Brooks Pierce partner Bill Cary recently received a Pelican Award for “Leadership and Commitment to Advancing Effective Coastal Policy” from the North Carolina Coastal Federation.
The Pelican Awards recognize the exemplary achievements and actions by individuals who have made significant contributions to the North Carolina coast. The annual event was held at the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City on Aug. 3.
Cary has been involved with the North Carolina Coastal Federation since 2015 when he presented at the national conference on the impediments to living shorelines. In 2017 and 2018, he was a member of the Shellfish Mariculture Advisory Committee, which developed the state’s first Strategic Shellfish Mariculture Plan. Cary also organized and served as master of ceremonies at the North Carolina Coastal Resilience Summit in June 2019.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation is a nonprofit organization that focuses on protecting and restoring the North Carolina coast. Since 1982, the federation has been in the field restoring miles of coastline, training and educating students, adults and communities to take actions that result in cleaner coastal waters and advocating for an accessible, healthy, productive coast.
Cary’s practice focuses on a variety of environmental areas, particularly involving wetlands and the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act/State Environmental Policy Act review process and administrative and judicial challenges to agency decisions representing both public and private entities. During an extended leave from the firm, Cary served as the general counsel of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). As general counsel, he represented the department on a wide range of environmental and agency operational issues, including negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He is widely recognized for his work in environmental law, and was presented the Environmental Leadership Award by DENR in December 2012.
