Press Releases

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s (NCDEQ) Division of Coastal Management (DCM), in partnership with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, will host a public event to mark the transfer of The Topsail Nature Preserve to state management.  A ribbon cutting ceremony and remarks by NCDEQ Secretary Reid Wilson, state, local officials and conservation partners will be part of a brief speaking program and self-guided tour of the site.

Project STEEL strengthens grid reliability, saves Eastern North Carolinians millions through strategic state and federal investment

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) will conduct a spring training workshop May 20-21 in Swansboro for local permit officers in the central and southern regions of its 20 coastal county service area.

Have questions about the upcoming Red Snapper season? The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has answers in an FAQ list on its Red Snapper Season webpage.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) Science Panel will meet May 27 at the Courtyard New Bern Riverfront in New Bern to continue discussion of the proposed report on hardened coastal structures. The in-person meeting begins at noon.

With North Carolina’s heat season beginning May 1, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s State Resilience Office, in partnership with N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the North Carolina State Climate Office and the National Weather Service will host a virtual Heat Season Kick-Off Meeting on May 11, 2026, from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is open to the public, but targeted to local government staff, particularly emergency managers, public health personnel, planners and administrators.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Division of Water Resources (DWR) is accepting public comment through Aug. 4 on the draft 2026 basin plan for Cape Fear River Basin, the most populous and largest river basin contained entirely within the state. 

Initiative Places Teachers Inside Energy Industries to Strengthen Workforce Connections for Students

The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve will hold Spring local advisory committee meetings May 11-June 15 for the following reserve sites. All meetings are open to the public. 

The recreational Red Snapper season will open for 62 days this summer for anglers willing to participate in a pilot project to test a data collection program that will use a mobile application to monitor the recreational Red Snapper season.