Special Reports

  • Team Tracks Ocean Energy From Land, Sea

    In the second installment of our special report, the ongoing study of Gulf Stream energy at Cape Hatteras is undertaken from shore and aboard a research vessel at sea.

  • Project Looks to Tap Gulf Stream’s Energy

    The Coastal Studies Institute’s Renewable Ocean Energy Research Program is making headway in predicting the part of the Gulf Stream that’s the best resource for generating power.

  • Past Hurricanes Have Led to Tighter Rules

    It’s unclear what, if any, regulatory changes may happen as a result of Hurricane Matthew’s destruction, but past storms have brought about more stringent building codes, dune ordinances and flood maps.

  • Living Shorelines Withstand Matthew’s Force

    Hurricane Matthew put living shorelines to the test, and proponents and scientists say the coastal management method that uses marsh grasses and oyster reefs to fight erosion worked as intended.

  • Gauging Matthew’s Environmental Damage

    Efforts to measure the environmental damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, especially the flooding that occurred in its wake continue, but officials are crediting lessons learned from previous storms.

  • Conflicts, Ill Will Threaten Red Wolf Recovery

    Angry landowners, public mistrust and unsettled science spurred the recent dramatic policy reversal and continuing threats to end the endangered red wolf recovery program in northeastern North Carolina.

  • Rolling Back the Red Wolf Recovery Effort

    In the first of a two-part series, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered red wolf recovery program, once hailed as a groundbreaking conservation effort, is now in danger of repeal.

  • Estuaries: Protection and Restoration

    North Carolina’s valuable estuaries face a number of threats and water quality has been diminished by pollution and development, but efforts to protect and restore these coastal areas could yield big returns.

  • Estuaries: Understanding Their Vital Roles

    Estuaries, where freshwater from rivers and streams meets the salty ocean, are vital to marine life, the coastal environment and the economy here, and ongoing research has revealed additional benefits.

  • Protecting Habitat Isn’t Always Scary

    Protecting habitat that endangered species need to survive always comes with scary stories about how people will be restricted from using the land. Experts say those fears are almost always overblown.

  • Critical Habitats: What They Are, What They Do

    Putting a plant or animal on the endangered species list isn’t enough to save it. Federal law requires that the habitat a species needs also must be protected. Yet, agencies are often slow to take this necessary step.