Don McGowan
Join the Western North Carolina and Photographer Don McGowan (Earthsong Photography) for a very special weekend photography workshop (with all proceeds going to WNCA) to focus on Appalachian Barns.
“The Appalachian Barn Workshop: The Barns of Haywood and Madison Counties” is a three-day workshop that will take you to 11 historic and photogenic barns throughout Madison and Haywood counties. Don McGowan will offer a full day of field work in Madison and Haywood counties, a creative program and a full critique session.
Don’s love for nature began early on in his life. He grew up in the rolling Piedmont hills of Georgia, the child of farm children and the grandchild of farmers. As a teenager he spent much of his time exploring the forests, wetlands, and river valleys of the northern and central parts of his native Georgia. Later, during undergraduate and law school, his range expanded to include the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, as well as the swamps of the southeastern coastal plain. As Don moved into his working career, he discovered that rather than wanting to spend less time in Nature, he wanted to spend more. He has now been a professional nature photographer for 20 years.
The essence of what Don has learned:
“The images that we make are the reflections of our heart. From the moment we are born, and even sooner, we begin to receive impressions from the world around us; and, from those impressions, questions begin to be answered: What sort of place is this? Is it safe, or no? Does it mean me good or ill? What is this thing called beauty and how can I know it? What part do I play in all of this?
At some moment in time, the impressions begin to coalesce into pictures, the world takes on form, we become aware of elemental design; and these things stand before us within a context of light and shadow that is constantly changing. We see this with our eyes, in our minds, and within the core of our being. And we respond.
For some, the response is a verse, a song, the lines of a story; for others, it takes on shape and form: a bowl, the moldings of a sculptured body; for me, it became a photograph. For I have found over the years that I best connect with the world through the creation of images; I best express that connection through the medium of pictures; and I best share that expression – my love of this earth – through the eyes of a camera and lens.”
EarthSong Photography
Friday:
6:30 p.m. – This introductory meeting will serve to help get everyone well acquainted with one another and with Don. We will meet at the WNCA office for hors d’ oeuvres and drinks.
Saturday:
6:30 a.m. – Field Day. We’ll be out barn hopping and photographing all day! A carpool will be organized and lunch will be in Mars Hill.
Sunday:
EarthSong Photography
8 a.m. – We will meet back at the WNCA office. Light breakfast and coffee will be served. Each participant will receive a personalized critique from Don in a group setting. The critiques will end around noon.
Cost:
$275 for WNCA-members and $295 for non-members (includes a one-year membership). The cost of each ticket includes a $10 donation to the Appalachian Barn Alliance to help preserve the historic buildings.
Requirements:
A digital camera that allows raw capture.
People of all experience levels are invited to join!
**If you have any technical questions or concerns about your camera please contact Don McGowan at don@EarthSongPhotography.com or call him at 828.788.0687.
Registration:
*Spots are very limited*
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During the 2013 legislative session, the General Assembly passed a bill overhauling how the state prioritizes and funds transportation projects. There are now three pots of funding – state, regional, and local – each with a different set of criteria for determining how projects will be prioritized and funded.
Early this year, NC DOT will be prioritizing those projects in the state funding pot and, as part of that process, is holding hearings around the state to hear from citizens what projects they believe are most important. Included in this statewide category are interstate projects of statewide significance, including the I-26 Connector.
Please attend the hearing from 4-7 p.m. Feb. 11 in the Haynes Building, AB Tech, Enka Campus
If you can’t attend, you can still comment by submitting a Comment Form, which can be found here. (Scroll down to Division 13.)
Tell DOT what you think about transportation generally, where state dollars ought to be invested, and what you want to see in the I-26 Connector Project specifically. Here are some talking points you may use:
- More investment of state dollars in multiple modes of transportation. From the recent GroWNC regional planning process, we know that citizens want increased investment in modes of transportation other than just vehicles – greenways, bike paths, commuter trails, transit, sidewalks. The new state funding program actually cuts the amount of state dollars going toward these modes, which takes us in the wrong direction for our health, our communities, and our environment.
- Look for low-cost but effective solutions. Cost is a large factor in the new prioritization program, and projects that are cost effective will score the best. Projects in this region continue to be larger and more expensive than they need to be (i.e. Leicester Highway and I-26) because DOT refuses to consider more context-sensitive, low cost alternatives. DOT should enable projects here to score better by looking at lower cost solutions.
- The I-26 Connector Project should minimize destruction of neighborhoods, homes, and businesses and should match the character of Asheville. NCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration are still insisting on 10 lanes through West Asheville and six lanes of interstate traffic across the river. This is too large a footprint for a road that handles mostly local, not interstate traffic, and in light of state and national data showing people are driving less and less each year. DOT should consider a smaller footprint, and therefore a smaller price tag, which will help the project score better. A smaller footprint might also reduce opposition to the project because fewer homes and businesses will be lost.
- The I-26 Connector Project should result in safe travel for both interstate and local traffic. While there may be other options to achieve this, the best way to improve safety on the Jeff Bowen Bridges is to return Patton Avenue to a local street, as contemplated in Asheville’s long range plan. This will improve opportunities for bike and pedestrian commuters to downtown and will increase the tax base for the City of Asheville by opening up new opportunities for urban, mixed-use development.
- The I-26 Connector Project should improve connections for all transportation modes. This cannot be just an investment for vehicles. Asheville has invested tremendously in its bike and pedestrian infrastructure recently and wants to do even more. The City recently amended its Greenway plan to include several greenway segments that should be advanced as part of this project. Also, the more infrastructure there is for bikes and pedestrians the more those modes will be used and the less local traffic there will be on our roads, including I-26/I-240.
*POSTPONED UNTIL 2/22 DUE TO PARKWAY CLOSURES*
Join WNCA and Ron Lance for a FREE Winter Plant Identification Hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Little Bald Mountain!
Ron Lance is a native plant specialist who has more than 30 years of experience growing, studying and teaching about native plants. Ron has written numerous tree & shrub guides and keys for Southeastern plants, including The Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge, The Surveyor’s Guide to the Trees of North Carolina, his self-published Hawthorns of the Southeastern United States; Hawthorns and Medlars, co-authored with James B. Phillips, and his newest release, Woody Plants of the Southeastern US – A Winter Guide, a college-level reference book with illustrations and keys for winter plant identification (University of GA Press).
We will begin our hike at the north end of the Pisgah Inn’s parking lot. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail (white blazes) will lead us for the first 0.3 mile to the trail junction that ascends to Little Bald Mountain, passing noteworthy examples of living yet ailing American chestnut trees and interesting shrubs like the minnie-bush and beaked hazelnut. At the summit of Little Bald (0.5 mile distance and 350 ‘higher than parking), we will pass through a dwarf beech forest as we descend the oak/laurel-covered ridge southeasterly on the Pilot Rock Trail (orange blazes) to a connector trail (yellow blaze) which leads north to Laurel Mountain Trail, about 0.9 mile and 608’ lower than the peak. We then take the Laurel Mountain Trail back to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, about a mile walk along north-facing slopes rich in hardwood/rhododendron forests, rocks and seepages. Returning to parking along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (about 0.8 mile) we will pass through aromatic patches of Galax (leaf odors) and oak forests as we complete a 3.2 mile loop. This trail has a variety of slope exposures, so if a cool day, remember those clothing layers! Please bring water, lunch, and dress appropriately including proper footwear.
There will be a carpool available for those who which to partake we will meet at Earth Fare Westgate at 9:15 a.m.
An alternate hike for inclement weather and parkway closures will be at Elk Mountain.
- What: Little Bald Mountain Winter Plant Ecology Hike
- When: Saturday February 8 at 10 a.m.
- Cost: FREE
- Where: Pisgah Inn Parking Lot 408.6 Blue Ridge Pkwy, Brevard, NC 28712
- RSVP: Isabelle Rios, Education and Outings Coordinator, 828.258.8737 ext. 201 or Isabelle@WNCA.org
For Asheville citizens, this year’s ballot will include a referendum on whether or not to sell Asheville’s water system. The referendum will read: “Shall the City of Asheville undertake the sale or lease of its water treatment system and water distribution system?”
WNCA opposes the uninvited sale of Asheville’s water system to a regional authority and fervently hopes you’ll vote “NO!”
Here’s why:
Last year, N.C. General Assembly created a special study committee, on which the vast majority of Asheville’s citizens were not represented, to recommend whether to transfer Asheville’s billion-dollar water system to another entity. Upon completion of its study, the committee recommended the water system merge with the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), which handles wastewater for Asheville, Buncombe County, and parts of Henderson County. The City and MSD have initiated studies of how a merger would impact rates, what it would cost, and how the resulting system could be managed.
The report from the study committee also said that if the two entities are not engaged in “good faith negotiations” when the General Assembly reconvenes in January 2013, there will be a bill to force the merger of the two systems. WNCA, along with our partners, NC for Clean Water, Food and Water Watch, WENOCA Sierra Club, Mountain Voices and PARC, oppose this top-down dictate about ownership and management of Asheville’s water system for the following reasons:
I. The system isn’t broken, so don’t fix it.
The City of Asheville provides clean, affordable water to citizens throughout the region, is an exceptional environmental steward of our watershed and is accountable to the local community. Why change it?
II. Would a regional water authority protect our environment by controlling sprawl and being a good steward of the watershed?
Sprawl: Controlling sprawl is critical to protecting our beautiful mountains and precious water resources. One effective way to control sprawl is to direct growth with strategic placement of infrastructure. If water lines are extended to areas where growth is desirable and limited in areas where growth is not, it can serve as an effective tool to manage land use. One concern with a regional water authority is there might be less emphasis to grow our urban areas and more emphasis on growth into our working farms and forest lands (aka: more sprawl).
Watershed Stewardship: The City has done an exceptional job protecting the North Fork and Bee Tree Watersheds, the main sources for Asheville’s water system. Another owner could open these invaluable areas to ecologically destructive uses such as logging. Protecting our watershed is critical to maintaining the high quality drinking water our region is blessed with. The health of our water supply is not only important for the environment and human health, but serves as a valuable economic tool to attract businesses, such as Sierra Nevada Brewery, to the area.
III. Would a regional water authority be managed in an accountable, transparent manner with oversight from the public?
The City of Asheville’s current water system is governed in a transparent manner and is accountable to the public. We have no guarantee a new regional water authority would provide these critical protections.
The less local, the more likelihood for a disconnect between public needs and managers of the system.
IV. The study committee may recommend transferring Asheville’s water system without sufficiently compensating the city. How is this consistent with conservative values of local control and championing property rights?
The City owns the infrastructure and has the permit to withdraw and use the water. The City is the legal, moral, and rightful owner of this $1.4 billion system.
Since 2005 alone, the city has invested $40 million in updates and improvements to the system.
Some argue that the ratepayers “own” the water system. However, ratepayers don’t own the water system any more than ratepayers own Progress Energy’s infrastructure.
V. Is this decision process fair, representative, and inclusive?
The future of Asheville’s water system is being determined by a five-member study committee initiated and led by Rep. Tim Moffit. Three committee members do not represent any of our region’s citizens and close to 70 percent of Asheville’s citizens are not represented on this committee at all. The make-up of this committee does not adequately reflect diverse viewpoints and lacks proper representation, perspective and balance.
VI. If Asheville’s water system is seized without due compensation, will our water supply become the focus of expensive legal battles for years to come?
Yes, if the state forcefully seizes Asheville’s water system, the City will undoubtedly pursue legal measures, putting ownership of our region’s water supply in question for years to come.
In all likelihood, this would prevent future needed infrastructure updates and improvements until litigation subsides and the rightful owner is decided upon via the court system.
Both N.C. and Asheville citizens would front the cost (via taxes) for this expensive legal battle, wasting money and taking energy away from other important governmental efforts.
The most important function of a water system is to provide clean, affordable water.
The City of Asheville has done an exceptional job. We believe the best way to ensure the future health and effectiveness of Asheville’s water system is to allow Asheville to continue operating it. Moreover, any decision and subsequent management of Asheville’s water system should be local, public and transparent.
FACTS ABOUT THE ASHEVILLE WATERSHED
The Asheville Watershed is a 22,000-acre expanse of unbroken forest bordering the Blue Ridge Parkway in Buncombe County.
Along with providing exceedingly clean water for Asheville and Buncombe County, the watershed is regarded as one of the most important natural areas in the Southern Appalachians because of its importance to the ecological integrity of the Black Mountains, the tallest mountain range east of the Mississippi, and the incredible collection of rare plants, animals, natural communities, and old-growth forests that are found there.
Among the natural highlights of the property are globally rare and never logged spruce-fir forests, high elevation rock outcrops, waterfalls, spray cliffs, glades, and over 20 rare species, including the Federally Endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel.
GET INVOLVED
POSTERS: Posters supporting our cause are available at the WNCA’s office, located at 29 N. Market St., Suite 610 — (828) 258-8737
YARD SIGNS: Yard signs supporting our cause are available at the following locations (calling in advance is a good idea). Small donations are welcome:
Downtown: Clean Water of North Carolina, 29 1/2 Page Ave — (828) 251-1291
North Asheville: Asheville Brewers Supply, 712 Merrimon Ave. — (828) 285-0515
East Asheville: Democratic Headquarters, 951 Old Fairview Road
West Asheville: West Village Market, 771 Haywood Road — (828) 225-4949
South Asheville: Sam Speciale, 14 Trevors Trail (near Brevard Road) — (828) 242-1794
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DETAILS ON THIS ISSUE, VISIT:
Wild & Scenic Film Festival – Cullowhee, NC, April 18th
Featured Films:
Deep Down’s People Power: Mountain Roots (2010)
*will play at both venues
Carol Judy, who lives deep in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee, has a very special connection to the mountains. Carol digs ginseng, goldenseal, and other medicinal roots from special spots in the mountains that she knows and loves. Now, due to mountaintop removal coal mining, her ancestral mountains are threatened.
The Greatest Migration (2011)
Snake River salmon swim more than 900 miles inland and climb almost 7,000 feet to reach their spawning grounds. These iconic fish travel farther and higher than any other salmon on Earth, but a gauntlet of dams blocks their great migration and is pushing these high-altitude salmon to extinction.
An Ill Wind (2011)
*will play at both venues
The Moapa River Indian Reservation, tribal home of the Moapa Band of Paiutes, sits about 30 miles north of Las Vegas and about 300 yards from the coal ash ponds and landfills of the Reid Gardner Power Station. Coal ash is the toxic ash and sludge left at the end of the coal burning process. It’s laced with arsenic, mercury, lead and other heavy metals. It’s the second largest waste stream in America and it’s currently unregulated.
If the conditions are just wrong, coal ash picks up from Reid Gardner and moves across the desert like a toxic sandstorm sending the local residents running for their homes. The reservation has lung, heart and thyroid disease rates that are abnormally high and the power plant is currently seeking to expand its coal ash storage capability.
The film An Ill Wind tells the Paiute Indians’ story.
Wild & Scenic Film Festival – Asheville, NC, April 19th
Featured Films:
Chasing Water (2011)
Follow the Colorado River, source to sea, with photographer Pete McBride who takes an intimate look at the watershed as he attempts to follow the irrigation water that sustains his family’s Colorado ranch, down river to the sea. Traversing 1500 miles and draining seven states, the Colorado River supports over 30 million people across the southwest. It is not the longest or largest U.S. river, but it is one of the most loved and litigated in the world. Today, this resource is depleted and stressed. Follow its path with an artistic, aerial view on a personal journey to understand this national treasure. McBride teamed up with his bush-pilot father to capture unique footage and also shadowed the adventure of Jon Waterman who became the first to paddle the entire length of the river.
Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000 (2010)
This is the parallel journey of two characters: one a young woman discouraged at her future as a suburban housewife, the other a river — one beautiful and teeming with wildlife — now a hopeless, toxic sludge pit. Chronicling an important episode in U.S. environmental history, this inspirational story examines the human side of acclaimed environmental pioneer Marion Stoddart who proved that with vision and commitment, an “ordinary” person can accomplish extraordinary things.
A Liter of Light (2011)
*will play at both venues
The film documents a foundation’s project to light up a poor neighborhood through the efforts of a local man who works for them. He becomes a beacon of hope to his community when he installs hundreds of solar-powered light bulbs in his neighbor’s houses. The clever device is made from old plastic soda bottles filled with water and bleach. Many of the homeowners can barely afford electricity and because their houses stand so close to each other, they don’t really get much daylight. With a little bleach, water and good will, their days are now much, much brighter.
The Majestic Plastic Bag (2011)
*will play at both venues
Follow a plastic bag from supermarket to its final migratory destination in the Pacific Ocean gyre. Jeremy Irons narrates this mock nature documentary.
Gloop (2011)
“Gloop” is a dark fairytale that follows the meteoric rise of plastic from its inception in Leo’s gloomy laboratory 100 years ago. Told like a Brother’s Grimm fable, “Gloop” offers a poignant and lasting message about the price we pay for the convenience of plastic.
