17-year-old Paige Merical drowned earlier this year in a rip current. Her parents have made it their mission to educate beach-goers up and down the coast about the dangers of rip currents.
Environment
Why scientists want your SHARK pictures
Sand tiger sharks are using shipwrecks off the coast of North Carolina more often, and scientists want to find out why. So they're asking divers to take pictures of these docile sharks and upload them to a special website that can track them using their tell-tale spots.
Cornhole with a scientist: Urban Bees
Producer Frank Graff chats urban bees with entomologist Elsa Youngsteadt, Ph.D, over a game of cornhole.
Meet the indestructible tardigrade
Researchers want to know why tardigrades are so resilient and how that can be used to preserve biological samples.
Bat sounds reveal bat secrets
Bats are difficult to track, but by recording their calls, researchers hope to study them.
How to raise Russian caviar, NC-style
It's possible to raise Russian sturgeon for caviar in North Carolina, you just need LOTS of big tanks. Check out how Marshallberg Farm's recirculating aquaculture system works.
Pilot Mountain has a deer problem. Drones can help.
Drones help researchers and park officials get an accurate count of the deer population on Pilot Mountain. From the UNC School of Media & Journalism, Producer – Trent Brown, Associate Producers—Olivia Corriere & Lauren Glaze, Scriptwriter & Narrator – Haley France, Camera/Video Editor: Bob Gunter, Additional Cameras – Trent Brown & Haley France, Executive Producer – Dr. Tom Linden
Fire brings new life to South Mountains State Park
More than two years after a large fire, plants at South Mountains State Park are thriving. From the UNC School of Media & Journalism: Producer – Rob Gourley, Associate Producer – Kara Kochek, Scriptwriter & Narrator – Minali Nigam, Cameras/Video Editors: Rob Gourley & Bob Gunter, Executive Producer: Dr. Tom Linden, Photographs courtesy of Amanda D. Lasley, Additional video courtesy of Rahima Rahi.
Poachers threaten native ginseng in NC parks
Ginseng is native to the mountains of North Carolina, but poachers are digging it out of state parks and national forests. The herb is valuable medicinally, especially in Asian markets, but poaching has pushed it towards extinction. This story is produced in partnership with the UNC School of Media & Journalism: Producer & Narrator – Nez Covington, Associate Producers – Allie Miszewski & Raymond Tu, Scriptwriter – Charlotte Harris, Camera/Video Editor – Bob Gunter, Additional Video Editing – Nez Covington, Executive Producer – Dr. Tom Linden
What to do when you see a box turtle
Chances are, you’ve probably seen a box turtle, either at a zoo or in a park, backyard or green space. It’s not as if they move quickly. With their short legs, box turtles lumber along and retreat at the first sign of anything unfamiliar. The box turtle pulls its head and legs into the shell and then, in an amazing protection skill, uses the hinged pastron (the bottom part of the shell) to close up behind them forming an impenetrable box. Yep, that’s where the name “box turtle” comes from.