Tracy Skrabal, a coastal scientist and southeast regional manager at the North Carolina Coastal Federation, was named “Woman of the Year — Local Hero/Beach Culture” by the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History last week. As part of that recognition, she will be inducted into the Wrightsville Beach Waterman Hall of Fame. Mike Giles, coastal advocate…
Estuaries do it all — they serve as nurseries for juvenile fish, help support the economy, filter polluted stormwater runoff, preserve centuries-old cultures and traditions and serve as unique educational resources. Sept. 17-24. is National Estuaries Week, which is hosted by Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) and its member organizations. Since 1988, this week has celebrated the…
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) on Thursday filed a petition against a Sunset Beach development permit. The SELC filed it on behalf of the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the Sunset Beach Taxpayers’ Association, which are plaintiffs in a petition for a contested hearing against the permit. The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management gave the…
The North Carolina Coastal Federation submitted its comment letter on the Army Corps of Engineers’ final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Aug. 1 regarding the proposed terminal groin at Rich Inlet near Figure Eight Island. The comment letter points out several flaws in the Corps’ analysis, including its failure to comply with parts of the…
Teachers from around the state visited Jones Island at Hammocks Beach State Park on Thursday, July 28, for a teacher workshop session led by Rachel Bisesi, coastal education coordinator for the North Carolina Coastal Federation. The workshop was focused on helping teachers better understand how the hydrologic system on the coast. It was led by the…
Waterfront property owners with eroding shorelines along our coastal sounds, bays, rivers, tidal creeks and waterways may soon be eligible for financial assistance to naturally control their erosion while increasing fish habitat at the same time. The North Carolina Coastal Federation recently received grant funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Ecosystem…
Comment letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters The North Carolina Coastal Federation submitted comments regarding Nationwide Permit 13 (NWP 13) for Bank Stabilization and Nationwide Permit B (NWP B) for Living Shorelines to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters. The comments to the Corps headquarters recommends the retirement of NWP 13, similar…
The North Carolina Coastal Federation and North Carolina Wildlife Federation submitted an amicus brief on July 27 in support of public trust rights to access dry sand beaches. The Southern Environmental Law Center filed the brief on behalf of the two nonprofit organizations to the Supreme Court of North Carolina, which will soon hear the…
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) submitted a comment letter regarding living shorelines to the Army Corps of Engineers. The letter was written on behalf of the North Carolina Coastal Federation and other groups. The federation will also be submitting an additional letter in the next few days. SELC recommends the retirement of Nationwide Permit…
The vice chairman of the Coastal Resources Commission approved a request for a third party contested hearing on the Sunset Beach West development but denied a request to hear the appeal of the property ownership issue. The North Carolina Coastal Federation and the Sunset Beach Taxpayers’ Association requested a formal appeal of a developer’s Coastal Area…