18 minute read
THE FATE OF EAGLES ISLAND
THE FATE OF
Is the island in both Brunswick and New Hanover counties destined for development or will it become a nature park with a focus on preservation, education and recreation?
BY TERESA A. MCLAMB PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURA GLANTZ
THE ONLY BOBCAT I have ever encountered in the wild was on Eagles Island. I didn’t so much encounter it as hear it, a wail almost like a baby’s cry. Scanning the marshy landscape, I spotted a lone scraggly tree. Crouched on a lower branch, the cat called out to something unseen in this otherworldly terrain.
That was the early 1970s, when there were still skeletons of tugboats and ships along the shoreline of the Cape Fear River side and liberty ships in the Brunswick River. The USS North Carolina was a shiny new resident. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spoil area wasn’t quite so large as today, and Wilmington’s population was small enough that no one had seriously considered developing the island.
All that has changed as this tiny patch of land between Wilmington’s downtown and Brunswick County’s northern population explosion is eyed for development.
Mooresville-based Diamondback Development LLC reportedly purchased 19 acres of high land in 2016 for $1.5 million, according to a StarNews article at the time. A look at the counties’ GIS systems shows the land under Holdings of TCM Inc. with the same principals involved. The New Hanover County acreage totals 18.94, while another 8.62 is shown in Brunswick County. Total GIS acreage for the island is just under 1,500. Nine owners are corporations or individuals, while the remaining seven are government entities. New Hanover County has jurisdiction of 106.02 acres; the remainder falls under Brunswick County.
A few years back, spurred by an unsolicited donation of 500-plus acres to the New Hanover County Soil and Water Conservation District, a group emerged with the goal of preserving the entire island. An extensive article in the April 2009 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina details the coalition’s evolution. Their work resulted in a 2011 report detailing in 110 pages the island’s history, geology, possible uses and more.
They attempted to bring Diamondback’s acreage into their plan, but could not reach an agreement, according to Evan Folds, supervisor of the Soil and Water Conservation District and co-chair of the new Eagles Island Central Park
Task Force, along with Lloyd Singleton of the New Hanover County Arboretum. The task force includes nonprofits, government agencies and individuals, all with the aim of preserving the island as greenspace while also using it as an educational and recreational asset for the region.
Operating for now under the auspices of Renaissance Wilmington Foundation, the task force is seeking support from the towns and counties that adjoin Eagles Island. Several towns are on record as wanting preservation rather than development on the island, Folds says. “We need to raise awareness,” he says. “It used to be something that I just drove over. People know the Battleship is there.”
Because it is a federal monument, the Battleship’s view cannot be obstructed, Folds adds, and some of the development ideas that have been floated did just that.
Folds hopes to excite the public’s imagination about how the island can be preserved.
“Once you develop it, there’s no undeveloping it,” he says.
Eagles Island is rich in history. Its name comes from Richard Eagles, an Englishman who came to the area from Charleston, South Carolina, in 1734. According to a 1989 document by Wilson Angley, Eagles first acquired land on the island in 1738. Over the next several years, he acquired more land on the island as well as in Wilmington and on
Once you develop it, there’s no undeveloping it.
Eagles Island Central Park Task Force seeks to preserve Eagles Island as a park between Wilmington and North Brunswick County.
The envisioned cultural center on Eagles Island would tell Gullah Geechee story, along with that of the Native Americans, who were first on the land.
the western side of the Brunswick River.
The Eagles family eventually owned more than 900 acres on the island and more than 6,500 acres in the region. Eagles is believed to have begun producing rice on the island using the tidal flow method after the 1750s.
While naval stores was a large-scale industry in the region, historians believe the island lacked sufficient longleaf pine forest to have been involved until the second half of the 18th century, corresponding with the establishment and growth of Wilmington, which was incorporated in 1739. Warehouses and wharves dotted both sides of the Cape Fear River, and a ferry ran between Eagles Island and the foot of Market Street.
Rice plantations grew up around the river, including on Eagles Island. Glastonbury Plantation included 220 acres on the island. On the east side were Hallett, Osawatomie and Bleak House plantations. Extensive networks of ditches and levees were constructed to support rice cultivation, which continued into the early 1900s. Remains are evident on much of the island.
Part of this history is the Gullah Geechee tradition, which was brought here with the slaves who worked the rice fields. Their expertise in raising the crop in South Carolina was well known. The envisioned cultural center on Eagles Island would tell Gullah Geechee story, along with that of the
Native Americans, who were first on the land.
“We can imagine this cultural center that breathes life into it,” Folds says. “We need to invite the public to imagine that. We can generate the same level of tax value with recreation [as could be done with commercial development].”
There is another piece to this puzzle that should easily
discourage any thoughts of commercial or residential development, Folds adds. “The Battleship area is flooding already. When the harbor is deepened, it’s going to raise the river level.” Deepening of the harbor all the way to the ocean is scheduled in order to accommodate super tankers at the Port of Wilmington. “The activity will bring in saltwater intrusion and raise the river,” Folds says.
N.C. State’s Coastal Dynamics Design Lab is developing a model that demonstrates the effects of the rise in sea level, Folds notes. Their map will show the proposed trails and cultural center and the effects of the anticipated rise in sea level. The same modeling can be used to show what would happen should a commercial or residential development be built.
To complicate matters even further, the City of Wilmington’s rail realignment program includes running the railroad line through Eagles Island, something the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opposes. The Corps owns almost 1,500 acres on the southern portion of the island and uses it to dispose of dredged material.
Considered an active construction site, the land is not open to the public, according to Christine Montoney Brayman, Commander’s Deputy for Programs & Project Management, Wilmington District.
“On an annual basis we place material into our confined disposal facility with dredged material from the adjacent anchorage basin of Wilmington Harbor,” she wrote in an email. “This allows the vessels calling the Port of Wilmington to turn around. The Port is an important economic engine for the region and the state.”
At this stage, regular meetings and formal and informal discussions are ongoing. Earth sciences professor Roger Shew at UNCW has developed a presentation on the history and the viability of the island along with some alarming statistics about the sea level rise that has already occurred and appears to be continuing.
Cape Fear River Watch is also involved. Stay on the lookout for a website dedicated to the task force. They’re already on Facebook @eaglesislandnaturepark.
The island is home to a variety of wildlife, like the indigo bunting on page 81 and the mallard and redwinged blackbird show on this page.
The Magic of Music
Meet Bolivia native Samuel Hatch, singer/songwriter and lead singer of The Hatch Brothers.
BY ASHLEY HAFER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT MCGRAW
SSamuel Hatch is a vibrant young musician with a bright future ahead of him. After a few moments of speaking to him, it’s clear that he is also an old soul.
Rooted from a small farm in Bolivia, Hatch grew up in a musical family. His father is classically trained on the guitar, and growing up Hatch remembers listening to him play eclectic songs on the six strings. His grandmother was also a strong musical influence in his life. Watching her play the piano in Town Creek Christian Church stirred something in him, and that quaint little church off Highway 17 would become not just a family tradition but also the first step in hatching his musical plan. You could say that his grandmother was his muse at an early age, which carried well into his elder years. Unfortunately, throughout time, he had to witness his grandmother’s mental ability deteriorate due to Alzheimer’s disease. He watched her return again and again to the foundation that has always been true to her, the piano, playing songs and hymns she
had learned many years ago. It seemed the only thing the disease had not conquered was her connection to music and the ability to play from memory.
This spoke to the artist in Hatch. “Music is magic,” he says.
Being a career musician was not always in the plans. Hatch actually thought at one point he would study to be an anesthesiologist, but following his heart he became a musician, songwriter, composer, teacher, solo performer and member of the successful band, The Hatch Brothers.
During his time in school, Hatch participated in worship band, choir, theater and anything surrounding his passion for music and composing. He furthered his education at Campbell University, receiving a degree in voice composition and theory.
With a natural ear, good musical genetics, a solid education and a love for music, Hatch hit the ground running in both performing and songwriting, finding inspiration from various musicians. He professes his awe of Freddie Mercury from the band Queen, mainly for his bravado and stage presence. Another influence is Jeff Buckley, the American songwriter known for his majestic song “Hallelujah;” Hatch describes him as avant garde and as having an amazing range of vocals. Somewhere between those two icons is Kurt Cobain, who Hatch admires for being an innovative creator and for the raw emotion in his lyrics.
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Hatch performs solo around town in a one-man-band act known as the One Man Sam. You can catch him performing at spots such as Grand Cru, Smoke on the Water, Wrightsville Beach Brewery, Pilot House and others.
In The Hatch Brothers, Hatch leads in vocals and composes original music and lyrics. His brother, Paul Hatch, rocks out the bass and ukulele, and their friend Phil Milligan performs on the drums. Together they form a perfect mix of rock, folk, pop, blues and gospel music, blending different genres and backgrounds to create their own unique sound. They perform original songs as well as provide their own renditions of covers. You can catch The Hatch Brothers at the Blockade Runner in Wrightsville Beach, Sundogz in Oak Island, the Oak Island Elks Lodge and Reggies 42nd Street Tavern in Wilmington.
Hatch is a dynamic musician who uses his abilities not only to do gigging but also to teach others. At Port City Conservatory of Music, he teaches people ages 5 to 95 years old how to play instruments ranging from guitar to piano to ukulele, whether it’s their first lesson or they are brushing up on a skill, learning to write music or training their voice. He also teaches a very popular songwriting class at Port City Conservatory of Music.
“When I started up the songwriting class it filled instantly in the first day of promotion!” he says. “It’s just a fun class that teaches people how to write and refine their very own song.”
Hatch describes his future plans as being filled with writing and composing music, putting his heart into an album that took his band two long years to achieve, making sure every note, every key, every lyric is perfect before presenting it to their fans.
The Hatch Brothers album will be coming out later this year. Be on the lookout for it on Spotify and see their Facebook page for updates.
SEE THE HATCH BROTHERS
Follow Samuel Hatch on Facebook.com/TheOneManSam or Instagram at the_one_man_sam or go to samhatchmusic.com.
Follow The Hatch Brothers on Facebook and Instagram, both thehatchbrothersofficial, or go to thehatchbrothers.com. There you’ll find info about future gigs plus a variety of videos from past shows, photos of the band and more.
On June 26 AJ and Wade Stanaland of Northwest Land & Cattle Company held a loyal customer appreciation celebration at their farm. Website and monthly box customers as well as their families and kids were invited to enjoy cocktails and boiled peanuts, whole hog barbecue and live music. Coolers and lawn chairs were welcome at the event, which allowed consumers to connect with the farmers who feed them, all while enjoying food and fellowship. Northwest Land & Cattle raises cattle, hogs and crops in Brunswick County.
Neil Firth and Maureen Garofano Neil Firth and John Row
Neil Firth and Mark Grim Neil Firth and Candy Adams Neil Firth, Dawn Rochelle and Rotarian of the year Chris Stevenson
Leland Area Rotary Club Awards
The Leland Area Rotary Club held its annual awards ceremony at Brunswick Forest on June 24. The club broke records in foundation giving and service hours and held strong in membership over the last year. Chris Stevenson was named Rotarian of the year. The club serves the North Brunswick community. For more information visit lelandarearotary.org.
WAVES 4 K.I.D.S. Fundraiser
On June 13 many guests gathered at The Barn at Rock Creek in Leland for a WAVES 4 K.I.D.S fundraiser. Tickets included dinner catered by ART Catering & Events, a dessert bar, a live auction, a raffle and 50/50 drawing plus entertainment by The Embers featuring Craig Woolard. WAVES 4 K.I.D.S. raises funds to meet the health, educational and social welfare needs of children under the care of the Department of Social Services or other children in difficult situations. Since its creation in 2004, the organization has helped provide vital support for local children, including medical and dental care, daycare, scholarships, clothing, school supplies and so much more. To learn more about the nonprofit organization and how you can help support them, visit waves4kids.org.
WAVES Board Member Kelly Evans
Business After Hours at Coastal Integrative Health
Claire Gentile, Alex Humbert & Brian Lank Allison Vail, Paul Whitehead, Gina Green & Robert Adkins
Gina Carucci & Patrick McCauley
Candy Adams & Suzanne West John & Heather Evans
Mike Kebelbeck & Jason Gaver Ronald Hines & Frank Williams Paul Hrvol & Zach Drennon
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