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.
Wildlife
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.
Refuge exudes natural diversity, wonders of pocosin lakes
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge may be “the Yellowstone of the East,” according to Wendy Stanton, who manages the refuge teeming with wildlife that welcomes more than 30,000 visitors annually.
Manager says Corolla horses look ‘marshy’ for good reason
Meg Puckett, who manages the herd for the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, knows well the challenges and the horses themselves, but she says the work never gets old.
Green Swamp now turning green again after burn, wildfire
Grasses are already popping up after a controlled burn earlier this year and a wildfire that swept through the Green Swamp Nature Preserve in June, and officials expect some plant species to recover where they had been crowded out by taller vegetation.
Workshop for educators on aquatic wildlife, ecology Aug. 12
Formal and nonformal educators interested in teaching about aquatic wildlife and ecology can register now for the Aug. 12 Aquatic WILD workshop at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
Horse Sense and Survival Tours to take place monthly
Organized by Cape Lookout National Seashore, the tours are scheduled through November.
New landscaping guide suggests ‘Plant This Instead!’
It’s hard to know what plants are best for your garden, but a new guide from the Coastal Landscapes Initiative offers alternatives to potentially harmful and invasive ornamentals.
