?MHHHHHHHHHR:. * MitiSHiHHil
Pholo by Bill Fav?r
COI.lJiCTING IJVE OIJVE SHE! AS can deplete this resource along on beaches if we aren't more
aware of the damage we do.
The Future For Live Shells
BY BILLFAVER
Some years ago, Loren Eisely, the noted anthro
pologist, wrote of an early morning walk along the
bcach at Cozumel, off the coast of
Mexico. He encountered scores of
shell-gathers working at low tide
to harvest live shells and get them
cleaned out and ready to sell the
tourists by daylight. He also met
one old man he called the "Star
Thrower". This man was frantic in
his efforts to find sea stars and
hurl them back into the sea.
Whether his efforts to save them
were working or not, he would
never know, but he knew he was trying his best to get
them back into the water.
Sometimes I feel this way when 1 find live shells
along our beaches. Usually they are washed up on the
sand by rough water and when we find them they may
be beyond saving. 1 usually pitch them back into the
surf or dig down in the wet sand to bury them deep
enough to await the incoming tide.
Several people at Holden Beach have called me re
cently about people taking live olives in abundance.
These arc beautiful shells and are much prettier when
the live animal is inside. They arc colonial (in that they
live in colonics) and can easily be depleted if they arc
dug from the sand on the ocean floor and earned away
for key chains and necklaces.
About ten years ago, we had the same thing hap
pening along the east end of the bcach with sanddol
lars. So many were being gathered we would see peo
ple with buckctsfull heading off the bcach. Even one
day, I saw two kids in the back of a truck throwing
sanddollars like frisbees as they rode down Ocean
Boulevard. Wc went to the Marine Resources people
and couldn't get much help because they were only
dealing with "commcrciai spccies".
So about the only solution to taking live shells is
to appeal to those who exploit this resource to think
what they are doing. Sure, its fun to gather and collect.
And its fun to make things from shells. But think what
our beaches would be like without the attraction of
olives and sanddollars and the variety of other shells
wc find. I appeal to you to work a little harder and find
empty shells. Leave the live ones to live out their lives
in this fragile area where land and sea meet. And when
you find a live shell, be a "star thrower" and put it
back in the water.
MORE LETTERS
Library Allocation Applauded
To the editor:
My hat is off to the Brunswick
County Commissioners. Their ap
propriation of SI. 5 million for the
county library system, up from a pit
tance last year, was a wonderful dis
play of vision and courage.
The importance of modem library
facilities to our citizens, especially
our young people, is beyond exag
geration. That we have leaders capa
ble of recognizing and acting upon
that fact makes me proud to call
Brunswick County home.
Many of us were deeply disap
pointed that political manipulation
last year forced postponement of the
Leland Library. Now it seems die
entire county will benefit from the
abuse some of us endured at the
hands of politicians who apparcnUy
believed that winning was more im
portant than honesty.
I take pride in the fact that the
Town of Leland contributed S 60, 000
in cash and land worth $60,000 for
the library. The Town of Belvillc
gave more than 520,000, and local
businesses and individual gave addi
tional thousands. I am inclined to
believe that the bold action of the
county commissioners was inspired
by this manifestation of generosity
and commitment. It is my fervent
hope that the contending forces of
1991 will now coalesce and support
the new Brunswick County Library
System. A library is more than a
building with books. It can become
a fountain of culture and enlighten
ment that will enrich us all.
Russell G. Baldwin
Leland
Game Is For Children,
Not Parents, Coaches
To the editor:
Last week there were several let
ters concerning the (tee-ball) coach
es and coordinators. Does anyone
really know what happened? I know
for a fact that the coordinator was
called over to the coach's dugout,
and this coach was threatening to
quit bccausc an illegal bat was taken
from him. There was no arguing.
About good sportsmanship, I
don't think it is bad sportsmanship
to pull your child out of the game
and off the team when the coach for
feits a game because he doesn't like
the other team's coach, or he won't
shake hands with the other coach af
ter a game.
I'm sorry, but I don't want my
child learning this kind of sports
manship. This is the kind of sports
manship Homer Andrews teaches.
I've seen it and thought it was in bad
taste, especially in front of the chil
dren.
Everyone must remember, this
game is for the children, not the par
ents or coaches. Let's make it fun
for them.
Edna White
Shallotie
Monthly Pier-Walker
Passes Are Suggested
To the editor:
Touche! We'll agree that inflation
has raised the cost of living every
where, making the best things in life
often no longer free (June 1 1 issue).
However, we'd like to offer a
suggestion which we've been told
has been circulating among other
pier-goers since the pay-to-walk fee
was initiated over Memorial Day
weekend.
How about issuing passes for 1-3
6-12 months similar to those issued
to fishermen? These could be at a
reduced rate so that the frequent
pier-goer, visitor or walker could en
joy walking the pier and feeling as
though he or she belonged to a club?
This would also save time and
money for pier personnel who
would not have to collect a fee each
time a pass-owner came to walk.
This way pier management and pier
visitors would both benefit.
How about it?
Jacqueline & Edgar Phillips
Supply
Fire, Rescue Workers
Thankful For Increase
To the editor
"Budget time." I'm sure these two
words make county leaders sweat.
Who gets how much? Who gets an
increase? Who gets a decrease? This
could be one of the least popular
jobs of government.
For years at budget time, I've
gone before the county commission
ers to ask for a funding increase for
our fire and rescue departments,
usually with no luck. However, this
year was different. After appearing
before the commissioners at the re
cent budget hearing to plead our
case, I see in the Beacon that we did
indeed get an increase. Our volun
teer departments now get S 14,500
per year, up SI, 000 from the previ
ous year's 513,500.
While SI, 000 might not sound
like a lot to some, it was needed by
us. Every dollar spent toward our
fire and rescue departments helps
protect the lives and property of all
our citizens.
Also, with the start of our new E
911 system, the money was greatly
needed to pay for upgrading our
equipment to match.
So with all the pressure of adopt
ing a budget, our emergency volun
teers would like to say, 'Thank you,
gentlemen, for a job well done."
A1 Nord, Chief
Civietown Volunteer
Fire Department
SHELTON
HERB FARM
? Herb Plants
Over 350 Varieties
Goodman Rd otl Hwy. 1 7
3 Miles N of Winnabow
253-5964
BSf
Why Lease When You Can Own Your Own?
Lancaster Water Conditioning Systems
$49825
Now only
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24,000 Grain, fully automatic *Tastes Great!! *PJ&A
Plumbing- Authorized Dealers *4 models in stock
MILLIKEN HOM^ENTER
The Shallotte Electric Stores ? Main St., Shallotte ? 754-6002
Leaders In Progress Jor the South Brunswick Islands
No Place Like Home For Golfers
Boy, this placc is golfer heaven.
I'm not much of a player myself,
but my dad is. So I've been gather
ing brochures and information about
all the local golf communities.
What a neat idea. You get to live
right next to your very own golf
course. You can play your favorite
game any time you want without
ever leaving home. Just walk out the
back door and tec off.
Sort of the grown-up equivalent
of a two-liter Coke and a bag of
chips in front of the Nintendo.
It's like a surfer having a house
on the beach at Pipeline. Or a stock
car fanatic with a cottage on turn
two at Daylona. Or a Braves fan
sleeping in the stands at Fulton
County Stadium. Actually, that's
pretty common nowadays.
And these golf communities all
have such enticing names. Brier
wood. ..Fox Squirrcl...Sea Trail Plan
tation... Lock wood Golf Links...Thc
Gauntlet at St. James Plantation...
makes you feel like landed English
gentry, in a lowcountry kind of way.
To be fair, I thought that before
recommending any of these wonder
ful spots as the place for the old man
to build his retirement dream house,
I ought to check out similar commu
nities in other countics. So last week
Lynn and I headed north up U.S. 17.
Just above Wilmington we en
countered the South's preferred
method of conuoiiiiig population
growth.
Every region of the country has
one of these. In the Northeast, it's
known as the traffic circle.
Imaginative road designers rely on
this clever solution whenever they
have five or six major highways
converging in one p'acc. After com
missioning countlcss high-dollar
studies, they simply run all the roads
into a circle and let the drivers sort
out which way they want to go.
Veterans of these "circles of
?<%
Carlson -?gf
Fd l?
dcaih" look like losers at a demoli
tion derby. The preferred strategy is
to floorboard the accelerator as they
enter the circle, careening wildly to
ward their desired destination and
scaring the chccsc dip out of other
less aggressive motorists, who can
be seen circling for hours before fi
nally ninning out of gas.
The California approach is to let
unsuspecting tourists decimate the
bloated population with a rule that
says pedestrians have the right of
way at crosswalks. Drivers arc ex
pected to watch everyone walking
along the sidewalk and to slam on
the brakes the moment a foot touch
es the marked pavement.
Naturally, outsiders know noth
ing of this law and routinely plow
into crowds of trusting locals at
every traffic light. Especially drivers
from Manhattan, where a red light
means "stop if your feel like it," and
where pedestrian hunting is a time
honored tradition.
Here in the South we have the
three-lane highway, along which the
center of the road is commonly re
ferred to as the "suicide lane." Main
Street in Shallottc on Friday after
noon is a good place to observe the
consequences of this sadistic little
gem of highway planning.
This design is carried to extremes
along U.S. 17 in Onslow County,
where only a faded yellow line of
fers any hint of who belongs in the
center lane. You can be flying along
in what you assume to be the north
bound passing lane and suddenly
find yourself playing "chicken" with
an 18-wheclcr flying along in what
he assumes to be the southbound
passing lane. Mad Max would love
it.
We eventually survived this may
hem and arrived in beautiful down
town Jacksonville. It soems that in
stead of golf, the big sport here is
chess. You can tell bccausc every
where you look there arc pawn
shops. They must spend an awful lot
of time sitting in uncomfortable
chairs bent over those chess boards,
bccausc the other big activity seems
to be getting a massage.
The golf community in Jackson
ville is called Camp Lcjeunc, a
Frenchy summer-sounding name
that really misrepresents the place.
Instead of the usual flashy outfits
most golfers wear, the residents of
Camp Lcjeunc all dress in drab
olive. I hadn't seen so many short
haircuts and guns and Jeeps and
camouflage since 1 left the moun
tains.
We never did find the course or
even the pro shop. Just a lot of peo
ple following each other around in
little groups with some other person
yelling at them. Not very attractive.
The one in Havelock wasn't much
better. It also had ?? chccrful French
name ? Chcri Pointc ? but not much
else to offer. I did like the F-4
Phantom jet parked at the entrance.
And the guard wore a really snappy
blue jackct and white hat
But the course at Chcri Pointc is
in terrible shape. The turf is as hard
as asphalt and every time you try to
tec off, some joker in an attack
fighter comes zipping by. The noise
is terrible and the houses all look the
same. I really can't recommend it.
So all you golfers who might be
feeling a touch of wanderlust, don't
expect to find greener fairways on
the other side of the hill. Bruns
wick's got the best
ROBERTO'S PIZZERIA
2 GREAT LOCATIONS
OCEAN ISLE HOLDEN BEACH
579-4999 842-4999
Serving You the Best in Oven-Brick
Baked Pizzas, the Freshest Hoagies,
and Our Homemade Italian Dinners
EAT IN ? TAKEOUT ? DELIVERY
There's a
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