Good news — the just approved state budget makes important new investments in oysters, coastal restoration and marine debris cleanup. When combined with existing state funding, the $23 billion budget provides a total of $1.3 million next year to continue work on the Senator Jean Preston Oyster Sanctuary in Pamlico Sound, with $500,000 of the…
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This is the third blog post as part of our Dibblers’ Diaries blog, which offers first-person stories from our interns. Summer Rich is a coastal policy and restoration intern. By Summer Rich I’ve recently come to a stark realization: although I have lived in Carteret County my entire life, it wasn’t until this internship that I’ve truly…
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Teachers from across the state traveled to the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) on Ocracoke for a three-day seminar, part of which included hands-on activities with the North Carolina Coastal Federation that were focused on a variety of coastal topics. Sara Hallas, coastal education coordinator for the federation’s Wanchese office, led…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation coastal cruises are an exciting way to explore the maze of salt marsh islands in the estuarine waters behind Bear Island, which is part of Hammocks Beach State Park. This year’s cruises, which dive into the local wildlife and natural resources of the estuary, kicked off on June 14. Spots…
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This June, the North Carolina Coastal Federation and North Carolina Coastal Land Trust staff, as well as volunteers from Ocracoke, planted Spartina alterniflora marsh grasses to create additional marsh at Springer’s Point Nature Preserve. In total the 14 volunteers planted 1,000 marsh grass plugs in an area of the preserve that has been stabilized with…
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Five employees from RBC Wealth Management helped plant 200 native wetland plants at the Glen Meade subdivision in Wilmington last week on RBC Blue Water Day. Along with staff from the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the City of Wilmington, these RBC employees and one other volunteer helped install native plants in a bioretention site…
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A group of international visitors recently stopped by Jockey’s Ridge State Park, where staff from the North Carolina Coastal Federation talked with them about living shorelines and other elements of the organization’s work. On June 16, the group — which came to the United States through the International Visitor Leadership Program through the U.S. Department…
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This is the second blog post as part of our Dibblers’ Diaries blog, which offers first-person stories from our interns. Summer Rich is a coastal policy and restoration intern. By Summer Rich As it has just been over a month into our summer internship, the coastal restoration and policy interns have dived into their individual projects.…
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As the school year wound down, North Carolina Coastal Federation educators had a few last lessons with students before summer started in June. Check out some highlights from the Wanchese office and the Ocean office. Ocean At the Ocean office, coastal education coordinator Rachel Bisesi visited Kat Lester’s first-grade class at Swansboro Elementary School six…
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The Dare County Soil and Water Conservation District had its eleventh-annual fifth-grade bookmark contest recently, in which students use artwork to show their understanding of conservation work in Dare County. Each year, fifth-graders learn about the importance of conservation of natural resources and environmental stewardship in Dare County. Students illustrate what they have learned, whether that…
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This is the first blog post as part of our Dibblers’ Diaries blog, which offers first-person stories from our interns. Summer Rich is a coastal policy and restoration intern. This first post recaps her first week with the North Carolina Coastal Federation. By Summer Rich Being a native of the North Carolina coast, I’ve got salt…
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More than 125 people attended an organizational meeting for opposing offshore oil drilling and seismic surveys in Wilmington on June 6, and attendees left the meeting energized and ready to start taking action. The North Carolina Coastal Federation, Oceana, the Cape Fear Chapter of the N.C. Sierra Club and the Cape Fear Chapter of the…
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Late last week, the state House approved its version of the $23 billion state budget by a vote of 80-31. Now the House and the Senate go to what they call “conference” to iron out their differences and arrive at a final budget before sending it to Gov. Roy Cooper for approval. Oysters The North…
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Twenty people joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation and East Carolina University (ECU) for a tour on June 2 that showcased projects that will reduce the amount of stormwater runoff flowing into the White Oak River by 61,000 gallons from the 1-year 24-hour storm, protecting it for fishing, swimming, kayaking and more. The Stormwater Solutions Tour &…
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Over 50 town managers, planners, engineers and watershed professionals attended a watershed restoration planning workshop on May 25 to learn about how to reduce polluted stormwater runoff and restore coastal water quality. The workshop, entitled “Watershed Planning: Strategies and Tools to Protect and Restore Coastal Water Quality” was put on by the North Carolina Coastal…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation brought its enthusiasm for oysters inland over Memorial Day weekend, setting up a booth at Chapel Hill’s Jaws Fest. Kelly Bodie, membership director for the federation, ran the booth while wearing the federation’s oyster costume. She talked to people about oysters and how they benefit North Carolina’s economy and environment…
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Morris Landing A large group of volunteers joined North Carolina Coastal Federation staff at Morris Landing Clean Water Preserve in Holly Ridge on May 17 for marsh grass planting, monitoring and oyster bagging. The event brought in 50 volunteers, including 21 students from Eugene Ashley High School’s Marine Science Academy, the Green Team at the Blockade…
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Staff at the Wanchese office recently took a field trip with students and staff from River City YouthBuild out to Durant’s Point in Hatteras, where they learned about living shorelines, marine debris and explored the marsh. Sara Hallas, coastal education coordinator at the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office, said they’ve done a trip with…
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Students with the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Prevention of Youth Violence (BRC) spent an afternoon learning about marine debris with staff from the North Carolina Coastal Federation on May 12. This lesson is just one of series that federation staff at the Wrightsville Beach office have conducted with these students, who participate in the BRC’s…
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Erica Connery and Nina Quaratella are ending their AmeriCorps terms with the North Carolina Coastal Federation at the end of the month. Connery and Quaratella each spent more than a year at the federation’s Wanchese and Wrightsville Beach offices, respectively, where they helped coordinate educational activities and assisted with restoration projects. They worked at the federation…
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AmeriCorps member Madison Douthitt will be leading two programs on North Carolina’s sounds and on marine debris this summer on alternating Thursdays in the Outer Banks. Douthitt works with the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office as a coastal community engagement specialist. Learn more about the two programs — Soundside Discoveries and Trash Talk — below. Soundside Discoveries…
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CARTERET COUNTY — Crews have started moving about 25,000 tons of limestone marl as construction is underway on the Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary. “After months of planning and preparation by our staff, as well as by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and other partners, it’s great to see Stevens Towing breaking ground on the…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation is now offering public access to the North River Wetlands Preserve in Otway. Access to the preserve is a member benefit. Federation members are allowed access for free and non-members are asked to pay a small fee of $5 per person, per day. The preserve is open from dawn to…
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CHARLESTON, S.C. — The North Carolina Coastal Federation, on behalf of a collaborative team, including the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (NCNERR), is the recipient of a regional 2017 Rain Catcher Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 for various innovative stormwater runoff infiltration projects in Wrightsville Beach. The federation is accepting the…
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As you’ve likely read or heard about from our action alert, President Trump signed an executive order last week that aims to expand offshore drilling off our 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…
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