University of North Carolina Wilmington professor Michael Mallin's editorial, published in the Star-News on Nov. 7, hit on a host of the critical environmental issues we face in Southeastern North Carolina.
The piece touched primarily on clear-cutting of forest for development. This practice is completely unnecessary and is only a means to save money and time for developers who engage in this practice.
How do we know this to be true? We can see that not all developers clear-cut in our region.
I live in on a street where trees were preserved. Not as much as they could have been, but many were preserved and this is why my wife and I chose to buy here.
For the most part, homes sell quickly in my 'hood. Why?
Because the area is attractive and tree-lined, as opposed to some newer subdivisions where it appears the people are living in the Sahara Desert.
Beyond the aesthetics of how bad a clear-cut subdivision looks, Mallin presented important key facts about deforestation in general.
He touched on the increase in stormwater runoff, which contains fecal bacteria, nitrogen, phosphorus and pesticides. We were reminded about the benefit trees present in absorbing rainwater and greenhouse gases, most importantly, carbon dioxide.
When we're not in a drought, a number of local neighborhoods consistently complain about severe street flooding. If more trees and natural areas were intermingled with homes, this problem would certainly be reduced.
And then there's the effect on wildlife. Trees and the low-lying vegetation provide important habitat for birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles.
When a tract of forested land is bulldozed, it's gone forever. In our area, we are witnessing this loss more and more each week.
We hear the term "smart growth" but we see far too little of it. We hear about tree protection ordinances but the destruction continues.
And we think wetlands are being protected while these areas are ditched, drained and paved over, with minor-league fines imposed and absorbed into the cost of doing business. That's not protection. It's merely a slight delay.
We can't survive on this planet without trees and clean water. It might be easy for a few to brush aside our local environmental concerns in favor of one-generational profit, but the problem is this story is being repeated around the country.
Future generations will wonder why we did this to our communities so that a few could profit in the short term.
Too many places around the globe are being deforested at an alarming rate. The United States is facing a slower process but it is happening. And again, once it's gone in each zone on the map, it's gone.
But it's not necessary. I've seen subdivisions built right around here and in other areas of the state where it's tough to see the homes for the trees around them.
But in too many cases, we can't see the forest for the dollar signs. So if you didn't catch it, read Dr. Mallin's column at - under the 'Opinion' tab and under 'Guest Columnists.' We need to listen to what he is saying.
Puppy mill rescue
According to a recent Associated Press story, a puppy mill operation in Virginia was found to have hundreds of dogs living in small cages. The breeder claimed he had a license to have as many as 500 dogs, but had far more.
He has agreed to give up 1,000 dogs but will be allowed to keep 200. This is part of the problem. These backyard breeders often use dogs as merely breeding machines and have them live their lives in small cages.
These breeders should be shut down. The public can do its part now by not buying dogs from mass-production operations, backyard breeders or from pet stores.