LINVILLE â The idea of reintroducing elk in the High Country has become a popular subject for some environmentalists in the community. However, the process required to complete a reintroduction is complicated, since it would take considerable effort from the state of North Carolina before elk once again roam throughout the smoky laurels of Northwestern North Carolina.
The Appalachiansâ native Eastern elk became extinct around the time of the late 18th century due to overhunting. Before European settlement, approximately 10 million elk lived in nearly all parts of the United States. Today, about one million elk live throughout the western regions of the United States and Canada, as well as Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.
FRSICO, N.C. A species of sea turtle that is rarely seen on North Carolina’s Outer Banks has been found dead in a Frisco marsh near the Pamlico Sound. The Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday that biologists have so far been unable to find a cause of death of the leatherback sea turtle. The creature weighed upwards […]
Over 200 Acres On Long Arm Mountain Preserved At Linville Gorge In Pisgah National Forest Published: 07 January 2021
The Conservation Fund and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced the addition of 205 acres to Pisgah National Forest at Linville Gorge, buffering the adjacent Wilderness Area. Its protection secures iconic viewsheds, enhances access for recreation, and preserves wildlife habitat and water quality for the area.
In 2018, The Conservation Fund purchased the property and transferred it to USFS for their permanent protection at the end of 2020. This effort was made possible with support from the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Conservancy and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, as well as funding from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund and Fred and Alice Stanback.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation hired contractors for a large-scale marine debris cleanup at the Rachel Carson Reserve. Photo: NC Coastal Federation
Because of the significant contributions from many partners and supporters during this difficult year, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review Online, has been able to continue its work to protect and restore the state’s coast.
While the federation had to adapt to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit organization was able to restore thousands of acres of wetlands, reduce millions of gallons of polluted runoff, install more than a mile of living shorelines, build oyster reefs, remove hundreds of tons of marine debris from coastal estuaries, and work to promote management decisions and policies that maintain a healthy coastal economy and environment, according to the federation.