cfrw.us Blog

The county commissioners have reached a compromise about development across the river. Read the article

The planetarium in Brunswick County is having a problem with light pollution. Read more 

Biofuels, especially the use of food crops, are having an impact throughtout the economy. For more information 

Boating and Fishing

Boating and fishing are two of the terrific recreational opportunities we are lucky enough to be able to enjoy so close to home. When you are boating, please help protect our water resources so our children and grandchildren will still be able to enjoy our waters and the many animals that depend on them.

Hang onto your trash.

· Never throw trash overboard. Stow empty bottles, cans, food wrappers, and bait containers until you return to shore.

· Styrofoam and plastic do not break down. Pieces of styrofoam can look like food to animals. If an animal eats styrofoam, it can block their digestion and lead to starvation.

· Retrieve tangled fishing line and take it home—many water birds, sea turtles and other animals die from becoming entangled in fishing line.

· If you stop to enjoy any of the islands along the coastline or in the Cape Fear Estuary, please do not disturb birds or other wildlife and do not leave anything except footprints behind.

Practice responsible boating habits.

· Consider the ocean inhabitants when boating—watch your speed! Sea turtles are particularly vulnerable to serious injuries from boats.

· Observe “no-wake” zones. Boat wakes can cause erosion along the shore and can stir up sediments.

· Don’t pollute.

Empty sewage into shoreline wastewater facilities.

Fuel-up carefully.

Keep motors tuned to prevent any leaks of fuel or lubricants.

Marina Area–Trash including sytrofoam, glass, and plastic containers floating in the water eventually wind up polluting water somewhere.

Boaters—Do Your Part to Keep Our Waters Pollution-Free Zones!

Sea Turtles

We have highlighted a number of actions all of us can take to help keep the surrounding waters clean. A little extra fertilizer, a car leaking oil, a small spill when fueling a boat, spraying pesticides in a yard, not cleaning up dog waste, dropping a cigarette butt, letting a plastic bag blow away, leaving bare soil to wash away… These events may not seem important enough to worry about. That’s the problem. Pollution multiplies. Its time we all take responsibility for keeping our environment clean.

Water pollution hurts and kills many animals. Threatened and endangered sea turtles are one group of animals that share with us the local waters and the beaches where they have nested for generations. That makes them susceptible to injuries and death caused by our careless actions.

Common human-caused turtle injuries include:

· Fractures to turtles’ shells and heads caused by boat impacts.

· Entanglement with fishing line, hooks or plastic litter. Any litter can be a hazard. According to Jean Beasley, Director of the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, the Center treated a small turtle that lost a rear flipper when entangled in the remains of a beach chair.

· Ingestion of fishing line, hooks or plastic litter. Plastic and fishing line cannot be digested, so turtles can die from blockages in their digestive system and inability to feed. Or they can suffocate from trying to swallow plastic bags.

All of these injuries could be prevented if we all became better environmental stewards. Along with sea turtles, dolphins, whales, sea birds, shorebirds and other animals can also accidentally eat or become entangled in our litter.

Pleasure Island Sea Turtle Project

Luckily, many people in our community are dedicated to looking out for sea turtles. Volunteers patrol the beaches every morning from May to September looking for signs of a sea turtle nesting. Nest sites are protected and volunteers spend nights watching the nests. When the baby turtles hatch, they are guarded on their way to the ocean. For more information, check http://www.seaturtleproject.org/.

Everyone can help. Please report all sightings of sea turtles to 538-2918; if no answer call 911. Your sighting may be of a sick or injured turtle needing help.

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

We are very lucky to have an incredible turtle rehabilitation center nearby on Topsail Island. This center has treated and cared for about 200 sea turtles since 1996. Jean Beasley, Director, works tirelessly with many dedicated volunteers who help care for and rehabilitate sick and injured sea turtles. Unfortunately, many of the turtle injuries are caused by our carelessness.

The turtles at the Karen Beasley Center are the lucky ones; many injured sea turtles don’t have a chance—they die in their ocean habitat. For more information, check http://www.seaturtlehospital.org/ .

Help protect our sea turtles and other aquatic life–

Do your part to be the solution to water pollution!

Outdoor Maintenance Tips

Lawn Mowing & Cleanup

Please do not blow or sweep leaves, grass clippings or other debris into the street, storm drain or ditch! Leave grass clippings on your lawn for fertilizer, compost them or bag them for yard waste collection. They can contribute to algae blooms in our lake and the Cape Fear Estuary and cause flooding by clogging drains.

Keep it Covered!

If you have bare spots in your yard, please reseed them, mulch them, or plant a ground cover on them. This is especially important if the bare soil is on a slope. When it rains, the stormwater runoff will carry exposed soil to our local waters. Did you know that sediment is the number one pollutant in North Carolina waterways?

Is your yard mostly pavement?

Grid pavement; pervious concrete. Try to increase the area on your property where water can soak into the ground (called pervious surface). There are a number of pervious surfaces such as gravel, grid paving, pervious concrete, pavers and stepping stones.

Install a Rainbarrel

Rainbarrels catch water runoff from your roof. They reduce stormwater runoff and conserve water. You can use the water collected in your rainbarrel to water plants or wash cars or boats. Contact New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District at 798-6032 for more information.

Plant a Raingarden

Raingarden at Halyburton Park: Have low spots in your yard or drive that collect water? Plant a raingarden. A raingarden is a garden sloped to the center to hold and absorb rainwater to keep it off your driveway and walks and out of our waterways.

Have a strip of mulch and shrubs between driveways? Instead of a raised bed, why not try a raingarden—a bed that is lower in the center to hold rainwater. Contact Cape Fear River Watch at 762-5606 or New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District at 798-6032 for more information on raingardens and rain garden plants.

Blowing in the Wind–Litter

Windy weather may be good for kites, but not for litter. One wind gust can blow litter into the ocean. Rain can also carry litter to the Cape Fear Estuary and the ocean.

So what’s the big deal about litter?

We have a responsibility to the marine animals and birds whose environment we share. We are lucky to live in a place where we regularly see many shorebirds and seabirds, often get a glimpse of dolphins, and enjoy a beach that has been used by nesting sea turtles for generations.

Litter can look like food to animals.

· Fish and birds can mistake cigarette butts for food.

· Sea turtles can mistake plastic bags or old latex balloons for jellyfish and eat them.

· These mistakes can be fatal. The animals cannot digest this litter so it can block their digestion and lead to death. Animals can become entangled in litter. Many water birds, sea turtles and other sea creatures can get tangled in old fishing line or plastic items. This can lead to drownings or a slow death as the entangled animal starves to death.

Litter sticks around.

Most litter items such as plastic, styrofoam, and cigarette butts do not break down for hundreds of years.

Litter can clog stormwater drains and pipes, causing flooding when it rains. Plus litter looks ugly!

So please dispose of trash properly. Our streets and sidewalks are not trash receptacles!

· Retrieve tangled fishing line and dispose of it in a trash receptacle.

· Cigarette butts belong in ash trays and other designated receptacles. They are the most common item found during cleanups.

Cigarette butts on the beach: If you can tote it to the beach, you can tote it home!

Please don’t leave broken beach toys, chairs or umbrellas on the beach.

· Hang on to picnic items and plastic bags when it’s windy—which is almost always!

· Throw cans and bottles in a trash receptacle, not out a car window.

· Make sure your trash containers at home are covered so nothing can blow out.

· Pick up litter when you see it.

· Participate in beach and neighborhood cleanups.

· Reduce, reuse and recycle.