Several decades ago when plastic bags for groceries and other purchases started gaining popularity, store clerks would ask, ?Paper or plastic?? For a long time, I held out for paper, but eventually we all came to accept plastic. But that ends on the Outer Banks today when a new law prohibiting the use of plastic […]
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Guess we won’t see Jim Cantore again this weekend
I?ve been listening to The Weather Channel but haven?t heard yet where the meteorologists are being dispatched to anticipate the arrival of Tropical Storm Danny, which is forecast to become a hurricane by Saturday. The good news for Hatteras and Ocracoke is that it looks as if Cantore and crew will not be hanging out […]
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Bill brushes by with minor inconveniencesâ¦..WITH SLIDE SHOW
Hurricane Bill passed by Hatteras and Ocracoke islands more than 400 miles offshore on Saturday. The heavy surf was, as always, impressive, and a major attraction all day for both islanders and visitors. Despite the pounding waves, the islands fared well. However, the turtle nests took a bit more of a beating. Here are the […]
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Surfers are hoping Bill will be swell
Outer Banks surfers are eagerly awaiting the southeast swell from Hurricane Bill, which is forecast to pass several hundred miles east of the area tomorrow, perhaps bringing some of the best surf of the summer on Hatteras and Ocracoke. However, the big waves that the surfers are hoping for will cause some inconveniences for other […]
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An interesting idea for piping plover recovery
According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release, three piping plover chicks in Illinois have made history. They were in the first nest that has been found in Illinois, where the birds are listed as endangered, in 30 years. And, after the adults abandoned the nest, the four eggs were placed in incubators […]
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The continuing adventures of Defenders, Audubon, and SELC in Wonderland
The Defenders of Wildlife, the National Audubon Society, and the Southern Environmental Law Center weighed in yesterday on legislation that has been re-introduced in the Senate to overturn the consent decree and reinstate the National Park Service?s Interim Protected Species Management Plan. I guess having North Carolina?s Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan sign on as a […]
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The obstacles to turtle nesting in areas closed to ORVsâ¦WITH SLIDE SHOW
As it turns out, ORVs with their headlights on the beach at night are not the only problem for threatened and endangered sea turtles that want to nest on the beaches of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. So are the people who stay in oceanfront houses in the Hatteras Island villages ? in areas that […]
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Burr introduces bill in the Senate to overturn consent decree, and Hagan will co-sponsor
North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr introduced legislation in the Senate on Monday to overturn the consent decree that has managed Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches since April of 2008. The bill, S 1557, would return management of the park to the Interim Protected Species Management Plan until the Park Service devises a long-term plan […]
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Jones’ bill to overturn consent decree gets first Democratic co-sponsor
In my blog last Friday, I wrote about beach access issues, including Dare County?s efforts to get Democratic co-sponsors for HR 718 to overturn the consent decree under which the National Park Service has managed seashore beaches since April of 2008. Walter Jones, R-N.C., introduced the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives last January. […]
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There’s lots of activity of beach access issues
As we head into August, beach access issues are on our minds even more than usual. The bird nesting season is winding down and favorite beaches that have been closed for three months or more are re-opening to off-road vehicles and pedestrians. Cape Point re-opened for vehicles on Wednesday, July 29. The turtles are still […]
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