Guest commentary: Ignoring the past guarantees a grim future for our coastal communities, as the fishermen of Rose Bay warned decades ago. Will we listen now, or once again pay the price for failing to protect our way of life?
wetlands
Carolina Beach State Park wetlands restoration in final year
A three-year partnership between park officials and the North Carolina Coastal Federation to replace invasive plants with native species is to include construction of an observation platform this year for visitors to learn about wetland habitats.
EPA targets remaining federal isolated wetlands protections
New Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency is pursuing a definition for the waters of the United States “that is simple, that is durable and it will withstand the test of time.”
Commission OKs proposed wetlands rule for public comment
The Environmental Management Commission voted during its meeting Thursday to take the next step in the rulemaking process to codify an amendment directed by a 2023 session law to align the state with the federal definition of wetlands.
Commission set to further curb state wetlands protections
The Environmental Management Commission is to consider Thursday moving to public comment with a proposed amendment to align the state’s definition of wetlands with the federal definition, which was narrowed by a May 2023 Supreme Court decision.
World Wetlands Day: Commemorate our coastal way of life
Editorial: Sunday, Feb. 2, is World Wetlands Day, and here in North Carolina these increasingly imperiled water bodies are integral to our quality of life and economy, making their protection vital.
Coastal Land Trust transfers new tract to Coastal Federation
The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust announced Wednesday that an additional 593 acres along the Newport River has been purchased from Weyerhaeuser Co. and transferred to North Carolina Coastal Federation for long-term management and restoration.
Online survey to help guide coastal management strategies
North Carolina Division of Coastal Management officials are in the process of determining priority areas for the 2026-2030 cycle of the Section 309 Assessment and Strategy, and are asking for public input.
Gateway to Down East
A maze of creeks cuts through the salt marshes north of the Commissioner Jonathan Robinson Bridge and the gateway to Down East Carteret County. Photo: Dylan Ray
Judge Boyle rejects preliminary injunction in wetlands case
District Court Judge Terrence Boyle last week denied Robert White’s motion for a preliminary injunction in the Pasquotank County man’s challenge to Clean Water Act enforcement against him.
Wildlife groups seek to intervene in Pasquotank man’s case
The National Wildlife Federation and the North Carolina Wildlife Federation say Robert White’s dispute with the EPA and the Corps of Engineers could result in further narrowing of wetland protections with devastating water quality and economic effects.
A million new acres: Cooper sets lofty conservation goals
Environmental advocates are calling the governor’s latest executive order to conserve and restore forests and wetlands and plant 1 million trees in urban areas “ambitious and important.”
EMC to hear recommendations on wetland rules action
The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission is set to hear recommendations Thursday on changes to the state’s wetland rules.
Brice’s Creek Nature Preserve to become nature park
The 172-acre Brice’s Creek Nature Preserve in New Bern the Coastal Land Trust transferred to Craven County this week is to become the county’s second public nature park.
Five years after Florence: A look back at resilience efforts
Guest commentary: The effects of Hurricane Florence in 2018 linger today, and though progress toward resilience has been made, the recent loss of wetland protections will come to bear after future storms.
Decades of water quality safeguards erased, advocates say
Groups that have for more than 40 years led the fight for clean water say the public may not be fully aware of the potentially devastating effects the latest federal rule could have for NC wetlands.
