This is a picture of Desiree getting in Rice's face over her mass murder of Iraqi people. Rice, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and a whole lot of other people from DC have innocent blood on their hands. March 19th is the tenth anniversary of the illegal and immoral war of aggression on Iraq.
UPCOMING EVENTS
03/18/13 ASHEVILLE ‘FIX A LEAK’ WEEK
Asheville water is worth it! From March 18 to March 24, Asheville residents are eligible to receive a water conservation kit valued at $50 – for FREE. Kits can be picked up at the following locations: Asheville GreenWorks, Warren Wilson College, Little Green Frog, PlumbSmart Technologies, Wesley Grant Community Center, Shiloh Community Center. Go to www.fixaleakweek.org for more details. More information below under ‘actions'.
03/18/13 FOREST PLAN REVISION PUBLIC MEETING
The U.S. Forest Service is revising the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Land and Resource Management Plan (the Plan). When revision of the Plan is completed, it will guide management of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests for approximately 15 years. The Forest Service published the original Plan in 1987. A significant amendment to the Plan was published in 1994, and smaller amendments occurred in subsequent years. A meeting for Pisgah Ranger District will be at Transylvania County Library at 212 S. Gaston Street in Brevard. Meeting will run from 6 to 9 PM.
03/18/13 VOICES FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Have you heard about the Voices for Economic Justice program of Just Economics and wondered what it is? Come to a one hour information session and learn more about this exciting training. Are you sick of struggling to make ends meet? Are you interested in working for change? Then Voices for Economic Justice may be for you...Come find out! Location is Firestorm Café & Books and time is 6 PM.
03/19/13 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE PERMACULTURE POTLUCKS
Each month in 2013, a different local teacher will present new permaculture principle. Time is 5:30 PM and the location is Community Action Opportunities at 25 Gaston Street in Asheville. This month’s principle is “Obtain a Yield” with Andrew Goodheart Brown.
03/20/13 OPENING RECEPTION AND KEYNOTE FOR “PARALLEL JOURNEYS”
This was rescheduled from 03/06/13, due to bad weather. Opening Reception is from 5:30-6:45 PM at UNC Asheville Karpen Lobby. Opening Keynote is at 7 PM at Highsmith Student Union Alumni Hall. “How the Holocaust Shaped My Life” is the topic with Dr. Walter Ziffer speaking. From March 4 - 31, “Parallel Journeys: World War II and the Holocaust” tells the stories of dozens of teenagers who were witnesses, participants, and often victims of this brutal conflict. Profiles of well-known teens, not all of whom were heroic, are part of the exhibition. Elie Wiesel (Auschwitz survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner), members of the resistance group the White Rose, and Traudl Junge (Adolf Hitler's secretary) will be included. For more information email dmiles@unca.edu or call 828-232-5024.
03/20/13 TRANSITION HENDERSONVILLE
Transition Hendersonville will screen the film “Microcosmos” at the Black Bear Café on Main Street in Hendersonville. Free. Time is 6 PM. For more info: www.transitionhendersonville.com.
03/20/13 IDLE NO MORE RALLY
The Asheville Idle No More group will rally at Pack Square on Wednesday March 20th at 4:00 pm for drumming and dancing to celebrate spring and the Idle No More Day of Action.
03/21/13 COMMUNITY RACE DISCUSSION GROUP
This discussion is held every third Thursday at 5:30 pm at Firestorm Café & Books. This monthly discussion group is open to the public and invites community members in Asheville and Buncombe County to get together to explore issues of race, racism, privilege and identity -- topics we don't explore together on a regular basis. A new topic and facilitator pair will be selected for each meeting. Sponsored in partnership with the YWCA.
03/22/13 CELEBRATING WORLD WATER DAY BY TRANSITION ASHEVILLE
World Water Day will be celebrated in Asheville at the Wesley Grant Southside Community Center. Time will be 11 AM to 6:30 PM. See below under ‘actions’ for more information.
03/22/13 PROTEST AGAINST THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE
Friday March 22nd, Pritchard Park, Downtown Asheville. Meet at 4:30 PM and march at 4:45 to TD Bank (a major investor in the Keystone XL pipeline). Join Katuah Earth First! in a spirited march against the dirty KXL pipeline. If built, the pipeline would tear through thousands of miles of wilderness, farmland, and Native American tribal lands. The pipeline is necessary for Canada to expand the tar sands oil industry in Alberta, which has been called the dirtiest project on the planet. Without it they do not have an economical way to get the dirty oil to US refineries.
03/25/13 EARTH SABBATH
March Asheville Earth Sabbath is from 7 to 7:45 PM at St. Mary's Church (in new hall) on Charlotte Street. Byron Ballard will lead us in a Celebration of the Spring Equinox. For more information, contact Jean at larson_jean@hotmail.com.
03/26/13 MOVIE AT UNCA
"On Coal River" takes viewers on a gripping emotional journey into the Coal River Valley of West Virginia—a community surrounded by lush mountains and a looming toxic threat. The film follows a former coal miner and his neighbors in a David-and-Goliath struggle for the future of their valley, their children, and life as they know it. Local filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood will be available for a Q&A after the screening. See the trailer at oncoalriver.com. Time is 7 PM and location is Highsmith Union Grotto.
03/26/13 UNITED FOR MARRIAGE VIGIL
Join us for an Asheville vigil to call for full LGBT equality. Vigils will be taking place across the country as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the Prop 8 and DOMA cases on March 26 and 27. Time is 7 PM at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville. Hosted by Campaign for Southern Equality and cosponsored by Youth OutRight, Western NC Citizens to End Institutional Bigotry, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, and Land of the Sky UCC. Childcare provided.
03/27/13 MOUNTAIN HERO: JUNIOR WALK
From living with contaminated water in his own home as a child, to being kicked out of the house for speaking out against the coal company, Junior Walk's path to activism was not an easy one. His courage and clear voice calling for change has been widely recognized. Today Walk works with Coal River Mountain Watch, Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, and RAMPS (Radical Action for Mountain People's Survival) to end mountaintop removal mining. He travels the country with the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation educating people about the long-term environmental, health and community degradation caused by coal mining. He was a recipient of the prestigious Brower Youth Awards in 2011. The late renowned environmentalist David Brower famously said, “Tough mountains build bold leaders.” Junior Walk is one of the many courageous and bold leaders whom the Appalachian Mountains have built. Time is 7 PM and location is Highsmith Union, Alumni Hall.
04/01/13 SPEAKERS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AT WARREN WILSON COLLEGE
The Academia and Activism Speaker Series will have a presentation by Alan Jenkins at 7 PM in Jensen Lecture Hall. For more information call 771-2083.
04/01/13 GREEN PARTY MEETING
The Buncombe County GREEN Party's business meeting is open to the public. It is held on the first Monday of the month. Time is 6 PM and location is the Fortune Building (upstairs), at 729 Haywood Rd., West Asheville. Parking in back and on the street. Contact Ronald @ 828-LUCK-180 or Larry @ 828-225-4347 for more information.
04/02/13 MOVIE ON FRACKING FROM CLEAN WATER NC
This evening there will be a potluck snack and a presentation on fracking in North Carolina. It is called “Message from Marcellus” and sponsored by Clean Water NC. Location is Asheville Friends Meeting at 227 Edgewood Road, Asheville. Time is 7 PM. Free, donations accepted.
04/03/13 SIERRA CLUB MEETING
Topic is North Carolina’s energy future, climate change and energy efficiency. Time is 7 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Asheville (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.
04/04/13 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING
Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic Studios: 109 Roberts Street in Asheville. VFP Chapter 099: http://vfpchapter099wnc.blogspot.com/
04/04/13 to 04/07/13 CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION
Dr. James Hansen, head of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, will be joining Caring for Creation 2013 via SKYPE. Over 20 environmental experts will provide leadership at the 2013 event. Join us at Lake Junaluska to discover your residential and faith communities' role in environmental care. Visit www.lakejunaluska.com/caring-for-creation for more information or to register.
04/04/13 ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT FILM SERIES
This will be at the Fine Arts Theatre, and “The Gatekeepers” will be shown at 7 PM. Film will be followed by a discussion, and regular ticket prices will apply. Go to http://www.fineartstheatre.com/ for more information. This is sponsored by UNCA Hillel, Belk Distinguished Professorship in the Humanities, Jewish Community Center, and Beth HaTephila.
04/04/13 FIFTH ANNUAL FREEDOM BALL
This will be held at the Gray Eagle in Asheville. Time is 7 PM, and tickets are $20 (includes food). This is a celebration of Glen Edward Chapman’s exoneration and freedom. Hosted by David Lamotte and to benefit Asheville Green Opportunities.
04/06/13 OCCUPY ASHEVILLE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Occupy Asheville will hold a General Assembly at 2 PM at Pritchard Park. All are welcome to come and plan our future.
04/06/13 APRIL ACTION AT THE Y12 NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMPLEX
Saturday April 6 -- Gather at 12:30 at the Friendship Bell in Bissell Park in Oak Ridge; walk together to the gates of the Y-12 bomb plant where we will hear speakers, join our voices in song, enjoy skits, & learn about the UPF; and engage in nonviolent protest against the expansion and expense of this militaristic government program. You will not be arrested for civil disobedience merely by participating in this event. http://orepa.org/say-no-to-the-upf/
04/06/13 FUNDRAISER FOR START FROM SEED
Start From Seed, our volunteer doula program, presents an evening with Ina May Gaskin and the screening of 'Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives,' at Ferguson Auditorium on the campus of AB Tech. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with exhibits, film starts at 6:30 and will be followed at about 8 p.m. by a 90-minute panel discussion that will include Ina May Gaskin and Stephen Gaskin, midwives, doctors, and other local birth professionals. Tickets are $25 and all proceeds go to Start From Seed. To buy tickets, visit birthstoryasheville.eventbrite.com.
04/06/13 WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL
The Western North Carolina Alliance invites the community to the 2013 Wild & Scenic Film Festival, featuring a selection of 14 short films that put our work–and yours–into the broader environmental and social context and serves to remind us that we’re participants in a global movement for a more wild and scenic world. Free raffle ticket with entry. Time is 7 to 10 PM. Location is Fine Arts Theatre. For ticket prices and raffle information, go to http://www.fineartstheatre.com/.
04/06/13 FILM: “BIRTH STORY: INA MAY GASKIN AND THE FARM MIDWIVES”
This will be at Ferguson Auditorium at 5:30 (Reception and Exhibits) and 6:30 for the film, followed by a panel discussion. Tickets are $25- Sold in Asheville at Flora, West Asheville or online- Birthstoryasheville.eventbrite.com. BIRTH STORY captures a spirited group of women who taught themselves how to deliver babies on a 1970s hippie commune, rescued modern midwifery from extinction, and changed the way a generation thought about childbirth. Today, as nearly 1/3 of all U.S. babies are born via C-section, they labor on, fighting to preserve their knowledge and pushing, once again, for the rebirth of birth. For more information, contact Cheryl at 828-776-3327.
*******************************************
ONGOING EVENTS
*******************************************
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument
WEDNESDAY
Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville.
THURSDAY
Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 2 PM at Firestorm Cafe.
FRIDAY
Women in Black have a vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square (Asheville) on the first Friday of the month.
Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville
SATURDAY
Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard.
*******************************************
ACTIONS AND READINGS
*******************************************
Transition Asheville and many other local businesses and organizations are supporting the "Fix a Leak Week" program put together by Warren Wilson College. This is part of the annual national campaign of the Environmental Protection Agency to identify and repair plumbing leaks and reduce water consumption. The final celebration will be held at the Center at 285 Livingston Street, from 11 am til 6:30 pm. Transition Asheville will be demonstrating and facilitating the use of A-frame levels to mark contours, plus making and having A-frame levels available for purchase. We will have a 3-D topographic map and hope to install some infiltration basins around existing vegetation. We may help give tours of the facility and even have a poster about composting and the watershed finished!
Water conservation kits will be given away at these pick-up locations, dates and times:
-Warren Wilson College Plumbing Dept; 18th–22nd, 9:00AM-4:30PM
-Asheville GreenWorks; 18th-22nd, 11:00AM-3:00PM
-Little Green Frog; 18th, 20th, 22nd, 11:00AM-4:00 PM
-PlumbSmart Technologies, Inc; 18th-22nd, 9:00AM-5:00PM
-Shiloh Community Center; 18th, 21st, 3:00PM-8:00PM
-Wesley Grant Community Center; 22nd, 11:00AM-6:30PM
Come out and help us mark the importance of water and educate residents in the need to provide for changes in climate and the importance of providing for and using local resources! To learn more, visit http://www.fixaleakweek.org/. Contact Sherry at si726@aol.c if you want to help out.
******************
CARE ABOUT OUR FORESTS? TIME TO SPEAK UP.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/home/?cid=STELPRDB5397660
Hard copies of comments can be mailed to:
National Forests in North Carolina, Nantahala-Pisgah Plan Revision, 160 Zillicoa St. Suite A, Asheville, NC 28801.
An opinion on a part of this plan:
Information under consideration for further action by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League
The US Forest Service “Grandfather Restoration Project, a Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Proposal”, states that “The Grandfather Restoration Collaborative pledges that all actions will be consistent with Title IV of the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009 (Title IV.). The Proposal repeatedly fails to fulfill this pledge because it is non-compliant with multiple Purpose and Eligibility requirements of Title IV. This proposal, already funded for $4.5 million, lacks due diligence, objectivity and comprehensiveness, which results in inadequate strength of integrity and failed accountability. Study of the approximately 12,000 acre Linville Gorge Wilderness Area which comprises 24% of the acreage to be treated in the Grandfather District and demonstrates deficiencies within the Proposal that should disqualify it from funding.
The Proposal uses language to create a superficial appearance to convey that the US Forest Service’s plan to burn the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area is safe, beneficial and has a lucrative impact on the region when in fact it lacks an objective and comprehensive review of the negative impacts on the economy that people owning businesses will experience. A concerned citizen has submitted to BREDL the attached 25 page Scoping File comment they provided to the US Forest Service, which outlines these concerns in detail. Key points of this correspondence follow.
The Scoping Letter for this Proposal describes that the prescribed burn will be conducted by dropping ping pong ball sized ignition agents into the Wilderness Area via helicopter to ignite prescribed burns. The public and numerous forest fire experts outside the US Forest Service have stated that fire can not be controlled in areas such as the steep and windy Linville Gorge Wilderness Area. The US Forest Service, without a site specific risk assessment, has during the scoping period, publicized in newspapers that there is only a 1% chance of risk of out of control burns, and has asserted that they can control these burns safely. This has poisoned the public Scoping Period comment process as the US Forest Service has worked to persuade the public that the impacts of the actions of the Proposal will not have significant action on the environment and the health and safety of people. Also, the Proposal states it will save over six million dollars in fire fighting costs, which is another misleading statement to assure the public that this work must be done.
Regarding risk of fire, the Proposal is negligent in addressing site specific areas of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area. The proposal states, “Fuel loads in fire adapted vegetation types are generally dangerously high in the Project Area”. No fuel load was measured and no standard risk assessment using site specific criteria was conducted before the grant writers decided this work, which appears will fund over 11 full time jobs for the grant writing team agencies, must be done. Dangerously high fuel load areas are not necessarily candidates for prescribed burning. If the fuel load is too high, prescribed burning may be prohibitive. Mechanical thinning of small diameter trees is supposed to be performed in conjunction with prescribed burning per Title IV. Criteria and in accordance with 2012 US Forest Service Research on Prescribed Fire in the Southern Appalachians. No thinning of trees is allowed in the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, which should eliminate this area from using prescribed fire.
Within the Proposal, the government organization, Land of Sky Regional Council of Government, based in Asheville, was selected to represent the Proposal area. The Linville Gorge Wilderness Area is bordered by Burke, Avery, and McDowell counties, and should have been represented by High Country Council of Government and Western NC Council of Government, who actually serve these jurisdictions. The Land of Sky wrote glowingly of the small diameter wood products that will benefit the local economy, which can utilize these products heavily, when in fact less than 1 of over 12 full time jobs to be created by the grant is allocated for wood products and no wood products will be removed from the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area for economic benefit to the local rural community.
The above points summarize some of the key issues within the US Forest Service’s Proposal and their Scoping Process for the Proposal. There are many more misrepresentations that should be considered to grasp the lack of due diligence, objectivity and comprehensiveness, which results in inadequate strength of integrity and failed accountability. The Grandfather Restoration Project proposal needs to be cancelled.
03/18/13 ASHEVILLE ‘FIX A LEAK’ WEEK
Asheville water is worth it! From March 18 to March 24, Asheville residents are eligible to receive a water conservation kit valued at $50 – for FREE. Kits can be picked up at the following locations: Asheville GreenWorks, Warren Wilson College, Little Green Frog, PlumbSmart Technologies, Wesley Grant Community Center, Shiloh Community Center. Go to www.fixaleakweek.org for more details. More information below under ‘actions'.
03/18/13 FOREST PLAN REVISION PUBLIC MEETING
The U.S. Forest Service is revising the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Land and Resource Management Plan (the Plan). When revision of the Plan is completed, it will guide management of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests for approximately 15 years. The Forest Service published the original Plan in 1987. A significant amendment to the Plan was published in 1994, and smaller amendments occurred in subsequent years. A meeting for Pisgah Ranger District will be at Transylvania County Library at 212 S. Gaston Street in Brevard. Meeting will run from 6 to 9 PM.
03/18/13 VOICES FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Have you heard about the Voices for Economic Justice program of Just Economics and wondered what it is? Come to a one hour information session and learn more about this exciting training. Are you sick of struggling to make ends meet? Are you interested in working for change? Then Voices for Economic Justice may be for you...Come find out! Location is Firestorm Café & Books and time is 6 PM.
03/19/13 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE PERMACULTURE POTLUCKS
Each month in 2013, a different local teacher will present new permaculture principle. Time is 5:30 PM and the location is Community Action Opportunities at 25 Gaston Street in Asheville. This month’s principle is “Obtain a Yield” with Andrew Goodheart Brown.
03/20/13 OPENING RECEPTION AND KEYNOTE FOR “PARALLEL JOURNEYS”
This was rescheduled from 03/06/13, due to bad weather. Opening Reception is from 5:30-6:45 PM at UNC Asheville Karpen Lobby. Opening Keynote is at 7 PM at Highsmith Student Union Alumni Hall. “How the Holocaust Shaped My Life” is the topic with Dr. Walter Ziffer speaking. From March 4 - 31, “Parallel Journeys: World War II and the Holocaust” tells the stories of dozens of teenagers who were witnesses, participants, and often victims of this brutal conflict. Profiles of well-known teens, not all of whom were heroic, are part of the exhibition. Elie Wiesel (Auschwitz survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner), members of the resistance group the White Rose, and Traudl Junge (Adolf Hitler's secretary) will be included. For more information email dmiles@unca.edu or call 828-232-5024.
03/20/13 TRANSITION HENDERSONVILLE
Transition Hendersonville will screen the film “Microcosmos” at the Black Bear Café on Main Street in Hendersonville. Free. Time is 6 PM. For more info: www.transitionhendersonville.com.
03/20/13 IDLE NO MORE RALLY
The Asheville Idle No More group will rally at Pack Square on Wednesday March 20th at 4:00 pm for drumming and dancing to celebrate spring and the Idle No More Day of Action.
03/21/13 COMMUNITY RACE DISCUSSION GROUP
This discussion is held every third Thursday at 5:30 pm at Firestorm Café & Books. This monthly discussion group is open to the public and invites community members in Asheville and Buncombe County to get together to explore issues of race, racism, privilege and identity -- topics we don't explore together on a regular basis. A new topic and facilitator pair will be selected for each meeting. Sponsored in partnership with the YWCA.
03/22/13 CELEBRATING WORLD WATER DAY BY TRANSITION ASHEVILLE
World Water Day will be celebrated in Asheville at the Wesley Grant Southside Community Center. Time will be 11 AM to 6:30 PM. See below under ‘actions’ for more information.
03/22/13 PROTEST AGAINST THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE
Friday March 22nd, Pritchard Park, Downtown Asheville. Meet at 4:30 PM and march at 4:45 to TD Bank (a major investor in the Keystone XL pipeline). Join Katuah Earth First! in a spirited march against the dirty KXL pipeline. If built, the pipeline would tear through thousands of miles of wilderness, farmland, and Native American tribal lands. The pipeline is necessary for Canada to expand the tar sands oil industry in Alberta, which has been called the dirtiest project on the planet. Without it they do not have an economical way to get the dirty oil to US refineries.
03/25/13 EARTH SABBATH
March Asheville Earth Sabbath is from 7 to 7:45 PM at St. Mary's Church (in new hall) on Charlotte Street. Byron Ballard will lead us in a Celebration of the Spring Equinox. For more information, contact Jean at larson_jean@hotmail.com.
03/26/13 MOVIE AT UNCA
"On Coal River" takes viewers on a gripping emotional journey into the Coal River Valley of West Virginia—a community surrounded by lush mountains and a looming toxic threat. The film follows a former coal miner and his neighbors in a David-and-Goliath struggle for the future of their valley, their children, and life as they know it. Local filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood will be available for a Q&A after the screening. See the trailer at oncoalriver.com. Time is 7 PM and location is Highsmith Union Grotto.
03/26/13 UNITED FOR MARRIAGE VIGIL
Join us for an Asheville vigil to call for full LGBT equality. Vigils will be taking place across the country as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the Prop 8 and DOMA cases on March 26 and 27. Time is 7 PM at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville. Hosted by Campaign for Southern Equality and cosponsored by Youth OutRight, Western NC Citizens to End Institutional Bigotry, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, and Land of the Sky UCC. Childcare provided.
03/27/13 MOUNTAIN HERO: JUNIOR WALK
From living with contaminated water in his own home as a child, to being kicked out of the house for speaking out against the coal company, Junior Walk's path to activism was not an easy one. His courage and clear voice calling for change has been widely recognized. Today Walk works with Coal River Mountain Watch, Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, and RAMPS (Radical Action for Mountain People's Survival) to end mountaintop removal mining. He travels the country with the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation educating people about the long-term environmental, health and community degradation caused by coal mining. He was a recipient of the prestigious Brower Youth Awards in 2011. The late renowned environmentalist David Brower famously said, “Tough mountains build bold leaders.” Junior Walk is one of the many courageous and bold leaders whom the Appalachian Mountains have built. Time is 7 PM and location is Highsmith Union, Alumni Hall.
04/01/13 SPEAKERS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AT WARREN WILSON COLLEGE
The Academia and Activism Speaker Series will have a presentation by Alan Jenkins at 7 PM in Jensen Lecture Hall. For more information call 771-2083.
04/01/13 GREEN PARTY MEETING
The Buncombe County GREEN Party's business meeting is open to the public. It is held on the first Monday of the month. Time is 6 PM and location is the Fortune Building (upstairs), at 729 Haywood Rd., West Asheville. Parking in back and on the street. Contact Ronald @ 828-LUCK-180 or Larry @ 828-225-4347 for more information.
04/02/13 MOVIE ON FRACKING FROM CLEAN WATER NC
This evening there will be a potluck snack and a presentation on fracking in North Carolina. It is called “Message from Marcellus” and sponsored by Clean Water NC. Location is Asheville Friends Meeting at 227 Edgewood Road, Asheville. Time is 7 PM. Free, donations accepted.
04/03/13 SIERRA CLUB MEETING
Topic is North Carolina’s energy future, climate change and energy efficiency. Time is 7 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Asheville (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.
04/04/13 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING
Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic Studios: 109 Roberts Street in Asheville. VFP Chapter 099: http://vfpchapter099wnc.blogspot.com/
04/04/13 to 04/07/13 CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION
Dr. James Hansen, head of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, will be joining Caring for Creation 2013 via SKYPE. Over 20 environmental experts will provide leadership at the 2013 event. Join us at Lake Junaluska to discover your residential and faith communities' role in environmental care. Visit www.lakejunaluska.com/caring-for-creation for more information or to register.
04/04/13 ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT FILM SERIES
This will be at the Fine Arts Theatre, and “The Gatekeepers” will be shown at 7 PM. Film will be followed by a discussion, and regular ticket prices will apply. Go to http://www.fineartstheatre.com/ for more information. This is sponsored by UNCA Hillel, Belk Distinguished Professorship in the Humanities, Jewish Community Center, and Beth HaTephila.
04/04/13 FIFTH ANNUAL FREEDOM BALL
This will be held at the Gray Eagle in Asheville. Time is 7 PM, and tickets are $20 (includes food). This is a celebration of Glen Edward Chapman’s exoneration and freedom. Hosted by David Lamotte and to benefit Asheville Green Opportunities.
04/06/13 OCCUPY ASHEVILLE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Occupy Asheville will hold a General Assembly at 2 PM at Pritchard Park. All are welcome to come and plan our future.
04/06/13 APRIL ACTION AT THE Y12 NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMPLEX
Saturday April 6 -- Gather at 12:30 at the Friendship Bell in Bissell Park in Oak Ridge; walk together to the gates of the Y-12 bomb plant where we will hear speakers, join our voices in song, enjoy skits, & learn about the UPF; and engage in nonviolent protest against the expansion and expense of this militaristic government program. You will not be arrested for civil disobedience merely by participating in this event. http://orepa.org/say-no-to-the-upf/
04/06/13 FUNDRAISER FOR START FROM SEED
Start From Seed, our volunteer doula program, presents an evening with Ina May Gaskin and the screening of 'Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives,' at Ferguson Auditorium on the campus of AB Tech. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with exhibits, film starts at 6:30 and will be followed at about 8 p.m. by a 90-minute panel discussion that will include Ina May Gaskin and Stephen Gaskin, midwives, doctors, and other local birth professionals. Tickets are $25 and all proceeds go to Start From Seed. To buy tickets, visit birthstoryasheville.eventbrite.com.
04/06/13 WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL
The Western North Carolina Alliance invites the community to the 2013 Wild & Scenic Film Festival, featuring a selection of 14 short films that put our work–and yours–into the broader environmental and social context and serves to remind us that we’re participants in a global movement for a more wild and scenic world. Free raffle ticket with entry. Time is 7 to 10 PM. Location is Fine Arts Theatre. For ticket prices and raffle information, go to http://www.fineartstheatre.com/.
04/06/13 FILM: “BIRTH STORY: INA MAY GASKIN AND THE FARM MIDWIVES”
This will be at Ferguson Auditorium at 5:30 (Reception and Exhibits) and 6:30 for the film, followed by a panel discussion. Tickets are $25- Sold in Asheville at Flora, West Asheville or online- Birthstoryasheville.eventbrite.com. BIRTH STORY captures a spirited group of women who taught themselves how to deliver babies on a 1970s hippie commune, rescued modern midwifery from extinction, and changed the way a generation thought about childbirth. Today, as nearly 1/3 of all U.S. babies are born via C-section, they labor on, fighting to preserve their knowledge and pushing, once again, for the rebirth of birth. For more information, contact Cheryl at 828-776-3327.
*******************************************
ONGOING EVENTS
*******************************************
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument
WEDNESDAY
Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville.
THURSDAY
Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 2 PM at Firestorm Cafe.
FRIDAY
Women in Black have a vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square (Asheville) on the first Friday of the month.
Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville
SATURDAY
Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard.
*******************************************
ACTIONS AND READINGS
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Transition Asheville and many other local businesses and organizations are supporting the "Fix a Leak Week" program put together by Warren Wilson College. This is part of the annual national campaign of the Environmental Protection Agency to identify and repair plumbing leaks and reduce water consumption. The final celebration will be held at the Center at 285 Livingston Street, from 11 am til 6:30 pm. Transition Asheville will be demonstrating and facilitating the use of A-frame levels to mark contours, plus making and having A-frame levels available for purchase. We will have a 3-D topographic map and hope to install some infiltration basins around existing vegetation. We may help give tours of the facility and even have a poster about composting and the watershed finished!
Water conservation kits will be given away at these pick-up locations, dates and times:
-Warren Wilson College Plumbing Dept; 18th–22nd, 9:00AM-4:30PM
-Asheville GreenWorks; 18th-22nd, 11:00AM-3:00PM
-Little Green Frog; 18th, 20th, 22nd, 11:00AM-4:00 PM
-PlumbSmart Technologies, Inc; 18th-22nd, 9:00AM-5:00PM
-Shiloh Community Center; 18th, 21st, 3:00PM-8:00PM
-Wesley Grant Community Center; 22nd, 11:00AM-6:30PM
Come out and help us mark the importance of water and educate residents in the need to provide for changes in climate and the importance of providing for and using local resources! To learn more, visit http://www.fixaleakweek.org/. Contact Sherry at si726@aol.c if you want to help out.
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CARE ABOUT OUR FORESTS? TIME TO SPEAK UP.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/home/?cid=STELPRDB5397660
Hard copies of comments can be mailed to:
National Forests in North Carolina, Nantahala-Pisgah Plan Revision, 160 Zillicoa St. Suite A, Asheville, NC 28801.
An opinion on a part of this plan:
Information under consideration for further action by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League
The US Forest Service “Grandfather Restoration Project, a Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Proposal”, states that “The Grandfather Restoration Collaborative pledges that all actions will be consistent with Title IV of the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009 (Title IV.). The Proposal repeatedly fails to fulfill this pledge because it is non-compliant with multiple Purpose and Eligibility requirements of Title IV. This proposal, already funded for $4.5 million, lacks due diligence, objectivity and comprehensiveness, which results in inadequate strength of integrity and failed accountability. Study of the approximately 12,000 acre Linville Gorge Wilderness Area which comprises 24% of the acreage to be treated in the Grandfather District and demonstrates deficiencies within the Proposal that should disqualify it from funding.
The Proposal uses language to create a superficial appearance to convey that the US Forest Service’s plan to burn the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area is safe, beneficial and has a lucrative impact on the region when in fact it lacks an objective and comprehensive review of the negative impacts on the economy that people owning businesses will experience. A concerned citizen has submitted to BREDL the attached 25 page Scoping File comment they provided to the US Forest Service, which outlines these concerns in detail. Key points of this correspondence follow.
The Scoping Letter for this Proposal describes that the prescribed burn will be conducted by dropping ping pong ball sized ignition agents into the Wilderness Area via helicopter to ignite prescribed burns. The public and numerous forest fire experts outside the US Forest Service have stated that fire can not be controlled in areas such as the steep and windy Linville Gorge Wilderness Area. The US Forest Service, without a site specific risk assessment, has during the scoping period, publicized in newspapers that there is only a 1% chance of risk of out of control burns, and has asserted that they can control these burns safely. This has poisoned the public Scoping Period comment process as the US Forest Service has worked to persuade the public that the impacts of the actions of the Proposal will not have significant action on the environment and the health and safety of people. Also, the Proposal states it will save over six million dollars in fire fighting costs, which is another misleading statement to assure the public that this work must be done.
Regarding risk of fire, the Proposal is negligent in addressing site specific areas of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area. The proposal states, “Fuel loads in fire adapted vegetation types are generally dangerously high in the Project Area”. No fuel load was measured and no standard risk assessment using site specific criteria was conducted before the grant writers decided this work, which appears will fund over 11 full time jobs for the grant writing team agencies, must be done. Dangerously high fuel load areas are not necessarily candidates for prescribed burning. If the fuel load is too high, prescribed burning may be prohibitive. Mechanical thinning of small diameter trees is supposed to be performed in conjunction with prescribed burning per Title IV. Criteria and in accordance with 2012 US Forest Service Research on Prescribed Fire in the Southern Appalachians. No thinning of trees is allowed in the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, which should eliminate this area from using prescribed fire.
Within the Proposal, the government organization, Land of Sky Regional Council of Government, based in Asheville, was selected to represent the Proposal area. The Linville Gorge Wilderness Area is bordered by Burke, Avery, and McDowell counties, and should have been represented by High Country Council of Government and Western NC Council of Government, who actually serve these jurisdictions. The Land of Sky wrote glowingly of the small diameter wood products that will benefit the local economy, which can utilize these products heavily, when in fact less than 1 of over 12 full time jobs to be created by the grant is allocated for wood products and no wood products will be removed from the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area for economic benefit to the local rural community.
The above points summarize some of the key issues within the US Forest Service’s Proposal and their Scoping Process for the Proposal. There are many more misrepresentations that should be considered to grasp the lack of due diligence, objectivity and comprehensiveness, which results in inadequate strength of integrity and failed accountability. The Grandfather Restoration Project proposal needs to be cancelled.
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