General News

Last month PlanCharlotte reported on events that bode well for an evolving local biking culture. (See “To create a bike culture, Charlotte needs …”) Perhaps the capstone came Nov. 4, when the Charlotte voters approved by a whopping 70.2 percent majority allocating $5 million in planning funds for a $35-million cross-county bike-pedestrian trail. Many of […]

Charlotte’s transportation department is launching – again – an initiative to highlight pedestrian needs and improve policies for walkability. The new energy comes after the city landed on some not-so-flattering lists in the past year. In May, the Dangerous by Design report from the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America ranked the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia […]

You have probably heard of a number of “Friends” groups, such as “Friends of State Parks,” or “Friends of the Library,” or any of a number of other groups. These groups are typically nonprofit organizations formed to help support the work of a local, state or federal government agency. These groups don’t have to be […]

Last fall, as the trees surrendered their leaves, I discovered four large hornets’ nests along my regular mile-long route through Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. Despite passing within a few feet of them on an almost daily basis throughout the spring and summer, the hornets had never given me a bit of trouble. The bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula […]

Since the invention of zoning codes early in the 20th century, they have focused on separating uses. Houses could not mingle with offices or stores or apartments, and offices could not mingle with shops or factories, no matter how small or unobtrusive the factory. Apartments over stores were banned. Buildings were required to be set […]

During one hike over my summer internship with The Land Trust for Central NC, we were able to spot a small and sweet little bird. Here, in the Uwharries, if you hear birds calling “peetsah” or making sounds that are akin to funny laughter, they are most likely flycatchers. We have Great Crested and Acadian […]

[highlight]Would more Charlotteans bicycle more often if the city had more bike lanes? More bike lanes protected from traffic? Or more off-road paths, such as greenways? Would showers and bike lockers at more workplaces encourage more bicycle commuting? Maybe, instead, the most important thing to do is offer better education, for motorists and cyclists, so […]

A few years ago, a woman in the Uwharries called to tell me about a mysterious occurrence she had witnessed. She and her husband were driving home late one evening after a high school football game. Rounding a curve on Okeewemee Road, they saw an owl swoop down and try to snatch a small creature […]

With its scenic rock outcrops and bluffs, swift rapids, diversity of wildlife, and beautiful pastoral setting, the Rocky River is a little known paddling pleasure found in our region. Starting in Mooresville, it continues into Cabarrus, Union, Stanly and Anson counties, before joining the Pee Dee River. I have had the good fortune to do […]

The following is an excerpt from Chuck McShane’s new book, A History of Lake Norman: Fish Camps to Ferraris, published by the History Press. Flood plains don’t respect our artificial political boundaries. So when the waters filled up Lake Norman, a 660-acre peninsula of Mecklenburg County just south of the Iredell County line remained dry, […]