The state Division of Marine Fisheries is hosting a public hearing next month on several proposed shellfish leases in Carteret County.

Proposed shellfish lease applications under review include the following:

In Adams Creek:

• Jacob Milchuck, 6.17-acre bottom and water column lease (24-005BL/24-006WC)
• Peerless Oyster, LLC, Frank Milchuck, 5.78-acre bottom and column lease (24-017BL/24-018WC)

In North Bay:

• C.I. Salts Oyster Company, LLC, Ralph W. Brittingham Jr., 4.22-acre bottom and water column lease (24-007BL/24-008WC)
• 35 North Mariculture, LLC, Isaiah Smith, 5.2-acre bottom and water column lease (24-017BL/24-018WC)

Beaufort Shellfish Farms, LLC, Tiffany and Jason Smith, have applied for a 5.01-acre bottom and water column lease in North River below the U.S. Highway 70 bridge (24-030BL/24-031 WC).

Bryan L. Snyder has applied for a 2.98-acre bottom and column lease in White Oak River (24-032BL/24-033WC).

Changing Tide Renovations, LLC, Mason Allen has applied for a 7.69-acre bottom and water column lease in South River (24-036BL/24-037WC) and Thomas Clerkin with the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences has applied for a 0.97-acre bottom and water column demonstration lease in Newport River (24-038BL WC-RD).

Public comments on these applications may be made in-person at the March 13 hearing, which will begin at 6 p.m. at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Central District Office in Morehead City, 5285 Arendell St., and by Webex. In-person attendees are asked to sign up between 5-6 p.m. the night of the hearing.

Public comments will also be accepted in writing until 5 p.m. March 14 through an online form or in writing to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, Shellfish Leases, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, NC  28557.

Information, including the web conference link, call-in telephone number, presentation slides and biological investigation reports are available on the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s website.

For more information, contact Marla Chuffo with the division’s Habitat and Enhancement Section, 252-515-5480 or marla.chuffo@deq.nc.gov.

The state is asking for public comment on the draft 2021 White Oak River Basin Water Resources Plan, which explores water quality and water quantity issues in the basin.

The basin, which includes Jacksonville, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Sneads Ferry, Surf City, Wrightsville Beach and the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, is the smallest contained entirely in the state at 1,382 square miles.

The basin plan is designed to help state and local leaders identify areas that need additional protection, restoration or preservation to ensure waters of the state are meeting their designated use. This is fourth document to be developed for the White Oak River basin.

The basin is made up of four small river systems — New River, White Oak River, Newport River and North River — all of which drain south directly into the Atlantic Ocean and Back, Core, and Bogue sounds, according the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources. Nearly a third of the basin is wetlands.

Most of the impaired waters in the White Oak River basin are associated with shellfish growing area classifications, as detailed in the integrated report that is based on water quality assessments and is updated every two years per the Clean Water Act.

Other impairments in the basin are associated with chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, fecal coliform, enterococcus and copper.

The public may comment on the plan now through July 23, by emailing robin.hoffman@ncdenr.gov, or sending written comments to Robin Hoffman, Basin Planner, Division of Water Resources, 1611 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1611.

Reprinted with permission from the Carteret County News-Times

CEDAR POINT — The North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund awarded the town a $1,011,756 grant Friday to help pay for 56 acres it purchased in April for a park on the White Oak River.

The town worked with the North Carolina Coastal Federation to get the grant from the state organization, which gives nonprofits and local governments money for projects and acquisitions that protect or enhance water quality.

The Cedar Point grant was one of the largest of the 34 the Clean Water Management Trust Fund board approved in a 2019 package that totaled more than $14 million.

The state Clean Water Management Trust Fund was established by the state General Assembly in 1996 as a nonregulatory organization. It receives money from annual appropriations by the legislature and the sale of scenic river license plates.

Mayor Scott Hatsell said Saturday he was “floored” when he got the news.

“I’ve always thought this project was deserving, and it helped to have the Coastal Federation working with us,” he said. “But you never know what the people who control this money are thinking, what they think is worthy. Evidently they were thinking right, and we’re very grateful.

“I’m excited, really pumped, and so is Jayne (Calhoun, town clerk and interim town administrator who worked on the grant application),” Hatsell, an avid kayaker and hiker, added. “We really want to get the water (adjacent to the property) cleaned up the best we can.”

Already, the mayor said, he’d reached out to Todd Miller, founder and executive director of the Coastal Federation, for a list of things to do – like planting oysters and creating living shorelines – that will help in that effort.

Hatsell knows these projects can work and cited the city of Jacksonville, which has worked for many years to clean up the New River.

On Jacksonville’s Facebook page, officials state that the river was so polluted in 1995 that a “massive hog waste spill did not have significant negative effects because the river was so organically dead.”

Jacksonville officials, scientists and volunteers led efforts to restore the New River with water-filtering oysters, aeration, bolstered wetlands and stormwater mitigation efforts. Now it’s a magnet for fishing and other water-based recreational activities.

Hatsell said the White Oak, adjacent to the town’s property, isn’t nearly as bad off as the New River was, but there’s room for improvement.

He and other town officials have stressed the purchase was intended not just for a park, but also to maintain and possibly improve water quality in the river.

The Cedar Point grant is listed on the Clean Water Management Trust Fund website as a “military buffer” acquisition project, because the town’s purchase of the land off Masonic Avenue will preclude development of the property, which is within the flight path of jets that use Bogue Field, an auxiliary landing facility for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock. Bogue Field, in the town of Bogue, is 2.6 miles east of Cedar Point on N.C. 24.

The land had been zoned for multi-family development, which could have put residents at risk if a jet crash occurred.

It also would have dramatically increased impervious surface, which would have increased the flow of polluted stormwater into the river.

The town closed on the $2.8 million purchase from the North Carolina Masons after a more than yearlong process that led first to a successful $2.5 million bond referendum.

A 3-cent property tax increase, from 6.25 to 9.25 cents per $100 of assessed value, went into effect July 1 to help pay for the purchase.

Town officials told residents they would try to use grant money to reduce or eliminate the tax increase, which had to go into effect before the fate of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund grant application was known.

The town already received one grant for $250,000 from the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, and used that money as a down payment on the purchase, reducing the amount borrowed. The town has also applied for a $500,000 grant from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and should get word on that soon. That money could be used for park development.

Sterling National Bank of New York bought the bonds, and the town is scheduled to pay the bank back over no more than 20 years with four payments each year.

Hatsell said he knows property owners in town will expect some kind of a tax decrease next fiscal year and he’s convinced it can be done.

The bank that bought the bonds allows two “buy-downs,” he said, “and you want to make sure that when you do that, it’s a big chunk of money.”

The land is to be used mostly as a passive recreation area. It has existing trails, which the town has already marked, and a master plan developed for the town by The Wooten Co., a Raleigh-based engineering and planning firm, calls for an entrance off Masonic Avenue.

Other planned improvements include a parking lot with a restroom and shelter, paved and natural trails, a nature play area, three water view platforms, a fishing pier, a kayak and canoe launch with a drop-off area away from the water, a single-stall waterless bathroom closer to the water, a bench, swing and hammock area close to the shore, an open space events lawn, a picnic area and a living shoreline to protect against erosion.

There are also proposals for a kayak and canoe storage area, boardwalks, an outdoor classroom and shelter, a pond and a vegetative buffer between the park and nearby residences. Wetlands, which are scattered through the site, will be protected, and the project is designed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

None of this will happen right away.

The goal for now is to get the natural trails open to the public. Hurricane Florence in September 2018 downed many large trees and left other trees with dangling branches. The town hired a contractor to remove the trees and branches.

Hatsell said Saturday the town is “getting really close” to opening the land to the public.

Updated 11 a.m. Oct. 16 with new meeting location.

SWANSBORO — Cruise the White Oak River with area birding expert JoAnne Powell.

Birding cruises will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 21, which is sold out, and Nov. 18 leaving from downtown Swansboro. The cruises were meeting at Hammocks Beach State Park but due to Hurricane Florence damage, the park currently is closed. The first cruise was held  Sept. 16.

Fee for the cruises, hosted by the North Carolina Coastal Federation, is $20 for federation members and $25 for nonmembers.

Up to 32 birdwatchers will board a covered ferryboat at the state park’s visitor center and slowly cruise the estuaries in and around the White Oak River and Bogue Sound, including Huggins and Bear islands, looking for resident and migratory birds.

The program is geared toward adults but all ages are welcome to join. Organizers recommend that participants bring binoculars, water and a snack and to dress appropriately for the weather.

Registration is required and is nonrefundable. Cruises are held rain or shine. If the cruise is canceled due to severe weather, registration may be transferred to another scheduled event or fees refunded.

Contact Rachel Bisesi, education coordinator, at 252-393-8185 or rachelb@nccoast.org for more information.

Registration

• Nov. 18 Birding Cruise

PELETIER —  The White Oak River Chapter of The Izaak Walton League of America is holding an open forum to talk about the future of the White Oak River.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the chapter’s office at 287 Hadnot Farm Road. Light refreshments will be available.

During the open forum, there will be a discussion on the present state of the White Oak River, shellfish closure and possible solutions for restoration.

The mission of the Izaak Walton League of America is “to conserve, restore and promote the sustainable use and enjoyment of our natural resources ​including soil, air, woods, waters, and wildlife.”

Learn More

• White Oak River Chapter 

This is Dubling Creek, one of the four watersheds in the lower White Oak River, which the EPA considers “impaired.” It was one of the waterways that the N.C. Coastal Federation tested for bacteria levels in 2006. Now the federation hopes to reduce the volume of polluted stormwater runoff reaching the White Oak River by installing and monitoring best management practices. Photo: staff

CEDAR POINT — Could a $6 piece of plastic make a significant difference in the health of one of North Carolina’s most scenic coastal rivers?

It just might, if enough people use the downspout extensions, according to Lauren Kolodij, the deputy director of the N.C. Coastal Federation, an environmental conservation group. If home and business owners combine that inexpensive solution to polluted stormwater pollution with other simple, low-cost best management practices, such as rain barrels and small rain gardens, there’s really no telling, yet, how much the White Oak River might benefit, she said.

The N.C. Coastal Federation aims not only to encourage the use of these small-scale devices and plantings in and around the town of Cedar Point but also plans to measure their effects, as well as those of larger-scale efforts, thanks to a new, $272,000 project funded by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and by local matches and in-kind contributions,.

Studies by N.C. State University, Kolodij said, have shown that using downspout extensions, which direct rain from gutters to vegetated areas instead of onto driveways, patios and other hard surfaces, can reduce stormwater runoff from properties by as much as 90 percent.

According to Kolodij, bacteria-and-pollution-laden stormwater is by far the major culprit in the EPA’s designation of the White Oak as an impaired stream.

“What has happened over the years is that we have altered the landscape and modified the hydrology, and to clean up the river, we’ve got to get back as close as possible to where we were before we did that,” Kolodij said.

Back in 2006, the federation undertook a major study of the bacterial pollution in the White Oak River. Almost two-thirds of the river’s oyster and clam beds are closed permanently to shellfishing or are closed temporarily after moderate rain because of dangerously high levels of bacteria in the water. The study found very high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in four watersheds in the lower river near Cedar Point. In the most extensive bacteria testing ever done on the river, more than 200 water samples were drawn from almost 70 scattered sites. Eighty-nine percent of the samples exceeded the federal health standard for shellfish waters. Of the 113 samples taken from the largest watershed, Boathouse Creek, all but three exceeded the standard.

Volunteers prepare to draw a water sample from a small spring that flows to the White Oak River. Eighty-nine percent of the samples in this study had high levels of bacteria that exceeded the federal health standard for shellfish harvest. Photo: staff

The study outlined a series of voluntary steps that could be taken to reduce the flow of stormwater into the river. They included modifying existing stormwater drainage ditches to allow more runoff to soak into the ground before reaching the river, educating people about the effects of stormwater and how to prevent their pets’ waste from contributing to bacteria pollution, and allowing developers to use more innovative techniques to control runoff.

After that study, Cedar Point partnered with the federation to create an extensive rain garden at the town hall, said Chris Seaberg, the town administrator. Also, follow-up studies showed not only that runoff decreased dramatically, but bacteria and other pollutants ceased making it into the underground aquifer.

“We’re very glad the federation has been able to get this new grant and we look forward to continuing to work with them,” Seaberg said. “We want to set up a time for the federation to make a presentation to our town board and our citizens.

“We know there’s a lot more that can be done, and that it needs to be a group effort, involving not just us and the town, but also the state Department of Transportation and DENR (state Department of Environment and Natural Resources),” Seaberg added. “We’re particularly interested in some of the things we know can be done at the grassroots-level in some of our neighborhoods, such as Marsh Harbor.”

Kolodij said it’s important work, and noted that the town has been an enthusiastic partner in the effort to improve water quality. Cedar Point has also encouraged low-impact development, or LID, by posting an LID manual, developed by the federation, on its website.

“We and the town are committed to reversing the trend of water quality degradation in the White Oak,” Kolodij said. “Through this project, we’ll expand on our collaborative efforts to reduce the volume and flow of stormwater being discharged into the river. Cumulatively, runoff discharges in the watershed are impairing more than 2,200 acres, or almost two-thirds of the designated shellfishing waters of the lower White Oak River.”

The goal of the new project, she said, is to work with the town, East Carolina University and a yet-to-be-selected local project team of committed experts to prioritize, locate, design, build and monitor a series of 12 stormwater reduction measures that will keep an estimated 55,000 gallons of runoff from reaching the river.

Lexia Weaver, a federation coastal scientist who will be working on the project, said the grant was large enough to enable the partners involved to do some things that will make a real difference, and said she’s glad ECU has signed on to do the monitoring.

While reducing the volume of stormwater runoff is important, so is the monitoring by ECU, Kolodij said. “Without monitoring before and after the project – determining the volumes of runoff before and after the changes – you don’t really quantify the impacts,” she said. “It’s important to see what works best and to be able to tell people what they can do to have the most impact.

Lauren Kolodij

“We’ll showcase successes to local residents and the media,” she added. “This promotion will focus on the importance of stormwater reduction on a lot-by-lot basis within the watershed to ultimately achieve stormwater volume reduction and water quality goals.”

None of this needs be hard or expensive for property owners, Kolodij emphasized. For example, N.C. State promotes what it calls a “10-10-10” rain garden plan that’s said to be very effective. You simply measure the roof of your structure, take 10 percent of that, dig a hole that size 10 feet from the structure, 10-inches deep, put in the right plants and maintain the result.

“We could, of course, spend millions in all of our watersheds,” Kolodij said. “But we also know that we can make a big difference by doing much smaller things, by working in neighborhoods and by educating people about what they can do.”

Before starting on the project, the federation and ECU plan  to meet with  potential partners – interested people, town officials  and others – and hold a community workshop to get ideas and suggestions. The original project report had a long list of best management practices and suggestions. “Part of what we want to do is take another look at those and see how we can implement them,” She said.

The river and its tributaries are still fished and increasingly used by kayakers and canoeists. It runs 48 miles, from Hofmann Forest in Jones County, and winds its way, as old rivers do, through many sleepy towns in Jones, Carteret and Onslow counties before reaching the ocean.

“We have to be able to show that water quality improves,” Weaver said. “I’m confident we’ll be able to do that.”

The intrepid kayakers pose for a group shot on Jones Island. Photo: Teri Saylor.

SWANSBORO – It was one of those beautiful late spring afternoons on the White Oak River, one of those rare days with perfectly warm air, pleasantly cool water and cotton ball clouds floating in a Carolina blue sky. Twenty coastal adventurers set out on a triathlon.

But not the Ironman kind.

It was the kind of triathlon meant for sightseeing, being outside and taking in the best of what nature has to offer.

This relaxathon called for kayaking, yoga and swimming.

Sally Steele, the N.C. Coastal Federation’s development director, discovered yoga two years ago, and just like most people who fall in love, she wanted to share it with others.

So she partnered with April Clark, owner of Second Wind Eco Tours of Swansboro, to develop a triple-sport adventure that would combine exercise with meditation and relaxation, and take it outside.

Steele and Clark took their program all the way to Jones Island, by way of the White Oak River.

“We love showing people the island,” Steele said. “We leave from the Cedar Point Wildlife Landing and paddle over to Jones Island. Along the way we pass by our oyster restoration projects, and during the trip, we are able to give the paddlers an introduction to the island. This fulfills our mission, and it is fun for the participants.”

Brad Fischer, yoga instructor and safety guide with Second Wind Eco Tours, gives beginners some paddling tips. Photo: Teri Saylor.

There was nothing about June 16 that could have prepared anyone for temperatures over the century mark that would descend like a warm damp rag in July.  There would be no hot yoga on this day.

A stiff breeze made paddling a challenge and blew in ash and smoke from the Croatan Forest fire that had just begun to get out of control, but that same breeze also kept bugs away.

The crew gathered at the Cedar Point Wildlife Landing in the Croatan for paddling tips and instructions before setting off on the half-hour trip to Jones Island.

There’s something primitive and organic crossing water under your own power, pushing and pulling on a paddle as you make your way to a destination.

And like a troupe of wayward explorers, this band of mostly beginners made their way over without tipping over or going off course.

“I love, love, love kayaking,” said Jean Zier, who recently drove to North Carolina’s coast all the way from Orange County, Calif., where she had worked in a high-stress aerospace industry job.  Her husband, a manager at Lowe’s Hardware, had moved to Carteret County first, and her brother had retired from the Marines here.

This was her first N.C. Coastal Federation trip.

“This is great. It’s a fun way to meet new people, and my husband is jealous that I’m off playing and doing this today,” she said.

Maria Tart had a good time too.

Tart is a new federation board member and is in a learning mode. So far she has volunteered at numerous federation activities, including the annual native plant festival and a school rain garden.

This was her first kayak experience, but she vows it won’t be her last.

“I love it,” she said. “Being this close to the water, in a group setting, but solitary in my own kayak is great.”

As the kayaks scraped ashore on Jones Island, participants clambered out of their vessels and walked around the island working the kinks out of their legs.

The travelers surveyed the landscape.

A small school of bottlenose dolphin diving and bobbing down the river drew smiles and laughter.

The cameras came out.

Alice Day was delighted.  She had never seen a live porpoise before.

Day had traveled to Emerald Isle from Idaho last year to help her daughter, Cassie Stephens, take care of a new born baby and never went back.

Cheryl LeClair, center, treats kayakers to a yoga session on Jones Island.

Kayakers practice yoga in the fresh air on Jones Island. Photos: Teri Saylor.

“The porpoises are really cool,” she said. “I’d like to kayak next to them.”

Day allowed that there is kayaking in Idaho, but it is different.

“Out there, we kayak on scary rivers and white water. This kayaking is new,” she said.

The 20-acre Jones Island is part of Hammock’s Beach State Park and serves as the site of many federation restoration and education projects.

In 2005, the federation bought nearly seven acres of the island. The Audubon Society already owned 10 acres. Both organizations turned their acreage over to the state park, where it is preserved, protected and available for visitors to enjoy.

It makes a beautiful setting for yoga.

“A lot of people look at yoga as a way to feed their body, mind and spirit, but our environment is part of it too,” said yoga instructor Cheryl LeClair.

LeClair wanted to feed her own spirit when she dropped out of her network systems administration profession in Chicago and started teaching yoga.

She is a devoted kayaker too.

Her friends thought she was crazy to leave a successful career to pursue yoga and kayaking.

“When I lived in Chicago, I commuted four hours a day for work,” she said. “Here, I live two miles from Second Wind. In my old job, I worked eight hours a day and was exhausted all the time. Here I can work for 11 hours and still not feel tired.”

By the time LeClair and the islanders had worked their way through a series of basic yoga poses under a canopy of live oak branches and Spanish moss, they were serene.

“Let’s thank ourselves for giving ourselves this time to relax and enjoy this day,” LeClair said in her soft, measured, yoga voice.

Relaxed and mellow, the group posed for photos before shoving off to a beachy spot on Jones Island for a swim.

In the water, Dan Sforza and Kelsie Engelhard were gathered around Erin Harrison. Engelhard had her camera out, photographing the tiny, wriggling crab Harrison was clutching between her thumb and forefinger.

The three are students at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, working on earning a master’s degree in environmental science.

Harrison had found out about the trip through an email and told her friends about it.

“I thought ‘oh my gosh, we have to go do this,’” said Engelhard. “We’re having a great time. It is relaxing and beautiful.”

Harrison, who has taken classes in environmental education, sees the value in eco excursions.

“This is a great opportunity to teach people how to conserve and build an appreciation for the environment,” she said.

And suddenly it was time to paddle back to the landing.

The wind had shifted, and as it cut across the water making ripples and tiny white caps, the enthusiastic paddlers quickly made their way home.

Odds are good they’ll be back soon.

The next kayak and yoga trip is planned for Thursday, Aug. 2. See the federation’s Events Calendar for registration information.