Commentary

  • On Flood Control, The Dutch Are Masters

    The storm surge barrier near Rotterdam, Netherlands, a feat of engineering, is but one example of what coastal North Carolina can learn from the Dutch about flood prevention.

  • The Quaker Map: From Harlowe to Mill Creek

    North Carolina historian David Cecelski uses a map he found recently and other sources to explore the history of a largely forgotten group of Quaker settlements that flourished on the North Carolina coast more than 200 years ago.

  • More Manatees In NC Waters Signal Recovery

    The uptick in manatee sightings in N.C. waters in recent years may be a sign of successful efforts to help their populations recover, and there are things you can also do to help.

  • The Wreck of the Nomis

    Historian David Cecelski writes about the motor schooner Nomis that went aground the summer of 1935 on Ocracoke Island’s outer shoals and the successful rescue of the six crewmen by the U.S. Coast Guard.

  • Our Military, Wind Farms Can Coexist

    Guest columnist Katharine Kollins of the Southeastern Wind Coalition writes that a bill recently introduced in North Carolina is an attack on wind energy that does nothing to protect military bases.

  • Dick Bierly is longtime president of the North Carolina Coastal Federation. Photo: Mark Hibbs

    Remembering a Tireless Coastal Advocate

    Our publisher Todd Miller reflects on the legacy of Dick Bierly, who died Wednesday at 86, and his longtime involvement with the North Carolina Coastal Federation and his tireless efforts to protect the coast.

  • NC Environmental Policy Talks Mostly Secret

    In recognition of Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, our Kirk Ross examines how the people’s work too often happens behind closed doors in Raleigh.

  • We Must Do More To Protect Coastal Waters

    Guest columnist Stevenson Weeks writes that the Newport River, known for its tasty oysters, is in peril unless lawmakers act on water quality recommendations to protect the resource.

  • Songs on a Nags Head Porch

    Author and historian David Cecelski visits with Gerret Warner and Mimi Gredy, who are making a documentary on Frank and Anne Warner and the coastal North Carolina folksingers and musicians who shared their songs and stories with the two American folk music collectors.