip Tabb.

Manteo Marshes on Roanoke Island is a confounding, confusing place to visit, not because it’s hard to find — although blink and the parking lot off the road to Wanchese is missed — but because there’s no telling what will be there on any given day.

It’s about a milelong, notably easy hike around the impoundment. Some days there’s mallards busily feeding on the submerged grasses and lesser yellowlegs wading in the shallows making quick jabs into the water.

And then there are days where you feel lucky to see a northern mockingbird, numerous year-round at Manteo Marshes. But it’s worth the trip because, on those lucky days, it can be spectacular.

In the winter, lesser yellowlegs are often numerous in the mudflats. Get too close to that occasional mallard, and the drake will make it clear he feels threatened. In the copse on the north end of the impoundment, there is a constant twitter of birds – mostly yellow-rumped warblers in the winter, although northern mockingbirds make a good showing as well.

It is buggy in the summer, so put on some insect repellant and check it out. Osprey are constantly flying by, the northern mockingbirds are still there and lots of robins and heron are visitors as well.

But, be patient and pay attention. The birds are there, and an occasional squirrel.

The total project area is 1,874 acres. Except for the impoundment trail, the area is impenetrable marsh.

The two federal branches that enforce the Clean Water Act last month pitched changes to the “waters of the United States” definition, which establishes the types of waterbodies that are federally protected against pollution, and if these amendments pass as written, conservation groups fear millions of acres of nontidal wetlands will be left vulnerable.

The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have for decades had the authority to regulate “navigable waters,” which means “the waters of the United States, including the territorial seas,” as written in the 1948 Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Expanded in the 1970s, the measure is typically referred to as the Clean Water Act.

The EPA explains on its website that the Clean Water Act “establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters.”

One thing the Clean Water Act doesn’t do is clearly define “waters of the United States.” The EPA calls it a “threshold term in the Clean Water Act and establishes the geographic scope of federal jurisdiction under the Act.”

EPA and Army leadership announced Nov. 17 plans to update the definition, which has been the subject of lawsuits and years’ worth of arguments.

The “Updated Definition of ‘’Waters of the United States’’’ was published Nov. 20 in the Federal Register, launching a 45-day comment period on the proposed changes that closes Jan. 5.  A virtual public meeting is scheduled for 12:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, with a 2-2:30 p.m. break. Attendees must register online to speak by 5 p.m. Monday. To listen only, register by the start of the meeting.

This latest attempt, which would exclude isolated wetlands, is directly linked to the Supreme Court’s May 2023 Sackett v. EPA decision. The Sacketts are an Idaho couple fined in the late 2000s for backfilling a section of their property that the EPA considered wetlands.

Judges ruled in the final opinion on the case that the “(Clean Water Act)’s use of ‘waters’” only refers to geographical features described in everyday language “as ‘streams, oceans, rivers and lakes’ and to adjacent wetlands that are ‘indistinguishable’ from those bodies of water due to a continuous surface connection.”

Earlier that year, the EPA had finalized a “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States'” rule that took effect March 20, 2023, and which the Sackett case invalidated. In August 2023, the EPA and Army Corps issued an amendment to align the rule with the Sackett decision.

That final conforming rule is what the EPA and Army Corps leadership are proposing to amend.

The agencies argue that the change “would fully implement” the Supreme Court’s ruling “by ensuring federal jurisdiction is focused on relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water—such as streams, oceans, rivers, and lakes—and wetlands that are connected and indistinguishable from such waterbodies.”

With this proposed rule, the agencies explain in the docket, they “intend to provide greater regulatory certainty and increase Clean Water Act program predictability and consistency by clarifying the definition of ‘waters of the United States.’ This proposed rule is also intended to implement the overall objective of the Clean Water Act to restore and maintain the quality of the Nation’s waters while respecting State and Tribal authority over their own land and water resources.”

Environmental groups argued then, when the Sackett case was ruled, and still maintain that by removing protections from the millions of acres of nontidal wetlands, there will be consequences: Water quality will be jeopardized and flooding will increase, to name just two.

Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Mark Sabath said in an interview that for 50 years, the Clean Water Act has been the strongest and best federal protection for many of the waters and wetlands around the country.

The law does that “by saying you can’t pollute, you can’t fill, you can’t destroy certain features, certain waters, without a permit,” Sabath said, and the permitting process means that there are certain protections and controls you have to apply to minimize the amount of destruction.

Sabath added that a number of features of the Clean Water Act are dependent on the type of water, and, in addressing its critics, not every puddle in the country covered by the act.

“It’s only things that meet the definition of waters of the United States, and that isn’t defined in the statute itself,” Sabath continued. “Congress didn’t define it, so EPA and the Army Corps, in a series of rules over the years, have tried to define exactly what wetlands are and aren’t covered by the Clean Water Act.”

This proposed rule is the latest revision and it is “by far the most narrow, the most extreme definition,” Sabath continued. “It includes the fewest number of streams and wetlands and other waters of any interpretation of ‘waters the United States’ that we’ve seen.”

North Carolina Wildlife Federation Conservation Policy Vice President Manley Fuller told Coastal Review that with this proposed rule, the bottom line is a massive loss of protection of waters of the United States, which are vital habitats for fish and wildlife.

“This will also negatively affect hunting and fishing, which are a significant part of our natural resource-based economy,” he continued. “Wetlands are also buffers for the built environment and help reduce downstream flooding. Protecting clean waters and wetlands is extremely popular with the public for many reasons and we need to strengthen rather than weaken these programs.”

North Carolina Sierra Club Deputy Director Erin Carey told Coastal Review the rule will effectively remove federal protections from at least 80% of wetlands and over 5 million miles of streams across the country.

“This rule will open millions of acres of wetlands to the threat of development, leaving communities already vulnerable to flooding without the frontline protection afforded by these invaluable habitats. Wetlands act as filters for floodwaters and other runoff, making them critical not only to flood mitigation, but to the preservation of clean water resources,” Carey said.

Environmental Defense Fund Coasts and Watersheds Science Senior Manager Dr. Adam Gold pointed out as well that if the proposed rule is implemented as written, nearly all nontidal wetlands and intermittent streams could be without Clean Water Act protections in North Carolina and across the United States.

While there are many changes in the proposed rule, the most notable are to the definitions of “relative permanence” of waters and a “continuous surface connection” for wetlands, Gold said, adding that the proposed language introduces the concept of a “wet season.”

“Under the proposed rule, wetlands and waters would only receive Clean Water Act protections if they have surface water throughout the ‘wet season,’ described in the rule as ‘an extended period where there is continuous surface hydrology resulting from predictable seasonal precipitation patterns year after year,’” Gold said. “This proposed rule would make it easier to drain or develop wetlands that do not meet the ‘wet season’ surface water requirement, putting our wetlands and the benefits they provide at serious risk.”

In North Carolina, the impact of the proposed rule is 3.2 million acres, or about 88%, of nontidal wetlands estimated to be without Clean Water Act protections. “Importantly, this analysis relies on wetland ‘wetness’ during the growing season, but the proposed rule uses the ‘wet season,’” Gold said.

About the wet season, Gold continued, there are “fundamental issues with the proposed rule’s ‘wet season’ dataset.”

He said the classification of the “wet season” comes from the Army Corps of Engineers Antecedent Precipitation Tool, but the underlying data this tool relies on is modeled using the average monthly temperature and precipitation between 1950 and 1999. The modeled dataset was published in 2001 and does not use the best-available methods.

“The agencies proposed ‘wet season’ dataset classifies most of the year, and in some cases the entire year, as ‘wet’ for much of coastal North Carolina. So, under this proposed rule, wetlands or streams in Jacksonville would need to have surface water year-round (the whole year is classified as ‘wet’) to have Clean Water Act protections. For New Bern, the ‘wet season’ is 11 months, and for Wilmington or Brunswick County, the ‘wet season’ is 10 months.”

Gold said the proposed rule “which could essentially remove nontidal wetland and intermittent waters from the Clean Water Act, does not align with the goal of the Clean Water Act to ‘restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.’ Science shows us that all wetlands, regardless of how ‘wet’ they are, clean our water, provide critical wildlife habitat, and reduce downstream flooding impacts.”

The EPA and Corps also asserted the week the proposed changes were announced that the new rules would provide “the regulatory certainty needed to support our nation’s farmers who feed and fuel the world and advance EPA’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative.”

Sabath noted that the idea that this will have huge benefits for farming and for farmers is a common refrain when they’re restricting the protections of the Clean Water Act, “but the Clean Water Act actually exempts most farming activities from coverage already, so you don’t need to get a permit for doing regular farming activities, even when they would affect a wetland or stream that would otherwise be covered.”

The idea that this is a huge benefit for farmers is a nicer story, “because they don’t want to say, well, this is a huge benefit for large industrial facilities, industrial polluters, developers,” Sabath said.

Carey sees the proposed rule as demonstrating “that the EPA has abdicated its mandated responsibility to protect the environment and the people who depend on it. Even worse, the agency appears eager to sacrifice our natural resources on the altar of corporate greed.”

The public should be “very concerned that the federal agency tasked with ensuring clean water, clean air, and the protection of our natural environment seems determined to undermine that responsibility. With this proposed change, the EPA claims to seek clarity in regulation, but this rule would serve only to allow industry to profit from environmental destruction, and the ruination of our natural resources,” she added.

White Oak Waterkeeper Riley Lewis said in a statement that the EPA’s new definition of Waters of the United States ignores decades of scientific understanding and generations of Indigenous knowledge.

“By redefining wetlands using ambiguous criteria seemingly designed to maximize developable land and reduce regulatory barriers, the agency is turning a blind eye to the very real, very predictable impacts on our communities,” Lewis said. “Water will continue to move beneath our feet through groundwater and across the landscape during storms, regardless of a federal definition or a construction permit. This rule sets Americans up for flooding, damaged infrastructure, and increased pollution in the waters we rely on for our drinking supply, our food, and our way of life.”

So, why does this actually matter to the public? Sabath said it does in a few ways.

In North Carolina, people who hunt, fish and paddle use wetlands directly and those might be impacted by being destroyed or polluted without a permit.

“Anyone who is in a community that floods during extreme weather, and we all know that that’s happening more and more now, or that’s at risk of flooding,” Sabath said. By losing those wetlands, you lose their ability to protect communities from flooding, and that comes more often now from extreme weather.

“It’s a double whammy. You’re losing the benefits that they provide, and you’re probably creating more problems,” and more potential pollution or channels of pollution at the same time by replacing wetlands, natural areas with pavement or developed areas, he said.

With wetlands being a “good natural sponge” that can absorb huge amounts of water, “if anything, we should be trying to expand wetland coverage rather than take it away, Sabath said.

“In short,” Carey with the Sierra Club continued, “communities will watch rivers and streams in their communities fall victim to unchecked pollution. Without federal protections, industry will discharge and develop at will, destroying habitats, water quality, and flood protection measures as they go. The wetlands and streams of this country belong to all people, not just those who seek to exploit them.”

Organizers say the inaugural Duck Turkey Trot 5K set for Thursday, Nov. 27, is giving youth runners a new event, filling a void in the community, and bringing a beloved tradition back to the Dare County town.

Hosted by the nonprofit First Flight Track Club in partnership with the town, the event is to be the first Turkey Trot since 2021, despite Thanksgiving Day being the nation’s most popular running day. It also fits neatly with the work of OBX Go Far, a volunteer-run program that trains elementary and middle school students on the Outer Banks for a 5K or fun run.

“We all love running, and we are all invested in growing the running community, especially for kids,” said First Flight Track Club President Gray Berryman Thursday in a press release. “Thanks to the great work of OBX Go Far and outstanding middle and high school coaching programs, we have a deep pool of very talented student runners here. It’s one more really cool thing about the Outer Banks that most people don’t know and wouldn’t necessarily expect. So, we are working to grow this community by supporting teams and encouraging youth participation in running.”

The race is open to runners and walkers of all abilities and registration is open online.

The club formed in spring 2024 with a mission to support youth runners in Dare County. 

“At Thanksgiving last year, I wanted to run in a local Turkey Trot, but I waited too long to sign up and they were all booked a few weeks before Thanksgiving,” said Berryman. “This made us realize that there is a need for more Turkey Trots on the Outer Banks, and we have the right Board of Directors with deep roots in Duck to bring a race back to the community at the level our participants expect.”

The club has established an endowment fund with Outer Banks Community Foundation to support student athletes with financial need.

“Each Dare County running sport team (cross country or track, high school and middle school) has a fund they can use to purchase items for students in need,” said First Flight Track Club Secretary Amy Denson, who also serves as the First Flight Middle School head track coach and the First Flight High School assistant cross-country coach, who added that racing shoes are expensive for students who must also pay for their uniforms.

The track club has given coaches the ability to provide those, as needed, she said.

The club also provided summer camp scholarships for athletes, including a distance-running camp and a throwing camp for shotput and discus athletes.

Berryman said a main goal for the club to partner with the Outer Banks Community Foundation to create a college scholarship fund.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified a new state record for almaco jack, or Seriola rivoliana.

Henry Barksdale of Sutherland, Virginia, caught the 60-pound, 8-ounce fish Sept. 18 off Cape Hatteras. The previous state record was 56 pounds, 4.8 ounces, and was landed earlier this year in the same area.

Barksdale was fishing with Capt. Shaun Dunn out of Teach’s Lair Marina in Hatteras Village. He landed the fish with a jig attached to an Okuma Cedros rod and Daiwa Saltist LD 50 reel with 80-pound braid.

Barksdale’s fish measured 46 inches fork length, or from the tip of the nose to the fork in the tail, and had a 32-inch girth. The fish was weighed at Teach’s Lair Marina and confirmed by staff in the Marine Fisheries Division’s Manteo office.

Fisheries officials note that almaco jack can be easily mistaken for other amberjack species, such as the greater amberjack, aka Seriola dumerili, or lesser amberjack, aka Seriola fasciata.

The almaco jack can be distinguished by the tall and elongated second dorsal fin and anal fin, darker body color, gill raker count and alignment of the maxilla (upper lip) relative to the eye. Lesser amberjacks are also much smaller with the current International Game Fish Association’s world record weighing 12 pounds.

For more information on state record fish, go to the division’s State Saltwater Records webpage or contact the North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Tournament staff at saltwater.citations@deq.nc.gov.

The N.C. Department of Transportation has closed a recreational access area off Colington Road in Dare County due to unsafe conditions for pedestrians.

Officials announced Monday that the area, on the north side of Colington Road across from the Colington Fire Department, has seen a deterioration of the bulkhead and its surroundings.

The area has traditionally been used for recreational crabbing and other activities.

A ‘no trespassing’ sign is to be posted and access to the area has been restricted until further notice, according to the announcement.

NCDOT said it is actively seeking to partner with other agencies or organizations to maintain and possibly utilize the area in the near future.

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores has planned a handful of one-time events for August, in addition to its regular weekly programming.

The aquarium will open its doors for a special “Sip and Paint” night for ages 21 and older starting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 11. Participants will paint a beach sunset scene in front of the 306,000-gallon “Living Shipwreck” habitat. Bring your own snacks.

Teachers and educators can have a bit of fun during the “Project WILD” teacher workshop 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 14. “Project WILD” offers wildlife-based conservation and environmental education that fosters responsible actions toward wildlife and related natural resources. Educators will receive the “Project WILD” activity guide, containing 81 activities focused on terrestrial habitats and wildlife, and qualify for continuing education unit credits and Early Education and Care Criteria I credits.

To learn more about either of these events, visit www.ncaquariums.com/pks-special-events.

Regular weekly programs include the “Sea Turtle Trek” that takes place 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Aquarium staff shares information on the conservation work the aquarium does to help these endangered and threatened marine reptiles before heading to a nearby public beach access to see the sea turtle habitat and learn about the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission volunteer sea turtle monitoring project. For ages 5 and up. $20 per person.

The aquarium staff lead kayak paddle trips on Mondays and Wednesdays and stand-up paddleboard trips every Friday. Both programs are 9 to 11 a.m. and are weather permitting. Ages and prices vary.

During the “Fishing Fanatics” program held 6 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday, participants ages 5 to 12 can enjoy the sights and sounds of the maritime forest along Bogue Sound just before sunset. Staff will help bait hooks and offer instruction on casting and information on sustainable fishing practices. Gear and bait provided. Cost is $25 per person.

More information and registration can be found about these programs at www.ncaquariums.com/pks-outdoor-programs.

There are plenty of behind-the-scenes tours offered daily inside the aquarium. “Feeding Frenzy” takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. “At A Glance,” which offers a view of the largest exhibit in the facility, is held daily. And “Shark Snack” takes place Tuesday and Friday.

For behind-the-scenes tours visit www.ncaquariums.com/pks-behindthescenestours

Located 5 miles west of Atlantic Beach, the aquarium is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The aquarium is under the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

To purchase tickets for entry to the aquarium, visit www.ncaquariums.com/pine-knoll-shores or call 252-247-4003.

The Outer Banks are known for vast, uncrowded beaches, towering lighthouses, and unique cottages, and while these features beckon millions of visitors, some Outer Banks communities are not as well-known.

Rather than towns, most communities here are unincorporated villages, each home to residential homes and unobtrusive tourist accommodations, a few businesses, and a post office. Hatteras may be one of the best known of these villages.

While it is much smaller than incorporated coastal towns like Beaufort or Edenton, Hatteras is home to centuries of history and a number of notable sites, particularly on the southwest tip of its namesake island.

Hatteras Island was populated in the 16th century by the Croatoan Native Americans. They hunted, fished and ate oysters, depositing the shells in massive middens that are one of the few remaining visible indicators of where they lived. They were one of the many Native peoples that the Roanoke Colony interacted with in the 1580s.

The Croatans allied with the Europeans and counted among their numbers Manteo, the first Native American christened by the English in the New World. They factor into the story of the Lost Colony, since Hatteras Island was one of the many areas where the colonists were rumored to have gone after leaving Roanoke. Due to the shifting sands of Hatteras and the lack of definitive records, the fate of the colonists remains a mystery to this day.

Europeans returned to the area in the middle of the 17th century. Historian David Stick notes in his book, “The Outer Banks of North Carolina,” that the first documented English settlers on Hatteras Banks, Patrick Mackuen and William Reed, likely arrived there by 1711. People on Hatteras lived by fishing, farming, and piloting boats. They also took cargo from the many shipwrecks that regularly washed ashore from the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

Despite a growing number of families living on Hatteras, the area was slow to develop as a proper town. Isolated and accessible only by water, Hatteras did not abut one of the major inlets that was open during the colonial period. As a result, it was ignored by the same legislative assemblies that facilitated town construction at nearby Portsmouth and Ocracoke islands. Although numerous people resided on the southwestern portion of the island by the late 18th century, colonial maps often showed just the empty banks and the cape. The area known today as Hatteras Village finally gained its first post office in 1858.

Hatteras remained mostly isolated through the 18th and early 19th centuries. But while it did not have obvious economic importance, it did have military significance to any group wanting to approach or protect North Carolina by water. This led to the construction of Confederate forts Hatteras and Clark on Hatteras Inlet in 1861.

The forts were surrendered to Union in the first combined action of the Army and Navy during the Civil War. This success, the first by Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside, helped the Union gain control of the North Carolina coast and allowed for future invasions of Roanoke Island and the eastern part of the state.

The post-Civil War period saw the emergence of coastal life-saving stations. These buildings housed crews organized to rescue victims from shipwrecks using the latest technology, such as the Lyle gun used to shoot rescue lines.

Three U.S. Life-saving Service stations lined Hatteras Island by 1905, from Durants near the village to Cape Hatteras at the eastern end of the island. Along with greater lifesaving capabilities came a new effort at political organization. Dare County, one of the last counties formed in North Carolina, was created in 1870 from what had been parts of Currituck, Hyde and Tyrrell counties to help administer the far-flung islands of the Outer Banks. Its southern boundary was the western tip of Hatteras Island.

The modern village of Hatteras began to develop in the early 20th century. Locals built a string of houses such as the Ellsworth and Lovie Ballance House, circa 1915, one of the oldest structures in the village and a survivor of numerous hurricanes over the past century, according to state historic preservation records. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Growth came mainly from tourism. Greater rail and automobile transportation helped more and more visitors reach the beach from such areas as Raleigh, Charlotte and northern cities. More tourists meant an increase in ferry traffic and the growth of roads that made those ferries accessible, such as the highway that became U.S. 264 connecting Belhaven, Swan Quarter and U.S. Highway 64 near Manns Harbor.

In the 1930s, the conservation movement also brought nature tourism to the island through the authorization of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in 1937, one of the first seashore-protection programs in the country. Conservation protected a unique ecosystem that continues to bring thousands of birding, fishing, and native plant enthusiasts each year. 

With these dynamics in place, Hatteras became a popular vacation destination. Thousands flocked to the coast every summer and engaged in new recreational activities such as surfing and kiteboarding. Demand led to new transportation outlets. The state began to pave roads on Hatteras Island in the 1950s, but it was the completion of the Herbert S. Bonner Bridge in 1963 that provided a direct land connection between Hatteras and the rest of the country.

Soon, the island became home to shops, restaurants and hotels, as well as the familiar fishing shacks and isolated tourist cottages. A 1990 New York Times travel article that praised Hatteras Island’s beach as “one of the loveliest on the East Coast,” also singled out the village for offering “the color of a commercial fishing hub.”

Hatteras has become one of the most popular tourist destinations on the East Coast, growth that has fundamentally altered life in the sleepy fishing village. About 500 residents now live in Hatteras Village fulltime. There are about a dozen restaurants, several seafood markets, general stores, visitor centers, and the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. A number of these businesses operate year-round and cater to both locals and the summer influx of tourists.

Despite these changes, residents largely are thankful that Hatteras retains much of its village charm.

Patricia Peele, a lifelong resident of the island, told Coastal Review that as recently as 15 years ago, it was like “they used to roll the streets up at 9 p.m. on Labor Day.”

Now, there are always tourists, filling a plethora of mini-hotels across the island. But Peele said that despite the changes, she knows that Hatteras is still secluded compared to the rest of the Outer Banks. It is “not built up like a lot of other places are,” and with the protections provided by the National Park Service, growth will likely remain limited.

Still, Hatteras Village faces many of the same challenges as the rest of the Outer Banks, including those related to rising sea levels, limited resources and strong coastal storms.

The Basnight Bridge, which replaced the Bonner Bridge when the 2.8-mile, $254 million project was completed in 2019, keeps Hatteras Island connected to the mainland, and no matter the challenges, people of Hatteras will likely continue to adapt to life on their ocean sandbar — just as they always have.

Featured Image

Fishing lines, sunshades and beachgoers crowd an Emerald Isle beach while two seagulls fly overhead, with another in the foreground searching for food. Photo: Robert Watkins

Emerald Isle resident and student at University of North Carolina Asheville, Watkins submitted last week this photo he took in October 2024 because he was thinking about how coastal North Carolina changes throughout the year.

“It is summer now, and the beaches of North Carolina are packed with tourists, especially now with the approach of the 4th of July. Fall will return, and some tourists will go back home, but not all. Some, like the ospreys, gulls, and pelicans, are here for the year,” he wrote in his photo submission.

When he took the photo, he had returned home to Emerald Isle because the university he attends in Buncombe County had shut down temporarily due to the damages caused by Hurricane Helene.

“Coastal North Carolina offered a strange reprieve from the stress and damage that Western North Carolina had been riddled with; I was lucky to have a home here, for many in WNC lost their only home. I sat down on the beach for several hours that day, loving where I was, shocked at the irony of the situation: I was a refugee from a hurricane, yet the refuge itself had been ravaged by a hurricane just six years prior,” he wrote.

A senator representing five Piedmont counties has introduced an amendment to a House bill that, if it becomes law, will prohibit shrimp trawling in all of North Carolina’s inland waters and within a half-mile of the Atlantic Ocean shoreline.

Despite protests from a coastal senator and several commercial fishing representatives, two Senate committees that met Tuesday were in favor of amending House Bill 442, which Rep. Frank Iler, R-Brunswick, filed in March “to restore recreational fishing for flounder and red snapper in North Carolina.”

Iler said to both committees Tuesday that there wasn’t much of a recreational flounder season last year. He was referring to the harvest seasons established by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission, which manages flounder and red snapper fisheries. The commission votes on management plans that determines when those species can be harvested.

As the bill made its way through the House and then to the Senate, its language focused solely on expanding recreational access to southern flounder and red snapper, but that changed Tuesday morning during the Senate’s agriculture, energy, and environment committee meeting. The committee approved the amendment and then referred it to that afternoon’s Senate rules and operations committee, which also voted in favor of the bill.

Sen. David Craven Jr., R-Anson, who also represents Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond and Union counties, introduced the amendment to put North Carolina “on par” with regulations in force in Virginia and South Carolina.

He said that the estimated bycatch, or unwanted species, that comes with shrimp trawling is 4 pounds of bycatch to every pound of shrimp harvested, “which is a lot of other species of fish that’s getting caught in the net, potentially dying,” he said. “This has been an issue for quite some time, and I think it’s time this body addressed it.”

The amendment details the penalties a commercial fishing operation would face if caught “Taking or attempting to take shrimp using a trawl net in any coastal fishing waters other than areas of the Atlantic Ocean located more than one-half mile from the shoreline.”

When Committee Chair Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Pender, opened the floor to elected leaders for comment, Sen. Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck, was the first to speak. Hanig asked why not wait for the results from an ongoing lawsuit filed in 2020 by the Coastal Conservation Association — North Carolina to ban shrimp trawling and the results of a study commissioned in 2022 on the issue.

“Why the urgency all of a sudden and at the 23rd hour?” Hanig asked.

Hanig said he was also concerned with “what data was used to support the amendment to put the hardworking men and women that work in our fishing industry every day out of a job and completely shut down an entire industry?

“Seventy five percent of the shrimp that are caught in the state of North Carolina are caught where this amendment is affected,” said Hanig.

Craven responded that there was no intent to put anybody out of business.

“I believe these fine folks can trawl a half-mile off the coast of North Carolina,” and continue to shrimp. He added that work had been done on a separate matter to ensure there’s “compensation during that time to make sure that we get these folks transitioned.”

Craven said shrimpers must “understand that they will have a process to move through from doing what they do on a daily basis now to kind of moving and changing into going out in the coastal waters.”

Hanig, with no time to ask further questions, urged the committee to reject the amendment.

“This bill started out as a great step forward, one that restores reasonable access to flounder for both recreational and commercial fisheries. This bill comes from progress, cooperation, long-overdue relief from closures derived from flawed science and outdated rules that hurt both industries,” said Hanig.

“Throwing this trawling ban at the 23rd hour undermines the intent and spirit of the bill. It reeks of the same old sleazy, backroom politics and special interests that caused North Carolina endless wars, endless fish wars,” he continued. It’s “disgraceful what we’re doing to the citizens of North Carolina. This is nothing short of special interest and backroom deals. There’s no question about it. That’s why no one was instructed about this amendment.”

Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, said both the original bill and the amendment were taking what should be collaborative, scientifically based decisions out of that realm.

“I’m always worried about this body overruling, for instance, the Marine Fisheries Commission on the flounder and the snapper,” Mayfield said, noting that there’s a shrimp management plan and shrimp working group that’s been together for years, working on and improving trawling and bycatch regulations.

During both committee meetings, supporters and opponents of the amendment explained their positions.

North Carolina Fisheries Association Executive Director Glenn Skinner said that, as a lifelong commercial fisherman, “I probably don’t have tell y’all we are opposed to this trawl ban amendment.”

Skinner said that because the CCA-NC lawsuit and the study were ongoing, “I just can’t help but think that it’s no coincidence that we’re talking about this trawl ban in the same year, both of those are supposed to come before a judge and before this General Assembly.”

Chad Thomas, on behalf of the nonprofit North Carolina Marine and Estuary Foundation, said that while the state “has been a leader in the effort to reduce bycatch, and although the need to protect critical habitats is well documented, legislative action is necessary to ensure the enhancement of nearly 900,000 additional acres of inshore habitats that are critical to our fish and shellfish populations. After careful review of the available science, our foundation’s conclusion is that the shrimp trawl legislation, as proposed in House Bill 442 would bring a huge step closer to this protection goal.”

Brent Fulcher, a business owner with operations in New Bern and Beaufort, said he doesn’t “understand how you would even think about taking the fresh North Carolina seafood away from the North Carolina consumer, and run the risk to ruin infrastructure for the entire industry and other sister industries.”

Cameron Boltes, a former Marine Fisheries Commission member, said he, as “one of 460,000 recreational anglers in North Carolina,” supported the measure. “The big point of clarification I want to make is that the bill is not a ban on trawling in North Carolina. It’s in alignment with the best management practices used by every other state in the Southeast.”

Earl Pugh, a lifetime resident of Hyde County and a former county commissioner there, said his county, as the second smallest in the state, relied heavily on the seafood industry. Seafood is one of the three major industries in Hyde County, along with agriculture and tourism, Pugh noted.

“A ban on trawling in inshore waters would be devastating to the economy of Hyde County,” he said, adding that it would take away income that fishermen, fish houses and other locals in the industry rely on.

Thomas Bell with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation praised the measure, saying it “addresses a major threat to the long-term health of North Carolina’s fisheries inshore.

“Shrimp trawling severely impacts the fisheries we depend on, killing millions of juvenile fish, degrading essential habitats and putting enormous pressure on our collapsing fish populations, including spot croaker and flounder,” said Bell. “This bill does not completely ban trawling but puts good stewardship of our estuaries first by moving shrimp trawling offshore.”

Coastal Review will not publish Thursday in recognition of the Juneteenth holiday.

The two Carolina governors are urging the Trump administration to maintain the moratorium on offshore drilling the president set during his first term, citing possible disruptions to the coastal economy from a disaster without the existing protection.

Trump issued in September 2020 memoranda preventing leases for oil and gas drilling off the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina until June 30, 2032.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced plans in April to begin the process of developing a new schedule for offshore oil and gas lease sales for the outer continental shelf. Called the “11th National Outer Continental Shelf Program,” the public comment period opened April 29. The 45-day comment period closes Monday, June 16.

In the letter to BOEM dated June 16, Gov. Josh Stein and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster urge removing North Carolina and South Carolina’s outer continental shelf from consideration for the program. 

“Because of the significant risks associated with offshore oil and gas exploration, development and production off the Carolina coasts, every North Carolina and South Carolina coastal municipality has passed a resolution opposing offshore drilling and seismic testing,” the governors wrote. “This position has been reaffirmed by other municipalities and counties, as well as state legislators and members of our Congressional delegations from both parties. We ask you to respect the wishes of our states and our coastal communities and reaffirm President Trump’s decision to protect our coastlines and the industries they support.” 

North Carolina and South Carolina have a combined 513 miles of ocean beaches and 6,251 miles of coastline that are home to more than 2.7 million people and include numerous national wildlife refuges. The coastal economy for the two states in 2021 contributed $9.6 billion to the gross domestic product, supported more than 125,000 jobs, and provided $3.8 billion in wages, led by tourism and recreation, shipbuilding, fishing, and marine transportation industries.

“These industries would be highly vulnerable to disruption from offshore drilling,” according to the governors’ offices.

The new Cape Hatteras Lighthouse multiuse pathway in Buxton was officially opened Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The 1.25-mile-long, 10- to 12-foot-wide, accessible concrete pathway connects Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Old Lighthouse Beach. There are interpretive signs along the path explaining the history of when the lighthouse was moved to its current location in 1999, the seashore’s ecology and its distinction as a watersports destination.

Outer Banks Forever is the official nonprofit partner of the seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial and began raising funds to build the pathway in the fall of 2022.

Outer Banks Forever and Cape Hatteras National Seashore held the ceremony for the pathway that “quietly opened to the community in the fall of 2024,” and “hundreds of parkgoers have been using it for walking, biking, strolling, dog walking, and more, now safely separated from traffic,” according to the nonprofit.

Outer Banks Forever and the seashore are currently working to build and install an accessible restroom and shower facility at the Old Lighthouse Beach Access, with a target completion date of early 2026.

Donors to the nonprofit, a Tourism Impact Grant from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, and grants from the Federal Highways Administration helped fund the pathway.

Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Executive Director Lee Nettles announced that the Dare County Tourism Board was proud to support the project.

“Dare County tourism is a $2.15 billion industry representing 46% of the jobs within our county, but visitor spending also provides funding for the Tourism Board’s grant programs,” Nettles said in a news release. “The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Pathway project is an example of how tourism can improve safety and the quality of life for both visitors and residents.”

Second in commentary photo-essay series, Tabb’s Trails, with coastal reporter, photographer and hiking enthusiast Kip Tabb.

It was a close thing, whether Jockey’s Ridge would be leveled for a development five decades ago.

If you find yourself at what is now the 426-acre Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Dare County, head north out of the parking lot and up one of the steepest dunes there.

In about a quarter mile, the disintegrating asphalt of a 50-year-old road is stark evidence that, if the late Carolista Baum had not stood in front of a bulldozer on Aug. 15, 1973, to prevent the sand dune system from being developed, a truly unique geological treasure would not exist today.

The North Carolina State Park System in 1975 established Jockey’s Ridge, what it calls the tallest living sand dune system on the Atlantic Coast. The Friends of Jockey’s Ridge State Park has organized a four-day, family friendly event starting Thursday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the state park. The friends group supports the state park in Nags Head.

Related: Take a hike Saturday to celebrate National Trails Day

Details and the itinerary for all programs being offered at no charge can be found on the nonprofit organization’s website.

Jockey’s Ridge is a remarkably complex environmental wonder.

It is a harsh environment. Where the sand is deepest and most active, nothing grows. But one of the ironies of what is left of the road is the roadbed stabilized the sand, and as the asphalt cracked, opening the soil to the elements, small thickets of pine took root.

There are self-guided trails in Jockey’s Ridge State Park.

The Soundside Nature Trail is a 1.2-mile loop that begins at the main parking lot by the visitor center, and the Tracks in the Sand Trail is a 0.6-mile loop trail beginning at the Soundside parking lot.

Depending on where the hike is going, the conditions can be strenuous. Hiking conditions are fine sand and steep inclines. It’s not necessary to be an athlete, but reasonable physical condition is important.

Visitors can explore all areas of Jockey’s Ridge State Park, but there are some things to know while there.

Take water with you, especially in the summer as conditions can be extremely hot and there is no drinking water anywhere, and insect repellant is a good idea.

When hiking in the thicket at the base of the main dune, be respectful of nature. There are a surprising number of trails and no need to create a new one.

Among the dunes where the soil has stabilized, flowering plants thrive and insect life is abundant.

There are a surprising number of flowering plants that flourish in Jockey’s Ridge, perhaps none as spectacular as a mound lily yucca.

As the flowers come into full bloom this time of year, pollinators and other insects swarm to the plants, such as the trumpet vines, which are prolific on the hillocks throughout the park.

The trumpet vines are just one of many flowering plants in Jockey’s Ridge where pollinators can be spotted, including red-spotted purple butterflies.

As the foliage thickens in spring and into summer, the sound of songbirds, like the gray catbird, is a constant chorus. Usually deep in the foliage, they are heard but not seen, but sometimes they’ll make an appearance.

Following a prescribed burn in April of this year, the largest thicket, which could almost be considered a small maritime forest, is showing signs of regeneration as summer approaches.

The wooded area on the Roanoke Sound is in the wind shadow of the largest dune in Jockey’s Ridge, and extends a little over a half mile from the parking lot and recreational beach at the southeast corner of the park.

The colors of a blue grosbeak spotted on a branch in the burn area, according to Cornell University’s All About Birds website, indicate a breeding male. The species is “uncommon but widespread across the southern United States.”

If the hike is going to be fairly long and include the Roanoke Sound shoreline, there is considerable underbrush and walking through while barefoot can be painful.

Waterfowl are a frequent sight as well. In a cove off the trail, two mallards shared a quiet moment. The drake kept bringing its foot to its head in what appeared to be an attempt to scratch something by his beak.

The North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail crosses the state, connecting the eastern terminus in Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks and the western terminus in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Celebrate National Trails Day Saturday by taking a hike in one of the many publicly accessible lands in North Carolina.

Related: Jockey’s Ridge State Park celebrates 50 years

“Aptly named the ‘Great Trails State,'” the national event observed the first Saturday in June “highlights the tremendous benefits that our state, federal and local trails provide, from recreational opportunities to fostering a deeper connection with nature,” according to the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Officials are encouraging the public to mark the day by attending a trail event, going on a hike at one of the many parks and wildlife refuges in the state, or volunteering to help with upkeep.

To find a hiking trail or outdoor activity near you, visit websites for The Great Trails State, the North Carolina State Parks, the National Park Service, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

North Carolina saw its 40 million-plus visitors in 2024 spend more than $36.7 billion on trips to and within the “Tar Heel State,” maintaining its rank of fifth most visited state and setting a spending record.

Coming in behind California, Florida, Texas and New York in domestic visitation, the state has been in tight competition with Pennsylvania and Tennessee for fifth place over the last four years. The previous spending record of $35.6 billion was set in 2023, according to Gov. Josh Stein’s office.

The governor made the announcement Wednesday, coinciding with National Travel and Tourism Week May 4-10. The press release notes that the state’s tourism economy remained strong despite Hurricane Helene, which caused untold destruction in the western part of the state in the fall of 2024.

“Today’s news underscores what we all know: North Carolina is a fantastic place to visit,” Stein said Wednesday in a statement. “As our mountain economies worked to recover from Helene, our Piedmont and coastal destinations remained popular and contributed to the growth of North Carolina’s tourism economy. We must continue to support tourism and small businesses in western North Carolina to help them come back stronger.”

The figures are preliminary findings from research commissioned by Visit North Carolina, part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, and conducted by Tourism Economics. The study can be found on the state tourism’s website, which links to archived reports dating back to 2005.

The state’s tourism-supported workforce increased 1.4% to 230,338 jobs in 2024.  Tourism payroll increased 2.6% to $9.5 billion. As a result of visitor spending, state and local governments saw rebounds in tax revenues to nearly $2.7 billion.   

“North Carolinians in all 100 counties benefit from the money that visitors spend. From our smallest towns to our largest cities, tourism means jobs for more than 50,000 small businesses and our first-in-talent workforce. These workers address travelers’ needs for transportation as well as lodging, dining, shopping, and recreation,” Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said in the release.

The statistics published Wednesday report data from a statewide perspective. A supplemental report is expected to be released later in the year that will provide regional and local visitor data, offering a better perspective on Helene’s impact on western North Carolina’s tourism economy, officials explained.

The governor’s office provided the following numbers about the 2024 tourism industry:

• Total spending by domestic and international visitors reached $36.7 billion in 2024, a 3.1% increase over 2023 expenditures.   
• Domestic travelers spent a record $35.6 billion in 2024, up 2.7% from $34.6 billion in 2023.   
• The more than 900,000 international travelers spent $1.2 billion in 2024, up 16.5% from the previous year.   
• Visitors generated nearly $4.6 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2024, a 2.9% increase from 2023.   
• State tax receipts from visitor spending rose 1.1% to nearly $1.4 billion in 2024.   
• Local tax receipts grew 4.3% to nearly $1.3 billion.  
• Direct tourism employment in North Carolina increased 1.4% to 230,338.   
• Direct tourism payroll increased 2.6% to $9.5 billion.   
• Visitors spend more than $100 million per day in the state, adding $7.3 million daily to state and local tax revenues, about $3.7 million in state taxes and $3.6 million in local taxes.
• Each state household saved $593 on average in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state. Savings per capita averaged $241.  

Colby Shaw of Newport has broken a 15-year state record with his recent catch of a vermilion snapper.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries announced the new state record Thursday. Shaw caught the 7-pound, 4-ounce vermilion snapper, or Rhomboplites aurorubens, April 18 south of Beaufort Inlet.

The previous state record for the highly prized species was 6 pounds, 9 ounces landed in Ocean Isle in 2009.

The division said Shaw was fishing in his own vessel when the fish struck his cut bait. “Shaw made quick work of reeling in his state record fish, landing it using his Shimano rod and reel with 65-pound braid,” according to the announcement.

Shaw’s fish measured 23.5-inches fork length, which is from the tip of the nose to the fork in the tail, with a 17-inch girth. Fisheries staff weighed in the fish at the division’s headquarters office in Morehead City.

Wild-caught vermilion snapper from U.S. waters “is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Vermilion snappers’ range extends from Cape Hatteras to southeastern Brazil and includes the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Recreational anglers landed 3.4 million pounds of vermilion snapper in 2023, the most recent figures in NOAA Fisheries’ recreational fishing landings database.

The database shows 2023, commercial landings in the Gulf and South Atlantic totaled 1.8 million pounds and was worth about $7.2 million.

The species can live 15 years, biologists say, and they spend much of their existence close to the bottom, whether rocky or sandy, near the continental and just off the islands.

For more information on state record fish, go to the division’s State Saltwater Records webpage or contact the North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Tournament staff at saltwater.citations@deq.nc.gov.

BUXTON – Just north of Cape Hatteras, businesses along a small stretch of soundside beach colloquially known as Canadian Hole have become a microcosm and barometer of a newly fraught international relationship.

Windsurfers from Canada have reliably flocked to the Outer Banks since the 1980s, and they were later joined by kiteboarders when that sport took off in the 1990s. But the Trump administration’s recent threats to annex the nation’s northern neighbor, followed by the U.S. imposing tariffs on trade, have triggered a backlash among our otherwise would-be Canadian visitors.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows that visitors crossing the Canadian border into the U.S. dropped 12.5% in February and 18% in March, according to an April 18 NBC News report. In 2023, about 20.7 million visitors from Canada visited the U.S.

Although there have been cancellations, local watersports shops say that plenty of Canadians are still visiting the Outer Banks because of its renowned conditions for windsurfing and kiteboarding.

With spring bringing warmer temperatures and a nice southwest wind, the northern watersport enthusiasts are starting to arrive on the Outer Banks for the season.

“I’ve put up a Canadian and a U.S. flag,” said Brian Klauser, owner of Ocean Air Sports in Avon.

Klauser said he had received “tremendous feedback” from his regulars.

“All of my customers are repeat customers. You can set your watch to it,” he told Coastal Review.

And, as Klauser noted, these visitors are dedicated.

“They’re not just coming for a week,” he said. “They’re coming for two to eight weeks, because they love it here.”

Pamlico Sound’s Canadian Hole, a watersports destination between Avon and Buxton on Hatteras Island, is often referred to as the Haulover Day Use Area. With its shallow, wide-open water, mild weather and windy conditions, the spot has earned a reputation among enthusiasts, along with some other Outer Banks beaches, as the premier windsurfing and kiteboarding destination on the East Coast.

All of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands are within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

“We get a lot of Canadians in the shop and there’s a lot of return folks we talk to,” Chris Rutledge, a salesman at REAL Watersports in Waves, a Hatteras Island village north of Avon, told Coastal Review. “It’s probably down a little bit, but I’m seeing a lot of people down in Canadian Hole.”

Any kiteboarders and windsurfers from northern climates who may still have snow on the ground appreciate that spring is a great time of the year on Hatteras Island to enjoy their sport, he said. Those conditions remain favorable into fall.

“This area is so special,” Rutledge said. There’s plenty of unobstructed space in the sound to ride, or to catch waves in the ocean, he explained, yet the spot is smaller and less crowded than other destinations.

Despite that difference — and despite the unpredictable tariff-wielding elephant raging in the background — politics is sidestepped by businesses here as much as possible.

“We appreciate our Canadian customers,” said Stacey Saunders, the general manager of Frisco Woods Campground on Hatteras Island. She emphasized in a recent interview with Coastal Review that the business tries to avoid anything political, but she has heard some outspoken opinions from even the campground’s most loyal Canadian customers.

“We believe in your right to free speech,” she said in a comment directed specifically to Canadians and the right to express their political opinions, while she, herself, wanted to avoid politics.

Numerous Canadian customers have blamed politics or a sense of feeling unsafe for deciding not to come back to the Outer Banks, said Saunders. She cited a recent email as an example. 

“I’m sorry to inform you we wish to cancel our May camping reservation due to Mr. Trump,” explained the author of an email that she read aloud. “We will probably return in four years when Mr. Trump is president no longer.”

Saunders said that, so far, there had been only a “moderate” number of cancellations from Canadians, and about 80% have been from repeat customers.

Still, she noted, sites reserved for June and July mostly by windsurfers and kiters are not canceling. The campground, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, has a large waterfront launching area that makes it very popular with these visitors.

“They’re very loyal and have been here for years,” she said.

One notable cancellation was a “caravan” of Canadians who had reserved 23 campsites, which equals about 60 people, she said.

“We’ve also lost store revenue,” she added, “because if they’re not here, they’re not purchasing anything.”

But looking on the bright side, Saunders said that the canceled reservations open more sites on the soundside – and potentially for new customers.

An April 10 post on Reddit by ParkingKnowledge6105, said that his group of 25 Canadians, who have traveled to Cape Hatteras for about 30 years for a monthlong vacation, have all canceled.

“It is hard to underplay how deeply offensive the Trump 51st state bs has been. Or the lies about fentanyl or balance of commerce,” according to the post. “You guys have no idea how pissed off Canadians are , and dismayed by how many still support Trump. A lifelong friendship was thrown under the bus.”

Keith Croghan, owner of The Sea Monkey Lodge & Kite School on Ocracoke Island, said the island always has its share of visiting windsurfers and kiteboarders, although not as many at Hatteras Island.

And not yet this year.

“I haven’t seen hide nor hair of Canadians,” he recently told Coastal Review. “So the impact on us is even greater.”

Ocracoke, a small island on the far-south end of the Outer Banks, is — more than most — dependent on tourism revenue.

‘I haven’t seen hide nor hair of Canadians.’

— Keith Croghan, The Sea Monkey Lodge & Kite School, Ocracoke Island

“Yeah, we really feel it when people don’t show up,” said Croghan, who has run the The Sea Monkey Lodge & Kite School for 15 years.

“I would like to consider Ocracoke a sanctuary,” he added. “If any Canadians feel ostracized by all this, tell them they’re welcome to come down and visit our special little island here on the Republic of Ocracoke.”

Lee Nettles, executive director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, also prefers to look beyond the current gloom of uncertain times.

“We, of course, welcome international guests, and we want to continue welcoming international guests,” he told Coastal Review. “But from the last statistics that I saw, Canadian visitors are less than 1% of our overall visitation. So in terms of the real business impact, it remains to be seen, but I don’t expect it to be great.”

Most Outer Banks visitors drive from Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and other northeastern states. And, he added, tourists from Canada represented about 50% of total international visitation.

As the 2020 pandemic showed, Nettles said, the Outer Banks’ reputation for its natural environment and wide-open beaches is sought out as a refuge during stressful periods. That and being an affordable drive-to destination has somewhat sheltered the barrier islands from the same shocks other destinations may experience.

“Everybody’s calling for a soft year,” Nettles said about other tourism areas in the state, “and it seems like we’re in better shape than a lot of folks.”

Over the years, Dare County has proven to possess a remarkable ability to not only recover from various shocks, but also to come back strong.

In 2023, the most recent available data, Dare’s total visitor spending was $2.15 billion, about 9% higher than the previous year. State taxes were $70.4 million and the local taxes were $77.9 million, totaling $148 million for the year. Combined with the visitor spending, the total of $3,891 per capita is the highest of any county in North Carolina.

As far threats of layoffs or funding decreases in the national parks and refuges, Nettles said he doesn’t yet know details and won’t speculate on impacts except to say he has confidence in the management.

“Obviously the national and state parks and our refuges are hugely important tourism assets and are greatly valued by our visitors,” he said.

The Outer Banks tourism-based economy has survived a series of human-made and natural disasters, and not just hurricanes.

“I think the storms come in different forms,” Nettles said.

“We’re no stranger to challenges. We’ve had wildfires, road closures, bridge closures. We’ve had recessions, we’ve had government shutdowns, and COVID,” he said. “All of which to say, tourism has been real resilient despite natural and man-made challenges.”

There’s an opportunity for fishing enthusiasts to spend the week learning from longtime captains during the 71st annual sportfishing school scheduled for this summer on the Outer Banks.

A program of the North Carolina State University’s Continuing and Lifelong Education, the immersive five-day experience taking place June 1-5 based at the Hatteras Civic Center offers a “comprehensive journey into sport fishing, blending classroom instruction with hands-on training,” organizers said.

For two days, participants will be in the classroom learning about advanced equipment techniques and fishing methodologies and three days gaining practical, hands-on experience in both inshore and offshore Gulf Stream environments. The week closes with a celebratory banquet.

Instructors include captains Ernie Foster, Rom Whitaker, Ken Dempsey, Dr. Herbert Kirk, and Skip Blaylock, “each bringing decades of expertise and deep connections to NC State. These accomplished professionals are not just instructors but living legends in Eastern North Carolina’s fishing community, having established reputations through successful charters and prominent tournament participation,” organizers said.

The Sport Fishing School originated in Morehead City in September 1962 as a collaborative effort between N.C. State’s Department of Zoology and the College Extension Division, and has evolved into a fishing education program.

“This isn’t just a fishing school — it’s a legacy program 70 years in the making,” said Foster, lead program instructor with more than 50 years of maritime experience and an NC State alum. “We’re not just teaching techniques; we’re passing down generations of wisdom. From understanding the delicate ecosystems of North Carolina coastal waters to mastering intricate fishing techniques, we’re preserving a tradition that connects people to the ocean in one of the most profound ways.”

Open to fishing 18 and older, explore the full program schedule, instructor profiles and registration information at lifelonglearning.ncsu.edu/sport-fishing-school.

Fees are $2,495 for returning participants and $2,995 for new attendees. A discount of $300 will apply to individuals registered at the same time. First person pays the full amount, and each individual after the first person receives $300 off. Discount does not apply to the deposit.

First in a new commentary feature, Tabb’s Trails.

Verdant and beautiful, coastal North Carolina boasts hidden treasures of nature. For the most part, the maritime forest reserves and parks that are found throughout the area require no special equipment or knowledge to explore, just a willingness to spend some time enjoying the environment’s beauty and the unexpected surprises it offers.

Sandy Run Park on the The Woods Road in Kitty Hawk is a 16-acre town park. The trail is a completely level, half-mile loop around a pond and marsh that is half boardwalk and half gravel and packed soil.

For birdwatchers, it is a small slice of paradise with a remarkable variety of birds in the trees and feeding in the ponds. For families with children, it is as good an introduction as there could be to the beauty and fascination of the natural world.

Spring has returned to Sand Run Park in Kitty Hawk.

Regular visitors for the past four or five years, the osprey pair have been busy repairing their nest that was destroyed in a storm last September.

As the weather warms, the winter residents leave, and there is perhaps no winter bird as ubiquitous as the yellow-rumped warbler. It’s rare to see one after April 1.

By Outer Banks standards, it was a snowy winter with one storm covering Sandy Run with more than 6 inches of snow. Among the reeds in the marsh a downy woodpecker found a meal.

During spring, summer and fall, the waters of Sandy Run are most alive. If there is symbol for the park, it would be the yellow-bellied sliders. There are also large snapping turtles and an occasional painted turtle, but it’s the yellow-bellied sliders that can be seen everywhere in the ponds.

For families with children, lettuce is a great snack for the turtles.

With abundant fish, frogs and food, blue heron are regular residents, but they are not the only member of the heron family to call Sandy Run home.

Especially in the spring and summer, green heron perch on tree limbs and deadfall.

Woodpeckers have been working on the trees for years. Red-bellied woodpeckers are the most common, although downy woodpeckers are seen from time to time, as well as an occasional pileated woodpecker.

Talkative, highly visible and ever-present, tweeting cardinals are year-round residents.

In the summer, the dense foliage of a maritime forest surrounding a coastal marsh teems with life. The intense red of trumpet vines seems to attract pollinators in extraordinary numbers.

Part of Duck Pond Creek, Sandy Run is a catch-and-release-only fishing site with three kayak launches. The creek connects with Kitty Hawk Bay, although paddling to the bay includes a carry on foot across The Woods Road.

A special program about surfing and its history in Carteret County is set for noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in Morehead City.

Taking place in the History Museum of Carteret County, Lisa Pelletier Harman will host the talk featuring surfers David Sledge of Atlantic Beach and Dr. Ty Roach, the McCurdy Visiting Scholar at the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort.

Harman is the brother of champion pro surfer Buddy Pelletier of Atlantic Beach, who was 44 when he died of cancer in July 1995. He was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame in 2000.

Cost with lunch is $15 for museum members and $20 for nonmembers. Without lunch, cost is $5 for museum members and $7 for nonmembers.

Call the museum at 252-247-7533 to make a reservation by April 22.

The state Division of Marine Fisheries will accept public comments throughout April on a proposal to allow recreational fishers more access to the southern flounder fishery.

The 30-day comment period kicks off Tuesday on the division’s draft Southern flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 4, which would expedite an allocation shift to 50% commercial and 50% recreational this year.

The draft amendment would allow for more recreational access to the fishery and simultaneously maintain the rebuilding requirements of Amendment 3 of the plan, officials said. That plan, adopted in 2022, calls for a 50/50 balance to go into effect in 2026.

But after two years where the recreational flounder seasons were shortened and one year where there was no recreational flounder season, the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission charged the division with finding ways to allow recreational fishers more access while maintaining stock rebuilding requirements in Amendment 3.

Advisory committees to the commission have scheduled meetings in April to accept in-person comments.

The Southern Regional Advisory Committee is set to meet April 8 at the division’s Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City.

The Northern Regional Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet April 10 at the College of the Albemarle, Dare Campus – Room 110, 205 U.S. 64, Manteo.

The Finfish Advisory Committee will meet April 16 also at the division’s Morehead City office.

All meetings begin at 6 p.m.

Written comments will be accepted via an online form and by mail to Southern Flounder FMP Amendment 4 Comments, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557.

Comments will be accepted through April 30.

Campers, cyclists, hikers, birding enthusiasts and other outdoor recreationalists would be required to buy an annual pass to access game lands in the state under a proposal floated by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

The “conservation access pass” proposal targets those users because they are increasingly visiting game lands and utilizing state Wildlife Resources boating-access areas, commission officials say.

“The more people you put out there, the more activities they’re doing,” said Wildlife Resources Commission Land and Water Access Division Chief Daron Barnes. “You see a general degradation of those habitats’ infrastructure and it can impede management activities. So, there is a need for additional funding to address these types of impacts on land.”

Barnes explained to an online audience during a public meeting Tuesday night that hunters, anglers and trappers would not have to buy a pass because they are already “paying in” to access and use game lands, while outdoor recreationalists are increasingly using game lands free of charge.

“We see that number of people increasing year after year,” he said.

The prospective pass program was met with mixed feedback during the meeting, where participants raised concerns about a pass fee potentially affecting outdoor programs, particularly in low-income communities, and safety issues during hunting seasons.

If implemented, conservation access passes would apply at a minimum to commission-owned game lands, which include roughly a quarter, or more than 542,000 acres, of the 2.1 million acres of game lands the agency manages.

In an email responding to questions following the meeting, Carrie Ruhlman, policy manager with the commission’s Office of Conservation Policy & Analysis, said the passes “may also apply on game lands owned by partner agencies/entities.”

“Once a decision is made on whether to move forward with a Pass, the WRC will reach out to those partners to see if they would like the Pass to apply to their property,” she said.

Roughly half, or 1.26 million acres, of game lands Wildlife Resources manages are owned by the U.S. Forest Service. A mix of other state agencies, local governments, private businesses and residents owns a little more than 299,200 acres.

Wildlife Resources owns 70 game lands, 37 of which span a total of more than 320,000 acres across the state’s coastal region.

Under the proposal, conservation access passes would be required for use at all of the more than 250 boating access areas that are built and maintained by the state for vessels that do not currently have to be registered with the agency. Those include nonmotorized water vessels like kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards.

Passes would also be required to use five Wildlife Resources shooting ranges.

Franklin County resident William Teague said he doesn’t have a problem with nonhunters, anglers and trappers using the agency’s shooting ranges or with paddlers utilizing boat access areas.

But the state’s growing population and the demands of development that come with it are crowding out lands on which hunters and trappers can go, he said Tuesday.

Private land “is becoming harder and harder to be able to hunt,” Teague said. “And so it’s kind of forcing some of us to hunt exclusively on public land. There’s fewer and fewer opportunities to hunt and trap, for that matter. There’s plenty of other places across the state that if you’re not a hunter, trapper or angler that you can go and do recreational-type things.”

He was joined by others who spoke during the meeting in raising concerns about recreationalists using game lands during hunting seasons.

Jerry Price suggested certain areas within game lands be restricted for hunting and trapping use only during hunting seasons. Those areas could be rotated between that group of users and recreational uses, he said.

“To hunters, there’s very few places that have good quantities of game, mainly big game deer hunting,” Price said.

Haw River Keeper Emily Sutton said she understands the agency’s need to draw additional revenue to maintain game lands resources.

“But I think charging a fee for the general public to access these public lands, especially in a watershed like mine where there’s increasingly less big tracts of open space for people to explore, like the Jordan Lake Game Lands, is not the way to go about this,” she said. “It will discourage people from coming into those game lands and exploring these big tracts of forests that we don’t have a lot of access to in this part of the state anymore.”

Sutton said tacking fees to nonmotorized water vessels could be a huge hit for outfitters, schools and universities, and organizations like hers that offer free paddle events and clinics.

Anna Wheeler with the Dan River Basin Association agreed.

“We do free paddles for Saturday outings once a month,” she said. “This could really be a situation that gets a little bit expensive and discourages people from getting outdoors.”

The prospective pass fee would impact outdoor programs offered at colleges and universities through the state, according to Nathan Rector, director of Duke University’s Outdoor Adventures.

“My program certainly uses some of these boat ramps and we take multiple groups there and if we had to transfer that cost to our participants, a lot of our participants would just not be able to afford it, and we would really not exist,” he said. “We don’t make money off these things. We’re just offering a resource and so I’m hoping that either this would be reconsidered or some sort of educational nonprofit alternative would be offered to universities across the state.”

The agency is considering a $30 pass fee, but commission officials say they have not settled on a price to present to the voting members, who will consider whether to implement the conservation access pass program.

Anyone 16 and older would be required to obtain the pass, which would be good for one year from the date of purchase.

Wildlife Resources is accepting online feedback on the pass proposal through March 28.  All comments are to be complied and presented to the commission.

Additional information about the conservation access pass proposal is available at ncwildlife.org/conservation-access-pass.

If the plan is approved, passes would be effective no earlier than 2026.

There’s almost something deceptive about walking through the newest addition to Holly Shelter Game Land.

Trees rising from sandy ground largely blanketed by a thick cover of pine needles and wind-rippling wiregrass deafen any sense you’re just a short way from U.S. Highway 17.

Ben Jones summed up the experience during a recent hike through a small slice of the tract referred to as the Sleepy Creek property, a 1,616-acre parcel where baby longleaf pine trees sprout in savannas, carnivorous plants thrive and dense brush coats the surface of pocosin wetlands.

“It feels like we are miles from civilization,” he said.

That’s the idea behind rerouting a stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from the side of U.S. 17 in Pender County near Surf City and tucking it on land safely away from the four-lane blacktop.

Jones is the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail’s Coastal Crescent project manager and architect of the future section of trail, one that will link with nearly 20 miles of existing North Carolina trail snaking through the vast game land.

On a blustery cold day last week, Jones, Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Associate Director Betsy Brown and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officials offered a tour of the portion of game land where the new trail is anticipated.

This is a particularly unique project, one where the plan is to steer hikers away from the gravel roadways that cut through the game land and onto natural surface defined by upland sand ridges, longleaf habitat and pocosin wetlands.

“We want to keep it wild,” Jones said.

The exception will be a boardwalk structure planned through a little more than a mile of pocosin. The walkway will be constructed of some type of fireproof material, perhaps precast concrete that can withstand fire from prescribed burns state wildlife officials will administer to manage the land.

The modern method for maintain longleaf pine forests is through controlled burns, which reduce hardwood growth and manage grasses and forbs in the understory. Fires are essential to longleaf habitats for a number of reasons, one being that longleaf pine seeds germinate on bare ground.

This habitat is essential to a variety of plants and animals, including federally threatened red-cockaded woodpeckers.

The Nature Conservancy acquired the Sleepy Creek property about two years ago, permanently conserving land that would have most likely been developed. The Nature Conservancy transferred ownership to the state Wildlife Resources Commission.

Growth along the U.S. 17 corridor between Wilmington and Jacksonville has exploded in the last couple of decades as demand for property along the coast has skyrocketed.

The roughly 64,000-acre game land sits almost half way between the two cities – 25 minutes from Wilmington and 30 minutes from Jacksonville.

While Holly Shelter is a draw for hunters of game ranging from whitetail deer to rabbit to turkey, it’s also a formidable hiking spot.

The new, natural trail will extend a little more than 3.5 miles through the game land addition, which will also be made available for public hunting.

Negotiations are underway to purchase an additional 45-acre tract surrounded by the game land. If plans go accordingly, that property will be the site of a primitive camp ground.

Brown said kiosks and signage explaining trail and hunting etiquette to help educate those groups on how to coexist will be installed at the trail head.

Hikers are urged to plan ahead, make sure they have sufficient supplies, including water, and check for hunting seasons before heading into the game land. Wildlife officials ask hikers to wear something blaze orange, whether it be a hat, vest or other attire, if traversing Holly Shelter during a hunting season.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail stretches more than 1,100 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks.

The Coastal Crescent Trail gives its guests the opportunity to experience a portion of the Cape Fear Arch, an area tapped as having the greatest biological diversity on the East Coast north of Florida.

The Arch spans between Cape Lookout National Seashore, a barrier island system in Carteret County, and Cape Romain in South Carolina, and inland beyond Fayetteville to the Carolina Sandhills.

The Coastal Crescent Trail runs through Johnston, Sampson, Cumberland, Bladen, Pender and Onslow counties.

The segment (there are 18 total) of Mountains-to-Sea Trail included in Holly Shelter Game Land spans a little more than 90 miles. It includes 3.5 miles of trail, just over 9 miles of beach, about 5.5 miles of multi-use path, 19 miles of forest roads and a little more than 53 miles of paved road.

Jones said he did not have an exact timeframe on when the new rerouted trail will be open for hiking, though it is expected to be complete in fewer than five years.

Reprinted from Daily Advance

SOUTH MILLS — Unlike past First Day Hikes at Dismal Swamp State Park, Wednesday’s didn’t include a guided tour by a park ranger.

But that didn’t seem to matter to the couples, families and friend groups who showed up for the annual Jan. 1 event designed to showcase state parks and get more people outdoors to enjoy them.

John Wray and Jennifer Chavez, both of Virginia Beach, Virginia, said they were visiting a friend in the area when they remembered that the First Day Hike is an annual event at Dismal Swamp State Park.

Because they enjoy visiting state parks in Virginia, they decided to explore the park just below the state line.

“We’ve visited First Landing (State Park), Kiptopeke (State Park)” in Virginia, Chavez said. “We’re trying to get to as many as possible. We are trying to visit all 42 or 43 state parks in Virginia. This is our first time here at this park in North Carolina.”

James and Amy Kermitz of Tyner also enjoy visiting state parks. They said they were participating in their second straight First Day Hike.

“Last year we went to Merchants Mill Pond Park” in Gates County, Amy Kermitz said. “We haven’t been on this one in quite a while. We like to hike a couple of times a year when the weather is nice. We walk a lot.”

Terry Hutson said he showed up for the First Day Hike because he wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet and the amazing sights and sounds in the park. In addition to the exercise he gets from hiking, park visits also allow him to practice his photography skills, he said.

He participated in last year’s First Day Hike at Dismal Swamp Park and has kayaked the Dismal Swamp Canal during the summer.

“It’s good to get out in nature — nature does you a lot of good,” he said. “A nice casual walk, nothing too strenuous. To get out here, soak it all in — it’s calming. … It’s my goal to do more of that this year.”

Lauren Ross brought along to Wednesday’s First Day Hike her 3-year-old son, 10-month-old daughter, her sister and brother in-law.

“We’ve come every year since my son was born so now we are bringing the newest one to get her First Day Hike sticker like (my son) got his in his first year,” Ross said. “We’re going to save them in their memory boxes.”

Ross’ sister, Kaitlen Holman, of Chesapeake, Virginia, was busy scouring the scavenger hunt sheet that visitors were issued at the park’s visitor center on Wednesday. The list contained a list of clues that helped visitors complete a self-paced scavenger hunt in the park.

She said park visitors who passed up the scavenger hunt just to enjoy a morning of exercise missed a good event.

“They are missing the beauty of everything, getting out on the first day of the year and starting off on the right foot,” Holman said.

Tim Aydlett, president of Friends of Dismal Swamp State Park, greeted visitors as they arrived at the park’s visitor center. The all-volunteer group was serving free hot chocolate as well as passing out the scavenger hunt lists. Park officials estimated about 150 people took part in the First Day Hike at the park.

“All of our 41 state parks in North Carolina are having a First Day Hike today,” he said. “I’ve been involved in several of them in the past. The goal is to get people outdoors and enjoy our naturally wonderful state park.”

Aydlett shared a few tips for hikers who hoped to see examples of the park’s wildlife on their trek.

“I’ve seen some wildlife on other days much farther away in the park, farther away from here (the visitor center),” he said. “What I’ve heard lately is the prothonotary warbler, that little yellow bird that makes a lot of racket.”

It’s also important to speak in a low voice — or not at all — when you’re hiking.

“If you’re hoping to see wildlife, you must be quiet when you’re walking,” Aydlett said. “You can’t talk and laugh loud and expect to see wildlife.”

The Daily Advance is a newspaper based in Elizabeth City that serves Chowan, Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties. Coastal Review is partnering with The Daily Advance to provide readers with more stories of interest about our coast.

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Visitors during a recent chilly day carry fishing poles while strolling along the water’s edge at Cedar Street Park in downtown Beaufort, with the construction site of the 103-room Compass Hotel Beaufort by Margaritaville Resorts on Gallants Channel in the background. Photo: Dylan Ray

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A tiny Z-scale model train operated by Mike Basher of Basher and Sons Hobbies rounds the bend during an appearance earlier this month at the 30th annual John Costlow Train Show at the North Carolina Maritime Museum Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center in Beaufort. The three-day show included model train layouts of various scales, including working antiques.

This model transported a yellow rubber ducky on a flatcar.

Basher said the Z-scale, a ratio to actual size of 1:220, is his scale of choice due to its diminutive size and a lack of space at home.

“My permanent layout at home consists of a Z-scale layout inside a glass-top coffee table that sits inconspicuously in our living room, ready to be operated at a moment’s notice,” he told Coastal Review.

But Z is not the smallest model railroad scale — there’s at least one smaller: the T-gauge, a scale of 1:450, or about half the size of Z-scale models.

MOREHEAD CITY – The state Artificial Reef Program sank a 55-foot trawler at the artificial reef site, AR-305, off Cape Lookout, last week.

The program is part of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries.

The fishing vessel Alexandria Dawn, the latest addition to the artificial reef, was built in 1984, but has been out of use for around a decade, division officials announced Monday. Before sinking, the vessel was cleaned extensively in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency requirements, officials said.

The vessel was purchased and its sinking funded by state Coastal Recreational Fishing License revenues. The Alexandria Dawn is located at 34 degrees 16.653 minutes north, 76 degrees 38.651 minutes west.

The Alexandria Dawn joins three other vessels at AR-305: the 183-foot Spar, the 439-foot Aeolus and the 105-foot Thomas Dann. The site also contains 1,700 tons of donated recycled concrete, deployed in July 2023. The site is approximately 28 nautical miles south of Beaufort Inlet, in 105 feet of water, and is a popular site for fishermen and divers.

An artificial reef is a manmade underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom. In North Carolina, artificial reefs serve as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.

There are some old fishing maxims that people throw around a lot, and a lot of them are misunderstood.

One in particular that really confuses people is, “Just follow the birds.”

I’ve been riding in the boat with novice anglers as they point out every bird they see as if that will lead them to the Promised Land. While it is true that birds tell us a lot of what is going on out there, it’s important to understand what each type of bird is, how it fishes, and what it means to us as anglers.

Let’s go through the most popular ones that we’ll see on our coast on any given day.

Pelicans

We’ll start with perhaps our most unusual bird, the pelican. As noted by American poet and journalist Dixon Lanier Merritt, “Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican! His beak holds more than his belican.”

As we see them skimming the wavetops or gliding across a causeway, they are always looking into the water. They can see schools of fish a foot or two under the water and unerringly dive on top of them and scoop them up into their balloon-like bills. I have often seen them diving without a gamefish of any kind for miles in any direction. However, they can be helpful.

I was with a friend fishing a shoreline in the New River near Sneads Ferry and not having much luck. I noticed pelicans diving on mullet schools well out away from the shore. I could see mullet skipping every which way as the pelicans would fly over. We casually cruised over to the area and started making casts with our topwater plugs. We both hooked up on solid speckled trout almost right away and continued to do so the rest of the day.

Another time that pelicans can help us is during the fall migrations. When large concentrations of glass minnows are running the beach, you might see pelicans diving on them. Look for the cloud of bait in the water. If you’re really lucky, you may see them doing what I call “rafting,” where a dozen or more will be sitting on the surface just dipping their beaks into a bait ball of glass minnows or bay anchovies. Either of these situations is often accompanied by schools of feeding false albacore, bluefish or Spanish mackerel, and it’s worth throwing a small jig or minnow imitating fly.

So, the moral here is, if you’re not doing very well, and trying to figure out where your next cast should be, at least let the pelicans tell you where the bait fish are, and hopefully something bigger will be just behind.

Shorebirds

Next is wading birds: herons, egrets and other shorebirds. While not necessarily a bird you’ll be searching for, if you are fishing in a creek or marsh and wondering if there’s any life there, a heron wading the shoreline will at least alert you to the presence of small baitfish. This can be just the sign you need to make a few casts.

I have even pulled into a canal with docks and lifts and was just about to turn around when I saw a heron. I stopped and made “One More Cast.” Boom! A redfish ate my soft plastic jerkbait and I stayed there and caught fish until the tide ran out two hours later. It doesn’t happen a whole lot. But it’s worth paying attention.

Arctic terns are present here most of the summer. They are helpful to a point. They will definitely alert you to the presence of baitfish. But since they can dive under and pick them off with no help from below, they are not always good indicators of gamefish activity below.

Having said that there will be times in the summer when you will see terns diving and Spanish mackerel breaking the surface sporadically. Trolling is a good option in these situations because the fish will be spread out. I still prefer casting a small spoon or fly.

Other seabirds

Another bird that dives deep on small fish is the gannet. These will show up in our waters in late fall as larger schools of menhaden begin to arrive. They will dive from pretty high, cross their wingtips behind them, and enter the water like an Olympic diver. Often, they can go down to depths exceeding 70 feet.

Gannets are a good indicator of menhaden. Northeast striped bass fishermen love them because it will lead them to striped bass and big bluefish. Sometimes large red drum will be under our menhaden schools and possibly king mackerel. But it’s not a guarantee.

I’ve caught more sharks on jigs bumped under these schools than anything else.

Gulls are the No. 1 bird that anglers should concern themselves with.

In the summer we will see a lot of the laughing gulls, they have black heads and make that distinctive “laughing” call. Later on in the summer and into fall, we will see the little gray gulls called ring-beaked gulls.

If you are driving your boat across the water and look up to see a flock of gulls walking along the avenue, it’s worth checking out. They are voracious feeders and are always on the lookout for an easy meal. That means that they don’t often dive into the water like gannets or terns, but when a school of gamefish has baitfish on the move, they will notice and be right there when the minnows push out of the water to escape the jaws below. It is the gulls who will be there to pick up the ones the fish miss out on. It’s pretty frantic.

I always tell people to look for gulls “dancing” on the surface. This is when it’s really on. The action below is so frantic that the gulls don’t even want to pick up and fly up but want to stay as close to the surface as they can. This is a sure sign of false albacore, bluefish, or Spanish mackerel and will often lead to a day full of memories, which is what it’s all about really.

Live music, a vintage surfing contest, environmental education and an “Oysterpalooza” are highlights of Ocean Fest in Surf City scheduled for later this month.

Taking place at Soundside Park, the oyster event is to take place 4-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, and the music festival 3-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21.

Tickets range from $25 to $70 per person, depending on the event, and can be bought online.

The $25 ticket for Oysterpalooza includes live music, and a kids zone with Sturgeon City Environmental Education Center based in Jacksonville. The $50 ticket comes with a dozen local oysters. Food trucks, drinks and exhibitors will be on site.

The surfing contest has participants riding vintage mid-length surfboards from the 1960s and 1970s. Before each heat, contestants are to be randomly assigned a board from a curated collection of more than a dozen retro surfboards. Open heat registration is on the website.

The music festival is to feature eight performances, educational exhibits and vendors. The lineup as of late August includes Blue Footed Boobies, Of Good Nature, Will Overman, The Midatlantic, Oceanic, Tyler Mckaig, Justin Cody Fox, The Fontanelles, and Beht Manning.

Children under 10 are free with ticketed adults. Children attending Oysterpalooza without a ticket do not receive oyster tokens.

Three Surf City surfers founded Ocean Fest in 2019 to share their “love for the ocean, celebrate the pure joy of surfing, and, most importantly, give something meaningful back to Mother Ocean,” according to the website. “With that in mind, Ocean Fest strives to educate the community about ecological threats to our precious marine environments and teach how we can better protect those environments.”

BUXTON — A team of dedicated outrigger canoe paddlers from the Wrightsville Beach Outrigger Canoe Club is preparing to embark on the final 110-mile stretch of its journey along the entire North Carolina coast.

Over the past two years, these paddlers have been working to raise awareness about the crucial need for clean water.

Their initiative, called We the Water, not only aims to shed light on the importance of clean water but also serves as a fundraiser for the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s vital work in enhancing coastal water quality.

“This journey has been a true labor of love,” said Coastal Federation Coastal Management Program Director Kerri Allen, who is also a WBOCC paddler, regarding the significance of this effort. “Clean water is not just a need, it’s a right, and using outrigger paddling to tell the story of our coast and shed light on these issues has been extraordinary.”

The nonprofit Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

The team will begin Friday, setting off from Buxton to paddle toward the North Carolina-Virginia border, with an anticipated arrival by Saturday. During their journey, the paddlers plan to make several stops, and the public is encouraged to join in and show their support. For more information on their schedule, please visit, here. A traditional Hawaiian blessing of the canoe will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Swell Motel. The community is encouraged to attend.

Upon the completion of this 110-mile trek, the group will return to Historic Corolla Park, to mark the official conclusion of their three-year, 325-mile paddling initiative. To learn more about the We the Water paddling initiative, extend your support for their fundraising efforts, or participate in a silent auction, please visit the Coastal Federation’s website at nccoast.org/paddle.

The paddling initiative has also been supported by a gracious number of sponsors, including Airlie Pointe Yacht Charters, BeUnlimited Yoga, Slice of Life, Stellar Blu Construction, The Aladon Network, Family Dental Care of Wilmington, and The Beatty Pittman Team.

Of the nearly $18 million in grants being awarded through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, about $1.5 million will go to projects in Chowan, Hyde and Brunswick counties.

The Parks and Recreation Authority, during its meeting Aug. 23, approved the $17.9 million in grants from two different funding sources for 46 parks and recreation projects across the state, the governor’s office announced Thursday.

The selections were made from 40 applications from local governments requesting more than $15.1 million from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. Of those, 23 were chosen to receive a total of more than $9.5 million.

A separate source of funding administered through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund called the Accessible Parks Grant program was appropriated $12.5 million in the 2023 budget to provide matching grants for projects to benefit people living with disabilities. All 23 applicants were selected for the first round of funding, which totals more than $8.3 million.

Two projects on the coast were selected to receive from Parks and Recreation Trust Fund $500,000 each, the maximum that can be awarded for a single project. Awardees must match funds at least dollar-for-dollar for the grant amount.

In Sunset Beach, the funds will go to develop a new public open space, the Majestic Oaks Park, and in Hyde County, the grant is to go to build a sports field, the Brandon Marshall Ball Field Complex.

Two projects in Chowan County were chosen for the Accessible Parks grants. Bennett’s Mill Pond Park phase 1 was selected to receive $134,619, and Edenton was awarded $391,437 for accessibility updates to the town’s Morgan Park.

“These awards through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the Accessible Parks Grant will bring tremendous impact to communities across North Carolina by providing more parks, more trails and more accessible recreation,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in the announcement.

A second round of funding with more than $4 million available through the Accessible Parks Grant will open in September.

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

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A sea of sunshades hug the shoreline recently in Atlantic Beach on Bogue Banks. Photo: Dylan Ray

State recreation officials are asking residents for input on the 2025-30 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.

The plan, “Shaping Outdoor Recreation from Mountains to Sea,” must be updated every five years for the state to be eligible for money from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The online public opinion survey is open through Sept. 30.

There is a separate survey for county, municipality, state, and federal recreation providers. Contact grants@ncparks.gov for that link.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Division of Parks and Recreation manage the state’s allocation from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. In 2020, the federal Great American Outdoors Act permanently made offshore oil and natural gas royalties a dedicated source for the fund.

How much do you really like fishing? What’s the longest you think could go without?

Do you think that if you quit fishing, you would just live your life like nothing happened? Is it really that important to you, or do you just do it for fun? If somebody told you that you could not go fishing anymore, what would you do?

Now for most of you this is conjecture, it is not a situation you have been faced with, and you possibly never will. But on Aug. 10, 2023, I suffered a stroke.

At this point, I can hardly move my right hand at all, and I have limited mobility of my right arm. My core muscles don’t work very well, so my balance is poor, and I have limited use of my right leg and foot.

The most frustrating thing is that I’m sitting here as one of my best friends has had the best fishing of his life catching exceptionally large speckled trout, and I have not been able to join him. I’ve written before about what it is I love about fishing, and I think now at this point, it might be time for me to revisit that due to my current situation.

I used to say that my favorite thing about fishing was the anticipation of going. Now I’d say my favorite thing might just be getting the opportunity to go. We give each other opportunities throughout our lives.

As a coach of high school sports, I have always told my athletes to make the most of every situation, to do the thing that you like to do, and get the most out of it. That is valid for young athletes because, by doing so, it gives them the best chance of success.

At this point in my life, I’ve found that just wanting to go fishing and getting the most out of it would be the thing I would like the most. It’s the thing that I miss the most in my life right now. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to be on a boat right now. It would be kind of dangerous and I would not want to put anyone in a difficult spot. There is some equipment out there that’s supposed to help with holding a rod, I’ve been talking about getting some, but right now it just is not working out.

I miss the time being with my friends on the boat, or in the stream, or just talking about fishing. That’s tough to get used to being without. Maybe you know, I’ve been doing this for a long time, and because of that, most of my friendships revolve around fishing, the act of fishing, or talking about fishing. And right now, we don’t have a lot to talk about. So unfortunately, I’ve kind of lost track of some my friends. I don’t blame them. They have things to do, as do we all, and I’m trying to stay in touch with them as they also are trying to stay in touch with me, but it’s difficult because it’s not the same.

As I’ve been writing this very column I’ve had to adjust my writing style from what used to be, sit down and hammer away and type a whole article in a very short period of time, to struggling with using a voice-to-text keyboard and editing with only one hand. You’ll have to be the judge of whether this is any good, this will be the first column I have submitted that I had not already written previously.

I would give anything to be able to be on the boat right now with the wind blowing through my hair (what there is of it), feel the sun on my face, going out with a friend and trying to pursue our favorite gamefish. But right now, all I can do is keep working on my physical therapy and trying to get better every day.

As I reflect on this past year, I have to thank all the people in my life who have helped me: therapists, doctors, friends, family members and the athletes and coaches I work with. They have stood by my side and have not allowed me to feel sorry for myself and get mad at the world. Yes, it’s difficult, but I’m trying every day.

I also want to thank the editorial staff of Coastal Review for allowing me to continue submitting my columns during all this. I really appreciate it.

I have received offers to go on boats everywhere between Cape Cod and Florida. Hopefully I can make the most of some of those offers before too long. As Thoreau told us, “Be true to your work, your word, and your friends.” Maybe soon I’ll figure out how to actually catch a fish with one hand and see what that looks like.

It appears that what I used to say that I enjoyed about fishing — the anticipation of going fishing — is still the same, because I’m still anticipating the opportunity to go again. Hopefully, that wait won’t be too long.

You’ll be seeing me out there again before too long. I’m not sure exactly when, but I’m doing my best.

Editor’s Note: After Sam Bland retired from his position as superintendent at Hammocks Beach State Park, he joined the staff of the North Carolina Coastal Federation. During his time as a coastal specialist in the 2010s, he would periodically write about his time in the field for Coastal Review. Now traveling the country, Bland drops a line every once in a while to share a new adventure with his readers, such as the following:

In northwestern Wyoming, just south of the town of Jackson, a 20-mile stretch of road makes its way through the mountains down to the town of Alpine.

It’s a gorgeous drive any time of year with towering mountain hills covered in pine, fir, cottonwood and aspen trees. Identified as the Snake River Canyon, Grand Canyon of the Snake or Alpine Canyon, the river slithers right beside the road.

The upper part of the river runs slow enough in the canyon that beavers dam off braids of the river, forming placid ponds and wetlands beneficial to all wildlife. Gradually, the grade of the river begins to drop and the velocity of the water picks up the pace.

During our travels out west into Wyoming, Idaho and Utah, my wife, Bright, and I have driven this road many times.

We look for the beavers and otters swimming in the ponds, the moose in the willows, elk in the meadows and mountain goats high on the steep cliffs. Much of the landscape on both sides of the road are public lands, part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Every few miles, there are access areas for hiking, camping, fishing and picnicking. One access area sign caught our eye, but we would always drive past. The sign simply stated, “Lunch Counter” with the word “Kahuna” underneath it.

The use of the word “kahuna” on a national forest sign in Wyoming was quite intriguing. A Hawaiian word, kahuna is used to signify a professional expert, such as a doctor.

During my years of surfing the North Carolina coast, I would occasionally hear the word being called out as a big swell began to roll in. In late spring, fascinated by the sign, we drove down to the Lunch Counter to see what was cooking.

Arriving in the parking lot, we saw a man in a full wetsuit with a surfboard tucked under his arm disappear down a wooded trail towards the river. Wait, what? This looked so out of place in cowboy country. We dashed down the trail, and from an overlook we could see the Class III rapids of the Snake River.

The serene beaver pond waters of the upper river were now a raging whitewater serpent. In the mist of the aquatic chaos was a lone surfer riding the face of a large, standing wave. We now understood, the Lunch Counter and Kahuna referred to the rapids.

The Snake River Canyon was formed millions of years ago with tectonic plates butting heads, creating thrust-fold belts along with glacial gouging and erosion by the river itself.

At some point, geologic forces created a flat shelf with a large boulder lodged against it in the riverbed. Perhaps a massive flood rolled the boulder into just the right place. Prior to reaching the Kahuna and Lunch Counter rapids, the width of the river narrows with small granite walls on each side. It is here that the water shoots through like a firehose against the rocks creating the standing wave.

The wave is seasonal though, peaking in late spring and early summer due to melting snowpack. North of the Snake River Canyon, the flow is controlled by the Jackson Lake dam in Grand Teton National Park.

In early spring, the gates of the dam are cracked open to keep downstream reservoirs topped off for agricultural irrigation. Snowmelt from streams and creeks below the dam spills into the Snake River, causing the river to gush a high flow rate of 14,000 cubic feet per second.

Water flowing over the Lunch Counter at 7,000 to 13,000 cubic feet per second creates a wave tempting enough to lure a surfer into the maelstrom. Dam control, snowpack and daily temperatures dictate when and for how long this river surfbreak will last.

The flow can be variable. Thus, the wave may last for a month, a few days or not at all.

The Lunch Counter was first named in the 1960s by David Hansen, a local whitewater rafting guide. Out on his raft, with the undulating walls of waves looming ahead, he has been quoted as saying “if we are going to eat our lunch, it’s going to be right here.” The unique quote has become the identity of the Lunch Counter ever since.

It wasn’t until 1978 when a trio of brave whitewater rafting guides eyed the wave with envy, scrounged up a surfboard without an ocean in sight, and gave it a try. Surfing on the Snake was born. Like a siren, the wave continues to taunt, tempt and seduce surfers today.

Bright and I made our way down the worn gravel trail to a water-smoothed granite shelf along the river. Almost a dozen wetsuit-clad surfers were scattered about. Adorned with booties, gloves and a 5/4mm taped wetsuit, they were protected from the frigid 40- to 50-degree snowmelt.

One surfer was on the wave while another was drifting downstream after being bucked off the watery horse. Six surfers were sitting in a lineup on a rocky bench waiting for their turn on the curl as if kids patiently waiting for the music of an ice cream truck.

Watching the surfers, the first thing that hit me was that the power of the water is coming at you, not from behind like an ocean wave. What an adjustment for the mind and body for an ocean surfer.

Just to get to the wave was an endeavor in itself. First, you must jump off a rocky cliff with the surfboard underneath you, landing into a lower trough of water created by the uneven stream bottom. This trough, what the surfers called “the seam,” would then drift them into position below the standing wave.

Here, the current would pull them up and into the wave. Paddle, paddle, paddle in the whiteout of foamy madness before you are chewed up and spit out. Most of the surfers would quickly find the sweet spot at the base of the wave where they would lay on the board, adjusting their balance to keep the board forward on the wave. Then they would pop up, and if the surf gods are willing, ride a river wave.

Some surfers would just chill in the pocket of the wave, occasionally drifting up the face and back down. Off to the right of the wave, the pulsing waters would create a bit of a swell that allowed some surfers to drift to the right with a quick rip to the left, fanning the water up like a rooster tail.

Unlike ocean waves, some of these rides lasted for minutes. The more experienced riders would, at times, voluntarily bail on the wave, granting others a chance to catch the Snake. But more often than not, surfers were victims of a cold face-plant due to wandering concentration. Wipe out here and you are treated to another ride, rag-dolling down the rapids and tossed like a salad.

Here, the surfers are on high alert, keeping an eye out for hazards such as a tree branch hurling toward them like a water javelin. They also have to share the break with the hundreds of kayakers and rafting boats charging into the wave seeking their own thrill.

Whitewater kayakers in their short, stubby boats would back into the wave as well. Paddling to stay in the curl, they would dance on the wave, spinning circles much to the delight of the cheering surfers. A train of rafts might come along, aiming straight for wave.

Like a powerful bronco, the wave would try to throw them out of the boat under a shower of cold river rain.

We watched about a dozen surfers of various skill levels ride the standing wave. A few were still learning this break, but, for the most part, all the riders were solid.

One in particular, Amanda Studdard, originally of Portland, Oregon, was one with the wave.

Studdard’s movements on the wave were smooth and sure, taming the current surging under her board. She was calm and at peace on the wave while the chaos off the river surrounded her — a true soul surfer. At times, she would break away from the Zen of it all. Drifting higher and to her right on the wave, she would then make a slashing left turn gouging the wave with her stick. A wall of spray in her wake added to the watery mayhem.

A lover of river surfing, Studdard was on her lunchbreak, sneaking in a few rides. An appropriate thing to do while at the Lunch Counter. She has been hooked on river surfing ever since she dropped in on a wave at a human-made break in a waterpark in Bend, Oregon. Her occupation allows her flexibility to work remotely and drift down to the Lunch Counter each year — an idyllic life shared with her two dogs Loki and Laska along with her playful kitten, Violet. Her feel and connection with the wave were obvious, what she describes simply as “magical.”

Studdard was joined by her friend, Natalie Catania. After tasting the wave four years ago, she has returned each spring to get her fill. Catania, without hesitation, leaps off the bank, drifts the seam perfectly into the face of the wave and springs onto the deck of the board, making it look so easy. After learning to surf on river waves, she prefers them to ocean swells. Even her board is designed for river surfing.

She explained that with the evolution of river surfing, board shapers are now designing specifically for the river waves. An ocean board will do, but a board carved to meet the distinctive aspects of the river will provide better performance. Freshwater is less buoyant than saltwater, thus, a river board needs to be thicker to provide better lift. They are also wider and shorter, 4.5 to 6 feet in length. Different river waves might also require a uniquely shaped board, resulting in a surfer having a number of boards in their quiver.

Having ridden a number of other river waves, the Lunch Counter always coaxes Catania back to Wyoming. “It’s a raw experience,” she said. “Even though it is intense, you find a state of bliss.”

When I think of some of the famous surf breaks, places like Mavericks, Pe’ahi (Jaws), Banzai Pipeline, Teahupo’o, and Nazare come to mind. Now, I will need to add the Lunch Counter to the list.

River surfing is gaining popularity throughout the world with breaks in Germany, Austria, Norway, New Zealand and Canada. The Lunch Counter is thought to be one of, if not the, best natural river surf break in the United States.

Surfer Today has listed it as one of the best river surfing waves in the world. American Surf Magazine has it on the top of their list of best river surfing destinations in the U.S.

You would think with such a heady reputation that the surfers would be territorial. Quite the contrary. The vibe is peaceful, welcoming, encouraging and supportive. Compared to ocean lineups where I have seen punches thrown, this was a breath of fresh mountain air. Even the few youngsters who were cutting their teeth on this river wave were given the same respect and opportunity as the adults. And these grommets could shred.

While the melting of the snowpack diminishes and the gates of the reservoir dams are cranked down, the wave will subside as if a low tide. By mid-July, the wave will retreat into the riverbed, hibernating, waiting to roar again next spring.

As the wave-creating snow blankets the mountains this coming winter, the surfers will grow hungry — hungry with an appetite that can only be satisfied by a seasonal special found only at the Lunch Counter.

State and New Hanover County officials are putting out the word: Be smart during the upcoming July Fourth holiday at the Masonboro Island Reserve.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management announced Thursday that it had been working with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office in preparation for the holiday. The agencies are urging the public to act responsibly when visiting the research reserve and dedicated state nature preserve in New Hanover County.

The state coastal agency and the sheriff’s office are working to provide public safety resources and increase public awareness of responsible visitor behavior on the island, the division said. 

“Our partnership with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office continues to keep visitors to Masonboro Island Reserve safe,” said Division of Coastal Management Director Tancred Miller. “Celebrate responsibly while enjoying Masonboro Island or any of North Carolina’s other Coastal Reserve or National Estuarine Research Reserve sites during the July Fourth holiday.”

The agencies said visitors should not attempt the dangerous swim across Masonboro Inlet and should make responsible decisions that limit the impact on natural resources.

Officials noted that there are limited resources and no available facilities on the research reserve, so before visiting Masonboro Island Reserve or other reserve sites, review visitor guidelines on the reserve’s website. 

Preparedness is key for safety – visitors should carry proper supplies, use reliable transport, pack out all their trash and keep the safety of other visitors in mind, officials said.

State wildlife authorities are ramping up safety awareness as they prepare to turn out in force during one of the busiest boating holidays of the year.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is participating in Operation Dry Water, a national campaign observed July 4-6 that boosts enforcement and awareness of the dangers of boating while impaired.

“The presence of law enforcement officers in North Carolina is a key factor in preventing incidents from occurring or escalating,” Lt. Forrest Orr, of the NCWRC’s Law Enforcement Division stated in a release. “The Operation Dry Water campaign is an effective resource in providing safer boating opportunities, keeping boating safety at the forefront of holiday activities.”  

The campaign was developed through the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators.

Wildlife Resources deployed nearly 160 wildlife officers during last year’s campaign, during which time they removed 40 people from the water who were boating while impaired, according to a news release.

It is illegal to operate a boat with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher, or while impaired by drugs.

There have been 37 boating incidents, including seven that were fatal, on North Carolina waters this year.

A total of 19 people died last year in boating incidents. Seventeen of those killed were not wearing a life jacket.

Operation Dry Water and The Governor’s Highway Safety Program’s Operation Firecracker Booze It & Lose It campaign are also supported by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement and the North Carolina Forensic Tests for Alcohol Branch.

Oak Island officials announced Wednesday that its newly installed beach warning notification system will enhance safety for beachgoers and add visibility to its warning flag system already in place.

The town’s public works department installed four signs with beach warning lights that feature a fully automated wireless control system that receives National Weather Service updates and then displays the current beach warning condition via signal light.

The signage was developed by SwimSmart Warning Systems of Marquette, Michigan. The firm has designed and installed similar systems in numerous states on the East Coast, West Coast, and in the Great Lakes region.

Officials said the signs are completely self-contained, using solar options for power and onboard data receivers for information.

David Kelly, the outgoing town manager, began discussions with SwimSmart in mid-2023, according to the announcement. The company designed a system for Oak Island that incorporates a purple light to indicate the risk of “stinging marine life” such as jellyfish or Portuguese men-of-war.

The four signs were installed near the following beach access locations:

• Barbee Boulevard near the Oak Island Pier.
• Oak Island Cabana (Middleton Park Complex).
• Third Place East near South Middleton Avenue.
• The Point at the end of West Beach Drive.

The signs were to be activated by the end of the day Wednesday.

The signs’ effectiveness and durability are to be evaluated during the 2024 summer season. Then officials will determine whether to expand or adapt the program.

While the lighted signs provide beachgoers with conditions at a quick glance, officials still recommend checking the Beach Safety page of the town website for full forecast and safety information. The page also contains important information on rip current safety, what to do in an emergency, and directions on how to use rescue tubes.

To view the Beach Safety page, scan the QR code found on any of the Water Safety Stations or visit OakIslandNC.gov/SAFETY.

The Museum of the Albemarle will soon have a new exhibit on what The Beach Boys call, “the greatest sport around.”

The new installation, “Where the Waves Break: Surfing in Northeastern North Carolina” will open at the museum in Elizabeth City July 13, with complementary programming planned for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.

Surfing, with its roots in Hawaii and Tahiti, has been around for centuries. On the state’s southern coastline, early forms of surfing activity were first documented in 1909, and, in 1920, the sport was introduced to the northern coast, according to the museum.

“What began as a sacred activity for Indigenous islanders has become a mix of cultures all its own. For more than a hundred years, many surfers have ridden these waves. For some, surfing is a profession; for others, it is a hobby, a therapeutic activity, a community to join, or a mechanism to raise awareness for causes,” the release states.

The exhibit features surfboards, trophies, competition jerseys, a wetsuit, lifejacket, surf jacket, and surf wax, as well as images and surfboards on loan from area surf shops.

“The Museum of the Albemarle thanks the surfers, surf shops, photographers, board making companies, and other organizations and individuals who contributed research, artifacts, quotes, and images for the exhibition,” organizers said.

Visitors can meet author, filmmaker and Elizabeth City native Laurel Senick from 12:30 until 3 p.m. July 13. Senick will be available to sign her book “Foam.” Attendees can view the 30-minute film she directed called “Any Given Morning.”

Port Discover, which touts itself as “Northeastern North Carolina’s Center for Hands-On Science,” in Elizabeth City, plans a program on shells and their different characteristics. That’s set for 11 a.m. July 13.

The following week, the museum will host Summer Fun Day: A Day at the Beach, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 16. During Summer Fun Day, visitors can hear from staff of Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Currituck County, “Save Our Sand Dunes” author Hannah West, YMCA staff are to talk about water safety, and Lighthouse Keeper Madison Phillips of the 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse is to provide educational programming. 

The museum is collaborating with Elizabeth City Downtown Inc., RCE Theaters and GSN Global Surf Network Tuesday, July 30, to offer live music and a film.

Luck 757 of Portsmouth, Virginia, will begin at 6 p.m. The Portsmouth, Virginia, band performs songs by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Bobby Darin, Sam Cooke, Dion, The Drifters, Smokey Robinson, The Surfaris and others.

Following the band at 8:30 p.m. will be a showing of “The Endless Summer,” the classic surf documentary directed by Bruce Brown. Now marking its 60th anniversary, highlights the adventures of two young American surfers, Robert August and Mike Hynson. They follow this everlasting summer to Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, and California.

In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held on the portico of the Museum of the Albemarle.

North Carolina Maritime Museum system staff have planned a range of programs at its three facilities next month.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, N.C., Maritime Museum at Beaufort and N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport make up the system that is part of the Division of State History Museums in the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

Reopened May 20 after extensive renovations, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras is named in honor of the thousands of shipwrecks that sank off North Carolina’s coast.

Dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the state’s coastal culture and maritime history, highlights include a Monomoy surf boat, a first-order Fresnel lens from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and interactive displays showcasing shipwrecks off the coast. The exhibits cover periods from pre-colonial times to the present, offering a comprehensive journey through the region’s history.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, visit graveyardoftheatlantic.com.

Staff have the following talks planned for June as part of the Salty Dawgs Lecture Series:

• North Carolina Whales: Diversity, Distribution and Conservation 11 a.m. June 4. Keith Rittmaster, Beaufort museum natural science curator and Bonehenge Whale Center director, is to share an overview of species he encounters through his work and some of the conservation issues they face.
• Early NC Ferry Crossings 11 a.m. June 11. Benjamin Wunderly, Beaufort museum education curator, will discuss some colonial-era river crossings and the ferry systems that carried vehicles and passengers to the outer barrier islands of the state’s coast.
• In the Eye of the Storm: Hurricanes, Archaeological Sites, and Environmental Change in Coastal NC 11 a.m. June 18. Join Allyson Ropp, a maritime archaeologist and historic preservation archaeological specialist with the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology, for a presentation that looks at how hurricanes impact the work of finding and preserving history.
• U.S. Life-Saving Service 11 a.m. June 25. James Charlet has planned an informal lecture on the U.S. Life Saving Service.

Beaufort museum

The Beaufort site reflects coastal life and interprets lighthouses and lifesaving stations, the seafood industry, motorboats, and is a repository for artifacts from Blackbeard’s wrecked flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, including cannons, grenades, belt buckles and beads. The Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center teaches boatbuilding for all ages.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Many of the following events require registration, which can be done by calling 252-504-7758 or at ncmaritimemuseumbeaufort.com:

• Behind the scenes at the Whale Center 10 a.m. June 7. Free, 40-minute program on the marine mammals, including bottlenose dolphins, that live off the coast. Registration required by noon the day prior.
• Introduction to Wooden Boat Building 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. June 8-9. Two-day, hands-on course. Fee is $200, or $180 for Friends of the Museum members. Advance registration is required.
• Kids’ Cove 11 a.m.-1 p.m. June 9 and again 11 a.m.-1 p.m. June 12. Free-play program for ages 0-5 and their caregivers. Different maritime themed craft and wiggle activity each month. Registration preferred.
• Exploring Coastal Habitats on the Rachel Carson Reserve 9 a.m.-noon June 18. Guided hike through different habitats and sandy, muddy, and wet terrain found on Town Marsh and Bird Shoal. Cost is $25. Registration required by noon the day prior.
• Fish and Fishing 9 a.m.-noon June 20-21. Third and fourth graders can learn about coastal fish and fishing methods. Fee is $90. Registration required. Contact Wunderly at 252-504-7741 or ben.wunderly@dncr.nc.gov for information on the limited scholarships available.
• Kayak the Salt Marsh 9 a.m.-noon June 25. Basic kayak instruction and safety lessons on shore followed by a 1.5-mile paddle through the salt marsh in a sit-in cockpit touring kayaks. Cost is $35 or $30 with own kayak. Registration required by noon the day prior.
• Sailors Life 9 a.m.-noon June 25-26. Young mariners entering first and second grade can learn how sailors lived aboard a ship. Fee is $90. Registration required. Contact Wunderly at 252-504-7741 or ben.wunderly@dncr.nc.gov for information on the limited scholarships available.
• A General History of Mermaids 11 a.m. June 27. Associate Education Curator Christine Brin will share some of the iconic tales of mermaids, as part of its Maritime Heritage Series. No charge or registration needed.
• Seashore Life I 9 a.m.-noon June 27-28. Students going into first and second grade can investigate the coastal marine life of the tidal flats, salt marshes, and sounds on local islands during this two-day class. The field-based classes include ferry ride, barrier island hiking, and animal identification. Fee is $90. Registration required. Contact Wunderly at 252-504-7741 or ben.wunderly@dncr.nc.gov for information on the limited scholarships available.

Southport museum

The North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport features exhibits that tell the story of the region’s people and their relationship with the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape Fear River, which converge nearby.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The museum is open to the public at no charge.

The following programs are being offered at no charge, but donations are accepted:

• Skipper’s Crew: Light It Up with Lighthouses 10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 1. Program features hands-on activities that combine arts and history. Lights will be dimmed and interactives muted during the first two hours to provide a calmer environment for those with sensory sensitivities.
• Anchors Aweigh: Go the Distance: Map Reading and Orienteering 11 a.m.-3 p.m. June 12. Hands-on activities that focus on a specific part of Lower Cape Fear and North Carolina history. 
• Anchors Aweigh: Declaring Independence 11 a.m.-3 p.m. June 26. Hands-on activities that focus on a specific part of Lower Cape Fear and North Carolina history. 

A beginner kayaking safety program is on course to launch National Safe Boating Week.

“Kayaking 101” is being offered May 18 at 11 North Carolina State Parks and three other natural areas, with four in coastal waters. An effort through the National Safe Boating Council, National Safe Boating Week kicks off the Safe Boating Campaign the weekend before Memorial Day weekend and continues throughout the year.

The North Carolina State Parks division, the North Carolina chapter of the American Canoe Association, or ACA, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary are offering the classes.

On the coast, participants can take the course at Carolina Beach State Park in New Hanover County, Hammocks Beach State Park in Onslow County, Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Dare County, and Salmon Creek State Natural Area in Bertie County.

Register at ncparks.gov/kayak101-2024 or to see where the courses are being offered in other parts of the state.

This is the second year the safety courses are being offered.

“We were eager to bring the event to North Carolina once again this year, with even more parks and locations, to maximize the impact of prioritizing water safety,” Division Director Brian Strong said in a statement. “We are committed to providing safe recreation for our visitors, and that starts with educating the public about the importance of wearing personal flotation devices and ensuring necessary preparations are undertaken by paddlers and boaters.”

Cost to join the class with American Canoe Association instructors is $15 per person for the day and includes a free kayak rental for anyone who needs it. This training typically cost $75-$150 at retail.

All instructors are volunteers who are nationally certified to provide paddling and rescue training and who are donating their time especially for National Safe Boating Week.

“Our instructor volunteers are so excited to share their love of the sport with newcomers and experienced paddlers alike,” said ACA Southeastern Chair Andrea White. “Just one day of training can make the difference between setting yourself up for a bad experience that ruins the sport for you versus setting yourself up for a whole lifetime of paddling fun.”

Each event will be limited to 15 participants. Participants can either bring their own kayak or indicate at registration that they would like to borrow a kayak, paddle, and life jacket at no additional cost.

“North Carolina has so many beautiful places for kayakers to explore, from rivers and lakes to estuaries and along the Atlantic Coast,” Strong said. “With that range also comes a variety of unexpected situations that paddlers may encounter during their adventure. It is important to take the proper precautions and be able to practice these safety techniques so paddlers can feel confident in knowing what to do.”

The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation’s Interpretation and Education Council recognized in August 2023 Ranger Jake Vitak at Hammocks Beach State Park “for his leadership, innovation, and exemplary efforts in providing and promoting a quality interpretation and education program to the public” with the “Kayaking 101” program in May 2023. The event involved 11 locations, more than 50 volunteers, dozens of organizations and 130 participants.

Because of the program’s success in 2023, a total of seven states are participating this year with multiple simultaneous programs for May 18 in North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas and Missouri, state park officials said.

NAGS HEAD — What was lacking in Oregon Inlet Fishing Center’s unadorned functionality was made up for in its singular location at the edge of Outer Banks’ premier fishing grounds.

For decades, fishers, campers and folks just watching the fleet come back through the ocean bar after a day offshore stopped at the marina on the northwest side of the inlet, which provides passage between the Pamlico Sound to the Atlantic under the high span of the Basnight Bridge.

Now, the 70-year-old fishing center’s retail tackle shop and charter reservation business will relocate to a new, two-story, climate-resilient building that is elevated 11 feet above ground and topped by a metal roof that can withstand 150 mph winds. Inside, a restaurant run by award-winning chefs and a full retail area on the first floor, and offices and an event room with a deck on the second floor.

“At the end of the day here, we have the best charter fleet up and down the East Coast, if not the country,” Russ King, managing operator of Oregon Inlet Fishing Marina LLC, said before a ceremonial ribbon-cutting Monday morning. “And we now are going to have facilities that match. So, with that, we’re really hoping to make a true destination for the family, for the customer experience, for people coming to the national seashore.”

For the majority of the time the 1950s fishing center has been at Oregon Inlet, it was operated by a group of stockholders that was originally 22 of the who’s who of famed Outer Banks’ fishing boat captains, including Omie Tillett, Billy Brown, Warren O’Neal, Buddy Canady, Lee Perry, Arvin Midgett, Rudolph Peele and Tony Tillett.

In earlier days, the captains had moored in a ditch near the current Pirate’s Cove Marina before establishing a small outpost at the Oregon Inlet location. After Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which encompasses the Oregon Inlet area, was established in 1953, the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, LLC, partners operated the marina under a concession agreement with the National Park Service.

But the partnership, stressed by changes over the decades, eventually failed to reach terms to renew the agreement with the park service. In December 2018, the agency announced that it had executed a lease with Oregon Inlet Marinas, LLC to operate and maintain the fishing center.

In an open letter after the announcement, Capt. Kenneth Brown, president of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center Inc., recalled the joy the center provided to the many visitors who came to see the catch of the day or admire the custom vessels at the docks.

“Regardless of the reason, Oregon Inlet Fishing Center has offered family and friends the opportunity to spend time together and make lasting memories,” the letter said. “We have seen our customers return year after year and measure success in their patronage. For that we say thank you.” 

At the time of the transfer, according to a park service press release, Oregon Inlet Fishing Center was comprised of a 60-slip marina, seven buildings totaling 7,369 square feet, around 7.4 acres of land, a parking lot with about 220 spaces, six vessel fuel pumps, one vehicle fuel pump, and associated fuel system and storage. A public boat ramp and the parking lot were managed by the park service. 

The center’s annual gross receipts were $3.38 million in 2014, $3 million in 2015, and $2.93 million in 2016, according to the park service.

“The Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and the talented captains docking at the marina have put Oregon Inlet on the map as one of the best offshore fishing destinations in the world,” David Hallac, superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, said in the statement.

The park service’s request for proposals required the lessee, managed by Russell King, to create “a safe, sustainable, environmentally sound and resilient marina bulkhead” for operations.

According to terms of the 20-year lease, the company will pay 5% of gross receipts and an annual fixed fee of $40,000 to the park service.

In turn, Oregon Inlet Marinas would be authorized to continue the fishing center operations, including renting slips to charter fishing vessels, headboats, tour boats and dive boats, as well as large commercial and government vessels. Sales of food and alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, and special events associated with the use of the marina are also permitted.

Replacement of the bulkheads along the 1,700-linear-foot marina began in 2019, King said in a media tour before the ribbon-cutting. The marina, which is expected to open in early May, will offer in-slip fueling with nonethanol gas or diesel at the 60 slips, and a reinforced 17-foot bulkhead.

A 60-foot-long test section of the boardwalk is made of Titan decking, a resilient composite material that allows drainage. A 90-foot-long transient dock, which along with a dock walkway, is built with marine treated wood and reinforced with multiple pilings to protect the marina from vessel strikes.

““This dock is not going anywhere,” King said. “What we wanted to do was create a more safe experience for the charter boats.”

In addition, the park service will replace the asphalt in the parking lot and add improved stormwater drainage.

Construction of the nearly 10,000-square-foot building started in June 2022 where the original center had once stood, before it was severely damaged by the infamous Ash Wednesday Storm in 1962.

The old building was renovated by the new operators so customers could still be served in the interim. That building, which was expanded at its current site across from the U.S. Coast Guard Station, will be demolished and an open-air pavilion, owned by the King family, will be installed.

The new fishing center, designed by Beacon Architects of Kill Devil Hills, is notably more expansive than the modest former fishing center. On the 5,600 square-foot first floor, there’s a retail store, operated by Oceans East Bait and Tackle, a dedicated charter reservation area and a restaurant that offers counter service and provides takeout food and “tackle box” meals.

The restaurant, Sea Chef Dockside Kitchen is already open, serving its all-day menu from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days a week, said Mac Buben, half of the father-son chef team running the eatery.

Jeff Buben, a 45-year veteran of the restaurant business, is an award-winning chef who worked in New York City and Washington, D.C., restaurants before moving last year to the Outer Banks. 

His son, Mac Buben, who most recently worked at Blue Point restaurant in Duck, said the building will be open early for pre-dawn fishing trip departures, when “tackle box” breakfasts and sandwiches will be available.

Hours of operation, he said, will be adjusted and expanded as time goes on.

“It’s a soft landing, if you will,” Buben said.

On the 4,000-square-foot second floor, along with administrative offices, there is a conference/event room with a capacity of 50, that opens to a large open-air deck.

“And what I consider the best view on the Outer Banks,” King added, as he stepped outside and pointed to each part of the panoramic view. “You see the ocean here, you see the sound here, you see the lighthouse right here.”

And soon, visitors will be seeing many a glorious sunrise and sunset from those decks.

Whether you’re a beginning gardener or one who’s been growing beautiful flowers and vegetables for years, one thing is clear: The fastest and easiest way to start a garden is by keeping it small.

“Even on a limited budget it is possible to get a garden going quickly,” Barbara W. Ellis writes in her new book “Container & Small-Space Gardening for the South: How to Grow Flowers & Food No Matter Where You Live.”

The author of two dozen gardening books, Ellis is an expert grower based on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Her latest title is an easy read that covers all of the big questions about container and small-plot gardens in the notoriously hot and humid South: which plants to choose, what pots work best, how much to water, how often to feed, and the right spots for small gardens, container or otherwise.

Ellis also shares gardening advice from her years of real-life experience, including how to be an environmentally friendly gardener. She even digs into seed starting, pest management, garden design and end-of-season tasks.

Best of all, Ellis’ practical instructions, alongside gorgeous photos, move smoothly from chapter to chapter, building confidence and excitement to get out there and grow.

Here are some of Ellis’ top container- and small-space gardening tips.

The easiest way to garden

A container garden is the easiest way to garden, “provided you start with big pots,” Ellis says. Large pots hold water, thereby requiring less watering. “I think beginners start off with small pots, 10 or 12 inches, and they can’t keep up with the watering. One of my first containers, years ago, dried out so quickly that if I watered it in the morning it was nearly dead by the time I got home from work.”

Containers are a smart way to graduate to small-space gardens. “The minute you start planting in the ground, it is more exciting but probably more complicated,” Ellis says. “Large containers make it possible to learn about growing plants, plus how to combine colors and plant forms, plus what kind of care makes them look better and be healthier.”

The dirt on sandy soil

Eastern North Carolina’s dry, acidic, sandy soils present frustrating challenges for growing healthy plants. How can gardeners overcome struggles? “Organic matter, organic matter, organic matter,” Ellis says.

“Sandy soils burn through it more quickly than any other soil type.” Add organic matter every time you dig a hole. Keep soil covered with mulch, even spreading finished compost under mulches like pine needles. Additionally, minimize digging “because that increases the rate at which the organic matter gets used up,” Ellis says.

How water should flow

Whenever you water, “water until water comes out of the bottom of the pot or the top few inches of soil are wet. That encourages roots to go down into the soil and not crowd around the surface, which makes them more susceptible to drought,” Ellis says.

Carefully select locations. “A pot or garden that receives sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon will need watering less often than one that receives shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon.”

Keep an eye on plants to understand their moisture needs. “I have learned to look at the leaves of plants to figure out when they need watering. The shape changes as they begin to wilt, and the color also changes.”

Resisting temptation at the plant store

“Container & Small-Space Gardening for the South” stresses the value of balancing your gardening dreams against location reality, right down to calculating how many plants you need to save time, money and effort.

Useful lists help you select easy plants for sun and shade. Still, how can you control wishful thinking while being color-bombed at the garden store on the perfect spring day?

“I use a hard-and-fast personal gardening rule, ‘Be attractive or die.’ That keeps me from bringing home plants I know won’t do well. If I have killed something three times, that’s it,” Ellis says. “This approach also made me get excited about looking for plants that thrive where I garden.”

Ellis advises visiting local public and private gardens and native plant organizations to learn what plants work best for your area.

What full sun really means down south

Ellis’ book is full of guidance you might not think about, like how to assess sun and shade patterns. Garden stores may label plants as “full sun,” meaning they need six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day, but Ellis notes that they don’t necessarily need that sunlight all at once.

“While most food crops prefer full sun, some — tomatoes, for example — will produce fruit in part shade in southern gardens,” she writes. Always remember that many plants markets might recommend for sunny areas refer to northern gardens, Ellis adds. Those plants will need more shade and often more watering in the south.

Saving money and the environment

Plastic wastes like soil bags and plant containers harm the environment. Ellis composts all potting soil for reuse, being careful not to add diseased plant parts or seed and plant parts from invasive species. “Most years, I also just replace about the top third of the potting medium in a pot.”

She donates surplus soil to fellow gardeners. Ellis uses some of her extra soil to pot plants she divides and then donates to a local garden club’s annual plant sale. She recycles and refurbishes planting containers, too. Even terra cotta pots are repairable, Ellis writes.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Southport is hosting a ceremony for a newly installed exhibit highlighting Cape Fear’s commercial fishing history and its redesigned display on hurricane history. And the Beaufort museum is also gearing up for the season with a spate of programs.

In Southport, the ribbon-cutting is set for 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, for the new “A Way of Life — Working the Water” and the updated “Storms that Shape Us” exhibits.

This ceremony is just one of many activities and programs the state Maritime Museums Systems has in store for Southport and its Beaufort location. The Hatteras museum remains closed for renovation, so there are no public programs currently scheduled there.

The Maritime Museum System’s Maritime History Curator David Bennett and Exhibit Design Curator Rebecca Edwards will attend the April 3 ceremony in Southport.

“The exhibit has been very well-received since its conception,” Edwards said in a release. “I really appreciate the community support, and I am looking forward to having the chance to celebrate it.”

Edwards pointed out that many of the artifacts on display were donated specifically for the exhibit. “Having these items and sharing them in the context of how they were used can help give visitors insight and appreciation for the Cape Fear fishing communities.”

Museum Education Curator Shannon Walker said one part of the fishing exhibit has been particularly popular with the younger visitors.

“The kids love playing in the wheelhouse,” Walker said in a statement about the space designed to mimic the helm of a shrimp trawler. “They have all of the captain’s tools at their command, including the wheel, throttle and even a radio.”

Last reimagined in 2019, the recent redesign of the “Storms that Shape Us” was out of necessity to accommodate the fishing exhibit and to update what was on display, officials said.

Edwards streamlined the layout and worked with Bennett and other Maritime Museum System staff to incorporate additional information on the community’s resilience in the face of the many hurricanes that have come ashore in the Cape Fear region.

The Southport museum also is offering for younger visitors SKIPPER’S CREW: Skipper’s Naturalists from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 6. This event features hands-on activities and crafts that combine arts and history. Lights will be dimmed and interactives muted during the first two hours to provide a calmer environment for those with sensory sensitivities. The program is being offered at no charge, but donations are accepted and appreciated.

As part of the museum’s Third Thursday lecture series, join Jim McKee, manager of the Brunswick Town Historic Site, for the presentation “Rice Culture in the Cape Fear” at noon April 16 in the Southport Community Building, 223 E. Bay St. Lectures are geared for ages 16 years and older. Open to the public at no charge, reservation are required since seating is limited. To register call 910-477-5151 or visit ncmaritimemuseumsouthport/events.

Beaufort events

A few hours up the coast is the Maritime Museum in Beaufort. Open to visitors from 10 a.m.to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, there’s no charge to visit the museum but donations are welcome.

The staff at this location are offering a variety of activities in April, including guided kayak trips and walking tours on Shackleford Banks and the Rachel Carson Reserve.

Most programs require registration, which can be done by calling 252-504-7758 or visiting ncmaritimemuseumbeaufort.com.

“Kayak the Salt Marsh” is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon April 10. The education team will teach the basics of kayaking and safety on shore followed by a 1.5-mile paddle through the salt marsh in sit-in cockpit touring kayaks. The program is recommended for ages 12 and up, though those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must know how to swim and some kayak experience is recommended. Cost is $35, or $30 with own kayak. Registration is required by noon the day prior.

“Kids’ Cove” will be held from 9-11 a.m. April 10 and again 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 14. This free-play, screen-free program for birth up to age 5 and their caregivers is designed with a different maritime-themed craft and wiggle activity each month. Programs begin an hour before the museum opens to the public.

Take a look “Behind the scenes at the Whale Center” 10 a.m. April 12. The 40-minute program at the Bonehenge Whale Center is being offered at no charge. Learn about the marine mammals, including bottlenose dolphins, that live off the coast of North Carolina, and preparing the marine mammal skeletons for educational display. The Bonehenge Whale Center operates as a partnership between the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Carolina Cay Maritime Foundation. Registration required by noon the day prior.

During the program, “Exploring Coastal Habitats on the Rachel Carson Reserve” set for 9 a.m. to noon April 18, attendees will be able to discover the various plants and animals through Rachel Carson Reserve’s different habitats and the sandy, muddy, and wet terrain found on Town Marsh and Bird Shoal. The program is recommended for ages 12 and up, though all participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $25. Registration required by noon the day prior.

“Beaufort’s Dolphins, Getting to Know Them” is at 11 a.m. April 18 with Museum Natural Science Curator Keith Rittmaster in the museum’s auditorium. He’ll lead an informal discussion about the biology, behavior, and conservation issues affecting “Beaufort’s Dolphins.”  Bottlenose dolphins occur in the waters off Beaufort year-round but they’re not the same individuals all year. The program being offered at no charge is part of the museum’s Maritime Heritage Series, an informal lectures focused on the state’s rich maritime history, coastal environment, and culture.

The education team will lead Hiking and History on Shackleford Banks, a part of Cape Lookout National Seashore, from 9 a.m. to noon April 24. Participants will take a ferry to the undeveloped barrier island for the 2.5-mile hike through sandy terrain. Recommended for ages 12 and up, all participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $35. Registration required by noon the day prior.

A program is being offered at no charge on the International Fishermen & Allied Workers of America in Eastern North Carolina starting at 11 a.m. April 25 in the museum’s auditorium. Following World War II, the Congress of Industrial Workers embarked on a campaign to unionize the South. As a part of that campaign, the International Fishermen and Allied Workers of America, a small Seattle-based labor union, attempted to unionize the state’s commercial fishing industry. The union found short-term success before failing. The program is part of the Maritime Heritage Series.

COLUMBIA — In a coastal North Carolina county that has more wildlife — by far — than people, as well as vast amounts of public lands, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s visit to Tyrrell County Thursday afternoon was especially significant. 

“Coming here is important,” Tyrrell County Manager David Clegg told Haaland during a media event with the secretary at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge visitor center.

Haaland was in Tyrrell County to announce that $1.4 million has been awarded to the refuge from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace 1,000 feet of the badly weathered Scuppernong River Boardwalk.

“And we saw how dilapidated it is,” said Haaland, referring to a stroll she had taken earlier on the boardwalk behind the visitor center, which stretches along the river and through woods and marshlands. “Now we’ll really be ready to make it right for future visits by so many people.”

In a later interview, Clegg said he really appreciated the secretary’s openness and willingness to discuss Tyrrell and the value of Pocosin Lakes to the county.   

“She has an on-the-ground understanding of what it is now,” he said. “It’s not some concept to her.”

Although the boardwalk is still safe to use, it has the warped and blackened wood commonly seen in aging decks and docks in the region.

North Carolina Wildlife Federation CEO Tim Gestwicki recalled during his remarks the reaction he had when producers of a documentary about the area asked to take some footage outside the refuge headquarters.

“They said, ‘Let’s go out on the boardwalk,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘Oh, lord, I don’t know about that.’”

Gestwicki said he is “delighted” with the infrastructure work that is being done at Pocosin and other refuges because it will allow more access for people to enjoy being outside in nature.

The project is part of President Biden’s $157 million Investing in America agenda to restore our nation’s lands and waters through locally led, landscape-scale restoration projects, according to a Department of the Interior press release. The funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support 206 ecosystem restoration projects in 48 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories.

Projects will focus on a restoration and resilience framework that builds climate resilience and addresses impacts, restores lands and waters, and enhances the quality of life for communities.

“What I love is the framework serves as a roadmap to where we can make the greatest difference,” Haaland said. “By grounding the framework in landscape-level projects like this here at Pocosin Lakes, it will supercharge our efforts to foster biodiversity and restore the habitats we all depend on.” 

Tyrrell fits the program’s target as a rural, historically underserved community.

With about 43% of its 735 square miles owned by state and federal governments, much of the county’s economy is still based in agriculture and forestry. But the tax base is shrinking, along with the population, which is currently 3,200 people, compared with 3,645 in 2016. The county is also considered one of the most vulnerable per capita to sea level rise impacts.

Clegg, the county manager, emphasized in his remarks that while Tyrrell might be remote and economically disadvantaged, its diverse ecosystems have outsize value to the natural world, replete with estuarine shorelines, pocosin wetlands, and agricultural vistas. For that reason, the county is primed to grow its ecotourism economy. 

“You can find bear, wolves, deer, wildcats, swan, duck, eagles, egret, beaver, otters, alligators, foxes, turtles, crabs, fish, quails, snakes, salamanders and raccoons,” he recited in one long breath, ending to applause.  

But Tyrrell County, despite its riches and challenges, is often lost in the shuffle when it comes to helpful government attention — making an important national official such as Haaland especially welcomed. 

“They say you don’t care about us,” said 1^st District Congressman Don Davis, a Democrat from Snow Hill, when addressing Haaland. “Well guess what? You’re here.”

Davis said his office works closely with the Interior Department and other agencies to assist local communities in meeting criteria so projects such as the Pocosin boardwalk can be completed.

“This is an awesome federal investment,” he said.

The Investing in America project also will partner with states and other recipients to address drought and wildfire resilience, recreational access, legacy pollution from former mines, invasive species management, and restoration of native plants and ecosystems.

More than half of the projects will also benefit historically underserved communities, as part of Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, an environmental justice effort that aims to direct 40% of certain federal benefits to “disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution,” according to the White House.

During a brief Q&A with media before she left, Haaland expressed appreciation for the Pocosin Lakes refuge and its staff, and she made a promise that Tyrrell no doubt hopes come true. 

“I never pass up an opportunity to tell the staff how much they mean to us,” Haaland said. “I couldn’t be prouder to stand here today and I’ll come back again.”

SWAN QUARTER — Nearly a quarter-century after historic Mattamuskeet Lodge shut its doors, an enterprising new plan is underway to reopen a reimagined version of Hyde County’s community gathering spot.

Efforts in the last 16 years to determine a sustainable plan to operate the 109-year-old state-owned lodge have confounded the county, despite assistance from nonprofits, private businesses and model business plans created at two state universities.

“We’ve been trying to crack the code for so long to find how we can open it and how it can be sustainable,” Hyde County Manager Kris Noble told Coastal Review late last week.

As it turns out, the answer to reviving Mattamuskeet Lodge was right under her nose — or more accurately, in the same government center building where she works: the Hyde County Cooperative Extension.

When Noble took a closer look at the University of North Carolina’s and East Carolina University’s respective business plans, it became apparent that what was missing was economies of scale.

“I started realizing that the number one issue of being sustainable was really the staff cost to operate the facility,” she said. “I started brainstorming, and I came up with this idea that we would house Hyde County’s Cooperative Extension agency within the lodge, and they will operate the lodge.”

Not only could the Cooperative Extension readily relocate to the lodge that’s about 10 miles away, Noble said it would be a perfect fit with its model. The extension provides rural community support, services and programming that is focused on the same inherent features as Mattamuskeet Lodge: agriculture, fishing, hunting, history, water and the natural environment.

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension is a state agency, and county cooperative extensions are partnerships with the state. Operating framework and procedures come from the state, but program costs for the counties are split with the state.

Hyde’s Cooperative Extension is enthusiastically onboard with the move to the lodge, Noble said.

With the go-ahead from all stakeholders, the county led development of the proposed restoration plan, and presented it to state lawmakers. In early January, the Council of State agreed to lease the building for 30 years to the county for $1. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission would continue to oversee the site and partner with the county. A new nonprofit partner, the Mattamuskeet Lodge Society, has been created to support the restoration and develop public awareness of the lodge’s natural and cultural heritage.

Meanwhile, the county is in the process of reviewing a draft lease from the state, Noble said. Once that is finalized, $6.5 million in state funds are in hand for Phase I of the restoration, with the goal of transforming the lodge into an educational and event center, with a museum and gift shop on the ground level.

“And after we complete that design and engineering, we’ll be able to provide a better cost estimate for completion of the entire project and a better timeline,” Noble said.

What is already known, she added, is that the 14 bedrooms available in the past are not going to be part of the building’s future.

“There will not be lodging in the lodge,” Noble said.

According to the plan, “The Mattamuskeet Lodge, proposed restoration initiative,” the project’s final phase is estimated to cost $14.4 million and include installation of electrical, mechanical and wastewater systems, as well as landscaping and parking improvements. Furnishings, fixtures, and equipment are estimated to cost an additional $2.15 million.

While recognizable statewide thanks to an iconic photograph often used in North Carolina tourism brochures, Mattamuskeet Lodge never has been a major visitor attraction. Still, its cultural and historic value makes it a significant asset to the state, and a cherished place in the rural community.

“The Lodge will be the center of Hyde County’s natural heritage celebration, highlighting over 400 years of history as well as the living natural heritage,” the plan said.

“Local farmers, commercial fishermen, wildlife guides, Civil Rights and Native American experts, and artists will keep this natural heritage alive through their use of the Lodge.”

An engineering feat

Located within the 50,000-acre Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, the lodge was originally built in 1915 as a pumping station to drain Lake Mattamuskeet, the state’s largest natural lake, to use its richly organic bed as farmland. At the time, the facility was acclaimed as an engineering feat and the world’s largest pumping station. Despite its razzle-dazzle, the operation was unsuccessful and eventually abandoned.

Ownership of the 40,000-acre lake and the three-story pumphouse were eventually transferred to the federal government, which in 1934 established the refuge to protect migratory wildfowl and the lake’s environment.

The refuge and the Civil Conservation Corps remodeled the nearly 15,000-square-foot pumphouse into a 38-room hunting lodge and refuge headquarters, according to Mattamuskeet Lodge’s 1980 listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The plant’s tall chimney, the listing said, was transformed into a 120-foot observation tower with a stairway.

Opened in 1937, the hunting lodge operated until 1974. But the building was still used for numerous special community events, local weddings and school proms until it was closed in 2000 because of structural concerns.

By 2006, the lodge was in disrepair, and the federal government handed it and its 6.25-acre footprint over to the state Department of Cultural Resources with the idea that the agency would be able to restore and renovate the lodge.

Between 2008 and 2010, $5.7 million was appropriated for projects that included demolition and removal of hazardous materials, replacement of concrete and waterproofing on the lower level, installation of new steel building columns, replacement of windows, repair and re-coating of the exterior, augmenting floor joists and installation of additional wind-bracing components.

In 2016, the lodge was transferred, as planned, to the Wildlife Resources Commission. Four years later, a $300,000 roof restoration was completed, including removal of all the original clay tiles, partial replacement of the wood decking, installation of a water shield, and replacement of the tiles.

Currently, repair and restoration of the 100-year-old observation tower, originally the smokestack on the coal-fired pumphouse, is being planned, with funding from a $1 million appropriation in 2022.

“That observation cab on top has a lot of corrosion,” said Brad Kleinmaier, capital projects coordinator with the Wildlife Resources Commission. Windows have also been damaged.

“We will reinforce the tower so it’s more wind-resistant,” Kleinmaier said.

While the two university studies and discussions of possible public-private partnerships couldn’t make the operation’s math work, the new plan solved the elusive sustainability equation by tapping existing budgets and resources to cover costs. It also added various new pots of money, including profits from the gift shop.

“The business model incorporates county in-kind contributions supported by revenue generated by county programs and … event rentals, programs, shop sales, and fundraisers to fund operational expenses and program expansion,” ad detailed in the plan. “Additional revenue is anticipated through philanthropy and grants earmarked for the preservation and operation of National Historic Sites.”

Once the renovated lodge is reopened, it’s expected to add $8 million to $24 million annually to the Hyde County, the plan said.

Although Lake Mattamuskeet has suffered from water quality issues in recent years, scientists are in the process of implementing a comprehensive restoration plan at the lake. But the lake and its surrounding landscape have maintained its serene magic and unique natural beauty. The refuge is home to large populations of black bear and deer, thousands of waterfowl and other wildlife.

Proposed cooperative extension programming at the lodge, such as storytelling, art classes, and local displays on farming and history, and potential Wildlife Resources Commission educational programs involving hunting, fishing and conservation, could dovetail with refuge activities such as kayaking, hiking, bicycling and birdwatching.

To Noble, a Hyde County native, restoration of the lodge will not only restore what was the beloved centerpiece of community life, it will also reinvigorate the rural county.

“We want this to enhance and promote all of our local businesses,” she said.

With a population of 4,589, according to the 2020 census, Hyde County is second least populated and one of the poorest of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

“Of course, our number one goal is to restore and reopen the lodge,” Noble said.

“Our very strong secondary goal was the economic stimulus that this will create for our communities.”

Featured Image

Aquatic vegetation appears to form a pleased expression on the water’s surface as viewed from above the Patsy Pond Nature Trail in the Croatan National Forest near Newport. The trails that are accessed from N.C. Highway 24 include lengths from 0.75 to 1.9 miles and are open from dawn to dusk. The small ponds here are fed by groundwater and often surrounded by carnivorous plants such as bladderwort and sundew. Photo: Dylan Ray

Nature enthusiasts can start the new year off on the right foot at one of the dozens of ranger-led hikes taking place at North Carolina’s state parks.

“After a few years of smaller First Day Hikes programming, we are excited to offer a wide variety of guided hikes and events at most of our state parks for 2024,” State Parks Director Brian Strong said in a release. “We hope our visitors take the opportunity, as we wrap up the holiday season, to bring family and friends and begin a new year of outdoor adventures together.”

North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation officials said there are more than 50 staff-led First Day Hikes scheduled for Monday, Jan. 1, ranging in length and difficulty. Hikers are encouraged to share photos and videos on social media using the hashtags #ncstateparks and #FirstDayHikes.

Public Information Officer Kris Anne Bonifacio highlighted the state’s coastal parks, which she said have planned a variety of First Day Hike options, most of which are relatively flat and easy.

“Visitors can enjoy the unique environments of the tall sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge or the barrier Bear Island at Hammocks Beach. They can explore the salt marsh at Fort Macon or experience the various ecosystems at Carolina Beach on a hike along Sugarloaf Trail,” Bonifacio said. “They can learn about flora and fauna of Dismal Swamp or Merchants Millpond or help clean up the beach at Fort Fisher. They can spend the whole day at Goose Creek’s 50th anniversary celebration.”

She added that there’s also the option for hikers to choose their own adventure and take a self-guided scavenger hunt at Pettigrew State Park in Washington and Tyrrell counties.

“They are also welcome to visit any of our parks and hike on their own during regular park hours if they would prefer to avoid big crowds. Just bring plenty of water, wear proper hiking shoes and if bringing a pet, make sure they are leashed,” she said.

‘Cherished tradition’

Organized by the National Association of State Park Directors, the annual First Day Hikes program launched in 1992 in Massachusetts, and as of 2012, all 50 states have participated.

“I am thrilled to see the continued growth and success of the First Day Hikes program,” Lewis Ledford, executive director of the association, said in a statement. “This initiative has become a cherished tradition, providing individuals and families with the opportunity to embrace the outdoors, and kick off the year with a commitment to health and well-being.”

Not only is Goose Creek State Park in Beaufort County celebrating the new year, 2024 marks 50 years since the park was first established.

Goose Creek State Park Superintendent Matt Windsor said that they planned the park’s 50^th anniversary event to coincide with First Day Hikes as a way to celebrate the unique park, “where you have to get off the beaten path to enjoy some of the most accessible wetlands in eastern NC in the best hiking weather of the year.”

Scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, the celebration will begin with an opening ceremony and black powder musket demonstration at Flicker Field, where the Historic Bath State Historic Site and Beaufort County Traditional Music Association also will be set up. Throughout the day, there will be tar kiln demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, musket demonstrations, and live music and food.

The North Carolina Estuarium, an environmental center based in Washington, will lead a hike on the Palmetto Boardwalk Trail at 10:30 a.m. and at 1 p.m. that day, Sound Rivers will lead a hike on the Live Oak Trail. Sound Rivers is a nonprofit that works to protect the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico River watersheds.

Windsor said that in October 1974, the state made the first purchase from wood product manufacturer Weyerhauser of what would eventually become the 1,700-acre Goose Creek State Park. Goose Creek, which hosted 146,000 visitors last year, “is a jewel of Beaufort County” and was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. 

In addition to containing the longest segment of publicly owned, undeveloped, low-salinity estuarine shoreline in the state in the national natural landmark area, the park also offers tent, trailer and cabin camping, around 10 miles of trails, paddle and power boat access, a swim beach along the Pamlico River, and an environmental education center, he said.

As Bonifacio mentioned, Pettigrew State Park in Creswell is having an activity participants can complete at their leisure. 

Superintendent Jim Trostle said the First Day Hike is a self-guided scavenger hunt along Bee Tree Trail. Around 2.5 miles round trip, this is a flat, easy walk that encompasses Somerset Place, a state historic site, and some of the oldest trees still standing in the park.

Hikers can pick up the scavenger hunt list at the park office after 10 a.m. Visitors can bring back the completed list and pick a prize from our prize box, Trostle said.

The First Day Hike at Dismal Swamp State Park in Camden County with Ranger Alan Brown is set for 10 a.m. next to the Dismal Swamp State Park bridge. He will lead hikers on a 2-mile loop to look for various wildlife.

Merchants Millpond State Park in Gates County will begin its First Day Hike at 11 a.m., leaving from the boat ramp parking area.

Park Ranger David Schafer said the hike is an easy 2-mile stroll on the Coleman Trail.

“We will learn about the history of the park and some of the flora and fauna that live within it,” he said, adding hikers should bring water, wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather.

“Coleman Trail itself traverses through multiple ecological communities including pine, hardwood forest, and swamps. Visitors to the park in the winter can enjoy open vistas of the Millpond free of vegetation and the tree canopy,” he said. “Canoers that come during warmer, sunny days also have the chance to spot one of our resident alligators sunning on logs throughout the waters of the swamp. Come enjoy the solitude and tranquility that so many visitors have come to love about Merchants Millpond State Park.”

On the Outer Banks, explore the largest sand dune on the East Coast at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head. Meet at the visitor center back deck at 9 a.m. for the 1.5-mile hike that will include parts of the of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and finish at the top of the main dune. Because it can be extra windy and cold this time of the year, organizers recommend hikers wear appropriate shoes and clothing for the terrain and weather conditions.

Park Ranger Austin Paul said that there are 220,000 acres managed by the state parks system from the coast to the mountains, so there should be thousands of individuals, potentially, that will be hiking together on the first day of the year.

“Of course, this is a great start to the first of the year,” he continued, adding the First Day Hikes allow the state parks the opportunity to provide recreational and educational experiences for visitors. “We want to be able to provide a safe and healthy environment for our visitors to come and enjoy and celebrate the New Year by getting out and exploring.”

He said the hike at Jockey’s Ridge should be easy to lightly strenuous from the visitor center out to the big ridge “and along the way, we’ll cover everything from park ecology to dune formation.”

Fort Macon State Park rangers have planned four hikes to bring in 2024. The first two are from 9-10:30 a.m. and the second two begin at 3 p.m.

The shorter hikes at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. will offer a nature and bird hike on the Yarrow’s Loop Trail and the inlet beach, covering less than a mile. The longer hikes at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. will be a nature and bird hike, as well, but on the 3.2-mile Elliot Coues Trail. Wear sturdy shoes and bring a water bottle and bug spray.

Fort Macon State Park Superintendent Randy Newman told Coastal Review that the First Day Hikes often get visitors who are thinking about walking or hiking for the new year out of the house and on the trail.  

“The reason the staff at Fort Macon State Park built the trails was to get visitors out into the park so they could experience the diversity of nature that the park has to offer. It is also important for children to get them on the trails for their physical and mental health,” he added.

Also on Jan. 1, Fort Macon will have small arms demonstrations at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Hammocks Beach State Park rangers are offering two First Day Hikes. The first is set for 10 a.m. to noon and the second 1-3 p.m. Join Park Ranger Renee Evans on a ferry ride to Bear Island and hear about some of the habitats and wildlife that can be found there. Visitors will have a chance to explore the beach. Space is limited, so registration is required for either hike. Call 910-326-4881 to sign up.

Evans reminded those interested in attending that the ferry rides are free but require a registration. “It’s a very popular program we put on at the park in January. We get a lot of requests for it. You should see the standby list.”

With each group, she said she plans to talk the flora and fauna that can be found on Bear Island as well as any history associated with the island while walking along the path toward the beach.  After the talk, participants will have a chance to walk and explore the beach on their own before heading back to the Visitor Center.

Evans said that every year the First Day Hikes either take place at Bear Island or the hiking trails adjacent to the Visitor Center on the mainland in Swansboro.

“It’s all dependent on operational conditions at the park. We haven’t been able to lead one of the Bear Island trips since January 2018. We’re very excited,” she said.

At Carolina Beach State Park, the 2-mile walk to Sugarloaf Dune is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at the Sugarloaf Trailhead near the marina, and bring water and hiking shoes.

“We will discuss some history of the park and our plants and animals that make us unique,” Park Superintendent Crystal Lloyd said, adding this is her first program since joining Carolina Beach, “I’m really excited to see what the turnout will be like.”

The First Day “Trash and Treasure” Beach Walk at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.  Meet by the lifeguard stand at the end of the boardwalk for the mile-long hike to see what was left on the beach the night before. Park staff recommend bringing water, a container for any beach finds and a small trash bag for the cleanup. Pets are welcome but must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet at all times.

“Participants will learn about the common shells found on the beach and some quick tips to spot sharks teeth, while also helping to clean up our beautiful park by picking up trash,” Ranger Emily Abernethy said. The walk is a mile, but participants are welcome to walk as far as they’d like.

She added that there will be couple of guide books available for use to help identify beach finds. 

“This will be a great way to start out the New Year by spending time on our beautiful beach while also doing some community service,” Abernethy said.

In addition to the First Day Hikes, most of North Carolina’s state parks have programming throughout the year. To check the schedule of events at a park near you, visit ncparks.gov.

Coastal Review will not publish Monday-Wednesday next week.

BUXTON — Probably never before would “Aloha, y’all!” be such a culturally apt greeting for a vessel pulling up to an Outer Banks dock.

But that changed this month when a sleek six-paddler, ocean-blue, outrigger canoe, notable for the long, skinny extension off its left side that looks somewhat like a floating sidecar, arrived at Swell Motel in Buxton on a late Saturday afternoon, making for a novel scene even for boat-centric Hatteras Island.

The traditional oceangoing Polynesian canoe, widely used in Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa, turned out to be a perfect vessel to bring attention to the goals of We the Water, a collaborative clean water awareness campaign.

“It’s the first time an outrigger canoe has been out here,” Bernadette Burton, president of the Wrightsville Beach Outrigger Canoe Club, said in an interview after paddlers completed a three-day, 125-mile journey from Swansboro to Cape Hatteras on Sept. 16.

“We felt so lucky and so blessed, we almost forgot how tired we were.”

Twenty-four paddlers in the 92-member club, the first of its kind in North Carolina, joined the second leg of the three-year plan to paddle up the entire 325-mile coast to talk with coastal folks about water quality issues. Last year, the club’s We the Water team paddled 120 miles from Sunset Beach to Ocean in Carteret County.

We the Water evolved during club brainstorming sessions, when member Kerri Allen, who works as the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s coastal advocate at its Wrightsville Beach office, realized the natural link between the two nonprofits.

Allen, who joined the canoe club in 2019, suggested that the paddling community’s culture of “mālama” — a Hawaiian word that means “to take care” — was a perfect fit with the Coastal Federation’s clean water advocacy and coastal stewardship.

The Coastal Federation publishes the Coastal Review, an editorially independent online newspaper.

In the interest of taking a positive approach to coastal water quality, Allen said, the We the Water initiative was born to foster connecting with the people who actually live and work along those waters, while at the same time raising funds to support the Coastal Federation’s work.

It was decided that a contingent of club members would paddle up the entire North Carolina coast, divided in three parts over three years. By stopping along the way and meeting with folks for some friendly conversation, the hope was that the paddlers could raise awareness about risks to clean water and empower communities to protect water quality.

“It can be doom and gloom, frequently, so we wanted to focus more on the good,” Allen told Coastal Review. With its striking appearance, the canoe served as a human magnet, drawing curious folks over to docks and shorelines.

“People were fantastic,” she said. “They were very surprised. Most of them, this is the first time they’d ever seen an outrigger canoe. Most people didn’t know what it was.”

Even those who did recognize the vessel had only seen them in Hawaii, or on the closing credits of the old TV crime drama series “Hawaii Five-O.” People would come up to chat with the paddlers, Allen said; sometimes they’d sit in the boat.

“We had some really great conversations, everyone from commercial fishermen, oyster farmers, local businesses hoteliers, and just folks out enjoying the water,” Allen said.

Long popular on the mainland West Coast, where there are about 70 clubs, outrigger canoes started showing up more on the U.S. East Coast after the founding in 1997 of the East Coast Outrigger Racing Association, which includes clubs in Canada and about 16 in the U.S.

The lighter version of the canoe, known as a va’a, was employed for We the Water. Typically described with Hawaiian words, the vessel is 44 feet long and 16.5 inches wide with two arms known as iakos attached to the outrigger, or ama, which provides stability in the ocean surf.

The carbon fiber Unlimited Class six-person outrigger canoe weighs just 145 pounds, versus some models that weigh about 400 pounds.

Compared to a regular canoe, which has a flat hull for navigating shallow waters, the outrigger canoe’s hull is narrow and aerodynamic, although it can still manage in shallow waters.

“It can take on a lot of swell,” Burton said. “This vessel 100% has its origins in the ocean.”

Originally from Winston-Salem, Burton has participated in numerous outrigger races in Hawaii and California, where she began paddling in 2007 with the Dana Point Outrigger Canoe Club.

After returning in 2013 to North Carolina, she became one of the co-founders of the Wrightsville club in 2016. At the time, Reggie Barnes, the owner of Eastern Skateboard Supply in Wilmington, had purchased two outrigger canoes.

“From there, he kind of put the word out, and a group of us — about 15 — came together,” she said about the club.

Members regard the club as their family on the water, or their ohana. Each leg of the We the Water paddles provided opportunities to meet so many coastal residents, she said, reinforced the shared love of the water and appreciation for the need to keep it clean.

“Blood is not family,” Burton, who serves as the club’s long-distance coach, wrote in an email response to Coastal Review. “Ohana is built from those who come into your life and make it more fulfilling … We may have started out with the purpose to bring awareness, but I believe in the end we now have become more aware, more fulfilled, and more in tune with those who truly need the water as a way of life.”

In addition to mahalo — gratitude — for the warmth and kindness extended by the folks they met, the team also delighted in educating them about the outrigger sport and culture, Burton added, as well as being together for a worthy adventure.

“We spent five days together ‘talking story,’” Burton said. “That’s pretty important in the Hawaiian culture.”

Videos of the outrigger underway show it zipping through the sound at a surprising speed, with six paddlers using synchronized, powerful strokes, as if they’re shoving the water away. Each position has a specific role, with the stroker at the front setting the pace, the steersman in the back in charge of navigating, the mid seats calling when to change sides: “hut” for switch, “hoe” to paddle.

“Remember, we have no motor,” Burton said. “We have to rely on human power, ocean power and wind power.”

With Hurricane Lee churning miles offshore, the conditions were rough, but the tide worked in their favor, at one point propelling the boat to about 11 mph.

“The swell was amazing,” Burton said. “When we hit that tide, it helped us along — it’s like an invisible paddler.”

Things really amped up on Day 2, after leaving Harkers Island that morning in the dark, Burton recounted. By the time they hit Drum Inlet, the wind was “brutal,” with a crosswind blowing steady at around 18 mph, with 25 to 30 mph gusts. But the team toughed it out, countering the wind by zigzagging across. The last day was easier, with none of the “crazy” wind or swell, she said.

Teams of six paddlers traded off in the morning and afternoon, which each run covering about 20 to 25 miles, depending on conditions. They were joined by a North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission boat for the 24-mile leg in Drum Inlet, and Cedar Island hunting and fishing guide Buddy Goodwin served as their escort vessel for the remainder of the trip, sharing his local insights.

Crew changes between those on the escort boat and the canoe were done in the water so paddlers could switch in and out of the canoe without it having to stop.

To Allen, it was especially rewarding to be together with her teammates in a different environment, with the vast openness of the Pamlico Sound, and seemingly endless estuarine marshes. At one point, they saw many hundreds of stingrays while paddling through seagrass beds behind Ocracoke.

The adventure was also rewarding for the Coastal Federation, which between a silent auction, sponsorships and donations for the event, she said, raised about $10,000.

Allen said she looks forward to the final leg of We the Water next year, when the Wrightsville Beach team will paddle from Buxton to Carova and once again “use the outrigger to tell the story of that coast and highlight all the good work that’s being done coastwise.”

By then, maybe Outer Bankers will be working to establish their own outrigger canoe club.

“An outrigger is truly a connection to the water like no other,” Allen said. You might start out looking for a fun way to exercise, she added, but it’s easy to get hooked.

“Because it is a culture, it’s a community, it’s a sport, it’s an activity,” she said. “It’s been in and on the ocean. And conditions that you don’t get to experience otherwise. So, it truly is extraordinary. And something that I think everyone should try to get the chance to do in their life.”

CEDAR POINT — For the second year in a row, the Wrightsville Beach Outrigger Canoe Club is teaming up with the North Carolina Coastal Federation to advocate for clean water by paddling the North Carolina coast.

Last September, the club launched an outrigger canoe from Sunset Beach and paddled to Carteret County, roughly 120 miles.

The second leg of the three-year endeavor begins Thursday at the Boathouse Creek Walking Trails in Cedar Point. Paddlers will wrap up this leg two days later and 125 miles farther up to coast in Hatteras Village.

The team of 20 will take turns paddling the six-person Hawaiian-style outrigger canoe. Traditionally found in Polynesia and Hawaii, outrigger paddling has deep cultural and historical roots throughout the Pacific and is relatively novel on the East Coast. It includes fostering and preserving Hawaiian culture and practices connected to paddling, the canoes, the ocean, the land, and the people, organizers said.

During their journey, the paddlers said they will advocate for clean water, empowered local communities, pollution awareness, and the need to protect the most vital element of our lives: water. Money raised will support the Coastal Federation and its clean water advocacy work.

“Outrigger paddling is a connection to the ocean like no other, and I cannot think of a better way to tell the story of our coast than from the canoe,” said Kerri Allen, a paddler, club member, leader of this initiative and advocate for the Coastal Federation. “It is our kuleana (responsibility) to be stewards of our coast — leaving it better than we found it — and that is what we aim to do through this journey.”

A small kickoff event, including a traditional Hawaiian blessing, or pule, of the canoe, was held Wednesday in Cedar Point.

You can also follow the journey, in-person or virtually. A live tracker will show the location of the paddlers on the Coastal Federation’s webpage, and the community is encouraged to meet the paddlers at stops along the way or even on the water.

“Whether via kayak, paddleboard, or even motorboat, the paddlers welcome the audience!” organizers said.

The club thanked North Carolina Sen. Michael Lee, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for providing a support vessel, and its sponsors: Stellar Blu Construction, Aladon, Zulu Marine Services, Kim Crouch, The Coastal Real Estate Group, Primo Hoagies Wilmington, BeUnlimited Yoga, and Sea Green Natural Cleaning.

Learn more about the We the Water paddling initiative.

CARTERET COUNTY — As new neighbors, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust and Camp Albemarle on N.C. Highway 24 in Newport are partnering to provide more recreation and environmental education opportunities.

Through an agreement, Camp Albemarle, which offers year-round, faith-based programming for children at its property along Bogue Sound, now has access to the Coastal Land Trust’s Gales Creek Preserve, a nearly 255-acre nature preserve along Gales Creek, a tidal creek that flows to Bogue Sound, for its camper and nature study programs.

In turn, the Coastal Land Trust will be able to use Camp Albemarle’s bathhouse, dining hall and pavilions on the camp property along Bogue Sound during occasional group nature hikes and environmental education tours the Coastal Land Trust leads on the preserve.

“Our campers will now be able to canoe or kayak from the main camp site on Bogue Sound up Gales Creek to the Gales Creek Preserve to camp and/or hike the forest trails,” Camp Albemarle Director Tom Hussmann said in a statement. “Future nature programs at our new site will utilize amenities of the neighboring Coastal Land Trust Preserve. Overall, this agreement will allow Camp Albemarle to provide more opportunities for kids to learn, explore, and appreciate nature.”

A decade ago, Coastal Land Trust purchased more than 254 acres from the East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America by Camp Sam Hatcher off 9 Mile Road in Newport, then acquired an adjoining 112 acres in 2018 to create the preserve. In March of this year, Camp Albemarle purchased in March the 35-plus acre former Boy Scout Camp to expand its existing facility.

“We always love getting more kids out on the lands we conserve.  With this agreement, Camp Albemarle also will help us with general maintenance and upkeep of the soil roads, trails, and creek access on the Gales Creek Preserve which is significant to us,” Harrison Marks, executive director of the Coastal Land Trust, said in a statement.

The preserve properties feature stands of longleaf pine and mature mixed pine hardwood forest along more than a mile of frontage on Gales Creek, a tidal creek that flows to Bogue Sound, Land Trust officials said.

The preserve’s passive recreational amenities include a primitive camping area, rustic chapel, hiking trails, and a creek access constructed by Eckerd’s Youth Foundation that once leased the property from the Boy Scouts.

Army Corps of Engineers officials from the Wilmington District are asking for comments on a proposed public boat launch facility on Bogue Sound in western Carteret County.

The proposed boat launch is to be built on a 67-acre parcel set well off N.C. Highway 24 in the Ocean community of Newport, between Goose Creek and Sanders Creek.

Plans for the proposed facility, which are available online along with the public notice, include six ramps, a transient floating dock, 159-space boat trailer parking lot and an access channel to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

The applicant, Carteret County, said that the new access is to provide access to Bogue Sound for boaters and vacationers to the area, as well as alleviate pressures at other boat ramps. Carteret County, the North Carolina Coastal Federation and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission are working together on the project.

The proposed project will require new dredging within coastal wetlands, waters and submerged aquatic vegetation, and upland excavation at the site.

The proposed project includes living shorelines installation on the property and south of the proposed boat ramp facility to offset the loss of about eight-tenths of an acre of submerged aquatic vegetation and habitat.

The Coastal Federation is in the process of designing its new Center for Coastal Protection and Restoration to be built on 10 acres neighboring the proposed public boat ramp facility. There will also be a hiking trial connecting Bogue Sound to the Croatan National Forest on the property as well.

Comments must be submitted by 5 p.m. Aug. 26 to Liz Hair, Wilmington Regulatory Field Office, 69 Darlington Ave., Wilmington, NC 28403, or to sarah.e.hair@usace.army.mil, or to WilmingtonNCREG@usace.army.mil.

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is accepting proposals for the Boating Infrastructure Grant, or BIG, Program for the coming federal fiscal year.

The 2024 request for proposals is for a grant program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that reimburses up to 75% of costs for projects to build, renovate or maintain tie-up facilities and related amenities for recreational transient vessels that are at least 26 feet long. The deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17.

The grant program was authorized by Congress in 1998 and is funded by excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel.

The division serves as the liaison between projects in North Carolina and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the BIG Program. Proposals must be submitted to the division to be considered.

Some examples of potentially eligible activities include transient slips, mooring buoys, day-docks, floating and fixed piers and breakwaters, dinghy docks, restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, retaining walls, bulkheads, dockside utilities (water, electric, telephone, Internet), sewage pump-out stations, recycling and trash receptacles, navigational aids and marine fueling stations. Applicants must have or intend to construct dedicated dockage for transient vessels to receive funding for these eligible activities.

BIG funds are awarded each year. Grants are available on a two-tiered basis. For Tier 1 – State grants, all states may receive up to $300,000 per grant cycle as long as proposals meet the program’s guidelines. Tier 2 – National grants are reserved for large-scale, more expensive undertakings and are awarded on a nationwide competitive basis. For this funding opportunity, applicants may apply for up to $300,000 under Tier 1 and up to $1.5 million under Tier 2.

For information about grant availability, project eligibility, and proposal development, visit the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Website, N.C. Boating Infrastructure Grant Program, or contact Vicky Pohoresky, federal aid coordinator for the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, at 252-808-8016, or Vicky.Pohoresky@deq.nc.gov.

Three trail improvement projects in eastern North Carolina have been awarded about $260,000 in grants through the state’s Recreational Trails Program.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced Thursday the 17 statewide awards totaling $1.6 million for new trail construction, river access, boardwalk extension, trail rehabilitation, surface enhancement, and expansion.  

“Trails promote healthy living, improve quality of life, and boost the economy,” said Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary D. Reid Wilson. “As we celebrate 2023 as the Year of the Trail in North Carolina, it’s wonderful to see projects funded from Cape Carteret to Asheville that will serve residents and visitors whether they enjoy hiking, climbing, paddling, mountain biking, or all of the above.”

The North Carolina Coastal Federation has been awarded $62,283 to build wooden walkways on the hiking trail at its new facility, the Center for Coastal Protection and Restoration, a representative said. The center will be constructed on a 77-acre site between N.C. 24 and Bogue Sound in Carteret County, along with a county park and boat ramp. The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

The town of Cape Carteret was awarded $100,000 to construct a section of its multi-use trail. The existing multi-use trail is around 2.4 miles along N.C. 58, N.C. 24, and Taylor Notion Road. Once complete, the trail is expected to be about a 3.5-mile loop in the center of town.

Cape Carteret Town Manager Frank Rush told Coastal Review that the town is pleased to be awarded the grant, and appreciates the support from the Recreational Trails program.

The grant, he explained in an email, will be used to finish a segment along Taylor Notion Road, and to augment other funds in completing the final milelong segment along Taylor Notion Road and N.C. 58 later this summer and fall.

The U.S. Forest Service has been awarded $99,968 for surfacing enhancement for the more than 20-mile Neusiok Trail through Croatan National Forest. Towns near the trail are Havelock, Newport, Morehead City and Beaufort.

The N.C. Trails Committee also awarded funds to larger projects in the western part of the state, and smaller safety and education grants were awarded to nonprofit organizations such as the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and Latinos Aventureros for trail maintenance and outdoor training. A full list of recipients can be found on the website.

The Recreational Trails Program is administered by the Division of Parks and Recreation’s State Trails Program, a part of DNCR. It is a federal grant program using Department of Transportation funds designed to help states provide and maintain recreational trails for both motorized and non-motorized recreational trail use.

I find great peace in the ever-changing place called the salt marsh.

The tides come and go. Marsh grass is sometimes fluorescent green, other times it’s devoid of color. At times the water appears crystal clear and at others it’s murky. The marsh, or tidal creek appears different as the light changes, fog rolls in or out. Sunrises or sunsets, moonrises or sets, I find solitude in the salt marsh.

There are hundreds of acres of marsh that I paddle on a stand-up paddleboard, an SUP for short. There is little to no sound from my craft that tops out at around 3 mph and is propelled by my single-blade paddle.

The vantage point of just over 6 feet above the water is where I observe some creatures that are just visitors and others that call the salt marsh their home. Some are there to breed, others to feed. I’m just passing through their habitat as an observer, sometimes with a camera to document and preserve the memories of my paddle.

The marsh is a place where I can observe Kooks to my right, Pogues to my left and I’m right in the middle just doing my own thing.

My children grew up there, I refuse to get old there. My children Alyson and Travis grew up on Pages Creek in northern New Hanover County just outside of the Wilmington city limits. They both were greatly influenced by the marsh and they both developed a respect and appreciation for the water.

My son was so moved by this natural environment that he became a marine biologist and is now teaching and doing research for the next generation so they can help preserve our precious resources.

My daughter lives near a beach on the West Coast. She loves to swim in the ocean when it rarely reaches a comfortable temperature, explores tide pools, runs along the coast and will take in a sunset whenever possible.

On my marsh excursions I have seen otters, sea turtle, dolphin, stingray, shark, terrapin, various jellyfish, bald eagle, osprey, deer, owl, tree frogs, heron, egret, migratory birds, spiders, snakes, a multitude of different fish, spitting oysters and a watercraft or two — or more – on which humans are normally speeding by on their way to somewhere else.

I first started paddling the marsh just over 25 years ago. My mode of transportation in the early years was a sea kayak. I’m also a surfer, so when stand-up paddleboards made their way to Wilmington, I was game for trying it.

The first SUPs were basically just large surfboards. I started out with one of this style board and throughout the years moved up to a displacement hull, which is much more efficient then the early basic SUPs. I can paddle much farther and more efficiently, effectively adding much more mileage to my trips.

My longest rigorous paddle was a 12-mile venture just to challenge myself on a really long paddle. My go-to routes are in the 6- to 8-mile range, which is a relaxing outing for me now.

I enjoy bringing first-time paddlers out into the water. I always paddle at their pace (as long as it’s not faster than I can paddle) so they can relax and not worry about overexerting themselves.

One first-timer was Edwin Toone, who is from Spain and in great shape. He did 6 miles his first time out. We were both treated to seeing a sea horse that day, about an inch in length, swimming in Banks Channel at Wrightsville Beach.

A unique experience was when I discovered a colony of bonnethead sharks behind Masonboro Island. It was a fun summer as I could paddle to my secret spot and normally see the smallest member of the hammerhead shark family within a few minutes.

The sharks spend winters several thousand miles south of here and migrate back every year for breeding and rearing their young.

Another time I was able to paddle with a 2-foot sea turtle pretty deep into the marsh and ran across an otter that wanted nothing to do with me, but it was a treat to see.

Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols writes in his book, “Blue Mind,” that we humans benefit from spending time in, on under and near water. He writes that “the water experience can make you happier, healthier, more connected, and better at what you do.”

I know that when I spend time surfing or paddling I come back to dry land with a much calmer feeling. It’s somewhat similar to the runners high I used to get by putting in a solid run, that is before my knees decided they did not appreciate the pounding from the sport.

The book states that “Blue Mind, a mildly meditative state characterized by calm, peacefulness, unity, and a sense of general happiness and satisfaction with life in the moment.”

It also mentions that, “We know instinctively that being by water makes us healthier, happier, reduces stress, and brings us peace.” I completely agree.

The most exotic sea creature I have seen so far was a spotted eagle sting ray. It looks as though it could have just swam in from tropical waters. At about 4 1/2 feet of wingspan, it was a good-sized ray.

While I have found great solitude in the marsh, my new favorite paddle is with my girlfriend, Cara Bloom. We create our own Sunday brunch by packing some fruit and sandwiches along with a few towels to spread out on the sand. We’ll paddle to our own private beach and let the birds sing us a serenade and provide an airshow. It’s a much better way to brunch than any I’ve ever experienced.

This winter was the first time I went oystering on my board. I could paddle in to waters too shallow for most boats so early season bore plentiful large salty oysters. I would load up a 5-gallon bucket with approximately a half-bushel of the tasty bivalve mollusks to later eat raw or steamed the same day I harvested them, so the flavor was magnificent.

While I have never heard crawdads sing out in my salt marsh, the paddle never gets old.

Swimmers and surfers are on notice, potentially polluted rainwater from Oak Island streets and neighborhoods is being pumped to the ocean.

State recreational water quality officials announced the advisory late Friday, noting that beachgoers should be aware and surfers and swimmers should avoid the outfall site.

Officials with the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program said the stormwater was being pumped to minimize flood damage and to ensure roads are accessible by emergency vehicles. The town said the floodwater was being pumped to an ocean outfall near Crowell Street.

Pollutants can include waste from wildlife and pets, oil and gasoline from parking lots and waste from septic systems or sewers, officials said.

But officials also noted that the notice is no guarantee disease-causing organisms are in the water. They said the advisory is to caution beachgoers of an increased risk of contamination that can cause adverse health effects.

Town officials are to place signs at the discharge site and remove the signs 24 hours after the pumping stops. State officials said they would notify the public after the signs are removed.

Officials with the state Recreational Water Quality Program sample 215 sites throughout the coastal region, most of them on a weekly basis, from April to October. Testing continues on a reduced schedule during the rest of the year, when the waters are colder.

For more information on the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program or to a view a map of testing sites, visit the program’s website, and follow the program’s Twitter feed.

A statewide effort to offer low-cost kayaking instruction will take place Saturday, May 20, at several North Carolina state parks, including a three on the coast.

The state park system, North Carolina chapter of the American Canoe Association, or ACA, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary are offering “Kayaking 101” as part of National Safe Boating Week, which begins the same day.

Classes offered by the ACA will cost $15 per person for the day, a discount of over $35. Register at https://tinyurl.com/Kayaking-101-NC. In-person spaces are limited to 15. A free online class is also available but in-person training with a certified instructor is strongly encouraged.

Division of Parks and Recreation Interim Director Brian Strong said they love providing opportunities to paddle for our residents and visitors to North Carolina.

“Paddling comes with some of the greatest responsibility for visitors,” he said. “Being educated and prepared improves safety not only for paddlers but also for emergency personnel.”

Participating state parks are the following:

• Jockey’s Ridge State Park
• Hammocks Beach State Park
• Carolina Beach State Park
• Morrow Mountain State Park
• Hanging Rock State Park
• Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
• Lake Norman State Park
• Falls Lake State Recreational Area
• Lake James State Park
• Jordan Lake State Recreational Area

All instructors are volunteers who are nationally certified to provide paddling and rescue training. Each park’s event will be limited to 15 participants. Participants can either bring their own kayak or indicate at registration that they would like to borrow a kayak, paddle and life jacket at no additional cost.

“The volunteer instructors are excited to help out again this year to bring new paddlers into our sport,” said ACA Southeastern Chair Andrea White. ”Just one day of training can make the difference between setting yourself up for a bad experience that ruins the sport for you versus setting yourself up for a whole lifetime of paddling fun, enjoying our amazing waterways.”

These classes are made available by certified instructor volunteers and safety boaters from multiple organizations and businesses. Equipment and financial support were donated by other sponsors. All partners and sponsors have helped to make this event possible with one goal in mind: to help educate paddlers statewide who enjoy North Carolina waterways and paddlesports.

The ACA is the national accrediting body for paddle sports education.

Contact William Holman with ACA North Carolina at 910-578-392 for more information.

There’s a new trail to hike in North Carolina, appropriate for a state where legislation was passed making 2023 the Year of the Trail.

The 50-mile Jockey’s Trail does not (yet) have the panache or cachet of the more well-known Mountains-to-Sea Trail or perhaps the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. It is fashioned much like the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, with a combination of forest trails, roadways and some beach hiking, but this new trail is different.

It begins at the entrance of Jockey’s Ridge State Park, which is also the eastern terminus of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and heads due north to a 19th-century boundary marker at the border of North Carolina and Virginia, the unincorporated community of Carova.

But perhaps what is most unique about this new trail is how it came to be. The Jockey’s Trail was not the work of a committee or group of like-minded hikers. It was just Luke Halton and his vision of a through-trail from Nags Head to Carova.

Halton grew up in a Marine Corps family stationed in North Carolina. He graduated from Catawba College in Salisbury in 2001 with a degree in information systems. It was at Catawba that a focus of the school’s program stuck with him.

“One of their their major efforts for all their students — they actively promoted lifelong learning,” he said. “That is something that has stayed with me.”

The idea for the trail originated from more than one experience Halton had over the past few years. The COVID-19 pandemic, he readily offered, played an important role, although, he also noted, he was just ready for a change – and to take a hike.

“For me with COVID, I just wanted to be outside. I didn’t want to be locked down. And I just started the Mountains-to-Sea Trail,” he recently told Coastal Review. “I was just going to do a week or two, but I just kept going.”

He found that, much like for other through-hikers, the trek was just one part of a larger experience.

“Somebody doing a through-hike, a lot of times, is looking for a change of lifestyle or an escape or a restart. And that was kind of the same thing for me,” he said.

Then he got a message from a friend who was getting married in Spain. Halton was still on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, but, “There was no way I was going to miss the wedding.”

In a twist of fate, pandemic travel restrictions created time for Halton to explore the trails of Europe.

“That was absolutely awesome,” he said.

When he left for his friend’s Madrid wedding, he could not fly directly to Spain. He could, however, fly to Ireland, spend a month there, and then continue on to the wedding. And there in Ireland, he encountered a remarkable trail system.

“In Ireland, there’s hundreds, if not thousands, of trails. They’re known for being hillwalkers,” he said.

His hiking took him across the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin to trails that crossed the island to the Atlantic.

In Spain, there was the wedding and then more hiking, this time on the Camino de Santiago, a group of trails that radiates out like the spokes of a bike wheel, covering almost the entirety of the Iberian Peninsula.

What was particularly compelling, Halton said, was the communal nature of sharing the experience of the trail — having a place to stay every night and reflecting with other hikers what their day was like.

“Just meeting all these people staying at the same place every night. Maybe seeing some again, maybe not. That was an unbelievable experience,” he said.

When he returned from Europe he finished the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, got to Jockey’s Ridge State Park and decided to move to the Outer Banks because he felt there was unfinished business.

“I came out here (to the Outer Banks) because I was curious about why the Mountains-to-Sea Trail didn’t go all the way from Jockey’s Ridge to the Virginia border. That’s pretty much it,” he said.

There were some important lessons from the European experience that Halton brought back with him. One, that there is a communal feeling among long-distance hikers and through-hikers, Halton observed, something he described as, “a real hiker community.”

That community is on full display on a cold morning in early March as a dozen or so women of the OBX Women’s Adventure Club and Halton gather at one of the Nags Head Woods trails. They are there to support club member Stephanie Anderson who is doing a final warmup hike before taking on a through-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

“I can’t remember how or why we messaged each other,” Halton said. “But as soon as we started communicating, we automatically connected because she’s doing the Appalachian Trail.”

Some of what he learned in Europe, though, is difficult to apply to the Outer Banks. For example, the concept of a hostel or common meeting place at the end of each day’s hike does not exist along the Jockey’s Trail. Although, Halton pointed out in his discussions that there is still work to be done on lodging for the hike.

One important lesson he learned and has applied is to keep each day’s distance manageable.

“All the mileage is under 16 miles,” he said. “That 16-to-20-mile range, that’s when you start getting blisters and fatigue. You want to enjoy this; you want to take your time and be able to stop because there is going to be so much to see.”

An online aerial video of the trail uses Google Earth to show the route and some of the highlights, including some of the most iconic Outer Banks landmarks.

The trail includes a hike past the Wright Brothers National Memorial. The second day includes an easy trek through the Audubon Pine Island Sanctuary. The third day ends at the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla. And along the way, there is a scenic segment through Nags Head Woods.

The most difficult stretch is probably the 13 miles from the Currituck Beach Lighthouse to the state line boundary marker. That stretch also includes a considerable amount of beach hiking along the way to Carova. But that is also the realm of the Corolla wild horses, giving hikers a popular wildlife attraction to look forward to.

For Halton, who founded The OBX Way, a nonprofit that made it easier for him to place signs for the route and work with state and local governments, the Jockey’s Trail represents numerous ways to enjoy the coastal outdoors.

The trail can double as a bike route, although the last 11 miles on the Carova beach requires fat tires. It is also a trail that allows hiking at any pace.

Someone asked Halton early in the process of creating the trail about the record time for hiking it, and since to the best of his knowledge, he had been the only one to have completed it, he pointed out his four days were both the fastest and slowest times.

Most importantly, though, Halton sees the Jockey’s Trail as a way for hikers to experience some of the joys of being on a trail for few days without having to lug a 30- or 40-pound pack and everything that goes with it.

“If somebody has dreamed of doing a through-hike, but just never had a month or so to get away for days, (the Jockey’s Trail) gives you a real taste of what a through-hike is like without excessive logistic challenge,” he said.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is opening wild turkey youth hunting season April 1 to 7, followed by the statewide season April 8 to May 6, officials announced Tuesday.

Hunters are limited to two turkeys for the season. Only one may be taken during the youth season.

Hunting licenses can be purchased on the agency’s website, and hunter education courses are available across the state and online. All hunters must report their turkey harvest on a Big Game Harvest Report Card.

In the 2022 wild turkey season hunters statewide recorded 20,576 birds harvested, including 1,777 birds that were taken during youth season, according to Chris Kreh, assistant chief of the commission’s wildlife management division.

Though the total falls short of the past two years’ record-breaking totals, it remains strong compared to totals prior to 2020. North Carolina’s wild turkey population remains robust despite the increase in hunting pressure and harvest over the past few years, Kreh continued.

“Our agency has safeguards in place to ensure that overharvest does not occur,” Kreh said. “Five weeks of hunting is conservative compared to most states, and hunters must comply with a two-bird limit and may only take male or bearded birds.”

Timing of the state’s harvest season is strategic, Kreh explained.

“The season dates offer considerable opportunity for breeding before males are harvested. Hens are able to nest and raise poults as they always do.”

The youth season is open to anyone under the age of 18, and hunters aged 16-17 must have hunting licenses. Youth younger than 16 are exempt from license requirements, provided they are accompanied by a licensed adult who is at least 18 years old. Youth who have licenses or a hunter education card may hunt without adult supervision.

Anyone who witnesses suspicious activity such as poaching or baiting may be eligible to receive a reward of up to $1,000 by reporting information that leads to a conviction to the Turn-In-Poachers program. For information on eligible violations and to learn how to submit a tip, visit ncwildlife.org/WildTip.

For information about turkey hunting, including hunter safety and where to hunt, visit ncwildlife.org.

A little more than $1.7 million will go to four coastal local governments for parks facilities for children and veterans living with disabilities.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced Friday that the Parks and Recreation Authority granted $9.6 million for 21 total projects statewide during a March 3 meeting.

The 2021 state budget included $10 million for the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to provide matching grants to local governments. Grants of $500,000 were awarded to 12 towns and counties, and grants ranging from $171,313 to $470,000 were awarded to 11 local government projects.

Bertie County was awarded $500,000 for an outdoor education and event space project, called a Tall Glass of Water, or TGOW, will offer open access to the water, hiking and camping. Accessible components include an ADA-accessible ramp, beach mats for improved navigation onto the beach and an accessible walkway from the parking area to the beach.

Also on the coast, Arapahoe was awarded $274,960 for Arapahoe Community Park, Jacksonville was awarded $500,000 for an inclusive and accessible baseball field at the Commons Recreation Complex called Inspiration Field, town documents state, and Wilmington was awarded $470, 044 for Maides Park inclusive playground, at 1101 Manly Ave.

“These projects touch communities from Watauga to Wake to Pamlico with lasting, accessible infrastructure for recreation that will bring improved health and quality of life for North Carolina families,” Cooper said in a statement. “The focus of accessibility reflects our need for — and commitment to — investing in projects that reflect the needs and abilities of all of our residents and visitors.”

Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary D. Reid Wilson said because the governor and General Assembly included historic funding levels in the budget for the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, “we are able to provide these grants to every corner of our state to improve accessibility in community recreation. These grants will produce significant progress toward providing recreation that meets each North Carolinian where they are.”

The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund is administered through the state Division of Parks and Recreation, which is part of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Local governments, including some public authorities, were eligible to apply for the matching grants.

It’s getting to be the time of year when people start thinking about getting their boats out. I’m not talking about the diehards who fish all winter no matter what. I’m talking about normal people like you and me. People who may have used their boats sparingly since November, or not at all. We need to get our boats ready for the upcoming spring.

In order to make that a fun and exciting time, instead of getting towed back to the boat ramp and paying for big repair bills, let’s take some time and do some work now. Avoiding big repair bills is a major part of my life. The work we do now will hopefully help to avoid big expenses later. We are going to focus here on trailerable boats, because that has been my experience.

In my nearly 30 years of boat ownership, the number one thing that has been the most problematic has been trailers. Turns out that dipping a metal contraption with moving parts into saltwater time after time is not conducive to long life. Who knew? Fortunately, there are some things we can do to help.

The main thing on trailers that requires time is the bearings on the wheels.  If you don’t have Bearing Buddies or a similar product then you should get them. They are devices that attach to the outermost part of the hub and provide an easy way to get grease packed inside the bearings and the hub. Aside from that, they provide a small amount of outward pressure that helps to prevent water intrusion. Saltwater and metal moving parts are not a healthy combination.

Check your trailer leaf springs. All the little clips should be whole. When those clips start to go, the springs need to be replaced. It’s not that difficult to do. Make sure you have the correct length. Your local marine hardware place should have them. You’ll most likely need a grinder to get everything off. Replace all the hardware. I have also gone to a local tire shop and asked them if they would do the work for me if I bought the parts. Worked for me. Worth asking. The same shop has also replaced hubs for me. Good to know guys like that.

Check the axle. Shouldn’t be any holes or anything. An axle breaking while driving down the road is inconvenient.

Next check your winch. Make sure the teeth engage on the locking mechanism and the strap is sound. Straps usually break right around the hook. Don’t ask me how I know.

Let’s look at the hull. How does the bottom look? Does it need to be refinished? Is the gelcoat dull or even chipped? Getting the entire hull redone is a job best left to the pros. There are a bunch of people doing this work. If, by the time you read this, you determine you will need this done. It may already be too late. They’ll be backed up. You may want to make plans for next season. However, you can do touch up stuff. It’s possible to crawl under and apply a clearcoat to bad scratches. There are epoxy-based hull paints that work really well. I have flipped my small skiff over and redone the whole bottom with a paint called Gator Glide. I needed to remove the engine and poling tower and then it took three big guys to flip it. Anything larger I wouldn’t recommend doing it yourself.

Clean up all your vinyl. Make sure all cleats and eyes are sound. Should be good.

The engine is the last thing. There are certain items that need to be taken care of every spring.

First change the spark plugs. Do not skimp. If it says to get the expensive Japanese plugs then get them. Change the lower unit oil. If you don’t have one, get the kit from the boat supply place. It pumps the oil in under pressure and makes sure you have the right amount. You put that red Sta-Bil gas preservative stuff in the tank back in November, didn’t you? Of course, you did. If not, then put some in right now. I use the Star Tron fuel stabilizer additive every time I fill up too. There are plenty of brands out there. Pick one and stick to it.

I will usually take the time to clean the carburetor on my older engine. A fuel injector cleaner additive like Lucas is not a bad idea for newer motors. You are going to want to change out your fuel filters now too.

Check the water pump assembly. Hook the engine up to a hose and turn it on. Water should come out of the hole in a strong stream. If not, check the outlet with a piece of heavy strength monofilament fishing line. If that doesn’t do it, you might need to change the water pump. Worth getting done. You can do it yourself but if you don’t feel comfortable, now’s the time to get it done at your mechanic shop.

For your first shakedown cruise of the year, plan to stick close by and it’s good to have a friend in another boat nearby, particularly if you have not been out in a long time. But if you’ve done all the little jobs listed here it should be OK. If you don’t live near the coast, go to a lake, or someplace where you can take it out, do a few short runs at medium speed — out and then back again. If all goes well, let it loose. It’ll feel good to have the wind in your face again.

Finally, a primer on launching and recovering at a boat ramp. First, have all your preparations done well in advance of actually entering the launch area. Get all your lines set up. Make sure the plug is in. Put all the gear in where it needs to go. Do not block the ramp.

Now pull your vehicle as close to the ramp as you can then turn the wheel, so you are pulling straight away from there, or as nearly so as possible. Some ramps you might need to back down from quite a ways away.

Some folks can back a boat using their rearview mirrors. Others might find that challenging. Nevertheless, the point is the same. Put your hand at 6 o’clock on the steering wheel. Whatever way you move your hand from there, that is the way the rear of the trailer will go. Small movements are key and the right answer is always to go slower rather than faster. It’s good to become proficient at this before you even get to a boat ramp. Practice in the same place you learned how to drive as a teen, the high school parking lot. When you can back your boat in between two cones every time, then you are ready for the ramp. 

When recovering, after you get the boat on the trailer, hook up the safety chain before pulling forward. I’ve seen straps break and boats come off on the ramp. Pull forward until you are completely away from the ramp area. Do not block the ramp. This is the main thing that causes issues between people at busy times.

One last thing, if it is a low-light situation and your headlights come on automatically, turn them off when on the ramp. They’ll be shining right in the eyes of anybody who is waiting to go next.

The season is coming. Get your boat ready. Get your boat ramp skills up to par.

Have a great spring!

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A rainbow appears in the spray of a breaking wave Jan. 26 off Hatteras Island, near Buxton. West winds blow the spray offshore behind the wave, and the water droplets scatter the sunlight, allowing surfers and onlookers to see the full visible spectrum of color from certain angles.

Guided hikes, dinner and a reception and other activities are planned for the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail annual meeting and Gathering of Friends, April 28-30.

This year the nonprofit is hosting its annual meeting in the Triangle with planned opportunities to explore what Durham, Orange and Wake counties have to offer.

Registration is open.

The event kicks off with a full day of guided hikes for everyone and kiosk building for Task Force Leaders, followed by excursions, meetings and celebrations through the weekend. The group is partnering with the Department of Recreation and Wellness at North Carolina Central University in hosting this year’s meeting.

Hikes, excursions and trail workdays are planned across Durham, Orange and Wake counties.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail is a footpath stretching almost 1,200 miles across North Carolina from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks.

The annual meeting is where the Friends membership gathers together to learn about the trail, spend time with each other and celebrate the trail community. While this is a membership-based event, all with an interest in the trail are welcome to join and attend.

For more information and to register, visit the Friends’ website.

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Low tide exposes clusters of oysters clinging to the piles supporting the Morehead City-Beaufort high-rise bridge over the Newport River and near the Radio Island Fishing Pier. Photo: Dylan Ray

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A yellow-bellied sapsucker forages on a rose bush Wednesday near Russell Creek north of Beaufort in Carteret County. Photo: Dylan Ray

Reprinted from Carteret County News-Times

CAPE CARTERET — Cape Carteret commissioners Monday night voted 5-0 to authorize Town Manager Frank Rush to apply for a $100,000 grant application from the North Carolina Recreational Trails Grant Program to build the remaining 1.2-mile segment of the Cape Carteret Trail.

The vote came during the board’s monthly meeting in the town hall on Dolphin Street.

“The N.C. Recreational Trails Grant Program expects to award a total of $1.5 million later this spring, and the maximum grant award is $100,000,” Rush told the board. “I have had extensive conversations with state staff about the potential grant application, and I believe the town has a reasonably good chance of being awarded grant funds for the remaining segment.

Rush said the grant would augment $408,000 the town already has in hand for completion of the asphalt and concrete trail along the triangle formed by N.C. 24, N.C. 58 and Taylor Notion Road.

These funds are from a state Capital Infrastructure Grant, nearly $350,000 remaining from the $500,000, and town funds derived from fundraising and donations, totaling about $60,000.

“A conservative estimate of the construction cost for the remaining segment is approximately $500,000, and I am hopeful the town can fully complete the remaining segment along Taylor Notion Road from Ardan Oaks Drive to N.C. 58, and along N.C. 58 from Taylor Notion Road to MacDaddy’s, for this amount or some lesser amount,” Rush said.

The remaining segments would be constructed to the same specifications as the existing 2.3 miles on N.C. 58, N.C. 24 and Taylor Notion Road and would be located along the edge of North Carolina Department of Transportation right of way on Taylor Notion Road and N.C. 58.

Rush said the path, at this point, would extend all the way to the “point” of Taylor Notion Road and N.C. 58, just beyond Star Hill Drive, but he is investigating the potential acquisition of a vacant parcel just south of the ‘”point” that would reduce the length of the new segment by about 0.2 of a mile.

If the town is able to acquire this parcel, the new multi-use path would likely traverse the southern boundary of this property across from Hickory Hills Road, with the remainder of the property available for other town uses in the future. Rush said he expects to present a recommendation on the ultimate route for the multiuse path and potential property acquisition to the board once the design phase is complete this spring.

He said he hopes to go out for construction bids by early summer, with construction occurring this summer and early fall.

“I am anxious to complete the full loop around the triangle this year and focus the town’s efforts on other beneficial improvements in the future,” he said.

After the meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Steve Martin said he is thrilled the end might finally in sight for the long trail project.

Commissioners approved the project unanimously in February 2015 with the goal of finishing by 2018. It was supposed to be funded by grants and donations, but donations dried up and grants were small until the state legislature approved the aforementioned $500,000 grant allocation in the 2021-22 budget, thanks to efforts by state Rep. Pat McElraft, R-Carteret, of Emerald Isle.

Martin said when he first came on the board, he wanted nothing to do with the project, then as time went by saw the lack of completion as an embarrassment and became an advocate for finishing it as soon as possible.

“I think the end is finally near,” he said. “Frank Rush came on board (in July 2022), and he has gone above and beyond” to complete the project.

The trail, similar to one built along N.C. 58 and other main roads in Emerald Isle, while Rush was manager there, is supposed to be a triangular loop for walkers, runners and bicyclists, linking high-visitation sites, such as the Western Carteret Public Library, White Oak Elementary School, the Carteret Crossing Shopping Center and MacDaddy’s Entertainment Center.

But Martin said Tuesday the long and winding saga of the Cape Carteret Trail should serve as a cautionary warning for future Cape Carteret boards of commissioners.

“Don’t start anything until you can see the finish line,” he said.

In other business, the board went into closed session at the end of the regular meeting to discuss potential land acquisition but took no action after returning to open session briefly before adjourning.

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

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Two unidentified people paddle a dinghy into the cut near Sugarloaf Island from the Morehead City waterfront on a recent foggy morning in Carteret County. Photo: Dylan Ray

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A beach walker heads west along Bogue Banks near the dune line at Fort Macon State Park in Carteret County. Photo: Dylan Ray

The more than 200 glossy-paged Croatan Regional Bicycle and Trails Plan sits among a stack of other bike and trail plans on a shelf in Becca Eversole’s office.

The plan is one Eversole, director of the Down East Rural Planning Organization, describes as ambitious, filled with page after page of suggestions for creating a continuous bike path through the Croatan National Forest that connects to local paths in Carteret, Craven, Jones, Onslow and Pamlico counties.

The plan calls for everything from multiuse trails to dedicated bicycle paths to creating bike-accessible roads by widening shoulders.

“It was very well done. It’s a very technically dense plan. It has a lot of good information on potential bike and pedestrian improvements,” Eversole said.

What’s good on paper has well, for the most part, stayed on paper. Nearly 10 years have passed since the plan was published in 2014.

“That is unfortunately the reality of the situation,” Eversole said.

The state Department of Transportation tends to fund bicycle and pedestrian projects that are associated with roadway projects, so funding for projects proposed in those like the Croatan regional plan are largely covered by local governments, where the vocal support tends to outweigh financial backing. There’s also the matter of political will.

“I would say in general when it comes to our local governments, they certainly support improving bike and pedestrian access in theory, but sometimes the money’s not there. Sometimes other priorities take precedent over improving bike and pedestrian facilities,” Eversole said.

Much of the Croatan Regional Bicycle and Trails Plan’s proposals fall within the boundaries of Carteret County, where there is a strong advocacy group for improving the bicycle network.

Alex McCrary, is a board member of Coastal Bike Impact, a group that aims to expand the number of safe bicycle routes for transportation, recreation and sport in Carteret and surrounding counties.

McCrary said in an email responding to questions that the group does not believe the status of the Croatan Regional Bicycle and Trails Plan “necessarily reflects a lack of priority, political will, or funding issues.”

There are other elements of bicycle and pedestrian plans that are being implemented in the county, he said.

“Realizing a regional bicycle and pedestrian plan is a complex process where certain parts of a plan may be feasible and implemented, but other parts may face constraints such as inadequate rights of way, the need to relocated utilities, or competing needs with other stakeholders,” he said. “The important thing is that the creation of plan is a critical step in the process of actually building out a true multi-modal transportation system.”

The regional plan was created as a result of the East Coast Greenway, a biking and pedestrian route that stretches 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida, connecting 15 states and 450 cities.

“The good thing about the plan is that a lot of what was proposed in it overlaps the East Coast Greenway,” Eversole said.

Because of that, implementing portions of the regional plan may be more cost-effective, she said.

For example, the East Coast Greenway is routed along Arendell Street, Morehead City’s main drag and part of U.S. 70. Planners are looking at creating a route closer to Bogue Sound, a move that would get cyclists away from the busy thoroughfare and onto a more scenic trail.

“This is an improvement that we can make that could be more cost-effective,” Eversole said.

The Carteret County Board of Commissioners earlier this year chartered a bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee to help plan.

“There is no doubt that the creation of a safe, viable bicycle and pedestrian transportation network would provide important recreational, health, and economic benefits to Carteret County,” McCrary said. “Bicycle and pedestrian facilities provide a high quality of life for residents, an opportunity for improving overall population health outcomes, and a big draw for the tourism industry that the county depends on. As projected growth begins to impact the area, bicycle and pedestrian facilities will play an important role in mitigating the congestion associated with that growth.”

The Down East Rural Planning Organization is one of 18 rural planning organizations in North Carolina. These organizations were created to help more effectively spread transportation dollars to rural areas and engage residents of rural areas in the transportation planning process.

The Eastern Carolina Council is the lead planning agency for the Down East organization, which was created in 2002.

The Croatan regional plan includes proposals for trail corridors through the Croatan National Forest and include a preferred route and alignment with the state’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which stretches more than 1,100 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks.

Proposed projects include expansion and improvements along N.C. 24, U.S. 17 and U.S. 70 as well as N.C. 58 in Carteret and Jones counties, N.C. 101 in Craven and Carteret counties, N.C. 12 in Carteret County and N.C. 306 in Pamlico and Craven counties.

Eversole is currently working on proposals with local partners to further study routes in Carteret, Craven and Pamlico counties. She’s been going to local municipalities to talk about what locals would like in terms of cycling and walking trails.

“At least half of the conversation we have in these meetings is bike and pedestrian projects,” she said. “Those are the projects I want to hear about and those are the projects often I don’t. I feel like it’s been very beneficial for me and our organization.”

She said public meetings will be hosted in Carteret County throughout 2023 for the development of the county’s new comprehensive transportation plan. Residents interested in participating in those meetings may check out eccog.org for more information and online surveys, which will be posted sometime in the spring.

Dare County residents, property owners and visitors have access to a revamped online map to help discover what attractions and amenities are near their location.

The Dare County Geographical Information Systems Department announced Friday that its community map housed on the county website has undergone some updates, including moving all the recreational components previously listed in the community map to the newly launched recreation map.

The revamped community map allows users to access the location of nearby hospitals and healthcare facilities, town halls, administrative offices, police and fire departments, post offices, trash and recycling centers, libraries, meeting rooms and community centers, among others, officials said.

The updated community map also features information on hurricane evacuation routes, ferry schedules, how to contact government officials, and pay taxes and water bills.

The new recreational map allows anyone to enter their location in the county to find attractions and amenities, including area beach accesses and what is available there such as restrooms and lifeguard stations, as well as public boat launches, off-road vehicle ramps, fishing piers, playgrounds, dog parks, picnic areas and sports facilities, historical sites, museums and walking, hiking and paddling trails.

Municipalities and businesses operating within the hospitality and recreation industries able to embed individual links to a specific type of attraction or amenity such as lifeguard locations, beach accesses and trails on their websites.

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Pigeons take refuge from the wind Wednesday as an unidentified surfer cruises along the face of a wave at the Oceanana Fishing Pier on Bogue Banks in Carteret County. Photo: Dylan Ray

Work is tentatively set to begin next year on multiuse paths designed to make the three Outer Banks national parks safer for visitors.

The “Pathways to Your National Parks” is a project to install new, paved multiuse paths in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Outer Banks Forever, the official nonprofit partner of the three parks, and National Park Service Outer Banks Group announced the project Tuesday, which are to make the parks safer and better connected while honoring the history, culture, and coastal environment of the Outer Banks.

The first multiuse path to be developed will be to connect Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.   

“This is a really exciting project. This is something we’ve been talking about for many years, and we’re getting ready to kick it off,” David Hallac, superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, said in a statement. “Once we implement the multiuse path, we will dramatically improve the safety of our non-motorized travelers that are either biking, jogging, walking or hiking down the side of the road. They’ll be separated from the traffic; they’ll be on a nice, hard, safe surface, and they’ll be able to get down to the lighthouse without driving.” 

The new mile-long paved path will begin at the entrance to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at N.C. 12 and parallel Lighthouse Road, connecting the town of Buxton to Old Lighthouse Beach and the original site of the lighthouse, as well as to the current lighthouse grounds. A new trailhead and improved entrance signage will be added.

The total estimated cost for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Pathways is just over $2 million. The project is a public-private partnership supported by the National Park Service and individuals and businesses who donate through Outer Banks Forever. To date, just over 75% of the funds have been secured through a federal grant and fundraising efforts.

“Safer ways for people to explore our Outer Banks national parks are one of the most requested enhancements we hear about, so we are excited to help make this first pathway a reality,” said Jessica Barnes, director of Outer Banks Forever. “This project will strengthen connections to our public lands, make it safer to explore this important historical and cultural area and honor the history of our community.” 

Through December, Outer Banks Forever will continue fundraising for the project. Individual, family and business sponsor levels are available to those who want to support the pathway.

“We’ve seen how the pathways throughout Hatteras Island – whether they be in the Tri-Villages or in Hatteras and soon to be Frisco and Buxton – connected the communities immediately after those were unrolled,” said Trip Forman, co-founder of REAL Watersports and President of Outer Banks Forever’s Board of Directors. “We really can’t wait to see this path connecting the community of Buxton and basically the Outer Banks, giving people a safe way to get down to the lighthouse and the beaches in an enjoyable manner.”  

Planning and design contracts for the project were awarded in March. National Park Service officials will work with designers to finalize the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Pathway and master plan for the project.

The Outer Banks Group of the National Park Service offered earlier this year public scoping and comment periods to residents and visitors and completed the necessary environmental assessment, which was also made available for public comment.  

To learn more and how to support the project, visit www.obxforever.org/pathways or email Barnes at at JessicaBarnes@OBXForever.org. 

Reprinted from the Ocracoke Observer.

Negative ions caused by crashing water can elevate our feeling of well-being, and so, apparently, can walking in the woods.

A growing number of studies show that when people are exposed to negative ions — electrically charged particles that occur when air is under the influence of energy sources such as crashing waves or waterfalls — they feel better, owing to negative ions raising the brain’s serotonin (happy hormone) levels.

Apparently, forest trees can also impart beneficial substances.

According to an April 2021 New York Times article, in the 1980s, researchers in Nagano, Japan, found that the practice of spending time in forests lessens stress, boosts immunity and lowers blood pressure.

Subsequent studies showed that soaking up the forest environment reduces cortisol (the body’s primary stress hormone) and activates the parasympathetic (self-healing) nervous system.

According to some reports, breathing in phytoncides, the aromatic oils released by trees, can increase the number of the body’s natural killer cells (a type of white blood cell crucial to the immune system that can limit the spread of microbial infections and tumors).

So “forest bathing” has become a thing, especially in Japan, where it is called Shinrin–yoku and where nature therapy has ancient roots.

For a recent article on forest bathing, visit www.japanesegarden.org based in Portland, Oregon.

You don’t need to get naked, put on your swimsuit or get wet during a nature “bath” because you’re bathing in the energy and clean air while walking in the woods.

On Ocracoke, one can experience this along the mile-long Hammock Hills trail across from the National Park Service campground.

A refreshment if you will.

“That’s exactly how I feel,” said islander Barbara Adams, who visits the trail just about daily with her dog. “I’ve always loved walking in the forest. Hammock Hills is just so fresh.”

This trail was heavily damaged during Hurricane Dorian in September 2019 and the wooden enhancements — some bridges and the look-out platform at the Pamlico Sound — have not yet been repaired.

And they might not be replaced since the trail has been thrice flooded and damaged in hurricanes Matthew in 2016, Florence in 2018, and most recently Dorian.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent Dave Hallac said that his staff is taking a longer, open-minded look at the trail.

“It is, in fact, a hiking trail, and hiking trails get wet and flooded sometimes,” he said. “For some folks, that’ll be part of the experience and for others, it just might not be able to be used all the time.”

So, they’re looking for a less complex and less costly, long-term way to manage it, he said.

Nevertheless, the trail is open and available for breathing in the pine-scented atmosphere.

In the warm months, arm yourself with bug spray.

In the fall and winter, listen for the high pitched “yank-yank” call of the red-breasted nuthatch, a northern visitor that loves longleaf pine trees.

A ranger-guided, 60-minute nature walk on the half-mile trail will be held at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20. Attendees are encouraged to bring bug spray.

This story is provided courtesy of the Ocracoke Observer, a newspaper covering Ocracoke island. Coastal Review is partnering with the Ocracoke Observer to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast. 

More North Carolinians than ever are turning to outdoor recreation as a safe and healthy way to spend time with friends and family.

As the number of visitors increases on the state’s trail system, the trails may require more maintenance, a problem compounded by the effects of more frequent extreme weather. 

North Carolina State Parks reported 19.8 million visitors to its parks and recreation areas in 2020, 2 million more than in 2019, an increase likely associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, visitation grew even more with parks reporting 22.8 million visitors, 3 million more than any previous year on record.

Coastal region trails specialist for the North Carolina Trails Program Bob Taber explained how trails have become popular since COVID-19.

“Whether we’re talking about county parks, state parks, or federal parks, we are seeing a huge influx of people getting out and enjoying trails,” he said.  “And they took a huge hit as far as maintenance.”

COVID-19 is not the only factor influencing the management of North Carolina trail systems. Taber told Coastal Review, “A higher frequency of flooding and drought conditions will play a paramount role in trail maintenance.”

He explained that more extreme weather can cause issues such as trail tread erosion and washed-out boardwalks.

“Changing times means our trail designs need to adapt,” said Taber.

Development director of the North Carolina Conservation Corps Jan Pender said more trails will require intervention and attention as the frequency and severity of storms increases.

“You have so many more places where they’re getting washed out and need more severe intervention,” she said.

Trail design and maintenance

The 2021-22 state budget added $91 million for state and local parks along with trails and beach access. An additional $29 million was allocated for state trails projects. 

The Conservation Corps North Carolina partners with the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation and other land managers to create sustainable trail systems, while also engaging young people in conservation service projects.

Not only are organizations focused on building new trails, but also maintaining and redesigning old trails. Taber said that state parks are “essentially trying to better design some of our old trails to be more sustainable.”

When designing and managing a trail, many factors are considered, but Taber and Pender expressed the importance of water.

“The main problem with any trail is water. You’re trying to get runoff off the trail as quick as possible and trying to prevent it flowing down the trail tread. So, it’s all in the design,” said Taber.

“One of the big stressors is a lot of these trails are old and were not sustainably laid out,” said Pender. “If they weren’t laid out to be sustainable, you’re just fighting gravity and water erosion all the time.”

Northern NC Reserve trails

Erik Alnes, the Northern Sites manager for the North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve, said that location is the first consideration when building trails in Currituck Banks, Kitty Hawk Woods or Buxton Woods.

In an email response, Alnes explained, “This includes looking at the project area to avoid sensitive soils, plan trail paths on higher ground to avoid sensitive wetland areas, avoid steep slopes and highly erodible soils, and avoid areas where there are rare species and communities.”

“The wetland areas of the northern reserves are very fragile, and we have several rare species and communities that have been found on our sites. This includes globally rare maritime forest community types, as well as state and federally threatened plants,” Alnes continued.

Once the trail is constructed, Alnes explained that best management practices are utilized such as maintaining vegetation on the edge of trails along with keeping a layer of organic material on the trail beds to control erosion.

There are more than 25 miles of trail to be maintained at the Northern Sites, and Alnes added “Our trained volunteers are a huge help to keeping trails trimmed back.”

Reserve officials hope to perform a trail-use study in the fall for Kitty Hawk Woods that will likely be replicated in Currituck Banks and Buxton Woods. This type of study will help officials better understand trail usage in their areas and to improve future trail design and maintenance.

Visiting Trails

Whether hiking, biking, running, or horseback riding, eastern North Carolina trails have a lot to offer visitors throughout the year. There are 41 state parks in North Carolina with more than 580 miles of trails.

“We ask visitors to stay on the trails, use designated access points, and respect other users,” said Alnes.

“The increased traffic is a problem to the ecosystem that these trails are in because what happens is they erode, and people make social trails around them. Then they start trampling on fragile vegetation,” Pender said. “If a trail isn’t working for you, try not to go around that trail, but to stay on the trail. Because that’s where the ecosystem becomes threatened — people walking around that trail and creating trails in areas that are fragile.”

To learn more about what eastern North Carolina trails have to offer, visit NC State Parks or the NC Coastal Reserve sites.

Featured Image

A lone paddleboarder moves over the slick waters of Onslow Bay near the Bogue Inlet Pier in Emerald Isle. Photo: Dylan Ray

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials said Wednesday that swimmers should avoid certain Cape Hatteras National Seashore ocean swimming areas where septic system failures are possible as a result of a lingering coastal storm system.

Extreme high tides accompanying the low-pressure system that continued to affect the Outer Banks Wednesday may have inundated septic system drain fields or caused sewage line breaks at homes in certain areas, officials said. The public should avoid swimming in waters near exposed pipes and should be particularly cautious in the following areas:

• Rodanthe – ocean waters near Beacon Road, along GA Kohler Court, and near Ocean Drive.
• Buxton – ocean waters along Tower Circle.  

Officials said that while they do not have laboratory confirmation that disease-causing organisms are in the water, there is an increased chance that contamination is present in the areas identified and that those swimming have an increased chance of adverse health effects. Wastewater exposure can cause adverse health effects such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps and skin infections, the public is advised to avoid bodily contact with these waters.

Residents and visitors should avoid swimming in these waters until tidal conditions subside and bacteriological testing indicates sample results within state and Environmental Protection Agency’s standards. Testing will begin as soon as the area is accessible, state officials said, and test results will be announced as they become available.

Recreational water quality officials sample 215 sites throughout the coastal region, most of them on a weekly basis from April to October. Testing continues on a reduced schedule during the rest of the year, when waters are colder.

For more information on the Recreational Water Quality Program, which is part of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Marine Fisheries, or to a view a map of testing sites, visit the program’s website, and follow the program’s Twitter feed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Oregon Inlet Kayak Launch at the south end of the Oregon Inlet Marina on Bodie Island officially open Monday to the public following a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The nonprofit arm of the three Outer Banks national parks, Outer Banks Forever, helped fund what officials called the first designated kayak launch at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. TowneBank, Ocean Atlantic Rentals and Bass Pro Shops also supported the project.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday morning included comments from David Hallac, superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina; Trip Forman, co-founder of REAL Watersports and president of the Outer Banks Forever Board of Directors; and Jessica Barnes Green, director of Outer Banks Forever.  

“Our park staff and the community had the vision for this kayak launch in 2016 during the Centennial of the National Park Service and we are thankful that our nonprofit partner, Outer Banks Forever, could help us make this project a reality.” Hallac said.

Though there are several informal sites at Cape Hatteras National Seashore to launch nonmotorized watercraft, this is the first maintained, mobility friendly kayak launch promoted by the National Park Service in the Outer Banks, according to the nonprofit organization.

Improvements to the kayak launch site include a new loading zone, additional handicap and kayak trailer parking spaces, mobility friendly access mat, clean up of rubble and debris, and new educational signage.

“This kayak launch will encourage locals and visitors to explore the coastal environment and provide a safe way for nonmotorized water sport enthusiasts to experience the beautiful Pamlico Sound,” Green said.

Visitors and local businesses are already taking advantage of the improvements at the kayak launch, according to the organization.

“The new rubber launch mat and loading zone make my daily fly-fishing guide trips much simpler and efficient. I am also grateful for the extra-long parking spaces for my trailer. The improvements have brought organization and ease for myself and other local and visiting kayakers,” said Harry Meraklis with OBX on the Fly in a statement.

In addition to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Outer Banks Forever supports Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial.

MOREHEAD CITY — North Carolina would likely have to cut by more than half the number of coastal swimming beaches that it routinely tests for contamination if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency follows through with a plan to eliminate federal grants for the monitoring.

Citing the “difficult financial climate,” the EPA said in its budget request last week that it would do away with the $10 million in grants it gives each year to state and local agencies in coastal and Great Lakes states and U.S. territories to test for tainted water at swimming beaches.

“While beach monitoring continues to be important to protect human health and especially sensitive individuals,” the EPA said in an emailed statement published in the Los Angeles Times, “states and local governments now have the technical expertise and procedures to continue beach monitoring without federal support.”

But do they have the money to continue the programs at the same level?

North Carolina certainly doesn’t, noted J.D. Potts, who heads the monitoring program for the N.C. Shellfish Sanitation and Recreation Water Quality Section in Morehead City. The program is part of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.

“If these cuts go through, it will have a huge impact on our program,” he said.

The state routinely monitors popular swimming beaches for bacterial contamination.

The state has gotten about $300,000 a year from the EPA for the testing program, Potts said. To put that into some perspective, Florida and California typically get about $500,000 a year, the most of any state or U.S. territory. The yearly grant to North Carolina pays the entire salaries of three staff members, Potts explained, and portions of the salaries of three others. A quarter of Potts’ salary comes from the grant, which also buys equipment and lab supplies.

Started in 1996, the monitoring program tests for bacterial contamination at popular swimming areas along the coast and posts warning signs when bacteria levels exceed the standard considered safe for bodily contact. Swimming in polluted water exposes people to pathogens that can cause gastrointestinal illness, diarrhea, vomiting, skin rashes and ear, eye and staph infections.

As in other states, the N.C. program expanded after Congress passed the BEACH act in 2000. The law created the EPA grant program, which has paid $111 million to states and U.S territories for water-quality testing at swimming beaches. In the dozen years since the law was passed, the number of monitored beaches has more than tripled to more than 3,600 in 2010, the EPA announced last month.

Potts and his staff currently test 240 swimming areas in the ocean, sounds, bays and rivers. Dare County, with 57 sites; Carteret County, with 56; and Brunswick County with 39 have the most testing sites.

The 100 most popular swimming areas, which include all testing sites along the ocean and the most-used sites in the sounds and rivers, are tested weekly during the spring and summer. The other sites are tested at least twice a month. Testing is less frequent at all sites during other times of the year.

“If these cuts go through, we would be forced to cut back to doing the top 100 sites,” Potts said. “We may have to cut back on some of them as well.”

It’s unlikely that the N.C. General Assembly will increase state funding to make up for the cut, Potts said. “The money’s just not there,” he acknowledged.

EPA included the cut in its budget request. Already some states and environmental groups are pressing the agency to restore the money.

“I’m sure this budget will go through several iterations,” Potts said. “I’m hoping and praying it doesn’t end up like this. This is a public health program. If they want to save money, it seems they could cut other areas and not public health.”