Chef Jen Pearson of Guadalupe Cafe will be showcasing eggplant in an original recipe during a local foods cooking demo at the Jackson County Farmers Market at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 20, near Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. 

Cooking demos are a regular event at the farmer’s market, intended to foster healthy eating and increase the sale of locally-grown fruits and vegetables in Western North Carolina. The cooking demonstrations feature a locally-grown products, the farmers who grew it and a local chef to demonstrate how to cook with fresh homegrown ingredients. 

828.631.3033 or www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.

Legendary Broadway musical “Brigadoon” runs at 7:30 p.m. July 18-20, 25-27, Aug. 1-3, and at 3 p.m. July 14, 21, 28 and Aug. 4, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

The 10th annual Franklin Folk Festival, a “Celebration of Appalachian Heritage,” runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 20, in downtown Franklin.

Members of Voices in the Laurel Children’s Choir have just returned from the Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans.  

The festival featured a 200-voice mass choir, which consisted of Voices in the Laurel and nine other choirs from across the United States. The singers rehearsed two to three hours for four days ending with a gala concert at the historical St. Louis Cathedral. For the concert, each choir performed individually, followed by a stunning performance by the mass choir.

Voices in the Laurel is pleased to announce that the choir has recently received a personal invitation to sing at Carnegie Hall in New York at the end of the upcoming season. The group is also holding its fourth annual Summer Voice Music Camp, which will be held July 29 to Aug. 2, at First Baptist Church in Waynesville. The camp is open to any interested musicians who are entering first through ninth grades. 

www.voiceinthelaurel.org or 828.734.8413.

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Kathy Mattea will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Mega-country star Miranda Lambert hits the stage at 9 p.m. Friday, July 19, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

To the Editor:

An article in a local paper stated that the Macon County Airport Authority met in early July to get an update on the widening of runways to allow for use by larger aircraft. The news that the widening is on the way is shocking, as the people who will again be most impacted, those living in Iotla Valley, had no information whatever that it was even being planned. With the county having property records and all the information means available, it is obvious that neighbors were not informed because the power brokers know they can move ahead with their schemes without the bother of hearing from people who might object and whose voices will not be listened to anyway. 

The Authority chairman takes pride that representatives from Harrah's Casino had flown in the previous week and were happy they could fly into Franklin instead of Asheville. The comparison is ludicrous, as the Franklin airport cannot ever reach the traffic the Asheville airport has because Asheville is much more centrally located, its airport already has large carrier flights, and its location on a flat plain is conducive to further growth which Franklin's airport being hemmed in by mountains precludes. 

It is also mentioned that people staying at Old Edwards Inn were pleased flying into Franklin. The widening will allow larger jets to fly in and more flights to come in daily. So gamblers for the casino and some wealthy folks will reap the benefits while the neighbors bear the brunt of more pollution, more noise, more traffic on our curvy roads, and the eventual irreplaceable loss of our beautiful Valley.

Much is made of the economic windfall the airport presently brings to our county with the untested promise being that more airport growth will result, of course, in more jobs, more business opportunities, and economic ripples to benefit all Maconians. 

I would like to know how many local people were and will be hired by W. K. Dickson, the engineering firm that did the runway extension and now will do the expansion. With all the rosy predictions, are the jobs going to be created by turning N.C. 28 into another fastfood lane and by widening and straightening Airport and Iotla Church roads and all other access roads into our community? It is frighteningly sad that this may be the nightmarish vision that airport and county officials have for Iotla Valley.

Living in a democracy should mean that people, especially common citizens, have a say on their destinies. How can we influence what happens to our lives when decisions are made without notice by a powerful few? Trying to be heard by government these days is a futile and demeaning pursuit as those of us who protested against the runway extension painfully know. That is why citizens don't attend meetings, that is why we are called apathetic, that is why we are silent now. 

Last question: is the widening going to take the runways closer to Iotla Valley School?

Olga F. Pader

Franklin

Folkmoot is a Western North Carolina tradition, and this year, the festival is tapping into the growing craft beer industry that has become a thriving part of the WNC cuisine scene.

Japan: Quichar Paradise

The name Quichar Paradise means “Be Happy Anytime.” This performing group is from Tokyo, Japan, but represent dance of the Okinawa region. The group has participated in numerous folklore festivals including Hohhot Inner Mongolia in China, Yilan International Children’s Folklore and Folkgame (YICF), and the 21st International Folklore Festival VARNA. 

The Community Foundation gave two $75,000 grants to Region A Partnership for Children and Southwestern Child Development Commission.

One of the grants will expand the Parents as Teachers program, which benefits participating families by offering home visits, group connections, child screenings and a resource network. The other grant will be used to improve access to quality, affordable early childhood care and education that is provided by the Southwestern Child Development Commission.  

The Community Foundation is a permanent regional resource that facilitates $11 million in charitable giving annually.

www.cfwnc.org.

Bethel Rural Community Organization released its CD of the Cold Mountain Heritage Driving Tour.

The CD provides a guided journey to nine of the most popular historic sites in the Cold Mountain region of Bethel, the oldest human settlement and the oldest white settlement in Haywood County. Sites include Bethel Presbyterian Church, Bethel Cemetery, Lenoir’s Creek Devon and Blanton/Reece Log Cabin, among others. The CD also provides narrations about topics, sites and people who were prominent in Bethel’s history.

Doug Chambers produced the CD, and Haywood EMC sponsored the production. It is for sale at Blue Ridge Books and on the organization’s website. 

www.bethelrural.org.

N.C. Broadband — a part of the N.C. Department of Commerce — is collecting data on the number of Jackson County households and businesses currently lacking Internet service that are interested in purchasing it. The information will be used to entice business to move into those areas and invest in Internet infrastructure.

The survey can be accessed online. Hard copies are available at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva, at the Albert Carlton Library in Cashiers, at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee, at the Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center in Cashiers and at volunteer fire department stations throughout the county.

828.631.2295 or www.ncbroadband.gov.

The body of a kayaker who was reported missing in the Pisgah National Forest late afternoon July 4 was found the following night.

Richard Scott Bradfield, 36, of Lexington, Ky., was found near a riverbank in the Shining Rock Wilderness area around 7:20 p.m. Friday, July 5. Rescuers carried him in a heavy downpour from rugged terrain near the Looking Glass Falls overlook. He was transported to MedWest Haywood after midnight, where he was pronounced dead.

Bradfield was one of a group of seven people who were visiting the area together. He was reported missing shortly after other members of his group saw his kayak capsize and be swept downstream. His kayak was found earlier Friday afternoon.

“This was a tragic incident,” said Haywood County Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes, “and our deepest condolences go out to his family.”

Bradfield was not a novice kayaker, but due to recent storms and heavy rainfall over the past several days, the river was higher than normal and rapids were treacherous, according to Haynes.

“We ask that visitors and residents please be mindful of high water,” Haynes said.  “Please exercise extreme caution when participating in wilderness activity during hazardous conditions.”

Jono Bryant will present a talk called “Headhunters and Toothbrushes” at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 18, at the Macon County Public Library. Bryant is the director and founder of MedicForce, a medical charity that specializes in expeditions to remote jungle communities throughout the world. He will talk about his experience working on a TV show in the remote jungles of Borneo and how MedicForce was formed after a chance meeting with a group of tribal natives called the Penan.

Bryant is a paramedic and also runs a wilderness medicine school out of the Nantahala Outdoor Center. He was born in the UK, and before landing in Bryson City, he spent 12 years as an expedition leader and jungle specialist, leading trips for scientists and college groups and appearing in TV shows.

The talk is part of Thursdays at the Library. Sponsored by the Friends of the Macon County Library, the weekly program is an eclectic mix of presentations by authors, musicians, and educators on varied topics. 

Free.

The Conservation Trust for North Carolina recently purchased a 31-acre property that adjoins the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 446. The tract contains a portion of Bear Creek in the headwaters of the North Fork Scott Creek in Jackson County. 

The Lens Luggers photography club of Western North Carolina is holding a special photography clinic featuring wide angle perspective and control. 

Roll out the green welcome mat for the annual Cullowhee Native Plant Conference coming Wednesday, July 17, through Saturday, July 20, at Western Carolina University.

Tuckasegee poet Thomas Crowe won the George Scarborough Prize for Poetry during the recent Mountain Heritage Literary Festival at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. 

The winning poem was “Here With Who-Shot-John.” Judge Maurice Manning has this to say about the poem: “I love the language and the music of this poem; it’s funny and searching at once. As an ars poetica, it puts me in mind of similar poems by Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney.” 

Crowe’s poem was selected from a small group of poems that Manning said paid careful attention to craft. 

 “This is a real honor, coming from a regional festival that honors those poets living in and being inspired by these Southern Appalachian mountains,” said Crowe. “And further that it is in the name of one of our region’s most accomplished poets, George Scarborough. I am especially gratified that my poem ‘Here With Who-Shot-John’ was the poem selected as the winner of this year’s prize, as it is a poem dense with what Jim Wayne Miller called ‘Southern Mountain Speech’ — referring to the dialect that is spoken here by longtime European native/immigrants. Was a bit of good luck, I think, that Maurice Manning, as someone who understands the musicality and metaphorical implications of our mountain language, was the judge for this year’s award, as he clearly understood what I was doing in this poem. I am honored to have received this award and will take great pride in this.”

Crowe is the author of 13 volumes of original poems, including most recently his collection of place-based poems Crack Light with photos by photographer Simone Lipscomb. His Thoreau-like nature memoir Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods has won several awards and has just been translated and published in France by Phebus Books based in Paris. Crowe is also the publisher of New Native Press, a small literary press focusing on the publication of poetry and translations of endangered languages around the world. 

HERE WITH WHO-SHOT-JOHN*

for Jim Wayne Miller

Come here where the nary and the never minds

don’t give a shuck or a jive

‘bout the bees in the branch or

the billies in the blind that

come clear, come hell or high water

and dabble down at the spring house

where the ducks lay their eggs

and I write.

Here where the burnt-out dog lies

on the porch bull-raggin’ the bugs

til he is bit and bawls like a lunk-head

and lopes down the yard and

through the garden greens and taters

til he is out of sight.

Here where the beauty of the hills

holds sway over my pricey thoughts and

my puny pen makin’ its way across paper

like it was a goat in the grass

goin’ nigh into the new ground that

we cleared this week for more hay.

Here where the night in my noggin

names notions that no furriner ever knew

and no gabby gal ever let slip from

her sweet tongue that wouldn’t melt butter

or swaller no shine.

Here in this creekbed of moonlight whar

a wetrock won’t even sharpen my words,

woozy and wrangled from Who-Shot-John

and I wrastle with the devil in the winder

like an old windbag

who is pert-nigh petered out

and wild outen his eyes. 

*colloquialism of Southern Mountain Speech for “moonshine”

Two artist-in-residence mini-workshops will be offered as part of the Cullowhee Mountain ARTS programs at Western Carolina University.

Showcasing the dramatic retelling of Cherokee history and culture, “Unto These Hills” has hit the mid-point in its 10-week summer run, playing nightly at 7:30 p.m. through Aug. 17 (except Sundays) at the Mountainside Theater in Cherokee.

Claymates, a “Paint-Your-Own-Pottery & Glass Fusing Experience,” is celebrating its one-year anniversary from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 13, at its Waynesville studio, with a free hotdog lunch, games, activities and crafts, and a 20 percent discount on DIY pottery and fused glass projects. The Macaroni Kids will also be on hand.

Upcoming events at Claymates include Margarita Night on Friday, July 19 in the Dillsboro studio; Ladies Night on Thursday, July 25 in the Waynesville studio; a Painting Techniques Class on Saturday, Aug. 3 in Dillsboro; and Ladies Night on Thursday, Aug. 22 in Waynesville.

www.claymatespottery.com or 828.631.3133 (Dillsboro) or 828.246.9595 (Waynesville).

Two hula-hoop jams will be held at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Kelly Jewell Timco, a hula aficionado from Sylva, will be sharing a variety of hula-hooping techniques with lots of hands-on activities. The preschool to fifth grade jam will be held at 11 a.m., with a special teen jam at 2:30 p.m. Timco will also be showing off her fire-hooping skills during the teen jam.  

Free. 828.488.3030.

Due to record-breaking rainfall throughout Western North Carolina, Cashiers, Dillsboro and Highlands Fourth of July fireworks were canceled and moved to a later date.

Cashiers has been changed to Sept. 1, to coincide with the Labor Day weekend events. Dillsboro will host theirs on Dec. 14 in conjunction with their holiday Luminary Festival, while Highlands will be on Aug. 31, also during Labor Day weekend.

The 19th annual Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival continues at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 14, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

By John Beckman • Columnist

I’ve had quite a few cars on the road in the past 40 years, and I’ve noticed that they all start to fall apart when the odometer begins showing nervously higher figures. The breakdowns that happen depend largely on how hard the operator has been on the pedals and buttons and how diligent they have been in preventative maintenance and regular upkeep. 

A citizen drop-in meeting to discuss the progress of Waynesville’s North Main Street Complete Streets Study will be held from 4-6 p.m. on July 16 in the second floor boardroom at Town Hall.

The town is developing a plan to make North Main more pedestrian and bike friendly, a project contracted to Teague Engineering, Brooks Engineering Associates, and Kostelec Planning. Input is being sought to shape the plan.

Or email comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Friday, July 12. 828.456.8383.

An all-night search Monday along Richland Creek in Waynesville for a possible missing child turned out to be a false alarm.

Waynesville Police got a call around 7:30 p.m. Monday from someone who thought they heard a children’s screams coming from the direction of Richland Creek.

“We did an exhaustive search and even put a swift water rescue boat in the water,” said Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed. “We went door-to-door to all the houses in the neighborhood to make sure everybody’s children were accounted for. We didn’t find anything. We’ve had no reports of anybody missing.”

The search was called off at 6 a.m. Tuesday. Several agencies assisted in the search, including Haywood Emergency Management, Haywood Rescue Squad, and the Waynesville, Saunooke, Clyde, Center Pigeon and Junaluska fire departments.

Hollingsed said caution is always the best policy and would go to the same lengths each time to ensure a child isn’t in danger. Richland Creek was running full tilt with high and swift waters due to the heavy unrelenting rains in recent days.

Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. The sign up period for candidates began last week. Below is a list of who has signed up to run for office as of press time Tuesday. The candidate sign-up period runs until noon Friday, July 19. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding more than $950,000 to 28 states for projects to combat and study white-nose syndrome, the deadly disease that is decimating bats. North Carolina is set to receive $45,000 through the program; Tennessee is slated for $47,500.

The money will help state wildlife officials fund and support research, monitor bat populations and detect and respond to white-nose syndrome. The disease is spreading rapidly. First discovered in upstate New York in 2006, it is now prevalent in 22 states and five Canadian provinces as of this year. The fungus-caused disease has also found its way into Western North Carolina. It is one of the most devastating diseases affecting wildlife. Estimates pace the bat death toll at more than 5.7 million.

The N.C. Wildlife Federation has released its list of the Top 10 wildlife species struggling to survive. These critters are victim to habitat loss, disease, over-harvest and other challenges that make the outlook for their kind bleak. 

Determining the Top 10 list took into consideration the species’ abundance, habitat scarcity, popularity, potential for successful restoration and other threatening omens. The list includes species from different animal classes and geographic locations — from the mountains to the piedmont to the coastal plain.

Several are also high profile species affected by different divisive issues such as development and climate change. 

Tim Gestwicki, CEO of the federation, wants the list to call attention to the environmental problems of our day and prompt action to be taken by political and community leaders to solve the problems.

 “We believe the Top 10 list will bring further attention to the diversity of species and wild places — from the mountains to the seas — that North Carolina is blessed with,” said Gestwicki.

www.ncwf.org

Aquatic enthusiasts have the chance to tag along with the scientists for a lesson on stream sampling.

The Highlands Biological Station staff will be exploring streams, conducting aquatic sampling and learning about the state of the area’s streams from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Thursday, July 11. Participants can join in and help sample and identify macro-invertebrates in Caney Fork, a tributary to the Tuckasegee River, and learn how scientists use these macro-invertebrates for biomonitoring. 

Participants will meet at the Highlands Nature Center at 9:30 a.m. for carpooling or meet at East LaPorte Park in Jackson County at 10:15 a.m. The program is part of the Highlands Biological Foundation’s “Think About Thursdays” summer activity series. All ages are welcome, and the cost is $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Registration is requested.

828.526.2221.

Test your kick-ball skills this summer in the big leagues.

Registration is underway for the 2013 Haywood County Recreation and Parks Adult Co-Ed Kickball League. Games will take place at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from July 16 through Aug. 20 at the International Paper Sports Complex in Canton. The league is co-ed for players 18 years and older. The cost is $200 per team and teams have until July 8 to sign up. Each team must have no more than 15 players and keep two female players on the field at all times. 

828.452.6789 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Jon boats and canoes are a common sight on the water at Lake Junaluska. But a water ski team stacked three people high?  

Yes, and it will be quite the show — two, in fact — when the Carolina Show Ski Team performs at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Friday, July 5, at Lake Junaluska. The best viewing for the free show will be from the Rose Walk.

The team is comprised of 30 to 40 skiers ranging in age from 4 to 60 who perform stunts individually as well as with multiple members on the same line. Spectators at the Lake Junaluska performance can expect to see barefoot skiing at 40 miles per hour, synchronized ballet skiing and swivel skiing, where the bindings of the skis turn 360 degrees. 

It is one of many special events and festivities being held at Lake Junaluska this week in honor of its 100th anniversary.

www.lakejunaluska.com/july4 or 800.222.4930. 

The summer Zahner Conservation Lecture Series will kick off in Highlands next week with a talk on biodiversity in the Southern Appalachians.

A nearly all-downhill hike will be held in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday, July 16, with Friends of the Smokies hike leader and guide book author Danny Bernstein.

U.S. Forest Service officials are limiting the harvesting of wild ginseng in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests, citing concern over reductions in wild ginseng numbers. The changes will take effect starting this year.

The Waynesville Disc Golf Juniors team has received a boost from the Professional Disc Golf Association, helping the team buy new discs and pay their entry fee for an upcoming championship tournament.

Metal sculptor Grace Cathey will hold a signing for her book, Fire & Steel: The Sculpture of Grace Cathey, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. July 5; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 6; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 2; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 3, at her studio in Waynesville. 

Quilting students from Southwestern Community College recently participated in the Quilts of Valor project, a non-profit organization with the goal of making quilts that would both heal and comfort returning service men and women touched by war.

Quilters from around the nation send their handmade “pride” to a central location, where it is pieced together with the squares of other donors to create a beautiful patriotic lap quilt. Once the quilt is completed, it is awarded at one of many different levels:  some go to military hospitals where chaplains award them to service members; there may be presentations of quilts to entire service units returning from combat deployments; they may be awarded at VA hospitals or presented individually.

Acclaimed comedian Jeff Dunham will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

The Spice & Tea Exchange opens its doors this Independence Day weekend in downtown Highlands.

The new retail destination is for food lovers, professional chefs and tea connoisseurs alike. The store is a unique retail experience where guests are encouraged to “Explore the Spiceabilities!,” watch spice masters create handmade blends in-store and let their curiosity guide them through the rustic product displays of an old 18th century trading post.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

www.spiceandtea.com. 

The “Mountains in Bloom” fundraiser for The Bascom Visual Arts Center will be July 11-14 in Highlands.

Christian singer Francesca Battistelli and rock group Jars of Clay perform at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Battistelli hits the stage on July 12, with Jars of Clay on July 13. Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

Battistelli’s album “My Paper Heart” produced four major hits on the Christian charts, which included “I’m Letting Go,” “Free To Be Me,” “It’s Your Life” and “Beautiful Beautiful.”

Jars of Clay launched its breakout career with the multi-format hit “Flood” in 1995. Since then, it has amassed more than six million in career sales, three GRAMMY Awards, an American Music Award nod, three GMA Dove Awards, and BMI honors for songwriting as well as performing.

Both performances are $20 apiece, with a special price of $34 for a weekend combo ticket.

828.524.1598 or www.greatmountainmusic.com. 

A mountain dulcimer historian who discovered the instrument while living in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and a 19-year-old dulcimer virtuoso who already has been crowned national champion and is widely recognized for her progressive playing style will be on the instructional staff for Dulcimer U Summer Week at Western Carolina University.

To the Editor:

My appreciation goes to Gary Carden and Dave Waldrop from “The Liar’s Bench;” George Frizzell of the Western Carolina University Library for uncovering and reporting; and to The Smoky Mountain News (June 19th) for publicizing the profoundly moving story of the 1882 Cowee Tunnel disaster. I am struck by the convergence of the Dillsboro Dam removal, the opening of the Tuckasegee River, and the exposure of this hidden story. 

Carden’s persistence in noticing and following the story, the group’s work to bring closure for the 19 families and their ultimate vision to commemorate their loved ones’ forgotten lives — all are worthy tributes. Our part as citizen inhabitants of the area is to make sure their work as historians is fulfilled. I call on the generous better selves in us all.

Lucy Christopher

Cashiers

To the Editor:

MedWest, the company that has taken over our local hospitals as well as many local medical practices, has quite a few problems. Articles in local news outlets have documented financial problems, conversations with MedWest employees lead one to conclude that there is distressingly low morale, and the company’s billing and collection policies appear to be badly broken.

MedWest has raised prices far beyond either normal inflation or even the higher rates of medical inflation we’ve seen in recent years. In my case, I’ve seen the charges for a treatment I receive every five weeks nearly triple since MedWest took over my doctor’s practice. There’s no good explanation for the increase since most of the cost is based on the medication that’s administered and the drug company has not raised prices at the increased rates that MedWest is billing. The cost of another procedure I undergo every couple of years doubled after MedWest took over.

The interesting thing about the price increases is that MedWest doesn’t get any more money from these increases. I have fairly good insurance, and MedWest is in their PPO so they get a negotiated amount from the insurance company regardless of what they bill. The increases do, however, affect those without insurance or those who don’t have insurance that have negotiated agreements with MedWest. The higher billings may also have an impact on Medicare reimbursement rates the system receives.

In addition to significant price increases, MedWest has changed its billing and collection practices. Billing is noticeably slower and more confusing. Many people I’ve spoken with have noticed padded or additional charges for procedures and appointments that are reoccurring. It’s hard to know if MedWest is now capturing services it didn’t before in billing codes or if there is something else going on. 

It would behoove people to check their bills carefully and contact Medicare or their insurance companies if there are any questionable charges. Even if your insurance provider pays additional charges, the padding of bills raises prices, including co-payments and insurance rates for everyone.

MedWest has taken to using some fairly aggressive collection techniques. I’ve received calls from someone purporting to represent MedWest pushing for collection of charges that haven’t even been billed yet or charges for items that have been paid. I’ve spoken with more than a dozen people who have experienced similar calls. Besides the fact that these calls seem generated by a billing department where one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing, there is a rather disturbing technique being used.

Upon receiving one of these calls, an individual is told that the representative is from MedWest and that the call may be monitored. Then the customer is asked to provide personal information to verify who they are, usually an address and a birthday. This is a big problem. Fraud via the Internet and telephone is an increasing problem in our society. One of the best ways to prevent fraud is to never give out personal information over the phone or the Internet unless you initiated the contact.

A caller may represent that they are from MedWest or some other legitimate concern and they may even be who they say they are but ignoring the basic practice of refusing to give out personal information to unsolicited callers, even in the case where one might be fairly certain that the caller is legitimate, is a way to weaken one’s future responses. Those who commit fraud are pretty smart and they generally are aware of which businesses are using techniques like those used by MedWest.

It is not inconceivable that sooner or later someone intent on committing fraud will mimic a legitimate business’ calling techniques and get personal information; and even a birthday can give someone intent on committing fraud an important tidbit. The simplest response when an unsolicited caller asks for personal information, even if they seem legitimate, is to simply decline to provide that information and request they contact you some other way.

MedWest has lots of problems, and from my experience they don’t seem focused on solving them. In this last instance, though, they are simply being a poor corporate citizen.

Mark Jamison

Webster

To the Editor:

I would like to share with your readers what I have come to realize are fundamental objectives of the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, which is the local Audubon chapter for Cashiers, Franklin, Highlands, Scaly Mountain and surrounding areas of Macon and Jackson counties.  

Education and partnering with local schools is one such goal. Initiating and promoting programs that lead to enhanced, safe habitat for native birds is another. Being a local advocate for conservation within our community is a third.

But by far our chapter’s largest expenditure of personal energies is involved with our ambitious weekly Saturday bird field trips and evening programs, which the community is encouraged to attend regardless of birding experience level. Now that we are well into a new season of weekly field trips and evening programs, perhaps it is worth reflecting on what these activities can mean within a greater context.  

Birding is one pathway, accessible to anyone in the community, to experience an enhanced interaction with, and appreciation for, our natural world. And the value of such personal experience appears to be crucial to the future of our world. About 65 years ago, Aldo Leopold wrote, “It’s inconceivable to me that an ethical relationship to the land can exist without love, respect and admiration, and a high regard for its value.” Jane Goodall is quoted as saying, “Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved.”   

Our bird outings and programs may appear to be enjoyable adventures, and they are. However, greater, if subliminal, HPAS goals include cultivating those feelings of wonder, understanding, respect, caring, and value for the environment, along with personal commitments to conservation, to which Leopold and Goodall have famously referred.  

Russ Regnery

President, Highlands Plateau Audubon Society