North Carolina’s beaches again ranked high in an annual study of beach water quality done by the National Resources Defense Council.
Study: N.C. Beaches Among Cleanest in the U.S.
July 30th, 2010Congress 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.
Emerald Isle Boat Route Raises Concerns
July 29th, 2010Concern from residents has prompted Emerald Isle to consider alternate routes leading from the public boat launch now in planning near Chapel by the Sea to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The Wildlife Resources Commission has already granted a permit for a route heading west from the facility, around Archers Point and through Bogue Sound to the existing AIWW channel at Island Harbor Marina.
Carteret Seeks Sand for Emerald Isle Beach
July 29th, 2010Carteret County Beach Commission Monday approved a maximum $24,900 contract with Raleigh engineering firm Moffatt and Nichol that pays for the company to work on a permit modification to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to place beach-quality sand dredged from the harbor project on the 1.4-mile stretch of beach in Emerald Isle instead of dumping the sand offshore.
Testing the Water for Bacteria
July 27th, 2010Carefully stepping around duck poop on the dock, Shane Heagy dipped a sanitized bottle into a swimming hole at Hampton Lodge Camping Resort on the Currituck Sound. The water sample would be tested for enterococci, a bacteria found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Its presence could be an indicator of harmful pathogens and prompt the North Carolina Recreational Water Quality Program to issue an advisory about that spot.
Duke Professor Studying Intracoastal Waterway
July 19th, 2010SOUTH MILLS — Traveling the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to the Dismal Swamp Canal is like a scene from “The African Queen” — minus the alligators — says a Duke University environmentalist looking for practical solutions for maintaining the boating thoroughfare.
Linwood Pendleton, director at Duke’s Nicholas Institute of Environmental Policy Solutions, tied up his trawler at the docks of the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitor’s Center on Friday on his journey of the Intracoastal Waterway.
Pendleton’s enjoyment of the scenery was obvious, but his mission extends beyond sightseeing. He’s searching for better ways to preserve the waterway’s future, through better funding and better erosion management.
CRC Votes to Allow Sandbags to Remain on Figure Eight
July 19th, 2010The oceanfront house near the northern end of Figure Eight Island is gone, but its 90-foot string of sandbags can stay. That was the ruling of the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission on Thursday on a request to keep a wall of sandbags on the beach that are now protecting an empty oceanfront lot on the New Hanover County private island.