SAVE OUR SANDHILLS SPEAKER EXPLAINS “GREEN GROWTH TOOLBOX”
On January 26, Save Our Sandhills will host Brenda Johnson, a specialist in ecology and wildlife, to describe why The Green Growth Toolbox, a cooperative, non-regulatory effort developed by the Wildlife Diversity Program of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, is so important to North Carolina in general, and Moore County in particular.
By its own definition, “Green Growth is a nature-friendly way of developing communities. It means conserving habitat and biological diversity while building homes, businesses and shopping centers.” Its tools consist of a handbook, GIS data package, and a website.
This project was conceived because of the unprecedented population growth fueled in North Carolina in recent years, along with projections that over the next 20 years, 3 million additional people would move to North Carolina, threatening our environment, public health, and quality of life.
Therefore, in 2005, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission developed the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan, which identified sprawling patterns of land development as a top threat to wildlife resources. Since land use in North Carolina is regulated at the local government level, where officials often do not have sufficient knowledge concerning risks to wildlife while they develop policies concerning growth, The Green Growth Toolbox concept gained traction.
Green Growth helps to bridge the gap between scientists and local decision makers by offering wildlife data and important wildlife conservation principles so that well-informed decisions can be made. While planning for growth, communities learn how to protect important species and habitats by locating their important natural resources and determining how best to conserve them through land use planning. Habitats support much more than wildlife.
They also sustain healthy ecosystems, healthy economies, healthy communities, and a high quality of life. This is why The Green Growth Toolbox emphasizes 10 benefits to communities: “1. Better health all around, 2.Economic return, 3.Environmental safeguards, 4.Avoid environmental conflicts, 5.Attract new economy businesses, 6.Increase prosperity, 7.Generate tourist income, 8.Reduce costs to taxpayers and local government, 9.Respond to public demand, 10.Improve quality of life.”
In North Carolina, 45 local governments (including counties and municipalities) have received Green Growth Toolbox training at 11 workshops which targeted jurisdictions that are experiencing significant habitat conversion to development. Twenty-one local governments have received technical guidance on 31 land use planning projects. Locally, both Moore and Harnett County planning staffs attended Green Growth Toolbox Workshops and received follow-up technical guidance, including one that took place at our local Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve Auditorium in mid-2010. The NC Wildlife Resources Commission has been working in partnership with regional organizations, including Sustainable Sandhills, the Coastal Land Trust, and Land of Sky Regional Council.
In Moore County, The Green Growth Toolbox has been used to provide recommendations to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that is currently under revision by the Planning Board. UDO’s are the rulebooks for how building and development occur in a community, and thus can have heavy impacts on wildlife habitat. Most Green Growth recommendations to the Moore County UDO were made to the Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Subdivision Ordinances, since these usually impact large tracts of land at a time. The UDO process is currently ongoing, and work continues to see Green Growth recommendations adopted.
Brenda Johnson has worked with Sustainable Sandhills for two years as their Green Growth Planner. Sustainable Sandhills, a nonprofit dedicated to conserving the natural resources of the eight-county region surrounding Fort Bragg, concentrates on four main program areas: Green Business Certification, Green Schools, Green Growth, and Local Food.
Johnson holds a B.A. in Zoology from Ohio Wesleyan University, an M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from NC State University, and has several years’ experience in ecology and wildlife biology research. Her work at Sustainable Sandhills is funded by a fellowship through Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).
She is currently working with both Moore County and Harnett County to incorporate Green Growth strategies into their land use policies.
Join us for an informative and interesting evening; refreshments will be served. Thursday, January 26 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Club, corner of Ashe Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. All are welcome.
Showing posts with label Ft. Bragg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ft. Bragg. Show all posts
1/23/2011
Jan. 27 lecture, Endangered and Rare Species, Ft. Bragg, Camp McCall
SAVE OUR SANDHILLS SPEAKER DISCUSSES ENDANGERED AND RARE FLORA AND FAUNA ON FORT BRAGG AND CAMP MACKALL
On January 27, Save Our Sandhills will host Beth Evans, a Certified Wildlife Biologist, to speak about Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall’s commitment to endangered species. Both military installations are located within the rare longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem. Less than 3% of the original 92 million acres of this ecosystem still exist. This ecosystem, dependent on fire maintenance, supports a wealth of flora and fauna populations, many of which are endangered or rare.
Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall contain 23 vegetative community types with over 1,200 plant species, approximately 200 bird species, 51 reptiles, 44 amphibians, 41 mammal species, and over 50 known aquatic species. Among these species, 5 are federally endangered; namely, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Saint Francis Satyr Butterfly, American Chaffseed, Rough-leaved Loosestrife, and Michaux Sumac. Overall, 48 species are considered rare. A few rare species of flora, such as the Sandhills Lily and Sandhills Pixie Moss are on the Army’s Species at Risk list, and could potentially impact military training if they become federally listed. Some rare fauna species, such as the Gopher frog, Eastern Salamander, Northern Pine Snake, Southeastern Bat, and Rafinesque Big-eared Bat are also being studied for their survival and management requirements.
Of the 5 federally endangered species, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW), listed in 1970, was declining through loss of habitat by fire suppression, forest management practices, and urban development. In 1990 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a Jeopardy Biological Opinion and recommended specific military training restrictions, monitoring, surveys, and habitat restoration in order to stem the decline. In 1992 Fort Bragg biologists began monitoring the RCW population, provided cavity enhancement, worked on habitat restoration, and placed protective measures around cavity trees. And in 2005, Fort Bragg succeeded in reaching its goal of 350 breeding pairs with assistance from the Sandhills Conservation Partnership and was able to reduce training restrictions by 50%. The Saint Francis Satyr Butterfly, listed in 1995, was thought to be extinct. It has been rediscovered, however, and is being studied by Fort Bragg biologists and university researchers in order to understand its survival requirements and to manage its habitat. The 3 federally listed plants, American Chaffseed (listed in 1992), Rough-leaved Loosestrife (listed in 1987), and Michaux’s Sumac (listed in 1989), are found in open uplands and in wetland ecotones. The areas in which these plants are found are monitored and managed by midstory removal and frequent fire.
Beth Evans will identify these 5 federally endangered species, and will discuss their life histories and their management requirements. She will also highlight a few other rare species in our globally rare longleaf pine ecosystem of the Sandhills. Evans received a B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Vermont in 1990. Subsequently, she served as a Research Assistant at Eglin Air Force Base in northwest Florida, surveying RCW cavity trees and becoming a member of one of the first teams to initiate banding of these endangered birds. Evans has been with the Fort Bragg Military Installation since 1993, working her way up from Biological Science Technician to Certified Wildlife Biologist. She monitors and surveys Fort Bragg’s endangered and rare flora and fauna species, and is involved with all aspects of protection and habitat restoration. Nevertheless, the majority of her work pertains to the RCW. Evans also participates in the NC Sandhills Conservation Partnership and the NC Chapter of the Wildlife Society, and conducts educational presentations to military personnel and the general public.
Join us for an informative and interesting evening; refreshments will be served Thursday, January 27 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Club, corner of Ashe and Pennsylvania.
On January 27, Save Our Sandhills will host Beth Evans, a Certified Wildlife Biologist, to speak about Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall’s commitment to endangered species. Both military installations are located within the rare longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem. Less than 3% of the original 92 million acres of this ecosystem still exist. This ecosystem, dependent on fire maintenance, supports a wealth of flora and fauna populations, many of which are endangered or rare.
Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall contain 23 vegetative community types with over 1,200 plant species, approximately 200 bird species, 51 reptiles, 44 amphibians, 41 mammal species, and over 50 known aquatic species. Among these species, 5 are federally endangered; namely, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Saint Francis Satyr Butterfly, American Chaffseed, Rough-leaved Loosestrife, and Michaux Sumac. Overall, 48 species are considered rare. A few rare species of flora, such as the Sandhills Lily and Sandhills Pixie Moss are on the Army’s Species at Risk list, and could potentially impact military training if they become federally listed. Some rare fauna species, such as the Gopher frog, Eastern Salamander, Northern Pine Snake, Southeastern Bat, and Rafinesque Big-eared Bat are also being studied for their survival and management requirements.
Of the 5 federally endangered species, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW), listed in 1970, was declining through loss of habitat by fire suppression, forest management practices, and urban development. In 1990 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a Jeopardy Biological Opinion and recommended specific military training restrictions, monitoring, surveys, and habitat restoration in order to stem the decline. In 1992 Fort Bragg biologists began monitoring the RCW population, provided cavity enhancement, worked on habitat restoration, and placed protective measures around cavity trees. And in 2005, Fort Bragg succeeded in reaching its goal of 350 breeding pairs with assistance from the Sandhills Conservation Partnership and was able to reduce training restrictions by 50%. The Saint Francis Satyr Butterfly, listed in 1995, was thought to be extinct. It has been rediscovered, however, and is being studied by Fort Bragg biologists and university researchers in order to understand its survival requirements and to manage its habitat. The 3 federally listed plants, American Chaffseed (listed in 1992), Rough-leaved Loosestrife (listed in 1987), and Michaux’s Sumac (listed in 1989), are found in open uplands and in wetland ecotones. The areas in which these plants are found are monitored and managed by midstory removal and frequent fire.
Beth Evans will identify these 5 federally endangered species, and will discuss their life histories and their management requirements. She will also highlight a few other rare species in our globally rare longleaf pine ecosystem of the Sandhills. Evans received a B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Vermont in 1990. Subsequently, she served as a Research Assistant at Eglin Air Force Base in northwest Florida, surveying RCW cavity trees and becoming a member of one of the first teams to initiate banding of these endangered birds. Evans has been with the Fort Bragg Military Installation since 1993, working her way up from Biological Science Technician to Certified Wildlife Biologist. She monitors and surveys Fort Bragg’s endangered and rare flora and fauna species, and is involved with all aspects of protection and habitat restoration. Nevertheless, the majority of her work pertains to the RCW. Evans also participates in the NC Sandhills Conservation Partnership and the NC Chapter of the Wildlife Society, and conducts educational presentations to military personnel and the general public.
Join us for an informative and interesting evening; refreshments will be served Thursday, January 27 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Club, corner of Ashe and Pennsylvania.
7/12/2010
SOS, July 29, Ft. Bragg's Environmental Stance, Sou. Pines
SAVE OUR SANDHILLS SPEAKER DISCUSSES FORT BRAGG’S COMMITMENT TO CONSERVATION AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
On July 29, Save Our Sandhills will host Alan Schultz to speak about Fort Bragg’s commitment to conservation and wildlife management. Fort Bragg, initially constructed in 1918 in order to fulfill an essential role in our national security, has also evolved into an outstanding natural resource for the North Carolina Sandhills. Fort Bragg’s and Camp Mackall’s 160,000 acres (they are managed as one) comprise only a fraction of the nation’s Department of Defense lands. Nevertheless, the Fort’s forest managers began a visionary program decades ago that has had profound implications for research involving the health of the longleaf pine ecosystem with its unique wildlife habitat.
Alan Schultz, currently Chief of the Fort Bragg Wildlife Branch, leads teams of biologists, conservation officers, and public use specialists as they collaborate with others to enhance and protect the Sandhills natural resources. Schultz’ academic training is in Wildlife Ecology and Management, and his career spans over 27 years in the southeast with specializations in wildlife ecology and management, ornithology, forestry, and public natural resource regulation and usage.
In all, Schultz’ varied experiences make him comfortable in addressing the issue of multiple land use in conservation. Fort Bragg’s multiple land use incorporates the following into a single management strategy: military training, conservation, forest products, prescribed fire, and the public use of natural resources. Some of this strategy evolved as a by-product of experience. For example, military training exercises occasionally produced small fires, and these fires mimicked the natural lightning strikes common in the Sandhills. This fire was found to be essential to both the flora and the fauna of the longleaf pine ecosystem.
Because of Fort Bragg’s focus on conservation management and its immense amount of acreage, it not only serves as an ecological laboratory, but also as a showcase for diverse habitats and their resultant diversity of species. Its combination of natural resource managers and military trainers working together helps humans, plants, and wildlife benefit from a unique symbiotic relationship.
Join us for an informative and interesting evening; refreshments will be served. Thursday, July 29 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Club at the corner of Ashe and Pennsylvania.
On July 29, Save Our Sandhills will host Alan Schultz to speak about Fort Bragg’s commitment to conservation and wildlife management. Fort Bragg, initially constructed in 1918 in order to fulfill an essential role in our national security, has also evolved into an outstanding natural resource for the North Carolina Sandhills. Fort Bragg’s and Camp Mackall’s 160,000 acres (they are managed as one) comprise only a fraction of the nation’s Department of Defense lands. Nevertheless, the Fort’s forest managers began a visionary program decades ago that has had profound implications for research involving the health of the longleaf pine ecosystem with its unique wildlife habitat.
Alan Schultz, currently Chief of the Fort Bragg Wildlife Branch, leads teams of biologists, conservation officers, and public use specialists as they collaborate with others to enhance and protect the Sandhills natural resources. Schultz’ academic training is in Wildlife Ecology and Management, and his career spans over 27 years in the southeast with specializations in wildlife ecology and management, ornithology, forestry, and public natural resource regulation and usage.
In all, Schultz’ varied experiences make him comfortable in addressing the issue of multiple land use in conservation. Fort Bragg’s multiple land use incorporates the following into a single management strategy: military training, conservation, forest products, prescribed fire, and the public use of natural resources. Some of this strategy evolved as a by-product of experience. For example, military training exercises occasionally produced small fires, and these fires mimicked the natural lightning strikes common in the Sandhills. This fire was found to be essential to both the flora and the fauna of the longleaf pine ecosystem.
Because of Fort Bragg’s focus on conservation management and its immense amount of acreage, it not only serves as an ecological laboratory, but also as a showcase for diverse habitats and their resultant diversity of species. Its combination of natural resource managers and military trainers working together helps humans, plants, and wildlife benefit from a unique symbiotic relationship.
Join us for an informative and interesting evening; refreshments will be served. Thursday, July 29 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Club at the corner of Ashe and Pennsylvania.
10/12/2009
Growth and Quality of Life, Moore County
SAVE OUR SANDHILLS GUEST TACKLES ISSUE:
POPULATION GROWTH and/or QUALITY OF LIFE
On October 29, Save Our Sandhills will host guest speaker Craven Hudson to give a talk on the topic “More people, same land . . . What are we going to do?”
For years, North Carolina has been a magnet for newcomers. We have so much to offer as a state. Our location, favorable climate and friendly folks make North Carolina the final home destination for so many. Golf courses beckon to tourists and retirees, and a growing economy both in the military and private sectors brings workers looking for opportunity. Couple that with a decline in traditional agriculture, and you get the equation for drastic land changes.
This situation did not sneak up on North Carolina. Demographers, university researchers, and business people have been predicting these changes for years. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that North Carolina will grow to a population of 12 million by the year 2030, which is an increase of more than 50% from the tally made in the year 2000. Many would argue, however, that major public policy changes or even small local land use planning decisions have not nearly kept pace with the swift population growth. Tackling growth at the macro level is extremely difficult. As the saying goes: “all politics is local.”
Craven Hudson, Moore County Extension Director, will discuss state level trends in growth and natural resource protection. He will focus primarily on what has happened, what is happening, and what may take place in the future within Moore County.
Hudson’s background gives him a unique perspective in which to consider the effects of burgeoning population growth. A forestry graduate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, his early career included working on natural resource issues as a NC Cooperative Extension agent in the Raleigh Triangle area. Other than a 2-year stint as an agricultural missionary in Venezuela, he has worked in North Carolina first as a member of the NC Cooperative Extension’s Neuse River Team, then as a Cooperative Extension agent in Gaston County, and finally as Moore County’s Extension Director since 2005.
Please join us at our regular meeting, with refreshments, on Thursday October 29 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Center, corner of Ashe Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. This timely topic affects the quality of life for each one of us.
POPULATION GROWTH and/or QUALITY OF LIFE
On October 29, Save Our Sandhills will host guest speaker Craven Hudson to give a talk on the topic “More people, same land . . . What are we going to do?”
For years, North Carolina has been a magnet for newcomers. We have so much to offer as a state. Our location, favorable climate and friendly folks make North Carolina the final home destination for so many. Golf courses beckon to tourists and retirees, and a growing economy both in the military and private sectors brings workers looking for opportunity. Couple that with a decline in traditional agriculture, and you get the equation for drastic land changes.
This situation did not sneak up on North Carolina. Demographers, university researchers, and business people have been predicting these changes for years. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that North Carolina will grow to a population of 12 million by the year 2030, which is an increase of more than 50% from the tally made in the year 2000. Many would argue, however, that major public policy changes or even small local land use planning decisions have not nearly kept pace with the swift population growth. Tackling growth at the macro level is extremely difficult. As the saying goes: “all politics is local.”
Craven Hudson, Moore County Extension Director, will discuss state level trends in growth and natural resource protection. He will focus primarily on what has happened, what is happening, and what may take place in the future within Moore County.
Hudson’s background gives him a unique perspective in which to consider the effects of burgeoning population growth. A forestry graduate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, his early career included working on natural resource issues as a NC Cooperative Extension agent in the Raleigh Triangle area. Other than a 2-year stint as an agricultural missionary in Venezuela, he has worked in North Carolina first as a member of the NC Cooperative Extension’s Neuse River Team, then as a Cooperative Extension agent in Gaston County, and finally as Moore County’s Extension Director since 2005.
Please join us at our regular meeting, with refreshments, on Thursday October 29 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Center, corner of Ashe Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. This timely topic affects the quality of life for each one of us.
6/18/2009
5/20/2008
Protest Rally, Thursday, Fayetteville
Fayetteville Peace with Justice will be taking part in a press conference and rally together with the Democratic Party at the Market House in downtown Fayetteville this Thursday from 5 to 6 pm.
The protest will focus on President Bush's opposition to a strong G.I. Bill. The backdrop will be the Peace with Justice wall of names of soldiers killed in Iraq, together with our banners and signs calling for an end to the war and the return of all U.S. troops now.
More information will follow on the G.I. Bill, along with further details related to the press conference.
Please make plans to attend this important rally on the occasion of President Bush's visit to Ft. Bragg.
The protest will focus on President Bush's opposition to a strong G.I. Bill. The backdrop will be the Peace with Justice wall of names of soldiers killed in Iraq, together with our banners and signs calling for an end to the war and the return of all U.S. troops now.
More information will follow on the G.I. Bill, along with further details related to the press conference.
Please make plans to attend this important rally on the occasion of President Bush's visit to Ft. Bragg.
12/18/2007
Arrested for Gift-giving
Anti-war Vets Arrested for Gift-Giving on Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Tuesday December 18 2007
Jason Hurd and Steve Casey, President and Vice president of the North Carolina chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War, were arrested on Ft. Bragg on Monday, after they began passing out holiday gift packages to soldiers and family members outside the post’s centrally-located MiniMart shopping center.
Hurd and Casey stacked the gift bags on a folding table, on which was taped two signs reading "We Love Our Servicewomen and men," and "Happy Holidays from Your Fellow Veterans."
After giving away more than a hundred gift packages, the pair were handcuffed by MPs and taken to the Provost Marshall’s office. There they were held and questioned for four hours before they were released and banned from the post. No charges were filed.
After their release, the two veterans returned to their car, where a cardboard box filled with the remaining gift parcels was left atop his trunk. They discovered that someone had written with a marker on the side of the box, praising their protest and condemning their arrest.
"Many friends in my platoon DIED brutally to protect the First Amendment," the unknown soldier wrote, in part. "We have the right to peaceful protest, damn you! Why did you arrest these guys?!?!"
Photos of Hurd and Casey at the MiniMall, and of the message on their cardboard box, are posted on the Quaker House website: www.quakerhouse.org
Tuesday December 18 2007
Jason Hurd and Steve Casey, President and Vice president of the North Carolina chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War, were arrested on Ft. Bragg on Monday, after they began passing out holiday gift packages to soldiers and family members outside the post’s centrally-located MiniMart shopping center.
Hurd and Casey stacked the gift bags on a folding table, on which was taped two signs reading "We Love Our Servicewomen and men," and "Happy Holidays from Your Fellow Veterans."
After giving away more than a hundred gift packages, the pair were handcuffed by MPs and taken to the Provost Marshall’s office. There they were held and questioned for four hours before they were released and banned from the post. No charges were filed.
After their release, the two veterans returned to their car, where a cardboard box filled with the remaining gift parcels was left atop his trunk. They discovered that someone had written with a marker on the side of the box, praising their protest and condemning their arrest.
"Many friends in my platoon DIED brutally to protect the First Amendment," the unknown soldier wrote, in part. "We have the right to peaceful protest, damn you! Why did you arrest these guys?!?!"
Photos of Hurd and Casey at the MiniMall, and of the message on their cardboard box, are posted on the Quaker House website: www.quakerhouse.org
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