PBS North Carolina’s State of Change initiative examines the impact of climate change on coastal and inland communities across the state and how communities and individuals have responded with innovative solutions. The waters remain closed to shellfishing because it’s believed that the sediments that have made the headwaters so shallow remain contaminated. Morehead City now boasts a modern sewage treatment plant with an impeccable record, but in the bad old days, raw sewage was discharged into the headwaters of the creek. Oysters, shrimp and fish were also plentiful and supplemented many a farm family.Ĭalico Creek, though, has been closed to shellfishing since the 1950s, which is when the Shellfish Sanitation Program of the state Division of Marine Fisheries began keeping records, reports Shannon Jenkins, an environmental senior specialist with the program. Crab Point, the name given the north side of the creek and the Newport River, reminds us of this history. The creek was also known for producing the large quantities of crabs. The fort in nearby Atlantic Beach is now the centerpiece of a state park. The brick yard was built to supply the bricks for Fort Macon, which was built over 10 years starting in 1826. During those early times, the creek was deep enough that its banks were a center of water-based commerce, home to a sawmill, a shark processing plant and a brick yard. The first deed in the area is dated 1722, when land around the creek was used for timber and rich farm land. He shared both the history and his memories of growing up on the creek. At the History Place, a local museum, I pored over old maps and newspaper articles and availed myself of the encyclopedic knowledge of John Stephens, a local historian and weekly volunteer who grew up in the area. Taking a lunch break on a small beach at the mouth of Calico Creek by the Newport River.īefore I put in, I wanted to get a little more background on the creek. Learn how you can be in the Sponsor Spotlight When you purchase a North Carolina Coastal Federation license plate, you help keep our coast healthy and beautiful. Recent Articles NC peat holds carbon market promise, but process complex Rewetted drained pocosin can do a lot, like store tons of CO2 Construction threatens natural beauty that lured residents Exclusive Carova showcases costs of coastal development.Nutrients in the water: Too much of a good thing.NC Navigation and Federal Infrastructure Spending.End of the Road: Development on Remote Currituck Banks.Recent Articles Speckled trout fishing is best with a fly rod, just ask Thoreau ‘A strange and beautiful place’: My portable paradise March fishing fix: Answers, friends, are blowin’ in the wind Handle boat maintenance now for peace of mind this spring.Recent Headlines Survey looks deeper for signs of Algonquian ‘First Contact’ Half of PFAS in drinking water not monitored by EPA: Study PFAS may not offer fabric stain protection as hyped: Study Urgent action needed in food sector to curb warming: Study.Recent Headlines Civil rights struggle, population boom: New Hanover history Search for Lawson in natural history museum continues Women mark STEM milestone at Corps research facility Professor among growing number of women in STEM.Recent Headlines Officials show off progress on new Fort Fisher visitor center Education, not profit, county’s aim for composting program Residents speak out against Wanchese cluster homes Momentum picks up on draft Flood Resiliency Blueprint Judge finds court lacks authority in groups’ PFAS lawsuit.
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