A sunken barge was removed from Northwest Creek, a tributary of the Neuse, in January.

Thank legislators in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds for funding the program here!

Usually, we’re asking our state legislators to do something. Rarely do we reach out just to thank them for their work. But we are grateful for a few who worked hard to secure funding for the Abandoned and Derelict Vessels program.

We’ve all seen them — the boats, barges, vessels of many kinds, half-submerged in a waterway. It’s unlikely that their owners are coming back for them.

Derelict vessels, abandoned on our waterways are eyesores, boating hazards and environmental hazards. And now there’s finally a way, and the means, to remove these hazards. We’d like to thank some of our state senators and representatives who pushed for $1 million in funding for the N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission’s Abandoned and Derelict Vessels program (Session Law 2020-74). We want to let the congressmen representing constituents in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds know that we’ve seen this funding in action, particularly on Northwest Creek, a tributary of the Neuse River, where an abandoned, sunken barge was removed from the creek in January, courtesy of this program.

While it’s just a start — and there are many more abandoned vessels in our waterways — let’s reach out with some kind words for the people who made it happen, and encourage them to continue funding this critical program.

Thank legislators in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds for funding the program here!