Who is Tending the (Deer) Farm?

I grew up in Cleveland County (North Carolina) near the South Carolina line at the western edge of the Piedmont region.  When I was a kid, this was a rural, farming community.  I spent most of my free time romping through the woods and fishing in farm ponds within walking distance of home.  There were a variety of small game animals in the area, and I boxed trapped rabbits and the occasional possum.  There were no deer in my childhood community.  In fact, I was late into my teenage years before I saw my first live, wild deer.

When I signed on as a wildlife officer in 1985 my first duty station was in Graham County.  Again, I found myself in an area with a small deer population.  In my 4 ½ in that county I can count on my fingers and toes the number of deer I saw while out working.

That all changed when I moved to Rutherford County.  There were plenty of deer and plenty of deer hunters, both legal and illegal.  Over the rest of my career I spent countless nights working to catch spotlighters, and many cold winter days chasing road hunters.  Over the course of my 29 years as an officer, I saw the transition from viewing the harvest of does move from taboo to something that is encouraged to maintain a healthy herd. 

But, it wasn't all work.  I managed to kill a few deer in between work activities and enjoyed all the steps from field to table.  Some of my fondest memories are of sitting on a deer stand with my kids.

I lay that foundation to acknowledge that I have a bit of a bias when it comes to deer.  And, I realize deer can generate headaches - I have experienced firsthand the frustration of deer depredation.  But, just this morning I saw seven deer cross my drive and even after all these years, I stopped to look at them.

Commissioner Steve Troxler

The news that a bill (Section 14.26a beginning on page 145) has been introduced to move the oversight of captive deer to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Customer Services (DACS) struck a nerve.  After all in a 2010 press release, DACS Commissioner Steve Troxler declared, “Bambi is a pest.”  I’m not sure that this is the department we want to entrust with the stewardship of our deer.

On the surface there are valid arguments for making this move.  The captive deer program is a “farming” type operation.  The deer are bred and managed much the same way livestock are managed, and for an equally diverse variety of reasons.  Some breeders simply like having a few deer in their backyard.  Others breed for large, antlered bucks to sell to other breeders; to have trophy animals valued by high fence hunting operations like this one on the Qualla Boundary in western North Carolina; or to sell semen to other breeders.  Those practices mirror traditional livestock farming (except that cattle aren’t raised to be hunted inside a fence).  But while there are similarities, there are legitimate concerns about managing wild animals as though they are livestock.

The most obvious concern is disease transmission.  Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) first showed up in Pennsylvania and Missouri in captive deer facilities, and the first discovery of CWD in the wild herd in Wisconsin was suspected to be linked to a game farm in the area.  Livestock can be vaccinated and/or tested for the most common diseases that affect those animals.  And if there is a disease outbreak the flock or herd can be quarantined, treated (or destroyed) and the contaminated area cleaned.  The DACS has a great record of successfully managing these types of issues.  But, there is no live test for CWD (brain or spinal tissue must be tested) and there is an 18-24 month incubation period (some studies suggest a longer period) after an animal has been exposed to CWD.  The prions linked to CWD can remained active in the soil for years. 

CWD positive deer - dnrec.delaware.gov

 Finally, two sentences in the proposed bill are especially troubling.

“The Commissioner may take emergency action pursuant to the provisions in this Article if needed to protect the cervid industry in North Carolina or wild cervid populations. Such action shall remain in force until rescinded by the Commissioner.” [Emphasis added]

So, the Commissioner of DACS, who has publicly expressed, “Bambi is a pest” would have the authority to take emergency actions that will affect the wild deer population if this bill is passed.  If asked to choose between a handful of (influential) captive deer farmers or thousands of free ranging “pests,” what type of emergency actions will be taken?  It is a scary thought.

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation has issued an alert and encourages concerned citizens to contact their legislators expressing their concern about this proposal.  You can view and participate in this alert here.

What happens next will depend on what the people say.  Or  maybe what we don’t say.

Moral Mondays: Who is the Dancing Guy?

It has been fascinating to watch the Moral Monday protests over the past two years.  These began after the North Carolina General Assembly came under the control of a Republican majority and a Republican was elected as governor.  As social programs fell into the sights of the General Assembly in 2013, the protests began to gather steam.  Over 900 individuals were arrested over a three month period, primarily for trespassing in the legislative building.  The protesters have returned for the 2014 short session.  A small number of individuals have been arrested this year.

In my opinion, the protests last year never really picked up much momentum.  I’m sure that organizers would disagree with that assessment, pointing to thousands attending the rallies.  I would prefer to measure momentum by results than the number of protesters.

Recent news reports question whether the protests are simply tools being used by the Democrats to keep their messages in front of the people.  Moral Monday organizer and North Carolina NAACP president, Rev. William Barber is quoted as saying, "Our movement is bigger than any party.  We are concerned about the soul of this state."

But, is it making an impact on the soul of North Carolina?

Last summer I attended one of the Monday evening protests.  I wanted to experience firsthand what was taking place.  It was a cordial crowd with racial, gender and age diversity.  They listened intently to the speakers.  They cheered and sang protest songs from the 1960s.  But, from my perspective they were not unified. 

The speakers spoke on a multitude of topics from health care, voters’ rights, public education, workers’ rights, and environmental issues.  While most cheered the speakers, it was clear that there were several subgroups with specific agendas.  The whole thing struck me as somewhat disjointed.

That’s not to say that I disagreed with many of the speakers.  In fact, I agreed with much of what was said.  Who isn’t concerned about the environment, public education and health care?  But, the evening lacked the feel of a true movement.

 NC NAACP President  Rev. William Barber

I love this YouTube video, Leadership Lessons from the Dancing Guy.  While it may be overly simplistic, these are valid points concerning what starts a movement.  The question I have concerning the Moral Monday protests is, “Who is the Dancing Guy?”  Last summer, I saw several people around Raleigh wearing their, “I went to jail with Rev. Barber” buttons, so there were/are some who are following him - is he the Dancing Guy?  Is there someone with the state Democratic Party who is assuming this role?  The party’s leadership seems to be in disarray for the past couple of years, so I doubt anyone there is leading the dance.

As the video clip points out, it is the first followers that will draw other followers.  I overheard a middle-aged white woman telling her daughter last summer, “I’m going to be arrested tonight – isn’t that cool?”  She had nothing to lose by being arrested and felt she was gaining status as a protester by wearing her, "I'm gonna be arrested" armband.  Plus, she gets a button to wear to the supermarket that tells the world that she is an “activist.”  Most North Carolinians won't follow her.

I would posit that it is the protest itself that is the Dancing Guy.  The problem is the right song has yet to be played.  While listening to the speakers last summer, I couldn’t rush down to dance because of the dissonance of the music.  But, I saw the potential for a tremendous energy that awaited the right song.

But, I don’t think the song that will rally the masses is at either extreme of the left or right.  A strong centrist's message will pull people down the hill, from across the state, and may truly start a movement that impacts state government. 

The Zen-less Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Faith Revealed

Several weeks back I ran into an old acquaintance that used to work on my motorcycle.  Like so many people these days he works multiple jobs.  But to my dismay, he no longer works on motorcycles.

As we caught up, I told him that my bike hadn’t been cranked in almost three years.  He gave me a look that made me feel like I had let him down.  But, he gave me a few technical tips to get it started.  I questioned whether it would be that easy and he responded enthusiastically, “Man, you have to have faith.”

Now, I know it takes more than faith to get an 36 year-old scooter cranked after it has set up for several years.  But, I also knew that there are a multitude of folks who have successfully dealt with the same issue.  Ed made it sound so easy that even someone with minimal mechanical talent (like me) could get it running.  His faith was definitely stronger than mine.

So I broke down last week and dropped a hundred bucks for a battery (whatever happened to the $39 ones?).  I pulled the sparkplugs and cleaned them before taking the cover off the carburetor.  I run an S&S Super E which many, including myself, consider to be one of the best motorcycle carbs.  It is simple (in carburetor terms) and requires little maintenance.  I hit it with a shot of starting spray and it fired right up, only to die quickly.  Pretty simple diagnosis – no fuel to the carburetor.

To be on the safe side, I watched a YouTube video on how to drop the float bowl (four screws) to make sure no springs or pins would fly out.  It came off pretty easily and I cleaned it thoroughly with a can of carburetor spray.  It went back in place without a hitch.  Since the gas was old, I drained the tanks and added new gas.

To my surprise, the engine fired up the first time I hit the starter button.   I rode it out the drive and it actually ran well.  The only issue was very poor braking.  I suppose that is another repair for another day.

The term faith is one we throw around with a variety of usages, sometimes rather loosely.  Faith is a strong word with even stronger implications.  When Ed told me, “You have to have faith” he charged me with a powerful challenge.  In the Bible, the writer of Hebrews defined faith as, “…the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 1).  That chapter goes on to describe a number of saints who exhibited great faith.  But, while they exhibited faith, it wasn’t always easy or perfect.

In the secular world, we have the same struggles.  It is difficult to have "the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things" not seen with our boss.  Is she really looking out for my best interests?  And what about politicians?  Can we place our faith in them?

Faith is foundational for Christians.  If we hold to the truth that God is sovereign, we have to accept, by faith, that those in positions of authority are there by God’s will (Romans 13:1, Ephesians 6:5, Colossians 3:22).  Faith helps us counter the anxieties of daily life (Matthew 6:25-34).

It is easier to have faith when we hear of instances where the "things hoped for" actually took place.  Ed told me what to do to get my motorcycle running, a video showed me how to do the repair, and I took actions steps to make it happen.  Now the scooter thumps like an old Harley should.  Faith revealed…

1977 Harley Davidson FLH