http://hamptonroads.com/taxonomy/term/100 Category: Environment en-us Copyright 2012 PilotOnline.com / HamptonRoads.com. Sat, 26 May 2012 17:29:53 -0400 Virginia has been forced to adopt stricter rules for harvesting shellfish during summer months, beginning this week, after a second case surfaced of a person getting sick from eating oysters tainted by a dangerous bacteria called vibrio. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/virginia-initiate-tougher-rules-keep-shellfish-safe Sat, 26 May 2012 00:10:53 -0400 NEWPORT NEWS A controversial piece of property loaded with nontidal wetlands that was the subject of a Supreme Court case is back in trouble, and the issue again is environmental protection, or lack thereof. The Newdunn tract, as it is called, measures about 42 acres and runs along the busy Jefferson Avenue corridor in Newport News, also visible to motorists going west on Interstate 64. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/newport-news-gets-swamped-wetlands-dispute Fri, 25 May 2012 22:53:30 -0400 VIRGINIA BEACH A water sample taken during routine testing found E. coli bacteria in a single sample taken near the intersection of Rosemont Road and South Plaza Trail, the city announced in a news release this morning. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/ecoli-va-beach-water-sample-other-tests-negative Fri, 25 May 2012 12:27:09 -0400 VIRGINIA BEACH Elaina Grimaldi, waiting to be honored for her art, leaned toward her mother. “Can you tell me when the mayor gets here, because I don’t know what he looks like,” the 8-year-old whispered. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/virginia-beach-students-awarded-artwork Fri, 25 May 2012 11:31:24 -0400   NORFOLK A fourth-grade class from Camp Allen Elementary School has won an international competition to name the Wildlife Center of Virginia's newest peregrine falcon. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/fourthgrade-class-wins-falconnaming-contest Wed, 23 May 2012 21:45:12 -0400 NAGS HEAD, N.C. Swimming advisories at two Dare County locations have been lifted after tests show the bacteria levels have dropped below the state and Environmental Protection Agency's standards. The first advisory was posted May 9 at the end of Colington Drive in Kill Devil Hills. The second advisory was posted May 16 at Jockey's Ridge on the sound. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/swimming-advisories-lifted-2-dare-county-sites Wed, 23 May 2012 13:48:27 -0400 RALEIGH, N.C.  A preliminary report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says a wind farm proposed for eastern North Carolina could kill up to 20 bald eagles each year. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the estimate is based on only five months of bird counts in Beaufort County. The service wants to collect data for at least a year. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/feds-eastern-nc-wind-farm-could-kill-eagles Wed, 23 May 2012 08:12:27 -0400 BALTIMORE Deteriorating water quality and summer heat combined to kill off more than a third of seagrasses in coastal bays along the Eastern Shore, Maryland and Virginia officials announced Tuesday. Seagrass acreage dropped 35 percent between July 2010 and May 2011, including nearly all of the grass beds in the Assawoman Bay and the Isle Wight Bay, according to figures by several groups. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/seagrasses-drop-sharply-md-va-coastal-bays Tue, 22 May 2012 17:33:52 -0400 RALEIGH, N.C. A state geologist says estimates of a 40-year supply of natural gas in North Carolina are "wildly optimistic" and that fracking likely won't uncover enough energy to fuel a large-scale economic boom. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported assistant state geologist Kenneth Taylor says estimates of a 40-year supply of natural gas are unlikely to be accurate. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/nc-geologist-fracking-estimates-were-optimistic Tue, 22 May 2012 12:33:26 -0400 North Carolina plans to ramp up a campaign to control two rapidly multiplying, disease-carrying wild animals that often turn up in suburban neighborhoods. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/north-carolina-may-ok-night-hunting-coyotes-hogs Sun, 20 May 2012 23:30:05 -0400