Category: Environment

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Environment, Robeson County

Lumbee tribe returns fire to the soil to restore cultural and ecological heritage

By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org  Thick white smoke billowed into the Robeson County sky on a crisp December day. Flames lapped the bottoms of the longleaf pine trees. While the sight may sound hazardous, it was met with whooping and hollering of joy from about two dozen people who gathered to watch the fire at the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center in Maxton late last year.   The …Read more Continue reading Lumbee tribe returns fire to the soil to restore cultural and ecological heritage

Avatar photoBen Rappaport
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Education, Environment, Robeson County

UNC Pembroke partners with NC State on sustainable protein research center

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org  The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is partnering with N.C. State University to open a new research center that will focus on the production of sustainable protein sources, including plant-based products and meat grown from animal cells.  The Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein that launched last month on N.C. State’s Raleigh campus is funded by a $30 million grant from …Read more Continue reading UNC Pembroke partners with NC State on sustainable protein research center

Rachel Baldauf
Bladen County, Environment, News

Elizabethtown needs to prevent flooding. But with little cash, options are limited

By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org  Stephen Duffy feels like he is constantly playing a game of Whac-A-Mole. The Elizabethtown public services director is stuck in a stormwater doom loop: filling potholes and sealing broken pipes as needed but never attacking the root cause of the damage caused by stormwater. That’s because the Bladen County town, like most municipalities across rural southeastern North Carolina, lacks any budget …Read more Continue reading Elizabethtown needs to prevent flooding. But with little cash, options are limited

Avatar photoBen Rappaport
Environment

Chemours asks federal appeals court to negate EPA health goal for GenX

By Lisa Sorg NC Newsline This story was originally published by NC Newsline. Chemours, the company responsible for polluting the drinking water of 800,000 people in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin with GenX, is asking a court to negate the EPA’s health advisory for the toxic chemical. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Philadelphia, heard arguments last week. There is not a timetable …Read more Continue reading Chemours asks federal appeals court to negate EPA health goal for GenX

Border Belt Independent
Waccamaw-Siouan tribe, PFAS, Native American, STEM Sticky post
Columbus County, Culture, Education, Environment

Border Belt People: Ashley Lomboy brings Western science, Indigenous culture together

By Kerria Weaver kerriaweaver@borderbelt.org Ashley Lomboy of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe took an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) from a young age. This fascination led her to become a Global Information Security Manager at Corning Optical Fiber and Cable, and later, founder of the Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio. The Border Belt Independent spoke with Lomboy about her many accomplishments and how she …Read more Continue reading Border Belt People: Ashley Lomboy brings Western science, Indigenous culture together

Kerria Weaver
Robeson County, Lumber River, megalodon, shark teeth, Indian canoe, Lumbee Tribe, UNC Pembroke, scuba diver Sticky post
Culture, Environment, Robeson County

Border Belt People: A Q&A with Paul Valenti, historian and Lumber River diver

By Kerria Weaver kerriaweaver@borderbelt.org Paul Valenti, 69, works as the chief water plant operator in Lumberton, but he is also well known for being a historian and scuba diver. Born and raised in Lumberton, Valenti has explored the Lumber River, finding many historical artifacts from megalodon shark teeth to an 1,100-year-old canoe. The Border Belt Independent spoke with Valenti about his experience as a diver …Read more Continue reading Border Belt People: A Q&A with Paul Valenti, historian and Lumber River diver

Kerria Weaver