As I write this column, it is still hot and dry. I have been watching my weatherman on television very intently. He is predicting a very good chance for rain for several days in a row, so maybe by the time you read this column, we will have received some much-needed rainfall.

I would like to use this opportunity to remind you that your Extension staff will be providing a Farm Safety Day Camp this coming Saturday, July 13, at the O. P Owens Agriculture Center, Highway 72 West, here in Lumberton. This day camp will provide an assortment of presentations and interactive activities for youth ages 8-14 and will include lunch, tee shirts, and prizes. Registration begins at 8:45 a.m. and the activities will conclude with lunch at 1:00.

It is unfortunate that we see and hear of too many accidents involving youth. When they are involved in accidents, we can say they were careless. As adults, it is our responsibility to do everything we can to make sure our youth know how to be careful and that they know the consequences of being careless. If you have children or grandchildren between the ages of 8 and 14, I urge you to involve them in this safety day camp. In order to be most effective with this training, we are limiting participation to the first 75 youth who register. If you have not done so, please call 671-3276 first thing tomorrow morning and register you children or grandchildren for this very important training.

There are two other items I would like to call your attention to since they are "hot" items in the news today and are creating crisis situations in many areas of our nation. Once these crises are over, we will tend to forget about them until they happen again. For those in the education business, you know we refer to this as "the teachable moment."

If you noticed, the news media has made a point to inform everyone that the wildfires that have done so much damage in many areas of the nation were a result of excessive buildup of debris in the forest and woodlands. The fires may have been started either accidentally or intentionally, but once they started, they had a tremendous amount of leaves, dead limbs, and other debris as a source of fuel.

Smoky Bear has done a wonderful job of helping educate the public about the dangers of forest fires, but unfortunately, the message he sends is that all forest fires are bad for our forest and for wildlife, but this is far from the truth. Managed fires are beneficial for both forest and for wildlife.

Managed fires or "controlled burns" at the right time of the year and under the proper weather conditions is a recommended forest management tool. When conducted on a five- to eight-year cycle, these fires prevent the buildup of excessive amounts of debris under the trees, so if a wildfire does start, there is not enough fuel for it to burn out of control and do a lot of damage to the trees or to adjacent property. In addition, managed fires remove many of the small, unwanted trees and open the area up to sunlight so grasses, shrubs, and other seed-producing plants will germinate. These plants provide excellent wildlife cover and seeds which provide food for many species of wildlife.

So if you own forestlands, I remind you that managed fires should be one of the management practices you are using regularly. Contact my office or the North Carolina Forest Service for more information.

As we see the parched condition of our lawn, garden, and flowers, we should be well aware of the consequences of drought. Although water restrictions have not been placed on us, we hear that many of the major cities in the state are imposing mandatory water restrictions. This should serve as a reminder to all of us that we should not take it for granted that we will forever and always have plenty of water.

There is the same amount of water on the planet now as there was when the dinosaurs roamed the earth millions of years ago. But there are now hundreds of millions of people using this water not only for drinking but for many other things as well.

There is no need for us to panic and start making drastic measures to stop using water. However, we should learn from what we see happening around us. We should learn how to change our habits slightly to conserve water as much as possible. When the opportunity arises, such as when we replace water faucets or build a new home, we should make the choices that will reduce the amount of water that we will use. Pay closer attention to news articles and bulletins that provide information about water conservation and implement these strategies whenever possible. The day may come when we will be glad we did.

Don't forget the Farm Safety Day Camp on Saturday. For the sake of your children or grandchildren, make sure they participate. They may learn something that will prevent them from being the victim of a tragic or fatal accident.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 7/22/02