The North Carolina Coastal Federation achieved one of its key policy goals recently when the North Carolina General Assembly approved legislation that includes $3.3 million for the preservation of the Stroud Property on Bogue Sound in Carteret County. Protecting this property from development was at the top of the federation’s to-do list for the 2019…
On Oct. 4 our dedicated team of volunteers and the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s southeast staff persevered through the blistering hot 90-degree weather to successfully maintain the rain gardens and stormwater wetland located at Bradley Creek Elementary School. The volunteers split into 2 groups to tackle the weeding, pruning and clearing of debris in the…
The northeast office organized a volunteer event in conjunction with the North Carolina Department Of Transportation’s Fall Litter Sweep. A crew of volunteers pitched in to collect roadside debris along the stretch of highway 345 in Wanchese that the North Carolina Coastal Federation has adopted through NC DOT’s Adopt a Highway program. Through this commitment,…
A $158,000 planning grant was awarded to Hyde County from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund on Friday, Sep. 13 in Raleigh. The funding will allow Hyde County to advance the next steps of their recently approved Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed Restoration Plan. With the funding, Hyde will contract with the North Carolina Coastal…
Twelve students from UNC-Chapel Hill are participating in the Outer Banks Field Site, a multi-disciplinary program that takes place at the Coastal Studies Institute. The program consists of three lecture-based classes plus experiential education through field trips, a capstone research project and an internship. Students divide their time throughout the weekdays among various classes and…
Throughout the spring and summer, North Carolina Coastal Federation educators in our central region led eight Coastal Discovery Field Trips, which reached a total of 128 students and 29 chaperones. Community partners and student groups included: Boys and Girls Clubs of Beaufort, Bogue Sound Elementary School, Brad Sneeden Science Academy, Morehead City Childcare Network, The…
On Sept. 12, 2019, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency (“agencies”) announced a final rule (“Repeal Rule”) that changes the definition of the “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. Effectively, this rule repeals the 2015 rule in which the Obama administration expanded the definition of waters covered…
The U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of two bills that would prevent new offshore drilling from occurring off the Atlantic, Pacific and Florida Gulf Coast. First, the House passed a bill introduced by Rep. Rooney (R-FL-19) — Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act of 2019 (H.R. 205) — by a vote of 248-180.…
The locally developed watershed restoration plan designed to clean up Lake Mattamuskeet was approved by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality on Aug. 7. The Department’s Nonpoint Source Program staff says that the plan’s recommended projects to restore water quality are now eligible to apply for restoration funds administered by the State. “This approval helps…
This summer, the northeast office and the central office each hosted a teacher workshop. Teachers across North Carolina were immersed in the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s work and they learned how to connect their students to the coast. NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching In late June, Sara Hallas, coastal education coordinator for the…