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Both coastal conservationists and shellfish growers agree that the new state budget makes important new investments in the state’s oyster industry. North Carolina Coastal Federation staff members learned Monday night that the budget included all of the requested funding for oyster restoration and crab pot cleanup — two of the

The North Carolina Coastal Federation sent a comment letter Monday to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and a second comment letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), requesting the two agencies consider and discuss the impact of new information about the environmental effects of geological and geophysical oil

Volunteers again gathered at Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores to put down oyster bags for a marsh toe revetment that will eventually extend 500 feet along the shore. Building off the progress made June 1, this group of 34 volunteers put down 500 oyster bags to extend the revetment

Fly Fisherman magazine announced recently the creation of its Conservationist of the Year Award. The award will honor a person whose volunteer work for a conservation organization has helped protect or improve fisheries habitats in the previous year. The winner will receive $10,000 to donate to the nonprofit conservation organization

Stormwater is the number one pollutant of coastal waters, but the North Carolina Coastal Federation and Down East Insulation are mitigating the effects of stormwater runoff by installing rain barrels into yards in the White Oak River Basin. Staff at the federation worked with the company on June 9 to install six

ALISON ANDREWS Growing up, North Carolina summers always meant exploring the coast, whether that was building sandcastles on the beach or kayaking through the marshy sounds. As a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I am finishing my degrees in economics and public policy. My

Staff and interns at the North Carolina Coastal Federation teamed up with counselors from Camp Albemarle on Tuesday, May 31 to protect a shoreline along the Newport River from erosion while also restoring valuable habitat for a long time to come. The living shoreline, which is 244 feet long and

Volunteers from the local community came out to Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores on Wednesday to help protect and restore our shorelines, one bag full of recycled oyster shells at a time. In the muggy June air, volunteers of all ages formed a line, passing along bags of oyster

In this issue, we chat with North Carolina Coastal Federation member, Joey Hester, a former intern in our central office and current non-point source planning coordinator for the N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation. Tell us a bit about yourself. I’m from Rocky Mount and spent most of my

The North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted a meeting and tour for the Cape Fear Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers on May 24 that focused on stormwater runoff solutions in Oak Island. Engineers, public officials and residents alike showed up to learn more about about stormwater runoff reduction measures the

Imagine yourself on a long highway trip without the opportunity to rest before the next leg of your journey. Just as rest stops along our highways offer that chance, our coastal inlets provide critical resting habitats to the thousands of shorebirds traveling north and south to their nesting grounds each

North Carolina Coastal Federation staff, fellows and interns recently joined middle school students from Davidson in planting plugs of smooth cordgrass, a salt marsh species, at Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores as part of an ongoing project to build a living shoreline at Sanders Point in Bogue Sound. Planting cordgrass helps

The North Carolina Coastal Federation celebrated grassroots efforts yesterday, joining community members and other environmental groups in celebrating eight years of hard work against Titan America’s plan to build a cement plant in Castle Hayne. More than 200 people enjoyed free music, food and speakers at the Titan-Free Jamboree at

It has been a busy spring at EarthWise Farm, the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s community garden. A new outdoor shelter provided by the Beaufort Wine & Food group and the Walmart Neighborhood Market was completed in late April. The shelter has been a great addition to the site, and it is

May is National Teacher Appreciation Month. The Coastal Federation is lucky to call Sandie Cecelski, an influential and respected teacher, a board member. Sandie has spent the last 30 years teaching marine science in New Hanover County. She helped to launch the Marine Science Academy at E.H. Ashley High School,

Happy Mother’s Day! To mark the occasion, we spoke with a couple of our most loyal volunteers in the northeast area, Vickie Byers and her daughter, Alexandra. This mother/daughter duo isn’t afraid to step into the mud or haul away debris. To the contrary, their hard work usually leaves them

Meet our Partners: Chris Connaway Our work touches the lives of everyone who lives, plays, and works at the coast. One of our contractors, Chris Connaway of Connaway Marine Construction, has worked with us on many restoration projects including living shoreline projects, causeway removal at Permuda Island, and oyster reef

The Coastal Federation led a collaborative effort with the Town of Wrightsville Beach, the City of Wilmington, N.C. Department of Transportation, and UNC Wilmington to reduce the volume of stormwater runoff flowing into Bradley and Hewletts Creeks. If the runoff doesn’t enter the creeks, the contaminants it contains won’t enter either. This