SWAN QUARTER — The third public meeting to discuss progress and ongoing research related to the development of the Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed Restoration Plan will be held on Feb. 6. The goal of the watershed restoration plan is to provide a blueprint for how to best address water quality and flooding issues that affect nearby landowners…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation staff members ended 2017 on a sweet note after getting to spend time with volunteers and project partners at the annual volunteer appreciation parties. Each regional office hosted their own party featuring food, desserts and a celebration of the year’s accomplishments. The Wanchese office staff hosted theirs on Nov. 17…
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Sixth-grade students at Broad Creek Middle School will soon have an outdoor classroom of their own that they will use to learn about stormwater runoff, native plants and local water quality. Staff in the federation’s Ocean office have been busy at work this school year leading rain garden lessons and planning the construction of a…
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For the last year, the North Carolina Coastal Federation has been able to increase its capacity to engage more students from underserved communities in coastal stewardship through service learning because of a grant from the State Farm Youth Advisory Board. The 12-month, $38,000 grant, which wrapped up in November, enabled the federation to increase its…
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Two New Hanover County based organizations recently provided critical support for the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s education programs. The federation strives to reach people from all walks of life with its education programs, and these two grants will help staff to promote and expand their education work. The Landfall Foundation awarded the federation $3,995 for…
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If it’s a new year, it’s time for the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s annual Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project across the state’s coast. This unique effort employs the state’s commercial fishermen to remove lost crab pots, which improves both the crab and other state fisheries. It also creates work for commercial fishermen during the no-potting…
DetailsA state court recently vacated a state permit that would have allowed a mining firm to discharge wastewater into Blounts Creek. The millions of gallons of discharge would have changed the flow and habitat of the creek, severely altering a popular fishing spot. The North Carolina Coastal Federation and Sound Rivers were represented by the…
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An oyster roast in Greensboro recently benefited the North Carolina Coastal Federation. Revolution on the Half Shell, hosted by Revolution Mill, took place Dec. 15. More than 100 attendees enjoyed oysters, live music, craft beer and a marshmallow roast. Kelly Bodie, membership director for the federation, organized 10 federation volunteers to recycle oyster shells at…
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This fall, volunteers joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation at Oak Island Waterway Park, Carolina Beach State Park and Morris Landing for living shoreline monitoring events, where they measured marsh coverage and looked for new oyster growth. Living shorelines, or erosion control techniques that reduce the impact of waves through the use of more natural…
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Students from the Dare County-based nonprofit Mano al Hermano enjoyed a day of winter crafts with North Carolina Coastal Federation staff earlier this week. The annual Winter Break Activity Day took place at the Dare County Arts Council on Dec. 18. This is the second year that the federation has collaborated with Mano al Hermano…
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The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has awarded the North Carolina Coastal Federation a $110,000 grant. The federation plans to use the grant to support its community-based education, restoration and advocacy programs in 2018. The federation works with coastal communities in all aspects of its work, and these partnerships create a healthier, more resilient coast. The…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office held their last Adopt-a-Highway cleanup of the year on Dec. 1. Volunteers picked up litter off an adopted two-mile stretch of N.C. 345 in Wanchese, which the federation adopted at the beginning of 2017. Since adopting it, the federation has held multiple cleanups. At the Dec. 1 cleanup,…
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Nov. 7 marked the second public meeting as part of the development of the Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed Restoration Plan. The plan development is funded by a partnership of Hyde County, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. The plan is guided by an 11-person stakeholder committee and public input, and will be…
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As the presence of GenX and other “emerging contaminants” in drinking water continues to make news across the state, the North Carolina Coastal Federation is building support for a statewide effort to detect these pollutants in our rivers and streams. The federation is working closely with Duke engineering professor Dr. Lee Ferguson, who has spent…
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Students from Elizabeth City-based River City YouthBuild recently spent time at the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office and the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island for a fall field trip. Sara Hallas, coastal education coordinator, and Reilly Kelly, the AmeriCorps member at that office, hosted 14 students and staff from River City YouthBuild. Hallas…
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In November, 52 volunteers helped the North Carolina Coastal Federation clean up marine debris near Harkers Island and at Wards Creek Bridge in Bettie. Both cleanups were part of a grant to clean up a former clam-growing operation that went out of business decades ago. Plastic netting, cages, buoys, pipes and ropes are creating navigation…
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Volunteers got their hands dirty in the mulch at the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s two rain garden maintenance days at Alderman Elementary School on Oct. 25 and Bradley Creek Elementary School on Nov. 1. At Alderman Elementary, three volunteers came to help maintain the rain garden. Volunteers included Blair Bannon, a former federation intern, and…
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Coastal Provisions Oyster Bar & Wine Café hosted a Wine and Dine to benefit the North Carolina Coastal Federation earlier this month. Attendees enjoyed a six-course dinner featuring North Carolina oysters and wines, two industries the state has seen growth in the last decade. Chef Dan Lewis, owner of Coastal Provisions, planned the meal and…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation teamed up with the Town of Manteo on Nov. 18 for the town’s annual Fall Litter Cleanup. The federation has helped with multiple litter pickups by providing support for the water-based portion of the cleanup. Erin Fleckenstein, coastal scientist and northeast office manager, and Reilly Kelly, AmeriCorps member, had help…
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The North Carolina Coastal Federation led activities on stormwater runoff at the 2017 Latino Festival at Wilmington’s Ogden Park on Nov. 11. With the help of many of Spanish-speaking volunteers, the federation used a stormwater model to educate festival goers about stormwater runoff and the many sources of pollutants that are found in runoff. The…
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Fifty students, teachers and adults gathered to enhance their environmental knowledge by participating in the Environmental Education Field Day at the Ponzer Community Building in Hyde County on Oct. 26. Debbie Cahoon, administrator for the Hyde County Soil and Water Conservation District, organized the all-day learning experience. This annual field day is for the county’s…
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Two recent events in the Outer Banks celebrated North Carolina oysters and craft beer — all while benefiting the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which was on hand at both events to recycle shells and educate people about the coast. “The federation was honored to be the beneficiary of two local events featuring North Carolina breweries and…
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Recently, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper charged Susi Hamilton, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with helping lead his administration’s efforts to assist the state’s rural counties. That’s good news for the North Carolina Coastal Federation and its oyster efforts. Hamilton, a former state representative from New Hanover County, has…
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CAROLINA BEACH — Construction began last week on a one-acre artificial reef meant to enhance recreational fishing and create oyster reef habitat in the lower Cape Fear River. The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, with support from Carolina Beach State Park and the North Carolina Coastal Federation, is leading the construction of Artificial Reef…
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In October, students from Appalachian State University and Roanoke College visited the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office for cleanups on an adopted 2-mile stretch of N.C. 345. Sara Hallas, coastal education coordinator for the Wanchese office, as well as Reilly Kelly, Wanchese AmeriCorps member, led these two programs. The first group to visit was…
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