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Division of Marine Fisheries publishes annual stock overview

July 28, 2021 | Fishing

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries today released its annual Stock Overview of state-managed marine fisheries species. The 2021 North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Stock Overview reviews available information, such as long-term trends in catch, biological data and management, through 2020 to determine the overall condition of North Carolina’s state-managed species. It also provides links to [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Currituck-Knotts Island ferry suspended through Friday to assist s ...

July 27, 2021 | Local News | By: Joy Crist

The N.C. Ferry Division announced on Tuesday that it will be suspending operations for the Currituck-Knotts Island route from Tuesday, July 27, through Friday, July 30, to divert ferry personnel to the Hatteras-Ocracoke vehicular ferry. The Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry, which is the busiest of the N.C. Ferry system’s seven routes, has had to cancel a number [...] Local News |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week Bruno

July 26, 2021 | Community News Brief

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA pet of the week, Bruno, courtesy of their latest video produced by Dare County’s CURRENT TV. For more information on Bruno, and the many other Outer Banks pets currently up for adoption, visit the Outer Banks SPCA website at https://www.obxspca.org/, or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/obxspca/

Microplastics: The ‘big little problem’ plaguing oceans

July 26, 2021 | Island Features | By: Jennifer Allen | From The: Coastal Review Online

Microplastics are everywhere. “It’s in our water, it’s in the ocean, it’s in the animals, in the air, even in space,” Ana Zivanovic-Nenadovic, North Carolina Coastal Federation assistant director of policy, said recently during a virtual forum on microplastics. Since the mass production of plastics began in the mid-20th century, plastic has permeated our lives, she [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Per recent survey, Dare County parents overwhelmingly want mask de ...

July 30, 2021 | Local News | By: Kari Pugh

From OBX Today Dare County parents overwhelmingly want school officials to leave decisions on mask wearing to them, according to a school division survey released Thursday. The survey about mask requirements was conducted this week and received over 1,500 parents/guardian responses and 375 staff responses, schools officials said in an email to parents Thursday. Among [...] Local News |  Full Article

Currituck-Knotts Island ferry suspended through Friday to assist s ...

July 27, 2021 | Local News | By: Joy Crist

The N.C. Ferry Division announced on Tuesday that it will be suspending operations for the Currituck-Knotts Island route from Tuesday, July 27, through Friday, July 30, to divert ferry personnel to the Hatteras-Ocracoke vehicular ferry. The Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry, which is the busiest of the N.C. Ferry system’s seven routes, has had to cancel a number [...] Local News |  Full Article

Recent loggerhead sea turtle “boil” in Frisco caught on video

July 28, 2021 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) shared a video on Wednesday highlighting a recent Loggerhead sea turtle hatching in Frisco on Tuesday night. “These Loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings (58 of them) made their way safely to the ocean last night around 8:30 p.m. near Ramp 48,” stated CHNS in a social media post. “The eggs had 58 days of incubation to get to this moment known as a 'boil'. More will likely emerge in the next few days!” 2021 is shaping up to be a solid year for sea turtles, with a total of 261 nests recorded so far along the National Seashore beaches. Per http://www.seaturtle.org/, which has monitored sea turtle nesting activity within the National Seashore since the 1970s, the majority of the 2021 nests are from loggerhead turtles, (with a total of 255 nests), however, there have also been three green turtle nests and two Kemp’s Ridley turtle nests recorded [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

More than 230 sea turtles have laid eggs this season, and more Nat ...

July 22, 2021 | Seashore News

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) announced several recent updates and news items related to recreational activities and seashore conditions on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. News items and events related to the National Seashore for the week of July 22 include the following: Seashore Updates Cape Hatteras National Seashore broke visitation records in three out [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

NPS approves plan to implement improvements at Oregon Inlet Marina

June 14, 2021 | Seashore News

On Friday, June 11, National Park Service (NPS) South Atlantic-Gulf Acting Regional Director Pedro Ramos signed a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Oregon Inlet Marina Improvements: Site Plan and Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA addressed the management of aging buildings that are not adapted to sea-level rise, vessel traffic, navigation, fueling challenges [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

CHNS has highest visitation on record for first five months of 202 ...

June 10, 2021 | Seashore News

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) announced several recent updates and news items related to recreational activities and seashore conditions on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. News items and events related to the National Seashore for the week of June 10 include the following: Seashore Updates Cape Hatteras National Seashore hosted over 900,000 visits in the [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Meaghan Johnson selected as Chief of Resource Management and Scien ...

June 10, 2021 | Seashore News

Meaghan Johnson was recently selected as the chief of resource management and science for Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Moores Creek National Battlefield and Wright Brothers National Memorial (National Parks of Eastern North Carolina). Johnson grew up in Painesville, Ohio and spent most of her childhood on [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Night Sky: Perseid Meteor shower, nebulae views, and more highlights for August

July 30, 2021 | Island Features | By: Gerry Lebing

This is M27, the Dumbbell Nebula. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. The name “Dumbbell” is credited to John Herschel, (son of William Herschel). He thought it looked like the double-headed shot commonly used for hunting, which are called “dumbbells.” M27 is a good target to find with a pair of binoculars. On August 1, it will be about 51° above the eastern horizon at 9:30 p.m. M27 is about 1,400 light years away from us and has a visual magnitude of +7.4. What you can look for in August's Night Skies Venus is easy to find in the western skies right after sunset. On August 1, it's the bright “star,” about 15° above the horizon. Saturn rises in the east at 8:02 p.m. It's followed by Jupiter at 9 p.m. Neptune rises at 10:02 p.m., and Uranus rises at 12:17  a.m. The Perseid Meteor shower peaks on August 11 at 4 a.m.! This is a major shower that can have as many as [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Phase One of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration wraps up, an ...

July 15, 2021 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist | 3

The ongoing Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration project reached a milestone this past week. 99.9% of the interior paint removal was completed, (an endeavor that started in the spring of 2021), and multiple tests confirmed that the interior air quality was safe and free of lead-based paint, eliminating the need for the hazmat suits that workers [...] Island Features |  Full Article

UNC institute’s shark survey a trove of 50 years of data

July 14, 2021 | Island Features | By: Trista Talton | From The: Coastal Review Online

Before “Jaws” with its depiction of a giant, vengeful, man-eating creature of the deep; before Shark Week, Discovery Channels’ eight-day ode to all things sharks; and well before the over-the-top gratuitous sci-fi series “Sharknado” films, there was, just off the coast of North Carolina, “shark survey.” Not as glamorous, perhaps, as the mindless entertainment evoked [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Though it’s Shark Week on TV, sharks are year-round in NC

July 12, 2021 | Island Features | By: Robert Michelson | From The: Coastal Review Online

While “shark attack” is an often-used term, it’s not really accurate because sharks don’t seek out humans to “attack,” they’re just doing what comes naturally in the wild. Sharks are opportunistic feeders and occasionally bite a surfer or swimmer if they venture into murky waters and splash a lot at the surface. This splashing action [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Two organizations that tackle post-storm response need volunteers; ...

July 9, 2021 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

New residents on Hatteras Island often wonder how they can get involved in the local community. Luckily, the Outer Banks is home to a number of non-profit organizations, which both foster new and stronger relationships with neighbors, and also work to benefit the island in innumerable ways. From the local volunteer fire departments, to beloved [...] Island Features |  Full Article

A Safe New Way to Sail the Sound

August 21, 2020 | Sponsored | Phillips Boatworks

Fall Sailing Tours from Avon are getting great reviews from Vacationers! For centuries people have been sailing up and down the shores of the beautiful Outer Banks. Known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” the oceanside of Hatteras Island, in particular, is not for the inexperienced sailor. I have a replica map of some of [...] Watersports |  Full Article

Hatteras Island Real Estate: What’s behind the surge in Hatteras Island visitors?

July 21, 2021 | Real Estate | By: Tom Hranicka | 1

One of the most frequent topics of conversation these days is the number of visitors that are on the island. Comments range from long lines at restaurants to difficulty getting onto Highway 12 from side streets to fully booked rental accommodations. Are these just anecdotal impressions or is there substantive data to back up our day-to-day observations, and, if the perceptions are valid, what are the underlying causes? The reality is that the surge in real estate sales that ha taken place since May of last year has been accompanied by an equally impressive growth in the volume of visitors. Through May of this year, occupancy taxes collected by Dare County from Hatteras Island rental cottages, campgrounds, bed and breakfast businesses, etc. were up an amazing 326 percent over the same period in 2020! In addition, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore hosted over 900,000 visits in the first [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

In pandemic year, 2020 occupancy revenue exceeds 2019 numbers by 11%

March 12, 2021 | Real Estate | By: Mark Jurkowitz | From The: Outer Banks Voice

Some sectors of the local economy suffered a COVID pandemic recession in 2020. But that sure isn’t the case for one part of Dare County hospitality industry. The Dare County Tourism Board has just released its occupancy revenues for December 2020 and the results are clear. The pandemic year turned out to be a boom [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Is the OBX housing boom cause for concern?

March 4, 2021 | Real Estate | By: Kipp Tabb | From The: Outer Banks Voice | 1

As home sales continue at unprecedented rates and housing inventories fall, the Outer Banks may be entering uncharted territory. According to the Outer Banks Association of Realtors, every community on the Outer Banks (with the exception of Colington and Ocracoke) saw double-digit gains over 2019 in the number of properties sold – with some of [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Division of Marine Fisheries publishes annual stock overview

July 28, 2021 | Fishing

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries today released its annual Stock Overview of state-managed marine fisheries species. The 2021 North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Stock Overview reviews available information, such as long-term trends in catch, biological data and management, through 2020 to determine the overall condition of North Carolina's state-managed species. It also provides links to information on federally-managed and interstate-managed species important to North Carolina. Highlights of this year’s stock overview for state managed species include: Estuarine Striped Bass –A 2020 peer-reviewed benchmark stock assessment using data through 2017 found that the Albemarle-Roanoke estuarine striped bass stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring. This triggered stricter harvest restrictions in the Albemarle Sound Management Area that took effect Jan. 1, 2021.  [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week Bruno

July 26, 2021 | Community News Brief

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA pet of the week, Bruno, courtesy of their latest video produced by Dare County’s CURRENT TV. For more information on Bruno, and the many other Outer Banks pets currently up for adoption, visit the Outer Banks SPCA website at https://www.obxspca.org/, or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/obxspca/

Community Enrichment Grants Due July 30 to Outer Banks Community ...

July 21, 2021 | Community News Brief

Nonprofits are encouraged to apply for funding for their projects, programs, infrastructure, and other needs, through the Outer Banks Community Foundation’s Community Enrichment Grants Program. Online applications are due by 11:59 pm on Friday, July 30. More information and a link to apply can be found at obcf.org/grants/how-to-apply-for-grants/. The Community Enrichment Grants Program is the [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week Francis

July 20, 2021 | Community News Brief

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA pet of the week, Francis, courtesy of their latest video produced by Dare County’s CURRENT TV. For more information on Francis, and the many other Outer Banks pets currently up for adoption, visit the Outer Banks SPCA website at https://www.obxspca.org/, or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/obxspca/

Dennis Dalton Mayo, Jr.

July 26, 2021 | Obituaries

MANTEO — Dennis Dalton Mayo, Jr, 70, passed away holding his daughter’s hand the morning of July 18, 2021, in Manteo, NC. Dennis was born in Richmond, VA on July 5, 1951, and was preceded in death by his loving parents, Dennis Dalton Mayo, Sr and Frances Cornett Mayo, as well as his youngest brother, [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Debra Ann Sullivan

July 26, 2021 | Obituaries

August 2, 1955 – July 22, 2021 MANTEO — Debra Ann Walker Sullivan, 65, of Manteo, NC died Thursday, July 22, 2021. Born in Medina, NY on August 2, 1955, she was the daughter of the late Elizabeth Ann Knyter and William Nelson Walker. A graduate of Barker Central High School, Debra worked as a [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Sara L. Konstanzer

July 23, 2021 | Obituaries

KILL DEVIL HILLS — Sara L. Konstanzer of Bay Drive, Kill Devil Hills NC passed away in her home surrounded by family. Sally as she was best known, is survived by her children Daria, Robert, Linda and Paul; five grandchildren, Frank Jefferis, Joe Konstanzer, Max Konstanzer, Jack Konstanzer, and Madison DelCollo; and one great-granddaughter June.  [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Alton Wilbert Tillett, Sr.

July 23, 2021 | Obituaries

August 3, 1924 – July 22, 2021 MANTEO — Alton “Flab” Wilbert Tillett, Sr., 96, of Manteo, NC died Thursday, July 22, 2021, at River Pointe Health Care and Rehab in Virginia Beach, VA. A native of Manteo, he was born August 3, 1924, to the late Evelyn Midgett Wescott and Cleon “Sonny” Tillett. Having [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Terry Lee Shrum Sr.

July 22, 2021 | Obituaries

Terry Lee Shrum Sr., 69, of Point Harbor, North Carolina passed away on Friday, July 16, 2021 at Chesapeake Regional Hospital.  Terry was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on December 20, 1951 to the late Robert Thomas and Bernice Elaine Shrum. In addition to his late parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Jeffrey [...] Obituaries |  Full Article