Gaston County bought roughly 562 acres at Catawba Cove to preserve wetlands and build a future park with trails and lake access.

A dead eastern hemlock in Nantahala National Forest shelters a small colony of endangered Indiana bats — the first documented maternity roost in North Carolina in 14 years.

Necropsy found a nearly 6-inch stingray barb lodged behind a dolphin’s skull; investigators say the resulting infection likely contributed to the animal’s death.