Photo by Bill Fov?r
HAWKS PERCH HIGH in trees to keep watch over their sur
roundings for anything that moves.
Hawks In The Treetops
BY BILL FAVF.R
One of the common sights along our highways
and streams is the lone hawk perched high in a tree
top watching for prey. The bare winter limbs make
it easy to spot them for soon their presence will of
ten be obscured by new growth of the coming
spring.
Hawks are among our best known predators, of
ten feeding on small rodents, squirrels, snakes, and
smaller birds. The feared "chicken hawk" some
times raided domesticated chickens in farmyards
and sometimes were killed because of it. Now, we
FAVFR realize hawks are a very important part of the food
chain and are needed for the balances we find in na
ture to function properly. That is the reason hawks are now protected
and killing them is a violation of the law.
Hawks arc divided into several groups. An accipiter is a hawk with
rounded wings and a long tail and the sharp-shinned hawk and Cooper's
hawk are examples of this group. Butcos arc hawks with broad wings
and a short tail. Examples of this group are the red-tailed hawk and the
red-shouldered hawk. Harriers are slim, with long, pointed wings and a
long tail. Marsh hawks are harriers. Two representatives of the falcons
arc the peregrine falcon, which used to be called the "duck hawk," and
the kestrel, or "sparrow hawk." Both have pointed wings. The peregrine
falcon was almost wiped out in the Eastern United States and a new
population of wild birds is being created through a restocking program.
Hawks can be seen soaring high overhead as they keep watchful
eyes on their surroundings. Or they can be seen perched in treetops with
a keen eye out for anything that moves. They, like the eagles, ospreys,
and vultures, arc a part of nature's clean-up squad and prey on weak in
dividuals, road kills, and overpopulations. We need them in our midst
and it is fun to sec them perched, keeping watch over the countryside.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Likes Way Things Done Here
To the editor
I've been intrigued by the hap
penings in Brunswick County for a
long time. Folks there are different?
Not really. The folks there are nor
mal, the last of that breed of North
Carolinians. Most other people who
come here are the different ones.
1 happen to like the way things
are done here, and apparently so do
the people born and bred in Bruns
wick County. Why be here if you
don't like it. Basically we're still in
a free country' aren't we? I wonder
for how long though.
Noticing the letter from Betty
Benfield (March 5 Beacon ), one
can't help but wonder. People have
been residing at Shallotte Point for
many years in peace and harmony
more or less, living and letting live.
That to me is the American way.
The one we're on the verge of los
ing.
Why would anyone move to a
piace if they didn't like the way
things were there. Why not move to
an area without barking dogs if that
annoys you. And I can't even fath
om "excessive use of chain saws" as
she stated in her letter. I've never
heard of anyone running a chain saw
or any other saw after the wood is
all cut Maybe she has never had to
cut wood. Maybe she is one of those
people who wants someone else to
cut the wood so she can have heat
but wouldn't cut it herself, and ap
parently only wants it cut some
where else so she won't have to be
inconvenienced by the noise.
America is being overrun by
those people. Ever wonder where
they come from? I suppose even
those people don't realize what they
are doing to our society. It's their
society too. How can a person inten
tionally try to rule someone else if
that other person doesn't have the
authority to rule back?
We, as Americans, as well as
members of the various Brunswick
communities, best pay close atten
tion to what is happening. I have no
right to move to a community and
gang up with others against the local
folk, tiding to change the way they
live and run their lives. Neither docs
anyone else have this right.
If a person moves to my commu
nity because he is impressed with it
and wants to become a part of it,
that is the highest honor we can re
ceive. On the other hand, if things
don't suit you, don't come. Cer
tainly no one has the right to try to
change the standards of a whole
community to suit themselves, let
alone the county, state, or country.
My theory on life is, "No one has
the right to tell anyone else what to
do." Certainly i must give as much
authority over me to my neighbor as
I expect to have over him. Any per
son who is fair will agree with this. 1
don't want to have anything to do
with people who don't. Not under
any circumstance do I want to share
my community with them. Do you?
Carl Cornelius
Wilmington
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and Gifts
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1991 BUICK LEMANS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Sailing Privilege
Quickly
Slipping Away
To ihc cililor
Thousands of years ago, men were sailing
boats on the Nile and across the South Pacific.
More recently, men. women, and young people
have been sailing small boats off of our lovely
Brunswick Islands. But now, that privilege (or is
it a right?) is quickly slipping away at Occan Isle
Beach.
I have been a sailor of small boats for 30 years,
and was a sailing instructor in the U. S. Navy. 1
have been sailing off the beach at Ocean Isle for
some 16 years, but the town government is mak
ing this recreation increasingly difficult, almost to
the point of an infraction of law!
TTicre used to be many places where someone
could move a small light sailboat on to the beach,
but the town has systematically closed most of
these off and forbidden use of the others under
threat of fine.
I have talked with the mayor, the chief of po
lice, the island's developer, and numerous mem
bers of the town council, all to no avail. Their re
sponse is almost unanimous to the effect that
while they arc not forbidding sailing off die
beach, they would really rather not have it. and
have no interest in continuing to keep it possible.
Accordingly, all suggestions to them as to vi
able ways by which small sailboats could be safe
ly brought on to the beach arc rebuffed with ex
cuses: (1) The town has no land that can be used
for this purpose; (2) it is forbidden anyway; (3)
boaters might block emergency vehicle access to
the beach.
Town officials show no concern that there are
many of us w ho arc property owners who cither
sail, or rent our cottages to people who do come
here to sail. There are indeed going to he some
very surprised and unhappy people when the local
police ticket them for moving their boats on to the
beach in the same manner that they have for
decades.
It is not this way at our sister beaches! The po
lice at Sunset Beach arc most courteous to point
out the acceptable beach access, and the police at
Holdcn Beach even offer to accompany you (widi
your four-wheel drive vchicic) down on the beach
to the place where you want to offload and and
leave your boat while you arc there on vacation.
But not here at Ocean Isle Beach.
It is ironic. One of our town advertising
brochures clearly show s a small sailboat such as
mine on the beach. 1 wonder how they got it there
legally. Also, we have a contractor who rents sail
boats on the beach. But private citizens had better
not be caught moving their boat on or off the
beach, for that's a criminal act!
The town's "solution" is that small sailboat
owners could offload their boats at the marina,
which opens into the lntracoastal Waterway, and
sail around through the inlet. On most days, this
would be a hazardous operation, due to currcnt
and surf conditions in the inlet, and would in all
likelihood lead to more accidents. It is simply a
bad idea.
So, under the present situation, here is wh<lt is
most likely to happen, as people discover the cur
rent "policy:" they will drag their boats over a
dune, when they think that nobody is looking, and
we will all suiter Irom the depredation of die
dunes and the loss of protection to our property.
Further, when renters with small sailboats find
themselves in possession of newly-minted police
department tickets for using obvious but forbid
den beach acccss placcs, we are going to have
some angry tourists on our hands.
Is this good for business? No! Is it good envi
ronmental protection? No! Is it go<xl govern
ment? Of course not! Now the elected leaders of
Ocean Isle Beach arc good people, and they work
hard to provide us with a. well-run community.
But in this particular case, their chosen course of
action is simply wrong, foolish, and dangerous.
How about it, all of you folks who rent to sum
mer people, or who have a small sailboat your
selves, and who would like to sail off the beach,
contact our mayor, Betty Williamson, and suggest
that town government rethink its short-sighted,
foolish, and anti-environment position. So far, the
town is stone-walling, but maybe if a number of
property owners and real estate people send a
wakc-up call, the issue will be rethought. Or must
we take our business elsewhere, to other local
beaches where we arc welcome?
Stephen A. Moss
St. Albans. West Virginia
Clock Is
Ticking
For The Next Accident
To ihc editor
I would like to add my two-ccnts
worth to the U.S. 17 Shallotte by
pass safety issue before it becomes
yesterday's news (at least until the
next serious accident at the intersec
tion). My comments arc directed to
the Beacon's Feb. 20 issue, pages
one and four.
First, residents of Brunswick
County let State Transportation
Secretary Harrclson off the hook
much loo easy. In my view, the
comments made by Mr. Harrelson
(during the opening of the Welcome
Center) regarding the safety of the
Shallotte Bypass arc pure "Bovine
manure."
Platitudes about driver error,
cracking down on spccdcis, and,
"It's great to be in America.. .the
right of public assembly." He must
figure Brunswick folks just fell off
the turnip truck. His comments were
an insult to the residents' intelli
gence.
His only solution to a serious
safety problem was a speed trap. If 1
understand the facts correctly, the
slate just spent 1.2 million taxpayer
dollars to build a Welcome Center to
promote tourism in Brunswick
County and Mr. Harrclson wants to
surround it with a speed trap. That's
kind of bizan-c!
Mr. Harrclson's adamant defense
of the Shallotte Bypass intersection
as safe doesn't pass the common
sense tesL Fact, three serious acci
dents (with fatalities) at the bypass
intersection in only nine months of
operation (May '91 -Feb. '92).
That's one serious accident every 90
days! I believe most traffic safety
experts would view that as a disas
ter.
If the prediction of several years
to design and construct an overpass
at the intersection is accurate, area
residents can statistically look for
ward to death and mayhem at the in
tersection about four times a year for
the next several years.
Talk about preaching to the choir,
Mr. Harrclson rolls out this pearl of
wisdom: driver error and excessive
speed arc the causes of accidents at
Uie intersection. Goodness sakes,
those arc the causcs of nearly every
auto accident in the world.
The point is, Mr. Harrclson and
his staff of highway engineers have
a charter to engineer out as much of
the potential for driver-error acci
dents as possible when they design
and build a new road system. Thai's
what the taxpayers arc paying for
and deserve. Apparently the engi
neers underestimated the problems
at the Shallotic Bypass. The number
of accidents would lead a reasonable
man to this conclusion.
Only two near-term proposals to
solve the problem were mentioned
strictcr law enforcement (speed
traps) and a suggestion by one of
your editorial stall (page 4) to
change a N.C. law making it illegal
for any portion of a vehicle to be in
an intersection when a traffic signal
turns red.
I find this latter proposal akin to
trying to put out a house fire with a
garden hose. Sure, every bit of water
on the problem will help but your
house is still going to burn down. A
minor change to a N.C. traffic law
isn't going to have much effect on
people's driving habits.
I agree with the Beacon s staff
writer that this intersection qualifies
for an overpass because it is excep
tional as a grade-level intersection.
Because it sits on the crest of a hill,
the Hwy. 17 traveler approaching
(from either north or south) is faced
with a depth perception problem.
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The traffic signal, while easily seen
from a distance, is suspended
against a blue-sky background. The
highway falls away quickly beyond
the intersection. Based on strictly vi
sual cues, I believe it's more diffi
cult than we give this area credit for
to make a sound judgment about our
distance to the intersection while
evaluating our approach speed ver
sus the traffic light condition.
The problem is exacerbated by
woefully inadequate motorist cau
tion signs approaching the area. In
fact, there is only one set of amber
signs about a quarter of a mile from
the intersection.
Posted speed limit is 45 miles per
hour through the intersection on
Hwy. 17. I suggest that one set of
signs fails to adequately prepare the
motorist for the approaching inter
section. A short series of caution
signs, including distancc-to-go to
the intersection, and a black-on
white 45 mph would better prepare a
lllOlOlisl.
As mentioned, 45 mph is the post
ed speed limit through the intersec
tion for Hwy. 17 motorists. On N.C.
130, as best I can determine a mo
torist can legally (not prudendy)
transit the intersection at 55 mph!
The only speed sign I could locate
on N.C. 130, 55 mph, was located
about a mile from the intersection.
On the west side, lhat sign was
located well beyond West Bruns
wick High School, so if you arc
travelling from the west to cast on
N.C. 130, you arc not even directed
?O slow down in the vicinity of the
high school, let alone as you ap
proach the bypass intersection.
Except for some mild speed
bumps and a single amber caution
sign (amber sign with the outline of
a traffic signal on it) there is nothing
else to warn the driver (or slow him
down) about the upcoming intersec
tion.
I noticed about a two-second de
lay in the intersection traffic light
between a red light for one traffic
flow before the crossing flow re
ceived a green light. Normally that's
probably an adequate delay, but the
argument here is that the Shallottc
Bypass isn't a normal intersection
based on its accident track record to
date. Increasing the delay to five
seconds might just add a safety
cushion protecting crossing traffic
against the motorist on Hwy. 17
who has misjudged his approach to
the intersection before cross traffic
is turned loose in front of him.
These modest suggestions are not
going to make the Shallottc Bypass
intersection totally safe but they
might help save a life. They arc easy
suggestions to implement, don't cost
much and are can do-able now.
Meanwhile it's incumbent on the
reside nts of the area to keep the heat
on representatives to get the over
pass built. Demand hard answers
and specifics. Don't accept the stan
dard bureaucratic cop-out answer,
"We are studying iu" Remember,
the clock is ticking for the next acci
dent (due within 90 days?).
Mike Sullivan
Sunset Beach
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