Shooting The Breeze

On September 1, 2023, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) issued a temporary closure for a small stretch of Buxton Beach after two offshore hurricanes eroded the shoreline, and exposed leftover infrastructure from a 1956-2010 military base, as well as sporadic but strong petroleum smells. Since then, the closure has been expanded slightly, from two-tenths [...] Editor's Blog |  Full Article

Our co-founder and editor, Irene Nolan, had a tradition of posting an annual list of beach etiquette guidelines for new visitors around the first few weeks of summer. First published decades ago when she was the editor of the former Island Breeze, Irene’s guide was a smart and timely list of the dos and don’ts when [...] Editor's Blog |  Full Article

Back in March, the Island Free Press published an FAQ guide to explain the complicated background and current issues that were occurring at Buxton Beach. Nearly two months later, a lot has changed, and there has been a mild increase in progress and a major increase in community involvement. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [...] Editor's Blog |  Full Article

On Sunday, March 24, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore sent out a widely-circulated press release after a closed section of Buxton Beach was expanded from two-tenths to three-tenths of a mile, due to reports of petroleum odors and sheen on the ocean waters. Though not a large increase, the expansion effectively closes the new-in-2019 Buxton [...] Editor's Blog |  Full Article

This is the second in a series of articles about the accelerating issue of fuel smells and exposed infrastructure at Buxton Beach. To read the first article, which covers the background of the issue, click here. It has been more than two weeks since a visible fuel slick was reported by local surfers at Old [...] Editor's Blog |  Full Article

Exposed infrastructure and a sporadic but persistent fuel smell have been reported at the popular Buxton Beach, but there is not an immediate solution in the works to address these environmental issues. This is the first article in a series of articles about the environmental issues at Buxton Beach. To read the second article, click [...] Editor's Blog |  Full Article

Since The Island Free Press (IFP) was launched 16 years ago, it has become an annual tradition to look back on the stories that grabbed our islands’ attention and left a permanent mark. Started by our co-founder and original editor, Irene Nolan, it’s a tradition that we’ve been proud to carry on since she passed away [...] Editor's Blog |  Full Article

Sherry Birk has a small cat community that lives under her home on Sailfish Lane in Avon. Protected by three concurrent fences, and featuring a pair of sheds where the cats can find a little extra shelter, Birk inherited the 15-year-old cat colony when she purchased the home about eight years ago. “The couple who [...] Editor's Blog |  Full Article

Our co-founder and editor, Irene Nolan, had a tradition of posting an annual list of beach etiquette guidelines for new and longtime visitors alike around Memorial Day Weekend. First published decades ago when she was the editor of the former Island Breeze, Irene’s guide was a smart and timely list of the dos and don’ts when [...] Editor's Blog |  Full Article