Nov. 10, in Sou Pines, Discuss, Learn about Fracking

PENNSYLVANIA LANDOWNERS SHARE FRACKING EXPERIENCES


On Thursday, November 10, 7 PM at the Days Inn Of Southern Pines, the nonprofit organization Save Our Sandhills will host Carol French and Carolyn Knapp, dairy farmers from Bradford County, Pennsylvania, who have witnessed firsthand the effects of the gas extraction boom, known as fracking, and Hope Taylor, Executive Director of Clean Water for North Carolina (CWFNC).

As you may know, this natural gas boom that is sweeping across the United States may soon reach Lee County and northern Moore County. Geologists believe that there is a major sub-basin of natural gas that extends from Granville County above Durham southward through the Sanford area and into Moore County to the vicinity of Carthage. Some early estimates indicate that this area might yield as much as a 40-year supply of natural gas. Fracking of natural gas wells would take place in northern Moore County within the Triassic Deep River Basin/Sanford Sub-basin, and it could have great implications through all of Moore County. The Marcellus Shale gas deposits in Pennsylvania are different from those in our Triassic Deep River Basin/Sanford Sub-basin. Our gas deposits lie closer to the surface, have more faults, and may be less extensive.

We keep hearing that fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, has been around for decades. Therefore, why the big fuss now? Well, until recently, natural gas drilling consisted of “vertical” wells being drilled or fracked in order to retrieve the gas from porous rocks such as limestone and sandstone. Other gas in tight rock formations, such as shale, tight sand and coal beds, was uneconomical to extract until fracking with “horizontal” wells was conceived. This method of drilling involves injecting more than a million gallons of water and sand, as well as a toxic cocktail of chemicals under high pressure into the rock formation to release the gas. It has been estimated that over a 4-year period, up to 140 million gallons of water can be used by just one gas well.

Hope Taylor, Executive Director of CWFNC, will speak on the environmental and health impacts of hydraulic fracturing as well as current regulations and legislation in North Carolina. Following this, French and Knapp will talk about their firsthand experiences regarding fracking on their farms. Since 1999, Taylor has served as Executive Director of Durham-based CWFNC, a statewide science-based nonprofit that focuses on environmental health, drinking water and the impacts of energy production on water. Her background, which includes a Master of Science in Public Health degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from UNC-Chapel Hill, plus twenty years as a biomedical researcher at National Institutes of Health and Duke University, makes her an effective and knowledgeable advocate for the people and communities of North Carolina. In 2009, the EPA appointed Taylor to its National Drinking Water Advisory Council. In her spare time, Taylor is also a dairy goat farmer in the upper end of the Triassic Basin shale area. CWFNC promotes clean, safe ground and surface water and environments through organizing, education, advocacy and technical assistance.

Carol French and Carolyn Knapp are dairy farmers, one conventional and one organic, whose families had leased their farmland to gas companies for a small source of income for years. They had no expectation that gas development was imminent or that horizontal fracking would be developed and permitted in Pennsylvania. When Marcellus shale gas extraction with horizontal drilling began rapidly developing in 2007, many landowners were caught completely off guard. In 2010, French and Knapp founded Pennsylvania Landowners’ Group for Awareness and Solutions, an organization committed to educating farmers, landowners and the public about the consequences of rapid gas development. Both are familiar with the ‘good,’ the ‘bad,’ and the ‘ugly’ concerning gas extraction, as they live in Pennsylvania’s county that has been most impacted from rapid gas development. They presented a very powerful presentation at a Statewide Summit on Fracking Impacts in Pittsboro on September 10. Knowing that both sides of the issue need to be explored, they discuss the ‘good’ that can come from gas exploration: revenue for landowners from leasing agreements, jobs in the gas industry, business for restaurants, hotels and lawyers. And they raise awareness about the ‘bad’: questionable leases favoring gas companies, liens on property, mortgage conflicts, heavy truck traffic, social disintegration, loss of agricultural land, ground water contamination, increased community and farming costs, loss of tourism. They will also respond to industry messaging about the potential for shale gas to contribute to “energy independence” in the US, and to create sustainable jobs and other widespread economic benefits. Both suggest that we learn from other states by setting up support centers in our local communities.

Hear personal accounts from Carol French and Carolyn Knapp who are living with fracking on their lands on a daily basis. Their personal experiences can help us sort the good from the bad, and help us put guidelines in place to protect our communities if fracking is legalized as proposed in North Carolina. These guidelines can safeguard our air and water, our environment, and our way of life for future generations. We need to balance the promise of riches with the peril of drilling.

Join us for an informative presentation on Thursday November 10, 7 PM at the Days Inn Of Southern Pines, located at 650 US Highway 1 South (near the intersection of Morganton Road). Refreshments will be served. All are welcome.

Call the Gov. Today re Fracking/Offshore Drilling Bill

Last chance to have your voice heard on VETO of S709 — Deadline tomorrow!

As tomorrow's decision deadline approaches, we still need as many people as possible to make their voices heard on Senate Bill 709 (promoting offshore oil, fracking and bad energy policy), and S781 (makes new protective rules essentially impossible, gutting current rules by endless cost-benefit analyses)! Please call again or for the 1st time, and urge friends and family to do the same. The veto of these bills is truly vital to our environment and quality of life in NC.

Call 919-733-2391 or email governor.office@nc.gov today!

Lawmakers Seek Inquiry of Natural Gas Industry
Federal lawmakers are calling on agencies to investigate the natural gas industry and whether the picture that has been painted accurately reflects the reality of projections. State and Federal concerns about the financial and environmental impacts sparked the inquiry. Five companies have been subpenaed including Talisman and Chesapeake Energy. Supporters of natural gas sent a letter signed by a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers to President Obama calling on him for continued support of natural gas development.
EPA Fracking Study to Focus on Five States
The Environmental Protection Agency will focus its national study of hydraulic fracturing on seven areas in five states. Five of these research projects will take a forensic approach, retroactively investigating places where drilling has already occurred and where contamination has been alleged (including sites in North Dakota, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Colorado). At two additional sites—in DeSoto Parish, La., in the Haynesville Shale and a separate site in Washington County, Pa.—the EPA will attempt to observe and measure the changes drilling brings to an area as it happens.

Worst Drought in More Than a Century Strikes Texas Oil Boom

The water crisis in Texas, the biggest oil- and gas- producing state in the U.S., highlights a continuing debate in North America and Europe over the impact on water supplies of an oil and gas production technique called hydraulic fracturing. The worst Texas drought since record-keeping began 116 years ago may crimp an oil and natural-gas drilling boom as government officials ration water supplies crucial to energy exploration. Environmental groups are concerned the so-called fracking method may pose a contamination threat, while farmers in arid regions like south Texas face growing competition for scarce water.

Reminder: GASLAND, June 15, Sunrise

GASLAND – The controversial documentary that has polarized America
Award-winning documentary "GASLAND" at the Sunrise, Southern Pines, Wednesday, June 15, at 7:00 PM. $7.
There is a natural gas drilling boom sweeping across the United States, and it is about to reach Lee County and northern Moore County. Geologists believe that there is a major sub basin of natural gas that extends from Granville County above Durham southward through the Sanford area and into Moore County to the vicinity of Carthage.
Energy companies want to use a highly controversial method of drilling to extract this gas, which is known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." Fracking involves vertical as well as horizontal drilling and the pumping of huge amounts of water and chemicals into the shale rock to break up the rock and release the natural gas.

Horizontal drilling is currently illegal in North Carolina, but two bills currently being considered in the General Assembly would overturn this restriction.

This film dramaticcally shows the potential dangers of fracking to the environment and expecially to groundwater.
In order to provide a balanced view of the issues raised, a distinguished panel will discuss pros and cons, and questions will be addressed.

"Gasland", Sunrise Theatre, June 15, more on Fracking in Moore Co.

Save Our Sandhills will be the primary sponsor for the showing of the dramatic documentary film "Gasland" at the Sunrise Theater in Southern Pines on Wednesday, June 15, at 7:00PM. This film deals with the potential dangers of hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method of drilling for natural gas. Other sponsors will be Sustainable Sandhills and the Sandhills Area Land Trust.


As most of you know by now, there is a natural gas drilling boom sweeping across the United States, and it is about to reach Lee County and northern Moore County. Geologists believe that there is a major subbasin of natural gas that extends from Granville County above Durham southward through the Sanford area and into Moore County to the vicinity of Carthage.

Energy companies want to use a highly controversial method of drilling to extract this gas, which is known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." Fracking involves vertical as well as horizontal drilling and the pumping of huge amounts of water and chemicals into the shale rock to break up the rock and release the natural gas. Horizontal drilling is currently illegal in North Carolina, but two bills currently being considered in the General Assembly would make it legitimate.
As noted above, Save Our Sandhills will be the primary sponsor for the showing of the nationally acclaimed film "Gasland" at the Sunrise Theater on Wednesday, June 15, at 7:00PM. Admission is $7.00. This was an Oscar nominated documentary and a prize winner at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. This film exposes in a dramatic fashion the potential dangers of fracking to the environment and expecially to groundwater. The film itself, with dramatic footage of tap water being ignited with a match, is highly controversial and we will try to have panelists who will provide a balanced view of the issues raised by the film.

Development and Urban Sprawl, movie, April 28, Sou. Pines

SAVE OUR SANDHILLS WILL SHOW GRIPPING DOCUMENTARY ON

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT AND SPRAWL

On April 28, Save Our Sandhills will show the breathtaking documentary The Unforeseen, which was produced by Terrence Malick and Robert Redford. This film questions what we – as members of communities around the country – are willing to sacrifice in the name of growth.

This 90-minute film depicts the transformation of thousand of acres of pristine hill country in Austin, Texas, into suburban development by an ambitious real estate developer. In the process, a nearby natural spring is threatened, community conflict ensues, land is devastated, and lives are ruined. The Unforeseen, beautifully crafted, explores in-depth all sides of this politically-charged situation, showing the effects of development and sprawl on landowners, developers, and members of the community.

This same struggle is playing out in cities and towns across the United States and, at this moment, it is playing out in Moore County, particularly in Area A, which is the fastest growing area in the county. Moore County has had – and continues to have – controversy surrounding projects known as Stonehill Pines, Dormie Club, Pine Forest, Pine Needles, and Tyler’s Ridge. The question this film poses, “What are we willing to give up in the name of growth?” is not rhetorical. It is based in a reality that we must ponder. What do we envision Moore County to become in the future? Will it resemble “Everywhere USA?” or will it continue to have the charm and ambiance that has brought people to visit and settle here for years?
Join us for an informative and provocative evening; refreshments will be served. We will meet Thursday, April 28 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Club at the corner of Ashe Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. All are welcome.

Legislative Update, NC League of Conservations Voters

Legislative Watch: Dismembering DENR; Turning Off the Green Lights; Hot Rail

Outrageous attacks on past environmental gains continue in the General Assembly.

Dismembering DENR: The N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is our state's primary executive agency for implementing state laws and programs managing natural resources, and protecting clean air and water and public health. As such, it is the natural lightning rod for those politicians who do not believe in supporting any of those missions. That opposition is now manifesting itself in the open hostility of bills which would cut away key sub-parts of DENR and send them to other agencies. Last week saw the filing of SB 388, "Transfer Forestry & Forestry Council to DACS", joining the previously filed SB 229, "Transfer DENR Soil & Water to DACS". These bills would remove the forestry management and soil erosion control agencies from DENR and send them to the state Agriculture department, which is run by the independently elected Agriculture Commissioner instead of the governor. (The Ag department has traditionally been regarded as more firmly controlled by the agribusiness lobby and hostile to most environmental regulations.) Other proposals would cut away still other offices from DENR and send them to Commerce or the Wildlife Resources Commission. Commenting on these moves, Rep. Joe Hackney (D-Chatham) told the Raleigh News & Observer, "What I perceive is a generalized attack on all parts of DENR. There are some people who want to dismantle it and reduce it to little or nothing. There are others who want to neuter its regulatory side, which the public will not like. The public places a high value on clean water and clean air."

Turning Off the Green Lights: Meanwhile, the opponents of expanding North Carolina's use of renewable energy sources in the generation of electricity are weighing in through HB 431, "Repeal Senate Bill 3 of the 2007 Session". SB 3 (2007) contained both good (i.e., REPS) and bad (i.e., CWIP financing) provisions, but it's on some groups' hit parade today because of its good points: It directs that electric utilities produce a minimum percentage of their electricity from renewable energy resources. Anti-environmental policy groups like the John Locke Foundation have an abiding disdain for green energy, and continue to wail that the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) will raise electric rates (without contributing to their friends in the oil and nuclear industries). It's uncertain how far HB 431 will progress, since even the power companies now support the 2007 SB 3 as adopted, and have entered into a number of power-purchase contracts from renewable energy sources as a result.

Hot Rail: Rail has become the energy-efficient transportation system that anti-environmentalists love to hate. Incredibly, a Mecklenburg County legislator (Rep. Ric Killian, R-Mecklenburg) has filed a bill (HB 422, "No High-Speed Rail Money from Federal Gov't.") which would turn back a federal grant which includes $152 million now slated to improve rail safety and efficiency in his home county. That's how much of the total grant of $461 million in high-speed rail-enabling track and intersection improvements is targeted for improvements in Mecklenburg. The rest would go to improving track and addressing rail/street intersection problems across the Piedmont between Charlotte and Raleigh. The excuse for this anti-rail money madness is that high-speed rail would cost tax money to maintain on an ongoing basis. However, does anyone wish to bet that Rep. Killian would be...ahem...tarred & feathered & ridden out of town on a rail...by his constituents if he introduced legislation to turn down Charlotte beltway funds on similar grounds? The hypocrisy involved is staggering. Twelve other Representatives (all Republicans) have signed on to this legislation, which would cost North Carolina up to an estimated 5,000 construction-related jobs at a time when the state's unemployment rate exceeds 9%. The bill is scheduled to be heard in the House Transportation Committee tomorrow (Tuesday, March 29) at noon.

Regulatory Watch: Speak Up for Public Health and a Clean Environment

Two weeks ago CIB advised our readers of a series of so-called "regulatory reform" hearings planned as a means of generating support for stripping clean air and water protections off the rulebooks in North Carolina. Those hearings kicked off last week, and they continue this afternoon in Guilford County.

The good news is that opponents of environmental quality have not had the public stage to themselves thus far. At the first hearing in Wilmington on March 11, supporters of environmental quality were also present in force and spoke eloquently. According to the Wilmington Star-News, area resident Laura Parks kicked off the public comments by reminding committee members, "When you seek to weed through these regulations, know that we also rely on regulations to protect us...We may not be a business, just operating the business of our homes."

Environmental allies cannot afford to rest, however. Several additional hearings are planned by the "Joint Regulatory Reform Committee", including one today (Monday, March 28) from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Jamestown campus of Guilford Technical Community College, 601 High Point Road, Jamestown NC. Speakers will have up to two minutes to address the committee. Sign-up to speak begins at 12:30 p.m. Those who cannot attend can send comments to the committee care of regreform@ncleg.net.

Supporters of protecting clean air and water and public health are being called upon to stand up at these hearings to defend the laws and programs which protect our health and environment. Time and place details for the remaining public hearings (April 4, Winterville; April 15, Flat Rock; and April 21, Raleigh) can be found here: http://www.ncleg.net/documentsites/committees/jointregreform/Joint%20Regulatory%20Reform%20Meeting%20Schedule.pdf.

According to U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group), 108 million Americans live within 50 miles of one of the 104 operating commercial nuclear power plants in the United States. How many of them have received any information on emergency response or evacuation alternatives in the event of radiation releases similar to those taking place in Japan now?

Fears also continued to grow regarding the risk of further radiation leaks from spent fuel rods stored in pools outside the damaged reactors. In Japan as in the United States, tons of highly radioactive waste are stored in pools near but outside the reactor buildings. In the United States, almost 72,000 tons of these spent fuel rods are in temporary storage on plant sites, with more than three-quarters of the waste still very hot and sitting in water-filled pools for cooling. The amount of this intensely radioactive waste, which will remain toxic for tens of thousands of years, is currently growing in the U.S. at a rate of about 2,200 tons per year. When pools with the hot spent fuel are not kept filled with water, the residual heat of the rods can melt their casing and release highly dangerous radioactive isotopes to the environment. There is substantial concern that such releases already may have occurred in Japan.

Campaign Watch: Early Attacks Begin Against Environmental Ally

With the 2012 election year still nine months away, an automated telephone call attack campaign has already been launched against environmental ally U.S. Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC13). Miller's Congressional district is considered a likely target of redistricting efforts this year to reduce his support in 2012. In preparation for the expected campaign targeting Miller, the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee has initiated recorded calls to voters in the 13th District accusing Miller of supporting policies to raise gas prices. The calls implicitly refer to Miller's support for common-sense restrictions on offshore drilling. Miller responds that "according to the Bush Administration's Department of Energy, opening our entire continental shelf to oil drilling without regard to any environmental concern would not lower the price at the pump [for gasoline] at all. No amount of chanting 'drill, baby, drill' is going to change all that."
Education & Resources: Chances to Support Rail Transit
Finally this week, we note that residents of the Research Triangle region will have an opportunity to support development of its local, energy-efficient rail and bus transit system at four public workshops this week (March 28, 29, 30 and 31). For details on when, where, and how, see www.ourtransitfuture.com.

Hearing, Jan. 18, Pine Forest PUD

PLEASE ATTEND THE PINE FOREST HEARING JANUARY 18, 6:00, County Courthouse, Carthage


After months of quiet, the Pine forest proposed PUD slid its rezoning application through the Planning Department quietly during the last days of December. In order for this rezoning to take place, a water agreement (whereby the developer would pay $3 million for water line work) was to have been worked out by the county and developer. Evidently the water agreement is in place, but details are not forthcoming until the hearing. Withholding information like this is unheard of, and its legality could be questioned.
What is Pine Forest
Pine Forest is a huge project. It is 1,799 acres, of which 1,623 are being requested to be rezoned. This includes Nicks Creek, ultimately part of Carthage’s’ water supply, which runs through the middle of the entire property from west to east, with small tributaries feeding it throughout the property. In all, a great deal of wetlands abound, all of which are crucial to the welfare of birds and other wildlife, as well as to rare and unusual native plants.
The two largest functioning longleaf pine forests in North Carolina – Fort Bragg and the Sandhills Gamelands preserve – are both public lands that will remain protected. However, Bruce Sorrie, a botanist with the NC Natural Heritage Program, advises that this 1,799-acre tract is one of the two largest privately-owned functioning natural longleaf pine forests remaining in the North Carolina Sandhills. This property is in Moore County and has the greater biodiversity of these two remaining large tracts. It has a Sandhills lily population, other rare plant and animal species, and is the foraging area for red-cockaded woodpeckers, according to Jay Carter Associates. This property has not only state significance, but also national significance.

What is Planned
Planned are two separate communities – a resort hotel and residential community with a neighborhood retail center, as well as a gated residential community. These communities will include:
· Up to 890 residential and/or hotel rooms (with up to a maximum of 300 hotel rooms)
· 2 championship golf courses
· A golf short course
· Golf clubhouses for each course
· A resort spa, conference center, and fitness center
· A retail and office center
· An on-site wastewater treatment plant for use by Pine Forest and the nearby Dormie Club

What Is at Stake
· Water Where is water to come from within a 15- to 20-year timetable for total buildout? Who is to pay for this development’s water? If water is to come from other counties, will it still flow during droughts?
· Herbicides and Pesticides How will herbicides and pesticides be kept from seeping into Nick’s Creek? This project is in Watershed 3, and the waterways, with their floodplains, are in jeopardy. The chemicals used for both lawns and golf courses will eventually also have disastrous consequences for humans and nature alike.
· Traffic How will traffic be handled on local roads? The cumulative effect of Pine Forest and other projects proposed for this area should be taken into account. Three development projects are currently planned: Stonehill Pines (1,050 homes), Dormie Club (250+ homes), and Pine Forest. At present, at least 2,100 homes would be built in these developments. The planning rule of thumb is 10 trips per day per home. This totals 21,000 more trips a day onto the local roads, including Route 211. The cumulative effect of these proposed developments and the additional school traffic of buses and cars from the new West Pine Middle School (whose entrance is only ½ mile east of Pine Forest on Route 211) will be staggering. Route 211 is scheduled to start construction on widening from 2 lanes to 4 lanes by 2012. The widening will be between Route 73 and the Pinehurst traffic circle. Nevertheless, with new schools, new developments, and new hospital facilities all either proposed or under construction, the planned road infrastructure does not appear adequate for future needs. In fact, traffic volume at the traffic circle in Pinehurst already often functions at a low level.
· Costly Infrastructure Problems Raise Taxes All these new homes may necessitate more schools and additional services. Traffic will back up farther at both ends of the widened Route 211 because of the cumulative effect of these projects. Increased accidents could jeopardize the safety of school children, parents, teachers, and school administrators along with residents of nearby communities; and jammed traffic lanes could prevent emergency vehicle access.
· The Wastewater Treatment Plant What are the real facts concerning the wastewater treatment plant – its safety, odor, maintenance? In Cumberland County, documented problems have occurred. Other counties have had such terrible experiences that they now prohibit their use. Moore County Public Works has only a draft of conditions and standards, and it has no experience with private systems which could be turned over to a homeowners’ organization to operate. Will this really provide enough water for all the golf courses, common areas, and lawns at Pine Forest and the Dormie Club? Could water contamination be an issue?
· Loss of Habitat for Flora and Fauna With so much area allotted for houses, businesses, roads, and golf courses, how will animals have corridors and native plants flourish?

What to Do
In the fall of 2009, Save Our Sandhills voted to resist this PUD. We have an attorney helping us challenge this, and have a list of supporting speakers. Attending the meeting is essential. Numbers are important. It is not necessary for you to speak. The Board of Commissioners needs to see that a large number of citizens are concerned with this project. A project of this size is a small city, and will catapult Moore County from a rural area into an urban area with all its inherent density problems.
County Courthouse, Jan. 18, 6:00, Carthage

Important TED Talks: Prosperity Without Growth and KIVA.org

Friday, November 5th - Two TED Talks
Raven's Wing, 325 N Page St, SP

"Economics and Sustainability"
featuring the author of "Prosperity without Growth" and the founder of Kiva.org

Film starts at 7:00 pm    Discussion to follow.
A suggested donation of $5 is greatly appreciated!
(Arrive around 6:15 for potluck between meditation and film.)

Oct. 28, SOS hosts SALT's Candace Williams

SAVE OUR SANDHILLS SPEAKER DISCUSSES SALT’S WORK –

THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN THE SANDHILLS

On October 28, Save Our Sandhills will host Candace Williams, Executive Director of the Sandhills Area Land Trust (SALT) to discuss “The Best Kept Secrets in the Sandhills: The Work of the Sandhills Area Land Trust – Past, Present, and Future.” North Carolina’s 25 land trusts have protected over 309,000 acres of natural lands across the state. And SALT, our local land trust based in Fayetteville and Southern Pines, has recently been credited with protecting more than 10,000 acres of land in the Sandhills region. This is a tremendous accomplishment!

With burgeoning development in the Sandhills, slowed only by a faltering economy, SALT’s efforts are essential to preserving open space. Since 1991, it has been targeting prime pieces to preserve in Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Richmond, and Scotland counties. These pieces are primarily working forests, farmlands, riparian buffers, and significant natural areas. While its first few years of existence involved setting up a solid infrastructure, its past 10 years have brought in the majority of acreage under SALT’s stewardship. It has evolved from a volunteer-run organization to a professionally recognized organization which operates under the standards and practices of the Land Trust Alliance, the national support organization for land trusts nationwide. Its accomplishments have been wide-reaching: 1. Protecting water quality and drinking water supplies in the Drowning Creek, Little River, McLendons Creek, and Cape Fear River areas, 2. Preserving numerous working farms, 3. Preserving historic and cultural lands, including the Averasboro Civil War Battlefield, Pottery Road, and Rhodes Pond, 4. Preserving Horse Country land, and 5. Securing Military Training Lands; some sizeable projects are planned for the future.

Candace Williams, a native of the Sandhills, has worked for twenty-five years in New England. She is a conservation biologist and has a Master's Degree in that discipline from Antioch University in Keene, New Hampshire. She has worked and studied in many parts of the world such as the Arctic Circle, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Trinidad, Tobago, Chile, and Baja. Most recently, she traveled to Cuba where she was part of a research team contributing to a long-term baseline study on the 24 endemic avian species in Cuba identifying their habitats for future protection efforts. The focus of her work has been endangered species and habitat protection.

Williams returned to North Carolina in 1999 to work as one of the state sea turtle biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Her work prior to returning to N.C. was with the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Coastal Waterbird Program in charge of all the coastal nesting bird colonies along the South Shore of Massachusetts, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket; the Manomet Center for Conservation Science as an avian researcher; and the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. She was also part of the working team that authored the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, a model for other countries around the world.

Since 2001, Williams has worked for the Sandhills Area Land Trust first as Associate Director of the organization in charge of Land Protection. In October 2009, she became the Executive Director. She has been instrumental in protecting over half of the 10,000 acres of land protected by the organization in the Sandhills.

Candace Williams' most recent honors are very impressive. She was the recipient of the 2006 Governor’s Conservation Achievement Award as the Land Conservationist of the Year -- the State’s highest natural resource honor; and she was the recipient of the National Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution – Woman in American History Award – for her contribution to conservation.
Join us; refreshments will be served. Thursday, October 28 at 7 PM in the Southern Pines Civic Club, corner of Ashe Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. All are welcome.

Must Watch Video re: Slow Food, Terra Madre Conference

http://www.slowfood.com/dossier2010/eng
And Sandhills Farm2Table reps will be there in October, very exciting!  Let's help them when they bring those excellent ideas and motivations back home.  Slow Food for all, sustainable farming methods for all, cleaner air and water for all, community-building for all!  Congratulations to Jan and Fenton, buen viaje, Amigos!

THIRST in Fayetteville, Sept. 14, 6:30

Is water part of a shared "commons" - a human right for all people? Or is it a commodity to be bought, sold, and traded in a global marketplace?
Sustainable Sandhills' Cumberland County Sustainable Film Series
Join us TODAY, Sept. 14   for    Thirst
September 14th, 2010, 6:30-8:30 PM
Pate Room, Headquarters Library
300 Maiden Lane, Downtown Fayetteville
Sustainable Sandhills is partnering with the Cumberland County Headquarters Library for a FREE screening of Thirst.

Gulf Leak from the Air, by Amateur

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=524_1273510578

It's the Dirt, Y'all!

Moore County Sustainable Film Series

Join us for "Dirt! The Movie"
May 13th, 2010   6:30-8:00 PM
Clement Dining Room, Dempsey Student Center
Sandhills Community College
3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst, NC
Join us for a FREE screening of Dirt! The Movie.
DIRT! The Movie--directed and produced by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow--takes you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility--from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation.

Hemenway in Raleigh, Apr 26, Food Security

On April 26, 2010, Toby Hemenway will give a lecture at 7:00 pm at the NC State University McKimmon Center in Raleigh, NC. Mr. Hemenway will talk about "Foodsheds and Footprints: Connecting Cities, Suburbs, and Farms for True Food Security" as part of NCSU's Park Scholarship Speaker Series.

Toby Hemenway is the author of Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, which for the past six years has been the world's best-selling book on permaculture, a design approach based on ecology for creating sustainable landscapes, homes, communities, and workplaces. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Graduate Education at Portland State University, Scholar-in-Residence at Pacific University, and a biologist consultant for the Biomimicry Guild. He teaches, consults, and lectures on permaculture and ecological design throughout the US and other countries. His writing has appeared in magazines such as Natural Home, Whole Earth Review, and American Gardener.

He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he is developing sites and resources for urban sustainability. More information about Toby can be found on his website at http://patternliteracy.com/ Register for this free event at http://psss2010tobyhemenway.eventbrite.com/

Debbie Roos
Agricultural Extension Agent, Chatham County Center
North Carolina Cooperative Extension, 919.542.8202
debbie_roos@ncsu.edu
http://www.growingsmallfarms.org/
twitter.com/GrowSmallFarms

Climate Change, Water Wars, Bolivia

* Jim Shultz on "Dignity and Defiance: Stories from Bolivia's Challenge to Globalization" * Jim Shultz, founder of the Cochabamba-based Democracy Center, gives a snapshot of Bolivia ahead of the World Peoples' Summit on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth. Ten years ago, Shultz helped expose the role of Bechtel in the privatization of Cochabamba's water supply. Listen/Watch/Readhttp://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/19/jim_shultz_on_dignity_and_defiance

* The Cochabamba Water Wars: Marcela Olivera Reflects on the Tenth Anniversary of the Popular Uprising Against Bechtel and the Privatization of the City's Water Supply * Ten years ago this month, the Bolivian city of Cochabamba was at the center of an epic fight over one of the city's most vital natural resources: its own water. The Water Wars occurred just months after the Battle of Seattle. The uprising against Bechtel on the streets of Cochabamba was seen as the embodiment of the international struggle against corporate globalization. Over the past week, water activists from around the world gathered in Cochabamba to mark the tenth anniversary of the Water Wars. Listen/Watch/Readhttp://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/19/the_cochabamba_water_wars_marcella_olivera

Who Are the Major Polluters?

http://www.peri.umass.edu/toxic_index/

Colbert on Mountaintop Removal

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/261997/january-18-2010/coal-comfort---margaret-palmer

Not Too Late to Donate

http://www.oursoil.org/sites/default/files/newsletter/SOIL%20Holiday%20Appeal%202009.pdf

Long but Excellent Article on Maltreatment of Soil

http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010127yeomansIII/010127ch14.html

PUD Proposal, Nov. 5, Carthage, 6 pm

The proposed Pine Forest Development covers around 1,799 acres of forested land between Pinehurst and West End. This tract contains the headwaters of Nick's Creek and is one of the last large expanses of undeveloped land remaining in the greater Pinehurst area.

It is located in Area A.

Tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 5, 6 PM at the old courthouse in Carthage, the Moore County Planning Board will hear a proposal by the developer for rezoning the tract to PUD.

Of interest will be how the Board will see this proposal in view of the provisions in the Moore County Land Use Plan, which calls for the protection of the rural landscape.