A Tale of Two Gardens Two coastal NC gardens offer different experiences

A Tale of

Two coastal NC gardens offer different experiences

Story and photos by Leah Chester-Davis

A visit to

Wilmington is packed with possibilities. Among them, nearby Wrightsville beach, the charming Riverwalk, a wide range of restaurants and shops, and two mustsee gardens: Airlie and the Arboretum of New Hanover County.

Airlie Gardens is the more historic and expansive of the two, with its 67 acres and massive live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and exuding coastal Southern charm. The Arboretum, much smaller with only seven acres, packs both personality and a pleasing array of plants in several types of gardens that both inspire and educate. It’s a treasure for anyone seeking to learn more about gardening or for those simply wanting to enjoy a beautiful space.

The gardens are near one another, just a mile apart, making it easy to visit both. Both offer educational experiences.

Airlie Gardens

Historic Southern Charm

Airlie has a long history, dating back to the late 1800s when it was part of a larger estate and privately owned by Pembroke and Sarah Jones, who transformed it into a picturesque garden. The couple entertained such notables as Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry Flagler and W.K. Vanderbilt. Later owned by the Corbett Family, Airlie played a role in the state’s first Azalea Festival and will be part of the Cape Fear Garden Club’s garden tour during the April 2022 festival.

Now owned by New Hanover County as a public garden, its size and location along Bradley Creek, its mix of live oaks, magnolias, azaleas, camellias, sculptures, tree-lined trails, and elegant vistas give it a stately appearance. It is a beautiful place to walk, or visitors can hop on a tram to travel throughout the estate while being treated to the history of the place by friendly tram operators.

Airlie is beautiful anytime of the year though it delivers springtime enchantment with thousands of azaleas, camellias, tulips and other spring blooms. The signature Airlie live oak is nearing 500 years old, and is a popular backdrop for weddings and other events.

One of the more recent additions is the Butterfly House that serves as a seasonal home to native butterflies and plants. It is a popular spot from May through mid-October for visitors of all ages.

Another point of interest is the Bottle Chapel, a tribute to the artist Minnie Jones Evans, who was employed at Airlie for 25 years, was

Airlie Gardens

A Tale of Two Gardens

Airlie Gardens

self-taught, and became internationally recognized. No doubt the garden inspired her, as evidenced by one of her quotes: “Green is God’s theme color — he has 600 and some shades of green.”

To enhance the educational experience of the garden, Nature Discovery Kits are available for elementary age children or anyone who would like one. They include activities such as making a stick-bound journal and documenting observations, learning basic birdwatching skills and the “Build a Nest Challenge,” and a plant scavenger hunt.

Airlie is a favored spot for bird enthusiasts. It’s part of the North Carolina Birding Trail, offering a Coastal Region site to observe a wide range of species. The Bradley Creek Overlook is a great place to view coastal birds. Bird Hikes are available at 8 a.m. on select days and advance tickets are required.

Arboretum of New Hanover County

Arboretum of New Hanover County

Hands-on Education

The small Arboretum of New Hanover County is designed to be a teaching garden in a lovely setting. Extension educators, Master Gardeners, and Friends of the Arboretum are actively involved in the garden and plant clinics are held frequently to answer home gardeners’ questions.

The Arboretum features several specialty gardens, and each is equipped with educational signage that provides helpful information. Plants throughout the garden are labeled with both scientific and common names, which is a useful

PLAN YOUR VISIT: Airlie Gardens

300 Airlie Road, Wilmington airliegardens.org or 910-798-7700 Gardens open: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed certain holidays and Mondays in winter). Advance tickets are required, unless you are a member: $9 general admission; $5 for New Hanover residents and members of military; $3 for children. Check the website for special events such as a summer concert series. Arboretum of New Hanover County

PLAN YOUR VISIT: Arboretum of New Hanover County

6206 Oleander Drive, Wilmington arboretum.nhcgov.com or 910-798-7660 Gardens open: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Free admission. Check the website for information on special events throughout the year. feature for the visitor who may want to add a plant like it to their own garden.

The raised bed garden, with a wide range of vegetables, provides a glimpse of what is possible in your own backyard, along with information on how to attract beneficial insects to your garden. A composting area is included at its edge with a how-to guide.

Other garden areas are the pollinator, native plant, herb, rain, camellia, rose, and Military Memorial Contemplation Garden. A Japanese Garden is tucked into the far back corner. Japanese lanterns and orange torii gates lend traditional features and welcome visitors to the tranquil space. The many plants — Japanese maples, Hinoki cypress, deodar cedar, satsuki azaleas, Japanese iris, sweet flag, Japanese ferns, various ornamental grasses, among others — give the visitor an idea of what can be created in a relatively small space.

Sculptures, a children’s playhouse, and brightly painted toadstools add a touch of whimsy to other spots. A StoryWalk will keep children engaged as they learn about the natural world.

Carolina Country Contributing Editor Leah Chester-Davis loves to explore North Carolina. Her business, Chester-Davis Communications (chester-davis.com), specializes in food, farm, gardening and lifestyle brands and organizations.

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1“GreatCall review”, TechRadar.com (Jul. 21, 2020). 2Consistently rated the most reliable network and best overall network performance in the country by IHS Markit’s RootScore Reports. 3Based on device cost, activation fee, plus 12 months of service among competitors with similar products and services (comparison conducted on 3/4/21). 4Fall Detection is an optional feature and may not always accurately detect a fall. Users should always push their button when they need help, if possible. Fall detection only available with purchase of Ultimate Health and Safety Plan. 5Monthly service fee excludes government taxes or assessment surcharges and may change. Urgent Response Service tracks an approximate location of the device. Urgent Response or 9-1-1 calls can only be made when cellular service is available. Urgent Care, provided by FONEMED®, is not a substitute for dialing 911 and should not be used in a case of emergency. FONEMED’s registered nurses and contracted physicians, through MDLIVE, offer advice regarding healthcare decisions and may prescribe certain medications and make diagnoses. We are not liable for any act or omission, including negligence, of any FONEMED employee or contractor. Waterproof rated for up to 3 feet for up to 30 minutes. LIVELY is a trademark of Best Buy and its affiliated companies. © 2021 Best Buy. All rights reserved. AARP commercial member benefits are provided by third parties, not by AARP or its affiliates. Providers pay a royalty fee to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. These fees are used for the general purposes of AARP. Some provider offers are subject to change and may have restrictions.

Fly Fishing in the Tuckasegee River

Fish Like a Pro

Embrace these habits to catch bigger fish

Anyone who has put time in fishing knows that the big one isn’t always caught by the most experienced angler. In other words, there can be a lot of luck in fishing. On the other hand, if you want to consistently catch more fish and bigger fish (and create your own luck), you can set yourself up for greater success if you follow these tips.

Go to the fish. It sounds obvious but it’s important. Conditions in some areas produce an outsized number of fish or trophy-size fish. For example, professional bass fishing tournaments tend to be conducted on big bodies of water known for their big numbers. Before you head out, read fishing reports online. The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries’ website offers coastal reports (bit.ly/coastal-reports). The regional summaries estimates catches of various fish by interviewing hundreds of anglers throughout the coast. Resources on the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s website (bit.ly/fish-attractors) include a map that shows ponds and lakes where fish attractors have been placed. Wobbling is good. Big fish zero in on wounded fish for an easy meal. Lures that mimic wounded motions include the Original Floating Rapala, a lure created with natural balsa wood that recreates the wobbling motion of a wounded bait fish.

Use needle-sharp hooks. Many fish have hard mouths so you need to use a hook that will hold on when a fish bites down on your bait. Fishing pros like Ott DeFoe and Jacob Wheeler rely on needle-sharp hooks to win major bass tournaments.

Focus on structures. Have you ever noticed when you go to a party how everyone hangs around the island in the kitchen? Fish are no different, really — they like to hover around rocks and reefs, hang around dock and pier posts, and hide in weed beds.

Keep asking why. In a fishing magazine article, pro angler Mike Iaconelli was asked about why he loves fishing and why bass pros are so good at it. Iaconelli said he looks at fishing like solving a puzzle. When he catches a fish, he asks himself, “Why did that happen?” so he can learn from it and keep catching more.

Replace your fishing line. Don’t take a chance. Check your line regularly for nicks and abrasions, according to professionals at Sufix, and get in the habit of replacing your fishing line annually if you fish frequently.

Dangle big lures. In general, big fish are kind of lazy. They want to eat as much as they can while spending the least amount of energy getting their food. It’s hanging out on the couch all day and having a fully stocked fridge within just a short reach. So, when you’re going after bigger fish, try using bigger lures.

—Brandpoint

Fishing the sea

Learn more about the fun (and big rewards) of charter fishing, starting on page 12.

Health from Home

Availability of telemedicine continues to grow

If there is a silver lining to the challenges the pandemic created for families and seniors, it may be the expansion and affordability of virtual care. The ability to see a doctor today with little notice, using your phone, computer or tablet, offers a new level of flexibility in accessing health care.

Virtual care, or telemedicine, can span a wide range of services to address a family’s health needs without going to a doctor’s office and provides easy access to experts and specialists. Telemedicine services are covered by most insurance providers.

From care for specific illnesses to managing ongoing concerns, here are some ways that telemedicine might be a good fit for your family’s health care needs. To learn more about telemedicine, you can visit websites such as teladoc.com and your own insurance company’s website. Everyday illnesses In the past, if your doctor’s office couldn’t get you in to help treat conditions like allergies, sinus infections or other common illnesses, urgent care was one of your few remaining options. Now, virtual care can address non-emergency needs and everyday illnesses in place of urgent care.

Specialty care Even with a referral, it can take weeks or months to get an appointment with some specialists. One example is dermatology. Instead of waiting months to be seen by a dermatologist, with a virtual provider, you can seek and receive treatment in a matter of hours.

Mental health As a result of the pandemic and related social implications, many organizations have been reporting substantial upticks in requests for mental health support. Phone and video visits for mental health have been shown to be as effective as in-person treatment, according to the Telemental Health Institute.

Wellness care Most people think of their health needs in terms of reactive care for known problems, but it can also be useful for wellness care, such as nutrition. Registered dietitians can provide virtual consultations to help ensure everyone, including family members with special dietary needs, receives proper nutrients.

Get that second opinion If you’re unsure about a diagnosis, need help choosing treatment, have medical questions or concerns, or want an expert’s advice or second opinion, some virtual care providers can connect you with leading specialists to give you the answers and confidence you need to make informed decisions about your family’s health.

Make time for self-care

Using telemedicine is a form of self-care, just as anytime you address your mental and physical needs. Other ways to care for yourself mentally and emotionally include making time for enjoyable activities, such as listening to music, painting, drawing and working with wood. Carve out time to connect with family and friends and help your kids to do the same.

—Familyfeatures.com

ROANOKE ELECTRIC

2020 Annual Report

Executive Summary

For Roanoke Electric Cooperative, the year 2020 was like no other in our 82-year history. The unprecedented global pandemic ushered in abrupt and fundamental changes in the world as we knew it. Amidst the challenges of uncertainty, the co-op sharpened its mission and commitment to meeting the needs of the diverse communities we serve—even as we adapted to new and virtual realities.

The pandemic heightened awareness of the critical need for broadband connectivity in our service territory. In response to the unyielding hardships posed by state-mandated locked downs, the co-op installed free hotspots throughout the community. This provided much-needed internet access for critical programs and services, such as unemployment filings, telemedicine and education.

Notwithstanding the challenges, we seized upon the opportunity to make notable progress with many of our existing initiatives, as well as launched new ones in 2020:

• The co-op rebooted its Roanoke

Connect initiative, seeking to bring high-speed internet and smart grid energy efficiency capabilities to the region. As part of this endeavor, broadband-enabled thermostats and water heater devices are also being installed in member-owners’ households, with the added benefit of monthly bill credits.

• The co-op’s Upgrade to $ave program continued to provide free energy assessments to homes and businesses to identify upgrades that will result in energy cost savings. Beyond the immediate savings to member-owners from reduced energy usage, another benefit is the millions of dollars in savings with the reduced amount of wholesale power required to meet demand. To date, more than 1,200 households have benefitted from this program.

• Last year, Roanoke Electric introduced a new, complementary initiative to

Upgrade to $ave called Roanoke

SolarShare. It identifies and benefits deserving, income-qualified households that cannot immediately take part in Upgrade to $ave, because of major health and safety concerns.

• Your co-op also launched its new EV

Pilot Program that offers a discounted subscription rate to local electric vehicle owners. Although the adoption rate for EVs is gaining momentum slowly in this region, the co-op anticipates this trend will grow.

• In 2020, the co-op completed its advanced metering project, a systemwide change of all existing residential and commercial meters to new digital meters. Not only does the new technology improve the efficiency of the operation and delivery of electricity, but it also helps memberowners save on energy costs by providing timely information on their energy consumption patterns.

We are proud of the many ways the co-op team adapted to the unpredictable and pervasive pandemic crisis. Throughout the year, we successfully maintained core operations and ensured the uninterrupted flow of power.

The key accomplishments highlighted in this report are testimony to the team’s hard work, dedication and resilience. Even with some lingering challenges we face today, the co-op continues to thrive, leading with the needs of those we serve.

Together we are more powerful.

Respectfully,

Curtis Wynn PRESIDENT AND CEO Allen Speller CHAIRMAN

Work Summary

Roanoke Electric serves about 14,200 member-owners in northeastern North Carolina, which is one of the most economically challenged regions in our state. Nearly 30 percent of the co-op’s memberowner households have an income of less than $25,000 a year. Many of our efforts over the last year are just the latest iteration of our focus on providing economic opportunity for our member-owners and alleviating the burden of increasing costs of energy.

For us to make those opportunities possible, safety remains at the forefront of everything that we do. As a testament to being self-sufficient in our ability to control workplace hazards, the co-op has completed the N.C. Department of Labor’s Carolina Star Program recertification process. The program recognizes employers and employees who have implemented effective safety and health management systems and maintain injury and illness rates that meet the criteria for participation. In 2020, there was a 50 percent reduction in workplace injuries and worker compensation claims. By maintaining a healthier workforce, we were able to push our overall strategy forward in a major way.

Our overarching corporate strategy is built upon three strategic pillars that combine to create value beyond the average delivery of service: • Improve Reliability: Central to our mission, deeply embedded within many of the initiatives we undertake and the investments we make, is meeting your expectation of “keeping the lights on.”

• Leverage Technology: We embrace innovative technologies that support our efforts to provide superior service to our member-owners and enable the adoption of best practices.

• Build Member Value: We strive to deliver effective and high- impact, diversified programs and services to our member-owners, underscoring our compassion and commitment for the communities we serve.

These three pillars are fundamentally supported by eight core values personified by our employees.

Improve Reliability Pillar

Keeping the lights on is what we do as your electric cooperative. We establish and measure specific targets related to your perception of how well we are doing, and we use real data to measure our success. Via surveys, member-owners have continued to give us high marks in 2020, with a 9.11 out of 10 service reliability rating. Using our internal measures, we achieved a System Average Interruption Duration Index rating of 192 minutes for the year per member-owner, which is very comparable to industry standards. These numbers are driven by the following major initiatives that support our goal to improve reliability.

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)

Deployment: One of our top priorities has always been leveraging innovative technologies to improve system reliability. Last year, the co-op made significant progress in its deployment of a new advanced metering system, called Automated Metering Infrastructure, across its service territory. This technology allows us to create an integrated system of smart meters, communications networks, and data management systems, enabling two-way communication between the co-op and our member-owners. One key benefit of this technology is that it improves our ability to locate and respond to outages more quickly. These meters also provide energy data the co-op uses to refine our energy efficiency programs. That, in turn, helps our memberowners better manage energy consumption and add more cost savings to their monthly electric bills. In addition to providing essential information during major outages, this sophisticated technology offers the co-op the opportunity to analyze the AMI data for abnormal usage patterns. Those patterns can be caused by things such as bad water heater elements, heating and cooling systems continuing to run, or meter tampering (energy theft) to reduce power bills. Detecting these problems early helps avoid the surprise of an unusually high bill for our member-owners, as well as helps save money and improve reliability.

Pole Replacements: The co-op’s 82-year old system has numerous poles that need replacing. Our operations and maintenance team replaced 1,200 poles in 2020. This work ensures that our system will remain standing after hurricanes and other extreme storms. The Roanoke Connect broadband initiative also requires a number of pole replacements to “make ready” our system for the fiberoptic cables that are now being attached to poles. To date, the team has replaced hundreds of poles to ensure that the Roanoke Connect project stays on schedule.

Right-of-Way Maintenance: One major cause of service interruptions are trees and other vegetation growing around our power lines. In 2020, Roanoke Electric continued it aggressive rightof-way maintenance program using a combination of tree trimming and spraying. Work crews trimmed 300 miles of vegetation and sprayed 533 miles of growth around our power lines.

Cybersecurity: A new threat to “keeping the lights on” is the aggressive efforts by bad actors who attempt to infiltrate and shutdown the critical technology networks that companies use to operate their businesses. The co-op depends heavily on these networks and has in turn invested much time and energy insuring that these systems and networks are protected from cyber attackers. Like many businesses, most of our operations shifted to a virtual platform during the pandemic. Recognizing that our increased need of technology for our day-to-day operations comes with a heightened vulnerability for cyberattacks, the co-op was also able to support remote work without compromising the service we provide to our member-owners or the integrity of our systems. The co-op’s network is monitored 24/7 and our dedicated team is continually updating procedures to safeguard our system from potential attacks. Last year, the co-op underwent a self-assessment in partnership with NRECA to better understand our cybersecurity posture. The results are being used to prioritize mitigation actions and further develop a cybersecurity action plan.

Improved Member-Owner Communications: In the event of an outage, the co-op has systems in place to help streamline power restoration efforts. Our outage management systems provided an improved communication experience with member-owners. In addition to outage updates, the team offered alerts via text and social media.

Leverage Technology Pillar

EV Pilot Program: In early 2020, the co-op debuted its electric vehicle pilot initiative designed to make cooperative member-owners aware of the cost-saving opportunities of owning an electric vehicle. The pilot initiative entails offering participating member-owners a reduced rate for charging their electric vehicles. For a $50 per month subscription rate, participants can keep their batteryoperated vehicle charged enough to travel nearly 1,500 miles. The $50 flat rate compares to the nearly $185 it would cost to keep a 20 miles per gallon gas-powered car going for that same distance. These EV owners have the added convenience of “re-charging” at home with a new charging station, valued at $1,700. To enable rapid market penetration, the co-op is making the upfront investment in the equipment and installation. As such, your cooperative covers the upfront cost of professionally installing the chargers in the member-owner’s homes. Looking at the big picture, the initiative will improve the co-op’s financial performance by allowing us to more efficiently use the power that we are committed to purchase to insure we keep your power on 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. To take our EV deployment effort a step further, we are initiating a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) pilot at our headquarters. This program will test our ability to use vehicle owners’ unused vehicle battery as a source of power rather than paying extremely high prices for power from other sources, which can be very expensive when the demand for power is extremely high.

Roanoke Connect: In 2020, Roanoke Electric began implementation of its revised strategy to deliver high-speed internet service to the region. During that time, much of our efforts were centered on building the basic infrastructure to make our investment adaptable to future technology changes and advancements. The new strategy will deploy a combination of technologies ranging from high-speed fixed wireless technology to “fiber-to-the-premises” broadband. Additionally, we are deploying state-of-the-art 10G network equipment in the homes of our subscribers to deliver the “ultimate experience” for internet subscribers. The co-op’s new and improved plan offers homes and businesses far faster connection speeds and higher bandwidth. Consistent with the previous plan, the network will have the ability to power smart devices, such as smart thermostats, to monitor energy consumption and ultimately reduce energy costs for member-owners. As we closed out 2020, we were already seeing an uptick in the number of subscribers being added and had completed 652 service connections.

Build Member Value Pillar

Capital Credits: In 2020, Roanoke Electric Co-op returned $1.5 million in capital credits to its membership—the largest amount retired in its 82-year history. Each year, the co-op’s board of directors evaluates the company’s financial stability to determine the amount of capital credits it can retire. The co-op was pleased to be in a position to return money to its member-owners at this unprecedented level, amid the pandemic. For many, the financial implications of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak have been devastating. The co-op heard those echoing calls for relief from its membership and was able to respond in a huge way. The one-time credit was applied to member-owners’ electric bills and members-owners received an average bill credit of $120.

Sustainable Forestry & Land Retention Program:

The Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project ramped up efforts to restore and conserve threatened forestland in Roanoke Electric’s service area. By increasing forest-owner income and land asset values, the project marked progress in many key areas:

• Participants have accessed approximately $560,000 in financial assistance for forestry and legal services.

• 145 landowners have established forest management plans.

• Sustainable forestry practices are being implemented on about 3,000 acres of land.

• 20 landowners are enrolled in the North Carolina Tree

Farm program.

• 38 landowners have created estate/succession plans.

• 90 landowners who own a combined 7,500 acres of land are participating in their county’s Present Use Valuation tax reduction program.