Outer Banks Forever, the local nonprofit partner of your Outer Banks national parks — Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site — is pleased to announce it has been selected as one of 36 national park partner organizations to receive a Strong Parks, Strong Communities capacity building grant from the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. The Strong Parks, Strong Communities capacity building grant program helps address nonprofit park partner needs that have come to the forefront amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants will enable park partners across the country to expand their impact through work that includes new technology, website redesigns, creative visitor engagement, strategic plan development, fundraising campaigns, professional development and more. “This su [...] Seashore News | Full Article
Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, or N.E.S.T., is holding an online silent auction fundraiser this year instead of its annual in-person event typically held every spring. The Valentine’s virtual auction that begins Friday and ends Feb. 6 will features a variety of pieces, from restaurant gift certificates to unique fashion finds. Items only be available for pickup will be marked. The auction items can be viewed online now. “The winter months bring cold-stunned sea turtles to our shores, and funds raised support our volunteer efforts to rescue, transport, and support the rehabilitation efforts at the STAR Center,” according to organizers. Donations support N.E.S.T. activities including sea turtle nest protection, data collection, stranding response/rescue, rehabilitation, and public education. For more information on N.E.S.T.’s mission and activities, or to learn how you can [...] Island Features | Full Article
As we approach the end of 2020, I think we would all agree that this has been an unusual year to say the least. We saw the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic start in January followed by the closing of Dare County to visitors from March 15 to May 16, accompanied by a series of stay at home orders. Then, to everyone’s surprise, the real estate market on Hatteras Island exploded to record-setting levels once the county reopened. As the following chart shows, properties under contract surged well over 400 percent between mid-May and late August. This unprecedented increase was enhanced by mortgage interest rates falling below 3.0 percent. The pace of sales remains strong going into the New Year. The recent decline in the number of properties under contract is, in part, due to the closing of previous pending sales, as well as some decrease in the overall level of market activity as the traditi [...] Real Estate | Full Article
The North Carolina Coastal Federation and partners nearly tripled their goal to restore 50 million oysters in coastal waters. Through its 50 Million Oyster Initiative to build acres of new oyster reef and support at least 50 million oysters, there are now 140 million oysters on 43 acres of newly created oyster reefs in coastal North Carolina. Oyster sanctuaries are areas dedicated to oyster repopulation that are open to fishing but not harvest. The adult oysters in the sanctuary will produce spat, or oyster larvae, that drift and attach to other oyster reefs. The initiative launched in Pamlico Sound in 2017, where the federation, state Division of Marine Fisheries and partners created the 40-acre Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary. The Division of Marine Fisheries monitored the sanctuary that was completed in 2019. They found that oyster densities are as high as 2,000 oysters per 10.76 sq [...] Fishing | Full Article
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