Across the continent, on the Pacific Ocean, there is a national seashore that is grappling with issues similar to those that face the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. That would be the Point Reyes National Seashore on the California coast north of San Francisco. A friend and Free Press reader sent me an article last month […]
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Soundside Surprises: What’s with the no-advance-warning Pamlico Sound flooding?
December 1, 2009 | Editor's Blog | By: Irene Nolan | 6
Twice in November, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands had coastal flooding from the Pamlico Sound. And both events caught our local National Weather Service forecasters in Newport, N.C., by surprise. Now it seems possible that both of the flood tides might be connected to higher than normal tides that have been observed up and down the […]
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ORV rulemaking is falling further behind schedule
November 25, 2009 | Editor's Blog | By: Irene Nolan | 9
The National Park Service is not going to meet its self-imposed deadline of releasing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and identifying a preferred alternative for managing off-road vehicle operation on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore this fall. ?It?s likely to be available no earlier than late December or early January,? Seashore Superintendent Mike Murray said […]
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SELC and friends jump on damaged highway to push again for long bridge
November 19, 2009 | Editor's Blog | By: Irene Nolan | 21
It didn?t take long for the environmental groups to weigh in on the coastal storm damage to Highway 12 at Rodanthe. Here are the headlines from yesterday?s media release from the Southern Environmental Law Center and five other groups: Groups Call on N.C. to Build Safer Route after Sea Reclaims Outer Banks HighwayLonger Bridge Option […]
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Yet another update on replacing the aging Bonner Bridge
November 11, 2009 | Editor's Blog | By: Irene Nolan | 11
The timetable for getting the construction of a new Bonner Bridge underway has slipped back in time again, though Jim Trogdon, North Carolina Department of Transportation chief operating officer, says the bridge is still scheduled to be completed in 2014. Two weeks ago, Trogdon said in an interview that he expected a Record of Decision […]
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Battered by the recession and beach closures, island businesses need your support this holiday season
November 5, 2009 | Editor's Blog | By: Irene Nolan | 6
If ever there was a year to do your holiday shopping on Hatteras and Ocracoke, this is it. It?s been a tough year for many ? but not all ? island businesses. And they sure could use your support as you shop for Christmas gifts for friends and family. A slowdown in construction, real estate, […]
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An update on the never-ending saga of replacing the Bonner Bridge
October 30, 2009 | Editor's Blog | By: Irene Nolan | 5
Dare County officials were expecting a record of decision ? the final step before contracts are put out for bid ? on the $300 million Bonner Bridge replacement by the end of October. That did not happen. And, according to Jim Trogdon, chief operating officer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the earliest that […]
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Protecting sea turtle nests, Florida styleâ¦WITH SLIDE SHOW
October 23, 2009 | Editor's Blog | By: Irene Nolan | 41
Last month, Larry Hardham brought me some photos that his son took at three Florida beaches at the height of the sea turtle nesting season. Larry is president of the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club and a board member of the Outer Banks Preservation Association. He was also a member of the negotiated rulemaking committee that […]
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NPS director names first-ever science advisor… great idea but will it help Cape Hatteras?
October 16, 2009 | Editor's Blog | By: Irene Nolan | 8
The National Park Service?s new leader, Jon Jarvis, has appointed Dr. Gary Machlis as the first-ever science advisor to the director. The science advisor, according to a media release, will play a key role in advancing science within the Park Service and advising the NPS director on science policy and programs. ?Applying the very best science […]
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More on the misleading media campaign to declare the consent decree a success
October 13, 2009 | Editor's Blog | By: Irene Nolan | 9
I have now written two blogs on the misleading misinformation ? the most polite way to say it ? that has come from the environmental groups that sued the National Park Service over its lack of ORV rules on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches. The result of that lawsuit, of course, was the consent […]
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