Former Soviet Leaders Seeking Environmental Management Ideas BY SUSAN USHKR Washington. DC. High-rise oceanfront condos in Myrtle Reach. S.( I tic very different port cities of New Orleans and Roston. Raleigh. Morehead City, a corporate row crop operation in Carteret County, a coastal resort and a hog farm in Rrunswick County. All are classrooms tor a group of Eastern European business and envi ronmental leaders seeking timely lessons from America in coastal /one management. Last week offi cials trom Ukraine, Georgia and Russia attended a meeting of (he N.C . C oastal Resources Commis sion at Sunset Reach as part of a World Rank-sponsored studv tour. I heir countries vary tremendous ly in size and population?from Georgia's 5 million people to Rus sia's 138 million people, hut they tace some challenges and opportuni ties in common. In the context of coastal zone management, the countries are look ing at ways to "strike a median be tween the goals ot the economy and of the ecology," said Leonid Yar m.irk ot the C oastal Zone Manage ment C enter in Russia. "We're inter ested in learning how coastal man agement goals are set here and how they are achieved." It will be a start ing point, because the countries lack experience in American-style coas tal management. Like the others, he was speaking through interpreter Sergei Chernov of the World Rank. Much ot the leaders' energies will focus on a common area of concern on their return: the fate of the Rlack Sea. I he Rlack Sea is deeply troubled by pollution, overfishing." said James Harrington, a former North C arolina state official who coordi nated the study tour by the World Bank, an international financing agency for reconstruction and devel opment. These three countries and Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania have reached an international agreement for res cue of the sea through a centralized agency, opting against privatization when they had the choice. Internally, the World Bank is helping each country develop its own coastal zone management program. lour participants expressed inter est in the way citizens participate in and influence the setting of coastal zone management priorities here, and in the structure of government agencies. In the United States everybody owns little plots of land." said Zviad Bezhanidze, head of the economic commission. Parliament of Adja vian. Georgia. "That results in Bandaid-type measures?like the sandbags (seen in a video of North Carolina beaches earlier that day). In our country, when an initiative is de cided. it is implemented uniformly." Hiat's generally true in the other countries as well. In Ukraine along the Black Sea sandbagging wouldn't be an alternative because no one's allowed to build that close to the shore because of an 100-meter no build coastal zone from the high tide line. STAFF PHOTO BY SUSAN USHER KICKY CI.EMMONS (second from left) fields questions front business and government leaders from three Eastern European countries Monday about the A. U'. Clemmons family farming operation near Bolivia. The visitors Here part of a coastal zone management study tour sponsored by The World Bank. Also pictured (from left) are Anatoli Tkachev, division chief for the Ministry for Environmental Protection of Ukraine; Harold I). Jones, district conservationist, Brunswick County Soil and Water Conservation District; V.viad Bezhanidze, head of the economic commission of the Parliament of Adjarian, Republic of Georgia; and interpreter Sergei Chernov. When the decision was made to restore shoreline lost to erosion on the Sea of A/ov. the central govern ment look care of it. One Ukrainian official is con vinced that changing top-down-only approach to implementing policies has drawbacks as well. "In our country when there is no support for a policy at the grassroots level the decisions tend not to be im plemented." said Yuri Motlubey. mayor of the 5(M(.(XX)-population municipality of Mariupol." or Zhdanov, which overlooks the Black Sea. "In the U.S. you have both: it gives you good balance. What we've seen and heard is a possible future scenario for us." Motlubey said he thought the U.S. was a good choice for the tour by the World Hank bccause of its unique ness "in terms of having public par ticipation and a public climate for making environmental decisions." The group has met with state and federal coastal and environmental management officials, county gov ernment officials in Carteret and New Hanover counties, and govern ment and business leaders in Myrtle Beach. S.C.. where they looked at the challenges of high-density coas tal development. Their tour also took them to a large, row crop operation in Carteret County and to the A.W. Clemmons diversified family fanning operation in Bolivia. Clemmons and his sons Ricky and Dale arc expanding their hog grow-out business from two houses to six. which will have a ca pacity for 7,2tM) hogs. The visitors asked knowledgeable questions about manpower, equipment, sludge treatment and disposal and ground water monitoring. Having observed complementary vertical and horizontal structures of government management at all lev els, they particularly liked efforts such as "Adopt A Highway" and the Neuse River Keeper?nrograms th;??///. meeting. incumbents are asked, in a written b g be(ter understandi of those quest,onna,re and personal interv,ew. nee*s to ,he job of State s|nator. their position on issues affecting teach- m^act ' . . .. ., _ a1. In speaking to the NoAE qroup ers and education in North Carolina. T?. , ~ . . . , , ,, . ,. Taylor mentioned his role as president Incumbents are graded on their voting , , ^ , . r ? .. a of Taylor Manufacturing, nc., maker of record and support of educational , ' , ? ?? 7 issues presented in the North Carolina ^ H ' n . U ^ ^ General Assembly, s,ovfs and Hmry ? boa,s' wl,h 181 employees The result is the endorsement of v ." , . the candidate or incumbent whose . ? come u'5 a?a,I1;,t . . . A... .? when we interview kids uist graduated beliefs are most compatible with the , , , r J K ,. ... .. _ .. . from our schools. I oo many are not 'concerns of North Carolina educators," ... ,, ? . according to the group's questionnaire. ? e"1 er. ^.WOr . ?*,W? Inlhanking the NCAE for their Wl,en we f?" ' *ho?ls '!"= * t i --j ..... resources they need, wc cheat oui kids enduisement Taylor said: My seven . , / . " , K,us# year old son is in public school and I ? n. ? ,lea ourse v^s- at s Just not know the challenges that children face air'. ?r Pro"me lo "lake education and what parenls face, and what the a pr""aly lssue ,f elcc,ed s,ale s"alor, ClaSSrOOm teacher faces, too. I think I /'aid For By Bon Taylor For N.C. Senate