The crisis seems to be passing for the Mother Vine, the scuppernong grapevine in Manteo that is estimated to be more than 400 years old and the oldest cultivated vine in North America. But the impact of the use of pesticides on the plant has caused some to ask why any such chemicals are being used on Roanoke Island where all water eventually flows into the sounds.
‘Mother Vine’ Survives But Pesticide Use Questioned
August 12th, 2010Emerald Isle Continues to Work on Stormwater Controls
August 12th, 2010Emerald Isle has largely solved long-standing drainage problems along Coast Guard Road, but town officials are moving forward on plans to address similar woes at The Point and in the Land’s End area. Frank Rush, town manager, said there haven’t been any serious drainage issues in those areas recently, but he and residents remain concerned about potential problems.
Proposed Marinas Raise Concerns in Beaufort
August 12th, 2010BEAUFORT — Town commissioners raised concerns Monday that two new marina projects may make getting into town more difficult. One is an 85-wet slip project where Homer Smith Seafood currently stands, near the Grayden Paul Bridge. The second is immediately to the east of that site and is to consist of 59 wet slips. The main issue raised by board members was the impact the project would have on traffic.
Wrightsville Beach Ponders Ways to Enforce Overboard Dumping
August 5th, 2010The sanitary habits of boaters were questioned as elected officials and town staff in Wrightsville Beach pondered the best method for enforcing the federal government’s county-wide No Discharge Zone and the state’s Clean Vessel Act at a recent board of aldermen meeting. Both measures were initiated to clean up Wrightsville’s waterways, but in an area steeped with marinas populated by large power yachts and sailboats, transient mariners, live-aboard residents and day trippers, the matter quickly ripples away from the source of the raw sewage effluent and digresses toward containment. One proposal discussed during last year’s aldermen elections was the use of a pump out boat.
Port Opponents Pitch Vision on New Use of Terminal Land
August 5th, 2010BOLIVIA—With the proposed North Carolina International Terminal project on hold indefinitely, members of the No Port Southport group want to work with county commissioners to bring in clean, green industry to the site. Harry Burrell of No Port Southport, making a presentation to county commissioners on Monday, said the group had, “a new vision for the land that was originally purchased for North Carolina International Terminal.”
Study: N.C. Beaches Among Cleanest in the U.S.
July 30th, 2010North Carolina’s beaches again ranked high in an annual study of beach water quality done by the National Resources Defense Council.
Congress Approves $22.5 Million for Southeast N.C. Beaches, Inlets
July 30th, 2010Nearly $22.5 million in federal funds have been secured for the southeastern beaches, inlets, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Wilmington Port, including $300,000 for Surf City/Topsail Beach and $4.7 million for the Intracoastal Waterway.
That Free Fertlizer — Sewage Sludge — Poses Enviro, Health Risks
July 29th, 2010For 30 years, sewage sludge has been applied to farmland throughout the U.S. to fertilize fields that grow food for livestock and, in some cases, humans. Yet it’s only in the last decade that sludge has garnered attention from citizens, scientists and the FDA because of the uncertainty of its contents.
Sludge isn’t just a byproduct of waste that creates optimal fertilizer; it can contain heavy metals, bacteria like staphylococcus (the cause of staph infection) and thousands of chemicals yet to be tested for safety by the FDA.
Emerald Isle Turtle Nest Vandalized
July 29th, 2010An Emerald Isle group that works to track and monitor sea turtle nests along the town’s beach strand says recent intrusions at nesting sites appear to be intentional acts rather than random accidents. Jim Craig, one of the co-coordinators of the Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Protection Program, said they’ve seen more disturbances than usual at nesting sites this season; and the vandalism they’ve seen over the past several weeks has them asking for the public’s help in reporting any possible tampering of nesting sites.
“We’ve put out pleas to anyone will listen; we want people to be an extra set of eyes for us,” Craig said.
Sunset Beach Firefighters Rescue Sea Turtle
July 29th, 2010Two Sunset Beach firefighters, Scott Bookout and Henry Klutz recued a sea turtle near the Sunset Beach Pier last Friday. The turtle was swimming in the area around the Sunset Beach Pier when it became entangled in fishing line. The rescued sea turtle was a Kemp Ridley, which is not common in this area. They are found mostly in the waters around the Gulf of Mexico. Only three Kemp Ridleys have nested in North Carolina, but none of those were in Brunswick County.