Month: May 2023

If you are looking for a fun day on the water, to learn some basic or more advanced kayaking skills, or just to connect with local paddling clubs, come out to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on May 20^th and get on the water.

As part of National Safe Boating Week, on Saturday, May 20^th the Outer Banks U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Jockey’s Ridge State Park, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and the OBX Paddlers Club are teaming up with certified American Canoe Association Kayak and Safety instructors at Jockey’s Ridge State Park to offer a one-day class in kayak safety fundamentals for new and experienced paddlers.

The program consists of two hours of instruction ashore followed by three hours kayaking on the water. Kitty Hawk Kites will provide kayaks and safety gear at no charge for participants. The cost for instruction is $15.  All types of kayaks are welcome. Participants must be at least 14 years of age.

For more information and to register go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/north-carolina-kayaking-101-tickets-532334285177

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939. For more information about a boating course near you or to learn more about water safety or becoming one of America’s Volunteer Lifesavers, please visit our website CGAUXOBX.org.

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The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is looking for commercial and recreational fishermen, scientists, and other interested parties to sit on the Striped Mullet Fishery Management Plan Advisory Committee.

The committee will assist the division in developing Amendment 2 to the N.C. Striped Mullet Fishery Management Plan. The division will hold an in-person workshop-style meeting that will allow scientists, managers, and stakeholders to collaborate on drafting potential striped mullet management measures in a more effective and less formal setting than traditional meetings.

The division is looking for individuals with expertise in striped mullet fisheries. Commercial and recreational fishermen from all coastal regions are desired. The division would also like to include on the advisory committee scientists as well as individuals or non-governmental organizations willing to discuss stakeholder interests and concerns.

To be qualified to serve on the committee, applicants may not have had a significant fisheries violation within the past three years.

Interested individuals must be available to attend and actively participate in the workshop over several days the week of July 24, 2023. The workshop will take place during normal business hours, tentatively in New Bern. Participation includes reviewing documents to provide input to the division for consideration to refine management options in draft Amendment 2.

Advisers who complete the necessary paperwork will be reimbursed for expenses incurred in relation to their official duties.

Applications are available online here, at Division of Marine Fisheries offices, or by calling 252-808-8022 or 800-682-2632. Applications should be returned by May 19, 2023 by email to MFC@ncdenr.gov or by mail to N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557, Attention: Paula Farnell.

If you have questions, contact the Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, Corrin Flora, at Corrin.Flora@ncdenr.gov or 252-808-8014 or Paula Farnell at 252-808-8022.

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Dare County and the Town of Kill Devil Hills will host a groundbreaking event at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 for the new 36,000-square-foot facility that will serve as Dare County EMS Station 1 as well as Kill Devil Hills Fire Department Station 14.

The public is encouraged to attend the ceremony, which will take place onsite at 1630 North Croatan Highway in Kill Devil Hills. Attendees are asked to park at Meekins Field, located at 1634 North Croatan Highway in Kill Devil Hills, and to carpool if possible. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place rain or shine, and attendees are also advised to wear footwear that is appropriate for walking on uneven ground.

To learn more about Dare County’s multiphase plan to improve and modernize outdated EMS facilities throughout the area in an effort to better serve residents and visitors, click here.

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Outer Banks Forever, the official nonprofit partner of the Outer Banks national parks, has opened its annual Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program for the sea turtle nesting season at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which occurs from May to October each year.

The Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program launched in 2020 to support projects and programs that protect and enhance Cape Hatteras National Seashore now and for future generations. In 2022, the program raised $23,405 to support Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and it was also recognized  by the Public Lands Alliance for Outstanding Public Engagement at its annual awards ceremony.

“Our Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest program is a fun way for people to learn more about these special island visitors and the work our national park staff does every day to help protect them,” said Jessica Barnes, Director of Outer Banks Forever. “It’s also fun for us to send updates to each person who adopts a nest, particularly sharing the number of sea turtle hatchlings that make their way out of each nest. It’s a great way to feel connected to these amazing creatures while also supporting Cape Hatteras National Seashore.”

Through the Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, you can symbolically adopt an active sea turtle nest at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and receive an official adoption certificate by mail and information about your specific nest when it hatches later this summer or fall.

Here is how the program works: 

• Donate: Give a tax-deductible donation of $100 or more to adopt your 2023 sea turtle nest. You will receive a confirmation email for your donation.
• Receive your nest assignment: Sea turtles typically start to arrive in May and June and will continue to arrive until late August. As nests arrive and are available, you will be assigned your sea turtle nest and receive an adoption certificate by mail with initial information about your nest.
• Wait patiently for your nest to hatch! When your nest hatches later this summer or fall, you will receive a personalized update in the mail with information park rangers collect about your nest, including the number of hatchlings that made their way out to sea.

There are a limited number of nests each year and they are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so you are encouraged to adopt your nest early. For more information on Outer Banks Forever’s Adopt A Sea Turtle nest program, please review the program’s Frequently Asked Questions.

You can learn more about the sea turtles that visit the Outer Banks by watching Outer Banks Forever’s interview with Meaghan Johnson, Chief of Resource Management and Science for the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, or by reading more here.

Please note: Nature belongs to all of us – no individual or group that participates in this program can claim ownership of a sea turtle nest, eggs or hatchlings. For the safety of the sea turtles and in alignment with National Park Service protocol, your nest’s exact location will not be shared until after it has hatched. 

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Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed April 30 – May 6, 2023 as Small Business Week to celebrate the impact of entrepreneurs and small businesses on North Carolina’s economy.

“North Carolina’s small businesses are the fuel for our economy and we couldn’t be number one for business without them,” said Governor Cooper. “The success of our essential small business community, from innovative startups to family-owned companies, deserves to be celebrated for their contributions to North Carolina’s economic prosperity.”

Established by the U.S. Small Business Administration, which defines small businesses as companies with less than 500 employees, Small Business Week is a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses across the country. In 2022, North Carolina’s 994,500 small businesses accounted for more than 99% of the state’s businesses while employing 1.7 million people statewide.

“Small businesses employ nearly 45% of our state’s private-sector workforce,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “As community builders and champions, small businesses have a multiplier effect on the local economies by creating more job opportunities and investments for their communities.”

Small businesses also contribute significantly to the flow of goods from North Carolina to the global market with more than 9,100 small firms exporting merchandise from North Carolina, generating 21.4% of the state’s $26 billion in exports in 2020.

North Carolina’s strategic economic development plan, First in Talent, identifies key goals to prepare North Carolina’s workforce and businesses for success, including bolstering small businesses with inclusive opportunities for new entrepreneurs and women- and minority-owned firms.

Last year, North Carolina was awarded up to $201 million from the U.S. Treasury Department to promote small business growth and entrepreneurship through the State Small Business Credit Initiative. The Department of Commerce awarded 11 NCWorks Small Business Work-Based Learning grants to help local workforce development boards provide training and services to connect jobseekers to small businesses.

The Commerce department’s One North Carolina Small Business Program awards nondilutive grants to innovative, tech-based small businesses that are applying for and/or have previously won federal research and technology awards. Since 2006, the Program has helped more than 500 small businesses create and maintain more than 1,200 jobs across the state and leverage an additional $8 billion in follow-on investment. Applications for the Program are currently being accepted through June 30.

Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division leads economic development initiatives and programs to support small businesses through the Appalachian Regional Commission and Main Street and Rural Planning Center. Together, these rural programs supported the creation or improvement of nearly 900 businesses in rural North Carolina last year.

In January, North Carolina launched a tourism-focused economic recovery initiative to help build economic resiliency for the state’s tourism and outdoor recreation industries, which impacts small businesses.

Collaboratively, public agencies, education institutions and private-sector organizations assist small businesses with growth strategies and job creation by providing workforce training, business mentoring, financial assistance, research, technical assistance, and export services.

North Carolina provides many services to small businesses through NCWorks, community college small business centers, the N.C. Small Business and Technology Development Center, SCORE, the Veterans Business Outreach Center, the Rural Center and a toll-free information and referral service known as the Small Business Advisors hotline.

For more information about Small Business Week, including a copy of Governor Cooper’s proclamation, click here.

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