Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges county help for rotten, smelly seaweed in Coinjock Bay
Summary
During public comment, Paul Hajes and Barbara Hodes asked the county to identify who applies for grant funds and what agency handles invasive seaweed problems washing into Coinjock Bay; county staff and manager agreed to help connect them with cooperative extension and state biologists.
During the public comment period at the June 15 meeting, resident Paul Hajes said seaweed washing into Coinjock Bay has become "rotten and it's smelly" and that the problem is damaging shoreline property and local habitat. He asked which local or state offices apply for grant funds and oversee mitigation, suggesting introduction of grass carp and noting prior species identification work had been done.
County staff directed the residents to Cooperative Extension and said the county manager would help connect them to state biologists and other potential funding sources. The manager asked for a follow‑up report to the board once staff has spoken with the residents and identified contacts or grant opportunities.
The board and staff noted invasive aquatic vegetation can spread via boat props and emphasized caution when moving boats between water bodies. The county manager and staff recommended the resident share a location via the county’s GIS and said they would research available grant programs and biologist contacts.
