The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, December 17, 2018, Image 7

Georgia Historic Newspapers

The times., December 17, 2018, Image 7

About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 2018)

Page of 16

Prev Issue Next Issue

Text PDF JP2 (3.1 MB) Clip/Print Image

Page of 16

Prev Issue Next Issue

Return to Top

Newspaper Page TextLOCA^SOUTHEAST The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Monday, December 17, 2018 7A Some fear hunting is dying. Can ‘locavores’ save it? BY SAMANTHA MAX Associated Press ATHENS — In a tree stand 16 feet above the leaf-covered ground of suburban Clarke County, Jen nifer DeMoss peeked through the scope of a black crossbow, search ing for a hoof or a fluffy white tail. As the setting sun slunk between the trees on a Wednesday evening in December, DeMoss knew she was running out of time. Soon, it would be too dark to see through her viewfinder. Hidden in head-to-toe camou flage, DeMoss tried not to make a sound. With each rustle of the wind or footstep of a scampering squir rel, her ears perked up, and she peered as far as she could through the corner of her eye. “You’re looking for a deer trail. You’re trying to figure out where they are,” DeMoss said. “If your feet smell like your house, your shoes, and if you touch things as you walk along, they’ll smell it, and they’ll know you’ve been out there. And it may or may not make them avoid you.” The deer must have whiffed DeMoss’s scent. In almost two hours, not a single one passed. At dusk, DeMoss packed up her gear and trekked back through the woods empty-handed. She wasn’t disappointed, though. DeMoss cherishes every quiet moment in the trees. “I know some people bring books or something. I couldn’t,” she said. “This is just too good. ” Until recently, DeMoss struggled to find time to spend outdoors. The University of Georgia doctoral can didate spends most days staring at a computer screen, drafting her dissertation. But in 2017, DeMoss found an excuse to get out of her office for a few hours each week. She decided to learn how to hunt. Many consider hunting a relic of the past, DeMoss said. Modern technology and the agricultural industry have largely eliminated the need for self-foraged food. DeMoss doesn’t think it’s time to give up the age-old practice, though. “The idea that we’ve moved beyond hunting into some, you know, an evolutionary stage in which it’s not necessary, I think is a huge fallacy. And I hear people say stuff like that all the time, as though hunting is just something that is, you know, super primitive, and we’re over it,” DeMoss said. “It’s just a different way of interact ing with the world.” DeMoss isn’t the only one hoping to preserve the sport. The number of hunters decreased more than 20 percent nationwide between 1996 and 2016, according to the National Survey of Fish, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associ ated Recreation. Nearly 14 million Americans hunted in 1996, surveys have found, while fewer than 11.5 mil lion hunted in 2016. Ecologists, environmental con servationists and hunting enthu siasts have struggled for years to recruit more participants to the dwindling pastime. In Georgia, con servationists are tapping into new audiences who have been largely neglected by the hunting industry until now, in an effort to increase interest in the sport. Hunting is more than a hobby, conservationists say. It plays a cen tral role in the ecosystems at the heart of everyday life. ‘THE BACKBONE OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION’ The downturn in hunting will impact more than just hunters, said Charles Evans, a wildlife biolo gist who oversees the recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunt ers and shooters for the Georgia Wildlife Federation as coordinator of the Georgia R3 Initiative. “Hunting is the backbone of the wildlife conservation fund ing model we have in the United States,” Evans said. Almost 60 percent of wildlife conservation is funded by hunting and fishing, according to the Asso ciation of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. License sales alone account for 35 percent of funding, while taxes on hunting and fishing supplies through the Pittman-Rob- ertson Act and the Dingell-Johnson Act contribute another 24 percent. And hunting declines don’t just affect conservation funding. As sprawling urban and subur ban areas overtake deer habitats, Evans said, unbridled deer popu lations could result in more deer- vehicles collisions. Deer caused over 1.3 million vehicle crashes in the U.S. between July 1 of 2017 and June 30 of 2018, according to State Farm. Denser deer populations are also linked to higher incidence of Lyme disease and other tick-related ill nesses, studies show. And because they feed on many of the crops cultivated in the U.S., Evans said, deer overpopulation could cause landscape and agricultural dam age, as well. Many people don’t draw the connection between hunting and its environmental effects, said Hank Forester, hunting heritage programs manager for the Quality Deer Management Association. But Forester thinks that more people would support hunting if they knew about its ecological ben efits. He and Evans hope to disman tle common misconceptions about the sport that often prevent new comers from giving it a chance. “Hunting’s something com pletely different,” Evans said. “It’s a true interaction with the natural cycle, all the way from the chase when you’re out there interacting with these animals, to the point where you get the shot and you take the life of the animal, and then processing that and putting what you know is clean, all-natural protein on your table. ” If Evans could instill in others an appreciation for the woods to table process, he figures, he could spread an appreciation of the sport beyond traditional hunting circles. One morning in 2016, Evans and Forester set up a booth at the Ath ens Farmers Market, offering free venison samples to anyone who walked past. And with each slice of venison sausage, they also handed visitors flyers, advertising a new program they hoped to launch that fall: Field to Fork. Before long, Evans and Forester filled all eight spots. “The intent of this program was to expose new audiences to hunting and to give them the opportunity to get started on their own,” Evans said. Participants gathered for two training sessions, where they learned about the history of wild life conservation, the relationship between biology and hunting strat egy, and the basics of crossbow shooting technique. Then, Evans and Forester paired each novice with a mentor who guided them through their first hunt. At the end of the program, participants gath ered for a home-cooked venison dinner. Since 2016, Evans and Forester have led two more Field to Fork courses in Athens, and have also expanded the program to eight other states across the country. Only 33 people have participated in the Athens program so far, but Evans has already seen a ripple effect. “Their experiences are impact ing people in their communities, because they go back, and they tell their story, and they share venison from the animal that they harvested,” Evans said. “And over all, it’s generating more and more interest in hunting, making hunt ing relevant in those communities again.” TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE Edwin Pierre Louis couldn’t wait to share his first harvest with friends. The UGA graduate student left packages of butchered venison in the freezer at his lab and invited his colleagues to help themselves. It was too good not to share, he said. Pierre Louis didn’t have many opportunities to hunt as a child. Born and raised in Haiti, there were no deer where he grew up. But Pierre Louis remembers sneaking behind his grandpar ents’ house and shooting birds with slingshots. Pierre Louis is passionate about fresh, locally sourced food. It took time to acclimate to frozen, store- bought meat and produce when he moved to Florida for college. In Georgia, though, Pierre Louis has found a community of fellow locavores. He spends most Satur day mornings at the Athens Farm ers Market, where Evans and Forester encouraged him to regis ter for Field to Fork. Pierre Louis completed the pro gram in 2017 and has mentored seven new hunters this year. He enjoys teaching others even more than he enjoys hunting himself. “Just knowing somebody is out there hunting brings me happi ness,” Pierre Louis said. “As I learn from others, I would like to pass it on and even learn while I’m doing it as well.” THE ORIGINAL ALL-NATURAL MEAT Evans and Forester acknowl edge that hunting isn’t for everyone. There isn’t enough wild game to sustain the entire population, Evans said. And the nutritional and ecological benefits, alone, won’t convince some animal lovers to kill their own dinner. Forester and Evans haven’t faced any negative feedback yet, though, they said. Even a few veg etarians and vegans have tasted samples of venison backstrap with chimichurri sauce at the farmers market. “It’s pretty neat to see that whole spectrum of society be interested in fair chase wild game,” Evans said. A few passersby rolled their eyes and declined, but most wanted to learn more. “Anybody that’s interested in natural food, organic food, things like that, would be a perfect audi ence to introduce to hunting, because, I mean, it’s the original antibiotic-, hormone-free meat, and it lives a life free of animal wel fare,” Evans said. “So, it’s some thing that would be appealing to a lot of people.” ‘The idea that we’ve moved beyond hunting into some, you know, an evolutionary stage in which it’s not necessary, I think is a huge fallacy.’ Jennifer DeMoss University of Georgia doctoral candidate Georgians feel nature’s pull in sustainable living community Associated Press ATHENS — At the dead end of a dirt road in northeast Geor gia, one local community has created its own neighborhood known as Earthsong within the wilderness. The sustainable living com munity is tucked away in between small roads behind Athens’ Georgia Square Mall, The Athens Banner-Herald reported. The land is used by the com munity’s nine residents as a garden, walking trail, library and elaborate homes - all made from the earth. Founder Tina Tinsley refers to each resident by first name and usually knows what going on in their lives. Those who find themselves in Earthsong are there because they felt the pull of the earth taking them there, Tinsley said. In 1993, Tinsley packed up and moved to Alaska for four years. Before moving, she lived in Athens and worked at one of the largest medical practices in northeast Georgia. In Alaska, she worked in psy chiatric hospitals and helped design therapy programs for patients suffering from severe depression and anxiety, the Ath ens newspaper reported. Living for two years in the wilderness of Alaska changed her in ways she never predicted and helped her to discover who she really was, she said. “I went to Alaska and fell in love with the place and the people,” Tinsley said. “I let my hair grow out, I didn’t have my nails done anymore. I just went and lived in the woods, in nature and just fell in love with the woman that is my true self. ” When Tinsley returned to Georgia, she drove to Athens Regional, where she had a job lined up, and thought back to her time in the wilderness. “I drove into the parking lot, I got out of the car and I thought, ‘I can’t do this, it’s not me.’” she said. “All I wanted to do was pitch a tent and see clients.” So she navigated to the land now known as Earthsong, pitched two tents, and lived in one for two years with the sec ond acting as her office for her psychotherapy patients. Known as the “tent lady,” Tinsley offered her patients blankets and an open ear as she helped others find the beauty within themselves. Twenty years later, she is still working as a psychotherapist for couples and those struggling with addic tion. She sees patients in her home almost every day during the week. “Within 15 minutes of being in a forest setting, your blood pressure changes, your heart rate changes, your brain chem istry begins to change. Within an hour, if you’re depressed - it’s lessened; your anxiety is greatly lessened,” Tinsley said. CONYERS At least 6 injured as home’s deck collapses Authorities say at least six people were taken to metro Atlanta hospi tals with broken bones and other injuries after a home’s back deck collapsed. News outlets report about 15 people were standing on the deck in a Conyers neighbor hood when it collapsed Saturday afternoon. Rockdale County Fire- Rescue Chief Dan Mor gan told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first responders found people suffering from “numer ous broken bones,” but none of the injuries were life-threatening. Two of the injured were airlifted to an Atlanta hospital. Morgan said at least four others were taken by ambulance to hospitals in the area. It was not immediately known what caused the deck to collapse. COLUMBIA, S.C. Coroner: Body found in South Carolina pond showed no signs of trauma A coroner says an autopsy on a body pulled from a pond at a city park found no signs of trauma. News outlets report Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said in a news release that the cause of death is “pending fur ther studies.” He identi fied the dead person as 29-year-old Jerry Jer maine Hickson of Myrtle Beach. A passerby called Columbia police Friday after spotting Hickson’s body floating face-up in a pond at Finlay Park. Another witness, Hank Harris, told The State the body had ice forming in its hair and beard, as if it had been in the pond for some time. BIRMINGHAM, ALA 2 dead after train crashes into vehicle on tracks Authorities say two people are dead after a train crashed into a passenger vehicle on its tracks in Alabama. News outlets report a vehicle was attempting to cross the tracks in Bir mingham at about 6 p.m. Saturday when it was struck by an Amtrak pas senger train. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Capt. Harold Watson told al.com the impact ejected two people from the pas senger vehicle. Watson says both were pronounced dead at the scene. Associated Press DEATH NOTICES Edgar Isidro Flores Dec. 17,1993-Dec. 13,2018 Edgar Isidro Flores, 24, of Decatur died Thursday. Funeral service, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, All Saints Catholic Church, Dunwoody, and 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19, Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Flowery Branch. Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel, Demorest. James W. Avery Dec. 29,1956-Dec. 14,2018 James W. Avery, 61, of Nicholson died Friday. Funeral service, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, Nicholson Baptist Church. Ivie Funeral Home, Commerce. Judy Ryder Coggins Died Dec. 15,2018 Judy Ryder Coggins, 76, of Flowery Branch died Saturday. Funeral service, 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, funeral home chapel. Little & Davenport Funeral Home, Gainesville. Mildred Lanier Flury Died Dec. 16,2018 Mildred “Millie” Lanier Flury, 89, of Clarkesville died Sunday. Memorial ser vice, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, funeral home chapel. Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel, Demorest. George R. Morris Jr. Died Dec. 14,2018 George R. Morris Jr., 92, of Gainesville died Friday. Celebration of life, 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, First Pres byterian Church, Gaines ville. Little & Davenport Funeral Home and Crema tory, Gainesville. Dorothy M. Rouse Died Dec. 15,2018 Dorothy M. Rouse, 96, of Dawsonville died Sat urday. Funeral service, 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, funeral home chapel. Bearden Funeral Home, Dawsonville. Mariya Fedorovna Rubets Jan. 24,1941-Dec. 15,2018 Mariya Fedorovna Rubets, 77, of Flowery Branch died Saturday. Funeral service, 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, funeral home chapel. Flanigan Funeral Home, Buford. Ruth Hepis Slater July 1,1939-Dec. 15,2018 Ruth Hepis Slater, 79, of Commerce died Saturday. Funeral service, 3 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, Tyrus Baptist Church. Ivie Funeral Home, Commerce. Hugh B. Taylor Feb. 6,1933-Dec. 14, 2018 Hugh B. Taylor, 85, of Clarkesville died Friday. Memorial service, 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, funeral home chapel. Whitfield Funeral Home, North Cha pel, Demorest. Darlene Costley Wood July 18,1952-Dec. 15,2018 Darlene Costley Wood, 66, of Buford died Satur day. Funeral service, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19, funeral home chapel. Flanigan Funeral Home, Buford. INTRODUCING a* ttrtJ JtJTtU© Sav ed You - Mr. NilS % UW OU LD!1av 2011-201? aYHt *“>-aoi 7 Little & Davenport Funeral Home To inquire about pricing packages available to memorialize a pet in print, please contact Megan Lewis at 770-535-6371 or mlewis@gainesvilletimes.com Pets at Peace will appear in The Times the last Sunday of each month.