A Call to Action

Back in June I wrote about the proposed legislation to turn deer "farming" over to the N.C Department of Agriculture.  There was considerable opposition to that bill, but an amended version was later inserted as part of the 2014 Appropriations Act.  That legislation allowed the NCWRC to retain control of both wild and captive cervids (deer, elk, etc.), but spelled out that the NCWRC must pass regulations that reflect the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s guidelines for the importation of cervids from other states.

On November 18, 2014 the House Select Committee on Regulatory Authority and Operations of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission met in Raleigh to hear concerns from deer farmers.  (Note: There are 37 licensed captive cervid facilities in North Carolina.  Some are zoos or zoo-type facilities that aren’t farming cervids in the truest sense.  The majority of the rest are hobbyists).  While elected officials heard a variety of complaints from these “farmers,” in spite of some legislator’s requests to hear from NCWRC officials, committee chair Rep. Roger West would not allow wildlife officials to speak.

Now, round two of these committee meetings is scheduled for Monday, December 8, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Graham County.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with North Carolina geography, the community of Stecoah was the epicenter of a multi-year covert wildlife investigation into the illegal harvest of bears.  Since the arrests from that investigation in 2013, those charged (or their mamas or wives), have cried in unison a chorus of "It ain't fair."  Yet, after review by the state’s district attorney and the U.S. Attorney, actions were deemed fair and did not violate the law.  So, in light of the hammering given the NCWRC at the November meeting in Raleigh, and the location of this next scheduled meeting, one doesn’t have to speculate much that the cries of, “It ain’t fair” will once again echo across Stecoah Valley.

Linda Crisp - mother of convicted defendant Chad Crisp and wife of convicted defendant David Crisp
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJiRSX9r9eM

The NCWRC and its Division of Law Enforcement are professionals.  While it may be uncomfortable to hear their actions questioned, I am confident that they are open to questions and will offer explanations for any actions taken by the agency.  But, they have to be allowed to respond.

Wayne LaPierre
from
www.nraontherecord.org

Rev. Al Sharpton
from
www.sodahead.com

The tactic of challenging governmental agencies actions without listening to, or allowing a response, is currently in vogue.  Those on the extreme right would rather scream, “storm troopers,” jack-booted thugs,” “Ruby Ridge,” or any other right-wing rhetoric than to hear an opposing viewpoint.  Those on the left cry out just as loud, but they blame the system rather than pointing to an individual’s responsibility for their actions.  Maybe the Rev. Al Sharpton and NRA VP Wayne LaPierre will show up in Stecoah.  Now would be a meeting worth attending!

So, what can we do?  I encourage you to contact the members of this legislative committee and respectfully ask them to allow an even presentation of facts, and for them to question the validity and source of those facts.  Informed decisions cannot be made without all available knowledge.  The contact information below was obtained from N.C. General Assembly website.  The committee members are:

Chair   Rep. Tom Murry

            Tom.Murry@ncleg.net

            P. O. Box 1054

Morrisville, NC 27560

919-865-9993

Chair   Rep. Roger West

            Roger.West@ncleg.net

            P. O. Box 160

Marble, NC 28905

828-837-5246

            Rep. Leo Daughtry

            Leo.Daughtry@ncleg.net

5 Lakeview Place

Smithfield, NC 27577

919-934-7265

Rep. Jimmy Dixon

Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.net

P. O. Box 222

Warsaw, NC 28398

910-590-1740

Rep. Mike Hager

Mike.Hager@ncleg.net

300 N. Salisbury St., Room 304

Raleigh, NC 27603

919-733-5749

Rep. Susan Martin

Susan.Martin@ncleg.net

1407 Kenan St., NW

Wilson, NC 27893

252-285-2060

Rep. Annie Mobley

Annie.Mobley@ncleg.net

353 South Church Rd.

Ahoskie, NC 27910

252-332-5463

Rep. Garland Pierce

Garland.Pierce@ncleg.net

21981 Buie St.

Wagram, NC 28396

910-369-2844

Rep. Mitchell Setzer

Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net

P. O. Box 416

Catawba, NC 28609

828-241-3570

Rep. Ken Waddell

Ken.Waddell@ncleg.net

515 E. 1st Ave.

Chadbourn, NC 28431

910-654-3734

Two Weeks to Live

Last weekend I dreamed I was dying.  In the dream, I had gone to the doctor who laid out the prognosis in no nonsense fashion – I would be dead in two weeks, but would remain “healthy” until the last moment.  Or, I could go through a treatment plan that would give me an extra month, but I would be sick most of the time.  That was the first choice – an easy one.  I chose the two weeks healthy and went home wondering what to do next.  I don't recall feeling sad or scared in the dream.  But, I knew there were things I needed to complete before moving on.

The dream was very vivid and woke me with a start at 4:00 a.m.  I flopped around in the bed for over an hour, wrestling with the question of what I would do if I really only had two weeks left.  Two weeks are 14 days and 14 days are only 336 hours.  I stared at the ceiling and wondered how would I spend those fleeting hours?

I thought about my grandkids.  Peter, age 4, would probably have a few vague memories of me.  Addie at 2 wouldn’t remember me at all.  Jackson, he’s just a few weeks old and I would be nothing but a hazy image in an old photo.

Peter

So, I figured the first thing is to shore up those memories with Peter.  Since it was just a dream, I chose to set it in the summer months.  I would take Peter to Ocracoke.  We would sit on the ferry dock and catch Pinfish until the ferry arrived, then we would wave to the folks on the ferry.  I would called him "Cephas" my special name for him.  Then we would feed the gulls.  Elizabeth would snap many photos.

Addie

I would take Addie to Pullan Park in Raleigh.  We would ride the carousal all afternoon, switching from horse to tiger to horse with each new ride.  Maybe the carousal tune would lodge somewhere in the recesses of her malleable mind so that whenever she heard it in the future, a faint memory of war horses and ostriches and an old bald guy would come to mind.  Deja vu. 

Jackson

Jackson would have nothing to remember.  So, we would go to the Linville Gorge, on the Table Rock side, and I would tell him about hiking into the gorge with my friend Toad.  John would video the conversation so Jackson could watch it when he was older.  Like Peter, I want Jackson to say and remember, “Papa had a friend named Toad.”

As I lay there in bed, I went through a list of family and friends that I would like to visit one last time before kicking over.  It would make for a busy two weeks.  I doubt I would waste much of it asleep.

The thing that struck me most was that not only did I want to visit all these people, I also wanted them to know how I felt about them.  Later that day I spent four or five hours traveling alone which gave me some time to assess what all of that meant and means.

I determined that how we would spend those last two weeks says much about what is important to us.  We could easily be self-absorbed and spend the time doing the things we always wanted to do.  Heck, we could put it on a credit card and let someone else worry about it when we’re gone.  I have taken the love languages assessment and my languages are “quality time” and "words of affirmation.”  So, it makes sense that I want to spend time with people I care about and to let them know their value to me.

Our fragile, impending mortality has been the fodder of songs.  Tim McGraw’s Live Like You Were Dying reflects on what “I would do if I could do it all again.”   Nickelback narrowed it down to If Today Was Your Last Day.  It would be hard to squeeze it all in in just one day.  I’m glad I got two weeks.

I woke Amy after wallowing around for over an hour.  She was a pretty good sport to listen to me wonder about my last two weeks.  Her advice at 5:30 a.m. made perfect sense: we should never put off spending time with people we love and should never leave without them knowing what they mean to us.

What would you do if you only had two weeks left to live?

Warden Tales: Master Officer Foster Harrell and Jet

During the course of my career, I have observed wildlife officers utilize many different modes of unconventional transportation to get into the areas where they need to be.  In my early days, an officer had a Honda Trail 70 that he would throw in the trunk of his car to use on gated Forest Service roads.  A few officers have given mountain bikes a spin.  ATVs have been issued for years and get a good work out.  Canoes and kayaks help in shallow water or when stealth is necessary.  Forest Harrell rode a horse.

Foster D. Harrell
from Wildlife in North Carolina - 1967

Foster D. Harrell was employed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission on September 1, 1961.  In February 1962, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent two years in the military.  He returned to work with the NCWRC in 1964 and was assigned to Swain County.  Harrell ended up in Henderson County where he was responsible for miles of trout streams, many of which required a good deal of foot-patrol.

“I remember when Foster got his horse from Trout Unlimited.  Jim Geouge, Sgt. Lloyd Higgins and I were checking fishing on the Davidson River near the hatchery [currently a part of the Pisgah Education Center].  We ran into a Pisgah TU member and he informed Lloyd that they [TU] had just bought Foster a horse to use when patrolling Turkey Pen and the South Mills River.  Sgt. Higgins wasn’t too pleased about that and took off down Hwy. 276.  He was tapping the steering wheel and saying, ‘We’ll damn see about that.’  Lloyd dropped me and Jim off before heading to Foster’s house at Mill’s River.  He was too late – Foster had already brought Jet home.”

Retired Master Officer Rick Stone

Foster Harrell ID card
Courtesy of NCWRC Lt. Ben Meyer

Members of the Land-of-Sky Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Asheville set out to help Harrell get into the backcountry areas.  Unlike the “put and take” streams where trout are stocked, those wilderness streams contain a sustainable population of wild trout.  Those remote locations contribute to the temptation for unscrupulous anglers to catch more than their share of fish.  The chapter raised funds over a two year period to purchase Harrell a horse to help him get into those wild areas.

Fosetr Harrell and Jet
photo by Jay Davies
from Wildlife in North Carolina - September 1984

Harrell described checking an angler in the September 1984 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina:

“The angler was totally engaged in trying to catch a trout,” said Harrell with just a hint of a smile.  “We were about 30 feet from that angler when my horse snorted and that fisherman nearly jumped out of his skin.  He probably thought he was about to be eaten by a bear.”

Master Officer Foster Harrell 

Master Officer Stone would sometimes accompany Harrell on Stone's personal horse.

I remember once we were riding horses in Turkey Pen, checking the South Mills River.  It was cold and the river was iced up around the banks.  My horse, Rocky, didn’t want to cross the river because the ice made a cracking sound when we tried to get in the water (Foster’s horse, Jet, never had a problem with the water).  We had to go about a mile and a half out of the way.  But, Foster didn’t complain.  I don’t remember writing any citations that day, but we let several folks know we were back there!”

Retired Master Officer Rick Stone

Foster Harrell retired in 1990 and moved back home to District 4.  He still shows up for firearms training and stays in touch with the local officers.

Innovation is a key trait for wildlife officers.  Many a plan has been hatched in a patrol vehicle late at night.  Those plans usually begin with, “You know what I bet would work…”  Some of those plans work great and others are the fodder for supervisors’ nightmares.  One back in the 1980s led to Foster Harrell patrolling on horseback.