By Judith Ferster, OCG Conservation Chair

Editorial note: This was originally written in early January 2015, but for technical reasons hasn't been published until now (early March).

Wilderness

2014 saw the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the federal Wilderness Protection Act and the 30th anniversary of the North Carolina Wilderness Protection Act.  To commemorate the former, we showed Forever Wild, a film narrated by Robert Redford, on October 15 at Carolina Meadows.  To commemorate the latter, we had a talk by Robbie Cox, past national and OCG chair, at the OCG Holiday Party on December 14 at the Arcadia Common House.  Both presentations had beautiful pictures of photogenic wild lands and both stories involved not only governments but also passionate citizens bringing attention to lands that ought to be saved.  The story of the NC act sounded a great deal like the movement that started the creation of national parks.  Just as Sierra Club founder John Muir took President Theodore Roosevelt camping in Yosemite, environmentalists took officials camping in North Carolina.  Both stories dramatize the non-fairy tale importance of going into the woods.  We were very pleased to hear from Robbie Cox, who was involved in the creation of the NC act.

Robbie also talked about the current threat to the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests as the U.S. Forest Service revises the Land Management Plan for these lands.  We had until January 5 to submit comments on the proposed changes, which some members of the group did.

State Conservation Priorities

At the November 22nd chapter meeting in Winston Salem, the chapter chose three conservation priorities for 2015, the EPA’s mandate that states reduce their carbon emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030, solar, and off-shore drilling.  Other important issues were discussed, including the problem of sea-life caught and killed during the harvesting of shrimp (by-catch), the forestry plan, coal ash, and fracking.  All of them are worthy environmental goals but the group decided to concentrate the chapter’s resources on the first three, especially the EPA’s mandate.  North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory is the head of a group of southern states who are suing the EPA to derail the mandate, but most of the other states party to the suit are making plans to comply in the meantime.  The goal of our effort, which will involve the staff and every group, is to influence the governor (and his 2016 electoral opponent) and the public about the issue, writing letters to the editor and op-ed pieces, testifying at public hearings, just the kind of advocacy the Sierra Club does well.  Several capable new organizers are now in place and plans are already underway for action.

The EPA mandate can be met by each state in an individual way depending on its current energy production.  North Carolina is already a leader in solar power (4th in the U.S.), measures taken for energy efficiency can “count” when the EPA reviews state plans, and  many environmental regulations have cost less than projected (such as limiting chlorofluocarbons to stop the ozone whole).  Reducing emissions is doable without too much pain. 

This is an ambitious plan that will be rewarding to work on.  If you want to help, contact us.