12/23/09
Outer Banks beach erosion gets a fresh look
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/12/outer-banks-beach-erosion-gets-fresh-look
Serendipity has a suitor who proposes to move it and restore it
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/12.18.2009-SerendipityHasASuitorWhoProposesToMoveItAndRestoreIt.html
Officials: Ruling could kill beach replenishment (NJ)
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/79965827.html
Board endorses seeking beach nourishment
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/12/23/topsail_voice/news/doc4b322280c2fb2884947313.txt
NTB pursues beach nourishment
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=70897
Sandbags needed
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/12/23/topsail_voice/letters_to_the_editor/doc4b3223e1321b5864810058.txt
Beach nourishment is paid for with public money
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/12/23/topsail_voice/letters_to_the_editor/doc4b32242cbabe2566371233.txt
12/16/09
DHEC: No wall through spit (SC)
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/dec/12/dhec-no-wall-through-spit/?print
Topsail Shoreline Protection Committee fired by board
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/12/16/topsail_voice/news/doc4b28f30b2f4d6044524559.txt
Nor’easter left messes and challenges for N.C.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/12/nor%E2%80%99easter-left-messes-and-challenges-nc
Bring back the penny tax!!!
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/12/16/letters-editorials/letters016-ston.prt
Shoreline Protection Committee should be reinstated
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/12/16/topsail_voice/editorial/doc4b28f5a2adee9561907244.txt
12/11/09
Topsail Beach abolishes shoreline protection panel
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091209/ARTICLES/912099947/1020/NEWS01?Title=Topsail-Beach-abolishes-shoreline-protection-panel
New Topsail Beach board starts making changes
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091210/ARTICLES/912104000/-1/news01?Title=New-Topsail-Beach-board-starts-making-changes
Easement award way over the top (NJ)
http://www.app.com/article/20091210/OPINION01/912100313/Easement+award+way+over+the+top
12/9/09
Tides, tears, taxes: South Nags Head beaches gone
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/12/09/politics/pols023.prt
Ocean Isle Beach tackles stranded homes
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/1206140.html
Topsail Beach commissioner-elect questions others' opposition to nourishment
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091207/ARTICLES/912079982/1020/NEWS01
Beach nourishment discussion prompts Topsail Beach town meeting move
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091208/ARTICLES/912089960/1020/NEWS01?Title=Beach-nourishment-discussion-prompts-Topsail-Beach-town-meeting-move
Aldermen discuss beach nourishment, town manager
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/12/09/topsail_voice/news/doc4b1fba8cacf13538746390.txt
12/7/09
Florida ruling could impact N.C.
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/12/04/news-times/news/doc4b19346136fe5861478514.txt
Fla. case could influence future of N.C. beach nourishment
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091202/ARTICLES/912029956/1015/NEWS01?Title=Fla-case-could-influence-future-of-N-C-beach-nourishment
Future of Topsail Beach nourishment project still unclear
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091204/ARTICLES/912049894/1020/news01?Title=Future-of-Topsail-Beach-nourishment-project-still-unclear
Reconstruction of Highway 12 at S-curves will be finished Dec. 11
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/11.17.2009-STORMUPDATEDOneLaneOfHighway12OpensToAllTraffic.html
Town to talk about beach management (Sullivan’s Island, SC)
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/dec/07/town-to-talk-about-beach-management/?print
Hilton Head, lot owners agree on building location at Singleton Beach
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1057267.html
Wrightsville to proceed with beach strand renourishment project
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=5440&iid=195&sud=30
12/2/09
High Court To Decide: Who Owns Preserved Beach?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121001681
Supreme Court hears Fla. beachfront property dispute (first day review)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/02/AR2009120200229.html
Future of Pea Island headquarters uncertain
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/12/02/politics/pols030.prt
Ocean View residents decry removal of dune walkways (Va.)
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/ocean-view-residents-decry-removal-dune-walkways
Surf City renews lobbying contract among efforts for federal beach nourishment
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091202/ARTICLES/912029983/1020/NEWS01?Title=Surf-City-renews-lobbying-contract-among-efforts-for-federal-beach-nourishment-
11/30/09
New Topsail commissioners to re-examine beach nourishment project
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091127/ARTICLES/911274002/1020/NEWS01?Title=New-Topsail-commissioners-to-re-examine-beach-nourishment-project
Landowners on Florida beaches fighting to be sand owners, too
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/23/AR2009112303930.html?hpid=topnews
Sand coming to beachfront
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/11/27/topsail_voice/news/doc4b0d44958997f446768079.txt
NTB to get sand from Corps of Engineers
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=70275
Wrightsville gets renourishment from Santa
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=5435&iid=194&sud=30
Terminal groins to be discussed
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=70348
Rising sea levels: a strategy for N.C.
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columnists_blogs/other_views/v-print/story/213460.html
11/25/09
N.C. 12 awash in damage once again
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/nc-12-awash-damage-once-again
Bald Head Island beaches growing again
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091122/ARTICLES/911229987/1017/news01?Title=Bald-Head-Island-beaches-growing-again
Disaster aid weighed for damaged Currituck dunes
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/disaster-aid-weighed-damaged-currituck-dunes
FEMA: Currituck storm damage $164K
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/fema-currituck-storm-damage-164k-976529.html
Chairperson of bridge committee responds to release from environmental groups
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/11.23.2009-ChairpersonOfBridgeCommitteeRespondsToReleaseFromEnvironmentalGroups.html
Justices weigh property rights vs. beach access (Tx)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6729703.html
Will the Court Take On Judicial Takings?
Stop the Beach Renourishment v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection - Argument Preview
http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/will-the-court-take-on-judicial-takings/print/
11/19/09
Dare County says Serendipity must be moved or removed
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/11.17.2009-DareCountySaysSerendipityMustBeMovedOrRemoved.html
Hatteras Island can't catch a break
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/11/18/top_stories/tops0441.prt
Renourishment policy proposal worries Hilton Head officials
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1040177.html
Storm reinforces effort to replenish sand in Va. Beach
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/storm-reinforces-effort-replenish-sand-va-beach
Satellite snapshot will help with Eagle Island berm repair
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091118/ARTICLES/911189949/1017/NEWS01?Title=Satellite-snapshot-will-help-with-Eagle-Island-berm-repair
Beach project a shared concern
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/11/18/topsail_voice/editorial/doc4b04076d91483134720958.txt
11/15/09
Report: S.C. needs tougher beach law
http://www.thestate.com/local/v-print/story/1017148.html
AP - http://www.thesunnews.com/575/v-print/story/1155041.html
Study: Expect fortifications in future against rising seas
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/nov/14/study-expect-fortifications-in-future-against/?print
State Sen. Marc Basnight urges support of bill to overturn consent decree
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/11.06.2009-StateSenMarcBasnightUrgesSupportOfBillToOverturnConsentDecree.html
Holden Beach awash in sand
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/1164243.html
Coastal consequences
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/v-print/story/178320.html
Court should prevent use of Prop. 9 to take beach (TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6703885.html#
11/6/09
Bald Head Island begins beach nourishment project
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091102/ARTICLES/911029964
Topsail Beach voters divided on sand project
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091103/ARTICLES/911039975/1020/NEWS01?Title=Topsail-Beach-voters-divided-on-sand-project
Terminal groins should be approved with stipulations
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/11/04/topsail_voice/letters_to_the_editor/doc4af195fe115f6906887700.txt
While you weren’t looking
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/11/04/news-times/letters_to_the_editor/doc4af1b1e7987b7405265750.txt
11/2/09
Rushed terminal groin study already questioned
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091030/ARTICLES/910309952/1015/NEWS01?Title=Rushed-terminal-groin-study-already-questioned
Underground wall OK'd (SC)
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/oct/31/underground-wall-okd/
Sea level on accelerated rise
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=5242&iid=190&sud=30
Sea changes
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/v-print/story/166622.html
10/28/09
Senator tells CRC mistake made in legislation
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/10/28/politics/pols065.prt
Saving Sand: South Carolina Beaches Become a Model for Preservation
http://news.sc/2009/10/24/saving-sand-south-carolina-beaches-become-a-model-for-preservation/
Turtle season 2009 brought a light study, volunteer program, and a few surprises
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/10.22.2009-TurtleSeason2009BroughtALightStudy.html
Hey buddy, watch where you put that pipeline!
http://watchdogs.blogs.starnewsonline.com/10678/hey-buddy-watch-where-you-put-that-pipeline/
County takes steps to assume renourishment responsibility
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=5209&iid=189&sud=30
Coastal projects need federal funding
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/10/21/topsail_voice/editorial/doc4adf160a147a2778400535.txt
10/19/09
Beach erosion is top issue in Topsail Beach election
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091013/ARTICLES/910139989/1020/NEWS01?Title=Beach-erosion-is-top-issue-in-Topsail-Beach-election
Topsail mayor's vote questioned by commissioners
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091015/ARTICLES/910159959/1020/NEWS01?Title=Topsail-mayor-s-vote-questioned-by-commissioners
Invasive vines assault East Coast beaches
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2009-10-15-beachvine_N.htm
Too much sand: Beach accesses don’t meet Holden Beach town code
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+20091013231220048048002
Hard structures harm beaches
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columnists_blogs/v-print/story/145054.html
Corps silent on settlement terms
State Port Pilot by Ben Brown (10/14/09)
If the Village of Bald Head Island is to hush its threats of lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), that agency must agree to a number of terms, including a new look at its dredging practices in nearby cuts of the Cape Fear River shipping channel, a letter from the village attorney indicates. For most of this year and at points prior, the village has argued that USACE’s methods of maintaining a deep channel, one safe enough for large ships headed to Wilmington Harbor, have adversely impacted Bald Head Island’s shores and infrastructure. The channel’s periodic dredging, the village claims, has caused massive erosion damage that must be reviewed. It was the impetus for a July 16 notice to USACE that the village intended to sue. USACE did not subscribe to the village’s allegations, sparking the village’s latest settlement offer, dated October 7. The body of the letter, signed by George W. House, the village’s environmental attorney, is mostly a numbered list of demands to which the USACE has 30 days to respond.
A spokesperson on Tuesday said USACE had just received the settlement letter and had nothing to report until further review. “The purpose of this letter is to seek a resolution of these matters, if one can be reached, without the expense and inconvenience of litigation,” House wrote. To avoid the courtroom, the village demands that USACE finalize its report, no later than April 30, 2010, on the effectiveness of the Sand Management Plan (SMP), the outline of a six-year cycle for disposing of channel-dredged sand in a way that benefits beaches. Bald Head Island receives the sand every two operations, while Caswell Beach and the eastern end of Oak Island receive the third round.
Bald Head Island mayor Larry Lammert has argued aloud and in letters to elected officials in Washington that his island needs priority for that sand every two years. The SMP, the recent letter states, should be reworked to that end. Village manager Calvin Peck said that doesn’t necessarily mean Caswell Beach would be bumped as a SMP beneficiary, but Caswell Beach has approached lawyers in case the town must defend its stake. Bald Head Island, per its October 7 letter, also wants USACE to keep its distance — at least 500 feet — from the badly eroded confluence of South and West beaches during dredging operations. The island’s shores are dynamic, but some measurements include 150-foot losses of beach and habitat. Additionally, the island wants reparations for the damaged or destroyed anti-erosion tubes on South Beach. These nine-foot-high, sand-filled groins, granted by the state in 1996 to help Bald Head stabilize beach width, have taken erosion- and storm-related beatings to a cost the village is not ready to publicize because the repair project is in the bidding phase.
And so USACE understands the damage its actions allegedly have caused, Bald Head Island wants that agency to address the impacts and look at alternatives for channel maintenance in a report due by October 30, 2011. Also by that date, USACE would have taken “all action necessary” to include Bald Head Island in the 50-Year Shore Protection Plan that nourishes other Brunswick County beaches like Caswell Beach and Oak Island’s strand, according to the village’s settlement offer. The plan entails construction of a berm and beach restoration with 50 years of maintenance. Bald Head Island was essentially undeveloped when the federal government studied Brunswick County for areas of interest in that project, and thus was left out. Now the island has around 1,500 employees, a seasonal population of 8,000 and a property tax value larger than any municipality in the county.
Other demands the village makes in its offer to USACE is a study on the need for a terminal groin to stabilize the point where South and West beaches meet, with a final report by October 30, 2012. Further, and by the same date, USACE would have a report ready on “the need for and feasibility of” moving the shipping channel away from Bald Head Island. “We look forward to discussing these points with you,” House closes. Peck indicated the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between parties in the near future. But if USACE again disagrees with Bald Head Island’s demands, another agency has a lawsuit threat ready to fire.
Suzanne Dorsey, executive director for the Bald Head Island Conservancy, said she’s prepared a notice of intent to litigate based on potential violations to the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. It’s been a slow year for sea turtle nesting at many beaches along the Carolinas, but Bald Head Island’s loss of nesting habitat meant some beach areas were completely unusable for the federally protected creatures. The conservancy had to relocate several nests that the encroaching seas threatened. For that, the conservancy blames USACE. “The outcome of those negotiations (between USACE and Bald Head Island) will determine how we approach this,” Dorsey said. As for the lost sand, the village is starting on a pricey project for temporary relief on South Beach and some of West Beach. The village has contracted with Norfolk Dredging Company to transfer sand from nearby Jaybird Shoals, work expected to run through March 2010. Funded by bond money the island will repay through reserves and higher taxes, the contract price for the dredging is slightly less than $15 million. The village has argued that USACE’s methods of maintaining a deep channel have adversely the island’s shoreline and infrastructure.
10/13/09
County adds another $430,000 to beach renourishment pot
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=5148&iid=187&sud=30
Beach Renourishment Project Fully Funded; Bids To Open This Month
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9314&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=1
Turtle hatchlings being led astray
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/oct/08/being-led-astray/
McIntyre Announces over $24 million for beaches, inlets and waterways
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/10/07/topsail_voice/news/doc4acc9c6d92c55345527576.txt
Sharing Costs For Coastal Insurance — And Athletic Scholarships
http://www.metronc.com/article/index.aspx?id=1974&print=true
10/2/09
Turtle watchers disappointed that second batch didn't emerge after first one, disoriented by light, died
http://www.islandpacket.com/1482/story/978463.html
AP - http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/1085961.html
Guest Column: Facts you need to know about how coastal residents have fared on their insurance
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/09.30.2009-GuestColumnFactsYouNeedToKnowAboutHowCoastalResidentsHaveFaredOnTheirInsurance.html
Surfside homeowners seek appeal (Tx)
http://www.thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=b612dd754812c25c
Conrad Industries to build dredge for US Army Corps of Engineers
http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=12107
9/23/09
Carolina Beach officials discuss beach nourishment
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090922/ARTICLES/909229930/1015/NEWS01?Title=Carolina-Beach-officials-discuss-beach-nourishment
Holden Beach makes plan for sand
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/1082463.html
9/22/09
Hilton Head may selectively ease tree rules to open up ocean views
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/969266.html
Editorial: Deep price for deep water
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090920/ARTICLES/909204003/1108/OPINION?Title=Editorial-Deep-price-for-deep-water
9/16/09
Terminal groin study begins
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/09/16/news-times/news/doc4ab10c16a036e721613673.txt
Pleasure Island, Bald Head beaches to get $2.25 million in federal funding
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090914/ARTICLES/909149964/1015/NEWS01?Title=Pleasure-Island-Bald-Head-beaches-to-get-2-25-million-in-federal-funding
Leatherback turtle nest hatches on Carolina Beach
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090914/ARTICLES/909149925/1015/NEWS01?Title=Leatherback-turtle-nest-hatches-on-Carolina-Beach
Sea level rise and the farm
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090916/ARTICLES/909144003/-1/news01?Title=Orrin-Pilkey-and-Rob-Young-Sea-level-rise-and-the-farm
9/14/09
Fresh controversy erupts over beach erosion study
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090913/ARTICLES/909139985/1015/news01?Title=Fresh-controversy-erupts-over-beach-erosion-study
NC coastal panel to reconsider ban on sand jetties
http://www.thesunnews.com/564/v-print/story/1067591.html
New line in the sand may be ahead
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/09/11/news-times/news/doc4aaa7aadeb2d5289104710.txt
Topsail Beach approves dredging contract for beach nourishment
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090910/ARTICLES/909109972/1020/NEWS01?Title=Topsail-Beach-approves-dredging-contract-for-beach-nourishment
Sea Levels Rose Two Feet This Summer in U.S. East
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090910-sea-levels-rise.html
Editorial: Coastal Counties Should Buy A Dredge
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=9069
9/10/09
County feathers sand nest for Wrightsville Beach
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=4953&iid=183&sud=30
Sand fences can remain with conditions
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/sand-fences-can-remain-conditions
Shorebird nesting season ends at CLNS
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=67431
Two whales, 10 turtles wash up on Outer Banks over weekend
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/two-whales-10-turtles-wash-outer-banks-over-weekend
Corps responds to No Port's complaints, says recon study is "very preliminary"
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+20090908210225048048009
Terminal groins meeting
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=67461
Fighting to make it right
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/09/09/topsail_voice/editorial/doc4aa7b1a88a518850217582.prt
9/8/09
New Hanover County may spend more on beach renourishment
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090903/ARTICLES/909039938/1015/NEWS01?Title=New-Hanover-County-may-spend-more-on-beach-renourishment
A sea of change affects wildlife
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/sep/08/a-sea-of-change-affects-wildlife/?print
Report: Loggerhead turtles at risk of extinction
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/report-loggerhead-turtles-risk-extinction
Sea turtle closure at Cape Hatteras vandalized by vehicle
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/sea-turtle-closure-cape-hatteras-vandalized-vehicle
Editorial: Let's ensure turtles find refuge on our shores
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090908/ARTICLES/909089984/-1/NEWS01?Title=Editorial-Let-s-ensure-turtles-find-refuge-on-our-shores
9/2/09
Town works to eliminate CBRA zones
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/09/02/topsail_voice/news/doc4a9e7ded11551051959611.txt
Targeted sandbags in N.C. can stay until 2010
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/targeted-sandbags-nc-can-stay-until-2010
Pleasure Island Beach Nourishment Projects To Be Drastically Cut
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=8994
Town Fined for Improper Dredging in Chesapeake
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/28/AR2009082803868.html
Stand in the Sand 2 fundraiser will be on Sunday, Sept. 6
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/08.31.2009-StandInTheSand2FundraiserWillBeOnSundaySept6.html
Insurance bill is revised
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/09/02/tideland_news/news/doc4a9e86f9cf0dc605704257.txt
US Congressman Mike McIntyre tours Topsail
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/09/02/topsail_voice/news/doc4a9e7d54af969273638113.txt
What would be news
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/v-print/story/1666350.html
8/28/09
Wrightsville, Carolina beaches win setback flexibility
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090827/ARTICLES/908274010/1017/NEWS01?Title=Wrightsville-Carolina-beaches-win-setback-flexibility
Static line exception approved for Wrightsville Beach
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=4896&iid=181&sud=30
Regulators to discuss setback rules for Wrightsville, Carolina beaches
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090827/ARTICLES/908279984/1017/NEWS01?Title=Regulators-to-discuss-setback-rules-for-Wrightsville-Carolina-beaches
Rep. McIntyre tours areas of beach erosion
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090827/ARTICLES/908279942/1020/NEWS01?Title=Rep-McIntyre-tours-areas-of-beach-erosion
Storms add urgency to Bald Head Island beach nourishment request
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090827/ARTICLES/908279981/1017/NEWS01?Title=Storms-add-urgency-to-Bald-Head-Island-beach-nourishment-request-
N.C. gov. signs coastal insurance bill 2 weeks after adjournment
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/nc-gov-signs-coastal-insurance-bill-2-weeks-after-adjournment
Getting the truth out on beach nourishment plan
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/08/26/topsail_voice/editorial/doc4a95431096a73923856225.txt
Early dredging remains village’s goal
State Port Pilot by Ben Brown (8/26/09)
Federal agencies have denied Bald Head Island’s request to begin beach renourishment two months ahead of the regulated work window. But determined to head-off the erosion that has gnawed to the dunes in some areas while having destroyed sea turtle nesting habitat in others, the village has applied for another head start. This time, the village hopes for approval to begin sand placement as early as October 15, the application for which was sent Friday. The village already has its permits for the project, but they follow the federally set window — November 16-March 31 — for dredging and sand placement. Anything outside that period would, without permission, violate the considerations given to nesting sea turtles and shorebirds. Essentially, the government doesn’t want anyone dumping sand on strands where protected animals may be doing their business. The request the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) denied was for a start date of September 15, two months ahead of the work window. But if the village can start as early as mid-October, “that’s a smaller time and a smaller area” impacted, said village manager Calvin Peck. Besides, so much nesting habitat is gone already, so it’s important to rebuild these areas, said Suzanne Dorsey, director of the Bald Head Island Conservancy. Dorsey was perturbed with the response from USACE and the findings of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that led to the September-work denial. FWS biologist Dr. Howard Hall told The State Port Pilot last week that fellow officials wanted to prevent pumped sand from burying any undocumented sea turtle nests. And in a letter the village received August 14, USACE said it “does not concur with (the village’s) determination than an emergency erosion situation exists on Bald Head Island that warrants authorization of emergency beach-fill activities as you have requested.” Dorsey said both of those findings, among others, were “ridiculous” and not based on science. “The irony of (the undocumented nest argument) is that we’re permitted by Fish and Wildlife” to find and protect nests, Dorsey said, adding that FWS considers the conservancy a model. “But now they’re saying it’s likely we missed nests?” She said the program runs on training from FWS, and that thorough patrols of Bald Head Island’s beaches are performed every morning. “We don’t miss nests.”
And as for any issue with nests as they relate to a September start date for sand placement, “We haven’t had a nest laid past September 5,” Dorsey said. She cited 26 years’ worth of data. As for USACE’s view that Bald Head Island isn’t experiencing severe erosion, village council member Andy Sayre points to the damage caused by Hurricane Bill over the weekend. Water and sand took out Sandpiper Trail at the corner of South and West beaches, and four houses there were evacuated as water washed under them. Elsewhere, escarpments stand tall over missing beach area. “We are absolutely in an emergency ituation,” Sayre said. “I’m losing critical habitat here,” Dorsey said. “We lost 30 feet of essential habitat” to Bill. “That’s habitat none of these (federal) agencies can get back for me. The best thing we can do is stop that loss.” In July, the village filed its intent to sue USACE in connection with the erosion, which accelerated in the early months of 2009 during a federal dredging project in the Cape Fear River shipping channel. USACE maintains it is not responsible for the erosion, and was just following its duty to keep the shipping channel shoal-free for ships headed to Wilmington Harbor.
Several Bald Head Island sources believe the shipping channel’s proximity affects the shoreline, and a push is underway to have the channel relocated away from the island. As for rebuilding the lost areas of beach, the village will likely have to wait until November 16 if the latest head-start request doesn’t find federal support. Per a contract with Norfolk Dredging Company, the project will cost roughly $15 million to move two million cubic yards of sand from Jaybird Shoals to South and West beaches. The money will come through Build America Bonds, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The bonds are taxable but come with federal subsidies to help with borrowing costs. Through the program the village was able to secure an interest rate of 3.133 percent, which should result in around $900,000 in savings. Prior to this, the village was courting another bank offering a much higher interest rate, and the deal’s change must go to the Local Government Commission for approval. Peck said he’s confident they’ll support it. The village will pay the bond debt with local dollars, partly generated by special taxation. The island’s property owners are looking at a special rate of eight, ten or 12 cents atop this year’s property tax rate of 19 cents per $100 valuation, and atop the regular operating rate for fiscal years to come. A property owner’s rate depends on how close his or her property is to the renourished shore. The plan was to impose these special taxes for five years, but due to a funding setback, seven years is more realistic, Peck said. The village was hoping for a $5-million project contribution from the state, but lack of support in a struggling economy led the governor to sign a tight budget that did not include help for Bald Head.
8/26/09
Lack of funding slashes amount of sand meant to nourish Carolina Beach
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090825/ARTICLES/908259941/1015/NEWS01?Title=Lack-of-funding-slashes-amount-of-sand-meant-to-nourish-Carolina-Beach
Bill's effects leave houses on NC coast in peril (AP)
http://www.thesunnews.com/564/v-print/story/1034466.html
State, federal officials skeptical of Bald Head's request for September beach nourishment
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090818/ARTICLES/908184011
Topsail postpones beach nourishment vote
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090820/ARTICLES/908209966/1020/NEWS01?Title=Topsail-postpones-beach-nourishment-vote
The National Park Service prepares sea turtle nests for Hurricane Bill
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/08.22.2009-TheNationalParkServicePreparesSeaTurtleNestsForHurricaneBill.html
National Park further limits access to NC beach
http://www.thesunnews.com/575/v-print/story/1032250.html
Still too much risk in the Beach Plan
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/v-print/story/1654161.html
8/19/09
Beach towns OK with vote on groins
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=66759
Property owners to be given info on beach project easements
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/08/19/topsail_voice/news/doc4a8c030e3f6b2669248438.txt
Two vandalism incidents result in big buffer expansion near Ramp 23
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/08.18.2009-TwoVandalismIncidentsResultInBigBufferExpansionNearRamp23.html
Large oceanfront structure setback distances increased
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=66690
8/17/09
Reward offered for sea turtle egg thief in Ocean Isle Beach
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/1019852.html
Federal Stimulus Funds Not For Shore Protection Projects; Beach Nourishment
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=8854
An explanation of the modified Beach Plan laws
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090814/ARTICLES/908149931/1017/NEWS01?Title=An-explanation-of-the-modified-Beach-Plan-laws
Editorial: General Assembly walking on slippery slope with seawall study
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090816/ARTICLES/908164001/1108/OPINION?Title=Editorial-General-Assembly-walking-on-slippery-slope-with-seawall-study
Editorial: Stimulus Funding Should Support Beach Projects
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=8860
Shells have their place
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/08/12/tideland_news/letters_to_the_editor/doc4a82d3a999326647578876.txt
- response to;
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/07/29/tideland_news/news/doc4a704c7e8e7ae666750040.txt & http://www.jdnews.com/news/oyster-65379-surf-fisherman.html
For the birds
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/v-print/story/1647948.html
8/12/09
Coastal regulators to study terminal groins
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090811/ARTICLES/908119959/1015/NEWS01?Title=Coastal-regulators-to-study-terminal-groins
Legislature orders CRC to do groin study
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/breaking_news/v-print/story/1017750.html
CRC's rules on oceanfront structures take effect
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090811/ARTICLES/908119965/1020/NEWS01?Title=CRC-s-rules-on-oceanfront-structures-take-effect
83 hatchlings missing
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/aug/11/hatchlings_missing92095/?print
More popular beaches are now open to ORVs
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/08.10.2009-MorePopularBeachesAreNowOpenToORVs.html
Off-road areas reopened at Cape Hatteras National Seashore
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/offroad-areas-reopened-cape-hatteras-national-seashore
Editorial: A compromise to stabilize coastal insurance
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090811/ARTICLES/908114013/1108/OPINION?Title=Editorial-A-compromise-to-stabilize-coastal-insurance
8/10/09
Some of state's worst coastal erosion found at Breach Inlet (SC)
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/aug/06/shifting_sands91656/?print
State's beaches are in best shape in decades, new study finds (SC)
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/927745.html
High beach nourishment bids could jeopardize projects
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090805/ARTICLES/908059962/1017/NEWS01?Title=High-beach-nourishment-bids-could-jeopardize-projects
Turtle hatchlings taken from Ocean Isle Beach nest
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090807/ARTICLES/908079974/1017/NEWS01?Title=Turtle-hatchlings-taken-from-Ocean-Isle-Beach-nest
Turtle's nest poached
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/1013998.html
Turtle hatchlings feared poached
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1639991.html
Beach reforms gain approval
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/08/08/news-times/news/doc4a7c6842c0f85031974967.txt
Senate passes hurricane insurance plan fix
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1636198.html
Costs of coastal living
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/08/09/news-times/editorial/doc4a7c8d6086b79836932539.txt
8/5/09
Mexico shuts Cancun beach, alleges sand was stolen
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20090731/ap_tr_ge/lt_mexico_beach_closure/print
Topsail approves financing interim beach project
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/08/05/topsail_voice/news/doc4a798e6823c82563988240.prt
Waterway projects in the works
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/08/02/news-times/news/doc4a74ada7a873d552112889.prt
$6.4 million secured for N.C. water projects
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=66303
Insurance bill moves to Senate commerce committee
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+20090804212455048048006
N.C. Senate takes up hurricane insurance plan fix
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1635051.html
Shifting sands: Learning from the past
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/v-print/story/870197.html
7/30/09
Topsail delays beach nourishment project until 2010
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090729/ARTICLES/907299971/1020/NEWS01?Title=Topsail-delays-beach-nourishment-project-until-2010
Public weighs in on interim beach nourishment project
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/29/topsail_voice/news/doc4a704c1f7751f337711974.prt
Residents voice questions, concerns at Topsail nourishment hearing
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090728/ARTICLES/907284004/1020/NEWS01?Title=Residents-voice-questions-concerns-at-Topsail-nourishment-hearing
Beach plan firm hired
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/29/news-times/news/doc4a707ac798240411088610.prt
Va. Beach soon to begin sand replenishment at Cape Henry
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/va-beach-soon-begin-sand-replenishment-cape-henry
Park service expands buffer around turtle enclosure on Outer Banks
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/park-service-expands-buffer-around-turtle-enclosure-outer-banks
Turtle nest vandalism results in expansion of buffer
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/07.29.2009-TurtleNestVandalismResultsInExpansionOfBuffer.html
Terminal groin bill stalled in committee
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+20090728212711048048001
7/27/09
Hunting Island cabin occupants vow to stay until the Atlantic forces them out (SC)
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/915016.html
Plan to protect Sea Pines beach with rebuilt jetty moves forward (SC)
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/916474.html
Higher high tides baffle experts
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/health_science/v-print/story/1620869.html
NC coastal agencies conducting sea level poll
http://www.thesunnews.com/564/v-print/story/994216.html
Creating the illusion that catastrophe is imminent
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/22/news-times/letters_to_the_editor/doc4a6722ef2147d781832255.prt
7/22/09
Corps' study favors beach placement
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/20/news-times/news/doc4a623bec4e3d8558504092.prt
Sand-trapping groin bill stalled in N.C. House
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090721/ARTICLES/907219975/1177
Coastal officials want House vote on terminal groins
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/22/topsail_voice/news/doc4a6713f988669390256496.prt
Coastal towns frustrated House won't vote on erosion bill
http://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/industry_news_details.php?id=458
Topsail Beach receives bids for beach nourishment project
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/22/topsail_voice/news/doc4a6713dbe7954485163470.prt
New Hanover County Commissioners Vote To Front State's Share For Beach
Nourishment
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=8598
Dredging funds approved
http://www.jdnews.com/news/house-65884-dredging-representatives.html
Pedestrian access to Cape Point is restored but still no ORVs allowed
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/07.20.2008-PedestrianAccessToCapePointIsRestoredButStillNoORVsAllowed.html
Clean up the shoreline
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/07/22/letters-editorials/letters163-cunn.prt
Beach Plan needs public attention
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/07/22/letters-editorials/letters163-thib.prt
Beach Plan efforts supported
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/22/tideland_news/letters_to_the_editor/doc4a6725955394c698550549.prt
Groin bill still unheard
Locals hope to gain House support
State Port Pilot by Ben Brown (7/22/09)
The controversy of terminal groins continues to be. Since May, a bill that would allow the state to carefully permit a terminal groin to combat inlet-related erosion has been sitting still in a N.C. House committee. And last week, House speaker Joe Hackney told the bill’s backers he could not assure it would ever make it to the floor for a vote. Senate Bill 832, put forth by N.C. Sen. Julia Boseman of New Hanover County, would allow the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission to permit a terminal groin as long as its use pleases strict environmental checkpoints. In April, the Senate passed the bill with a 37-10 bipartisan vote. Built perpendicular to shorelines at inlets, terminal groins serve to trap drifting sand and build beach width. They are engineered low and brief enough to not interfere with the shore contours of beaches downdrift, supporters say. Currently, they are illegal under the state’s ban on hardened structures. The state’s policy is essentially to let nature take its course rather than manipulating its processes with control structures. But because erosion has brought severe impacts, such as property and habitat loss, to beaches near shifting inlets, many coastal officials have sought additional solutions to expensive beach-building projects and temporary sandbagging. Terminal groins, supporters say, are the best option. Following the terminal groin bill’s passage in the Senate, it went to the House’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. And it hasn’t moved. Seeking an update on the bill and when it might reach the House floor, a coastal solutions group called Save Our Sand, comprised of local government leaders from Dare County to Brunswick, met with Hackney on July 15. “During the meeting, speaker Hackney stated that he was open-minded about the legislation but was still unwilling to state whether he would allow the bill to be heard in the House,” stated a letter from Save Our Sand following the meeting. “(Hackney is) the one in control,” said N.C. Rep. Frank Iler, who represents most of Brunswick County and supports the legislation allowing terminal groins. “I’m going to talk to the speaker and see if he will allow it to be heard. … I’m for terminal groins.” Caswell Beach mayor Harry Simmons, as head of the N.C. Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association, has been one of the area’s loudest voices in favor of terminal groin legalization. On Monday, Simmons said he’s pushing for more House support. “If it has enough people in the House supporting it, at some point it has to be heard. That’s the goal,” Simmons said. “We’ve had a lot more organized support in the House for this bill than before,” he added. Simmons was referring to 2007’s Senate Bill 599, which would have allowed the state to permit one terminal groin, if feasible, for a study of its worth. The bill, sponsored by Sen. R.C. Soles, passed easily in the Senate, but stalled in a House committee. But Simmons doesn’t see the current bill as a replay of those events. “For one thing, there’s a much better understanding of what (terminal groins) are and what they do,” he said. The tendency otherwise, he explained, is to equate terminal groins to seawalls or other hardened structures that “armor” the coast. But, “The purpose of a terminal structure is retention of sand on the beach at inlets,” according to Save Our Sand. “A properly designed terminal structure is usually unobtrusive and permeable.” When asked for comment on the legislation Monday, Hackney, through spokesman Bill Holmes, sent The State Port Pilot an e-mail entitled “Seawalls” which said, “no decision has been made yet on whether to hear Senate Bill 832.” “They’re hitting a deaf ear,” Iler said of the group’s efforts to promote terminal groins to officials like Hackney. Hackney is a Democrat representing Chatham, Moore and Orange counties. Bald Head Island mayor Larry Lammert sent a letter to Hackney on July 17 regarding “concerns raised by that (July 15) meeting.” In one bulleted point, Lammert wrote, “You have decided that your judgment on this bill is better than the whole House and have denied an up or down vote.” Lammert, at his island’s monthly government meeting Friday, encouraged residents to contact Hackney for a turn of perspective, adding that the speaker’s e-mail address and phone number are posted at http://villagebhi.org. But as before, the opposition to terminal groins extends beyond elected officials. “We’re still opposing terminal groins,” said Mike Giles, a coastkeeper with the N.C. Coastal Federation (NCCF), an environmental group concerned with coastal management. “We’ve been asking the speaker to hold off on this (legislation)” before legislation changes a state law. Arguments against terminal groins condemn “manipulation” of coastal processes, such as by “stealing” sand from downdrift beaches, though Simmons and allies say these devices do no such thing. But Giles and NCCF want the state to consider it. They also want the state to look at solutions that address the coast as a whole, “rather than individual solutions to a problem.”
7/18/09
New Hanover County to cover state's share of beach nourishment costs
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090716/ARTICLES/907164002
Hilton Head begins second round of hearings over development's line in the sand
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/908179.html
Atlantic claims another Hunting Island cabin; county orders evacuation along Cabin Road
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/908381.html
Topsail board considers beach nourishment bids, easement options
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090716/ARTICLES/907169943/1020/NEWS01?Title=Topsail-board-considers-beach-nourishment-bids-easement-options
Higher tides affecting entire East Coast region
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/higher-tides-affecting-entire-east-coast-region
Beach Plan insurance bill passes House
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090716/ARTICLES/907169991/-1/NEWS01?Title=Beach-Plan-insurance-bill-passes-House
Editorial: Senate could improve coastal insurance bill
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090717/ARTICLES/907174004/1108/OPINION?Title=Editorial-Senate-could-improve-coastal-insurance-bill
Best bet for the Beach Plan
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/v-print/story/1608867.html
7/15/09
Shifting sands: Shoreline topic of S.C. meeting
http://www.thesunnews.com/575/v-print/story/978518.htmlhttp://www.thesunnews.com/575/v-print/story/978518.html
Beach Plan moves ahead
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/15/news-times/news/doc4a5ded8fbf0b3224228594.prt
N.C. insurers' liability not raised
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/980973.html
Assessing Offshore Marine Sand Deposits with Probabilistic Models
http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2009/07/research.html
N.C. analysis - Beach Plan proposal would limit house insurance coverage
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090711/ARTICLES/907109909/-1/NEWS01?Title=N-C-analysis-Beach-Plan-proposal-would-limit-house-insurance-coverage
Need some common sense
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/07/15/letters-editorials/letters170-owen.prt
PreserveBeachAccess.org
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/07/15/letters-editorials/letters170-matt.prt
7/10/09
County promises funds for beach nourishment
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=4579&iid=174&sud=30
Ocean policy makers see horizon
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=4581&iid=174&sud=30
Panel OKs Beach Plan limit
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/974769.html
NC coastal insurance fix gets financial once-over
http://www.thesunnews.com/564/v-print/story/973368.html
Beach Plan bingo
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/v-print/story/1597517.html
Climate data challenged
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/08/tideland_news/letters_to_the_editor/doc4a54b716a289c706580326.prt
7/6/09
Report paints issues of coastal growth
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1591899.html
Report Reviews Emerging Ocean Policy Issues
http://dcm2.enr.state.nc.us/News/2009%20releases/opsc%20report.html
The Hatteras lighthouse move, 10 years later
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/hatteras-lighthouse-move-10-years-later
NC-20 OK with some Beach Plan changes
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/07/05/news-times/news/doc4a4fc3a2e20b2402713329.prt
Beach bailout
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/v-print/story/1590104.html
6/29/09
County takes issue with mapping project
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/06/26/news-times/news/doc4a44efdd70c7e351070742.prt
Carolina Beach Urges Waterway Property Owners To Review New Coastal Maps
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8424&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=1
Munitions search underway
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=65187
Plans made for artifacts found during surface danger search
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=65186
Navy to proceed with undersea training range
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/navy-proceed-undersea-training-range
Underwater training range EIS released
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/06/28/news-times/news/doc4a467a12152c0700654810.prt
N.C. panel sees plan to fix beach insurance
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/nc-panel-sees-plan-fix-beach-insurance
NPS launches ‘beach watch’ Program
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/06.25.2009-NPSLaunchesBeachWatchProgram.html
Want to track loggerhead turtles? Click here to find out how (SC)
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/888565.html
It's about the wind
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/v-print/story/1585293.html
6/24/09
Beach nourishment prompts questions & answers
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/06/24/topsail_voice/news/doc4a4227744bd69383317316.prt
Marines to comb state sands
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1579696.html
Vegetation drives some shorebirds from Mason to Masonboro Inlet
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090624/ARTICLES/906249987/1015/NEWS01?Title=Vegetation-drives-some-shorebirds-from-Mason-to-Masonboro-Inlet
Commission modifies setback rules for Bald Head's west beach
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090624/ARTICLES/906244006/-1/NEWS01?Title=Commission-modifies-setback-rules-for-Bald-Head-s-west-beach
Commission meeting to discuss erosion control
http://www.thesunnews.com/564/v-print/story/951702.html
Group offers guidance to state's shoreline managers (SC)
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/883407.html
Coalition continues fight against increased homeowners’ insurance rates
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+20090624095045048048001
Hard work pays off
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/06/24/topsail_voice/editorial/doc4a422ab0e0c85608587803.prt
6/19/09
State coast receives B-grade
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/06/17/news-times/news/doc4a39182ca32e9953619549.prt
Recommendations for protecting the beach
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=64962
Report and Materials - http://www.nccoast.org/Beachsummit
Caswell Beach using habanero powder to outfox predators
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090618/ARTICLES/906184003/1017/NEWS01?Title=Caswell-Beach-using-habanero-powder-to-outfox-predators
Shorebird message lands on chamber
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=4468&iid=171&sud=30
Protecting the nest
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=4461&iid=171&sud=30
6/17/09
Legal fight might lead to no sand replenishment
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/legal-fight-might-lead-no-sand-replenishment
Topsail Beach gets permits for beach nourishment project
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/06/17/topsail_voice/news/doc4a38f1c71fefd662829610.prt
6/15/09
Aid for Bald Head sand project removed from state budget
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090611/ARTICLES/906114004/1017/news01?Title=Aid-for-Bald-Head-sand-project-removed-from-state-budget
Sam's Spit wall sought
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/jun/13/sams_spit_wall_soughtdeveloper_says_reve85920/?print
Ocean Isle puts protection in place
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/935633.html
N.C. Republicans endorse bill to lift ORV limits
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/nc-republicans-endorse-bill-lift-orv-limits
Sand replacement plan derails budget talk at Topsail Beach
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090611/ARTICLES/906119969/1020/NEWS01?Title=Sand-replacement-plan-derails-budget-talk-at-Topsail-Beach
Pleasure Island Beach Nourishment Project Set For Spring 2010
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=8303
Coast deserves better
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/06/10/tideland_news/letters_to_the_editor/doc4a2fc1eeb9907003961266.prt
6/9/09
Press Release - Experts Outline Action Agenda To Save North Carolina’s Beaches
http://www.nccoast.org/Advocacy/Beach%20Summit/summitpr060809
Beach policy sifted to find sand solutions
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/925227.html
Course's 18th hole set to reopen
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/jun/08/courses_th_hole_set_reopen85197/?print
Coastal insurance rates' rise attacked
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/931793.html
Rescued turtles head home
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/health_science/v-print/story/1554779.html
More vehicle access allowed at beaches
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1554689.html
6/3/09
Bald Head Island residents approve tax increase for beach nourishment
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090603/ARTICLES/906039985/1017/NEWS01?Title=Bald-Head-Island-residents-approve-tax-increase-for-beach-nourishment
Modifications could remove parts of NTB from CBRA zones
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/06/03/topsail_voice/news/doc4a266a81963d0673393643.prt
Judge agrees to minor modifications of consent decree
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/06.02.2009-JudgeAgreesToMinorModificationsOfConsentDecree.html
Vehicles get more access to Cape Hatteras beaches
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/vehicles-get-more-access-cape-hatteras-beaches
Save Our Sand: The Inlet Solution
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/05/27/topsail_voice/columns/doc4a1d453fc0f47184872146.prt
Our beaches have been sandbagged
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=327911
Turtle biologist has a passion
State Port Pilot By Ben Brown (6/3/09)
Friday night a mother sea turtle surfed ashore at Bald Head Island’s East Beach. With intent, she pushed herself away from the tide, found a comfortable spot in the sand and, using her hind flippers like spades, carved out a basin. She filled it with 127 ping-pong ball-like eggs, packed sand overtop and, mission accomplished, pushed back to the water and disappeared in its waves. Brett DeGregorio documented it all the next morning with the evidence of inbound crawl tracks leading to a curiously packed site of sand, under which the delicate cache of eggs lay. He confirmed the nest, and then surveyed the tide line. The nest, the island’s first of the season, was too close to the water’s reach. He knew it had to be moved if it was to survive. DeGregorio is Bald Head Island Conservancy’s new sea turtle biologist. On the job since April, he’s patrolled the beach every morning since sea turtle nesting season began May 1, in search of the first arrival, which finally came Friday night. Sunday morning, the 28-year-old was back on his route, scanning the strand for signs of nesting. “We’ll be looking for crawl marks,” he yelled over the engine noise of the conservancy’s 4x4, cruising down South Beach. “You’ll know it when you see the tracks. They’re glaringly obvious.” DeGregorio swung around East Beach and pointed to the first nest, which he relocated back near the vegetation, far from the high-tide line. He’d also installed a wire cage around it to guard against hungry predators, like foxes. The tracks from the turtle’s initial crawl were still there, the flipper pattern resembling that of a bulldozer tread. “These tracks are so beautiful when they’re fresh,” DeGregorio said. “I never get sick of looking at them.” DeGregorio has been a wildlife fanatic as long as he can remember. Tracking turtles and catching snakes was a treasured part of his childhood, he said. “I’ve just always been into it. And when I went to school, I found out I could actually do this for a living.” The New England native earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts before throwing himself to the wild, roaming the country —‚coast to coast — to study reptiles in their natural habitats. He brought his appreciation to Purdue University, completing requirements for a master’s degree while studying the massasauga rattlesnake. In 2007 he followed one of his graduate school advisors to Costa Rica, where he studied leatherbacks, the largest of the sea turtles. “That’s really where I got the taste for sea turtle work,” he said. He found the opening with the Bald Head Island Conservancy through an online advertisement, and after visiting the island, “I knew this was the place I wanted to work,” he said. Dr. Suzanne Dorsey, the conservancy’s executive director, said DeGregorio has brought a lot of energy to his job. “He’s fully engaged,” Dorsey said. “He’s what we’ve been looking for.” Additionally, she said, DeGregorio is “a researcher at heart.” Atop his turtle protection efforts, he’s mapping the movements of the island’s freshwater turtles and conducting a “road-kill study” of its snakes. Dorsey said that DeGregorio, through his nest work, would be a vital information collector as Bald Head Island documents some of the worst erosion it has experienced in years. “This is where it really gets ugly,” DeGregorio said Sunday morning, riding the 4x4 westward past the groinfield on South Beach, where just ahead one could see the beach tapering as steep escarpments resembled wide bite-marks into the island. “We’ll have to relocate every nest laid around this area,” DeGregorio said. “But,” he said, pointing to the escarpments, “we won’t be able to get any nests in some of these spots.” The island’s government and its lawyers are concerned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dredging of the nearby shipping channel is the cause of much of the island’s erosion. Village officials met with the corps last Thursday to present their case, but, according to a memo from village attorney Charles Baldwin, the two parties reached no significant resolve. “Forty percent of our nesting area has been impacted,” Dorsey said Monday of the erosion. She said DeGregorio’s observations would be important as he documents this nesting season, which officially lasts until mid November. DeGregorio said nesting will slow down in mid July or early August, after which time the surviving eggs will break to life. The little hatchlings will jitter toward the water, where a new, daunting test of survival will commence. Some sea turtle experts estimate that only one of every 1,000 hatchlings will grow to adulthood. In the meantime, DeGregorio is continuing his side research, leading group tours of the island’s ecosystem and helping Dorsey and staff with a sprightly group of interns (11 of them) bunked at the conservancy. In his spare time he enjoys birding, getting to know Cape Fear and enjoying time with his best friend Nico, an Australian cattle dog. “Nico’s always wanted to study sea turtles,” DeGregorio said after an hour or so combing the beach. “It’s her dream come true.” DeGregorio didn’t find any new nests that morning. But when night fell, another intent mother turtle pushed ashore, leaving something for him to find when the sun came up.
6/1/09
Inlet sand-stoppers don’t come cheap
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090520/ARTICLES/905209973/1118/NEWS01?Title=Inlet-sand-stoppers-don-t-come-cheap
Sand fences on Va. Beach Oceanfront stir up conflict
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/sand-fences-va-beach-oceanfront-stir-conflict
Advocates to sue agencies for status on loggerheads
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/advocates-sue-agencies-status-loggerheads
Coastal Counties request insurance rate hearing
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8163&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=1
A little too oceanfront
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/857969.html
Editorial: Shore up beach plan without breaking homeowners
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090521/ARTICLES/905214005/1108/opinion?Title=Editorial-Shore-up-beach-plan-without-breaking-homeowners
Editorial: Sand dollars: As federal money fades, state may need to pick up the shovel
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090523/ARTICLES/905234000/1108/opinion?Title=Editorial-Sand-dollars-As-federal-money-fades-state-may-need-to-pick-up-the-shovel
Beach plan goes to vote
State Port Pilot by Ben Brown (5/27/09)
Bald Head Island Village Council will know after the polls close Tuesday, June 2, if its plan to fund beach restoration has the support of its public. The project totals more than $17 million for sand replacement on South and West beaches along with other island protections against erosion. Island voters will decide whether to fund the mitigation through a general obligation bond and whether to pay off the incurred debt through special taxation. According to a notice from the village, polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Southport Jaycees Building, located at 309 N. Fodale Avenue, Southport.
The ballot will read:
“Shall the order authorizing $17,000,000 of bonds secured by a pledge of the faith and credit of the Village of Bald Head Island to pay capital costs of providing beach improvements, including transportation and providing additional sand and sand dunes, for the control of beach erosion and flood and hurricane protection; and a tax (including, if legally authorized, taxes within the Village’s Integrated Shoreline Municipal Service District [Zones A and B]) to be levied for the payment thereof, be approved?”
Bald Head Island mayor Larry Lammert on Friday said he sensed general support among residents. Through nearly a year’s worth of planning and public meetings, Lammert described how much rides on the effort. Historically, erosion has washed 300,000 to 500,000 cubic yards of sand off the island every year, but between this past February and April, it chomped away with haste. Officials in April measured losses of 100 feet in spots and erosion rates as rapid as a foot every two hours. Island leaders feared losing infrastructure, homes and nesting habitat for sea turtles and shorebirds. “The project, it’s so important right now,” Lammert said. The Bald Head Association recently announced its full endorsement of the bond issue, while village and council members are working for relief through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which the village says has played a part in the accelerated erosion. The losses experienced between February and April coincided with the corps’ dredging in the nearby shipping channel. Village officials say their data indicates a direct correlation. The two groups are expected to meet this week for discussion.
If Bald Head voters approve the bond and special taxation June 2, residents could face an eight-cent levy atop the tax rate for normal operations next fiscal year. But Lammert said the village worked hard to reduce that base tax rate, lightening the burden on property owners. While the island’s property tax rate is currently 26 cents per $100 valuation — 22.25-cents of that is for normal operations, the balance having paid for a utilities project — village manager Calvin Peck earlier this month proposed a base rate ground down to 19 cents. The village is essentially looking at it as a 19-cent tax rate proposal for next fiscal year, but the eight-cent project tax would create a 27-cent rate overall if council so adopts. But there would be additional obligations within special municipal-service districts. Owners of beachfront lots on South Beach and West Beach would, atop the special eight-cent project rate, pay another four-cent tax for their benefits from the project. For lots seaward of the dune ridgeline and on East Beach, there would be a lesser two-cent rate addition. Lammert reported that a majority “’yes’ vote June 2 results in an increase in taxes on a million-dollar home of $100 if in the interior of the island, $300 if on the dune ridge and $500 if on the beach.” For more information on the referendum, persons may select the featured link at http://villagebhi.org. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Jaycees Building at 309 N. Fodale Avenue in Southport.
5/20/09
Beach nourishment study team bites the sand
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=64212
Feds to provide $12.4M to dredge Oregon Inlet
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/feds-provide-124m-dredge-oregon-inlet
Attorney disputes state on N.C. bridge right of way
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/attorney-disputes-state-nc-bridge-right-way
NCGA scrutinizes Beach Plan fund
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/05/20/tideland_news/news/doc4a141aaedf538170812846.prt
Caving in on our coast
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/v-print/story/1534337.html
North Topsail Beach board should reinstate beach team
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/05/20/topsail_voice/editorial/doc4a14087694a77668824080.prt
North Topsail Beach Aldermen not trying to stack the deck against CP&E
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/05/20/topsail_voice/letters_to_the_editor/doc4a1408293633e889635070.prt
5/15/09
Plan taps sales tax for beaches
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090512/ARTICLES/905129952/1118/NEWS01?Title=Plan-taps-sales-tax-for-beaches-
North Topsail Beach disbands beach committee “again”
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/05/13/topsail_voice/news/doc4a0ac9d1e063f933972873.prt
N.C. lawmakers examine easing coastal insurance rate
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/nc-lawmakers-examine-easing-coastal-insurance-rate
Ramp 44 is open again
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/05.11.2009-Ramp44IsOpenAgain.html
Outer Banks beach driving restrictions starting
http://www.thesunnews.com/564/v-print/story/901062.html
Heads Up!
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/05/13/letters-editorials/letters233-midg.prt
North Topsail Beach aldermen’s failure to discuss BEST report disappointing
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/05/13/topsail_voice/letters_to_the_editor/doc4a0acd6f7bba5400283496.prt
N.C. Senate bill's bad news for beach
Wilmington Star (5/13/09)
N.C. Senate Bill 832 is the most serious piece of legislation affecting our coastline since the Basnight bill that prohibited hardened structures on the beach. SB 832 will negate that; and, with Sen. Marc Basnight's blessings. The bill has passed the Senate and now sits in a House Committee where the chances of passage are, at any moment, very good. Proponents such as ... Nags Head, which is waiting for one of these "groins," are keeping a low profile on this, hoping to keep it out of the public eye. The current bill rewrites G.S. 113A-115.1 and adds three important definitions that will open the door for terminal groins all along our beaches. Soon, North Carolina could be like the Jersey shore. Seriously. The citizens of North Carolina need to be aware of the end result of this proposed legislation and act quickly and appropriately. - Ray Midgett, Southern Shores
5/11/09
Funding is highest hurdle for N.C. beach nourishment plan
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/funding-highest-hurdle-nc-beach-nourishment-plan
Singleton Beach property owners negotiating for relief from town rules (SC)
http://www.islandpacket.com/1482/story/837135.html
Coastal residents prepare for impact of property insurance hike
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=64126
Insurers take case for higher rates to consumers
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/insurers-take-case-for-higher-rates-to-consumers-593781.html
Back to Bonner
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/v-print/story/1519711.html
Future of NC Coast
http://www.metronc.com/article/index.aspx?id=1891&print=true
Editorial: Think hard before taking that step
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090429/ARTICLES/904294003/1108/OPINION?Title=Editorial-Think-hard-before-taking-that-step
5/4/09
Kure Beach condos ordered to rip out sandbags – again
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090429/ARTICLES/904299928/1118/NEWS01?Title=Kure-Beach-condos-ordered-to-rip-out-sandbags-again
N.C. coastal home insurance rises
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/880963.html
Senate agrees to let CRC study, construct terminal groins
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090430/ARTICLES/904309965/1118/NEWS01?Title=Senate-agrees-to-let-CRC-study-construct-terminal-groins
Bird activity limits vehicle access on Cape Hatteras beaches
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/bird-activity-limits-vehicle-access-cape-hatteras-beaches
Rare turtle recovering well
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=63981
Waterway section to get needed attention
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/apr/30/waterway_section_get_needed_attention80598/?print
4/29/09
Push to allow seawalls swells in the Senate
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1505389.html
Experts discuss sea level concerns
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=63850
Intracoastal dredging project gets millions in stimulus money
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090428/ARTICLES/904289945/1118/NEWS01?Title=Intracoastal-dredging-project-gets-millions-in-stimulus-money
Intracoastal dredging in NC to get federal funds (AP)
http://www.thesunnews.com/564/v-print/story/879649.html
Topsail waterways to get funding
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/04/29/topsail_voice/news/doc49f8519f32333594372707.prt
Park Service installs new signs at ORV ramps
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/04.28.2009-ParkServiceInstallsNewSignsAtORVRamps.html
Night driving restrictions on beaches begin May 1
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/04.27.2009-NightDrivingRestrictionsOnBeachesBeginMay1.html
4/25/09
Scaled-back coastal resources meeting to cover beach issues
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090424/ARTICLES/904249971/1118/NEWS01?Title=Scaled-back-coastal-resources-meeting-to-cover-beach-issues
N.C. spending cuts put coastal decisions on hold
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090423/ARTICLES/904239967/1118/NEWS01?Title=N-C-spending-cuts-put-coastal-decisions-on-hold
Residents on N.C.'s coast staring at insurance rate jump
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/residents-ncs-coast-staring-insruance-rate-jump
Beach Restoration Needed at NASA Wallops Site
http://www.wboc.com/global/story.asp?s=10214797&ClientType=Printable
Shoring up
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/v-print/story/1496958.html
Man vs. Mother Nature
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/04/24/news-times/letters_to_the_editor/doc49f1d867085ba271256054.txt
4/22/09
Panel to discuss renourishment, gather ideas for shore management (SC)
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/869988.html
Ocean Isle continues support of terminal groin legislation
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+20090421203643048049020
Spat over Kiawah spit
http://web.charleston.net/news/2009/apr/21/spat_over_kiawah_spit79404/?print
Inlet funds small, there
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/04/22/tideland_news/news/doc49ef397ec13cc969255822.prt
‘Beach Plan’ insurance bill bogs down in committee
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090421/ARTICLES/904219914/1017/NEWS01?Title=-Beach-Plan-insurance-bill-bogs-down-in-committee
Insurance commissioner to appeal court decision on Beach Plan deductibles, surcharges
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+200904211939580483
How should coastline look?
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/343/story/672606.html
4/20/09
Bald Head in line for $5M from state
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090417/ARTICLES/904179972/1017/NEWS01?Title=Bald-Head-in-line-for-5M-from-state
Core Banks marks areas off limits for nesting season
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=63694
N.C. insurance ruling to be appealed
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/nc-insurance-ruling-be-appealed
Federal funding has helped renourish local beaches
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+200904142048570485
Sea turtle cut in half washes up on Bald Head Island
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090416/ARTICLES/904169952/1118/NEWS01?Title=Sea-turtle-cut-in-half-washes-up-on-Bald-Head-Island
Level of support for beach nourishment still unknown
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/04/15/topsail_voice/letters_to_the_editor/doc49e5dc8948e47033572048.prt
Education over Beaches
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090419/LETTERS/904199976/1107/OPINION?Title=Education-over-Beaches
Beach Plan’ errors offer hope
State Port Pilot by Ben Brown (4/15/09)
Lawyers trying to stave-off the large insurance hikes set for coastal counties believe their case gained strength when a judge blocked the increased charges for Beach Plan policies. Wake County superior court judge William R. Pittman on March 20 found that former insurance commissioner Jim Long did not follow proper guidelines leading to his approval of the Beach Plan’s new surcharges and deductibles late last year. Pittman also noted confusion and contradictions among the documents used to substantiate Long’s approval. Long, just before retiring in December, also approved new premium rates for homeowner insurance statewide. Effective May 1, Brunswick County is set to see a nearly 30-percent increase on the mainland and 17.5-percent on the barrier islands. But the process of setting those new rates essentially “went down the same road” and had the “same missteps” as the process of setting new Beach Plan charges, said Cameron Moore, governmental affairs director for the Business Alliance for a Sound Economy, one of the groups keeping an eye on the process. On that basis, the homeowner insurance rates deserve another look, lawyers have argued. Lawyers with the Williams Mullen law firm stated their case to the N.C. Department of Insurance (DOI) last week, requesting a hearing and a stay on the incoming increases. Williams Mullen is representing a host of petitioners, mainly counties and municipalities along the state’s coast, upset with the homeowner insurance premium increases Long approved. The hikes set for Brunswick County are the state’s highest. Current insurance commissioner Wayne Goodwin has defended the increases, while DOI officials have said the petitioners have no standing in a lawsuit to halt them. Long approved the increases on the basis that private insurers need more padding against the potential for enormous payouts that could follow a major hurricane. The coast, he reasoned, is a particularly risky area. With the May date looming just ahead, rate hike opponents are stirring for support and collecting any bit of ammo that might show DOI’s decision was based on a sloppy process, weak grounds or inconsistency. BASE’s Moore, in a letter sent April 8, said Williams Mullen had “identified a key procedural error in the record regarding the timing of the filing and the approval of the rates. According to the record, an e-mail from a DOI actuary indicates that there was a deal cut on ‘approval’ of the rates on 21 November, 2008, yet the rate increases were not filed with the department until 8 December, 2008.” Similar inconsistencies fed into Pittman’s decision to shoot down the Beach Plan’s increased charges. The Beach Plan offers policies to homeowners in coastal areas where private insurers offer no coverage. Before Pittman’s order, deductibles for new residential or commercial plans would have increased to two-percent of the value of the property per occurrence. Bald Head Island had been assigned a five-percent deductible.
While the fight against the homeowner insurance increases has drawn a crowd, not everyone is optimistic that Willams Mullen’s request for a hearing on the matter will pan out. DOI has rejected a past request. So BASE, Willams Mullen and the band of coastal governments in the fight are putting their bets on bills in the state House and Senate that seek to freeze the increases and give the public more voice in the matter. “Legislation is the biggest thing right now,” said Moore. The latest bill, filed April 9 by N.C. Rep. Timothy Spear, is called “An Act to Increase Public Participation and Input into the Setting of Insurance Rates in North Carolina.” One of the major criticisms against Long’s procedure is that the public was not given an opportunity to voice concerns. Spear’s bill would require no less than 12 public hearings within 90 days of any rate filing. Spear is a Democrat representing Chowan, Dare, Hyde and Washington counties and has filed or signed onto related bills. He is one of the primary sponsors of House Bill 426, which seeks a stay on the homeowner insurance increases. N.C. Sen. Julia Boseman of Wilmington filed a mirroring bill in the Senate. Both are being discussed in committees.
4/15/09
Project includes N.C. area among mapped barrier islands
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/project-includes-nc-area-among-mapped-barrier-islands
People, wildlife can co-exist
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/04/08/letters-editorials/letters268-shea.prt
Hilton Head smart to set new beachfront rules
http://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/story/808725.html
Park Service closes Cape Point to ORVs to protect oystercatchers
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/04.14.2009-ParkServiceClosesCapePointToORVsToProtectOystercatchers.html
Popular Cape Point on Hatteras Island closed to protect birds
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/popular-cape-point-hatteras-island-closed-protect-birds
Sand project wrapping up, looks ‘great’
State Port Pilot (4/8/09) by Ben Brown
Tommy Thomes has a simple way to show beachgoers how much new sand has come to Caswell Beach and eastern Oak Island since February. His gauge is Yaupon Pier. “Before they started pushing sand on the beach, a bulldozer could drive under the horizontal bracings over the pilings there,” said Thomes, who is finalizing a lease with the Town of Oak Island to run Yaupon Pier. But he said that after standing atop the new layer of sand recently placed there, he can nearly grab those bracings. “They’ve added over seven feet of sand to the beach. You can see it right there at the pier.” The sand project began in early February when Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company arrived to dredge the channel to Wilmington Harbor. By the project’s end, they will have dredged roughly 1.3 million cubic yards of sand, which workers have spread on the Caswell Beach strand. The project area started at the border of the N.C. Baptist Assembly and would go as far as a few hundred feet beyond Yaupon Pier in Oak Island town limits. Thomes said he has watched the project daily since it was about a half-mile from the pier. “It’s amazing, the work they’re doing,” he said Monday. According to the U.S. Army Corps for Engineers (USACE), which awarded the contract to Great Lakes, the project window is based on strict environmental considerations. Whatever happens, it’s supposed to wrap up by April 30. That’s generally to make way for shorebirds and sea turtles, which around that time begin to nest at places like Caswell Beach, a designated sea turtle sanctuary. Disruption of these sensitive, natural processes is major no-no. But a wider, more attractive beach is a huge economic plus for Caswell Beach and the improved portion of Oak Island. Property there is better protected from storm surge and the beach’s wide coverage offers more play area for visitors. Caswell Beach mayor Harry Simmons has repeatedly touted the values of a wide and enjoyable beach, and has pointed to the crowds of tourists who are drawn to the coast, many of whom end up purchasing homes here. More than half the country’s population lives in a coastal county. It’s taken a lot to cover Caswell Beach with its new layers, USACE officials and those with Great Lakes have said since the project starting showing considerable progress. During a recent field trip to the beach, USACE project officials Marty Degnan and William Talley stressed not only the need to respect environmental regulations, but also safety for the workers who pipe the sand ashore and shift it with heavy machinery. The sand is captured by the Great Lakes dredge Illinois, which essentially uses a crude but massive cutter to carve the material from the channel floor. The sand is sucked into the vessel and routed via pipeline to the beach. Degnan called it “great-looking sand,” a sentiment that Caswell Beach town leaders have shared. Town administrator Jim Carter and mayor Simmons have nodded to the importance of a healthy supply of sand, notably paid for by the federal government. The Sand Management Plan is what brings Caswell Beach the material, which USACE has to dispose of somewhere once dredged from the channel. The idea is that the beach is the most logical dumping ground for the sand, as beaches like Caswell would otherwise scour for ways to renourish the shoreline, which can erode in storms and endanger beachfront property. And the process has drawn crowds of spectators since its start, often marveling at odd machines like the Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy, or CRAB. A tripod-like apparatus standing nearly 40 feet tall and weighing 18,000 pounds, it rolls around the renourished beach and into the ocean to monitor the sand as it is applied. Thomes said he’s enjoyed the show as much as anyone. “Really is a wonderful job,” he said Monday. Thomes, who for eight years ran Long Beach Pier, said he’s glad the beach looks “so good” around Yaupon Pier. “It’s the best point of comparison for the before-and-after.”
4/6/09
Cape Lookout National Seashore Installs Seasonal Bird Closures for Protection of Threatened Shorebirds
http://www.nps.gov/calo/parknews/04_03_2009.htm
Cape Lookout seashore in N.C. closing area for birds
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/cape-lookout-seashore-nc-closing-area-birds
Agency plans hearing on building setbacks
http://www.charleston.net/news/2009/apr/05/agency_plans_hearing_on_building_setback77652/?print
Hilton Head makes move to solidify boundary between ocean and buildings
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/803684.html
Proposal would allow for permit for terminal groins
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=63467
Terminal groins measure before state legislature
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/04/04/news-times/news/doc49d62edd503ed131471818.prt
Editorial: White House Needs Refresher On Beach Nourishment
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=7701
4/3/09
Island plots survival strategy Sand pumping, lawsuit on table
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090402/ARTICLES/904024005/1118/NEWS01?Title=Island-plots-survival-strategy-Sand-pumping-lawsuit-on-table
Second bill takes aim at Beach Plan: Would require surplus retention for group
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+200903311558400483
Sand not in fed plans
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/04/01/news-times/news/doc49d384cf82d1d778616835.prt
Two more protected sites on Hatteras Island vandalized
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/two-more-protected-sites-hatteras-island-vandalized
Two more vandalism incidents result in expanded buffers
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/03.24.2009-FirstResourceClosureViolationReportedOnOcracoke.html
Environmental groups submit their response to negotiated rulemaking
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/03.10.2009-ShootingTheBreezeCommitteeMembersWeighInOnTheSuccessesAndFailuresOfNegotiatedRulemaking.html
Park Service releases final report on negotiated rulemaking committee
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/03.10.2009-ShootingTheBreezeCommitteeMembersWeighInOnTheSuccessesAndFailuresOfNegotiatedRulemaking.html
Insurance myth raises questions
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/04/01/topsail_voice/editorial/doc49d3761fd8ca5177533780.prt
Groin supporters will try again
State Port Pilot (4/1/09) by Ben Brown
The new push for terminal groins is in, but how much ground will it gain? Last year’s Senate Bill 599, filed by N.C. Sen. R.C. Soles, never made it to the floor while opponents slammed terminal groins as a harmful means of addressing erosion. That bill would have allowed the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) to permit construction of one terminal groin so coastal stakeholders could evaluate its worth in rebuilding the beach around it. Currently, terminal groins — short, narrow structures placed on one side of an inlet shoreline to catch sand that would otherwise drift away — are illegal under the state’s ban on hardened coastal structures like seawalls and jetties. But supporters of terminal groins argue that the opposition rides on misconception. A new bill filed by N.C. Sen. Julia Boseman last week to legalize terminal groins on a limited basis argues that the structures differ “both in form and in function from other erosion control structures such as seawalls or jetties.…” Jetties and seawalls, critics contend, interrupt the natural flow of sand along the shoreline. A terminal groin does not, backers say. It sits low enough to allow waves and sand to pass overtop. It catches enough sand to rebuild the shoreline. And when the job is done, the groin is buried under the new beach. “We’re trying to explain to everyone that there is, in fact, a difference,” said Caswell Beach mayor Harry Simmons when reached Friday in Washington, D.C. Simmons was attending the 2009 Coastal Summit of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, of which he is president. He said he expects Boseman’s new bill to perform better than last year’s effort because support for terminal groins is more organized now. “The effort this time is statewide as opposed to in just a few coastal towns,” Simmons explained. “We’ve been in Raleigh educating on the bill. We’re trying to let people know (a terminal groin) is not the boogeyman. It’s just another tool in the box.” Currently the only tools to protect shorelines are temporary sandbags and pricey sand placement projects, each requiring lengths of review. As for protection of beachfront homes, groups like the N.C. Coastal Federation (NCCF) would rather see them simply relocated out of harm’s way. NCCF policy director Jim Stephenson, a staunch opponent of terminal groins, said there are two new bills — one in the House, one in the Senate — to allow municipalities to apply for state funds to pay for relocation of water-threatened properties. “That’s a much more responsible approach,” Stephenson said. Boseman’s bill seeks to allow the CRC to permit construction of a terminal groin by variance as long as certain criteria are met or if the state adopts rules around the construction. According to the bill, every application for a new terminal groin would have to have an accompanying statement that it would meet the state’s environmental standards. There might also be a requirement that the permit-holder have enough money to dismantle the groin if it does negatively impact the environment. But a negative impact will be the case every time, according to opponents like Western Carolina University’s Rob Young and Duke University professor emeritus of earth and ocean sciences Orrin Pilkey. The two have spoken vigorously about the negative impacts a terminal groin would have, often saying that the structures rob downdrift areas of sand, thus increasing erosion. Further, Stephenson says Boseman’s new bill is “substantially worse that last year’s bill. Last year it was for a pilot project, presumably just one groin in one place. The bill this year kicks the door open to hardened structures up and down the coast” because the CRC would be allowed to enact new rules for groin construction. “They could allow them anywhere,” he said. Stephenson said NCCF has already begun talking to lawmakers about the perceived negatives terminal groins could impose on shores. He pointed to a reissued letter signed by 43 earth and coastal scientists, Young and Pilkey included, about the importance of avoiding any legislation that would allow groins or other similar structures. The letter’s opening points to the state’s prohibition on hardened coastal structures and the reasoning behind it, like “extensive studies and technical data documenting the detrimental impacts of erosion control structures.” But supporters of the new bill, including several beach town mayors in Brunswick County, still contend that there’s a difference between a “hard” seawall and a “passive” terminal groin, and simple misconception is to blame for the misunderstanding. If you engineer them correctly, they won’t impact neighboring shorelines, said Simmons, who is also director of the N.C. Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association (NCBIWA). Last year’s NCBIWA conference in Carolina Beach included a presentation from coastal engineer Erik Olsen on terminal groins in Florida that exhibited success. One was at Amelia Island, Fla. The terminal groin there was 1,600 feet long, porous and built of rocks low enough to allow waves and sand to wash over it during big tides and storms. Builders placed it there in 2004, and Olsen said he saw positive impacts just months later. “It functioned exactly as anticipated,” he told a roomful of conference-goers of varying coastal interests. Sand built up on each side of the groin, and by 2006 it was buried. It restored the island to its desired shape, and caused no damage to nearby shorelines, said Olsen. “It’s extraordinarily well documented.” As for Boseman’s bill, it was referred to a committee on agriculture, environment and natural resources last Wednesday. Last year’s bill never made it out its discussion committee. “We think we’re going to see this new bill do about the same as it did last year,” said Stephenson.
Wilmington Star Letter to the Editor
April 1, 2009
EDITOR: (A March 25 letter writer) he takes the position that not only are hardened structures on North Carolina beaches inappropriate, but that "all building within sight of the seashore" should be discouraged. Presumably, he reaches his conclusions based upon the findings of so-called scientists regarding the inevitability of catastrophic damages that would be wreaked on such structures because of the predictable ravages of Mother Nature that are often subsequently alleviated by the use of tax funds. I can't help but wonder if he has the same attitude about man-made structures and farming activities located in the Red River valley, the Missouri River valley, the Platte River valley, the Mississippi River valley and all other river valleys where winter snows fall and eventually melt and, augmented by springtime rainfalls, inevitably cause floods year after year. Do we retreat behind our tunnel vision and turn our backs on those unfortunate people in their time of need as he suggests we do on our seacoasts? The only difference I see between the two is that the valley folks are involved in agriculture while beach property owners are involved in the nation's tourism industry. Each serves its purpose for the nation and each makes its contribution to its economy. Surely they deserve equal treatment from the taxpayers. - Harold B. Hanig, Topsail Beach
EDITOR'S NOTE: The writer is a member of the Topsail Beach Board of Aldermen.
3/30/09
Atlantic Beach shuns sand payments
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/03/29/news-times/news/doc49ce80158d78a490080600.prt
Scientists: Rising sea levels threaten Hilton Head, Fripp and Parris islands
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/797155.html
Rising sea levels threaten Outer Banks
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/rising-sea-levels-threaten-outer-banks-517476.html?service=print
Beasley’s beach vitex program recognized
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=3972&iid=159&sud=30
Kure Beach plants beach grass to restore dunes dug up for drainage project
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090326/ARTICLES/903269939/1118/NEWS01?Title=Kure-Beach-plants-beach-grass-to-restore-dunes-dug-up-for-drainage-project
Judge rules State reconsider coastal insurance Beach Plan increases
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=7587
NTB seeks county commitment for beach projects
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=63336
Wilmington Star Letter to the Editor (3/28/09)
EDITOR: Recently you published an article, with pictures, about the shifting sands along the coast of North Carolina. It boggles the mind how people have the audacity to suggest installing permanent barriers along the coast to prevent what nature has been doing for millions of years. Yes, our beloved Mother Nature has been moving these sands around for millions of years and all of a sudden in the 20th century someone with money decided they liked to look at the ocean so they build an expensive house on the coast. Then along comes Mother Nature and threatens their Camelot, so they go and want to make it permanent. Who thought it was a good idea to build on shifting coastal sands in the first place? What egotists these people are to think they can stop these shifting sands and keep them in place as they exist now. In a couple of thousand years the whole of Wrightsville Beach is likely to shift five miles north or south. So quit building on shifting sands and quit trying to stop Mother Nature from doing her duty. - Charlie Backes, Wilmington
Wilmington Star Letter to the Editor (3/28/09)
It is understandable that people want to protect their beachfront property, but it should never cause more environmental damage. Construction of hardened structures on the beach to limit sand erosion is not an efficient solution. Despite the fact that it can temporarily maintain the beach's volume, it causes issues such as sand loss further down the beach. In addition, these structures ... will have to be replaced or repaired. Money will yet again have to be put toward the structures. So many people claim this is a more efficient means of preserving the beach, but it will still require so much for upkeep without truly solving the problem. Nature has its way of creating and manipulating itself. As humans, we have the ability to influence such changes, but we need to be intelligent in how we go about that. There are times when we need to either step back and let nature take its course, or design a solution that will not become even more detrimental. It is time that we look past the societal need for instant gratification. Construction of such solid structures in the ocean is not a permanent resolution to the problem of beach erosion. The issue of beach erosion is a much larger problem that needs a long-term solution, not one that only causes more problems in the future. - Julienne Beblo, Wilmington
3/26/09
Judge orders stay on Beach Plan rate increases
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/03/25/topsail_voice/news/doc49ca30c915017096532682.prt
Area likes Beach Plan ruling
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/area-likes-beach-plan-ruling-504285.html
Beach Plan surcharge to get review
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/v-print/story/832451.html
Report: Majority of wind and hail damage occurs away from coast
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/03/25/topsail_voice/news/doc49ca317782c35527896140.prt
Wake County judge orders a stay on Beach Plan deductibles
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+200903231412280483
North Topsail Beach seeks partnership with county
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/03/25/topsail_voice/news/doc49ca30f667c2c749499645.prt
Putting sea-level rise in perspective
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/story/1456538.html
Seashore’s first two shorebird breeding areas are closed
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/03.23.2009-SeashoresFirstTwoShorebirdBreedingAreasAreClosed.html
First resource closure violation reported on Ocracoke
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/03.24.2009-FirstResourceClosureViolationReportedOnOcracoke.html
Wilmington Star Letter to the Editor
(3/25/09)
EDITOR: It is a patently bad idea to construct any kind of hardened structure on North Carolina beaches. It makes no difference whether it is called a groin, sea wall or a mole. All are, by nature, destructive to the fine sand beaches we enjoy today. Even an innocuous beach renourishment can backfire, as it did on Oak Island where the once fine sand is now littered with toe-stubbing rocks. Any person who builds or buys a house standing in harm's way ought to have the courage to admit his mistake instead of coaxing others to save his million-dollar home at their expense. Experts on the subject of beaches advise against hard structures. The warnings we received long ago about global warming were ignored to our detriment. The same global warming will also cause sea levels to rise and I predict that there will be a universal outcry for protection, from Maine to Florida. A much cheaper and durable solution is to discourage building within sight of the seashore, and for government entities to initiate a program to purchase all properties that are for sale along the beach. - Wolfgang Furstenau, Oak Island
3/22/09
Judge halts higher charges for N.C. coastal insurance
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/judge-halts-higher-charges-nc-coastal-insurance
Coastal initiative wave of the future
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/03/22/news-times/news/doc49c5618503788147178487.prt
Stronger 'Save Our Sand' group renews beach rule fight
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090317/ARTICLES/903174004/1118/news01?Title=Stronger-Save-Our-Sand-group-renews-beach-rule-fight
Do eroding beaches need support?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20123.html
Building a dune
http://web.charleston.net/news/2009/mar/22/building_dune76079/?print
3/17/09
Efforts revive to allow structures for stopping erosion
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090316/ARTICLES/903161998/1118/news01?Title=Efforts-revive-to-allow-structures-for-stopping-erosion
North Carolina gets new coastal management plan
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=3905&iid=157&sud=30
Vitex eradication effort gains traction
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090313/ARTICLES/903134003/1118/NEWS01?Title=Vitex-eradication-effort-gains-traction
Kure Beach Lobbying State Legislators To Approve Bills To Put Insurance Rate Increases On Hold
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=7511
Storm-wary Australian officials ponder costs of coastal development
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/03/04/04climatewire-stormwary-australian-officials-ponder-costs-o-9976.html
3/12/09
N.C. official: Coast management needs collaboration
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/nc-official-coast-management-needs-collaboration
Bald Head beach shrinks as dredged sand goes to Caswell
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090311/ARTICLES/903112960/1118/NEWS01?Title=Bald-Head-beach-shrinks-as-dredged-sand-goes-to-Caswell
Bald Head Island, Corps officials discuss erosion
http://www.thesunnews.com/564/v-print/story/816869.html
North Topsail Beach moves forward with beach plan
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/03/11/topsail_voice/news/doc49b7bdcca7ccd717419895.prt
Dredge too close for comfort
http://www.stateportpilot.com/pages/11%20Dredge%20Brown.html
Park Service installs traffic counters at five ramps
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/03.11.2009-ParkServiceInstallsTrafficCountersAtFiveRamps.html
McIntyre announces money for beaches & waterways
http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/03/11/topsail_voice/news/doc49b7bdf03b23e707816354.prt
Committee members weigh in on the successes and failures of negotiated rulemaking
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/03.10.2009-ShootingTheBreezeCommitteeMembersWeighInOnTheSuccessesAndFailuresOfNegotiatedRulemaking.html
3/10/09
Va. Beach in court over Cape Henry beach access
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/va-beach-court-over-cape-henry-beach-access
NTB beach nourishment on hold
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=62904
Beach tractors lend island's sea turtles a hand
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/776468.html
Surfers Deal a Blow to a Beach Dredging Project
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/science/earth/09surfers.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
3/6/09
Static line exception
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=3871&iid=156&sud=30
Ocean policy drafted by CRC
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=3867&iid=156&sud=30
Feds: OBX birds, turtles up since ban - Nesting area ban begins next week
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/feds-obx-birds-turtles-up-since-ban-472849.html
Judge holds hearing on NC beach driving plan
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1429727.html
Judge Boyle gets an update on seashore management at low-key conference
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/03.05.2009-JudgeBoyleGetsAnUpdateOnSeashoreManagementAtLowkeyConference.html
3/5/09
NTB homes removed, dunes to be repaired
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/03/04/topsail_voice/news/doc49ae92cf94719645792078.prt
Holden Beach gets $1.6 in FEMA funds for beach restoration
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+200903032111340485
Judge calls hearing on NC beach access plan
http://www.thesunnews.com/564/v-print/story/808046.html
This year’s beach access outlook: There will be beaches open, but not all of them will be open all of the time
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/03.02.2009-ThisYearsBeachAccessOutlook.html
Panel gives up on Cape Hatteras beach access plan
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1426678.html
Help retain access to seashore
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/03/04/letters-editorials/letters303-daws.prt
3/2/09
Bald Head wants Caswell cut from sand agreement
http://www.stateportpilot.com/pages/25%20Bald%20Brown.html
Proposed coastal fund would pay to remove threatened oceanfront structures
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090226/ARTICLES/902260287/1017/NEWS01?Title=Proposed-coastal-fund-would-pay-to-remove-threatened-oceanfront-structures-
Panel abandons effort on N.C. beach-driving plan
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/panel-abandons-effort-nc-beachdriving-plan
Hatteras beach-driving deal stuck in the sand
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/hatteras-beachdriving-deal-stuck-sand
Exception would keep existing buildings in compliance
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=3834&iid=155&sud=30
Editorial: Insurance Rate Hike Absurd
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7413&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=76
2/26/09
Lawmakers join in fight against insurance hikes
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090224/ARTICLES/902240260/1017/news01?Title=Lawmakers-join-in-fight-against-insurance-hikes
UPDATE: Will the negotiators reach a consensus at final meeting?
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/02.09.2009-ShootingTheBreezeTheMeaningOfTheColorPurpleAndOtherNews.html
Insurance commissioner defends rate hike
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/25/news-times/news/doc49a567132e725241782899.prt
Insurance commissioner asks legislators to reject bills
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+20090224173200483
The other side of the argument: N.C. Rate Bureau justifies rate setting
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+200902242002400483
Editorial: Now is the time to address the plan
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/02/25/letters-editorials/letters310-.prt
Town didn’t cause beach house woes
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/25/topsail_voice/letters_to_the_editor/doc49a55d564e4c5431381086.prt
2/24/09
NTB board defers decision on shoreline protection project
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=62615
N.C. insurance head defends higher beach plan rates
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/nc-insurance-head-defends-higher-beach-plan-rates
Park Service has released pre-nesting closure information and maps
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/02.20.2009-ParkServiceHasReleasedPrenestingClosureInformationAndMaps.html
Status conference on consent decree is set for March 3
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/02.20.2009-StatusConferenceOnConsentDecreeIsSetForMarch3.html
2/18/09
Supporters push long-sought Lockwood Folly dredging
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090216/ARTICLES/902160240/1118/NEWS01?Title=Supporters_push_long_sought_Lockwood_Folly_dredging__
Ethical engineers
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/v-print/story/1409167.html
Sandbagging our coast
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/feb/16/sandbagging-our-coast/opinion/
Property rights, public safety not to be taken lightly
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/18/topsail_voice/editorial/doc499c1c59c0834447908355.prt
Guest Column: Reg-Neg – the final act and what you need to know about it
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/02.16.2009-GuestColumnRegNegTheFinalActAndWhatYouNeedToKnowAboutIt.html
2/16/09
Beach disappearing; ocean on steady march toward island homes
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/756762.html
Erosion control measures up for debate
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=62382
Regulators hold of on inlet development limits
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/15/news-times/news/doc49974b3b055e6788203991.prt
Editorial: Shore up our beach policy
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090215/ARTICLES/902150303/1108/OPINION?Title=Editorial__Shore_up_our_beach_policy
Letter to the Editor: Stop Mining Inlets
http://www.protectthebeach.com/temp/newstimes_19A_2_15_09.pdf
2/13/09
Regulators shy away from new inlet development limits
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090212/ARTICLES/902120238/1118/NEWS01?Title=Regulators_shy_away_from_new_inlet_development_limits
Coastal panel hears about groins
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/13/news-times/news/doc4995c2565e021217347124.prt
Audubon negotiates to buy bigger chunk of Pender's Lea Island
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090212/ARTICLES/902120303/1118/NEWS01?Title=Audubon_negotiates_to_buy_bigger_chunk_of_Pender_s_Lea_Island
Larger structures threatened by new rules
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=3774&iid=153&sud=30
Dare County, N.C., goes online with Beach-access campaign
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/dare-county-nc-goes-online-beachaccess-campaign
2/12/09
North Topsail Beach has choice to make on inlet project
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/11/topsail_voice/news/doc4992e0319f302973687814.prt
Beach gets more sand
http://www.stateportpilot.com/pages/11%20Beach%20Brown.html
Condemned homes to come down
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/11/topsail_voice/news/doc4992df0026e6b988422452.prt
Coast panel previews debate on inlet sand blockers
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090211/ARTICLES/902110254/1118/NEWS01?Title=Coast_panel_previews_debate_on_inlet_sand_blockers__
Dare County launches Web site to preserve beach access
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/02.11.2009-DareCountyLaunchesWebSiteToPreserveBeachAccess.html
Opposition mounts against insurance rate increases
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=62321
Turtles released after rehab
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/11/news-times/news/doc49930e680403f788234479.prt
Engineering the beaches will erode N.C.'s resources
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/v-print/story/1401088.html
2/10/09
Sandbag removal in N.C. coming, but not soon
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/sandbag-removal-nc-coming-not-soon
Audubon negotiates for larger chunk of Pender barrier island
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090209/ARTICLES/902090313/1118/NEWS01?Title=Audubon_negotiates_for_larger_chunk_of_Pender_barrier_island
Draft maps of ORV routes from negotiating committee now available
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/02.05.2009-DraftMapsOfORVRoutesFromNegotiatingCommitteeNowAvailable.html
Insurance hikes kick in, so do challenges from N.C. coast
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/insurance-hikes-kick-so-do-challenges-nc-coast
Insurance rate hike bills filed
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/06/news-times/news/doc498c717ce6a77978495541.prt
The meaning of the color purple and other news from the negotiated rulemaking committee
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/02.09.2009-ShootingTheBreezeTheMeaningOfTheColorPurpleAndOtherNews.html
2/5/09
State wins round in sandbag struggle
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090202/ARTICLES/902020310/1118/NEWS01?Title=State_wins_round_in_sandbag_struggle
Dredging delivers extra sand to Holden Beach
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/v-print/story/769132.html
Beach erosion committee to discuss report, recommendations
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=62180
Surf City discusses sand pushing, beach nourishment updates
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/02/04/topsail_voice/news/doc4989a55175d0a185464560.prt
NPS issues 2008 reports on birds and turtles and status of ORV rulemaking
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/02.04.2009-NPSIssues2008ReportsOnBirdsAndTurtlesAndStatusOfORVRulemaking.html
Editorial - Higher tides
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/v-print/story/1394258.html
2/2/09
Jones re-introduces bill to set aside consent decree on ORV access
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/01.28.2009-JonesReintroducesBillToSetAsideConsentDecreeOnORVAccess.html
Rep. Jones fights for beach driving
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1385931.html
Update: Agenda is set for Feb. 3 meeting of negotiating committee
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/01.14.2009-NegotiatedRulemakingMeetingIsRescheduled.html
Beach Erosion Awaits Next Nourishment Project In 2010
http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7136&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=1
Vitex officially named a noxious weed
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=3711&iid=151&sud=30
1/28/09
Dean recommends proceeding with beach nourishment project
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=61954
Coastal expert gives approval to North Topsail Beach plan
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/01/28/topsail_voice/news/doc49806810972f1657621446.prt
Officials allow gap in sandbag line to be filled
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/cgi-bin/c2printstory.cgi?048+article+sectionname+20090127164815048049020
NOAA sets rules for sonar training
http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/01/25/news-times/news/doc497b94c708d65171493814.prt
Insuring the coast
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/v-print/story/1379921.html
Editorial: Tough decisions on Beach Plan
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090126/ARTICLES/901260263/1108/OPINION?Title=Editorial__Tough_decisions_on_Beach_Plan
Time to fight
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/01/28/topsail_voice/editorial/doc49806aaa57574942247244.prt
1/23/09
State officially bans vitex, ‘kudzu of the coast’
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090122/ARTICLES/901220263/1118/NEWS01?Title=State_officially_bans_vitex___kudzu_of_the_coast_
Committee: Reduce coverage in N.C. coastal insurance
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/v-print/story/753768.html
Panel passes buck
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/01/23/news-times/news/doc497a062c00fb4245744469.prt
Buck is passed on beach insurance
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/v-print/story/1377392.html
Study panel backs Beach Plan changes
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090122/ARTICLES/901220305/1020/NEWS01?Title=Study_panel_backs_Beach_Plan_changes
No coastal either-or
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/v-print/story/1378600.html
1/21/09
Hunting Island lease-holders fight to keep cabin rights lost to eroding beach
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/729276.html
Mike McIntyre visits Topsail Shoreline Protection Committee
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/01/21/topsail_voice/news/doc49773a987f959609238436.prt
Rising seas a serious threat to N.C. coast, feds say
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1375852.html
Report: Rising sea levels would threaten NC coast (AP)
http://www.newsobserver.com/1565/v-print/story/1376130.html
Hitting a brick wall on sandbags
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090117/ARTICLES/901170301/1108/OPINION?Title=EDITORIAL__Hitting_a_brick_wall_on_sandbags
1/17/09
Battle lines are drawn on beach
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090116/ARTICLES/901160312/1118/NEWS01?Title=Battle_lines_are_drawn_on_beach
EPA study warns of rising seas along Virginia coast
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/epa-study-warns-rising-seas-along-virginia-coast
Concerned citizens will meet Jan. 21 on beach access
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/01.16.2009-ConcernedCitizensWillMeetJan21OnBeachAccess.html
Negotiated rulemaking meeting is rescheduled
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/01.14.2009-NegotiatedRulemakingMeetingIsRescheduled.html
Shoreline group to hold meeting (SC)
http://web.charleston.net/news/2009/jan/17/shoreline_group_hold_meeting/?print
Buildings v. beaches: Let 2009 be the year N.C. chooses wisely
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/v-print/story/1369388.html
1/14/09
Ocean Isle gains approval to shut gap in sandbags
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/v-print/story/742521.html
Judge gives Riggings' sandbags a stay of execution
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090106/ARTICLES/901060266/1118/NEWS01?Title=Judge_gives_Riggings__sandbags_a_stay_of_execution
Dune repair in the bag
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=61529
Long bulkhead for Kiawah nixed
http://web.charleston.net/news/2009/jan/07/long_bulkhead_kiawah_nixed67524/?print
So Much to Learn About the Oceans From Sand
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/science/06prof.html?_r=2&8dpc
1/6/09
On coast, act rescues species, causes headaches
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20081227/ARTICLES/812272995/1118/NEWS01?Title=On_coast__act_rescues_species__causes_headaches
U.S. Navy, Conservationists Reach $16 Million Sonar Settlement
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-05-091.asp
Next negotiated rulemaking committee meeting is Jan. 6-7
http://www.islandfreepress.org/2008Archives/12.30.2008-NextNegotiatedRulemakingCommitteeMeetingIsJan6-7.html
Beasley rehab center filled with recovering turtles
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20081226/ARTICLES/812262972/1118/NEWS01?Title=Beasley_rehab_center_filled_with_recovering_turtles
Beach commission reaches settlement with Corps of Engineers
http://www.jdnews.com/common/printer/view.php?db=jdn&id=61360
Science versus predetermined political objectives
http://carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/01/04/news-times/letters_to_the_editor/doc495e7bb20fbbe186822021.prt
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