Williston jeweler Janet Harriman will conduct a metal clay and experimental jewelry workshop in the Deepwater Theater Friday Oct. 2 to 4.
The workshop is for all levels of skill including beginners.
Cost for the three days is: $355 plus supplies.
BRONZclay is one of her specialties. She will cover working with the raw clay, texturing, carving, setting stones, adding final touches to leather-hard clay, firing the metal clay and lastly hammering, finishing, and adding patinas to the bronze metal.
Projects may include a shadow box pendant, a tube-riveted swivel locket, and a ring, pendant or earrings.
She also will be working with precious metal clay, enameling, sculptural jewelry will be a focus as well as fold-forming sheet metal into rings, bracelets and more.
Harriman has been making jewelry and winning awards for more than 35 years and has been teaching workshops for 20 years.
She has been working with precious metal clay and BRONZclay for five years, and developing state-of-the-art techniques for using the these new materials.
She was invited to the National PMC Conference in 2008 and 2010 at Purdue University to demonstrate her methods, and an article she wrote about one of her discoveries was published in Glass on Metal magazine. Her jewelry is included in three PMC Annual Exceptional Work in Metal Clay books and Contemporary Metal Clay Rings by Hattie Sanderson.
To sign up, call Harriman at 252-729-8691, or email harrimanjewelry@yahoo.com.
White ibis in Ocracoke village after torrential rains. Photo by P.. Vankevich
By Peter Vankevich
Don’t be surprised to see white ibis in your yard feeding on worms and insects that have appeared after the last several days of heavy rain.
On Sunday, Clayton Gaskill, had a large flock his yard located on Sarah Ellen Lane, off of Silver Lake Drive. In the afternoon, they were also seen foraging in the grass around the NPS Visitor Center across from the Cedar Island/Swan Quarter ferry terminal.
White Ibis forage in the rain-soaked grass around the Ocraoke NPS Visitor Center. Photo by P. Vankevich
These birds have a long, decurved bill that distinguishes this species from the egrets and herons on the island and gives them a prehistoric look. Juveniles feeding with the white-colored adults are light brown with white under parts.
For an in-depth profile on this fascinating bird including its relationship to the ancient Egyptian God known as Thoth, see the birds of Ocracoke profiles on the Ocracoke Observer’s website, or click here.
North Carolina Department of Transportation press release date: Sept. 27, 2015
Raleigh – N.C. 12 on Ocracoke Island has reopened this morning between the Pony Pen and the Hatteras/Ocracoke Ferry Terminal. The road was closed yesterday due to flooding from heavy rains. Although the road has reopened, the N.C. Department of Transportation is encouraging drivers to proceed with caution, as there are still several inches of water on the road in some locations.
The Hatteras/Ocracoke Ferry has also resumed service as of this morning. Other ferry routes have been impacted by the storm and high tides. Riders are advised to call the appropriate ferry terminal ahead of time to make sure that their run has not been delayed or cancelled. Phone numbers can be found on theFerry Division website. Regular updates on ferry routes can also be found on Twitter.
No road closures are reported along N.C. 12; however, there are areas of standing water in the road on Hatteras Island south of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. The road is open and passable, but drivers should proceed with caution and avoid driving through standing water if possible. NCDOT maintenance crews will work throughout the day to clear the road south of the Bonner Bridge. Updates will be posted on theNCDOT N.C. 12 Facebook page as they are received.
The Fletcher O’Neal family place ‘nursery bags’ for oyster growing in the Devil Shoals.
By Connie Leinbach
Islanders and visitors can look forward to eating Ocracoke-grown oysters in July of next year thanks to a new business, the Devil Shoals Oyster Company.
Owned by “Clamlady Jane” and the Fletcher O’Neal family, the oysters are being cultivated in Jane’s five-acre lease in the Pamlico Sound.
The players in this game are placing the spats of hybrid oysters now, but they won’t be full-grown for about another year.
Culling out the smaller oysters from the larger ones. They will be placed in different bags for further growing.
“It’s exciting,” said Heather O’Neal, Fletcher’s wife, as she, Fletcher, two of their sons and two friends set the “nursery bags” on a recent Saturday afternoon.
The O’Neals own Captain Puddleducks Seafood, which cooks a seafood feast and delivers it to your door.
Jane and the O’Neals recently received a $15,000 revolving loan from Hyde County, courtesy of a Golden Leaf Foundation grant to the county for business loans.
Heather explained that while local oysters from Swan Quarter and Wanchese are the ones people eat on the island, the wild oyster population has dwindled in recent years.
The oysters the company is growing are hybrids that don’t reproduce, she said, and they tend to take on the taste of where they grow.
“These will be true Ocracoke oysters,” she said. “I’ve tasted them, and they’re really good.”
Unlike wild oysters that are available in months with the letter “R,” these hybrid oysters will be harvested throughout the warm seasons, or about April to October, Heather said.
Jane (not her real name) has been in the clam business for decades, selling her clams out of the Ocracoke Seafood Co., (known as The Fish House).
But Hurricane Arthur last July 4 destroyed almost all of her clam beds at their location in the Sound off the end of the Hammock Hills Nature Trail.
While she has re-sown her clams, they take longer to grow than oysters and so won’t be ready for several more years.
Devil Shoals oyster field. Photo by C. Leinbach
In the meantime, Jane and the O’Neals are floating the plastic mesh oyster bags in another section of the water. Each bag is attached to a rope stretched across Jane’s leased area. They are placing 40 bags now and want to eventually float 300 to 400 bags.
They began with 100,000 seed oysters, or spat, Jane said.
Each bag holds 250 to 300 baby oysters, and as they get larger, the group has to cull out the larger ones and put them in different bags to give them growing space.
After the last cull—when the oysters are larger–they will be put in grow-out cages, Heather said.
“This is just one system,” Jane said, as she and a reporter waded in the shallow water of the Devil Shoals and scrubbed the bags of algae.
“There are several different systems,” she explained. “This is what the people down Sound use. When you do something like this you try several different systems and see what you like the best.”
Clearing the bags of sea grass and algae is crucial for the sun to get to the spat, Jane said. Every couple of days, the bags have to be cleaned and flipped over.
As the brushing progressed on a warm August day, the distant hush of the ocean and the calls of shorebirds were the only sounds.
Jane, a former office worker, has been working in the water since the 1970s when she arrived on Ocracoke from the hurly-burly of urban America. A member of Ocracoke Working Waterman Association, Jane sold her clams to the Fish House sold for many years prior to last summer’s hurricane.
She steers her Carolina Skiff past Oyster Creek and onward toward the Devil Shoals without the aid of a depth finder.
“When you do this enough you know where the deep water is,” she said. “But sometimes I run aground.”
That goes with the realm of boating and doesn’t faze her.
She wouldn’t trade her job on the water.
She smiles as she says, “It beats cubicle life.”
‘Clamlady Jane’ prepares her boat for a trip to Devil Shoals.
Dr. Randolph Latimore, superintendent of Hyde County schools. Observer staff photo.
Special to the Ocracoke Observer from the Rappahannock Record, Virginia.
By Audrey Thomasson
LANCASTER, Va.—Lancaster County supervisors on Sept. 24 agreed to accept a settlement with former Lancaster school superintendent Dr. Randolph Latimore for some $104,000.
After serving as principal of Mattamuskeet School for a few years, Latimore became superintendent of Hyde County Schools in November 2011.
The lawsuit was filed in 2008 as a result of the school board chairman at the time authorizing a $208,261.04 payout at the end of Latimore’s contract in June 2007 for accrued leave time while employed in the Virginia school system. While Latimore claimed he was owed over 400 days of leave, the county argued he had previously certified to auditors he was owed for only 140 days.
During negotiations, Latimore argued he had already paid some $70,000 of the payout in taxes which could not be recovered after three years.
The settlement requires Latimore to pay $52,000 within 10 days of execution of the agreement with the remainder due by January 15.
Leaving Ocracoke village sign information at 9 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 26
N.C. 12 on Ocracoke Island was closed this morning between the Pony Pen and the Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry Terminal due to flooding from heavy rains. An estimated reopening has not been determined.
Locations along N.C. 12 in this area are reported to have approximately one foot of water on the road and are impassable. Drivers on N.C. 12 coming from Ocracoke Village will be able to turn around in the Pony Pen parking lot.
Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department Chief Albert O’Neal cautioned against drivers venturing into standing water of unknown depth.
“Water flowing over the battery will cause it to short out,” he said. Water on the battery could also spark a fire, he said.
High water on Back Road Friday, Sept. 25.
Due to the Ocracoke road closure, the Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry shut down service this morning. Other ferry routes are also being impacted by the storm, including the Pamlico River and Cherry Branch ferries.
Riders are advised to call the appropriate ferry terminal ahead of time to make sure that their run has not been delayed or cancelled. Phone numbers can be found on the Ferry Division website here. Regular updates on ferry routes can also be found on Twitter.
No other road closures are reported at this time; however, there are areas of standing water along N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island south of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. The road is open and passable, but drivers should proceed with caution and avoid driving through standing water if possible. Updates will be posted on the NCDOT N.C. 12 Facebook page as they are received.
In addition, all ORV ramps to the beach are closed, reported Ed Fuller, chief ranger at Ocracoke for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
“South Point Road flooded out first,” he said.
He does not know when the ramps will be reopened but noted that the tides have been strong in the last several days.
“The tides have been up to the dunes most of this week,” he said, and the full moon on Monday will also be a factor.
The National Weather Service in Newport, N.C., says that the combination of a strong high pressure to the north and low pressure to the south will result in gusty northeast winds and large breaking waves into the weekend.
The stormy conditions are also arriving during a period of higher than normal meteorological tides, caused by Sunday night’s full moon, which is a “supermoon.” Water levels along the oceanfront are expected to be pushed to 2 to 3 feet above normal.
NWS meteorologist Brian Cullen said earlier today that forecasters are especially concerned about Saturday night, when winds gusts will be at their highest along the Outer Banks during the high tide, which is at about 7 p.m.
Breaking waves of 6 to 9 feet are expected along the Hatteras and Ocracoke beaches, although the marine forecasts calls for seas from 11 to 15 feet north of Oregon Inlet.
For real-time travel information, call 511, visit the Traveler Services section of NCDOT.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.
The telephone number for the Hatteras/Ocracoke ferries is 252 986-2353.
Irvin Garrish Highway at the Variety Store. Photo by P. Vankevich
By Peter Vankevich and Connie Leinbach
Update Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m
As you leave Ocracoke village towards Hatteras Island, there is a NC/DOT sign indicating the road to the Hatteras ferry is closed. Road flooding beyond the pony pen is the reason. Additionally the Ferry Division has reported that several ferry routes are suspended due to weather conditions including Pamlico River Ferry, Cherry Branch and Hatteras-Ocracoke.
Leaving Ocracoke village sign information at 9:00 a.m., Sat. Sept. 26
You can call the terminal ahead of time to make sure that the ferry has not been delayed or canceled. The telephone number for the Hatteras/Ocracoke ferries is 252 986-2353 Ocracoke/Swan Quarter and Ocracoke/Cedar Island ferries: 252 928-1665 You can also get the latest on Twitter @ncdot_ferry
Heavy rains pummeled Ocracoke Friday with reports from several islanders that rain gauges collected more than five inches.
In Widgeon Woods, one rain gauge recorded 6.5 inches with many yards in the neighborhood experiencing minor flooding.
Islander Susse Wright said their boat moored in Oyster Creek needed to be bailed to avoid possible sinking.
“It’s deep in all the usual places,” said Jaren Mutro, deputy sheriff, standing Friday afternoon with Deputy Rob King at Sunset Drive and Friendly Ridge Road.
“It’s up to my shins down there,” added Deputy Rob King, who with Mutro was preventing drivers from going through Sunset toward Oyster Creek where a car owned by Jamie and Gray Stewart of Wake Forrest was stranded.
Jamie and Gray Stewart of Wake Forest visiting for the weekend had a rain adventure on Ocracoke when their car got stuck on Sunset Drive. Photo by C. Leinbach
They were on their way to checking in at the Anchorage Motel for the night as part of their weekend vacation on Ocracoke when their car started sputtering through the puddle at Cutting Sage, Jamie said.
“Then we rounded the corner and it stopped,” she said.
Another visitor, Fred Kunz of Florence, SC, stopped his truck to try to give their car battery a jump, but to no avail.
Another Good Samaritan was the Ocracoke Variety Store.
“They heard about our situation and sent us coffee and snacks,” Jamie said. “That was just incredible.”
“It’s been a good adventure,” Jamie said, even though they spent a good part of the afternoon awaiting the arrival of a flatbed trailer from up the beach to haul their water logged car.
“This is not going to tarnish our view of Ocracoke,” Jamie said. “We are coming back.”
She praised the sheriff deputies.
“They’ve been absolutely phenomenal,” she said.
Mutro reported two stranded cars on Highway 12 north of the pony pens, and around 6:30 p.m., King, who was still standing at Sunset and Friendly Ridge got another call about a stranded car at the north end of the island.
Lighthouse Road Photo by P. Vankevich
Ocracoke’s community radio station got caught into the spirit of the day by launching a special rain song theme show.
In its noted eclectic mix of music, the station played songs such as More than Rain by Tom Waits, Ann Peebles’ I Can’t Stop the Rain, Rhythm of the Falling Rain by the Cascades, and, of course, Bob Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.
Even some frogs got caught up by the wetness and began croaking all over the island.
The National Park Service issued a press release saying people should use extreme caution while visiting the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore this weekend until rough sea and stormy conditions cease.
The following Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) beach access ramps are currently closed to ORV due to high, lunar tides, rough surf conditions and consistent high winds in the region:
Cape Point ORV access is limited to approximately one third of a mile south of Ramp 44. The tip of Cape Point is closed to ORV use due to severe erosion and steep sand escarpments along the ORV route;
Ramps 49 in Frisco;
Ramp 55 and the Pole Road in Hatteras Village;
and Ramp 59 and Ramp 72 and South Point Road on Ocracoke Island.
And it’s not over. Forecasts for Saturday call for even more rain, including high winds and periodic thunder storms.
EMS responders Sandy Yeatts, left, and Dana Long, confer with Deputy Sheriff Rob King along Sunset Drive. Photo by C. Leinbach
Teach’s Hole off Springer’s Point on the way to Teach’s Channel at the Ocracoke Inlet. Photo by P. Vankevich
Date: Sep 24, 2015
WILMINGTON — Beginning Thursday, the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina will enforce a regulated navigation area for the navigable waters surrounding the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge in Oregon Inlet, Dare County.
Vessels with a draft greater than five feet are not allowed within 100 yards of the Bonner Bridge until further notice.
With Hatteras Inlet experiencing similar shoaling and navigational conditions, the first opening to the ocean south of Oregon Inlet is Teaches Hole Channel off South Point, Ocracoke, then Beaufort Inlet further south. The northern access point to the ocean is through the Intracoastal Waterway to Chesapeake Bay.
Continuous shifts in channel conditions due to recent weather have rendered navigation aids unreliable seaward of the bridge. Mariners are advised to seek alternate routes for transits to and from the ocean and use extreme caution operating in this vicinity.
The Coast Guard imposes vessel traffic restrictions at Oregon Inlet to safeguard vessels from shoaling and to reduce the risk of a bridge strike. The Coast Guard imposes restrictions only when necessary based on inlet conditions, and provides the public with as much advance notice as possible.
The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the conditions of the waterway and update the regulated navigation area as necessary.
For any questions or concerns, please contact the Sector North Carolina Command Center at 910-343-3880.
Micou Browne left, John Weske in orange hat. Photo by P. Vankevich
By Peter Vankevich
If you have taken the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter ferry, you may have noticed a small island about one mile from Ocracoke village.
This is Big Foot Island, created from dredge deposits of sand. Dredge spoil islands provide attractive nesting habitat for coastal birds. They are often free of predators such as cats, mink and raccoons and do not have human activity. On the other hand, these islands often lack the foraging resources available to birds nesting in bigger habitats. The already crowded Big Foot became more so with the addition of a new species. “
Nesting brown pelican on Big Foot Island. Photo by P. Vankevich
The first record of pelicans nesting (54) on Big Foot Island was in 2014, and in 2015, hundreds are nesting there,” said Sarah Schweitzer, water bird investigations and management project leader of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. This year, the pelicans abandoned several nearby islands where they had been nesting.
“We don’t know for sure that Big Foot picked up most or all of the refugees, but we assume it,” said John Weske, a biologist of Sandy Spring, Md., who has been banding birds on the island for many years. The reason for this major shift is not a fluke.
Last year, Hurricane Arthur, a category two storm that struck the area on July 4, severely impacted the nesting success of many birds in its path, especially on low-lying islands near Portsmouth. These islands–Beacon, Shell Castle, and North Rock–were once good for nesting island pelicans and several other species, including American oystercatchers. As those islands have dwindled due to erosion, they are more subject to over wash from storms and full-moon tides that adversely affect successful nesting.
This year, no pelicans nested on those islands. According to Lindsay Addison, coastal biologist for Audubon North Carolina which
Quiet Beacon Island. Brown pelicans abandoned nesting there after Hurrican Arthur. Photo by P. Vankevich
manages the low-lying Beacon, Shell Castle, and North Rock islands, even though the pelicans did not nest, the islands were far from a bird wasteland. American oystercatchers, black skimmers, Forster’s, common and royal terns, great black-backed and herring gulls, great egrets and tricolored herons are some of the species that nested.
Since Big Foot is relatively high and thus safer from extensive over wash, it did not suffer the major bird casualties from Arthur last year that the other islands and South Point suffered. According to Schweitzer, many of the terns had already fledged which helped with their survival, but many of the young pelicans were washed away.
Some made it to Ocracoke and were safely rescued, thanks to the efforts of the island’s wildlife rehabilitator, Elizabeth Hanrahan, who assisted in getting them to rehab centers. All but one survived and were released. These colonial nesting birds (meaning they live in colonies, not as solitary pairs) are carefully monitored to count the numbers, which helps track whether the bird populations are stable, increasing or in decline.
An important part of this research includes banding, and young birds have a small numeric band clipped to their right leg.
Sandwich Tern doing a tern “footlook.” Note the black bill and yellow tip. Photo: P. VankevichOn Big Foot, royal and Sandwich terns and, now, brown pelicans are banded as part of a federally funded banding program out of the Bird Banding Laboratory (a unit within the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey) in Laurel, Md.
Every year in the early summer, the project co-leaders Weske and Micou M. Browne of Raleigh recruit volunteers to herd the young birds into a temporary pen where they can be banded and released in the least disruptive manner. While identifying a young pelican is easy, there are subtle differences with young royal and Sandwich terns which require some identification skills.
Each species has a particular numeric band to be used. Banding occurs two or more times per season, several weeks apart. This is important for pelicans since their nesting season can be several weeks longer than that of terns.
While the final results have not been compiled, all indications are that this season will be a major success. In addition to the 54 nests for brown pelicans, in 2014, there were 7,206 royal tern nests and 1,577 nests for Sandwich terns. Those numbers should be stable.
As a word of caution, kayakers and boaters should not stress the young birds on these islands as that can jeopardize their survival. The chicks will hide in the wrack (dead matted marine vegetation) and wait for their parents to bring them food. When frightened they will stay still and due to their concealment can inadvertently be stepped on.
