By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

Columbus County was a major stop on a statewide environmental tour held recently.

Friends of the Green Swamp (FOGS) kicked off day-long local events at the N.C. Forestry Museum in Whiteville, beginning at 10 a.m. on Aug. 15.

A short news conference was followed by a noon cookout and panel discussion at Lake Waccamaw State Park featuring nationally known guest speakers.

It was part of a project titled “Keep North Carolina’s Environment Healthy Tour”.

While a fight against a regional landfill proposed for the Green Swamp of Columbus County appears to be over and the event was dubbed a celebration, FOGS that formed in reaction to the landfill proposal will continue, leaders said.

Legislation passed on Aug. 2 appears to prevent developers from constructing a landfill near game lands and stops the Riegel Ridge regional landfill from moving forward.

“It was a great lesson in civics,” FOGS Chairman Steve M. Smith said at a press conference.

The waste industry had 35 full-time paid lobbyists while anti-regional landfill advocates around the state had 5,000 “unpaid people who had flat tires on the way to Raleigh and things like that,” Smith said, hailing the grassroots campaign a success but pointing out there was more to be done.

A lot of unanswered questions about what the county will do now and in the future to handle its solid waste remain.

“Although we have had differing viewpoints on the proposed landfill in the Green Swamp, I am here tonight to inform you that our group does want to be a part of our county’s solid waste disposal solutions,” Smith told commissioners a week before the event. “One of our future initiatives is to emphasize recycling,” he said, before inviting commissioners to attend all or a portion of the Aug. 15 event.

Not one commissioner attended any portion of the event.

Sen. R.C. Soles Jr., Rep. Dewey Hill and several founding members of FOGS were recognized for their support of the legislation and environmental effort.

Guest speaker was Lois Gibbs, executive director of the Center for Health and Environmental Justice and a nationally recognized environmental leader. She told the story of how an everyday housewife became a hero in helping to relocate 900 families away from the Love Canal toxic waste dump in Niagara Falls in 1980 (See related story).

Other speakers were Lou Zeller and David Mickey, organizers of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League.
After Gibbs’ presentation a panel discussion included three scientists: Dr. Susan Libes, marine science, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, S.C.; Dr. Lawrence Cahoon, biology and marine biology, UNC-Wilmington; and Dr. Stanley Riggs, Geology, East Carolina University, Greenville.

While the tour was planned before the fate of the proposed landfill was seemingly sealed, Smith said it was somewhat of a celebration. Hill and Soles would be recognized for their support of tougher landfill regulations.
Smith said FOGS would begin focusing their attention on recycling and other solid waste solutions.

He added that the group has applied for a grant from the Landfall Foundation of Wilmington seeking recycling education for 4th grade students and to promote recycling among the general public.

The group will continue “to advocate for the health of the entire Waccamaw River basin, including the Green Swamp, Waccamaw River and Lake Waccamaw,” Smith said. “We are not experts but we are interested and engaged citizens.”