Last week, staff from the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s central office gave a presentation on rain gardens at the Beaufort Garden Club’s January meeting. The Garden Club, which celebrated its 60th anniversary on Jan. 9, is a volunteer group that works to maintain public gardens, promote good gardening practices and conserve the natural beauty of…
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OCEAN — Taking out the trash that litters and degrades the North Carolina coast is the goal of a new action plan developed by a diverse group of partners. Called the North Carolina Marine Debris Action Plan, it includes a number of tangible steps that need to be taken over the next five years to…
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Looking back on 2019, the federation is proud of our collaborative impact on coastal water quality, habitat protection and restoration. Protecting Coastal Water Quality This year, the federation partnered with the Town of Beaufort, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, City of Wilmington, New Hanover County, Town of Swansboro, UNC-Wilmington and Soil and Water Conservation…
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Recently, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, community volunteers and students from Croatan High School worked together to build a living shoreline along Bogue Sound. The group hauled and stacked 1,125 bags of recycled oyster shells to create the structure’s foundation. Living shorelines are an environmentally friendly way to reduce sound side erosion. They provide habitat…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s policy efforts in Raleigh have helped secure several million dollars in state funding to make the coast stronger during storms and reduce water pollution. In November, lawmakers at the General Assembly met in special session to address changes to the state’s congressional districts and approve disaster aid for victims of…
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PINE KNOLL SHORES — The North Carolina Coastal Federation and Town of Pine Knoll Shores are beginning an innovative project in Pine Knoll Shores to reduce flooding and protect local water quality. Portions of the east end of Town have historically flooded after heavy rains. The area’s high water table coupled with roads and driveways…
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The months of October and November were bustling with student programs for our central coast educators. Through a series of outreach events and service opportunities, students learned about coastal environments and stewardship. In early October, Rachel Bisesi, North Carolina Coastal Federation educator at our Ocean office, had the opportunity to participate in NC Seafood SMART!…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation was pleased to act as Avalon Pier’s zone captain for the Outer Banks’ Surfrider Foundation’s annual Beach Sweep and TrashFest last month, where 120 volunteers gathered at multiple beach accesses to remove trash from the beach. Other organizations including the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island, Jennette’s Pier, Kitty Hawk…
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On Friday, Nov. 8, 25 volunteers, including five volunteers from IQVIA in Durham, joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s staff and interns to clean-up debris and litter along the marshes and shoreline of Morris Landing Clean Water Preserve. The preserve is located in the heart of the very productive shellfish growing areas of Stump Sound, the…
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Last week, the North Carolina House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation to provide relief to victims of Hurricane Dorian – including a number of ambitious new investments to make the coast more resilient to storms and flooding. The House’s $280 million dollar package provides matching funds to draw down federal relief funding, as well as…
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On Oct. 8-9, the North Carolina Coastal Federation and Restore America’s Estuaries hosted over 200 professionals in Beaufort for the 2019 Living Shorelines Tech Transfer Workshop. Our dedicated staff was involved with organizing every aspect of the event, from field trips to speakers, and we’re thankful to have such an incredible team lead such an…
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CHARLESTON, S.C. – On Oct. 24 the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of conservation groups challenged in court the repeal of clean water protections under the Clean Water Act, one of the nation’s bedrock environmental laws. The legal challenge, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, opens a major…
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WANCHESE — On Saturday, Oct. 12 Coastal Provision’s Oyster Bar and Wine Bar Café in Southern Shores hosted Oystoberfest. The fourth annual event featured oysters and provided guests an opportunity to learn all about them from those who grow, harvest and serve them. A portion of the proceeds was donated to support the North Carolina…
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Volunteers joined the southeast staff and interns for a lovely day at the pristine Waterfront Park at Sunset Beach to assess the development on the living shoreline constructed this past January along the Intracoastal Waterway. The project is a result of the partnership between the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the Town of Sunset Beach…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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When I look back on the month of May, I think of all the stress and headaches that went into the process of finding and settling on an internship. I knew that going to North Carolina to intern with the North Carolina Coastal Federation was a great opportunity and the best choice for me, but…
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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…
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