Native plants, costal habitats, juvenile animals and shoreline erosion — those were all topics of four lessons led by the two AmeriCorps members in the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office in late April. On April 20 and 21, Madison Douthitt, AmeriCorps member who started working at the federation in March, visited First Flight Elementary…
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The entire sixth-grade class from First Flight Middle School went on a field trip to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on April 27, where they learned about living shorelines, salt marsh and the components of habitats at the park. The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office organized the field trip for 200 students and 10 teachers.…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation joined other environmental groups in an intervention to prevent the seismic industry from challenging the denial of permits for conducting seismic surveys off the Atlantic coast. The Southern Environmental Law Center filed the motion on behalf of the federation, the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, One Hundred Miles and Defenders…
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Over the past few months, a senior at Eugene Ashley High School in Wilmington has used her senior project as an opportunity to focus on marine science education in schools, with a special focus on underserved audiences. Rachel Piedmont completed her internship with the North Carolina Coastal Federation in April. Piedmont joins the federation from…
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Don’t paint the Gulf Stream with oil — oppose plans to drill for oil and gas off the North Carolina coast. The North Carolina Coastal Federation opposes offshore oil and gas drilling off the North Carolina coast, and we have been against this controversial and potentially destructive process for three decades. We first opposed drilling…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office was the first stop during March’s NC Coast Oyster Eco Tour, which gave participants a unique and close-up opportunity to learn about oyster aquaculture and restoration. The oyster tour was part of the annual OBX Taste of the Beach event, which showcases local restaurants and cuisine through tours,…
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North Carolina Coastal Federation staff stayed busy on Earth Day and in the days leading up to. Staff educated hundreds of people about stormwater runoff, oysters, the coastal environment and more. They attended events up and down the coast. Check out photos and more details in the Storify below. Thank you to all who volunteered…
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Kelly Bodie, membership director for the North Carolina Coastal Federation, spoke with Ben Ball of The Talk Station’s Coastal Daybreak (WTKF-FM 107.1) on April 21 about the recently launched Adopt an Oyster program. Adopt an Oyster is designed to raise money for the federation’s 50 Million Oyster Initiative. By 2020, the federation and its partners will…
DetailsThe North Carolina Coastal Federation submitted comments on April 3 regarding the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline that would cross through major water bodies, including waters in North Carolina. The letter, which is addressed to Nathaniel J. Davis Sr., deputy secretary of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, requests “a new Draft…
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WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — Construction is now complete on a stormwater retrofit project at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach that is designed to redirect polluted runoff from the nearby recreational waters. The resort partnered with the North Carolina Coastal Federation on the project as part of implementation of the Bradley and Hewletts Creeks…
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A marine debris egg hunt, a recycling relay race and marine debris trivia were a few of the many events on the agenda for Marine Debris Awareness Day last week on April 12. People of all ages and campers from the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island stopped by the event that was held from 10…
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A small group of Dare County residents joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation on March 25 to learn about rain harvesting and to exchange ideas about how they can get creative with reusing stormwater in their yards. Those who participated in the rain harvesting workshop learned about how stormwater runoff impacts our water quality and…
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Thirteen local realtors joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation at Carolina Beach State Park for living shoreline maintenance and a shoreline cleanup on April 4 for Realtor Action Day, a large volunteer event organized by Cape Fear Realtors. They helped straighten oyster bags on a reef that was displaced by Hurricane Matthew last fall. They also…
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OCEAN — The North Carolina Coastal Federation launched the new “Adopt an Oyster” program this month to support its 2017 oyster restoration projects. Participants can adopt oysters for $5 each or $40 for a dozen. They may opt to receive updates about their adopted oyster by text or email. Throughout the federation’s restoration season, the donor…
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Twenty-four people helped raise money for the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s oyster projects while participating in a morning yoga class on Sunday, April 2. Jenna Livernois led the class, called “Ohms for Oysters,” at Outer Banks Yoga Studio as part of her yoga instructor certification. Each week, the studio offers a Sunday Karma class and chooses a…
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We had an informative and productive time at the Sound Economic Development: Creating a Rising Economic Tide for the North Carolina Coast summit in March. It was a great opportunity to educate legislators and policymakers on the importance of oysters to the coast and the economy. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan spoke to attendees…
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A two-day summit held in Raleigh last week brought together appointed and elected officials, business leaders, scientists, academics, economic developers, tourism leaders and shellfish growers from North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland to discuss and plan for North Carolina’s opportunities for economic development through oyster aquaculture and coastal environmental restoration. The summit, titled Sound Economic Development:…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation has once again received the coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, demonstrating our strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. We are proud to have received this highest possible rating for the third year in a row, indicating that we continue to exceed industry standards with our efficiency…
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We had such a great time with the students from East Carolina University, Ohio State University and Ithaca College who spent their spring breaks with us! A big thanks goes out to these students who spent their spring break working on coastal restoration and education here in North Carolina. [View the story “College students spend…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted a workshop on March 8 that trained local water quality professionals, planners and managers on coastal watershed restoration planning. The workshop, titled “Watershed Planning: Strategies and Tools to Protect and Restore Coastal Water Quality,” was organized in partnership with the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership (APNEP) and the North Carolina…
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On March 6, after two years of debates and some necessary compromises, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted several text amendments to the Special Use Permit process for industry. The adopted amendments are a compromise of what the federation proposed in its Model Industrial SUP and the amendments that had been suggested…
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Students with the Blue Ribbon Commission for the Prevention of Youth Violence (BRC) pretended to be engineers and raindrops during a stormwater lesson with staff from the North Carolina Coastal Federation last Friday. Staff resumed programs with BRC on March 3 after working with them late last year. BRC provides after-school and summer opportunities for students in the…
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Update: Wrightsville Beach Brewery donated more than $1,000 to the federation’s 50 Million Oyster Initiative. Many thanks to the brewery and to all who purchased an Oysterman Stout during the month of March! WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — Wrightsville Beach Brewery will be donating 11 percent of the proceeds from its March “give back” beer to the…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s efforts to expand investment in the state’s oyster industry are picking up speed in Raleigh. Recently, Gov. Roy Cooper released his proposed budget for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 bienniums. Cooper’s budget includes all of the federation’s priority oyster investments. Those include $1.35 million to rebuild sanctuary oyster beds in the…
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The City of Wilmington received an award from the Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Development Coalition on Feb. 24 for its collaborative efforts to reduce the volume of polluted stormwater runoff entering Masonboro Sound. The city won the award for a constructed wetland in the Raintree neighborhood of Wilmington. The wetland was built over a stormwater…
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