Among 6,000 acres of former farmland and restored wetlands in Otway, there sits a quarter-acre piece of land with colorful flowers that attract native pollinators. The pollinator garden at the North River Wetlands Preserve was planted by the North Carolina Coastal Federation in order to attract native pollinator species, many of which are on the decline…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted the Surfside Shrimp Boil on Nov. 4 at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach, where attendees gathered for fresh seafood, live music and a silent auction. The event kicked off a weekend of paddle races known as Surf to Sound, hosted by the Wrightsville Beach Paddle Club. Race…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation submitted comments to Dave Hallac, the superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, on Nov. 1, 2016, in regard to the flood mitigation management planning process for the national seashore’s Cape Point area that is near the iconic Cape Hatteras lighthouse. The national seashore held two public meetings in October to address…
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Bradley Creek Elementary School’s rain garden. Students work on the rain garden at Bradley Creek Elementary School. On Tuesday, Oct. 25, coastal education coordinator Ted Wilgis attended a check presentation hosted by the Cape Fear Garden Club. The garden club awarded the federation a $1,200 grant for its school yard rain garden program. The Cape…
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As part of a growing effort to improve habitat and water quality on the coast, the North Carolina Coastal Federation has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to construct oyster reefs in estuaries throughout North Carolina. The federation has been busy over the past few months constructing an oyster reef at Trinity Center…
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In October we had two great oyster shell recycling events that included local beer and fresh seafood, and there’s more to come in November. Proceeds from the events will benefit our restoration work — and the recycled oyster shells will help a lot, too. These will be used to make oyster bags for living shoreline…
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Over the last several years, the North Carolina Coastal Federation central staff members have worked with approximately a dozen Boy Scouts on their Eagle Scout projects. In most cases, individual Boy Scouts reach out to the federation to learn about projects they can work on or do. Rachel Bisesi, coastal education coordinator at the central…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation is teaming up with coastal colleagues from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to advance the use of living shorelines across four Atlantic coast states. The Governors’ South Atlantic Alliance, a formal collaborative between the governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to…
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UPDATE: On Nov. 3, there will be a New Hanover County Planning Board Public Hearing from 6-8 p.m. The hearing will determine the Special Use Permit recommendation the planning board will make at the Nov. 14 Board of Commissioners Public Hearing. Please attend and make your voice heard! On Nov. 10, North Carolina Coastal Federation…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation believes that one of the best ways to learn is in a hands-on, collaborative environment, which sixth-grade students at First Flight Middle School in Kill Devil Hills have done over the past few days while observing and tending to the school’s rain garden. As part of the federation’s school rain garden…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation has teamed up with the town of Swansboro to develop a watershed restoration plan for the town, which will lay out a framework for reducing stormwater runoff that flows into the White Oak River and Queens Creek. On Tuesday, Oct. 11, Mariko Polk, a stormwater GIS specialist for the federation,…
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The first annual Fish Fry & Shrimp Boil started with an idea that it might raise awareness about the North Carolina Coastal Federation in the northeast coastal region. The federation was looking to bring people together and to build partnerships within the community. “We thought fish and shrimp might do the trick,” said Sara Hallas, coastal…
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On Sept. 26, a group from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) visited coastal North Carolina by invitation from the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary Partnership (APNEP). The group included officials from EPA headquarters and EPA Region 4. During their tour, the North Carolina Coastal Federation had the opportunity to give them a tour of North River Wetlands Preserve…
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Local officials from New Hanover County joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation in Wrightsville Beach on Sept. 27 for a Walk the Loop for Clean Water tour, which highlights low-impact development (LID) techniques that collect and infiltrate stormwater runoff along the John Nesbitt Loop. Tim Burgess, assistant county manager of New Hanover County, took a group of department heads…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation is currently accepting applications for “on-water” cleanup assistance related to its annual Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project. This project is open to commercial watermen in North Carolina. Watermen are selected to participate in this program annually to help the federation and the North Carolina Marine Patrol remove lost fishing gear…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation submitted a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers Thursday requesting that the agency return the terminal groin permit application submitted by the Figure Eight Homeowners Association (HOA) as incomplete and inaccurate. The federation contends that the application does not comply with the Corps’ regulations or its application form instruction. It…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation developed its position on wind energy this month following two public hearings about the proposed Wind Energy Area (WEA) off the coast of Kitty Hawk. “The North Carolina Coastal Federation generally supports projects that produce clean non-polluting energy,” the position summary document said. “At the same time, the federation strongly believes…
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We had such a great time celebrating National Estuaries Week here on the North Carolina coast! Our staff was busy hosting events throughout the North Carolina coast. We hope that you were able to join us for one of the events, but if not, we’ve got a full recap here! Check out this Storify to…
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New stormwater runoff projects installed in Cedar Point last week will reduce the volume of polluted runoff that flows into the White Oak River. The best management practices (BMPs) broke ground in the Croatan National Forest and a nearby neighborhood as part of the White Oak watershed restoration plan for impaired waters. Funding for these projects comes from the…
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Visitors and residents alike joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation on living shoreline tours Saturday at Day at the Docks in Hatteras. Some had never heard of a living shoreline before, but almost all of the people who attended the tours enjoyed getting in the water and using dip nets to look for various marine animals.…
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More than 55 supporters attended the New Hanover County (NHC) Planning Board’s Sept. 8 public hearing on proposed revisions to the county’s Special Use Permit (SUP) process submitted by the NHC Planning Staff. The North Carolina Coastal Federation presented several improvements to the county’s proposal to specifically address and identify heavy polluting industries. These proposed improvements…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation welcomed the Outer Banks community to its new office in the Wanchese Marine Industrial Park at its Wanchese Office Grand Opening on Thursday. At its new location, the federation office is now working alongside commercial fishermen, recreational boat-builders and fishing suppliers — some of the people and businesses that most…
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Americorps member Nina Quaratella shows kids a sea spider at Touch Tank Tuesday. This summer’s Touch Tank Tuesday brought in more than 1,100 visitors, 40 different species of aquatic plants and animals and a broad range of reactions, from sheer terror to awe. “Some of the kids and adults were apprehensive about touching the animals,…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s southeast office in Wrightsville Beach has been expanding its community outreach by beginning a partnership with the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Prevention of Youth Violence (BRC). One of the federation’s priorities is to reach underserved communities through education and outreach programs. Ted Wilgis, the southeast region’s coastal education coordinator,…
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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…
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