Photo contest highlights beauty of North Carolina's coastal reserves

Photo contest highlights beauty of North Carolina's coastal reserves



BEAUFORT – The N.C. Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve Program invites people to participate in the judging of its first annual photo contest.

Photos submitted by visitors to the state’s 10 coastal reserve sites will be featured on the reserve’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pages/North-Carolina-Coastal-Reserve/251517631574646) from March 15-April 1, 2014 for judging by the reserve’s Facebook community. Facebook users will be able to “like” their favorite photos in a variety of categories, with the winners determined by the number of “likes” each photo receives by the conclusion of the judging period.

Winning photographs will be recognized in Animal, Plant, Landscape, and Human Connection categories, and the photo receiving the highest total number of “likes” will be designated the overall contest winner. Winning photographs will be featured in the reserve’s upcoming Tidal Flat newsletter.

The photo contest represents a new opportunity for amateur photographers and coastal enthusiasts to share images of the unique resources found along North Carolina’s coasts. Spanning from the Virginia to South Carolina borders, North Carolina’s reserve sites protect a variety of coastal habitats for research and education purposes. Providing access to these sites enhances the public’s understanding of estuarine environments and supports recreational activities such as boating, fishing, wildlife viewing, and photography. The annual photo contest hopes to build upon visitors’ enthusiasm for the animals, plants, and recreation opportunities found at the reserve sites, and inspire appreciation for North Carolina’s coastal ecosystems.

The reserve staff thanks this year’s photo contest participants, and encourages Facebook users to “like” their favorite coastal photographs by April 1, 2014.

Great Plant for the Office

Spider plant

Perfect for high shelves and hanging baskets, the low-maintenance spider plant thrives in partial sun or shade – making it ideal for your cubicle or windowless office.

As an added bonus, spider plants carry loads of benefits for improving indoor air quality and reducing stress at work, as noted by researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

A report published by the university’s Cooperative Extension Service cited the humble spider plant as one of the top varieties for removing VOCs and other pollutants from indoor air.

Air-cleansing plants also boost relative humidity and decreases particulate matter (aka dust), which can have a relaxing effect on workers and reduce common allergy symptoms, according to the report.

Care instructions: Plant your spider plant in a size-appropriate pot or hanging basket with rich potting soil. This pick is resilient enough to withstand infrequent watering and thrive with little more than fluorescent light. But if you notice droopy or brown leaves, simply move your plant to a brighter location for a few days to bring it back to its full glory.

Latest Update on Dan River Coal Ash Spill Activities

RALEIGH – The latest state water quality tests show that concentrations of iron and aluminum in the Dan River near the site of the Eden coal ash spill continue to decrease, but aluminum still exceeds surface water quality standards at all upstream and downstream sampling locations.

Iron concentrations are now within state surface water quality standards at three of the four sampling stations. Iron exceeds surface water quality standards at the Milton, N.C. site, which is the site farthest downstream from the spill, staff with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources reported Thursday. DENR’s latest test results come from water quality samples the state agency collected through Feb. 10 upstream and downstream of the coal ash spill site.

Of the 28 metals DENR is testing for near the coal ash spill, iron and aluminum are the two metals at or above surface water quality standards. Some initial water quality samples taken downstream of the spill site indicated exceedences of state surface water standards for arsenic, iron, aluminum and copper. However, subsequent tests taken at the same sites have shown that neither arsenic nor copper exceed surface water standards.

Iron and aluminum have been high in historic water quality sampling conducted prior to the coal ash spill and are naturally occurring in soils in North Carolina.

Duke Energy discovered the coal ash spill at its Dan River power plant Feb. 2. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been conducting tests to assess the spill’s effects on the river since staff members in DENR were notified of the spill Feb. 3.

In addition to testing water quality in the Dan River, DENR staff are collecting and testing sediments in the river and collecting and testing fish tissues to determine whether fish are safe to eat. Meanwhile, state public health officials have advised people not to eat fish from the Dan River and avoid prolonged contact with the water.

“These tests will help us better understand the extent of the damage to the Dan River caused by the coal ash spill,” said Tom Reeder, director of the N.C. Division of Water Resources. “Characterizing the spill’s impacts on water quality as well as fish and sediment will better inform cleanup efforts.”

On Wednesday, Duke Energy resumed removal of some of the300 cubic yards of coal ash deposited in the shallow areas of the river near where the initial coal ash spilled into the Dan River. Efforts to remove portions of the coal ash deposit in deeper water have been halted and will resume when river conditions are safer. Assessments are ongoing toidentify other areas in the Dan River where larger coal ash deposits can be removed.

To see a map of all the locations where DENR is sampling water quality and sediment, and collecting fish for testing, visit http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/guest/dan-river-spill and click on the sampling sites map.

DENR staff created the web page to provide the public with updates on the agency’s response to the Dan River coal ash spill.



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Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs - Phone: 919-707-8626 -- 1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601

Jamie Kritzer, Public Information Officer, 919-707-8602, Jamie.Kritzer@ncdenr.gov

Pat McCrory, Governor -- John E. Skvarla, III, Secretary

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer

Morehead Home and Garden Show

Please visit us at the Morehead Home and Garden Show today and tomorrow. We're in booth #73. This show is always a lot of fun. Stop by and see a sample of our wonderful compost and mulch.

Solar Power for Your Home - A Bright Idea

Solar Power for Your Home - A Bright Idea

Chase Ezell



Project in Nieuwland Amersfoort consists of solar panels on over 500 homes and utility buildings. Photo: flickr/enecomedia
Project in Nieuwland Amersfoort consists of solar panels on over 500 homes and utility buildings. Photo: flickr/enecomedia

Homeowners looking to lower their utility bill and environmental footprint are finding a bright idea in solar power generation. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Americans added more solar power generating capacity during the third quarter of 2013 than ever before – 186 megawatts, up almost 50% year over year! Increased consumer demand and advancements in technology are leading homeowners to strongly consider installation.

For some homeowners, solar panels are still simply too expensive. However, you shouldn’t let initial sticker shock scare you off. Some retailers and utility companies offer lease (vs. buy) options, lessening the upfront investment costs. According to a recent FoxBusiness personal finance article, ‘Experts say the leasing process of a solar panel system is similar to leasing a car or even getting cable service. Most don’t require a down payment, but will lock in a rate homeowners will pay each month for as long as 20 years. The rate may be fixed over the contract period or it may rise on an annualized basis. Either way, experts say the savings compared to consumers’ current and future electricity rates will be greater during the life of the contract. The solar panel company or installer is responsible for any panel maintenance or repairs.’

DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewable & Efficiency, offers comprehensive information about federal and state incentive programs for implementing solar and other renewable energy projects at home. Tax credits, rebates and other incentives may be available in your area so check out this important resource.

Some utility providers even allow homeowners to sell unused solar power generation back to the grid, also helping offset costs of implementation.

CNNMoney Editor-at-large David Whitford recently installed a 15-panel, 3.75 kilowatt system on the roof of his Boston home. He shares that the system replaces about 80% of his family’s grid draw. And, over the promised 25 year life span of the equipment, the system will cut his household’s footprint by 62 tons of CO2 – not to mention the $25,000 in utility bill savings. Whitford’s total upfront cost was just under $13,000. But, thanks to state and federal incentives, his ROI will be less than five years.

In a newly formed partnership, Phoenix homebuilder Taylor Morrison and retailer SolarCity announced a solar option on all new Phoenix-area homes. The partners outline that homeowners can reap the benefits of solar power generation for little to no upfront costs. The partnership will make it possible for home buyers to save up to thousands on their utility bills, and will also enable them to lock in their solar electricity costs for decades into the future. Taylor Morison is the first national homebuilder in Arizona to offer SolarCity’s solar systems to homebuyers without increasing the purchase price of their homes

Waste Disposal and Recycling

Waste Disposal and Recycling

For many years direct recycling by producers of surplus and defective materials constituted the main form of recycling. However, indirect recycling, the recycling of materials after their use by consumers, became the focus of activity in the 1990s. For some time, most solid waste has been deposited in landfills or dumps. Landfills are filling up, however, and disposal of wastes in them has led to environmental problems. Also, government (which had little authority over disposal of wastes until the 1970s) now has extensive regulatory powers.

A growing alternative to such disposal is recycling. Industry has found that when it undertakes serious recycling programs, the savings can sometimes be considerable. In addition to reducing manufacturing and materials costs, such programs can insulate the companies from liability for environmental violations. Agriculture, which is the cause of much environmental degradation, can use organic recycling, or the reuse of manure and crop residues (sometimes called "green manure").

Water, in one sense, is always recycled, inasmuch as there is a finite amount of it available on earth and it constantly moves through its cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Deliberate programs for recycling water include use of wetlands as areas to filter harmful wastes from the substance, or using partly treated sewage for raising fish. Municipal sewage- and water-treatment plants, of course, are fundamental recycling agents.

The individual consumer plays a large part in recycling. Originally, household containers such as beverage cans and bottles were recycled as a matter of course, with a glass beer container or milk bottle being refilled as many as 30 times; in 1935, brewers began putting their products in nonrefillable, "one-way" cans for the convenience of customers, and soon glass containers were declared disposable as well. With the rise of environmentalism in the early 1970s, recycling regained favor. Several states instituted deposit laws for beverage containers; a 5- or 10-cent deposit was charged the consumer at the time of purchase for each can or bottle, then refunded when the container was returned to a store or recycling center. Newspapers take up much volume in landfills, and some recycling programs seek to collect them (along with other sorted categories of waste, such as organic matter, bones, and plastic).