Trees: Fire in the Land of the Longleaf Pine
Witchhazel Magic
Activism
Heal Our Waterways
Grasses of Summer
As this issue evolved, it became clear that we had a lot to say about trees. Our area lost a lot of tree cover last year in Hurricane Florence, and people are wanting to figure out what kind of plantings make sense as they restore their gardens. If weather patterns are changing, as it seems they are, it makes sense to landscape for resilience: native perennials and trees can help control stormwater runoff.
Lloyd Singleton, Executive Director of the New Hanover County Arboretum, shares with us about the seven native trees that have been planted at the Arboretum. (We’ve turned it into a self-directed treasure hunt, if you’d like to go find them.) The Alliance for Cape Fear Trees joined forces with WHQR volunteers and City employees to plant replacements for cypress trees lost last year in Lilly Park and near Burnt Mill Creek. Four of the 100 initiatives listed in the Project Drawdown we mention on page 4 have something to do with how we manage trees. And we start this issue with an article explaining the value of fire in maintaining and restoring our longleaf pine forest.
I’ve been struck over the last several months by how many people are taking an interest in doing something about our plastics use and overuse. The Plastic Ocean Project just celebrated the grand opening of its new facility, and in recent months I’ve met several people who have started up businesses intended to help us reduce the amount of limited-use plastic we use at home: we mention three such start-ups in this issue.
Our appetite for making a difference seems to be growing. I hope you’ll find something in this issue to inspire you to be a part of the effort.
— Valerie L. Robertson EditorFront Cover: Three separate butterfly sculptures made exclusively for Laura & Duncan McCabes’ garden, which was one of the gardens on the 2019 Azalea Garden Home Tour. Each butterfly sculpture is made from Corten steel; Stainless steel flower form; and the butterflies are made from aluminum and color acrylic. The sculptures range in size from 9 foot, 8 foot and 7 foot tall.
Artist: Paul Hill Paul Hill Sculpture
e: paulhill200@gmail.com web: paulhillsculpture.com cell: 910-547-5705
3 Fire in the Land of the Longleaf Pine
4 350 Wilmington and 100 Ways to Save the World
4 Area Medication Disposal Event October 26
5 That Old Witchhazel Magic
6 ilovetees.net—Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve at UNCW
7 The Explorer’s Backpack Program at the Arboretum
8 New Native (and Nativar) Tree Species for 2019 at the Arboretum
11 Grasses of Summer for Coastal North Carolina
12 Darwin’s General Store Wants Your Old Shirts
13 Purchasing Food with Sustainability in Mind
14 Recipes
16 2019 Food Festivals
18 Your Ecological House™ To Tree or Not to Tree
19 Your Ecological House™ It’s a Swamp Thing
20 Green News
21 Crossword Puzzle
23 Stormwater 101—Heal Our Waterways
Cape Fear’s Going Green is a quarterly publication promoting eco-friendly resources and lifestyles in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin.
Publisher & Editor in Chief: Valerie Robertson
Sister City: Eugene, Oregon (Voted “Greenest City” 2006 by The Green Guide)
Eugene Contributing Editor: Mary Robertson
Advisors & Editorial Contributors: Amanda Ake, Carol Bales, Shannon Bradburn, Jennifer Butler, Sue Cag, Kate Cardamone, Isabelle Chan, Debbie Crane, Kristen Crawford, Nelson DeBarros, Candi Devinney, Teri Sue Dusseau, Joyce Huguelet, Gary Teachey, Virginia Teachey, Mitzy Jonkheer, Casey Nelson, Catherine Nesbit, Jim Nesbit, Christie Perry, Anna RehGingerich, Lloyd Singleton, Lily Smith, and Philip S. Wenz.
Cape Fear’s Going Green Going Green Publications
P. O. Box 3164 • Wilmington, NC 28406 (910) 547-4390
publisher@goinggreenpublications.com
www.goinggreenpublications.com
Cape Fear’s Going Green is available by subscription or on our website. Print copies are available at more than 140 area eco-friendly businesses and locations, including:
Arboretum/New Hanover County Extension Service, Aunt Kerry’s Pet Stop, Lovey’s Market, Old Books on Front Street, Pomegranate Books, Re-eco Design, Tidal Creek Co-op, UNCW, Whole Foods, Shelton Herb Farm, the YMCA, and the YWCA.
Editorial: If you have story ideas or calendar items to suggest, email us at editor@goinggreenpublications.com, or call (910) 547-4390.
Advertising information: Email ads@goinggreenpublications.com.
Cape Fear’s Going Green is distributed free throughout Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender counties. If you have a business and would like to receive multiple copies for the public, please contact us.
The views and opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of this publication.
The longleaf pine occupies a special place in North Carolina. The state’s toast hails the “land of the longleaf pine.” The state’s highest civilian honor is the Order of the Longleaf Pine. Longleaf pine once blanketed 90 million acres of coastal plain and sandhills from Texas to Virginia. Today longleaf pine occupies six percent of its original range including thousands of acres in and around Wilmington.
Without fire longleaf pine forest won’t survive and thrive. And, neither will all the plants and animals that live in the forest. Longleaf pine forests are some of the most biodiverse in the world—a host of plants and animals wake their homes there, including many endangered and rare species such as red-cockaded woodpeckers and Venus flytraps.
Native Americans recognized that longleaf forests needed fire. If lightning struck, they didn’t fight the fire. And, if lightening failed to ignite a fire, the natives helped it along. Call them the forest’s first land managers. Fire was very much a part of the forest until Europeans came along. Rather than living with fire and benefiting from the abundance of plants and animals that were a part of the landscape, Europeans cut down the trees. They built
communities where forest once stood, and they feared the effect that fire would have on them rather than understanding its importance. The federal government had its most successful public service campaign with the everpopular Smoky Bear whose message was that all fire was bad. Today Smoky is singing a different tune, reminding folks that while wildfires may be devastating to people and nature, controlled burning is vital for longleaf forest health.
The Nature Conservancy and its conservation partners burn thousands of acres of longleaf forest every year.
scribed fire. Each fire has a prescription—a plan that details the number of acres to be burned and the ecological goal. These plans are highly detailed—taking into account topography, weather, and particular species. Burn bosses create these plans—dividing forest into units that can be safely burned in a short period of time. Crews are well-trained and must pass tough requirements, getting tested along the way to earn and keep their credentials. The burn boss, who leads the burn, has many years of experience. The crews must also be physically fit; every year they must pass a pack test—walking three miles in 45 minutes while carrying a 45-pound pack. The decision to burn is last-minute. If the weather isn’t right, then a burn is a no-go.
In the past, most burns were done in the winter. Today burns are also extend-
ing into the growing season. The idea is to get as much fire on the ground as possible. And one burn isn’t enough. Managing longleaf fire with controlled burning is a constant process—fire is returned to the forest in regular intervals stretching from three to five years. That takes commitment both in terms of time and money. Government agencies and non-government agencies like The Nature Conservancy devote a lot of resources to controlled burning in longleaf forests. Today that commitment is paying off for southeastern North Carolina. Longleaf trees and all the critters and plants that live there are thriving. This is good for the area’s economy because people love to visit a beautiful forest. It is also good for the safety of nearby human communities; regular burning removes fuel that could drive out-of-control wildfire.
If you would like to learn more about the role of controlled burning in longleaf pine forest as well as see a controlled burning in person, put October 12, 2019 on your calendar. That’s the date of the annual “Fire in the Pines Festival,” held at Wilmington’s Halyburton Park. For more information visit https://www.fireinthepines.org/.
Debbie Crane is a leader in controlled burning and wildfire communication for The Nature Conservancy nationwide.
In June members of the new 350 Wilmington organization invited members of the community to the New Hanover County Library for an introduction to Project Drawdown, a scientifically-based, comprehensive plan of the top 100 solutions to reverse global warming by 2050. This introduction to Project Drawdown utilized workshop materials prepared by Pachamama Alliance (www.pachamama. org), and 350 Wilmington hopes to follow up with another workshop and perhaps a series of five classes that would allow participants to delve more deeply into the possibilities for action.
The Cape Fear’s Going Green Environmental Book Club will likely embrace Paul Hawken’s Drawdown book as one of its readings for 2020. It lists 100 practices and techniques for offsetting climate change, ranked by the amount of CO2 reduction, the cost, and the net savings possible by the year 2050.
The 350 Wilmington group is currently heavily involved with planning September Climate Strike activities, but has several ideas for initiatives they might support in the Wilmington community.
Their website, 350wilmington.org, has a calendar for trash clean-ups, to
help coordinate community efforts. The group is promoting the use of Ecosia, the web search engine that plants a tree for every search it’s asked to perform. They would like to help popularize We Renew (werenew.net), an interactive digital way to get a handle on your carbon footprint and
see how much carbon you’re emittin. 350 Wilmington welcomes your input on initiatives you’d like to see implemented here in the Cape Fear region. If you have an idea, they’d love to hear about it and see whether they can help support your idea: their email is info@350wilmington.org.
Dispose of your outdated medications at the upcoming multi-county Medication Disposal Event, Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
To help reduce the risk of misuse or accidental exposure to medications in our own community, New Hanover Regional Medical Center holds medication disposal events twice a year and is also one of New Hanover County’s locations with permanent drop boxes for residents to safely dispose of their unwanted medications. Having unnecessary medications in the home can be a hazard:
• Old medications could be confused with current medications
• Children could be poisoned by them
• Pets could be harmed by ingesting dropped medications
• Improper disposal of medications can have an adverse effect on the environment
Bring your unused and expired medications, in their original containers, to one of the permanent drop box locations:
New Hanover County
NHRMC Outpatient Pharmacy
2131 S. 17th Street, Wilmington
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
NHRMC Emergency Department-North
151 Scotts Hill Drive, Wilmington
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
We welcome guest contributors. Write for our contributor guidelines. editor@ goinggreenpublications.com.
Saturday & Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Front Desk
3950 Juvenile Center Road, Castle Hayne Available 24 hours a day
New Hanover County Courthouse, Room 201 24 N. 3rd Street, Downtown Wilmington
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Walgreens
4521 Oleander Drive, Wilmington Available 24 hours a day
Carolina Beach Police Department
1121 N. Lake Park Boulevard, Carolina Beach Available 24 hours a day
UNCW Police Department
5126 Lionfish Drive, Wilmington Available 24 hours a day
CVS
4600 Oleander Drive, Wilmington Available 24 hours a day
Cape Fear Pharmacy
5235 S. College Road, Wilmington
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
The April Medication Disposal event featured 19 locations in six counties. They recorded 3,920 pounds of medications recovered at those sites.
Permanent drop boxes are available in many locations in Southeastern NC for residents to safely dispose of unwanted medications. No needles or biohazard materials are accepted in the drop boxes. The list of participating locations is too long to print here in its entirety, so please visit https://www.nhrmc.org/medicationdisposal to find a location near you.
Common witchhazel, Hamamelis virginiana, is naturally occurring in wooded and often damp habitats. Its range is from Canada to Georgia as well as parts of central United States.
The Northeastern species differs from the vernal, late-winter blooming witchhazel, Hamamelis vernalis, found in the Midwest. Vernal witchhazel’s spidery yellow flowers tinged with orange and red blooms a month or two later than the common species. The northeast or common witchhazel blooms in autumn, while the leaves are still on the shrub. Ribbonlike yellow flower petals unfurl with spicy fragrance. Once the leaves fall off the tree, its yellow flowers are still visible, along with last year’s capsule fruit clusters. These dry fruits create excitement when they discharge their edible seeds with explosive force.
Both vernal and common witchhazel create a floral, arboreal bridge that spans the barren winter season.
Witchhazel is perhaps aptly named. It derives from Wych, an English term meaning pliant, while hazel may recall the yellow
blooms of Hamamelis that resemble the early yellow flowers of the European winter hazal, or from the leaf’s similarity to the European filbert or hazelnut leaf.
For a small tree or shrub, witchhazel packs a potent medicinal punch. The Iroquois used the leaves, bark and roots of witchhazel–which is saturated with tannin–as an astringent and anti-inflammatory. They used its leaves to brew teas or to make poultices to treat sore throats, swellings, and cuts.
In the mid-nineteenth century, Theron T. Ponds of Utica collaborated with a medicine man of the Oneida tribe to patent a medicine whose primary ingredient was a chemical, extracted from witchhazel wood, called “Golden Treasure.”
The Mohawk Valley woods in central New York were abundant with witchhazel, so Pond located his factory in Utica, New York and then moved his operation to Rome, New York. Eventually, the harvesting, distilling, and manufacturing of witchhazel moved to Connecticut, and the name “Golden Treasure” was changed to “Ponds Extract.”
Pharmaceutical uses today include an after-shave balm with the recognizable red and yellow Dickinson label.
The marketing history of this medicine includes Utica, New York families, who formed partnerships as they scrambled to retain patent rights. The Utican Hurt family marketed its extract at the Paris World’s Fair and in posh London hotels. The Ponds Cream still found on shelves of every drug store in the U.S. had its origins in Theron Ponds’ witchhazel lotion.
Witchhazel had other, amazing uses. Early European settlers in the U.S. used forked witchhazel branches, which are crooked and very flexible, for dowsing–the semi-mystical ability to find water and minerals below the soil.
witchhazel holds the promise of spring and sunshine in its bright yellow petals. After a career teaching landscape design and native plants, Kate Cardamone now owns an environmental landscape design business.
Some local sources of native plants:
Ability Garden (at the New Hanover County Arboretum)
Heather Kelejian • hkelejian@nhcgov.com (910) 798-7682
Going Native Gardens
Joyce Huguelet • huguelet@bellsouth.net (910) 395-4236
Grizz’s Nursery
Michael Gore • grizznursery15@gmail.com (910) 547-4934
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 235.
Whether it is revered for its healing or divining powers, witchhazel is indeed a remarkable tree or shrub. Flowering as the days darken into the barren season,
Lumber River Nursery
Jep Whitlock • whitlocknative@att.net (336) 601-8787
Shelton Herb Farm
Margaret Shelton • info@sheltonherbfarm. com • (910) 253-5964
photo © by Nelson DeBarros This photo is the flower of Hamamelis virginiana, also known as American witchhazel. Photo taken by Nelson DeBarros, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS database. This and other images can be found at https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/ profile?symbol=HAVI4.
There are many wonderful natural spaces in the Wilmington area. ILoveTrees.net is a photo blog documenting these local treasures. Profiled here are the trees, plants, and wildlife of Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve.
by Sue CagI step from asphalt through a chain-link fence into a forest oasis in the middle of a busy college campus. I’m immediately engulfed by native woods that couldn’t be more different than the world just outside of it. A few steps inside I notice the rich amber color of a pond cypress trunk. Then I notice many other native trees that thrive in wet areas, especially the half-hollow flared bases of black gum (tupelo) trees. I also quickly come across very large sweet gum trees with moss covered bases; they are not
quite the largest I’ve seen, but they are bigger than most and plentiful. And all of these lovely trees are surrounded by beds of bright green ferns, including the prolific sensitive fern and the distinctively tall green and gold cinnamon fern.
The path
through the preserve is wide and leisurely. You can always hear the sound of machinery and cars (and smell Fisher Union), but you can’t help but be enveloped in the inspiring wildness of this unique spot. The songbirds will distract you from all worry. Pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers will attract your attention by their distinctive sounds. Your eyes will wonder what kind of fern they are resting upon and whether or not that was a tiny lizard or grasshopper you just saw out of the corner of your eye.
Maple, magnolia, pond pine, longleaf pine, and black cherry make up most of the other trees in this forest. Wildflowers and a variety of other native plants carpet the ground. There’s also a small pond with a picturesque bridge where you can stop and watch the turtles. Down a side trail you’ll find five garden beds of various pitcher plants and of course, the elusive venus flytrap.
Many trees are labeled and there are a few worn “Quietpoint” signs featuring inspiring quotes. The path is easy to follow, wide, and relaxing.
Dragonflies and swallowtail butterflies flutter by. Gray gnatcatchers and yellow-rumped warblers frolic in the understory. A gentle breeze brings the coolness of the forest shade. Squirrels scamper up impossibly thin branches. Ferns imperceptibly unfurl their tight fiddlehead fronds. This forest is a tiny, but intensely beautiful oasis in the middle of a busy campus, in the middle of a busy city.
Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve is located on the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) campus. Due to efforts by university biologists and the subsequent involvement of the Bluethenthal family, these ten acres were officially dedicated as the Herbert Bluethenthal Memorial Wildflower Preserve in 1974. Parking is available in the adjacent visitor’s parking lot or in a few metered spots by the sign, but this could change. For further information visit: https://uncw.edu/physicalplant/arboretum/ bluethenthal.html.
by Carol Bales, Shannon Bradburn, Joyce Huguelet, Catherine Nesbit, & Virginia Teachey
NC State Cooperative Extension has a great, new, free program designed to be an interactive, hands-on exploration of nature for families with children. Located at the New Hanover County Arboretum, the program is called The Explorer’s Backpack Program. This unique program offers families with children a way to learn about the world around them, focusing on the interactions and connections of all living creatures and plants in the garden. The backpacks can be borrowed for an hour or so from the Extension Plant Clinic in the Hutaff Building. There are three types of backpacks: The Eye Spy Explorer’s Backpack, The Native Plants Explorer’s Backpack, and The Bird Sleuth Backpack. Each of the three backpacks contains all the materials and supplies that families need to investigate the garden.
The Eye Spy Explorer’s Backpack is all about families making careful observations with magnifying glasses and then making sense out of those observations. One activity asks the observers to dig up soil, spread it out and carefully examine what they find in the soil. Often there are many surprises. “Oh, it’s like a ball. Now it’s like a caterpillar. Somehow it walks.” Those were the words overheard as a young child found a rolypoly in the soil. Lots of questions fire out.
“What is it and what is it doing in the soil?” Often observers draw what they see in their field journals. There are several other explorations for the family.
The Native Plants Explorer’s Backpack encourages children and adults to look closely at native plants to discover their colors, shapes, sizes, and their
benefits to wildlife. In addition to observing plants, participants are led into thinking. Questions lead them to answer Why? and How? They look for comparisons and contrasts among plants and record their thoughts. With a magnifying glass, they closely examine various seeds and describe them. Looking closely, thinking, and recording is all done while enjoying the beauty and diversity of native plants.
The Bird Sleuth Backpack invites families to do many activities that ornithologists (scientists who study birds) do in their everyday work. Families love to practice using binoculars, the ornithologist’s most important tool. With the binoculars in hand, they go on a scavenger hunt in the Native Plant Garden searching for everything that a bird needs to survive: food, water, cover, and space. They often find a variety of food—insects, seeds, berries and nectar—in the garden.
Four New Hanover County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers—Catherine Nesbit, Carol Bales, Virginia Teachey and Joyce Huguelet—developed the program intended to highlight the Arboretum’s Pollinator and Native Plants Gardens. Bales continues to monitor the program to make sure that supplies are refreshed and used appropriately. The program is funded through a grant provided by the New Hanover County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Association.
Part of the beauty of the Arboretum is not only the wonderful life that resides there, but also that the public is encouraged to visit. There is no cost to come to the Arboretum, nor is there any cost to participate in The Explorer’s Backpack Program. It is hoped that through the backpack experience children and adults will grow closer and have a positive interaction they can take part in again and again.
If you are interested in checking out a backpack, visit the Arboretum any weekday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Backpacks are located in the Hutafff Building at the Plant Clinic at (910)798-7680.
Master Gardeners Carol Bales, Joyce Huguelet, Catherine Nesbit, & Virginia Teachey
photo by Teri Sue Dusseau Roly-poly or pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) are crustaceans that roll up inot a ball for protection.
photo by Jim Nesbit
Joyce Huguelet, a co-developer of the Backpack Program, shows a young explorer how to use binoculars to see more in nature.
photo by Gary Teachey
A young explorer reviews the contents of a backpack.
by Lloyd Singleton
Despite its destructiveness, Hurricane Florence provided us an opportunity; several additional tree species were added to restore our canopy cover at the Arboretum. Here is a guide to the native and nativar (cultivar of a native) tree species you can find on the grounds.
1) Carpinus caroliniana, The American Hornbeam or Ironwood is a native forest understory tree, useful for shady landscapes and naturalized woodland gardens. Offering a kaleidoscope of color throughout the year, new leaves emerge reddish-purple, change to dark green, then turn yellow to orangered in the fall. In winter, a mature tree’s fluted blue-gray bark with long, sinewy ridges make it noticeable in the landscape. Growing to 20’ high by 10’ wide, this slow upright grower will tolerate periodic flood-
ing. Our specimen can be admired between the camellia garden and the red torii gate along the back garden walkway.
2) Diospyros virginiana “Magic Fountain” Persimmon is the native cousin to kaki persimmon, an Asian species. It is one of the easiest trees to identify in winter when mature because of its distinctive thick, dark gray bark that is broken into rectangular blocks. Magic Fountain leaves are glossy dark green and cascade in keeping with fountain namesake. Plants are usually dioecious (separate male and female trees), but some trees have perfect flowers—flowers containing both male and female parts—and can self-pollinate without the help of wind or insects. The native edible persimmon fruits are smaller than its Asian cousin and are quite astringent when green but sweet when ripe. Fruits are commonly used in syrups, jellies,
Pictured here are the seven native trees planted this year on the New Hanover County Arboretum grounds. As you visit the grounds, see how many you can locate. The photos should give you a clue, as we’ve not cropped out the buildings and walls that serve as backdrop. All trees are identified with labels at ground level, so you can see whether you’ve guessed correctly. Read Lloyd Singleton’s article this page to learn the growing requirements and habits of each of these native trees. The Arboretum is perfect place to learn about trees as you decide which might be appropriate for your own home landscape.
ice creams or pies, but are too soft for commercial shipping and sale. Persimmon leaves can be used to make teas, and the extremely hard wood has been used to make billiard cues and golf club heads. Find this specimen just outside the native garden area next to the concrete riprap wall.
3) Nyssa sylvatica “Green Gable” Black Gum or Black Tupelo is a native to Eastern North America. It is a slow grower, reaching a height of 60’+ with a spread of 25’. The bark is light grey and deeply furrowed. The spring flowering habit that is polygamodioecious, meaning some plants have mostly male flowers while others have mostly female flowers, with most plants having a few perfect flowers. This honeybee nectar source is responsible for the prized Tupelo honey, and the berries are enjoyed by thrushes and other native wildlife. The tree’s beautiful fall color and tolerance of wet soils make this a good specimen to display among the Arboretum’s camellias area near the woodland garden.
4) Oxydendron arboreum, Sourwood is best grown in acidic, moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun. This tree tolerates part shade with diminished flowering and fall color, but is intolerant of drought and urban pollution. A deciduous native understory tree, it is commonly found on rocky wooded slopes in the
Carpinus carolina (#1)
Diospyros virginiana “Magic Fountain” (#2) Nyssa sylvatica “Green Gable”(#3)
Appalachian Mountains in combination with acidic soil-loving azaleas and rhododendrons. In an urban landscape it typically grows 20-25’ tall with a straight, slender trunk and narrow oblong crown. Finely-toothed, glossy green leaves have a sour taste and produce consistently excellent fall color of crimson red. Waxy, white flowers droop in early summer and give way to dry capsules that ripen to silver-gray in the fall providing ornamental interest into the winter. Honeybees like the flowers, and Sourwood honey is a highly prized local product. You can view the droopy seed capsules on this specimen growing directly behind the Education Center near the round brick patio.
5) Quercus alba, White Oak grows to 50-80’ tall in cultivation, preferring rich, moist, acidic, well-drained loamy soil in full sun. It has a pyramid shape in youth and matures into a large tree with a thick trunk and wide-spreading, rounded crown. Its bark becomes shaggy as it ages. Its acorns feed wildlife; its wood is of great commercial value. This majestic oak was added to the picnic area to provide shade again, an opportunity offered by 2018’s hurricane Florence.
6) Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium, commonly called Pond Cypress, is a native deciduous conifer. It is most often found on the peripheries of ponds
and lakes, hence the common name. It is very similar in form and habit to the common bald cypress, Taxodium distichum. Pond cypress is generally a smaller and more narrow tree. Bark is gray-brown to red-brown, and its deciduous leaves are arranged in a spiral, changing from green to orange-brown in fall. The tree is best grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun. The Arboretum’s pond cypress will be found in the new stormwater infiltration basin near the property boundary fence.
7) Cercis canadensis “Carolina Sweetheart™” Redbud is a cultivar of the native deciduous, often multi-trunked understory tree with a rounded crown that typically matures to 20-30’ tall with a slightly larger spread. The Carolina Sweetheart™ provides color with pink flowers in the spring followed by emergent purple leaves changing to various shades of white, hot pink, and green. This special redbud will provide spring color in the new Cape Fear Shade Garden at the end near the Japanese garden.
Trees are the most valuable vertical component of the landscape for a healthy ecosystem. A visit to the Arboretum offers a chance to see trees in place and assess which might be the most appropriate investment for your own yard.
Several of these are available through the Friends of the Arboretum Tree Sale; you can
purchase your tree online and pick it up at the Arboretum. (See ad, page 10.) The New Hanover County Arboretum is located at 6206 Oleander Drive, Wilmington. It is open to the public from dawn to dusk, and there is no admission fee. See https://arboretum. nhcgov.com or cal (910)798-7660 for details.
Lloyd Singleton is Executive Director for the New Hanover County Cooperative Extension at the Arboretum, employed by NCSU.
Oxydendron arboretum (#4)
Photos by Lloyd Singleton.
Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium (#6)
Quercus alba (#5)
DId you know that most songbirds rely on berries to fuel their long migration journeys south in the fall? Audubon North Carolina says that birds flock to berry-producing plants for the native insects they attract as well as their flavorful fruits. They suggest that when adding native berry-producing plants to your yard, you seek out varieties that fruit at different times of the year, so the birds have food to eat year-round. Blackhaw Vibernum, for example, produces edible berries in the fall that attract Brown Thashers, Northern Mockingbirds, Gray Catbird, Wood Thrush, and Cedar Waxwing.
Visit nc.audubon.org to learn more about plants on their annual “Bird-Friendly Native Plants of the Year” list.
—Source: nc.audubon.org
The Coastal Landscapes Initiative, or CLI, is a new collaborative effort to address landscaping at every stage of the process, from planning and design to installation and management. The ultimate goal is to foster coastal landscapes that are beautiful, functional, cost-efficient and environmentally friendly.
Partners draw on their expertise and connections across myriad disciplines, including horticulture science and business, ecology and wildlife, landscape architecture, design and contracting, economics and education.
This public-private partnership began in December 2017. The team’s initial focus is to raise awareness and increase the availability of highly beneficial plants; identify and recognize the exemplary coastal landscapes that already exist; and increase access to relevant, reliable information.
To learn more about the CLI, visit: go.ncsu.edu/coastallandscapes.
B+O: design studio, PLLC architecture / landscape architecture
mail: 1319-CC Military Cutoff Rd., PMB 221 tel: 910.821.0084 www.b-and-o.net
True native plants are those that are found in the wild in their original geographical areas and environments. Cultivars are plants that have been cross-bred either naturally without human intervention or those bred to have favorable traits, such as color, form, productiveness, or hardiness. If the cultivars are used for decorative purposes, no harm done. If the cultivars are used for commercial or scientific purposes, it is important to preserve information about the plants used to create the cultivars. A nativar is a cultivar of a native plant. Whether you use true natives or cultivars, enjoy the plants and treat them well.
The Friends of the NHC Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) organization and a portion of your purchase may be tax deductible as allowed by law.
by Carol Bales
Three native grasses that are easy to find, transplant, and grow are the following:
• Inland Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) also known as River-oats or Wild-oats
• Pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) also known as Pink Muhly
This is the sixth of a series of Cape Fear area native plant articles to appear in Going Green. The articles will include stories about common native plants that would enhance any coastal North Carolina garden or landscape.
Summer can be brutal on ornamental plants in the Cape Fear area. When looking for ways to fill in bare spaces left by spent flowers, consider our native grasses. From tall and stately to short and bushy varieties, all of them grow vigorously and are tolerant of our weather conditions. Gorgeous native grasses can add texture, form, and movement to your flower beds.
• Switch grass (Panicum virgatum) Native grasses grow naturally in clumps. Once you transplant grasses in your landscape, they will need a little watering. After that they will be happy growing in partial or full sun. They will need a “haircut” after their bloom heads are spent in late fall, and they will come back vigorously in the spring. Their root system is very deep, often doubling their height if planted in sandy loam. They do not need to be fertilized. They are not bothered by insects and are, for the most part, deer resistant.
A good reason to use native grasses in our landscape is to provide food and forage for wildlife. Butterflies also use many grasses as larval plants for their caterpillars. One in particular is the small Northern Pearly Eye, a pretty brown 2" butterfly with black “eyes” on its wings. Many skipper butterflies use these grasses as well. The skippers look like little space
shuttles ready for take-off. Native finches, sparrows, wrens, and chickadees like to perch on the clumps of grass and feed on seed heads. Keep your binoculars close by so that you can see these creatures in your garden grasses!
Carol Bales is an avid gardener and seed saver, and grows several kinds of milkweed in her yard.
[article’s bibliography appears on page 12]
Inland Sea Oats Pink Muhly Grass Switch GrassDarwin’s General Store is a zero-waste, plastic-free company established in 2018 with a home base in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founder and Wilmington native, Kristen Crawford, provides zero waste consulting for both residential and commercial entities while her e-commerce store supplies plastic-free home and lifestyle products for the eco-conscious consumer. Even the shipping aims to reduce waste as goods are shipped in repurposed cardboard boxes with recycled paper labels even sealing the deal (and boxes!) with paper tape.
Before creating Darwin’s General Store, Kristen worked as a pharmaceutical data analyst. Shortly after starting this position in 2017 she learned that recycling was not implemented or a priority. Subsequent inquiries to management on the matter lead to an opportunity to research and present recycling options. It was during this research that she discovered approximately 70% of items in the New Hanover County landfill are in fact compostable or recyclable. Further research revealed that recycling is not the solution, and to date only 9% of all plastic has ever been recycled. Municipalities across the United States are now throwing paper, glass, and plastic in the landfill instead of properly disposing of these materials.
Numerous studies have linked plastics to potential health risks that negatively affect all life on erf. Kristen’s mother, Beth Crawford, passed away in late 2017 from a rare, aggressive type of cancer. Questions emerged concerning a correlation between endocrine disruptors commonly found in plastics and whether this was a factor in her mother’s illness. Beth’s consistent life
lessons about composting, recycling, reusing, repurposing, and an overall respect for nature laid the foundation for Kristen’s environmental passion. Inspired by her mother and the current environmental crisis, Kristen knew it was time to leave her job and tackle this problem through education and viable solutions. Eight
Grasses of Summer (continued from page 11)
Bibliography
Grissom, R. A. UNC Charlotte Urban Institute Newsletter, Division of Academic Affairs, Nov. 10, 2013. https://ui.uncc.edu/story/ native-grasses-nc#
Roundstone Seed. Free Guide to Establishing Native Grasses and Forbs. https://roundstoneseed.com/pdf/SixBasicElements%20-%20including%20coastal%20plains.pdf
NC State Extension Urban Wildlife. Butterflies in your back yard. AG-636-02. May 3, 2016. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/ butterflies-in-your-backyard
million tons of plastic are being dumped into our oceans annually, which is the equivalent of a garbage truck being dumped every minute. Eighty percent of this plastic is being leaked from land-based sources. Having been born and raised in the coastal community of Wilmington she knew started her company here to be on the front-line (pun intended) of the plastic pollution crisis. After all, small changes make big waves.
Darwin’s General Store wants your old shirts! American households use an average of 1500 single-use plastic bags every year before being thrown away after AN AVERAGE OF 12 MINUTES from the time the customer leaves the store. Join their Waste (K) NOT campaign to create 1500 reusable bags with upcycled shirts, a pair of scissors and a few knots. Send them your adult size small through extra large t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, and/or razor back tank tops in decent condition or drop them off at the official local drop zone, Alphagraphics, located at 3534 South College Road, Unit I, Wilmington, NC 28412. That free t-shirt you got from a race or your old company? They want it. That shirt that shrank? They want it. Donate five or more shirts receive 15% off your next order through the end of October. If mailing, send them in a cardboard box (please no plastic bags) and leave a note inside with your email address or shoot them an email at hello@darwinsgeneralstore.com land they will send you the promo code. Please send shirts to:
Darwin’s General Store
P.O. Box 12063
Wilmington, NC 28405
Darwin’s General Store, and the planet, thank you for your help in stopping the use of plastic bags!
photo by Kristen Crawford The Waste (K)not program turns t-shirts into reusable shopping bags. photo by Kristen Crawford Darwin’s General Store is collecting 1500 t-shirts for its Waste (K)not program. These are the first 147.
by Lily Smith
Food shopping is a constant in our daily lives, and in the Cape Fear Region there are multitudes of options. Navigating the plethora of food choices offered in most grocery stores can be overwhelming, and increasingly so when sustainability is a priority. When confronted with a shopping choice, one might ask oneself “Should I buy these berries from Burgaw (because they’re local) or should I buy those organic berries from California (because they’re pesticide-free)?” As confusing as it may seem, there are some very simple ways everyone can make environmentally conscious choices when crossing errands off the list.
One of the most effective ways to help the environment through food choices is consuming fewer meat and dairy products. The factory farming of animals is one of the most environmentally damaging industries in the 21st century. In fact, reducing one’s meat consumption by 1/5th can save as much fossil fuel energy as switching one’s standard sedan for a hybrid car.* For many families, this could be as easy as switching out a couple of meat-centered meals a week for a meat alternative such as tofu or tempeh. Many recipes can be made vegetarian such as making chicken salad with chickpeas instead of chicken. With each can of chickpeas costing less than a dollar on average, this can be one of
many affordable and sustainable options for anyone.
Another eco-friendly method that is growing in popularity is reusable bags and containers. Across the world, countries and cities are banning plastic bags or charging customers who use them. This has resulted in a huge market for reusable bags and they are commonly found in grocery stores. Another aspect of reusability is taking containers to stores that sell items in bulk, such as Whole Foods or Tidal Creek Co-op in the Wilmington area. This may seem inconvenient, but besides the sustainability aspect, it can actually be more affordable. This is because one is only paying for the amount of food that is weighed out instead of paying for the packaging as well. Incorporating this into one’s shopping can be as easy as taking old Mason jars or food packaging to the grocery store for reuse. This is perfect for buying items such as legumes and whole grains that do not require refrigeration or special packaging to preserve the item.
Finally, one of the best ways to increase sustainability through food choices is buying local, seasonal produce through
farmers markets and even some grocery stores. This decreases the amount of transportation, and most likely pesticides, required by the food you purchase and supports local businesses and farmers. Finding local farmers markets is not difficult in the Cape Fear Region with options such as the Riverfront Farmers Market every Saturday or the Wilmington Farmers Market at Tidal Creek. Not only is this more sustainable, but it provides an opportunity to talk with farmers in the local area and learn more about the food one is consuming.
Grocery stores provide the privilege of being able to choose what one consumes. Making environmentally sustainable food choices is a powerful way consumers can contribute daily to change on a global level.
Lily Smith wrote this while a senior at New Hanover High School. She will pursue a degree in chemical engineering at North Carolina State University starting in the fall of 2019. In her free time, she enjoys playing the violin.
Servings: 3
Prep Instructions
Soak 2 cups of sunflower seeds in pure water for 4–6 hours. Drain and rinse. In a separate bowl, soak 2 cups of sundried tomatoes in water for 4 hours or longer.
Manicotti Instructions
Cut off both ends of each zucchini. Using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler, slice the zucchini lengthwise to make long, wide noodles. Place flat on plate, drizzle with a little olive oil and let sit.
Manicotti Ingredients
• 4 zucchini, straight
• 2 cups raw sunflower seeds
• 8 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. Himalayan sea salt
• 1/2 cup basil plus a bit for garnish
• 2 Tbsp.olive oil
• 1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
Chunky Raw Marinara Ingredients
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (soaked)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 pitted date
Welcome to Going Green’s recipe page, where we bring you new ideas for how to enjoy local and seasonal foods. For the purpose of this page, “local” will include North and South Carolina.
Original recipes and photos courtesy of Casey Nelson. She is an Integrative Health & Wellness Coach and creator of the company Recipe to Thrive.
In a high-speed blender, blend the sunflower seeds, water, lemon, garlic and salt together until almost smooth. Add spinach and basil; blend until smooth.
To assemble, arrange 3 zucchini noodles horizontally on a cutting board, overlapping by about ½”. Place ¼ cup of the spinach cheese filling in the center and spread so that it covers from front to back and is about 1” in width.
Roll the zucchini from left to right to create a filled manicotti.
Blend the tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, pepper, olive oil, salt, thyme, oregano, basil, and dates in a highspeed blender until thick.
Top each roll with the raw marinara and garnish with fresh basil.
Fritter Ingredients
• 3 medium zucchini, shredded –Farmage (Farms (Castle Hayne, NC)
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 3/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Small handful fresh cilantro – Shelton Herb Farm (Leland, NC)
• Small handful pea shoots – Terra Vita Farm (Wilmington, NC)
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Fritter Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together shredded zucchini and salt, and then add diced onions and fresh cilantro.
Mix chickpea flour, onion powder, garlic powder and salt together in another bowl.
Add the vegetables to the dry ingredients and mix well. Let sit for 5 minutes, allowing the vegetables to release their water to help create a batter. Add a little water if needed.
Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Cook each fritter well spaced apart depending on the size of your skillet. Cook
each side for 5 minutes at low or medium low heat.
Place on platter over pea shoots and serve with avocado cilantro aioli.
Avocado Cilantro Aioli Ingredients
• 1 ripe pitted avocado
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup soy-free Vegenaise
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
• 1 tsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan sea salt
Aioli Instructions
In blender, combine all ingredients on high speed until creamy and smooth Serve with Zucchini Fritters.
Servings: 2 sandwiches
Ingredients
• 8 small purple carrots –Black River Organic Farm (Ivanhoe, NC)
• 2 rainbow chard leaf – Humble Roots Farm (Wilmington, NC)
• 6 halved rainbow cherry tomatoes – Farmage (Castle Hayne, NC)
• 4 slices artisan bread (vegan & gluten-free) –Gluten Free by the Sea (Wilmington, NC)
• 1 large ripe avocado
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. salt
Ingredients for Carrot Marinade
• 1 Tbsp. tahini
• 2 tsp. coconut aminos or tamari
• 1 tsp. liquid smoke
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
Clean the carrots, then cut both ends off and peel. Thinly slice the carrots lengthwise using either a mandoline or vegetable peeler.
Blend [together] in a blender or food processor the tahini, coconut aminos or tamari, liquid smoke and maple syrup for about 20 seconds, until you create a thick marinade. Mix together the marinade and carrots in a dish so that all of the carrot slices are completely coated. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Watermelon Sorbet with a Hint of Mint
Ingredients
• 4 cups of cubed frozen watermelon
• 1 cup of sliced very ripe banana
• Fresh mint leaves – Shelton Herb Farm (Leland, NC)
Instructions
Cube the watermelon and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in your freezer until cubes are frozen.
Add watermelon and banana to a food processor. First pulse and then puree until smooth.
Garnish with fresh mint and serve right away or freeze in a glass container for 1 hour until firm and then serve.
Raspberry Peach Summer Crisp
Servings: 6
Filling Ingredients
• 3 cups fresh sliced peaches
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 Tbsp. coconut sugar
• 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
Crisp Ingredients
• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup raw pecans, chopped
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp. organic extra virgin olive oil
• Coconut oil to grease dish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Use a paper towel to grease an 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil. In a large bowl, mix together fruit filling ingredients with a rubber spatula, coating the peaches and raspberries evenly with the coconut sugar and maple syrup.
Layer filling mixture evenly in the baking dish.
Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Place the carrot slices side by side on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle a little of the remaining marinade over the carrots and bake for 15–20 minutes until crispy.
Instructions for Sandwich Assembly
Toast 4 slices of artisan bread.
Mash and mix together avocado, lemon juice and a teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Spread mashed avocado mix on each of the 4 slices of toasted bread.
Cut a large leaf of chard in half and layer on 2 pieces of avocado toast; arrange 6 colorful halved tomatoes on top of the chard. Salt tomatoes as desired.
Layer slices of the smoky carrot strips to cover the other 2 slices of avocado toast.
Combine together to assemble sandwich. Cut in half and serve.
Add dry crisp ingredients to a mixing bowl and then add evenly the oil and maple syrup. Using your hands, mix until all of the oil and maple syrup is evenly distributed. Add evenly on top of the fruit. Bake for 45–55 minutes or until the fruit starts to bubble and the top is crisp and golden brown.
Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm with your favorite summer sorbet.
North Carolina offers several fun food festivals throughout the year. Here are a few coming up later in 2019.
Annual North Carolina Seafood Festival
412 D Evans Street
Morehead City, NC 28557
October 4–6, 2019
https://www.ncseafoodfestival.org/
(252) 726-6273
NC State Fair
North Carolina State Fairgrounds
1025 Blue Ridge Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
October 17–27 2019
http://www.ncstatefair.org/index.htm
(919) 821-7400
NC Oyster Festival
8 East Second Street
Ocean Isle Beach, NC
October 19–20, 2019
http://ncoysterfestival.com/about/ (910) 754-6644
Pecan Harvest Festival
107 Jefferson Street
Whiteville, NC 28472
November 2, 2019
http://www.ncpecanfestival.com
(910) 770-1991
Persimmon Festival
Colfax, NC
November 2, 2019
http://colfaxpersimmonfest.com/
NC Spot Fish Festival
14221 U.S. 17
Hampstead, NC
November 2–3, 2019
http://www.ncspotfestival.com
(910) 470-7683
Wilmington Vegan hosts monthly potlucks for those interested in enjoying a plant-based meal. The purpose of this event is to make (or purchase) a new or favorite dish to share with others, get together and socialize with other likeminded folks, and enjoy small samples of the vegan dishes everyone else brings.
Bring a list of ingredients along with your dish (or even better, the recipe!)
Remember: this is a vegan safe-space event and dishes must be 100% vegan. This is a trash-free event, so everyone brings their own utensils. Potlucks are at 6p.m. at the Kitchen & Lounge Community Building at South Front Apartments, 1400 So. 2nd Street, Wilmington.
Upcoming potluck dates in 2019 are October 19, November 16 and December 14. For more information, visit www.wilmingtonvegan.com or see their Facebook page.
Camilla Herlevich, Executive Director of the N.C. Coastal Land Trust, was one of three recipients of this year’s annual Lifetime Achievement Awards given by StarNews Media. The award honors individuals who have contributed significantly to their community.
Since starting the Coastal Land Trust more than 25 years ago, with Bill Raney, Michael Murchison and Chuck Roe, Herlevich has helped conserve more than 80,000 acres of environmentally and culturally significant land. Learn more about the organization at https://coastallandtrust.org.
Cara Stretch joined Feast Down East in May 2019 as new Executive Director. Stretch obtained a BA in English from West Chester University and spent several years in the lending industry. In 2007 she was hired by a non-profit in Baltimore City to help the already vulnerable avoid foreclosure during the financial crisis. The experience of working with clients as a housing counselor motivated Stretch to create a holistic housing counseling department with a mission to help stabilize some of Baltimore City’s most vulnerable families in their housing. Health is a major destabilizing factor for clients and she was struck by the lack of access to fresh, healthy food.
After working with legislatures both in her time at the nonprofit and while working for the State of Maryland to create fair and equitable lending laws, Stretch fell in love with policy work and wanted to work to ensure fair access to healthy food. She obtained a certificate as a health coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and then received a master’s degree in nutrition and integrative health from Maryland University of Integrative Health. For years she and her husband had wanted to move somewhere warmer and closer to the beach and after researching areas decided to relocate to Wilmington. She is thrilled to join Feast Down East and to work with the staff, board and community to extend accessibility and education about the benefits of fresh and healthy food while helping farmers build strong, stable businesses. You can find Stretch and her family at the beach, working out, cooking, exploring farmer’s markets and trying new restaurants in their free time.
The mission of Feast Down East is to create a healthy, accessible local food system, which supports economic growth in Southeastern North Carolina. The organization originated in 2006 as a UNCW-affiliated economic development project, the Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems Program. Feast Down East was then established in 2010 as a nonprofit organization. Their programs help to support farm businesses, distribute local produce and increase access for all consumers. They also educate the public on the importance of buying local foods.
Here’s a mouthful: “Quantifying the trade-off between carbon sequestration and albedo in midlatitude and highlatitude North American forests.”
That’s the title of a March 2017 scientific paper by P.M. Mykleby, et. al., published in Geophysical Research Letters. The paper is based on the type of research we urgently need.
Why do we need the research?
Because it’s becoming clear that the best way to sequester excess atmospheric carbon is by letting nature do the work,
as advocated by an evolving set of policy proposals that fall under the rubric of “Natural Climate Solutions” (NCS). If we compare the cost, efficiency and environmental benefits of protecting and enhancing natural ecosystems for carbon sequestration—as opposed to building expensive machines or creating vast biofuel plantations that displace arable land and forests—nature wins hands down.
Because of their vast surface areas and storage capacity forests, grasslands and wetlands capture and store huge quantities of carbon, essentially for free. It is estimated that existing natural ecosystems can sequester at least 37 percent of the carbon we must capture and store if we are to avoid the 2ºC “disaster threshold” of global temperature increase. While it is essential that we protect those resources, expanding them is our most direct path to averting disaster. But what policies should we adopt to enhance NCS? What’s our
trees on area parkland. City of Wilmington Forestry Management Supervisor Aaron Reese demonstrated the correct way to plant a bald cypress to volunteers in T.B. Lilly Park, a small City park that lost much of its canopy to Hurricane Florence. After planting trees in that location, the team moved to Mary Bridgers Park and to Wallace Park, to plant additional cypress trees near Burnt Mill Creek where trees had been lost to the storm.
The Cape Fear area lost thousands of trees to Hurricane Florence and the stresses of the subsequent drought.
The Alliance for Cape Fear Trees (ACFT) purchased the trees with money raised by a WHQR fund drive; the funds were matched by the Appalachian Society of American Foresters. The Alliance for Cape Fear Trees works with City of Wilmington and other groups to plant trees in public areas. They are always looking for volunteers who are interested in maintaining a healthy tree canopy for our area. ACFT is a program of the Renaissance Wilmington Foundation, focusing on education, advo -
best investment of money and resources? Understanding that calls for detailed scientific study and analysis.
Which brings us back to the forest study mentioned above. Here’s a summary of its conclusions: “…we find a boundary through North America where afforestation results in a positive equivalent carbon balance (cooling) to the south, and a negative equivalent carbon balance (warming) to the north.”
Let’s translate that into language that could be useful to policy makers. Two of the key words I’ve quoted here are “afforestation,” meaning planting or replanting trees, usually for commercial purposes; and “albedo,” or the capacity of the earth’s surface to reflect sunlight—wherein ice is more efficient than, say, dark water.
So, while it is generally thought that it’s a good idea to plant trees to sequester
(continued on page 19)
cacy, preservation, and new tree plantings. Learn more about their work at https:// www.allianceforcapefeartrees.com or visit them on Facebook.
“[This study] can [help] policymakers [decide] where, when, and how best to manage [reforesting] to mitigate climate change.
— P.M. Mykleby, et.al. environmental scientistsphoto by Amanda Ake More than 30 volunteers showed up to help plant bald cypress trees in area parkland. From left, Joe Cargioli, Mary Bradley, Penny Cargioli, George Scheibner, and Lewis St. Peter. photo by Amanda Ake A bald cypress tree finds a new home in T.B. Lilly Park, thanks to the efforts of volunteers.
carbon, it turns out that there are tradeoffs because trees absorb more radiation (have lower albedo) than ice or grasslands and can actually cause local surface warming. To understand where afforestation is most beneficial the study’s authors use computer models to contrast the rates at which tree plantations grow and store carbon with the rate at which they reduce albedo, then project the net warmingreduction benefits.
If that sounds a bit complicated—it is. What it boils down to is if we get all gung-ho and plant a bunch of trees in the
— U.S. Congressman and conservationist Victor L. Berger, Berger’s Broadsides, 1929
Ah, temptation. There’s that nice, shallow swamp on the edge of town, and not a building in sight. (Well, there is that half-submerged old shed out there in the cattails.) Just look at all that useless, dirty water sitting on the perfect location for a new shopping mall—right next to those pastures that will soon be filled with tract homes.
All we have to do is get our hands on it, drain it and fill it with rocks. Then sell it to the highest bidder.
Well, there are some regulations to get around. But that’s easy. Just buy some land out in the middle of nowhere, pay somebody to fill it up with water and call it a “wetland.” Swap one filthy bucket of mud for another.
Oh, and there’s all those plants and varmints the regulations protect. Well, just scrape a few of them up, dump them in the new “wetland,” and call it an “ecosystem.” The point is, there’s a whole lot of money to be made here, so let’s have our people talk to theirs and get it going.
Thus die wetlands, and with them their “ecosystem services.” Those services include flood mitigation and providing habitats for some of the world’s most
wrong places, we might be doing more harm than good. And the only way to determine which regions and locales are optimal for afforestation—if the goal is to help reduce or reverse global temperature rise—is through modeling the complex relationship between carbon storage and albedo loss.
Generally speaking, the study concludes that afforestation at mid-latitudes, where there is less overall albedo and more incoming radiation, is a more effective climate solution than planting at high latitudes—the major exception being the
Pacific Northwest which has both highalbedo cloud cover and an ideal climate for growing forests.
From an NCS perspective, I’ll offer two caveats. One, the study aims at promoting commercial afforestation which, although it can attract capital, also produces resource-intensive monocultures that will be harvested about the time we approach the 2ºC threshold. Second, trees are great, but are far less effective at carbon sequestration than the wetlands we’ll discuss next at our ecological house.
© Philip S. Wenz, 2019
diverse populations of biota, while inland wetlands store and clean vast quantities of water and coastal wetlands fend off hurricanes.
Sadly, these essentially free services have not been sufficient to protect our wetlands from development and other forms of commercial exploitation. A 2014 study in found that up to 87% of global wetlands were lost between 1700 and today. This loss has been accelerated by about 3.7 times its previous rate in the 20th and 21st centuries, with a loss of about 64 to 71% of wetlands since 1900. Losses have been largest and fastest for inland wetlands.
However, another ecosystem service of wetlands, which until recently has been greatly underappreciated, could be their salvation—and ours. That service is their tremendous capacity for capturing and storing carbon. While we’ve known for decades that the substrates of tundra, swamps, peat bogs and tidal wetlands are loaded with dead, carbon-rich organic matter in varying states of decay, their potential as allies in the war against climate change has only recently come into focus.
What we are beginning to recognize is that if we save, restore and expand wetlands, they can help save us from ruinous climate change.
In their recent online article “Fight climate change with more swamps,” ecologists William Moomaw, Gillian Davies and
Max Finlayson state that “If ecosystems, particularly forests and wetlands, did not remove atmospheric carbon, concentrations of carbon dioxide from human activities would increase by 28 percent more each year.” An article on Physics.org notes that, “Globally, wetlands represent just three percent of total land area, but sequester 30 percent of all soil carbon…”
The first and most critical step in taking advantage of this tremendous resource is to preserve existing wetlands. For one thing, established wetlands already store vast quantities of carbon, whereas newly established wetlands can take decades or even centuries to have the same warming mitigation effect. That’s because wetlands store carbon as decaying organic matter which releases methane, another greenhouse gas. It is only when the decaying process stops, as it does in the deoxidized “mud” beneath established swamps or in frozen tundra (permafrost) that net negative greenhouse emissions are achieved.
The good news is that compromised existing wetlands often can quickly recover their vitality if relatively inexpensive restoration and management initiatives are undertaken—a topic we’ll explore next at our ecological house.
© Philip S. Wenz, 2019
Philip S. (Skip) Wenz is the author of the E-book Your Ecological House, available at all major electronic book distributors.
Robertson directly in its wall will degrees, Outstanding Center garden retireand entican this you in a opportube were confident the maybe He others. comdocumentatogether
space. One of the tenants will be the Wilmington-based software company Untappd, creator of the popular beer app.
It’s Mott’s hope that, through the success of this green wall, they will grow in popularity in our area. And that way, more building occupants will enjoy the health and aesthetic benefits of systems like these in the near future.
Although Steve Mott has once again proclaimed himself to be retired, you may be able to reach him through his website, www. mottlandscaping.com.
Emily Rose Popson is founder of Pop of Health and creator of The Non Tox Box™. Her mission is to help you better understand your power as a consumer, the ingredients in your products, the impact of products and our environment on your health, and ultimately help you take back the reins to your life. An awardwinning technology marketing strategist, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner-to-be, United States Marine Corps spouse and dog mom, she writes, “I am on a mission to dramatically reduce the reckless toxicity in our world by chipping away at the major chemical, agricultural and pharmaceutical corporations, little by little, day by day, person by person, purchase by purchase.”
Fall in love with your home again!
• Affordable interior design services
• Through-the-trade discounts on décor and furniture, including eco-friendly and hypo-allergenic options for better health
Thinking of selling your home?
• Our home staging techniques lead to a quicker sale and a higher purchase price
We as consumers have more power than we typically realize. Every purchase we make is an opportunity to vote for the kind of products we want and the kind of world we want to live in. Popson seeks out quality products that make it easy and fun to cut back on use of single-use plastics, and packages them as The Non Tox Box™.
Learn more about Pop of Health and the product lines at https://www.popofhealth.com.
Contact: Judy Cossette
HSR Certified Professional Home Stager & Redesigner
A scissor lift was used to allow placement
910.214.4301
The lift only reached 22
With a holistic approach, Casa PRANA is a new salon in Wilmington—the first full vegan, cruelty-free, fair-Trade and leading sustainable salon/spa in town.
so
we plant a tree for every service/product that is part of our monthly spotlight.” Casa PRANA is also a GreenCircle Salon Certified establishment: in August 2019 alone it diverted over 75.5 lbs of waste from our oceans and landfills. Three percent of the salon’s sales are donated to a local animal rescue every trimester.
The salon is located at 5040 Wrightsville Avenue. Visit www.lifeatcasaprana.com to learn more about their mission, services, products and zero-waste shop.
Wilmington-based Thrivin’ Hive makes food wraps that are an alternative to plastics. Reusable, ecoconscious food wraps and bags help eliminate the toxins we consume while reducing the amount of plastic that finds its way into the waterways and oceans and environment at large.
A busy mother and business owner, Heather T. Procknal wanted to improve her own kitch and reduce the toxic plastic that surrounds us. She teamed up with her mother, Donna Cribb, and they created a solution that matched their values as animal lovers and respecters of Mother Earth. Their food wraps are made of organic bees wax, organic coconut oil, and responsibly sourced pine resin, so they have naturally occurring antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.
ladder on top
www.gogreenhomestagingandredesign.com
photo, in order
Owner Rebecca Oazem Schumer reports, “We are a proud partner with OneTreePlanted.org, which means that
Butterfly & Bee Plants
340 Goodman Road, Leland 910-253-5964
Year-Round • M-Sat 8-5
web page: LocalHarvest.org www.sheltonherbfarmnc.com www.sheltonherbfarm.com
Thrvin’ Hive Foor Wraps are available at Tidal Creek Food Co-op and The Veggie Wagon. Learn more about them at www. thrivinhive.com.
Name: Date: September
This issue we introduce a crossword puzzle; all words in the puzzle can be found somewhere in this issue of Cape Fear’s Going Green. You’ll find the answers on page 22.
Across
11.
13.
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1. Latin name for inland sea oats or river oats: Chasmanthium
3. Location of the NC Spot Fish Festival
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2. One way to control stormwater runoff. 4 Native plant that formed the basis of Pond's cold cream 5. A plan offering 100 solutions to reverse global warming: Project . 7. Short for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 8. Food Festival in Colfax, NC. A search engine that plants trees Process required for longleaf pine forest to regenerate 15. Maple, magnolia and pond pine are some of the trees found in this Wildflower Preserve. Author of "Your ecological house." Vegetable in two of the recipes this issue Common name for Taxodium distichum. sorbet. Source material being collected to make reusable bags. Fire in the Pines New program at Arboretum for children to learn to explore natureSat., May 22: Painted Bunting
Workshop 9:15-10:30 a.m.
Native Plant Sale 2:30–4:30
Wild Bird & Garden
Hanover Center 3501 Oleander Drive Wilmington NC 28403 910-343-6001
Sat., May 22: Painted Bunting
Workshop 9:15-10:30 a.m.
www.wildbirdgardeninc.com
Native Plant Sale 2:30–4:30
Wild Bird Garden
Wild Bird & Garden Hanover Center 3501 Oleander Drive Wilmington NC 28403 910-343-6001
www.wildbirdgardeninc.com
Wild Bird Garden
Cape Fear Raptor Center will hold its Owl Howl event on Saturday, October 19 at the Riverwalk at Belville, from 10a.m. to 4p.m. See live raptors, flight demonstration, hold a bird and take a picture. There will be music, children’s activities, food, raffles, and a silent auction.
Admission is free. Rain date is November 9. For more information, email doctorjoni@capefearraptorcenter.org or see www.capefearraptorcenter.org.
Alex Marstall reports she is happy and excited to announce that after three long months of being unemployed, she’s committed to work as an environmental educator for 4-H Camp Jekyll in Jekyll
Answers to the puzzle on page 21.
Island, Georgia for the next 10 months. “I’m ready to take on this new adventure for a little while and help some kiddos connect to our natural surroundings.”
Registration is now open for Wild Bird & Garden’s 6th annual weekend birding adventure to some of our region’s very best birding hotspots. The Lake Mattamuskeet & Outer Banks Weekend Birding Adventure will be Friday, November 22 through Sunday, November 24, 2019. Birds they expect to see include tundra swans, snow geese, pintails, glossy ibis, white ibis, ruddy ducks, red breasted mergansers, and many more. Visit www.wildbirdgardeninc.com or call (910)343-6001 for more information.
• Free evaluation of your yard through the “Bird-Friendly Habitat Award Program,” which supports migratory birds through native planting and thoughtful landscaping.
• Free evaluation of your yard through the “Bird-Friendly Habitat Award Program,” which supports migratory birds through native planting and thoughtful landscaping.
• Free evaluation of your yard through the “Bird-Friendly Habitat Award Program,” which supports migratory birds through native planting and thoughtful landscaping.
• Monthly meetings, plus field trips and guided birdwalks, open to members and non-members.
• Monthly meetings, plus field trips and guided birdwalks, open to members and non-members.
• Speakers available for your group
www.capefearaudubon.org
• Speakers available for your group
www.capefearaudubon.org
• Monthly meetings, plus field trips and guided birdwalks, open to members and non-members.
info@capefearaudubon.org
info@capefearaudubon.org
• Speakers available for your group
“It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to “make a difference”... to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them.”
“It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to “make a difference”... to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them.”
—Douglas
—Douglas Tallamy“It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to “make a difference”... to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them.”
TallamyBringing Nature Home
Bringing Nature Home
—Douglas Tallamy Bringing Nature HomeBradley Creek and Hewletts Creek are two popular tidal creeks in the Wilmington area that are degraded by high levels of bacteria. Shellfishing is currently prohibited. How has this happened?
One word: stormwater.
Stormwater runoff is the largest continuous threat to all of Wilmington’s waterways. Anything that rain picks up as it travels over hard surfaces like sidewalks, driveways, and roads, ends up in local waterways because stormwater is untreated. Bacteria is one major pollutant that stormwater carries, but other pollutants like oil, fertilizers, pesticides, and litter also wash into creeks, and eventually, the ocean.
So what is being done to address stormwater pollution?
Restorative watershed planning is one avenue the City of Wilmington is pursuing to reduce pollution. In 2012, City Council officially adopted a plan that specified Bradley and Hewletts Creeks as target creeks for a voluntary, community-centric plan to improve water quality.
Heal Our Waterways (HOW) Program is the face of the city-led, community-
wide effort to implement the Bradley & Hewletts Creek Watershed Restoration Plan. The program encourages Bradley and Hewletts Creek Watershed residents and businesses to implement stormwater solutions on their properties in an effort to reduce the amount of pollution entering these creeks. HOW also frequently partners with local environmental groups and govern-
ment agencies to identify focus areas, provide cost-share funding, and support grants that target stormwater reductions.
As an example, the HOW Program partnered with the University of North Carolina–Wilmington (UNCW) and North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF) this summer to fund three rain gardens around DePaolo and DeLoach Halls and five cisterns as a source of reusable water. UNCW is the largest landowner within the Bradley Creek watershed and highly visible to the community. Altogether, these projects collect and filter over 5,000 gallons of stormwater from surrounding parking lots, sidewalks, and roadways every time it rains. Twenty-one UNCW and community volunteers helped to plant more than 180 plants in June of 2019.
UNCW staff and professors will continue to monitor and maintain the rain gardens, which will additionally serve as an educational resource for UNCW staff and students and the local community.
The HOW Program also partners with New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District to fully fund stormwater solutions for residents within the Bradley and Hewletts Creek drainage areas. The program, nicknamed “HOWBMP,” has grown impressively in recent years through word
of mouth and active outreach at local farmers markets, businesses, and events. This year, the program fully funded four rain gardens, one backyard wetland, and one cistern. Collectively, these amazing homeowners will help prevent more than 2,000 gallons of stormwater from washing pollution into Bradley and Hewletts Creeks.
Healing local creeks is not an overnight fix, but continued efforts by local residents and businesses will add up over time. An empowered community is a powerful community. Anyone can take a step towards healing local waterways, and we’re happy to show you HOW.
Learn more about us and find a full copy of the Bradley and Hewletts Creeks Watershed Restoration Plan at our website, www.healourwaterways.org. If you live near Bradley Creek or Hewletts Creek and are interested in a stormwater solution, please fill out our application form at www. wilmingtonnc.gov/takeaction. HOW is also available for local presentations to HOAs, community groups, or events. Simply email us at healourwaterways@wilmingtonnc.gov with your request.
Anna Reh-Gingerich is the Interim Watershed Coordinator/Heal Our Waterways Program for City of Wilmington Stormwater Services.
