Smoke Signals™ Online - POA candidates state views on environment issues

POA candidates state views on environment issues

By Cynthia Hendry
Early Big Canoe ecology guides set lofty goals for our environmental impact to this land we call Big Canoe. Remnants of those goals remain in our architectural and environmental guidelines as well as in signage along our trails. "Leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but memories," was one such command. Our time here has created many good memories, but we have left more than footprints.

As we build out as a community, we face more environmental issues, some of which will possibly be difficult. So, I asked the current POA candidates about their perspective on issues we face.

It is comforting to see that each candidate sees the value of our natural woodland and the importance of maintaining it moving forward. Hopefully, their values and property owner support will result in our great grandchildren seeing clean streams, healthy forests with many wildflowers, birds and critters of all kinds.

Here are their responses: Bill Wilson

Bill Wilson

We are in a position from which we can make decisions that will have major long range and profound impact on future Big Canoe residents' experiences. Without wise foresight and leadership it is likely we will go by the way of so many suburban communities that we can see to the south. To many this is a good thing; and if the majority of Big Canoe property owners prefer this path, so be it. And let's be friends. But I believe there is a good chance that there is a better way. I believe that with energetic leadership and open communications and some effective action we can build on a great start to a unique partnership with the beauty of nature.

Education and early action are keys. Having been raised in the country, I have always valued natural landscaping. I believe it is important and very worthwhile to go to the trouble to influence the tide at Big Canoe toward the natural plants that would be here if we had never developed it, and to live in harmony with these beautiful ridges and valleys. I say "we" because we all have and will take part in making Big Canoe what it is and will be.

Starting with education, many of us are not aware when we move to Big Canoe just what is native and how to protect it and promote its growth. I would like the POA to promote proactive educational effort and offer it to all residents and incoming prospects.

Some details:

Work with Big Canoe Company and other realtors and ask them to help promote and support with their actions the slogan, "Tamed by Nature."
Develop and print an educational pamphlet informing all residents and prospective residents what to look for and how to promote and develop a truly natural surrounding that all Big Canoe residents can be proud of.
Offer material and instruction to landscapers who work in Big Canoe.
Teach classes and hold town hall meetings on the subject.
Make a contractors' natural landscaping service available via the POA (at user's expense of course).
Promote suppliers and landscapers who support this ideal.
Educate and support people who wish to conserve our natural surroundings
Provide Big Canoe's version of Master Gardeners
Educate and regulate builders to take care when digging a foundation. Use root system analysis and pneumatic trenching during the foundation process, etc. to better protect established trees.

Use water conservation strategies:

Rain barrels and cisterns to catch and use roof and street water runoff
Intelligent, water conserving, landscaping
Sufficient mulch to hold the moisture around root systems
Employ strict enforcement strategies on property owners and on POA operations. Show a good example!

Pesticides and herbicides

It appears that reasonable precautions have been taken so far with respect to golf course chemicals.   But we really don't know for sure.   Thus far a missing ingredient is a testing discipline to establish and maintain a base line for future reference.
Declining landscapes

An issue is maintaining the landscapes of older homes that are eaten by deer. We should devise programs to educate residents and support efforts to establish and protect natural plants and trees. This can become a positive force for community beautification as nature meant it to be.   The POA could provide - as available and at owners' expense - landscaping replenishment services.
In conclusion, I may be just whistling in the wind, but I believe most Big Canoe property owners are and will be willing to pitch in and do their part to save this beautiful piece of North Georgia as a community that is "Tamed by Nature." I want to be part of this community effort."

Sue Hauseman

Sue Hauseman
In my opinion, there are several areas of concern with respect to maintaining the "pristine forest as well as Big Canoe as a whole," but there is one overriding concern, which is largely out of our control - and that one is our water supply.

For several years now, we've experienced extreme drought conditions with no end in sight. This continued drought has placed significant stress on both the wild life and plant life in our forest as well as on the human life in Big Canoe. Since we have no control over the weather - other than praying for rain - we need to focus our efforts on how best to conserve the water we do have and how we can use available water to benefit the plant and wildlife in Big Canoe.

By educating ourselves and encouraging others, we can be wise in our use of water through installing rainwater collection systems; collecting and using gray water where possible; and learning about and planting more drought-tolerant plants, as well as being conservative in our use of water within our homes. Taking these steps will result in the reduction of water being taken out of the streams and lakes that also provide drinking water to wild life. The bottom line is that we can't do much to raise the water level of our lakes and streams, but we can do a lot to not lower those water levels any more than necessary.

Growth is another area of concern with respect to maintaining our forest, but will likely not be a significant issue in the next few years. Given the current economic conditions, I don't believe that we will see a great amount of construction here for the foreseeable future.   However, we could potentially use this "down time" to review construction/landscaping guidelines to ensure that when the new home construction regains its earlier momentum, we have the appropriate regulations in place to make certain that our forest is disturbed as little as possible.

The third area of stress that I see is in maintaining the balance between Big Canoe's natural wild life and we humans as we are encroaching further and further into their natural habitats. We know it's important to find a healthy balance in managing the deer herd. We love seeing them as we drive around Big Canoe, but also know that the drought, lack of natural food and lack of natural predators puts the responsibility on us to manage the size of the deer herd to keep them from starving or becoming ill from lack of appropriate food sources. Appropriate management techniques will keep the forest healthy as well as the deer. We will also need to be vigilant with respect to other wild life as we intrude even further into their natural habitats.

We all moved here because we loved the "look and feel" of Big Canoe - which included all aspects of the natural woodlands. It is our collective responsibility to do all we can to maintain this and be good custodians of the forest and its natural inhabitants.

Richard Anderson

Richard Andersen
I see many stresses to the maintenance of the natural beauty of Big Canoe as we move forward, both related to the increase in population as well as issues we face with programs that we manage. First, it is important that we continue to educate our property owners through a well-supported architectural and environmental control program as well as through specialized education programs dealing with the native plant life of the region and its wildlife.

Maintaining diversity of native plant species is difficult without an effective wildlife management program. Over the years, my wife Vida and I have been active in the Georgia Native Plant Society and rescued native wildflowers from a number of sites only to have them eaten by deer in our own home landscape.

We must continue to financially support Big Canoe's wildlife management program.

There will be continuing issues that we face in maintaining the open grass and wildflower areas at The Meadows and Wildcat Areas. There are meadow openings that now seem to have more invasive and tree species than native grasses and wildflower species. These areas will need to be assessed as a viable habitat for native meadow species. We should again seek assistance from the University of Georgia.

There will always be budget issues when we attempt to work on these environmental concerns. Many property owners likely are unaware of the investment that may be needed to sustain the natural beauty of Big Canoe. It will be necessary to continually assess the health of our forest and make budget decisions that reflect our obligations as stewards of this beautiful land.

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