Fly fishing on Catawaba. Photo by Tony Robinson.

I’m never happier than when my waders are wet. Short of the smiles on my grand children’s faces there is nothing in the world that lights me up like the iridescent color of a brook trout brought to hand in a North Carolina mountain stream, the shimmer of water that cascades from a largemouth bass blowing up on a popping bug or a group of pintails descending on a spread of decoys.

Good Fishing and Clean Water Go Hand in Hand

These are the moments in life I live for. Over a period of half a century I have spent more time and money than I care to admit trying to make the places these animals live better for them and for sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts who care about them. Working on wildlife issues has been a terrific journey that taught me that what is good for wildlife habitats is good for people and the American economy. The last half century has been good for wildlife and water quality. With pictures of rivers burning on TV, Congress took action and in a show of bipartisan support passed The Clean Water Act of 1972. Since that time water quality has dramatically improved in America and fishery and wildlife habitat followed suit.

Unfortunately, after driving clean water initiatives for forty years the Clean Water Act is under attack by polluters, developers and decision makers who are in their pocket. Over the last few years there has been an organized effort in Washington D.C. and in the courts to roll back clean water protections. These efforts are aimed at headwater streams and wetlands.

Bass fishing on Phelps Lake—one of the only three or four natural lakes in the state.

Sportsmen and women of North Carolina and nationwide support the Administration’s initiative to restore Clean Water Act protections for these vulnerable waters, and we urge the President to follow through and finalize this initiative. In this terribly fractious election year, it is worth noting that poll after poll shows that a strong majority of Americans support strong federal Clean Water Act protections in order to ensure clean water for all. In the September national sportsmens’ poll, 79 percent of likely voters of all political affiliations said that they favor restoring Clean Water Act protections to wetlands and waterways, including smaller creeks and streams.

Celebrate Clean Water: Share Your Fish Tales

The Clean Water Act turns 40 this October. Let’s celebrate clean water and good fishing by reminding our elected leaders that anglers, boaters, hunters, and wildlife advocates support clean water and healthy habitat for wildlife, for people, and for the economy.

*For a bit of fishing fun, join me in celebrating clean water by sharing your fish tale with us on-line*

G. Richard Mode serves as the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) Affiliate Representative to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and NWF Outreach Coordinator in North Carolina. He was the founding President of the local Table Rock Chapter for Trout Unlimited (TU) and served as the President and Chairman of the Board of National TU. Among his achievements he was honored as the 2007 Budweiser/National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Conservationist of the Year. For years, Richard’s goal has been to bring American hunters, anglers, and wildlife enthusiasts to the public policy decision table to protect the special places and wildlife resources in America.

Mayors John Woods of Davidson and Jeff Tarte of Cornelius accept the Community Wildlife Habitat certificates with Roxanne Paul (left). [Ron J. Deschaies/Treasured Events of Charlotte

The Lake Norman project was called “Wild over LKN” and was unique in its organization and breadth.  The Lake Norman team of volunteers worked with all eight towns surrounding the lake (Davidson, Sherrills Ford, Cornelius, Denver, Huntersville, Troutman, Terrell and Mooresville) to create habitat gardens in homes, schools and community sites. It was the first time that a large body of water and its surrounding towns became a certified Community Wildlife Habitat.

In addition, the Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists created osprey platforms and turtle basking platforms around the lake and worked with Duke Energy to better protect the many islands on the lake.

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The Lake Norman Community Wildlife Habitat team is recognized for their efforts. [Ron J. Deschaies/Treasured Events of Charlotte

Mayor John Woods of Davidson and Mayor Jeff Tarte of Cornelius were on hand to receive the Certificates of Exceptional Merit for Lake Norman’s achievement. Project leader Don West and his team of dedicated volunteers accepted small gifts from the National Wildlife Federation and the applause of all the guests for their remarkable efforts on behalf of Lake Norman’s abundant wildlife.

Here’s a video from a local North Carolina news station about another certification process in the area:

On my way to the Earth Hour event at Copenhagen's city hall square, I marveled at how many people ride their bikes through the city, despite the fact that it is incredibly cold, dark and snowy. (Perhaps this resistance to the cold is one of the reasons that so many people are willing to stand outside for an hour together.)    

Earth Hour's intent is to raise awareness of the need to take action on climate change, and is typically held in March. In 2009, 4,000 cities in 88 countries participated. However, to coincide with the talks, a few large corporations and the World Wildlife Fund set up a mini-version here in Denmark. In the "Hopenhagen" square, there was a giant sphere with projectors inside, a very tall Christmas tree that required people to ride stationary bikes to power its lights, several small buildings with glowing lights on the outside and a few tents, food vendors and booths.

"Hopenhagen" at Copenhagen City Square from Copenhagen

We stood in the square with several hundred people, mostly youth, as well as the WWF Panda and Darth Vader (without whom no event is really complete). After some speeches from a few of the mayors from around the world who have signed the Climate Protection Agreement and a short film history of Earth Hour projected onto the giant sphere, the lights went out. Well, some of them. The KFC across the street from city square kept its lights on, and the spotlights on the Hopenhagen billboard remained illuminated. Also, we didn't stand in the dark for an hour: after 15 minutes, the stage lights came on so that several musical groups could perform. As a statement about the importance of energy conservation, it left a little to be desired.

Earth Hour at 7:04pm from Copenhagen

Looking back, I can't help but think of how similar this Earth Hour event was to the one that I attended last March in Atlanta. There was a gathering at Georgia Tech, but the vast majority of lights stayed on despite efforts of students like myself. When running around campus to turn off all the lights we could, many of us found that light switches had been removed or did not exist in some cases so that the lights they would control were permanently turned on. Campus administration claimed that they could not turn off enough lights to actually make the campus dark, even for just one hour, due to safety concerns.

While I think that global demonstrations like Earth Hour and the 350.org International Day of Climate Action have been helpful in raising awareness about the science behind climate change and how we can address this issue through conservation and behavioral change, the events themselves are almost entirely symbolic. Participation in Earth Hour events is rarely widespread enough to cause a significant reduction in energy consumption and the lights that go out for that one hour are typically left on all night for the other 355 days of the year. Events like these should be educational and inspire people to actions that will actually have an impact on environmental problems that we face. Earth Hour events that give people the impression that turning off their lights for an hour is doing their part for the planet seem counterproductive.

The same can be said of the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement and even the proposed International Climate Treaty itself. If these symbolic gestures do not translate into action and results on the ground, then they are essentially useless. Imagine how powerful the millions of people are who have participated in events like Earth Hour and 350.org's International Day of Climate Action. So much could be accomplished if all those people, or even just some of them, decided to take the next step from participating in a symbolic action to actually bringing effective changes to their communities. What if, instead of turning off lights for an hour each year, Earth Hour participants replaced every incandescent bulb in their home or office with a compact fluorescent light (CFL = less energy consumed and less heat produced) and began turning their unused lights off every day and night? What if each one of the participants in 350.org's International Day of Climate Action decided to insulate their home and then helped their neighbors and those in less privileged neighborhoods to do the same? What if the money spent on plane tickets and private jets and limousines to the Copenhagen Climate Conference had instead been invested in energy efficiency or renewable energy? I dare say that the results would be nothing short of extraordinary.

Thursday, December 17 (Day 9)

I left the apartment earlier than usual this morning, caught the bus and train, and then walked very carefully through Copenhagen's ice-covered streets to meet Jessie Robbins, a delegate from Georgetown University, for lunch at Kaffe Kalaset. I arrived just a few minutes after she did and we each ordered a warm drink while we waited for our meals to arrive.  The little vegetarian-friendly cafe was almost filled to capacity, so we sat on stools at a window box by the door, using the flat surface as a table. 

Jessie was the first and only delegate from the United States, other than those from Atlanta, with whom I had the opportunity to sit down and discuss the events of the past two weeks. I had been introduced to her through my colleague at the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, Richard Mode. Jessie and I both grew up in North Carolina, but never met until this day. Although it didn't dawn on me at the time, she is four years younger than I am. 

Our impressions of the conference and surrounding events were oddly similar, such that the discussion we had over vegan tofu and pancakes was more of a commiseration than a debate. We both felt that protesters, while mostly well intentioned, were being counterproductive to the causes they claim to support. The stories and images of protests and conflicts with police officers that were spreading across the globe portray the climate movement as one of irrational, violent people trying to force their beliefs on others. We both felt that this misrepresents and marginalizes the climate and environmental movements that we support by overshadowing the efforts of people and nations around the world working to reach a global climate agreement that will achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas pollution, while addressing some of the most pressing social, environmental and economic issues on earth. I don't want to put words into Jessie's mouth, but you can listen to an interview she did shortly after meeting with me for lunch.(You can also read the blog that Jessie and the other Georgetown University delegates wrote.)

Thursday was to be my last day in Copenhagen, although the conference wouldn't wrap for another couple of days. Since only high-profile delegates and government leaders were allowed in the Bella Center during the final hours of negotiation, we had no reason to stay.

My final post, summarizing my impressions and overall experience, will appear here on the ClimateEdu homepage on Tuesday, Jan 12. Until then, view my photos from Copenhagen on Picasa or Facebook. It's been an honor to be present for such an historic event, and I am so glad for the chance to
share my experience with you.

Peace and Be Well,

Carly

P.S. If you are on a campus, and I can offer some support or advice to help you begin addressing
climate change and other environmental, social and/or economic concerns
in your community, please contact me, either through this blog or through the Campus Ecology contact page. 

Copenhagen