Waterfront property owners with eroding shorelines along our coastal sounds, bays, rivers, tidal creeks and waterways may soon be eligible for financial assistance to naturally control their erosion while increasing fish habitat at the same time. The North Carolina Coastal Federation recently received grant funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Ecosystem…
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Wednesday, July 27 was a hot day, but that didn’t deter the wonderful volunteers in Manteo from completing an oyster reef in Shallowbag Bay on Roanoke Island. Six volunteers came out for a fun-filled morning, and started out the day by moving crab pots and collecting buoys from a storage site to bring out to the North Carolina…
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Volunteers helped the North Carolina Coastal Federation complete the fifth phase of its restoration work at the Morris Landing Clean Water Preserve near Stump Sound in Holly Ridge in Onslow County. On Wednesday, July 27 — the hottest day of the year so far — 18 volunteers worked to enhance and restore salt marsh habitat along the…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation and North Carolina Wildlife Federation submitted an amicus brief on July 27 in support of public trust rights to access dry sand beaches. The Southern Environmental Law Center filed the brief on behalf of the two nonprofit organizations to the Supreme Court of North Carolina, which will soon hear the…
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Ann Daisey is the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s community conservationist, and her position is unique to the state. She focuses on improving water quality in Dare County as both a staff member of the federation and as the staff member for the Dare Soil and Water Conservation District — but her position might have never…
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The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) submitted a comment letter regarding living shorelines to the Army Corps of Engineers. The letter was written on behalf of the North Carolina Coastal Federation and other groups. The federation will also be submitting an additional letter in the next few days. SELC recommends the retirement of Nationwide Permit…
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The vice chairman of the Coastal Resources Commission approved a request for a third party contested hearing on the Sunset Beach West development but denied a request to hear the appeal of the property ownership issue. The North Carolina Coastal Federation and the Sunset Beach Taxpayers’ Association requested a formal appeal of a developer’s Coastal Area…
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A group of 16 campers spent three days exploring Hammocks Beach State Park for Coastal Discovery Camp, where they took in the many views of the park and learned about its many habitats. The North Carolina Coastal Federation led the camp from July 11-13, 2016 in partnership with staff at the park, including Sarah Bartlett, the environmental education…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation has been recommended to receive $1.275 million for oyster restoration in the Pamlico Sound by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with the potential to receive a total of $4.275 million over a three-year period. NOAA announced Wednesday the 17 coastal and marine habitat restoration projects it is recommending to…
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Eight students and two staff from River City YouthBuild visited the Northeast office on July 14 for a field trip to explore a living shoreline at Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Despite the weather — the hottest day of the year so far — the group had fun and learned about living shorelines and estuaries. River City YouthBuild is a community organization from Elizabeth…
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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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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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