The Tale of the Possum: It's not as slick as you think

The latest news out of Raleigh has all the makings of a Hollywood comedy.  Well, maybe not a Christmas release at a theater near you, but definitely a made for TV movie.  I can even see the potential for a catchy tune that people around the world could lip-sync to on YouTube.  We can take possums in so many directions.

grinnus alottus

We southerners love the ole possum.  He takes us back to our rural roots, waddling about with a perpetual smile that hints that a tree filled with plump persimmons is just around the corner.  True or not, we all grew up hearing the older folks talk about eating possums during the hard times.  I recall an instructor in my wildlife officer recruit class asking if any of us had ever broken the game laws.  Most of us reluctantly raised our hands.  He then asked how many had gotten caught.  One recruit raised his hand and admitted to being charged with hunting possums in the closed season.  He had instant credibility with the rest of the class.

www.clayscorner.com

I wrote in an earlier post about PETA’s attempt to alter the New Year's Eve festivities in the southern Appalachian community of Brasstown. NC.  A thing I love about mountain people is that they don’t like to be pushed around – I guess it is a carryover from our Scots/Irish roots.  So, in 2013 a mountain legislator introduced, and the General Assembly passed, the Opossum Right-to-Work Act (even Hollywood couldn’t make that up) to give the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) the authority to issue a captivity license for the Clays Corner Possum Drop.  That will show PETA.

Then PETA decided to push back (again) and officials from the NCWRC have spent an exorbitant amount of time defending their legal issuance of that license.  NCWRC staff from across the state have been repeatedly subpoenaed to court.  Countless conservation dollars have been wasted in an attempt to appease a small number of people who are opposed by an equally small number of people.  Maybe it is time to call a truce. 

Truce???  No way.  Another thing I love about my people is that we will fight even if we know we will lose.  We ain’t scared of an ass whoopin.

So, let’s introduce another bill.  And this time, let’s get the NCWRC off the hook.  Let’s make Clay County exempt from the NCWRC’s opossum regulations for a week in late December to early January.  That will allow someone to catch a possum, hold it in captivity for that week, display it at the Possum Drop and then turn it loose before the week is up.  Oh yeah, we are winning now.

This news comes as North Carolina educators continue to offer complaints about teacher pay (among the lowest in the country) and as legislators introduce a bill that will make it illegal to reveal the chemicals used in fracking.  It causes one to wonder about our legislative priorities and how North Carolinians are viewed by others.

The scary thing is that there are always unintended consequences to legislation.  It is the whole "slippery slope" metaphor being played out in slow motion as our comedy takes a tragic turn.  If I only learned one thing from 29 years in the law enforcement profession, you can never “law” your way out of a problem.  Laws are part of the solution, but will rarely take us all the way to our desired outcome.  This is a another example of applying a technical fix (a law) to an adaptive problem (societal shifts).

It all strikes me as childish and downright embarrassing.  The social climate changes and just because it was acceptable fun to revel in the possum on New Year’s Eve for many years doesn’t mean we should continue.  On the other hand, it is one possum for one night - a family event – where is the harm?  We are now in an age where compromise is viewed as weak.  “We have to stand for something or we will fall for anything” or something like that.  I'm all for taking a stand, but with all the issues that desperately need to be addressed, I'm certain that that stand shouldn't be over a possum.

As for that possum smile.  I’ve now come to view it as a knowing smirk.

Restoration: What is worth saving?

About 18 months ago, Amy and I rescued a dining table from her grandmother’s old house.  The house has a leaky roof and rain was seeping through to the table.  It was only a matter of time before the table was ruined.

There is nothing especially noteworthy about the table – at least not to most observers.  It is a traditional farm table made of pine.  The legs and frame had a dark stain and the top was unfinished.  My guess is that it was locally made 75-100 years ago, and the top had been replaced somewhere along the way.  Five layers of vinyl tablecloths offered some protection from the rain dripping in though one leg had a bit of rot.  Its monetary value was minimal at best.

The actual value is twofold.  One, the table is functional and will look great in a mountain home.  Other tables could fill the space just as well, but this one has rugged character that goes a step beyond simple function and utility – it has a history of staying power.

Second, there is a strong emotional value to the piece.  For decades meals were eaten around this table, preceded by prayers of thanksgiving and supplication.  After school snacks were wolfed down before kids headed out for evening chores.  Amy's grandfather was a pastor so many of the community's problems were addressed at this very table. So, it is much more than a piece of furniture.

I started refinishing the table about a month ago.  I thought it would only be a matter of stripping away the old finish and replacing it with new.  A question from the beginning was how much to “clean up” and what imperfections to leave.  The boards on the top showed some water damage, and were loose and uneven.

So I removed the individual boards, glued them back together as a whole and then sanded the entire top surface.  The boards were resistant to bending from their previous shape so clamps and glue and screws were required to pull them back to where they needed to be.  Then, it took aggressive work with a belt sander to smooth out the uneven spots and to make the five separate boards one unified table top.

We opted for a walnut finish and three coats of polyurethane for protection.  I feel the character has been preserved and it is a functional piece that will last another 100 years.

As I worked on the table, I thought about how those in positions of authority are accountable for disciplining individuals in their organizations.  Human Resources departments have policies, churches have scripture, and parents draw from a variety of sources to aid them in applying discipline.  Most of us hear “punishment” when we hear someone talking of discipline.  While there may be a punitive aspect to discipline, true discipline goes beyond steps taken to punish behavior or actions.  At its root, discipline is training.

I considered how easy it would be to simply scrap the table and go buy a new one.  We sometimes do that with employees – look for a way to remove them from the organization and hire someone who is (hopefully) a better fit.  And Michael Cheshire writes in Why We Eat Our Own about how churches often “discard” members who struggle with sin.  We have a tendency to look for the easiest way out of a situation, especially those situations that make us uncomfortable.

We sometimes close our eyes and hope that a personnel problem will go away on its own.  Amy stored the table for over a year and its condition did not change.  Change took removing old nails, gluing the boards back together, and hours of sanding – all hard, dirty work.  It takes work and persistence to change behavior.  Most of all it takes a firm vision of our desired outcome.

As I look at the table in the dining area, I realize that this wasn’t a refinishing job after all.  Refinishing is just removing the old finish and replacing it with new - it is cosmetic at best.  This was a restoration project.  The goal was restoring the table to its original complex value.  That goal has been met.

I wonder how much stronger our organizations would be if we came view those who fall short of our expectations as restoration, instead of refinishing, projects?

Making the Complex Simple

It was always surprises me when someone tells me that they rarely (or never) read a book.  A 2007 NBC News survey found that roughly one American in four didn’t read a book in the preceding year.  Other surveys place the number even higher.  I would guess the true number would be shocking if the respondents were completely honest.

That whole thought baffles me.  As a kid at Bethware Elementary School, I loved going to the library.  That library contained a group of small biographies where I learned of the exploits of John Paul Jones (I have not yet begun to fight!) and Kit Carson.  At Central Junior High, teacher Betsy Wells allowed us to order paperbacks.  One of my all time favorites is Where the Red Fern Grows.  I dreamed of owning a pair of Redbone coonhounds like Old Dan and Little Ann, and following them up a creekbed while they poured it on a coon.  Reading took me from a small town in western North Carolina to the American Revolution, the Ozarks and on to the western frontier.

In high school I was keenly aware that it wasn’t very cool to read.  So, I tried to strike a balance by focusing on hunting and fishing books.  Thumbing through the old card catalog, searching for fishing books, I came across a novel by this Hemmingway guy and it doing so found myself immersed in the high literature of the Old Man and the Sea.  When I read about Santiago’s epic struggle with the great fish, as a high schooler, I couldn’t see past the fishing story (a story that is incredible).  Later, after the second or third reading, I came to realize it was more than just a story of an old man and a great fish, and I came to appreciate the writing of a story spun by a master.

These days I continue to read a variety of texts.  I bounce from non-fiction and fiction.  It is pretty rare that I don’t have a book nearby.  I read fiction for pure enjoyment and I greatly enjoy a well written tale.  I read nonfiction because I like learning new things or hearing different viewpoints.  Most of all I like to read something that inspires me to act or that expands my thoughts on the world. (Under the Overpass transformed my view of the homeless while Nickeled and Dimed opened my eyes to the plight of the working poor).

This past week at the conservation leadership academy, I led a short class on the power of storytelling in leadership.  It is a topic that fascinates me, and done well, it is one of the most effective ways leaders can connect with others.

I'm not opposed to statistics and logical reasoning.  But, we tend to throw numbers and facts at people, and then wonder why they aren’t inspired to act.  We show charts with numbers and graphs hoping to change behaviors.  We aim for the head, but vision should be cast to the heart.  Whether they are written, sung or spoken, stories connect on an emotional/relational level, helping the abstract become understandable - the complex become simple.  Simplicity makes action possible and action drives change.

It all begins with a story.

In Honor of NC Wildlife Officers Killed in the Line of Duty

To observe National Police Week, our conservation chiefs leadership group went into Washington, DC to participate in the Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial.  We drove to the western end of the Metro line where we caught the train.  At each stop we were joined by law enforcement officers from across the country.  We left the Metro and walked a short distance to the memorial.  I was a surprised at the mood of the crowd although I should have known exactly how to describe the atmosphere.

The feeling was more of a family reunion than a memorial.  There was a mixture of uniformed officers and those in civilian attire with their spouses.  There were young police explorers who had the most serious faces of all.  I suppose they had been coached on the fact that this was a solemn affair and their behavior should reflect that fact.

And there were the families of officers whose sacrifice was being honored.  They carried a single red rose.  The image of that rose spoke volumes, and people showed deference and respect to those “survivors.”

I thought it would be fitting to share the names of North Carolina Wildlife Officers who were killed in the line of duty.

John W. Hollowell                 End of Watch:  August 30, 1930

Officer Hollowell was assaulted outside the Chowan County courthouse by three individuals whom he had just testified against for fishing violations.  He died as a result of injuries sustained in that assault.  Two of the subjects were charged and convicted in Officer Hollowell’s death

Joseph D. Whitaker              End of watch:  November 15, 1936

Officer Whitaker was killed while working night deer hunting in Henderson County.  His assailants were never identified.

William I. Wright Jr.            End of Watch:  October 31, 1948

Officer Wright was thought to have been killed by a person or persons closed season hunting squirrels in Sampson County.  Although it was reported that his killers were known by police, no one was ever charged.

William G. Holler                  End of Watch:  October 19, 1951

Officer Holler was killed in an automobile accident in Mecklenburg County.

Amos M. Bordeaux               End of Watch:  April 10, 1962

Officer Bordeaux was accidentally killed in Sampson County while cleaning his service weapon after target practice.

John O. Edwards                  End of Watch:  August 3, 1963

Officer Edwards was killed in an automobile accident on his way home from a night deer hunting detail.  The accident occurred between Jacksonville and Kenansville, N.C.

Dewey H. McCall                  End of Watch:  September 5, 1971

Officer McCall was killed in Burke County after issuing an angler a citation for possession of undersized fish.  The angler left the area and returned to confront Officer McCall.  The assailant was shot by Officer McCall, but survived his injuries.

Troy M. Sigmon                    End of Watch:  September 1, 1978

Officer Sigmon was an area leader (a position now referred to as sergeant) in District Four.  He was flying as an observer in a helicopter near Whiteville, N.C. when it snagged a power line while looking for dove bait.  Officer Sigmon was killed when the helicopter crashed.  The pilot survived.

Lloyd (Neil) Mayse                End of Watch:  November 27, 1980

Officer Mayse stopped two brothers for night deer hunting in Northhampton County.  One brother was riding on the hood while the other drove.  After stopping the pair a fight ensued followed by gunfire.  Officer Mayes killed one suspect and was then killed by the other.

William A. Williamson          End of Watch:  December 4, 1985

Officer Williamson was responding to a call for assistance from an officer who had stopped a vehicle for night deer hunting.  He crashed his vehicle traveling to assist the officer and died on the scene.

Devoted to Duty: The Price of Sacrifice

Master Sergeant John Collum, an officer with the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks was killed on 5/9/14.  He was run down by a motorist while investigating a report of a prowler.

The first thought of many on hearing this may be, “Why was he investigating a prowler?”  Those that would ask that question do not have an understanding of the role of a wildlife officer/game warden/conservation officer in the communities they serve. 

People come to count on wildlife officers to fill roles that extend beyond the enforcement of fish and wildlife laws.  Wildlife officers become baseball coaches, deacons in their church, scout leaders, reading buddies at the elementary school, and confidants to many who simply consider the officers as friends. So in a pinch, a neighbor may call their wildlife officer first for non-wildlife offenses – the neighbor knows who they can count on for a response.

In many small communities there are too few law enforcement officers.  It doesn't matter what uniform an officer wears - they all have to work together to make their community safe.  Deputy sheriffs, state troopers and city police officers know they can count on their wildlife officers to back them up when things get tight.  In turn, wildlife officers depend on these same officers for backup on those dark country roads.

I recall meeting Sergeant Collum in 2012 when he was selected as the officer of the year for the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.  He displayed all the traits we find most attractive and valuable in wildlife officers.  He displayed a quiet confidence that did not require boasting or attention.  His colonel described him as a role model and an example to other officers.  Most of all he was a servant to those in his community.

Sgt. Johnson

Trooper Rich

             

Tonight, the cohort at the NACLEC leadership academy watched the memorial service for Alaska State Troopers, Sgt. Scott Johnson and Trooper Gabe Rich, who were killed in the line of duty on 5/1/14.  There are two Alaska troopers in our class.  During that service, the words “sacred honor,” “duty,” “sacrifice,” "devoted" and "dedicated" were used many times to describe the slain troopers.  Those same words will be used again in a few days as we honor Sgt. Collum's sacrifice.

No law enforcement officer's family should have to wait until their funeral to hear those words used to describe their loved ones' lives.  The officers live out those descriptions everyday.  The thing is, they just consider that as what they do - nothing more and nothing less.  They don't do it for the pay or accolades; they do it because it is who they are.

    

Pulling in All Directions

We often talk about the necessity of having everyone on a team pulling in the same direction.  I had a friend back in Rutherford County who was a retired dairy farmer.  One of his hobbies was working large Belgium draft horses.  He confirmed the notion that a successful team of horses has to work together and pull in a common direction.  We often roll these metaphors out when explaining strategic direction.  But, does everyone have to move in the same direction in order to accomplish the mission?

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This week I am at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.  I am here with four other covaches/presenters for the NACLEC Leadership Academy.  The academy has drawn wildlife officer/game warden/conservation officer leaders from across the United States and Cana.  The goal of the program is expose the students to the adaptive leadership skills needed to successfully lead their organizations into the future.

One challenge each state faces is engaging a more diverse group of stakeholders while maintaining the relationships with our traditional constituent groups of hunters and anglers.  There is a great risk of alienating one group by appearing too cozy with the other.  So, like my old friend’s horses, the question becomes, “How do we hitch these seemingly different entities together and get them to pull in a common direction?”

We went off site yesterday for a series of team building exercises.  The purpose of the activities were to increase the effectiveness of interpersonal communication, to demonstrate how to break complex tasks down into manageable steps and to show how things that may be impossible to do alone can be accomplished when working in conjunction with others.  One of the exercises disputed the concept of pulling in the same direction.

The teams were tasked with moving a tennis ball from an upright piece of PVC pipe, through an obstacle course and it back to the pipe.  The ring had several multicolored pieces of cord attached and was slipped down over the pipe.  The team members each took a cord and pulled it taunt.  They then eased the ring up the pipe and lifted the ball free with the ring.  They had to balance the tennis ball while maneuvering it through the course.

The interesting thing was that the team members had to pull in different directions in order to achieve their mission and the tension had to be maintained by all parties.  Pulling too hard was as damaging as not pulling hard enough – too much or too little tension led to failure.  I saw four keys to success.

First the team members had to communicate effectively.  They had to give directions that were clear and precise.  There was no room for assumptions or ambiguity, and each person had to understand what was expected of them.

Second, the focus had to be on the objective or mission and not an individual.  All eyes had to be on the ball. Even a momentary glance from the objective could have meant failure for the group.

Third, someone had to be willing to concede and release some tension while the opposing force had to pull a bit harder.  Otherwise there would have been no movement and the group would have stood still.  Coordinated give and take allowed the group to move.

Finally, the ease of completing the task increased with the number of partners.  The tension was more forgiving as the number of team members increased.  However, more ears increased the need for clear communication exponentially.

I guess all this leads to an obvious question; “How many game wardens does it take to move a tennis ball?”  The best I can tell, there can’t be too many.

The Great Diversion

One of my favorite stories from the Civil War was related in a biography of Stonewall Jackson by a confederate soldier who was positioned on a mountain top overlooking the Shenandoah Valley.  He watched as the valley filled with an unending column of Union soldiers.  He reported that it was the most people he had ever seen in one place and that the blue clad troops stretched beyond his vision.

Then the lookout saw a small group of cavalry streak into view, slashing their way through the Union line.  Leading the mounted soldiers was a man on a white horse.  The Confederate instantly knew that it was Turner Ashby.  Ashby struck a dashing figure in his black feathered hat and flowing beard.  He was known as the “Black Knight of the Confederacy.” 

Painting by John Paul Strain

Like many Southerners, I can rattle off a list of ancestors that fought in the war.  I admit to a strong bias when I view the Confederate effort.  Soldiers like Ashby fuel that bias.  I point to him and think, “Now there is a man.  A man taking it to the enemy against overwhelming odds. He is leading from the front and making a difference.”

At the risk of alienating my entire region, I would like to make one small point.  Ashby simply slowed down the column of Union soldiers.  As he cut through the lines, the Union formed a skirmish line in case he returned, but ultimately the soldiers continued their march.  I am not questioning the heroics or tactics of the action.  My point is that all it did was slow the inevitable.  The Yankees marched on.

But, that image, the one captured in the painting above, is one we love.  I mean just look at the details of the painting.  The Black Knight and his white war horse, alone, surrounded by enemy soldiers.  Two soldiers are reeling from the attack while one shouts an alarm.  Only one Union soldier fights and he takes a riflestock to a sword fight - a poor choice by any measure.  How can we not pull for the Confederate hero?  What man doesn’t want to be memorialized as the Black Knight?

Last year, Operation Something Bruin, a multi-agency undercover investigation into illegal bear hunting, was wrapped up with numerous arrests in North Carolina and Georgia.  The majority of those arrested have plead guilty.  A handful of the more serious violators are awaiting trial in federal court later this month.  They face substantial jail time if convicted.

In recent months, attorneys and family members of those individuals have orchestrated a series of events designed to draw attention away from the prosecution of these cases.  They have lured local politicians into the fray with the hope that the political voices will give credibility to their accusations of misconduct by officers. The politicos show up because in small mountain communities 25 votes can swing an election (they exercise a form the Biblical principle, “…where two or more [voters] are gathered, there I will be also).  The accused have held “forums” where they sought sympathy from the crowd.  Those on the extreme right have used this case to drum up support by pointing to this as another ploy by the government to oppress the citizens.  

Then the mainstream media got involved.  It is interesting that the local television station aired their “investigative report” as the Nielsen sweeps period began for May.  This “hard hitting” piece of journalism showed photos of the undercover officers (let’s not be concerned for their safety) and threw around a monetary cost for the investigation that is a pure fabrication.  The most disturbing aspect of the two-part series is that it amounted to a ten minute infomercial for the lead defense attorney in the case.

All of these are diversionary tactics designed to steer attention away from the facts of the case.  It is very similar to Ashby’s strike through the Union line.  It was a pain in the rear for those intimately involved at the point of the attack, but the mission moved forward.

The thing that saddens me most is that there are real people at the heart of this case.  Both the officers and defendants are the ones taking it on the chin at the expense of those seeking gain from the case.  They are the lookouts on a mountain top or foot soldiers marching into battle.  The attorneys, politicians, and reporters all want to play the role of “Black Knight,” milking the votes, money, ratings or support from a quick appearance before moving on to the next event.

Meanwhile, the foot soldiers march on.