Our sounds are a delicate and important part of our coastal environment — their waters are calmer than ocean waters and provide critical habitat for oysters, fish and other animals. Every Thursday, visitors and residents alike can join the North Carolina Coastal Federation on the Duck Boardwalk to learn more about these important waters. Erica Connery,…
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When school is out for summer, some teachers use this time to take classes for themselves. That’s what 21 teachers across the state did during a four-day professional development seminar in Ocracoke Island from June 27 to June 30, 2016. The four-day seminar, offered at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT),…
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The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) submitted a comment letter Thursday to the Division of Coastal Management (DCM) on Ocean Isle Beach’s application for a terminal groin at Shallotte Inlet. The SELC wrote the comment letter on behalf of the North Carolina Coastal Federation. In the letter, the SELC argued the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) submitted in support…
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From June 20 to July 1, the North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted visitors from Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus, an environmental group based in Krasnodar Krai in Russia. While here, they participated in an assortment of restoration projects with our staff in the central and northeast offices. Check out the photo gallery below to…
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by Danielle Herman and Caroline Lamb CAPE CARTERET — Two Russians stood in the bed of trailer filled with oyster shells, shoveling the shells into buckets. Others stood by, ready to carry the heavy buckets, two at a time, down the steep slope and through the mud to the newly restored salt marsh outside of…
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Students from Down East Middle School and the Boys & Girls Club in Beaufort enjoyed outdoor activities and coastal education at Coastal Discovery Camp, which lasted from June 27 to June 29 in the Down East area of Carteret County. This camp was held in partnership between the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the Core Sound Waterfowl…
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Northeast staff at the North Carolina Coastal Federation teamed up with Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head for Service in Science Camp, which gave participants a chance to see a variety of habitat and restoration projects in the Outer Banks. This week-long summer camp, which was from June 20 to June 24, offered a unique chance for…
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When Jo Ann Marsh first visited the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s office in 1993 for an interview, she wondered what she had gotten herself into. At the time, the federation was based out of an office off N.C. 58 on the White Oak River. It was back in the woods, past a dog kennel, and…
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The Army Corps of Engineers released its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding the proposed 1,500-foot terminal groin at Rich Inlet near Figure Eight Island. The public can submit comments until Aug. 1. The Corps will then consider all of the comments before making a decision on whether or not to issue a federal permit for…
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Both coastal conservationists and shellfish growers agree that the new state budget makes important new investments in the state’s oyster industry. North Carolina Coastal Federation staff members learned Monday night that the budget included all of the requested funding for oyster restoration and crab pot cleanup — two of the federation’s major projects for keeping…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation sent a comment letter Monday to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and a second comment letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), requesting the two agencies consider and discuss the impact of new information about the environmental effects of geological and geophysical oil and gas surveys — commonly…
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Volunteers again gathered at Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores to put down oyster bags for a marsh toe revetment that will eventually extend 500 feet along the shore. Building off the progress made June 1, this group of 34 volunteers put down 500 oyster bags to extend the revetment to 225 feet. For the…
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Fly Fisherman magazine announced recently the creation of its Conservationist of the Year Award. The award will honor a person whose volunteer work for a conservation organization has helped protect or improve fisheries habitats in the previous year. The winner will receive $10,000 to donate to the nonprofit conservation organization of his or her choice,…
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Stormwater is the number one pollutant of coastal waters, but the North Carolina Coastal Federation and Down East Insulation are mitigating the effects of stormwater runoff by installing rain barrels into yards in the White Oak River Basin. Staff at the federation worked with the company on June 9 to install six rain barrels in the Marsh…
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Staff and interns at the North Carolina Coastal Federation teamed up with counselors from Camp Albemarle on Tuesday, May 31 to protect a shoreline along the Newport River from erosion while also restoring valuable habitat for a long time to come. The living shoreline, which is 244 feet long and comprised of about 2,000 bags…
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Volunteers from the local community came out to Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores on Wednesday to help protect and restore our shorelines, one bag full of recycled oyster shells at a time. In the muggy June air, volunteers of all ages formed a line, passing along bags of oyster shells to the edge of…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation is currently hosting its annual Native Plant Sale at its headquarters office in Newport. Stop by any time between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to purchase plants that will brighten up homes and yards while also providing habitat for birds, butterflies and other animals. Native plants make for beautiful…
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In this issue, we chat with North Carolina Coastal Federation member, Joey Hester, a former intern in our central office and current non-point source planning coordinator for the N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation. Tell us a bit about yourself. I’m from Rocky Mount and spent most of my childhood hunting and fishing, so…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted a meeting and tour for the Cape Fear Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers on May 24 that focused on stormwater runoff solutions in Oak Island. Engineers, public officials and residents alike showed up to learn more about about stormwater runoff reduction measures the town has implemented. The walking…
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Imagine yourself on a long highway trip without the opportunity to rest before the next leg of your journey. Just as rest stops along our highways offer that chance, our coastal inlets provide critical resting habitats to the thousands of shorebirds traveling north and south to their nesting grounds each spring. Not only are our…
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North Carolina Coastal Federation staff, fellows and interns recently joined middle school students from Davidson in planting plugs of smooth cordgrass, a salt marsh species, at Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores as part of an ongoing project to build a living shoreline at Sanders Point in Bogue Sound. Planting cordgrass helps prevent erosion at Sanders Point,…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation celebrated grassroots efforts yesterday, joining community members and other environmental groups in celebrating eight years of hard work against Titan America’s plan to build a cement plant in Castle Hayne. More than 200 people enjoyed free music, food and speakers at the Titan-Free Jamboree at Battleship Park in Wilmington. Titan…
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Boy Scouts help install raised beds they built as demonstration gardens. It has been a busy spring at EarthWise Farm, the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s community garden. A new outdoor shelter provided by the Beaufort Wine & Food group and the Walmart Neighborhood Market was completed in late April. The shelter has been a great addition…
DetailsMay is National Teacher Appreciation Month. The Coastal Federation is lucky to call Sandie Cecelski, an influential and respected teacher, a board member. Sandie has spent the last 30 years teaching marine science in New Hanover County. She helped to launch the Marine Science Academy at E.H. Ashley High School, which offers college credit courses…
DetailsHappy Mother’s Day! To mark the occasion, we spoke with a couple of our most loyal volunteers in the northeast area, Vickie Byers and her daughter, Alexandra. This mother/daughter duo isn’t afraid to step into the mud or haul away debris. To the contrary, their hard work usually leaves them smiling together. Here’s what they…
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