Hundreds of people attended the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) PFAS Community Engagement Event on Tuesday, Aug. 14, in Fayetteville. PFAS are a group of man-made industrial chemicals – perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – that include GenX. Although research on the potential effects of these emerging compounds is limited, scientific evidence associates these compounds with adverse human…
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A federal judge sided with the North Carolina Coastal Federation and other conservation groups Thursday when he issued an injunction that blocked the federal administration’s attempt to suspend the Clean Water Rule. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) represented the federation, the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, Charleston Waterkeeper, American Rivers, Chattachoochee Riverkeeper, Clean Water…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation recently signed on to a comment letter written by the Southern Environmental Law Center in opposition to the proposed Well Control Rule changes. The Well Control Rule (WCR) was put into place after the biggest oil spill in U.S. history, Deepwater Horizon. The rule was created to make offshore drilling…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation is teaming up with the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Environmental Science Department, East Carolina Council (ECC) and Pine Knoll Shores to create a watershed restoration plan for the coastal community in Carteret County. The Pine Knoll Shores watershed restoration planning process began early this year and the plan is…
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A total of 37 people attended a field trip to the Wanchese office with Mano al Hermano, including students and adults. Mano al Hermano serves the Latino community in Dare County. One of its programs is a Family Literacy Program that provides free home-based tutoring. The field trip that took place is a culmination of…
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On Aug. 9, the North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted a Living Shorelines Open House. At the open house, waterfront homeowners were invited to learn more about what they could do to prevent shoreline erosion on their property. While some homeowners at the event simply wanted to gain new insight into the work of the…
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Wanchese office intern and North Carolina State Unversity student, Kadie Midgett, has spent her past two summers working at the federation’s Northeast office. This summer she has worked to develop new applications for the federation’s monitoring efforts. Kadie has spent 240 hours, funded by the Golden LEAF Scholars Leadership Program, completing two Android apps for…
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Video by Mark Hibbs North Carolina becomes the first state in the Southeast and sixth in the nation to launch a state Shellfish Initiative as state officials made the announcement on Aug. 2 at a public event at N.C. State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology. Approximately 75 people attended, including scientists, state…
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WANCHESE — The North Carolina Coastal Federation worked with a local contractor to deploy 25 oyster reef balls along the shoreline at their office in the Wanchese Marine Industrial Park last week. These oyster reef balls are made from concrete and designed with lots of surface area for baby oysters to attach to and grow…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office has been busy this summer working with local community groups. Recently, staff helped to lead activities for a Kitty Hawk Cub Scout Troop. The troop and their parents visited a living shoreline at Jockey’s Ridge State Park. The group of 21 Cub Scouts, rising second through fifth graders,…
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Last week, the Wanchese office joined Jennette’s Pier for a week-long summer camp for teenagers called Green Teens. The week was filled with coastal explorations and allowed the teens to focus on service and volunteering. The seven campers helped the North Carolina Coastal Federation make 150 oyster bags that they then placed on the shoreline at…
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CARTERET COUNTY – Last week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Community-based Restoration Program announced it recommended $950,000 for the North Carolina Coastal Federation and partners to continue work on the Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary. With the funding, the federation and its partners plan to expand the 25-acre project to an almost 40-acre project in…
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For folks interested in conserving and protecting North Carolina’s open spaces, the state’s recently approved budget brought some good news. The new budget includes important increases in open space conservation funding. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund – perhaps the state’s most important funding source for open space protection – received an additional $4 million…
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SWANSBORO— While most parking lots are designed to get the rain off site as quickly as possible, the Town of Swansboro and the North Carolina Coastal Federation have partnered to install a parking lot at Town Hall that will actually let stormwater soak into the ground. The new public parking lot, located between Town Hall…
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On Thursday, June 28, the North Carolina Coastal Federation gave a group of North Carolina Association of County Agricultural Agents (NCACAA) a tour of the living shoreline at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. NCACAA helps communities learn about research and resources that help benefit their livelihoods. These agents were interested in agriculture…
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On Thursday, July 5, 25 volunteers enjoyed a beautiful day at Stump Sound in Holly Ridge to help the North Carolina Coastal Federation install plants along the shoreline. The volunteers helped to plant 1,000 spartina alterniflora plugs on Stump Sound. These plants help to stabilize the shoreline and restore estuarine habitat. They also contribute to…
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Even though school’s out for the summer, environmental education continues at the North Carolina Coastal Federation. The Wanchese office educated several student groups toward the end of June, spending time on the grounds of the office and at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. Jr. Aquatic Adventures, a summer camp at the aquarium, visited…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation held a community open house at its Wanchese office on June 26. The open house was held in celebration of the office’s new dock on Broad Creek. Nearly one hundred fifty attendees enjoyed time on the new dock and grounds. “I am so pleased with the community’s support of this…
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The Wanchese office has been busy, with the help of many others, maintaining and establishing regional living shoreline projects. In early June, North Carolina Coastal Federation staff, oyster shell recycling volunteers and volunteers from the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island teamed up to build an oyster reef right outside of the Wanchese office. This…
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Kate Conery, Wrightsville Beach office What was your favorite part about working for the North Carolina Coastal Federation? Of being an AmeriCorps member? All of my favorite experiences with the federation were times spent working on the coast. Whether it was an education program, Coastal Ambassador training, volunteer event or organism collection, it was always…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Ocean office currently has about 100 seaside little bluestem plants available for pickup on a first-come, first-served basis. If you own beachfront property on Bogue Banks, please consider planting some of these to provide habitat for the crystal skipper, a small brown butterfly found only on the Crystal Coast. What…
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Last week, 47 middle school students from the Brad Sneeden Marine Science Academy received a lesson on estuaries and quadrant studies from the North Carolina Coastal Federation. The students went to Bogue Sound where they learned a bit more about how marine scientists evaluate living shorelines and marine life. The Brad Sneeden Marine Science Academy…
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Six volunteers from RBC Wealth Management helped in the rain gardens at the Fred and Alice Stanback Coastal Education Center and on Town of Wrightsville Beach property for this year’s RBC Blue Water Day on June 7. The RBC Wealth Management volunteers and the coastal federation staff worked to maintain the rain gardens on the…
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