WHQR CoastLine, Hosted by Rachel Lewis Hilburn

01/09/2024

Evolutionary ecologist Stacy Endriss of UNCW uses soundscapes to listen to ecosystems. They help her understand the depth and breadth of invasive plant impacts. Catch the episode Wednesday at noon, Sunday at 4 pm, at this link, or wherever you get podcasts. Seriously, you can hear shrimp SNAPPING and red drum "knocking."

Evolutionary Ecologist Stacy Endriss of UNCW’s Environmental Sciences Department is exploring how invasive plants are affecting North Carolina wetlands. She’s also looking at creative approaches – including bio-control – for dealing with the impacts.

12/19/2023

Maad Abu-Ghazalah hoped that kids could learn compassion and empathy by connecting with abandoned and abused dogs in the West Bank. All that's on hold for now, of course, as he works to bring 65 rescued dogs out of a war zone to safety in the United States.

"Mahatma Gandi said the way you measure a society is how they treat the weakest in the society."Maad Abu-Ghazalah says this is why he started rescuing abused and abandoned dogs and donkeys in the West Bank. As a Palestinian-American with family still there, he explores his culture and his hopes for....

12/12/2023

The number of people needing shelter went up in 2023. So did the number of abandoned or neglected dogs. And the native flora and fauna continues to take hits as their habitat is leveled for building. But there were some successes over the course of the year. How do you think we're doing as a community?
Freedom Bridge Animal Rescue, NC Good Shepherd Center Coastal Plain Conservation Group
https://www.whqr.org/show/coastline/2023-12-12/coastline-needs-of-vulnerable-people-animals-and-plants-escalated-in-2023-say-advocates

12/05/2023

Environmental reporter Justin Catanoso has some pretty strong assertions about the harms of wood pellet production. He also reveals the deeper reasons behind Enviva's financial crisis thanks to a former insider. Is he tipping over into advocacy? Why he says the question is a red herring -- at the link below.

Enviva company officials assured critics that wood pellets are mostly made of waste: treetops, limbs, even sawdust. Not true, according to reporting from environmental journalist and WFU Professor Justin Catanoso, who also says the science shows wood pellet burning contributes more to the climate cr...

11/24/2023

Three local public servants who happen to be female military veterans talk about the challenges they faced due to gender. Not a single one regrets the times she spoke up for herself or insisted on her rights.

Cooking food, working as nurses, working in maintenance and repair units, dressing as men: for millennia, women have worked near and actually on the battlefield. But they still make up less than a quarter of the active U.S. military force, and they still face career barriers.Despite fear of retaliat...

11/14/2023

The documentary, Black Barbie, is at Cucalorus this Wednesday night! Filmmaker Lagueria Davis will be there, as well. In this episode of CL, we explore what she reveals about the depth of Barbie's influence on culture. Listen at this link or wherever you get podcasts.
Cucalorus

Black Barbie, the documentary film by Lagueria Davis, explores the way the doll shapes culture, and ultimately the way people think about themselves. It’s a close look at representation, starting with the filmmaker's aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell, who was on the original Barbie manufacturing line with...

11/08/2023

NC is on track (if the trajectory holds) to have the highest population of veterans in the U.S. by 2030. I know very little about military life, and I learned that's true of so many people -- as fewer folks are enlisting. This episode aims to honor them for their service and bridge the growing chasm between military and civilian populations.
Listen at the link below or wherever you get podcasts.

"Everybody that goes to combat, it touches them in a certain way. It's hard to talk about some of those things."Marine Corps veteran Steven Shortt says so many like him want to connect with civilians, especially given the growing divide between the military and civilian communities. But when one of....

10/31/2023

The moment NC Historian LeRae Umfleet realized Wilmington's 1898 massacre was the result of political rhetoric, it dawned on her. The fear and anger were hobgoblins -- lies -- that led to neighbor killing neighbor. You can listen to the full episode at this link. And we hope to see you on November 11th at 2 pm for a discussion in City Council Chambers at Thalian Hall.

What makes history come alive? When you can see repercussions, for good or for ill, in the present day. It’s why North Carolina state historian LeRae Umfleet, the author of the state’s official report on Wilmington’s 1898 massacre and coup d'état, keeps talking about it.

10/24/2023

This entire episode arose from a listener question about the origins of standup comedy. Does it come exclusively out of African-American culture? UNC Professor Michelle Robinson is an Americanist, and she specializes in standup comedy (Lewis Black has been known to guest-teach). Check out this history lesson in comedy at the link or wherever you get podcasts.

The history of standup comedy is so difficult to separate according to culture, that it becomes surprisingly transcendent of race, ethnicity, and cultural background. But does that equate to being a model of diversity, equity, and inclusion? That’s a work in progress and one of the questions we ex...

10/17/2023

This new episode of In The Wild Coastal Plain with Andy Wood takes us into suburban stormwater management ponds, as we look at the common practice of spraying vegetation with herbicide, and find resilient wild animals that live in the ponds, anyway. You can listen at this link or wherever you get podcasts.

Andy Wood: Bullfrog tadpoles have an alkaloid in their skin. It’s a chemical compound that tastes a little bit like rotten lemon and Ajax. It’s a horrible taste, so very few things eat them.RLH: Have you tried this? It’s a very, um, specific description.AW: I would never admit that.In the wild...

09/26/2023

The comedy offerings in SE NC are expanding. Cliff Cash is filming a comedy special at Thalian Hall, and Nancy Witter is coaching up-and-coming comics through DareDevil Improv at Dead Crow Comedy Room.
https://www.whqr.org/show/coastline/2023-09-26/coastline-comedians-cliff-cash-and-nancy-witter-on-touring-and-finding-the-funny

09/20/2023

Today on CoastLine: a conversation with NPR Founding Mother Susan Stamberg. We have a pledge drive edition -- which is shorter so that we have time to pitch. But if you want to hear the full conversation, well, obviously, you can listen at this link. But you could also be one of our heroes, and help us reach our goal -- which is so, so close! We can end this pledge drive soon -- today -- with your help!! Heartfelt thanks to everyone who's already given. We appreciate you so much.

NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg visited Wilmington, NC in late May 2023. Two interviews, one in front of several hundred people, one in WHQR's CoastLine studio, reveal the origins of the NPR sound, a fiercely rigorous journalist, and a voraciously curious woman who injects humor into almost...

09/12/2023

In this episode of In the Wild Coastal Plain, Andy Wood and I explore the incredibly complex world of carnivorous plants -- endemic to NC -- and threatened less today by poachers than rapid destruction of habitat. You can listen at this link or just grab the podcast. https://www.whqr.org/show/coastline/2023-09-12/in-the-wild-coastal-plain-with-carnivorous-plants

09/05/2023

A community of people wonders what is in their soil and water because residents seem to be disproportionately plagued by disease. So a team of scientists comes in to test, but who has control of the data? Dr. Britt Moore, UNCW soil scientist, practices through the lens of environmental justice, which means the people decide what happens with the data and where it goes next. You can listen to our exploration on this episode of CoastLine:

Environmental justice can be complicated. The way studies are set up, the way the researchers communicate with the subjects of the study, and what the scientists do with the results – all those protocols are part of what Dr. Britt Moore calls “culturally-responsive science”.

08/29/2023

“A fundamental question that each of us must answer is: Who are the victims of racism? Upon careful investigation, it seems quite clear that the answer is ‘everyone’.” Dr. Catherine Meeks has a lot to say about racial healing, including why racial reconciliation is a misguided idea. She raises powerful questions that I'm still considering for myself. I hope you can find a nugget or two here that are helpful on your path. Listen at the link below or check out the podcast. After you listen, if she stirred anything up in you, I'd love to hear.

“A fundamental question that each of us must answer is: Who are the victims of racism? Upon careful investigation, it seems quite clear that the answer is ‘everyone’.” Dr. Catherine Meeks, Exec. Director, Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing

08/22/2023

Even if you never played with Barbie, it's likely this piece of plastic influenced you in some way. In the documentary Black Barbie, filmmaker Lagueria Davis takes a close look at what the doll means to people of color and especially to Black women. You can see the film at Cucalorus 2023. And you can listen to the full CoastLine episode at this link or wherever you get podcasts.
Cucalorus

Black Barbie, the documentary film by Lagueria Davis, explores the way the doll shapes culture, and ultimately the way people think about themselves. It’s a close look at representation, starting with the filmmaker's aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell, who was on the original Barbie manufacturing line with...

08/15/2023

Kevin Maurer, NYT best-selling author and retired Marine Don Turner tell the story of retired Marine Captain Grady Kurpasi's extraordinary last chapter on this edition of CoastLine.

Kevin Maurer, an award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author has written extensively about and inside war zones. When he heard of the mysterious disappearance of retired Marine and Wilmington resident Grady Kurpasi during a Russian ambush in Ukraine, he started investigating. That...

08/07/2023

This North Carolina writer may no longer live here, but she captures the heart of New Hanover and Pender Counties (a few decades ago) through the lives of working class folks and migrant workers. Her first novel is an exploration of loss, connection, and finding home. I hope you enjoy this interview with Sara. I certainly did.

Down Here We Come Up, which took more than fifteen years to write, started as an exploration of the jarring class differences between the northern and southern United States. But the novel Sara Johnson Allen actually completed, set just outside of Wilmington, NC, raises even deeper questions about w...

07/31/2023

The second episode of In The Wild Coastal Plain explores the intertwined fates of the red-cockaded woodpecker and the longleaf pine. Andy Wood and I are in Holly Shelter Game Land for this exploration. (He points out a native azalea -- pics at the link -- very different from the ones we celebrate during the big festival!) You can listen at this link or wherever you get podcasts.

As natural areas disappear, we’re taking a closer look at what we’re losing, species by species, in a new series called In The Wild Coastal Plain. In this second episode, we explore the intertwined fates of the red-cockaded woodpecker and longleaf pine.

07/25/2023

Autism is on the rise but the CDC attributes higher numbers to better screening and diagnosis. Some parents resist testing because of the unnecessary stigma, but as you'll hear from Darien Brooks, treatment can open up worlds. You can listen to the full episode at this link.

Alice Brooks says when she learned that her son, Darien, had profound autism spectrum disorder, she cried on the front porch all night. Today, she says Darien and his diagnosis are the greatest blessings of her life.

07/18/2023

So many people find baby wild animals during the summer months and worry they've been abandoned or are in trouble. On this episode, we hear from three wildlife rehabilitators on what to do if you encounter a wild animal who seems in need of help.

Summer is a busy time in southeastern North Carolina for wildlife rehabilitators. It is against the law to take a wild animal into captivity unless you have a license from the state. But well-meaning people do this, often without understanding how they're probably doing more harm than good.

07/05/2023

You can catch the first episode of In The Wild Coastal Plain with longtime WHQR nature commentator, Andy Wood. Who knew the beaver was a critical part of our ecosystem? General consensus around how to deal with beavers and our understanding of what they do for our ecosystem is shifting. You can also check out this episode in the CoastLine feed wherever you get podcasts.

Andy Wood: "Beavers are an ally for maintaining water quality, air quality, biodiversity, and flood protection. One beaver pond can retain millions of gallons of stormwater, slowly releasing it into the stream so that downstream homes aren't suddenly flooded with a rush of water."There's so much to....

07/03/2023

Longtime WHQR listeners will remember Andy Wood's popular commentaries focused on nature in our own backyards. We've teamed up to take a closer look at what we're losing, species by species, as natural areas disappear. Andy joined me on this week's CoastLine to talk about the new series -- and our first episode. You can listen to the entire show here:

As natural areas disappear in southeastern North Carolina, we’re taking a closer look at what we’re losing, species by species, in a new series called In The Wild Coastal Plain. Andy Wood is our guide, and in this edition of CoastLine, we explore how it came to be and why the American Beaver is ...

06/27/2023

Montana Cypress uses his own life as inspiration for his films, and in this one, well, you might have to white-knuckle your way through it, but it's well worth the trip.
Tough Skin screens at the Lumbee Film Festival July 6-8. You can listen to our interview at this link.
https://www.whqr.org/show/coastline/2023-06-27/coastline-filmmaker-montana-cypress-on-growing-up-in-the-florida-everglades-and-miccosukee-alligator-wrestling
5th annual Lumbee Film Festival presents "Tough Skin" Cucalorus

06/20/2023

What do you when biologists say you could be hurting birds by putting up backyard bird feeders? Jill Peleuses of Wild Bird & Garden talks about being more helpful than harmful and new bird ethics. You can listen to the full episode at this link or wherever you get podcasts.

When birds started dying from known and mysterious diseases, biologists told us backyard bird feeders pose risks to birds that include disease, collision, and predation. Jill Peleuses of Wild Bird & Garden and Cape Fear Bird Observatory explains how to mitigate those risks and actually help our loca...

06/13/2023

Jamir Jumoke's story shows how easy it is to lose one of our kids to the cracks in the system and the trauma perpetrated by unknowing or ignorant adults. He's doing well now, and our awareness has grown since he was a kid, but what can we learn here? https://www.whqr.org/show/coastline/2023-06-13/coastline-jamir-jumoke-on-surviving-recidivism

06/06/2023

If you're an NPR fan, you've heard her voice as long as you've listened. But what you might not know is how much she laughs and how contagious her laughter really is. Spending time with Susan Stamberg is a master class in observation, compassion, and humor. You can listen to the episode at this link or on your favorite podcast source.

NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg visited Wilmington, NC in late May 2023. Two interviews, one in front of several hundred people, one in WHQR's CoastLine studio, reveal the origins of the NPR sound, a fiercely rigorous journalist, and a voraciously curious woman who injects humor into almost...

05/23/2023

We're learning more about the people impacted by the 1898 coup d'état in Wilmington, NC. UNCW Professor Glen Harris has written a book about a North Carolina photojournalist, descended from an 1898 victim, who influenced the course of civil rights in the United States. You can listen to the full episode at this link or on your favorite podcast platform: https://www.whqr.org/show/coastline/2023-05-23/coastline-photojournalist-alexander-rivera-jr-descendant-of-1898-victim-influenced-u-s-civil-rights

05/09/2023

Imagine braving unforgiving terrain to escape violence that has torn your homeland apart and threatens your family's future. You then travel across rough seas and survive. Your new life starts? Nope. You're stuck in a refugee camp, cold, hungry, helpless. In this episode, Dana Sachs talks about some of the camps in Greece, why she started a nonprofit to help, and why she had to write a book.

So many who brave dangerous treks across unfriendly terrain and tumultuous oceans to escape war, violence, and poverty find themselves stuck in camps that do not satisfy the most basic human needs: sanitation, enough food, dry clothes. Author Dana Sachs explains how a grassroots volunteer effort has...

05/05/2023

After blues musician Robert Lighthouse joined us on CoastLine, he sent a few additional photos from the Ukraine war zone. You'll hear in the episode how he spent time with "Jose the Nightcrawler", a war photog, as well as a French documentary filmmaker. You can see the new photos here: https://www.whqr.org/show/coastline/2023-05-02/coastline-blues-musician-robert-lighthouse-says-tour-of-war-torn-ukraine-fundamentally-changed-him