The North Carolina Coastal Federation has a big goal for oyster restoration — one that almost measures up to the innumerable ways oysters benefit the North Carolina coast. At the end of December, the federation announced its 50 Million Oyster Initiative, a three-year campaign to restore 50 million oysters in North Carolina waters. The initiative launched in Pamlico…
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In a new, monthly email update, we are offering a way to hear about the federation’s policy work and get the inside scoop on the North Carolina General Assembly. The federation’s policy priorities for legislators this year include increased investment in oyster restoration, support for removing lost fishing gear from coastal waters and efficient and effective…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation holds two conservation easement sites in Tyrrell County. Federation staff monitored the easements by air on Dec. 21, and results from the flyover indicated that they are successfully protecting habitats and water quality of the Scuppernong River, as intended. Federation member and volunteer Charles Hardy piloted the monitoring trip conducted by Erin…
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On Dec. 15, the Governors’ South Atlantic Alliance released its living shoreline needs assessment that was developed by experts to identify what gaps exist in living shoreline research and practice in the Southeast U.S. The GSAA is a formal collaborative between the governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The alliance received funding from…
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At the New Hanover County Planning Board’s final work session on the Special Use Permit last week, the board indicated it is still moving forward to weaken the current SUP, despite the many people and organizations that have come forward in support of making the SUP stronger. The past few days, the North Carolina Coastal…
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The North Carolina Supreme Court dismissed the court case Nies vs. Emerald Isle on Wednesday, safeguarding public trust rights to the state’s beaches. The case sparked concern along the coast, as a ruling in favor of the Nieses had widespread implications for the future of public beach access in North Carolina. Many towns, counties and…
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The North Carolina General Assembly is scheduled to hold a special session beginning Dec. 13 to supplement federal disaster aid aimed at helping the state recover from Hurricane Matthew. Matthew and the subsequent flooding were responsible for 28 deaths and more than $2 billion in damage in North Carolina, mostly in eastern North Carolina. Legislators…
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In December we celebrated our volunteers, who are some of the most wonderful people we get to work with. They make our work possible and brighten our days in the process. Thank you to all of those who have come out to shovel oyster shells, plant marsh grass, carry oyster bags and more. Our Wanchese…
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OCEAN — Storm surge caused by Hurricane Matthew in October caused widespread destruction of bulkheads and other supposedly stabilized shorelines along coastal creeks, river and sounds throughout coastal North Carolina. “Matthew proved that building seawalls and other hard erosion control structures to protect waterfront property provides a false sense of security for waterfront property owners,”…
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WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — On Friday, Dec. 2, construction crews will break ground on a stormwater reduction project at Blockade Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach that will redirect runoff from recreational waters to a new system that will infiltrate and reuse runoff for irrigation. The North Carolina Coastal Federation is partnering with the resort for…
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On Nov. 14, with more than a hundred people in attendance and a dozen people lined up to speak, the current New Hanover County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) voted to postpone the public hearing on the two-year effort led by the federation and the community that focused on developing a more comprehensive Special Use Permit…
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Our staff is thankful for all things related to the coast and to our work. See what they had to say: Here at the North Carolina Coastal Federation, we have plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We are thankful for our supporters — all 16,000 of them. We could not work to protect the…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation sent a comment letter Monday to Sara Burroughs of Sage Design, the Wilmington-based firm leading the planning process for developing the 300-acre addition to the mainland access of Hammocks Beach State Park. Todd Miller, the executive director of the federation and Sam Bland, a coastal specialist with the federation and…
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by Ashita Gona PINE KNOLL SHORES – The town has broken ground on a natural stormwater management system designed to decrease the volume of runoff and alleviate some of the area’s flooding. Through a partnership with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the town is in the process of installing three swales, or long, shallow ditches…
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Staff from the Wrightsville Beach office finished the last of three reef monitoring events on Nov. 8. Volunteers came out twice in October and once in November to evaluate the progress of living shorelines built at Morris Landing Clean Water Preserve in Holly Ridge and at Waterway Park in Oak Island. The living shorelines included…
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Figure Eight Island homeowners rejected a proposal for a terminal groin on Thursday. A majority of voters did not respond or voted “no” on the proposed project in a special assessment mailed to property owners in October from the Figure Eight Island Homeowners’ Association. “With this decision by the property owners at Figure 8, this…
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The water is getting colder, but for students from the Blue Ribbon Commission’s Voyage program in Wilmington that didn’t matter too much as they pulled seine nets along the shoreline trying to catch fish and explored a salt marsh while tracking fiddler crabs on a beautiful day in October. These students got to experience firsthand…
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Great blue herons are the largest type of heron in North America. They are highly adaptable and seen throughout the continental United States. Photo by Sam Bland. The air is crisp, the leaves are changing and the sky and waters are teeming with birds and waterfowl. Fall on the coast is a great time for bird…
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The federation has been busy at work the past few weeks using rain gardens to teach students about water quality and stormwater, the number-one polluter of coastal waters. Check out how we’ve been keeping busy in these living classrooms! Manteo Middle School students help out at the new Wanchese office Students from Mary Ann Hodges’ eighth-grade…
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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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