The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding anyone expecting a refund on their state taxes that they can donate a portion or all of their return to the state Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund.
Wildlife
Native plant art contest open to artists of all experience levels
Submissions are due March 30 for the Native Plant Art Contest and Exhibit hosted by two Texas-based, Latino-led nonprofit organizations.
Illustrated guidebook for Dismal Swamp’s snakes gets update
First published in 1992, “An Introduction to Snakes of the Dismal Swamp Region of North Carolina and Virginia,” has been revised with minor updates on species and taxonomy.
State asks public to report any cold-stunned spotted seatrout
Division of Marine Fisheries officials said that cold stuns can occur when there is a sudden drop in temperature or during prolonged periods of cold weather, making the fish so sluggish they can be harvested by hand.
Bird-watching excursion a chance to see wintering waterfowl
The N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort is leading two excursions in January to observe wintering waterfowl in eastern North Carolina.
Land Trust transfers 300 acres to state for conservation
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is now managing the Pasquotank River Preserve, which neighbors the state agency’s North River Game Land in Camden County.
Pony Patrol marks three years of watchful eyes over herds
The third season for the persistently protective volunteers was off to a rough start with abandoned foals having to be removed from the herd, but summer turned around with a filly’s birth on Shackleford Island.
Deer in eastern county may have had chronic wasting disease
A deer harvested in Edgecombe County has preliminarily tested positive for the disease, which would be the states 35th confirmed case since 2022, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission said Tuesday.
Shorebirds flock to restored pond at Pine Island sanctuary
Staff at the Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Sanctuary and Audubon Center in Corolla are crediting a recently completed habitat-restoration project with luring birds and wildlife back to a previously problem-prone pond.
Tabb’s Trails: Along the North Pond Wildlife Trail
Saturday, Oct. 18, turned out to be a remarkable day on the half-mile trail behind Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge’s visitor center, with rarely seen species and migratory waterfowl.
Merchants Millpond invasive species removal set for Sunday
North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Habitat Stewards of Northeastern NC has organized the hands-on volunteer effort from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday to uproot the invasive Japanese stiltgrass along the park’s Coleman Trail.
Biologists heartened by red wolf program’s recent successes
While still far from recovered, more endangered eastern red wolves in northeastern North Carolina are breeding, more pups are surviving, coyote hybridization has been cut, and there are fewer mortalities from vehicle strikes and gunshots.
Wild herd, long shadows
Wild horses cross tidal waters from Town Marsh to Bird Shoal along Beaufort’s barrier islands, which are part of the Rachel Carson Reserve, in Carteret County. The cluster of islands includes Carrot Island, Town Marsh, Bird Shoal, and Horse Island, and the horses are descended from those brought to the islands by a Beaufort area resident in the 1940s, according to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The state manages the horse population for its health and for the health of the environment, but the herd is otherwise left to fend and forage for itself. Photo: Dylan Ray
Coastal habitats are North Carolina’s hidden climate engines
North Carolina’s abundant coastal wetland ecosystems are highly effective carbon storehouses, serving to slow climate change’s pace while also providing vital fish nurseries, wildlife havens and storm buffers.
US Fish and Wildlife proposes listing Southern hognose snake
More than 12 years after the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the agency, its officials proposed on Thursday listing the southern hognose snake as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Conservation group’s US 64 study finds ‘remarkable carnage’
More than 5,000 vertebrates representing 144 species of wildlife were killed on U.S. Highway 64 just halfway through a two-year survey.

















