The release of the 2019-2024 Proposed National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program has been postponed indefinitely according to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Bernhardt explained in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, published on Apr. 25, 2019, that the agency will await the outcome of the appeals process against the decision from…
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The release of the 2019-2024 Proposed National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program has been anticipated since January, and the pages of the monthly calendar have turned over four times since the new year. Nonetheless, the federation and Don’t Drill NC coalition partners have remained vigilant and monitored related activity as well as…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted 100 volunteers at Carolina Beach State Park on Friday, March 15, 2019. The volunteers were comprised of a group of 40 Marines, a group from SML, a global business and branding solutions providers, and members of the community. The groups spent several hours at Carolina Beach State Park assisting…
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In March 2019, the North Carolina Coastal Federation along with partners, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), North Carolina Sea Grant and commercial shellfish operations, wrapped up a two year-long project that removed almost 600,000 pounds of decades old mariculture operation debris from Carteret County waters. Volunteer groups with the federation, NOAA partners, and…
DetailsOn March 29, Judge Gleason of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska overturned President Trump’s push to open up 128 million acres in Arctic and Atlantic waters to oil and gas drilling. These federal waters were withdrawn from lease sales in 2015 and 2016, making them off-limits to oil and gas exploration…
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On Friday, March 29 a group of 28 first and second graders from Cape Fear Academy went to the Fred and Alice Stanback Education Center in Wrightsville Beach for a special educational program filled with engaging activities about stormwater runoff and oyster biology. The students learned about stormwater runoff through a demonstration using EnviroScape which…
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Every year, the North Carolina Coastal Federation hosts groups of college students during their spring break in our three offices. This March, groups from East Carolina University (ECU), Roanoke College, Ithaca College, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Meredith College spent their spring break making a difference on our coast. Wanchese Our Wanchese office hosted 17…
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The North Carolina General Assembly is in session for its 2019 term and the North Carolina Coastal Federation has an ambitious policy agenda for preservation and restoration of the coast. At the top of the federation’s to-do list is full funding for the recommendations of a recent strategic plan for the state’s shellfish industry. Released…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation, North Carolina Sea Grant, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) hosted the 2019 North Carolina Oyster Summit on Tuesday, March 12 in Raleigh, N.C. The summit took place at the North Carolina Museum of Natural…
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The League of Women Voters of Dare County hosted a public meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 27 to discuss the current activity associated with seismic surveys and the development of the 2019-2024 National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program. Craig Merrill, the Natural Resources Committee Chair, welcomed the attendees and introduced Bob Woodard, Dare County Commissioner…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation and partner organizations filed a motion for a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2019 to block seismic surveys from beginning in the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf until a separate lawsuit is resolved. The initial lawsuit filed on Dec. 11, 2018 outlines that the decision to issue incidental harassment authorizations (IHAs) violates…
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BEAUFORT — The North Carolina Coastal Federation, North Carolina Sea Grant, Onslow Country Solid Waste Department and North Carolina Coastal Reserve hosted the N.C. Marine Debris Action Planning Workshop, on Thursday, Feb. 28. The workshop was held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort. The workshop was a collaborative…
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Press release via Oceana CHARLESTON, SC – A group of conservation organizations today asked a federal judge to block the start of harmful seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean, a precursor to offshore drilling, until the case can be fully heard in court. The motion for a preliminary injunction filed in federal court in…
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking feedback on its plan to remove clean water protections that have been in place for generations. The administration recently released a proposed rule that will break down the Clean Water Act. If adopted, this proposed rule will open the doors to pollution into southern rivers, streams, lakes and coastal waters.…
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The sixth annual Hatteras Island Oyster Roast at Oden’s Dock hosted by the North Carolina Coastal Federation on Saturday, Feb. 2 saw record breaking attendance of over 400 oyster enthusiasts, making the event a sold out affair. Guests traveled from up to six hours away to enjoy unlimited oysters, chowder and corn bread. The federation…
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WANCHESE – The North Carolina Coastal Federation is wrapping up a sixth year of the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project in partnership with North Carolina Marine Patrol. Along the coast, 78 commercial watermen and women spent about a week retrieving lost crab pots from the sounds. This project was funded by the North Carolina General…
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On Jan. 17 the North Carolina Coastal Federation teamed up with the Town of Sunset Beach to start construction on a living shoreline project at Sunset Beach Waterfront Park. This is the first step of a project with Sunset Beach to create a living shoreline that will help protect the park from erosion and create…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted a series of land based cleanups along the coast this past weekend in conjunction with the kick off of the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project, an effort to remove lost crab pots from North Carolina sounds. The North Carolina General Assembly appropriated funding to this project to facilitate and…
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On Jan. 11, a key state environmental committee welcomed researchers from the North Carolina Shellfish Mariculture Advisory Committee and the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory for a review of the recently completed strategic plan to boost the state’s shellfish industry. Researchers told lawmakers that a modest increase of state funding over the next decade could boost…
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On a relatively calm January day, Michael Flynn, coastal advocate for the Wanchese office of the North Carolina Coastal Federation, donned his wetsuit to install a king tides gauge at the end of the office dock. The King Tides Project is an international citizen science program used to document extreme high tide events using photos…
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A cohort of dynamic and innovative teachers of grades K-12 participated in their first weekend field experience at the Pocosin Lakes and Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuges as part of a fellowship program offered by North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences to facilitate project-based learning (PBL) in the classroom. The educators visited the Pocosin Lakes on…
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After much collaboration and teamwork, construction began on a living shoreline project along Moor Shore Road in Kitty Hawk this past December. The project consists of seven vertical sills that act as speed bumps and extend approximately 600 feet along the shore. These sills buffer the shoreline from erosion by decreasing wave energy as it…
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New friendships were formed at the Toast to the Coast Oyster Roast hosted by Outer Banks Distilling, the makers of Kill Devil Rum, in downtown Manteo this past weekend. Following the release of their winter spiced rum, staff and volunteers from the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s northeast office were excited to participate in the distillery’s…
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A ton of oyster shells made a unique journey from the sea to the mountains and back to the sea this month. The North Carolina Coastal Federation received over 2,000 lbs of oysters from the Highlands Food and Wine Festival. The Highlands Food and Wine Festival is an annual event that takes place just west…
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