Published: Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 10:48 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 10:48 a.m.

People driving along N.C. 211 near St. James in Brunswick County have probably noticed land being cleared and smoke billowing from debris piles, but the work doesn't mean development is imminent.

Owner Malcolm Jones is clearing the land to mine dirt to be used for the Long Beach Road Extension project, according to Pete Frandano, a Southport real estate consultant.

Jones is a Florida-based home builder who specializes in estate housing. There are no permits to build on the land, and permits aren't needed to burn debris, according to Brunswick County spokeswoman Amanda Hutcheson.

The Long Beach Road Extension, a connector under construction to relieve congestion between Southport and Oak Island, needs the dirt for an embankment along the new road, according to Anthony Law, an N.C. Department of Transportation district engineer. A borrow pit is located at the back of the land.

Once the connector is completed, the new road will branch off from Long Beach Road near the Surf Cinemas movie theater, cross N.C. 211 west of the existing intersection and then continue to N.C. 87 near the N.C. 87/133 split.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be about $22 million, and its estimated completion date is May 2016.

The intersection of N.C. 133 and U.S. 87 at the Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal entrance was realigned as part of the project.

Jason Gonzales: 343-2075

On Twitter: @StarNews_Jason

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Land near St. James being cleared for Long Beach Road project

CH Property Service - land clearing/fire mitigation
Log removal with Cat 262c skid steer with grapple bucket.

By: chproperty

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CH Property Service - land clearing/fire mitigation - Video

Tremson Land Clearing

By: Tremson Corp

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Tremson Land Clearing - Video

SINGAPORE: Fires in Sumatra and the yearly haze problem can be drastically reduced in five years or less.

Global Forest Watch, an organisation that monitors forest activity, tells Channel NewsAsia this is possible through concerted efforts on the ground -- involving palm oil companies and law enforcement.

And all stakeholders -- from financial institutions to even consumers -- can do more to get the US$21b industry in Indonesia to adopt sustainable sourcing practices.

But it would seem palm oil markets in the region are not as committed to sustainability, perhaps put off by the associated costs.

The dry season begins in June and runs until October.

About 250km from Singapore, farmers on Sumatra island are getting ready to clear land traditionally -- by burning vegetation.

That could be the spark needed to ignite and spread fires onto adjacent plantations.

The winds that occur during the Southwest Monsoon could fan the smoke and its unhealthy particulates right towards Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia, as it had done for years, as seen during Singapore's worst bout of haze in June 2013.

Increasingly, the pressure is on large palm oil and pulp companies to put an end to such practices.

Nigel Sizer, director of Global Forest Watch (Forests Programme) at World Resources Institute, said: "About half of these fires are burning on land that's in the concessions of palm oil and pulp wood companies in Riau and across Sumatra.

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Clearing the air on haze - its root cause and challenges

Published: Monday, June 16, 2014 at 10:00 AM.

A settlement has been reached in a longstanding legal battle that is expected to put nearly 300 acres of undeveloped coastal property to public use as state park land.

As part of the settlement, an appeal before the N.C. Supreme Court has been dismissed, clearing the way for the state to take ownership of the Hammocks property in Swansboro for the expansion of Hammocks Beach State Park.

Carol Tingley, acting director of the state Division of Parks and Recreation, said there are still issues to be resolved regarding the title to the property, but with the settlement the lawsuit ends and the state agrees to pay approximately $10 million for the land.

While there are still additional actions to take and funds to raise, Tingley called the settlement a milestone in efforts to acquire the property.

It will still be a while before it happens but this is a big step and were thrilled to have this opportunity, and were looking forward to incorporating the property into Hammocks Beach State Park for the benefit of the public, she said.

The 289 acres sits along Queens Creek adjacent to Hammocks Beach State Park.

The history of the land dates back to the early 1900s, when Dr. William Sharpe, a neurosurgeon from New York, came to Onslow County and acquired The Hammocks, Bear Island and all the marshlands in between.

Sharpe made John Hurst, the son of a slave, and Hursts wife, Gertrude, caretakers of the hunting and fishing grounds.

A friendship developed between the Sharpe and Hurst families as well as a shared goal of keeping the land in trust for recreational and educational purposes by the N.C. Teachers Association and others. At the time, the organization was an association for black teachers and the property was to be used as a beach resort for its members.

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Settlement reached in expansion of Hammocks Beach State Park

THE NSW Office of Environment and Heritage has confirmed it is investigating reports of illegal land clearing at the Iron Gates site near Evans Head.

In 1997 a legal challenge by the Environmental Defenders Office on behalf of Al Oshlack stopped a controversial subdivision and residential development for 700 houses at the site.

The Land and Environment Court found the breaches of the development consent were so serious the consent was rendered null and void.

In a landmark judgment, the court ordered a full restoration of the site upon which substantial works had taken place.

The company that owned the land, Iron Gates Pty Ltd, is in receivership and liquidator Ross Duus said he was unaware of any change of ownership or land clearing at the site.

Residents reported seeing bulldozers leaving the site recently and smoke from fires in the area.

Aerial photos have now been obtained that seem to show a considerable area has been cleared, with one resident suggesting it could be as much as 10ha.

Mr Oshlack said any work on the site would be a clear breach of the court orders.

"There are restraining orders that remain with the land (regardless of whether ownership has changed) and what has happened here looks to be a deliberate and serious contempt of the court," he said.

Mr Oshlack said the EDO is looking at the evidence to see if there is now a criminal case to be answered.

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Illegal land clearing at Evans Head busted

SINGAPORE, June 10 (Bernama) -- Singapore has offered assistance to Indonesia and Malaysia to combat possible land and forest fires in the run-up to the traditional dry season.

In a statement today, the environment and water resources ministry said this was to prevent another episode of severe transboundary haze from affecting the region.

The assistance is in the form of fire-fighting and planning assistance from Singapore Civil Defence Force, and for cloud-seeding operations.

Transboundary smoke haze from land and forest fires during the traditional dry season from June to October has been a perennial problem in the southern Asean region in the past decades.

Illegal land clearing and 'slash and burn' agricultural practices in Indonesia, particularly Sumatra and Kalimantan, have been identified as the main cause of the fire that results in transboundary haze pollution in the region.

Singapore saw its worst haze episode in 2013 when the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit an unprecedented high of 246 on June 20, far exceeding the levels in 1997 (138) and 2006 (128).

Given that there is a possibility of the El Nino weather phenomenon affecting our region this year, the ministry said smoke haze pollution in the region could reach worse levels this year if fires were not promptly stemmed at source.

In past years, Singapore has consistently offered assistance packages to Indonesia to help suppress fires.

Early this year, Singapore was also affected by haze from Peninsular Malaysia.

In March, this year, the 24-hour PSI entered the moderate range and reached a high of 75 on March 12.

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Singapore offers haze assistance to Malaysia, Indonesia

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah

SINGAPORE, June 10 (Bernama) -- Singapore has offered assistance to Indonesia and Malaysia to combat possible land and forest fires in the run-up to the traditional dry season.

In a statement today, the environment and water resources ministry said this was to prevent another episode of severe transboundary haze from affecting the region.

The assistance is in the form of fire-fighting and planning assistance from Singapore Civil Defence Force, and for cloud-seeding operations.

Transboundary smoke haze from land and forest fires during the traditional dry season from June to October has been a perennial problem in the southern Asean region in the past decades.

Illegal land clearing and 'slash and burn' agricultural practices in Indonesia, particularly Sumatra and Kalimantan, have been identified as the main cause of the fire that results in transboundary haze pollution in the region.

Singapore saw its worst haze episode in 2013 when the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit an unprecedented high of 246 on June 20, far exceeding the levels in 1997 (138) and 2006 (128).

Given that there is a possibility of the El Nino weather phenomenon affecting our region this year, the ministry said smoke haze pollution in the region could reach worse levels this year if fires were not promptly stemmed at source.

In past years, Singapore has consistently offered assistance packages to Indonesia to help suppress fires.

Early this year, Singapore was also affected by haze from Peninsular Malaysia.

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Singapore Offers Haze Assistance Packages To Indonesia, Malaysia

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Bengal govt agrees to help NTPC buy land for Katwa project

Surgical Land Clearing-mowing 30 #39; cane
Mulching 30 #39; cane.

By: John Pierce

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Surgical Land Clearing-mowing 30' cane - Video