Articles

Growing up, we had a lot of wild foods – things like persimmon pudding and blackberry pie – which I never realized might be considered wild foods. For the past few years I have been an avid hunter of deer, doves, squirrel and turkey, but this year I’ve expanded my interests into hunting rabbit, grouse […]

Richard Jackson thinks it’s time to stop blaming individuals for the U.S. obesity problem. The problem, he believes, is far more systemic, including the automobile-centric design of modern American life and the ready availability of high-sugar and high-fat foods. He thinks today’s parental fears of child abductions are not realistic and hurt children’s need for […]

The yard has been tilled, the clay amended with compost and mulch. I’m eager to start a new garden at our home in Charlotte, but my first trip to the nursery left me with sticker shock. I couldn’t part with $35 for a fancy cultivar of the ubiquitous Carolina jasmine that blooms freely across the […]

I’ve spent much of the past few months researching Mecklenburg County’s creeks, for a PlanCharlotte.org project called KEEPING WATCH on WATER: City of Creeks. A related gallery exhibit opened March 27 at UNC Charlotte Center City. To see a full list of events, click here, or visit KeepingWatch.org for updates. To whet your appetite for […]

FOR UP-TO-DATE EVENT INFORMATION ABOUT KEEPING WATCH, PLEASE VISIT KEEPINGWATCH.ORG What creek is in your neighborhood? Where did it come from, and where is it going? Why was Charlotte settled amid so many creeks? Are urban streams important? Where does rainwater go? Can we do anything to help with pollution or flooding? Why should we […]

Forget Jason Bourne. Forget 007. Forget The French Connection. Equally thrilling chase scenes occur every day in the forests of the Uwharries. While action films are standard fare at the multiplex, we rarely witness the dramas unfolding in our own backyard, as raptors pursue their prey. Want a ticket to a front row seat? Spend […]

Mike Lydon and Anthony Garcia’s much anticipated Tactical Urbanism – Short Term Actions for Long-Term Change is due out in a few weeks. Reading the galleys brings to mind how widespread and quickly this global movement has grown, Charlotte and Raleigh being no exception. The term tactical urbanism refers to quick, often temporary projects aimed […]

The following is excerpted, with permission, from Margins of a Greater Wildness: Nature Essays on Stanley Creek and Beyond, a collection of essays by Richard Rankin on local topics from the Stanley Creek community in eastern Gaston County, where the Rankin family has lived for many generations. Although Ralph and Estelle Rankin lived and worked […]

A year-long study examining the needs of Mecklenburg County’s elderly population found that the county’s approach to older adults should focus on stronger and longer-term planning supported by more vigorous collaboration among service providers. Among the most pressing issues facing older adults, the study found, are access to transportation services, housing choices, caregiving support and […]

After three years of citizen engagement and the creation of a Regional Growth Framework for the 14-county Charlotte region, the CONNECT Our Future initiative moves into the implementation phase, to assist local governments in their individual efforts to realize the goals and objectives of that framework. One element of the implementation phase is a collaboration […]

Every neighborhood has a story, but often the people who live there don’t know what they are or where to find them. Does it have a special landmark that ought to be preserved? What about an interesting history? Maybe it has environmental treasures or distinctive architectural features. Materials from workshops available online. Click here to […]

It’s been said that good fences make good neighbors, but a dense, evergreen hedge can keep the peace and provide attractive wildlife habitat as well. Whether you live on a tenth of an acre in town or a hundred acres in the country, you always abut a property you cannot control, and sometimes a fence […]