Volume 3 Issue 10

September 21, 2007

Lettitor
By Heather Holbrook

     I got a shotgun start, literally, as I headed for my first Becoming an Outdoors Woman course last week. The SC Department of Natural Resources holds the BOW weekend workshop twice a year to provide women an opportunity to become involved with nature at an introductory level in a relaxed atmosphere. The September 7-9 event was held at the Clemson University Outdoor Lab near Clemson, an almost five hour drive. And as Kristin and I neared the camp, the only bows to be seen were the crossbow type, not the grosgrain ribbons to be found on ponytails.
     Ready for my first course, Shotguns. Never having held a shotgun before, I was as nervous as I was curious about big firearms. Carefully instructed to clench this 20 gauge tightly between my arm pit and cheek, I can happily claim to have shot my first skeet and blasted it to smithereens. I have the bruises to prove it. But I can now also tell you anything you may want to know about how to handle shotguns safely, as well as how to properly load, cant, clean and store them.
     Allotted four courses over the weekend to encompass a wide variety of outdoor experiences, it was time for my next one. Land Navigation and the ATV Safety Rider courses were full. As were Knot Tying, Fly Fishing, Care & Prep of Game, Kayaking, Canoeing, and Archery & Crossbows. Gardening for Wildlife, full. Decorating with Nature and Nature Spa, double full. Of course. But I was very happy to sign up for Camping and Backpacking as well as Wilderness First Aid. What a great opportunity for women to enjoy the outdoors and learn a few useful outdoor recreation skills. But what astonished me was the spectrum of ladies in attendance- big, strong women who looked as though they already knew how to split firewood and fine boned grandmothers who wore their hair in French twists. And so many of these ladies said this was their third, fifth, twelfth time they had attended a BOW workshop.
     But I needed just one more course to choose. Boat Trailering & Safety, Bass Fishing, Woodworking, SCUBA, Mountain Biking, Small Game Hunting. And Taxidermy. What? Taxidermy? Alright, I’m game. After all, the workshop was designed to appeal to women who have never tried these activities or beginners who hoped to improve their skills. Where ELSE was I going to try my hand at stuffing a wild animal?
     “Ooooh he looks so real,” I heard someone say behind me in class. And he was, oh, a few days ago, lazing in the woods up around Clemson. Now this 30 pound bobcat was a flat silky cat, neatly missing all his bones and innards. All at once horrified and appreciative of this creature in his current condition, I vacillated between the two emotions throughout the four hour course where we took him from flat cat to fully-lifelike feline complete with glass eyes and modeling clay stuffed into his feet to fill them out. I was just so thankful I did not have to use my shotgun in this course. Instructor and passionate hobbyist Tony Gray, who has won many awards for his taxidermy, certainly enlightened me on the intricacies of his hobby. Remind me to tell you sometime about his ducks and how he washes them in a standard washing machine and dries them in a dryer full of corn cob grit. Unbelievable.

Rise of the Fantastic Four

     In what has been described as an “enthusiastic and rowdy” meeting at the Exchange Club sponsored by the Isle of Palms (IOP) Neighborhood Association, more than 80 people gathered to show their support for four candidates who will be running for the four Isle of Palms City Council seats that will be up for grabs on November 6.
      Incumbent Jane McMackin along with newcomers Brian Duffy, Michael Loftus and Ralph Piening will be running as a slate during what should be a very interesting election. All four were present and addressed the crowd. “How many of you attended meetings?” Councilwoman McMackin asked as many hands came up. “How many of you felt you were being heard?” No one responded.
     Loftus, the Chairman of the Planning Commission, and Piening both expressed their stance against the rental properties not-so-lovingly referred to as “mini-hotels”. “A dream is slipping away,” Duffy said. That “dream” is one of a “residential island with a sense of community” according to the placard that was handed out. To emphasize their team effort, each candidate had matching placards with their name, picture, and what they stand for along with a biography. Judging by that information, the strongest thread that binds them is a desire to put families first by protecting the residential neighborhoods from large rental units.
     It should be easy to see, through the large crowd of attendees, that at least some residents are dissatisfied with the way the island has matured in recent years. In the last election, all incumbents ran unopposed. This year there are nine candidates running for four seats. There are obvious frustrations being vented through this charge for change. This group of candidates, the “Fantastic Four”, is being endorsed by the Isle of Palms Neighborhood Association, headed by Catherine Malloy. This group is most recently known for their “Save IOP!” campaign when Council struggled to put together ordinances to deal with short-term rentals and mini-hotels. They asked Council to put a cap on the number of rental properties allowed at the current amount, among other things.
     The Fantastic Four’s view on rental properties in residential neighborhoods is as easy to spot as a crazed pre-teen at a Justin Timberlake concert. The Island Eye News will show you how they, and all the other candidates, stand on everything else. Keep a look out for our election coverage through November.

Where is my PAPER?