The newly formed Friends of the Black River will host its first meeting Tuesday, an effort to build an alliance of organizations and people interested in helping protect the 60-mile-long natural wonder.
Wildlife
Sunscreen season arrives
An anole, freshly shed of its skin except the still-peeling tip of the nose, suns in a Beaufort agapanthus bed. For us creatures who don’t normally peel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise that protection from the sun’s rays is important year-round, not just during the warmer months. Photo: Dylan Ray
State wildlife officials seek volunteers to tally terrapins
With a little training, a kayak and a smartphone app, coastal North Carolina residents can join the 10th annual “Terrapin Tally,” a count that helps researchers assess the elusive marsh dwellers’ status.
Southport board OKs land offer to NC Wildlife Commission
The Southport Board of Aldermen voted 4-2 last week paving the way for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to purchase more than 400 acres in town for permanent conservation.
Report: Shackleford herd totals 117 horses, mostly female
Of the oldest horses in the herd, those 17 and older, 23 are female and one is male.
Interior Secretary Haaland’s stop means more than $1.4M
Deb Haaland was warmly welcomed when she arrived at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Thursday to announce federal infrastructure funding in a region where folks often feel lost in the shuffle.
Feral hogs a largely unseen but costly problem in state
North Carolina was recently ranked as having the seventh-worst feral swine problem in the country, but state officials say there is no solid estimate of how many of the intelligent, free-roaming, disease-carrying hogs are here.
Interactive online tour shows Green Swamp’s need for fire
Emma Gwyn, an intern with The Nature Conservancy in Wilmington has created an interactive online StoryMap that illustrates how a wildfire earlier this year has already benefited the Green Swamp Nature Preserve.
‘It’s not a costume’
An orb weaver appears to don its Halloween skull mask. Photo: Mark Courtney
Morning hunt
A blue heron hunts in the marsh grass near Conch’s Point on Calico Creek in Morehead City. Photo: Dylan Ray
Wings Over Water Festival set to mark 25th anniversary
The festival takes place at six national wildlife refuges that together cover parts of six northeast North Carolina counties and is the annual fundraiser for the Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society.
Nonnative apple snails, zebra mussels found in NC waters
A type of snail harmful to native habitat, can make people sick and is outlawed in North Carolina is the second confirmed aquatic invasive species in the state in less than a month.
Reserve foal receives off-site care after showing distress
The days-old foal was transported from Rachel Carson Reserve to N.C. State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Cozy pigmy rattler family
Wildlife Resources Commission biologists request that if you see a snake, do not harm it, instead give it plenty of space, and if you see a pine snake or rattlesnake, report it.
Corolla Wild Horse Fund names Chris Winter as CEO
Chris Winters has been named the CEO of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, a new position for the nonprofit organization.
Red knots make Outer Banks stopover on spring migration
Red knots, which stopover on Ocracoke during their spring migration, have been a source of concern due to the rapid decline of its population linked to a drastic decrease of their food source, horseshoe crab eggs.