PHOTO BY Mil FAVf*
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OUR ENVIRONMENT includes the cultural surroundings as well as the natural things around us.
Man And His Environment
BY BILL FAVER
Sometimes we forget man is also a p ut of the nat
ural environment and tend to treat this highest form of
animal life as if he were excluded
from the laws of nature. Earth
Day this year can remind us how
man (and woman, of course) as a
species has developed into what
we feel is the most highly devel
oped and creative life form.
(That's from our perspective!)
When we talk about man's
environment we usually think of
all his surroundings and that in
cludes the natural world and the
cultural adaptations man has brought about to survive
and to live comfortably. We can also think about our
immediate environment, the things right around us,
like our homes, families, neighborhoods. This can in
clude woods and fields, marshes and seashores, but it
also includes houses and roads, stores and offices,
cars and traffic lights and detours.
Increasingly, we are forced to broaden our envi
ronmenis to includc rainforests, deserts, mountain
tops, global affairs, and far-away countries. We are
well aware that many of the environmental issues of
our day are global, like warming from the greenhouse
effect, acid rain, and others.
The days are gone when we could be isolated and
removed from most of what is happening. We are los
ing much of our regional and rural cultural differences
with the passing of those days and that is unfortunate.
Of course we are a long way from being all alike.
We still have diverse habitat and a variety of cultural
heritage. But a trip on any interstate highway will
show you what I'm saying. For most of the way the
only thing that lets you know you're in a different
place is the road sign.
Perhaps we should never try to talk about our en
vironment by seeking to divide it into the natural en
vironment or the cultural environment. For our sur
roundings are our surroundings, whether they are
grass and trees or bricks and stones. And man is a part
of the it all, both natural and cultural. On this week of
Earth Day-1991, try to put a little more "natural" in
your environment!
Stop Brings Encounter With Unlikely Travelers
Stopping there was just a whim,
but what followed was one of the
most singular events I can recall.
Don and I were traveling up 19E
on our way someplace else last
Thursday when we decided on the
spur of the moment to stop at Elk
River Falls. We could do that; we
were on vacation in one of our all
time favorite placcs, the North
Carolina mountains.
When it comes to waterfalls. El*
River's isn't spectacular. But we like
it, and unlike Linville Falls, usually
fellow visitors are scarce. As the Elk
River passes through the edge of the
Pisgah National Forest in Avery
County, near the communities of Elk
Park and Cranberry, it makes a sud
den drop, cascading into a calming
pool before rushing on.
It's a peaceful, restorative spot,
offering the same ease of mind that
makes long walks on the beach so
inviting.
The road to the falls itself offers a
marked contrast to the resort com
munities, such as Elk River Club,
that dot the nearby mountains. The
single-lane dirt trail passes trout
ponds, campgrounds, a few seasonal
homes, and a series of shacks that
are year-round homes to the people
who live there. A typical home
might have a plastic covered couch
on the porch, with partly-dismantled
vehicles studding the yard and a tiny
garden scratched out of the red sedi
ment and rock along the floodplain
of the river.
From a picnic area along the river,
a short hike leads to a spectacular
view of the gushing falls. A rounded
Susan
Usher
stone at the foot of the pool projects
from the trail like a loaf of French
bread, offering an inviting spot in
which to sun, or for braver souls
than us, to dive into the shivering
waters beneath the falls. Small firs
and budding rhododendrons jut from
the boulders overlooking the falls.
More water than usual was cas
cading over the falls after a heavy
storm the week before. We were sit
ting in the warm sun, listening to the
soothing rush of the falls and look
ing about a place where spring was
just beginning to make a showing.
Woods violets, Halbeit's violets and
a few other wildflowers were
blooming, along with serviceberry
trees and a few dogwoods and
redtips.
About that time Don pointed to a
yellow butterfly flitting back and
forth across the river. Then all of a
sudden we were surrounded by visi
tors ? a swarm of butterflies rose
from somewhere behind us and be
gan circling about.
We sat as motionless as we could,
watching their dazzling show in
silent awe.
We estimated there were between
30 and 40 of them, all yellow except
one blue-winged oddfellow. They
meandered from boulder to boulder,
touching lightly before moving on,
occasionally disappearing again be
hind us.
Don and I scrambled over the
rock, trying to find the home base
for this bevy of butterflies. We
found it after only a brief search, a
pile of debris left by the storm's
flood tide a week earlier. The butter
flies were resting around a particular
twig, huddled together wing to
wing, with fellow flyers on all sides.
As one butterfly landed, it would
bump another aside.
Amazing. We didn't know what
to think.
Were the butterflies migrating? If
so, from where to where? Why stop
at this beautiful but isolated spot on
Elk River?
Perhaps these are migrating but
terflies who stop every spring at the
falls, or maybe it's their breeding
ground. Someday Don and I might
do some checking.
Meanwhile, we'll cherish this
serendipitous encounter with one of
God's most beautiful creations.
Write Us
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dress. Under no circumstances
will unsigned letters be printed.
Letters should be legible. The
Beacon reserves the right to edit
libelous comments. Address letters
to The Brunswick Beacon, P. O.
Box 2558, Shallotte, N. C. 28459.
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MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Don't Inflict More Hurt On
Those Already Victimized
To the editor
It was with interest that I read the
recent decision of the board of edu
cation to save local school system
funds by freezing the salaries of
certain employees who have been
placed into lower positions while
maintaining their salaries in the for
mer position because Fair Labor
Laws protect that
It was especially disheartening to
have one board member quoted as
saying that "it is unfair to put some
body in a lowe/ position and pay
them more money than someone
else in that position." I wish to say
to the board member that the impor
tant issue here should not be "pay
ing" of these employees-many of
whom have already suffered much
in the way of humiliation, embar
rassment, and denial of career ad
vancement and professional upgrad
ing in their administrative fields
but the "putting" of these people in
to these positions.
As an employee who is affected
by this action, I urge the board to
review not only the number of em
ployees and the amount of money
involved, but more importantly, the
unfair, improper and inefficient em
ployment practices tliat have been
practiced for many years and con
doned by various boards.
This has been done, no doubt,
through either lack of knowledge on
the board's part or inadequate legal
counsel regarding the legal rights of
employees in the education profes
sion. Past boards have been lax in
requiring superintendents to appru
priately evaluate and to take action
against incompetent employees (if
that were the case) through estab
lished job performance evaluation
procedures. Perhaps the superinten
dents and boards should be held ac
countable for replacing the monies
spent to correct the problem?
It is my belief that closer scrutiny
of the situation will reveal that
some of these demotions involve
employees who were quite capable
and qualified and that the transfers
were too often made involuntarily,
without prior notice or due process,
without any negative job perfor
mance evaluations, and for reasons
that were personal, political, or arbi
?rary. Would a better solution to the
problem not be to return them to the
experienced positions for which
they are qualified and let them
again work and be paid on the level
that they should be functioning?
To my colleagues who may feel
resentment towards the "overpaid"
employees, please consider that it
could be you in the next "go-round"
and that some of these folks were
placed in lesser positions involun
tarily while being replaced by either
others with less qualifications and
ability and sometimes merely as a
"political payback" to those in pow
er.
Brunswick County taxpayers
must realize that the most effective
expenditures of monies will be real
ized and educator morale will im
proved when those making educa
tional decisions are held account
able for fairly evaluating and fol
lowing personnel policies that do
not violate the rights of individuals.
My point: there are many ways
that should be considered for saving
a few dollars for the school system
other than inflicting more hurt and
disadvantage on a few employees
who have already been victimized
for a long lime.
I realize that the present board is
trying to "correct" some of the past
history and 1 urge them to take a
careful look at personnel employ
ment policies and procedures. This
seems important in the interest of
the best utilization of the most qual
ified staff and also to avoid unnec
essary costs for contract buyouts
and in litigation. Staff morale will
also be enhanced when employees
feel that all employees are treated
more fairly and professionally.
Jean Parker
Caswell Beach
Unique Beach
Welcome Created
To the editor:
Far too many months have
slipped by without expressing our
appreciation and personal pride for
the attractive entrance as we drive
on to Holden Beach.
1 know Mrs. Margaret Vasco has
dreamed big dreams and given
counUess hours and effort to leave
Holden Beach more charming than
she found it many years ago. With
each passing season, we have been
enchanted with the beautiful art
work created by judy Bryan. We
know there are many others who
have been dedicated to this project
and we apologize that we are unable
to honor them because we do not
know their names.
However, the committee deserves
a special recognition for their com
bined efforts have created a unique
welcome to each person who comes
to Holden Beach.
Mrs. Jane Cole
High Point and Holden Beach
Don't Do Anything To Taint Water Supply
To the editor:
We have a newly-constructed
home on Holden Beach that my
wife and I plan to spend our retire
ment years in and we wish to ex
press our concern about a new hog
slaughtering plant that is proposed
in Bladen County.
We agree with the mayor of
South port and our Holden Beach
town manager, D.ruie Clark, in their
concerns about our Cape Fear River
water supply expressed in the April
11 Beacon.
We happen to live in upstate New
York and receive our water from a
large underground acquifler and this
artesian water is extremely pure. We
appreciate this, but we are constant
ly fighting people who want to de
velop on or near the aco. jitter. We
have won every dispute so far.
We also live near Lake George,
N.Y. in the Adirondack Mountains
and it is one of the prettiest lakes in
the country but it is polluted to the
extent that the million dollar bcach
has to be closed from time to time
because of runoff pollution not un
like Lockwood Folly which has to
restrict its oyster harvesting from
time to time because of runoff after
rain stoi-ms.
This is the most important point
that Mr. Caroon makes when he
says, "Most of the swine will be
raised in and around the plant, and
rain will wash the hog waste into
the river." This will not be treated
waste effluent.
My own feeling is to go slow
whenever there is a threat to the wa
ter supply. The South Brunswick
Islands are receiving more and more
publicity and more and more people
are looking there for pleasant living,
but if word gels around thai the wa
ter supply may become tainted, the
private building increase will wither
away and no one will be happy.
William and Sarah Hoffman
Schenectady, New York
and Holden Beach
SOUTH WIND
SIGNS
CUSTOM PAINTED SIGNS
ANY SIZE
SPECIALIZING IN
CUSTOM ELECTRIC SIGNS
INSTALLATION & REPAIR
754-8439
HOLDEN BEACH ROAD
Make Earth
Day Everyday
County Dept. i
919-253-4691 i
?.
More News From
The Land Of Darkness
To the editor:
More news from the land of dark
ness. Seems that one of our latest
concerns is having house numbers
that can be read from the street. Try
reading a ten foot high number on a
house with a ten foot high sodium
vapor light between you and the
number.
There's more! We are now em
barked on a crusade to eliminate all
wildlife from the island. What start
ed as an effort to reduce fire hazards
has escalated to complete razing of
empty lots, thereby removing cover
for small animals and birds.
Seems someone complained
about rats and snakes (which eat
rats and very seldom bile people)
and in a typical over-reaction, our
governing body decided to turn a
bush hog loose. That's a big mow
ing machine. It also removes a lot
of the vegetation we need to hold
the island together.
If you were concerned about a
baby turtle becoming confused and
lost on the beach, you should sec a
rabbit frantically searching for its
nest in a stripped loL
The next logical step is to have a
tourist (please bow) complain about
the noise made by our Purple
Martins and there go our martin
houses. Better that we remove some
of the extraneous life forms that we
put in eight-bedroom rental houses
that were built under a four-bed
room septic tank permit.
J. A. Foumier
Holden Beach
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