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PHOTO BY BILL FAVER
PLANTS HEIJ 9 STABIIJZE THE DUNES as they withstand the harsh environment of sun and wind and salt spray.
What's Happening In The Sand Dunes?
nv DTI i rAt?r?n -
BY BILL FAVER
One of the harshest of seashore environments
is that of the sand dunes.
The shifting sand and con
stant wind that help create
the dunes arc features that
make it difficult for plants
and animals to survive.
The summer heat and the
elevated areas make a hot,
dry surface with loose sand
particles swept back and
forth every day. The con
stant barrage of salt spray
kills back tender new
growth on plants, especially
during storms. Soil is low in fertility as little de
caying plant and animal material is available to
enrich the soil.
Plants that arc able to survive in the dunes
must have blades that arc flexible enough to be
whipped about by the wind and must have
means to prevent loss of water from the plant
tissues. Some leaves curl inward to prevent loss
FAVER
of moisture while other leaves have waxy sur
faces that decrease evaporation.
Plants must also have root systems that go
deep to reach the water table below the dunes.
Some common dune plants arc sea oats, sea
rocket, sea elder, American beach grass, panic
grass and croton. Some of these are pioneers for
they arc the first plants to begin growing on a
new dune. The sea rockets grows in clumps
with lots of stalks, has fleshy leaves with
sharply toothed edges, and flowers that resem
ble rockets. Sea oats arc important plants that
cover the frontal dunes and arc protected as
dune building plants along our bcachcs. Leaves
curl to prevent loss of water and roots reach
deep down into the dune to help hold and stabi
lize the sand as they seek the water table.
American beach grass is an introduced plant in
our area and was used to plant the dunes follow
ing damage from our last storm.
Additional plants found behind the dunes are
seaside primrose, a low-growing piant with
fuzzy leaves and yellow flower;, and the silver
leaf croton with grayish-white, oval-shaped
leaves. Dune plants may appear in large num
bers, though there may be few species.
The lack of available plant materials and the
harsh habitat make it impossible for many ani
mals to live in the dunes. Most dig burrows in
order to escape the elements or live elsewhere
and come to the dunes at night in search of
food. Ghost crabs dig into the frontal dunes and
mole crickets, earwigs, ants, and wasps may
live among the plants on the dunes. Cottontail
rabbits, the meadow mouse, raccoons, oppo
sums, and a number of song birds may move in
and out of the dunes during the day or night.
Though life in the sand dunes may seem al
most impossible, the few species of plants and
animals found there arc usually very successful.
Like most habitat areas, the sand dunes arc un
dergoing constant change and the plants and an
imals come and go as sands shift, and winds and
storms take their toll. These plants and animals
help provide the important protection of sand
dunes-the only barrier between the sea and
oceanfront development They deserve our un
derstanding and our protection.
Budget Cuts Axe Drainage Projects
Two drainage and mosquito con
trol projects in western Brunswick
County have been canceled by the
county as a result of state funding
cuts.
Last week county officials learn
ed that the projects will not be in
cluded in the state budget next year
as scheduled.
The state Department of Environ
ment, Health and Natural Resources
had planned to allocate the county
$29,500 to snag Shallotte Swamp
between Shallotte and Grissettown,
and $8,480 to complete snagging of
the CawCaw drainage project in the
Calabash-Hickman's Crossroads
area.
"The budget axe continues to fall,"
Kelly Holden, chairman, said at the
June 17 meeting of the Brunswick
County Board of Commissioners.
Snagging is an environmentally
safe way to clear streams and other
waterways by hand-removing beav
er dams and fallen timbers and
storm-related debris.
Commissioners also voted unani
mously to refuse to pay a $14,065
bill from the N.C. Department of
Corrections for psychiatric treat
ment of an inmate.
The prisoner had been transferred
from the Brunswick County Jail to
Central Prison in Raleigh for safe
keeping. However, County Manager
David Clegg said the county had not
authorized treatment and was not
contacted in advance regarding it.
He said other counties are getting
similar bills from the state and also
are refusing payment.
Citing it as another example of
the state trying to pass on costs to
local government, Clcgg said he an
ticipates future state legislation to
force counties to pay such bills. The
county routinely covers emergency
treatment and physical medical care
of prisoners.
Other Business
In other business at their June 17
meeting commissioners:
?Authorized private sale of a num
ber of burned-out green boxes after
proper advertising.
?Appointed Holden as board dele
gate to the stale conference of the
N.C. Association of County Com
missioners.
?Transferred to Brunswick Com
munity College a small tract left out
in the original transfer of property
from the school board to BCC for
its Southport campus. As required
by law, the county had to first refuse
the property itself.
?Approved a S6.1 million capital
projects ordinance outlining funding
for the Supply Elementary School
project;
?Amended the budget to include
S4.437 from BCC toward purchase
of a van through BITS; and an ad
ditional S4.783 from the state for
mosquito control.
?Heard a request to reconsider its
earlier decision regarding bids for a
water line project along Mount Mis
ery Road. Commissioners have
thrown out the bids, since all were
irregular, and voted to readvertise.
Ralph Carmichael of Carmichael
Inspections said the change in his
bid had been made with the advance
approval of the county engineer,
who was absent when bids were
opened. Noting that his apparent low
bid was now public, Carmichael
said he would be at a disadvantage if
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PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Commissioners Appoint Nine
r* ^ * ?
Brunswick County Commission
ers appointed nine persons to live
boards at their June 17 meeting, as
follows:
?To the Brunswick Community
College Board of Trustees, Lynda
Stanley of Southport. She will Fill
the scat held by Shirley Babson of
Bolivia, who was nominated by
Commissioner Frankie Rabon, but
not reappointed.
?To the EMS Advisory Council,
Walter Johnson, Long Beach Res
cue; Judy Bryan, Town of Holden
Beach; and James L. Poole, Town
of Yaupon Beach;
?To the Brunswick County Public
Library Board of Trustees, Tcddi
Ncal of Bolivia. Commissioners had
no nominees for the post; Mrs. Neal
was in the audience and agreed to
serve when nominated by Rabon.
?To the Calabash Board of Adjust
ment from the extraterritorial zone,
Robert Crocker of Pine Burr Acres
and Anthony Antonucci of Carolina
Shores North. The town had recom
mended appointment of Crocker
and Tom Roberts.
?To continue on the Brunswick In
teragency Transportation System
(BITS) board, Bcmie Carlisle of
Lei and.
Appointed To DSS
Brcnda Grissett of Grissettown
has been appointed to serve on the
Brunswick County Department of
Social Services Board of Directors.
She will replace her husband,
Malcolm, whose term expires June
30. Malcolm has served on the board
six years and was a past chairman.
Ms. Grissett was unanimously se
lected to represent District 1.
"I have a lot of confidence in
her," said DSS Chairman Frankie
Rabon. "If I didn't, I wouldn't placc
her name into nomination."
Two members of the board arc
appointed by the governor, two by
county commissioners and one by
the board itself.
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