First public scoping meeting on off-road vehicle management plan held here

August 9, 2015

David Hallac 0805151752 — David Hallac, superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the Outer Banks Group. Photo by P. Vankevich

By Peter Vankevich

Ocracoke was the site Wednesday (Aug. 8) of the first of the five public scoping meetings to get public input for possible changes to its off-road vehicle management plan at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. About 20 people attended the meeting in the school gym.

Seashore Superintendent David Hallac gave an overview of the planning process and the need for public input and he had several NPS staffers available to listen to comments and answer questions in breakout sessions after his briefing.

‘Using a PowerPoint presentation, Hallac highlighted the major issues of the public process, which includes considering changes to hours when beaches open in the morning, dates for seasonal ORV routes, and locations of vehicle-free areas (VFAs). This is required by legislation passed by Congress last December as part of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act. It is intended to provide more public access to seashore beaches. Information screens are shown below.

The legislation required that within 180 days, the Secretary of the Interior is to review and modify buffers for nesting birds and turtles and do so in accordance with applicable laws and in consultation with the state Wildlife Resources Commission. In June the NPS approved a plan to modify wildlife protection buffers at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. (Seashore) as required by Section 3057 of the Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2015, Public Law 113-291.

The buffers were modified in an Environmental Assessment that was completed in June.

According to the NPS, the new rules provide corridors around buffers for many species, including American oystercatchers, Wilson’s plovers, piping plovers, colonial nesting water birds and sea turtles. The plan also maintains protections for wildlife along the seashore by augmenting the seashore’s monitoring and on-the-ground management program.

NPS public scoping meeting at Ocracoke. Photo by P. Vankevich

During the open forum, Al Scarborough pointed out that on Ocracoke, there is virtually no access to the sound. Hallac responded that Sound access is part of the planning process and he would like to hear any thoughts on it.

Several people inquired about the success of nesting birds with one man saying he had heard only 14 birds were successfully fledged this season.

“Colonial water birds, especially terns are having a very successful year and hundreds if not more are fledging,” Michelle Havens, chief of resource management for the Outer Banks Group, said.

Kimberly Farr, a biological science technician, pointed out that there is significant increase in turtle nesting on Ocracoke this season. She said, ” unless an ocean over wash is sustained, the nests are not destroyed. It depends on many factors as to whether the over wash will destroy nests.”

“About 25 percent of the turtle nests are relocated,” Hallac said. This is done primarily to save the nests from being inundated with water.

Several people suggested the permit process be modified to include more flexibility than the two current pass options, which are a weekly pass for $50 and a yearly plan for $120.

A monthly permit and a free permit for those with disabilities were mentioned. Hallac said one of the biggest complaints has been the calendar year permits (permits are good for a calendar year regardless of when they are purchased.) and most comments he has heard support having a permit good for one full year from the date it is purchased.

Emily Jones, the senior program manager of the Southeast Regional Office of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), who attended the meeting to observe and learn more.

“Our primary interest is to protect the natural, cultural and historical resources in the park,” she said. “By natural resources that means the wildlife, and we also want to balance that with the visitor experience. Not every visitor wants to be lined in a row of cars. Some people who come to the Outer Banks want to have a natural beach experience.”

She said her group wants to make sure people can enjoy the beach.

“Cape Hatteras may have the biggest challenges in trying to manage the visitor experience and try to keep the different user groups happy and be able to protect the sea turtles, shorebirds and other wildlife,” she said.

Hyde County Manager Bill Rich praised Hallac and the NPS for being so responsive to the issues, the county has presented to them.

The remaining public meetings will be:

Monday, Aug. 10, 6 to 8 p.m. –Cape Hatteras Secondary School, 48576 Hwy 12, Buxton.
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 6 to 8 p.m. – Hilton Garden Inn, 5353 Virginia Dare Trail, Kitty Hawk.
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Embassy Suites Hampton Inn, 1700 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23666

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Gisela Agnes Zastrow: 1939-2015

August 8, 2015

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Gisela Zastrow in her Ocracoke garden. Photo courtesy of Katja Zastrow.

By Connie Leinbach

Islander Gisela Agnes Zastrow, 76, died Saturday, Aug. 1, in the Outer Banks Hospital in Nags Head.

Born in Ruhland, Germany, in 1939, she grew up in post WWII Berlin, Germany.

Her family’s love of reading helped them survive the difficult years.

“Books took me out of all the horrors we saw around us,” she said. “In my home reading was like eating.”

In 1970, Gisela moved to St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and two daughters.

She and her family started coming annually to Ocracoke beginning in the early 1970s. The family purchased a home on the island in the early 1980s, and Gisela became a permanent Ocracoke resident in 2000.

“She loved living on Ocracoke and loved her house and her garden,” said islander Frances Miller.

The family discovered Ocracoke after Gisela researched seaside vacation venues other than Florida.

“She’d gotten some brochures of the island and we rented the house that is now Kathleen O’Neal’s Island Artworks,” said her daughter Katja. “It had no phone or TV, and she loved that.”

Gisela was a member of the Ladies Lunch group that meets Saturdays in various island restaurants.

A chemist by training, Gisela found her great passion to be teaching reading to inner city youths in St. Louis after the family had moved there.

“She worked in a brewing chemistry lab in Germany, but she was really interested in social service,” Katja said.

In St. Louis, Gisela started as a volunteer in her children’s school, but in 1978 began work with the local chapter of Reading Is Fundamental.

Despite the misgivings of some about the worth of the endeavor, Gisela created a RIF program for the youth in the St. Louis Juvenile Detention Center. The program became immensely successful and nationally recognized. “They absolutely loved her,” Katja said. “She built up a whole program,” touching the lives of thousands of at risk youth. In 2000, she received the Anne Richardson Volunteer of the Year award from Reading is Fundamental (RIF).

She battled severe migranes and other health issues her entire life. A recovering alcoholic with over 20 years of sobriety, she was passionate and dedicated to helping and mentoring others in their path to wellness.

Gisela had a lifelong passion for books, teaching, nature, reading, gardening, art, history, music, cultures and foreign lands such as Turkey and Egypt.

A photo of Gisela at the Berlin Wall in the 1980s depicts her spirit and conviction.

Gisela at the Berlin Wall. Photo courtesy of Katja Zastrow.

“As soon as she heard that the Berlin wall was coming down, she flew there to take a hammer to the wall,” Katja said.

Islander Dave Tolson, who knew Gisela since the 1970s, helped her when she needed small things done around her house and who checked on her frequently since she lived alone on the island.

“She was pretty strong-willed, and she told it like it was.” Tolson said. “She was a character.”

Gisela is survived by her daughter Bettina Zastrow and her husband Lance McGinnis, and their three children Karl, Wilhelm and Klaus, all of Nyack, NY; Katja Zastrow and her husband Christian Teelucksingh of Washington, DC; and her former husband, Dr. Klaus Zastrow.

A memorial celebration will be planned here for later in the fall.

Click here for the link to a story on Gisela’s RIF work published in 2000 in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The fans win: A new edition of the Café Atlantic Cook Book

August 8, 2015

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Ruth Toth with the new edition of the Café Atlantic Cookbook. Photo by P. Vankevich

By Peter Vankevich

Café Atlantic was a fixture on Ocracoke for 25 years before it closed at the end of the 2013 season.

Since it was a favorite restaurant of many, owner Ruth Toth compiled a cookbook of its recipes which was published in 2006.

A few years ago it went out of print.

“After we ran out of copies, many of the island store owners asked if we would reprint it,” Toth said about the new edition.

She decided to do a soft-bound edition including 20 new recipes that were added to the restaurant’s menu since 2006.

Some of the new recipes are Caribbean shrimp cocktail, rosemary chevre with fig preserves, Florentine fish chowder, crab puffs with sweet chili and mustard sauce, baked flounder in parchment in Dijon butter and coleslaw.

New desserts include chocolate bread pudding, pumpkin pecan spice cake, Boston cream pie, plum blueberry tart and the traditional Ocracoke fig cake.

Back in the 1980s, Ruth and her husband, Bob, were searching for career changes and the thought of opening a restaurant appealed to them. Ruth had worked for 14 years at the Ocracoke School and Bob, 25 years on a dredge boat for the NC Ferry Division.

Ruth had worked in restaurants on-and-off since she was 16 when her first job was in the dining room of Blackbeard’s Lodge back then run by Jackie and Doward Brugh. But Bob’s experience was pretty much limited to ordering off a menu.

They designed the building, and once constructed, the restaurant opened in 1989. Bob had no choice but to be a quick-study and to learn the restaurant business.

“I remember Bob saying he would do anything except cook,” Ruth writes. “Three months after that Bob was on the line full time, and 17 years later, on any night of the week, Bob prepares the lion’s share of meals that leave the kitchen.”

“I’ve been blown away with the response and I’m on my third request with the printer for more copies,” Ruth said.

Books are available in several locations, including The Village Craftsmen, Zillie’s Island Pantry, The Island Ragpicker, Ocracoke Restoration, The Community Store, Books To Be Red, The Variety Store and the Ocracoke Preservation Society.

Cover art and illustrations are by island artist Len Skinner.

Sunflower seeds: simple gifts for healthful eating

August 7, 2015

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Sunflowers along Sunset Drive. Photo by C. Leinbach

By Henry Schliff

Sunflower seeds are the gift of the beautiful sunflower that has been cultivated for its ornamental beauty and culinary uses for more than 5,000 years.

Sunflower seeds are low in cost (one sunflower can yield up to 2,000 seeds), and are considered as one of the world’s healthiest foods.

The following are just a few of the many healthful benefits of sunflower seeds:

An excellent source of vitamin E. Just one quarter cup supplies 80 percent of alpha-tocopherol, which is the most active form of vitamin E. Vitamin E is a powerful anti-oxidant that is used by the body to destroy free radicals that cause inflammation that can lead to arthritis, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
An excellent source of selenium, which has been shown to aid in the repair of the DNA of damaged cells which helps to reduce the risk of cancer.
A good source of magnesium, which promotes healthy bone growth and has been shown to reduce the symptoms of asthma, lower blood pressure and prevent migraine headaches.
They contain high amounts of linoleic acid, which helps to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and promote HDL (good) cholesterol.
They are high in fiber and an excellent source of high quality protein: 100 grams provide about 21 grams of protein.
They contain high amounts of B-complex vitamins and folic acid.

Sunflower seeds can be found in many grocery and health food stores. They contain a high percentage of healthy fat, and therefore the hulled seeds, which are the easiest to use, need to be kept stored in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent rancidity.

Toasted sunflower seeds (see the following recipe) make a tasty, healthful snack. They make a delicious addition to breads, muffins, and cookies; add crunchiness to salads, texture and a nutritional boost to hot and cold cereal.

They provide added flavor to stir-fries and sautéed vegetables. Their use in cooking is only limited by your imagination.

One of my favorite ways to use toasted sunflower seeds is in hummus in place of store-bought tahini (sesame seed paste).

Sunflower Seed Hummus

½ cup raw hulled sunflower seeds

1½ tsp. warm organic coconut oil (olive oil can be substituted)

½ tsp. honey

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (homemade or canned, drained and rinsed)

3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

½ tsp. soy sauce

2 Tbs. filtered water

To make the Sun Butter – Sunflower Tahini

Preheat a large skillet for three minutes. Add the sunflower seeds and spread them out evenly along the surface of the pan. Toast the sunflower seeds over medium heat, stirring often, until they become fragrant, and some of them become lightly browned. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the seeds onto a sheet pan to cool for 5 minutes. Place the warm toasted seeds into a food processor. Process the seeds for a few minutes until they clump together into a paste. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and continue processing until the paste becomes more liquid and soft, scraping the bowl as often as+ is needed. Add the warm coconut or olive oil and honey and process again briefly to combine everything well. Note: Sun butter is a delicious alternative peanut butter. Add additional honey and oil for desired creaminess and flavor.

Final Preparation

Add the remaining ingredients and process again until the mixture is soft and creamy adding additional water if necessary. Serve with raw vegetables, apple slices and pita chips.

Henry Schliff has been the chef of a French, Italian, and Mexican restaurant and was most recently the owner of the Orange Blossom Bakery in Buxton. He is the author of two cookbooks

Sea Knight helicopters make last stop in Ocracoke

August 6, 2015

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Aug 5 005 — Members of Marine Aircraft Group 49 detachment Delta arrive in Ocracoke on their way flying two Phrog helicopters to Marine Air Station Cherry Point, Havelock.

By Text, photos and video by Connie Leinbach

John Manning was wistful as two Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters fired up their jet engines at the Ocracoke airport for their final flight to the Marine air base in Cherry Point, Havelock.

“That’s the last time these two will be making that noise,” he said as the helicopters, built 53 years ago for the Vietnam War, arose carrying 17 military personnel. “I was in Vietnam when they were in use. I’m really gonna miss these things.”

Manning, maintenance supervisor at Howard’s Pub, along with several islanders, visitors and children watched the departure.

“How cool was that!” said Laurie Garrish, who brought along grandson Graydon, 1, as the choppers disappeared down the coast. “I’m addicted to these things. I come out every time I see them.”

Major J.C. Spencer, the flight leader and one of the pilots, call sign “Pookie,” said the group flew the CH 46 choppers, also known as “Phrogs,” from their Norfolk base and stopped on Ocracoke for lunch at Howard’s Pub.

Aug 5 007 — Maj. Orlando Corchado and Flight Leader Maj. J.C. Spencer.

They then flew them to the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point to be decommissioned.

“They are being phased out and will be replaced by Ospreys, (or V22)” Spencer said.

Willy M. Orosmane, Maintenance Chief Master Gunnery Sgt., said today’s group was the last Marine Corps squadron assigned to these helicopters.

There are four other CH46 helicopters in Cherry Point, he said. They’re part of Search and Rescue—to help rescue people in the ocean.

Those will be replaced on Sep. 25, and the Coast Guard will continue with search and rescue, Orosmane said.

Maj. Orlando Corchado, said one of these Phrogs is on view in the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Udvar Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

As transports, the helicopters have been used for decades to deliver troops and cargo, Corchado said.

Maximum flying time on one tank of gas is about three hours, said Gunny Sgt. C. T. Roney.

Aug 5 015 — Cpl. Carl Dewing and Cpl. Tara Dewing in the back of one of the helicopters before take-off.

The 16-member Marine crew was from the Marine Aircraft Group 49 detachment Delta, said Sgt. Salvatore Cialino, an aerial gunner.

“We’re all ‘Wild Geese,’” he said about the name of their detachment.

Additionally, Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Lindsey E. Skelton of the Navy Public Affairs Support Element East, accompanied the group and took photos.

“It was less scary than I thought,” she said about the ride to Ocracoke.

As for stopping in Ocracoke, Maj. Gary Ewers said they needed a restaurant close by the airport.

“I looked all over the coast and Howard’s Pub was close by and could pick us up,” he said.

Aug 5 020 — The Phrog cockpit, which is open under the controls.

“None is as good as this,” Cialino added.

Ann Warner, Pub owner, said military flight crews are frequent patrons.

Most of the Marines thought that these Phrogs were still the best and didn’t like that they were being decommissioned.

“The air frame has 50 years of service, but it still goes strong,” Roney said.

He explained that the Phrog fuselage is about the same size as an Osprey’s, but Osprey wings fold on top of the fuselage and can be stored in a smaller space.

Part of the Phrog cockpit is open as is the fuselage rear end.

“It gets natural air conditioning,” said Roney.

A few crew members sat on the edges with their legs dangling over as the choppers took off to the cheers and waves of the spectators.

“That was amazing!” said Leslie Cole.

Anmargaret Warner contributed additional reporting.

Aug 5 028 — The crews pose for a final photo before their final flight.

Part of the military patch collection on Howard's Pub walls, the patch at bottom right show the Marine Corps Phrogs unit. — Part of the military patch collection on Howard’s Pub walls, the patch at bottom right show the Marine Corps Phrogs unit.

Aug 5 018 — Ocracoke kids get a tour of the chopper.

Hyde commissioners to research noise ordinance

August 5, 2015

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Hyde County Commissioners from left Benjamin Simmons, III, Barry Swindell, Chairman, Earl Pugh, vice chair, Dick Tunnell and John Fletcher . Photo by P. Vankevich — Hyde County Commissioners from left Benjamin Simmons III, Barry Swindell, Chairman, Earl Pugh, Jr. ,vice chair, Dick Tunnell and John Fletcher. Photo by P. Vankevich

By Connie Leinbach and Peter Vankevich

The Hyde County commissioners last night agreed to take another look at the Ocracoke noise ordinance following a discussion among island residents about the difficulties of enforcing it.

The commissioners met in the Ocracoke Community Center and were on telephone conference with attendees in Swan Quarter in the Hyde County Services building.

According to the ordinance, no outdoor music is to be above 70 decibels and it has to stop at 10 p.m. Music can still be indoors, but sound is not supposed to cross over boundaries to disturb others. The ordinance does not say anything about what the decibel level should be from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Two business owners, Sean Death, owner of the Ocracoke Bar and Grille on Irvin Garrish Highway, and Ann Ehringhaus, owner of Oscar’s Bed & Breakfast, across the street from the “O Bar,” have been tussling over this ordinance this season.

Noise from that establishment can sometimes be heard by guests in the B&B after 10 p.m., she said.

“This is a residential area,” Ehringhaus said. “I can’t sit in my own living room when there’s a northwest wind even at 70 decibels.”

Dick Tunnell, the commissioner from Swan Quarter pointed out that there’s no zoning on Ocracoke that separates business activity from residential areas.

Death pointed out that music and noise from other establishments on the island can also be heard out on the street. “Show me what decibel level we can be at after 10 p.m. and enforce that for everyone island-wide so that the deputies can drive by and determine whether to say ‘you’re in violation,’ ” Death said.

Darlene Styron said she was Ocracoke’s commissioner when the noise ordinance was approved.

“We had a diverse group of businesses and home owners and we worked hard on coming up with an agreement,” she said. “It comes down to respect for neighbors. We all want music. If people can’t be respectful, they should be fined.”

During the public comments, local musician, Jon Lea, said his concern with the ordinance is consistency. One can measure with a decibel meter to play within the noise limit, but after 10 p.m. it is left up to the discretion of the deputy sheriff. “I am respectful and try to not play too loud after 10 p.m.” he said.

The commissioners asked Bill Rich, the county manager, to look into other noise ordinances, including the Nags Head area, and attempt to define an acceptable decibel level for the time period after 10 p.m. and if it can be modified for different seasons.

Ocracoke EMS ambulance. Photo by P. Vankevich

In other business, the commissioners, after looking at five possible properties, narrowed down their choice for the new quarters for the island emergency medical services (EMS) building to two locations that need further research.

One is a property is owned by Ronnie Vann O’Neal along Back Road and across from the Ocracoke Health Center, the other is where the former Flying Melon Café is located, beside the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department and is owned by Charlie O’Neal

“We need a location for future growth of Hyde County government,” Rich said about the search, adding that he would like to have a place that also could accommodate the department of social services, the home health care nurse, the sheriff’s office and the Ocracoke Health Center.

“We’d love a united campus to accommodate nine county organizations,” he said. “So, the question is what do we really want and how are we going to pay for it?”

Both sites had different lease/purchase terms that the commissioners asked Rich to further delineate, including pros and cons of both.

Business owner, Mike Johnson, in the public comments period, stressed that the new location should not be in a residential area; that it should be on Highway 12 and that the Charlie O’Neal property/Flying Mellon is best for an EMS facility.

Ocracoke Commissioner John Fletcher said locating the EMS at the former Flying Melon location would be in violation of the island’s development ordinance and Hyde County government shouldn’t violate it

In the last year, the Ocracoke Health Center combined services with the Engelhard Health Center and attained “federally qualified health center” (FQHC) status, for which the new entity received a federal grant.

Cheryl Ballance, CEO of the Ocracoke Health Center, informed the commissioners last year that the FQHC status required the center to expand services and that the EMS office would have to vacate the building they are currently in by Dec. 31, which is in the back of the health center.

Rich explained that he was looking to lease a property for several years while the county look for grants to purchase property.

Earlier in the meeting, Rich commended the excellent work of the EMS, the sheriff’s office and the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department in the medevac operation for Anthony Costello who was severely injured by a shark attack on July 1. Costello was air-lifted to the Level I trauma center, Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. Costello was released July 18 from Vidant Medical Center.

“While I’m glad to be home, I remain focused on my long road of recovery,” Costello said in a media release July 20 from the hospital.” I want to thank my family, friends and staff at Vidant Medical Center for their love, support and excellent care that I received. I will not be releasing any further statements or providing interviews.”

Rich also praised the Hyde County EMS Director Justin Gibbs, and Hyde County information officer, Sarah Johnson, in providing timely information on Costello’s injuries and at the same time protecting his privacy.

The commissioners approved a Golden Leaf revolving loan for $15,000 to the Devil Shoals Oyster Farm Co. on the island prior to the revolving loan committee’s approval so that the islanders involved can get going now.

The company, that includes Clam Lady Jane (Arleen Burley) and Captain Puddleducks Seafood (Heather O’Neal), has set 100,000 oyster spats (eggs) in the Pamlico Sound and intends to harvest oysters year-round.

Paul Spruill, CEO of Tideland Electric Member Cooperative, gave a presentation on the uses of the Ocracoke electric generator, and why it was not put in use during the power outage of July 11.

That generator was installed decades ago, he said, before Ocracoke’s electric power became a part of Tideland, EMC

At that time, the generator could power the entire island. It is now owned by North Carolina Electric Member Cooperative based in Raleigh and is used only as a “peak shaving” generator, meaning it helps take some of the load off the power coming down the lines from Cape Hatteras.

“Most importantly,” he said, “the Ocracoke generator can only handle 2.8 megawatts of power, yet the entire island pulls about 5 megawatts of power.”

This winter when the power went out due to extreme cold, the generator could not help because even with a reduced number of people on the island it was still not able to handle the electric load.

“From 1996 to 2003, it seemed like with every outage, the generator could handle the load,” Spruill said.

But the last 10 years has seen a lot of increased electric use, he said, and the island is using 6.5 megawatts of power making it difficult or impossible to provide sufficient power.

Fletcher asked why Tideland doesn’t get a generator that could carry the island load.

Spruill said that it would cost $3 to $4.5 million and permitting it would be tricky.

Kris Noble, director of the Office of Economic Development and Planning, introduced Dr. Christine Avenarius, associate professor of

Dr. Christine Avernaius. Photo by P. Vankevich

anthropology at East Carolina University. Averarius briefed the commissioners on the results of a study she coordinated, Perceptions of Environmental and Economic Change in Coastal North Carolina. She said information on the study can be accessed on the ECU website. Click here for more details.

Fireworks for next year’s July 4 celebration took a step forward when Ocracoke Civic and Business Association secretary, Connie Leinbach, requested that Hyde County be the responsible entity for the liability insurance policy.

Once that is approved, she said, the OCBA can start the process of contracting with a fireworks company and reserve a date.

The commissioners approved the request. They had approved the same request for this year, but for several reasons, including finding a company to provide the fireworks on the actual holiday, a fireworks display did not take place.

Business owner George Chamberlin said during public comments that not all on Ocracoke were in favor of spending up $30,000 for a fireworks display that would last less 20 minutes and the money could be better spent for the community.

Paul Spruill, CEO of Tideland Electric Membership Cooperative, talks about the Ocracoke generator. Photo by C. Leinbach

Annual scan of Bonner Bridge scheduled for Thursday morning

August 5, 2015

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FullSizeRender (4) — The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge in Dare County. Photo by C. Leinbach

Aug. 4, 2015

Raleigh- Weather permitting, the N.C. Department of Transportation will halt traffic on both ends of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge over the Oregon Inlet on N.C. 12 at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, for no longer than 30 minutes in order to do a safety scan of the bridge.

This will allow crews from NCDOT’s Location and Surveys Unit to perform a routine annual scan of the bridge deck. The bridge will reopen to traffic at 9:30 a.m. immediately following the scan.

It is normal for a bridge to move, expand and contract with weather. By performing this scan once a year, as well as following hurricanes and other severe weather events, NCDOT is able to monitor and evaluate any abnormal movement of the bridge.

The Bonner Bridge has a series of GPS data points placed along the deck. During the scan, a truck with a GPS reader will slowly travel along the bridge, turn around and travel back. While the truck is traveling on the bridge, the reader will gather location data of each of the data points.

This data will then be compared to previous data gathered last year to determine if there has been any abnormal movement of the bridge.

In addition to routine annual deck scans, NCDOT also performs monthly underwater sonar scans to monitor the bridge’s support structure for signs of scour, where sand has drifted away from the pilings.

For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit the Traveler Services section of the NCDOT website or follow NCDOT on Twitter. You can also access NCDOT Mobile, a version of the NCDOT website especially for mobile devices. Visit m.ncdot.gov from your mobile browser.

UNC-TV celebrity to judge Fig Fest

August 4, 2015

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Editor’s Note: The original article attributed to Bob Garner some early career magician and radio work. That information was about another Bob Garner. We have revised the article and apologize for this error.

By Peter Vankevich

This year’s Fig Fest Aug. 14 will feature UNC-TV host and author Bob Garner as the celebrity fig cake-tasting judge.

Events begin at 1 p.m. in Community Square and judging of traditional and innovative cakes is at 4 p.m. Islanders and visitors are invited to enter cakes in the contest.

In this contest, traditional means a plain fig cake with no icing or other embellishments.

Local restaurants are planning on adding fig specialties to their menus that week.

This year’s event is actually a residual benefit from last year’s Hurricane Arthur.

On July 4 last year, the island was slammed by a category 2 storm causing a power outage and the cancellation of all holiday activities except for the raising of the flag that morning at the school.

Instead of canceling the Fig Cake Bake-Off, a three-year-old addition to the July 4 events sponsored by the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association, the OCBA rescheduled it as a stand-alone event last August, including square dancing with Philip Howard as the caller and evening music by the Ocracoke Rockers.

chester — Island native Chester Lynn was the Fig King and Grand Marshall of the July 4 parade. Lynn will preside over Fig Fest festivities Aug. 14 in Community Square. Photo by Melinda Sutton.

Della Gaskill won the traditional cake category and Mary Vankevich won in the innovative category in a blind-tasting by judges Gene Ballance, Barbara Adams and Judith Garrish.

After that, the OCBA agreed to launch an official Fig Festival this year when most of the fig varieties have ripened.

OCBA Travel and Tourism Director Sundae Horn secured Garner as a celebrity judge.

“I’m really excited about this,” Garner said in a telephone interview. “There are so many varieties that grow there, which is really interesting. I think a lot of people do not know about the fig tradition on Ocracoke. So we did a feature on our television program.”

That UNC-TV program “Foods That Make You Say Mmm-mmm,” based on his 2014 book of the same name, featured Ocracoke’s fig industry and aired last Sept. 23. It will be rebroadcast in a longer version at 10 p.m. Sept. 3.

Garner’s other recent book is “Bob Garner’s Book of Barbecue North Carolina’s Favorite Food” (2012).

“I’ve always been fascinated with figs,” Garner said about the ubiquitous island fruit. “My grandmother used to have a fig tree at her house in Newport, Carteret County, and I have a vivid childhood memory of climbing in that tree. And I’ve always loved fig preserves.”

Fig preserves by islanders are available for purchase in several island locations. These are made by Bobby O’Neal and are for sale at the Pony Island Restaurant. — Fig preserves by islanders are available for purchase in several island locations. These are made by Robby Lewis and are for sale at the Pony Island Restaurant.

Commissioners’ meeting to be held in Community Center

August 3, 2015

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The Hyde County Commissioners’ regular monthly meeting today (Monday, Aug. 3) has been moved to the Ocracoke Community Center, 999 Irvin Garrish Hwy, and at the same time as 6 p.m.

The location change is due to maintenance at Ocracoke School where meetings via telecommunications are usually held.

Several Hyde County employees will be present on Ocracoke for the meeting, and the meeting will be broadcast via teleconferencing to the Hyde County Service Center meeting room in Swan Quarter where residents on the mainland can also participate.

Commissioners will meet at the Ocracoke Community Center at 4 p.m. to open the meeting. Immediately following, from 4 to 6 p.m., the Commissioners will tour properties available for the relocation of the Ocracoke Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Station.

The Commissioners will return to the Ocracoke Community Center at 6 p.m. for the regularly scheduled Hyde County Board of Commissioners meeting.

Birds of Ocracoke: the Gray Catbird

August 2, 2015

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Text and photos by Peter Vankevich

The Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) is a slender medium-sized song bird. It is overall dark gray with a black cap and tail and a brick colored under tail. Both sexes look alike.

It is famous for a distinctive call note from which it derives its name and sounds like a cat’s meow.

Catbirds are mimics and the song is a rambling series of single phrases that consists of a series of squeaks, croaks and parts of other bird songs and does not appear to have much structure. Because of its well-developed syrinx, the catbird is able to make two sounds at the same time. The other mimics on the island are the Brown Thrasher which sings in double phrases and the Northern Mockingbird which usually repeats songs of other birds and other sounds about four times. Males may sing in concealed bushes but may also perch at the tops of trees and bushes

Catbirds are migratory and breed throughout much of the United States except for the Southwest and West and well into Canada. They winter in the South and along the Atlantic Coast into Mexico. Flight migration is usually at night.

Best Time to see: Can be seen year round, but mostly from spring into the late fall and early winter. Far fewer on the island from mid-December till spring.

Where: Throughout the island including the village wherever there are dense thickets, vines and shrubs.

Listen:

(Audio provided courtesy of OhioLINK Digital Resource Commons)

Birds of the Outer Banks Checklist

Notes

Although Brown-headed Cowbirds parasitize the Gray Catbird, they rarely are successful. This bird is one of only about a dozen species known to recognize cowbird eggs and eject them from its nest.

Catbirds can reside in human-associated locations if there is suitable habitat.

The feeding instincts are strongly developed in catbirds, and if they have lost their own young through some misfortune, they may adopt the offspring of others. Ornithologist Arthur Cleveland Bent (1866 – 1954) is notable for an encyclopedic 21-volume work, Life Histories of North American Birds. He cited a case of a brood of orphaned cardinals that were fed and mothered by a catbird, and another where a mother catbird fed a half-grown flicker that had been dislodged from its nest and separated from its parents during a severe storm.

“In the catbird seat” is a common phrase to describe someone who is in an advantageous situation. Its origin is from the James Thurber short story Catbird Seat published in 1942. The phrase was attributed to Red Barbers’ colloquial and creative baseball radio broadcasts to describe situations such as a batter with a 3-0 count.

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