Shoresides

In this introductory episode of Temperature Check: Coastal Edition, hosted by Natalia Sanchez Loayza, we explore the impacts of extreme heat in coastal North Carolina. Natalia speaks with Jordan Clark, a climatologist and senior policy associate at the Heat Policy Innovation Hub and the Water Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University, about how extreme heat is reshaping daily life, agriculture, local economies, and even high school athletics. Clark discusses the cumulative dangers of heat stress, how nighttime temperatures significantly affect our health, and why coastal communities must urgently address these escalating risks.

Join us for this insightful preview of a critical new Shoresides series examining the human realities of rising temperatures on North Carolina's coast.

Clark references a Heat Action Plan Toolkit created by the Office of Recovery and Resiliency that supports counties preparing for extreme heat events. You can find out more about the research that created the toolkit as well as links to it here.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org 

In Robeson County, North Carolina—home to some of the state’s highest youth violence rates—community-led prevention efforts were working. Until they weren’t.

In this episode of Shoresides, host Nicolas Magrino speaks with Paul Smokowski, founding executive director of the North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center (NC-YVPC), and Leon Burden, lead violence interrupter and founder of the nonprofit Colors of Life. Together, they helped reduce violence in just a few years through a layered, evidence-based approach: school programs, restorative justice, parenting support, and community-based mentoring.

But a sudden federal funding cut in April 2024 brought much of that work to a halt.

Smukowski and Burden share how they built trust and impact in a county long marked by poverty, racial complexity, and criminal justice disparities—and what’s at risk now. This is a story of what real community violence intervention looks like, and what happens when a political shift pulls the plug.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org 

In this episode of Shoresides, we follow a community-led effort to uncover chemical contamination, protect public health, and rethink how we communicate environmental risk in places where food insecurity runs deep.

Read more about this issue: Subsistence Fish Consumption on the Lower Cape Fear River (PDF) 

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org 

A New Series About Rising Temperatures in Coastal North Carolina hosted By Natalia Sanchez Loayza 

According to a public records request submitted by Shoresides, at least three New Hanover High School student-athletes have experienced heat-related illnesses since 2022—none of which received the media attention that often follows when such events turn deadly. While these incidents were safely mitigated, they underscore how rising temperatures are making it harder for coaches and others to keep young athletes safe. In Temperature Check: Coastal Edition, an upcoming Shoresides series, producer Natalia Sanchez-Loaza explores this issue and more. In this episode, we offer a preview.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org 

On this episode of Shoreside, host Nicholas Merino speaks with Catherine Moore, director of the Health Professions Data System at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, about striking projections: by 2033, North Carolina may face shortages of 12,500 registered nurses and 5,000 licensed practical nurses if current trends continue. We explore regional disparities, challenges in retention and diversity, and state initiatives to expand programs, bolster faculty, and improve workplace conditions. We explore regional disparities, challenges in retention and diversity, and state initiatives to expand programs, bolster faculty, and improve workplace conditions. We learn how only decisive investment in recruitment, training, and retention will secure timely, equitable care for North Carolina communities. 

For listeners who want to explore the data and policy work behind these projections, here are ten key resources on the Cecil G. Sheps Center website:

How has RN Retention in North Carolina Changed over Time? A detailed blog on registered nurse retention and exit trends from 2016–2023.: https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/news_release/new-blog-post-how-has-rn-retention-in-north-carolina-changed-over-time/  

Report on the North Carolina Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Workforce just released A comprehensive brief describing APRN demographics, practice settings, and regional distribution (2013–2022) https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/news_release/report-on-the-north-carolina-advanced-practice-registered-nurse-workforce-just-released/  

New NC Workforce Blog: Trends in the Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Health Professions Analysis of diversity shifts across eight key health professions using 2022 licensure data. https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/news_release/new-nc-workforce-blog-2022-racial-ethnic-diversity/  

Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy Overview of the PHWRP’s mission, current projects, and expert work groups. https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/program/health-workforce-research-and-policy/  

Data & Publications Repository A searchable collection of manuscripts, policy briefs, and blog posts on health workforce topics. https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/programs-projects/workforce/data-publications-resources/  

Sheps Health Workforce NC: Interactive Visualizations County-level maps and charts tracking supply and distribution of 21 health professions. https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/programs-projects/workforce/health-workforce-nc/  

North Carolina Health Professions Data System (HPDS) The state’s long-running licensure database, with a 27-year retrospective report on its evolution. https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/hp/publications/NCHPDS_27yrbk.pdf   

How does the racial and ethnic diversity of NC health professionals compare to the state population? A focused blog on representation gaps in nursing, allied health, and beyond.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org 

This episode, Shoresides delves into the strange, ethically murky world of octopus aquaculture with scientist Dr. Jennifer Mather—to ask: Should North Carolina go ahead with banning Octopus farming? Does it need to?

Links:

My Octopus Teacher

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12888462/?ref_=ttawd_ov_i

Octopus farming in NC? A bill was filed banning it

https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/03/12/octopus-farming-house-bill-293-carolina-general-assembly-law-ban-aquaculture

'Horrific Terror and Pain': Warning Octopus Farm Will Lead to Cannibalism

https://www.newsweek.com/horrific-terror-pain-octopus-farm-plans-cannibalism-1809674

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org 

In this episode, Shoresides talks with Jessica Thai, who grew up with immigration, tradition, and economic shifts shaping daily life and collective identity in a place that rarely makes the headlines—but offers powerful lessons about family, perseverance, and belonging.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org 

Cultural anthropologist Barbara Garrity-Blake takes us into the world of North Carolina’s menhaden fishery — a once-thriving industry built by coastal communities, African American crews, and the haunting work songs they sang. In this episode, we explore how this small but vital fish fed both the economy and the environment, and what was lost when machines replaced people and tourism replaced tradition. It’s a story about labor, race, ecology, and memory, deeply tied to North Carolina’s coastal heritage.

Barbara Garrity-Blake teaches marine fisheries policy at the Duke University Marine Laboratory. She has written books like "Living at the Water's Edge: A Heritage Guide to the Outer Banks Byway" with Karen Willis Amspacher, highlighting the culture of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Another notable work, "The Fish Factory: Work and Meaning for Black and White Fishermen of the American Menhaden Industry," examines the experiences of menhaden fishermen.

Menhaden are small, oily fish essential to the Atlantic coastal ecosystem. They filter plankton from the water and are a key food source for larger fish, birds, and marine mammals. Historically, they were harvested on a massive scale for fertilizer, animal feed, and bait. Today, debates continue about how to balance their ecological role with commercial interests.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org 

In Wilmington, North Carolina, the demand for healthcare workers is growing rapidly. Nurse Camp Academy, a program of the nonprofit Better is Possible based in New Hanover County, is stepping up to meet this need by inspiring the next generation of healthcare professionals. One of the program’s most innovative aspects is its focus on workforce development starting with young teens, even before they reach high school. By introducing healthcare career pathways early, Nurse Camp Academy helps students build confidence, gain essential skills, and see themselves as future healthcare providers.

In this episode, we hear from students, mentors, and program leaders who are passionate about preparing young people for rewarding careers in nursing and the health field. Through hands-on training, mentorship, and emotional wellness guidance, Nurse Camp Academy empowers students to see themselves as capable future healthcare providers. Founder Suprena Hickman and lead trainer Alexa Hunt share their experiences on the importance of early exposure to the health field. Program coordinator Savanna Berrios highlights how the initiative is bridging gaps in care while fostering community resilience.

Discover how mentorship and meaningful engagement are shaping a new generation of healthcare leaders — and how programs like Nurse Camp Academy are essential to the future of healthcare in New Hanover County.  Learn more about how to sign a youth up for Nurse Camp Academy at this link.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org 

In this episode of Shoreside, host Nicholas Magno explores the uncertain future of Eagle Island, a fragile stretch of wetlands that connects Wilmington to Belville, North Carolina. Once central to rice cultivation and shipbuilding, the island now sits at the intersection of climate vulnerability and development pressure. With sea levels rising and ghost forests replacing hardwood swamps, half a billion dollars’ worth of infrastructure in New Hanover County may be at risk by 2030.

We talk with Roger Shew, senior lecturer in Earth and Ocean Sciences at UNC Wilmington, who outlines the impact of dredging, saltwater intrusion, and misguided development proposals on the area. Shew also shares a vision for Eagle Island rooted in resilience—transforming it into an ecotourism and education hub that respects its history and its delicate ecosystem.

From shifting grasses to six-story hotel proposals, this episode reveals why what happens to Eagle Island is about more than just a patch of land—it’s about how we live with water in a changing world.

We found this 2021 report by NC State University Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning to be a good read about Eagle Island.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

www.shoresides.org