North Carolina State University on Climate Change and Sustainability

Tuesday my family and I visited the Nansemond River Golf Club in nearby Suffolk, VA. As the family of a recent NC State graduate, we had been invited to attend a regional alumni event.

The topic of the guest speaker, "NC State's Role in Protecting Our Global Food Supply," interested us, so we went. The speaker was Richard H. Linton, NC State's new Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He had recently been hired away from Ohio State.

Richard H. Linton, Dean of NC State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Linton was told to keep his remarks limited to about 20 minutes because State had a big baseball game coming up, the alumni were fans and wanted to watch it, and the administration was in a hurry to head back to Raleigh. This disappointed me. Soil and water are the two most important resources for any civilization to thrive, or even to survive, and with the environmental and population pressures the world is facing, Linton's talk was far more important than a baseball game. But he did well with the limited time he was given.

The Agricultural Challenges that the U.S. faces in the 21st Century

I learned that North Carolina is in the top ten agricultural crop-producing states in the United States (Linton ranked it at #3). I also learned that NC State plays an important role in crop production through its research and through its very active Cooperative Extension network.  NC State is active in developing new plants and in adapting plants so they will grow in North Carolina. He said that clean water will be an increasingly important national and global concern. He also emphasized the urgent necessity of growing enough food for a rapidly increasing word population. Unfortunately, the audience was not given an opportunity to ask questions at the end of his presentation.

I emailed Dr. Linton for an article he promised to forward about the backyard chicken movement (it was excellent). But I was disappointed that he didn't answer my inquiry regarding NC State's plant development practices and to what extent they were focusing on GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Ohio State has the reputation for being the epitome of "Big Ag," and so I remain curious what role organic and small-scale farms have in NC State's vision for the future.

In a world where 20-minute presentations on questions of world importance take a back seat to college athletics, we may never know.

Victory 4 Chesapeake Hens!

Last night, Chesapeake City Council voted 6-3 to allow up to six laying hens, in a pen, on single-family lots in residential areas. This was the result of a lot of hard work and teamwork by a dedicated group of individuals dedicated to individual freedom, property rights, sustainability, and--yes!-- chickens!

There are two caveats: homeowners' association or property owners' association rules still supersede this law. And there was a "sunset clause" built into the legislation, so City Council will be asking for another Staff Report in about a year. The law could be undone if chickens at that point are causing major problems in the city.

But our research predicts this won't happen. We are happily resting up, making gardening plans, studying coop designs, and picking out chicken breeds.

Thanks to all those who supported 4 Chesapeake Hens in this historic effort. Click here if you'd like to watch my speech requesting the change.Click here if you want to watch the historic vote. Specific City Council Members' input will be posted as soon as available on YouTube. In the meantime, it is available on the City Council webpage under the November 20th agenda.

**Update: After seeing some posts on our Facebook page, let me add some further clarifications: the new law allows laying hens. Killing or processing one's chickens for meat is prohibited in residential areas. There are also setbacks for the coop from the property line. The text of the new law is available here, including the 1-year sunset clause on the changes.

4 Chesapeake Hens at the Planning Commission

Last night was a roller-coaster ride for 4 Chesapeake Hens, the grass-roots community group that is trying to get backyard laying hens legalized in Chesapeake, VA. Our group's ideals and rationale are laid out in a well-researched document, "A Case for Chesapeake Hens." (This document is now available in a revised edition). The current ordinance is that all chickens are livestock and allowed only on land zoned agricultural, with one exception: RE-1 "residential estates" of three acres or more are allowed four hens, no roosters, on the property. Then, and only then, are hens pets.  Here's a recap of what has happened in recent months:

1. After public appearances on separate occasions by our members, City Council voted to send the "hen issue" to the Planning Commission for a review and a recommendation. 
2. The Planning Department drafted an ordinance that it publicized would allow hens in the City. Once we actually had the chance to read the ordinance, however, our group came to the conclusion that it was "passively-aggressively" against chickens. If passed, it would have allowed four hens, no roosters, on all single-family residential lots. But it would have made changes that classified *all* hens as livestock, even the ones that under current ordinance are considered pets. Owners would only be allowed to keep four hens, not the six our group has been requesting so that residents could legally purchase chicks. Worst of all, the ordinance would have required owners of these hens, who are already required to keep them in a sturdy pen in the backyard, to privacy-fence their entire back lot in order to keep the hens, an unnecessary and prohibitive expense. 
3. The Planning Department came out with a recommendation to the Planning Commission to deny even this restrictive ordinance. It used as its justification the City's Staff Report,  a compilation of reports from various City departments that would potentially be affected by the ordinance. Most of the departments were against chickens in the City, but for reasons that we could--and mostly did-- refute. Many statements in the reports were based on fear and conjecture rather than data. Animal Control stated that stray birds could be difficult to round up, for example. This statement totally ignores the fact that chickens are totally night-blind and can easily be rounded up and handled after dark. There was no hard data from other municipalities to support the supposition that stray hens are a concern anywhere else in the country where micro-flocks are allowed. The Health Department's well-researched recommendations seemed most amenable to the idea of pet hens. It contradicted Animal Control's and other departments' concerns about the spread of disease by the hens, for example. Its report acknowledges that hens, like other pets, can potentially spread certain diseases to humans. But it states that "such diseases are uncommon enough that they should not discourage bird-keeping." The Health Department also recommends common-sense precautions, such as supervising children and hand-washing, to minimize the risk of  salmonella transmission. 
4. We invited an author, scientist, and hen expert, Patricia Foreman, to speak at the Chesapeake Central Library on Tuesday, October 9. Her talk was inspiring and informative. We had invited all the City Council and Planning Commission members to attend. The spouse of one City Council member came, but no officials.
5. Last night, October 10, was the Planning Commission meeting itself. About twenty supporters, all dressed in red shirts, attended the meeting. Nine of us spoke. All speakers were in favor of the draft law with changes to allow for six hens and the removal of the privacy fence requirement. There were no speakers opposed. A brief account of the meeting by a reporter, Marjon Rostami, is available here, and the entire Planning Commission Meeting was videotaped and can be watched at this link. Our group appears at about 1:35.
6. After our well-researched, well-documented, and heartfelt presentations, three of the seven Planning Commissioners present at the meeting, namely Adam Perry, Greg Bell and William Small, proposed and voted for an ordinance we could live with: to allow up to six backyard hens on single-family residential lots, to be kept in pens, with no fencing requirement for the lot. Nobody spoke against the proposal: not anyone from the community, not anyone from the Commission, nobody. There was no debate. Nobody asked any of us any questions. The one Commissioner who spoke on the matter, Bell, was positive. He said he'd done his own research on the facts our group had presented in "A Case for Chesapeake Hens," and he could find no documentation to refute any of the facts we'd presented. So for a few heart-stopping seconds, we thought we might get a positive recommendation. 
7.  Unfortunately, four Councilors voted against the motion for reasons that may never be publicly explained. These same four Councilors voted to deny even the restrictive proposal with the privacy fence, so this will be  the official recommendation from the Commission when the matter goes back to Council.

As far as how members of our group feel about secretive way the Commissioners went about their decision-making and voting on this matter, and what our plans are from here, that's fodder for other posts!

**Update on 10/18/12: Lanetter Lepper recently published the research she presented to the Planning Commission. Her report details the minimal impact of permitting chickens in other cities. Her document may be read on Google Docs.

**Update on 11/15/12: Chicken Activist Saad Ringa has started a YouTube Channel with videos of our activist efforts. Watch the Planning Commission speeches and then the Commissioners' vote. If you're a Chesapeake resident, you'll be ashamed of how the Commissioners acted. And you can't see on camera the Commissioner who actually walked out of the meeting when most of our speakers were presenting, and then walked in to vote against the hens, with no explanation! He could have at least had the courtesy to listen.

Update: On November 20, Chesapeake City Council voted 6-3 to allow hens with certain restriction in residential areas.

Time to Fight for the Right to Have Hens!

Patricia Foreman, the author of  City Chicks, wrote some rousing words about an upcoming public hearing in Lexington. It is so appropriate to our situation here in Chesapeake that she gave me permission to tweak it and re-post it here.

Chesapeake Chickens - Public Hearing Announcement

ALERT!! Chicken Public Hearing, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 7 pm City Hall

Please WEAR SOMETHING RED to the hearing to show you are a local foods supporter.

The proposed code is at this link. 

It has restrictions that passively-agressively prevent most families from keeping chickens. 

This public hearing is not just about chickens—it's about so much more that affects us all—and our lifestyles.

• It's about having access to local, HEALTHY foods. 

• It's about employing chickens' skill sets in gardening, (as herbiciders, pesticiders and fertilizer creators).

• It about reducing carbon footprints with food that doesn't have to travel 1,200 miles through feedlots and factory farms. 

• It's about biomass recycling of food and yard "waste" and creating topsoil.

• It's about reducing the solid waste management stream that saves taxpayer dollars.

• It's about living green and walking your talk.

• It's about humane treatment of animals.

• It's about teaching kids where food comes from, including gardening.

• It's about the right to grow food on land you own.

• It's about emergency preparedness.

• It's even about national security. The Department of Defense has repeatedly stated that our weakest links in National Security is America's food and water supply. 

Keeping a family flocks, and supporting local agriculture are the most important things communities can do to help navigate these challenging times. For more information on why, and details about the Chicken Training Series, see www.ChickensAndYOU.com. Or hear Pat Foreman herself give an evening talk on Tuesday, October 9, at 5 PM at the Chesapeake Central Library. Tickets must be purchased here in advance-- proceeds benefit the Gossamer Foundation.

Even if you don't want chickens, please support those who do. 

Pass this message along to others who might be able to come and show City Council that the chicken movement—and locavore foods is happening all across America. This is a serious matter, and not just a personal frivolity of a few. 

Update: On November 20, Chesapeake City Council voted 6-3 to allow hens with certain restriction in residential areas.

Hampton Roads Sustainability Expo!

4 Chesapeake Hens spent the day at the Hampton Roads Sustainability Expo in Virginia Beach. Tom Powell and his family were there, as was my friend and fellow Chicken-Activist, Wendy Camacho. The Expo even allowed us to bring a couple of hens as poster-girls for the movement. Here we are, with our poster-chickens:

L-R: Wendy, 2 Gold Sex-Link Hens, Mary Lou and Tom

I was pleased to have a chance to meet our local online food co-op and several of its vendors at the event. The Virginia Urban Homesteaders League was there, beekeepers and beekeeping groups, local food activists, and so many others! Many of them are rooting for us to win the right to keep our backyard hens, and we thanked them all for their support, interest, and appreciation today. We are not alone!

Tom's son, Xavier, poses with us, too!

Wendy and I presented "A Case for Chesapeake Hens: Chickens on the Road to Sustainability," which was well received. 

Photo courtesy of Lanette Grovesteen Lepper

 Many people stopped at our booth. Tom, Wendy, and I all talked until we were hoarse. It was a pleasant surprise to see how many people already knew us, knew our group, liked our page, read this blog, and were willing and able to help us in some way. It was a great feeling. Several people told us they loved the hens--who stole the show!-- and that our booth was their favorite at the whole event.

We gave out lots of flyers advertising Pat Foreman's upcoming appearance at the Chesapeake Central Library on Tuesday, October 9. We encouraged residents from Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach to check out http://www.backyardchickens.com/ as well as our own Facebook page to network with others to change the laws in their own communities. We urged Chesapeake residents to dress in red and come to the Planning Commission meeting on October 10 at 7 PM, where we plan to object to recent recommendations regarding changes to the zoning laws by the Planning Department. Supporters will arrive dressed in red, the color of the "Little Red Hen."

Why do we object? One provision would limit hens to four per household, despite the fact that both local and state laws make it a misdemeanor to sell chicks (under 8 weeks of age) in flocks of less than six. We do not mind the proposal that the hens be kept in pens but find the requirement of an additional six-foot privacy fence around the entire back yard to be unnecessary and burdensome. Everyone who heard about requiring a fence in addition to a secure pen thought it was ridiculous, and many people promised to come out in force as a show of support.

We hope they follow through. We suspect they will.

How will the Planning Commission React? Stay tuned to find out. Or, better yet, come to the Commission meeting, dressed in red, and be among the first to know.

Update: On November 20, Chesapeake City Council voted 6-3 to allow hens with certain restriction in residential areas.

City Chicks in Chesapeake!

  Through a Facebook page called 4 Chesapeake Hens, I've been organizing a grass-roots network to change the zoning laws in Chesapeake, Virginia, to allow more residents to keep laying hens as pets. Current zoning allows chickens only on land zoned agricultural or on three-acres "residential estates." Recently the City Council voted to send the "hen issue" to the Planning Commission for review and a recommendation with only one "no" vote, as explained in prior posts.

The Planning Commission will review the matter as early as its regular meeting on Wednesday, October 10. On October 9, Patricia "Pat" Foreman, the author of City Chicks: Keeping Micro-flocks of Chickens as Garden Helpers, Compost Makers, Bio-recyclers, and Local Food Producers, will appear at the Chesapeake Central Library as part of her East Coast Book Tour.

Pat graduated from Indiana University with a Masters of Public Administration.  She went on to graduate school and received her BSC both from Indiana, and then from Purdue University, where she majored in Animal Science, Genetics and Nutrition.  She is both an author and licensed pharmacist. We've been told her lectures are fascinating.

During this lecture, she will explore the role chickens play in the following four subjects:

• Enhancing Backyard Agriculture
• Diverting Food and Yard “Waste” Out of Landfills
• Decreasing Oil Consumption and Lowering Carbon Footprints
• National Defense & Emergency Preparedness

Our group has gotten positive media coverage in the past from the Virginian Pilot, the Chesapeake Clipper, and WTKR News Channel 3. Reporter Marjon Rostami, in a recent article in the Clipper, pointed out that "dozens" of our supporters came to a recent City Council meeting decked in red, the color of the "Little Red Hen." 

"4 Chesapeake Hens" at City Council

We've been told that one of our key roles in the community should be to educate the public, and we are doing just that. We have invited our media contacts, the City Council, the Planning Commission, and others to Pat's highly educational, interesting, and well-informed lecture. If you would like to help, please attend our event, distribute flyers, and encourage others to do the same. Books for the book-signing portion of the event must be purchased in advance of the event. Tickets are limited and available for a donation to the Gossamer Foundation but must be acquired in advance through this website: http://citychicksinchesapeake.eventbrite.com/.

If the media took notice of a few dozen supporters, imagine the kind of attention our cause will get at an event of over 200 people that sells out! Please, help us make that happen!

Update: On November 20, Chesapeake City Council voted 6-3 to allow hens with certain restriction in residential areas.

Environmental Justice

A focus on sustainability can widen your view of the world. Yes, we need control over our own food supply (as in becoming chicken activists), and yes, we need to help those who live in food deserts do the same, as I blogged about in "Paying It Forward." But the food supply is part of a bigger picture called environmental justice. I just watched a riveting 18-minute TED-Ed video, by Majora Carter, called "Greening the Ghetto." Her talk is intelligent, critically important, and eye-opening. It shows the potential power of grassroots activism.

Local foods, sustainability and "green" practices and jobs are all part of a bigger picture called social justice, not just in major cities, but in rural areas, too. And if, as a nation, we can refocus the conversation to find solutions to these issues, we will make the world a better place.

Consumers in the U.S. support these kinds of changes, according to a recent poll by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.  There's a great infographic on the results.

What if we don't know where to start? Let's start with our own backyards, patios, rooftops, or maybe that abandoned lot that is a potential park around the corner. Let's start with a conversation with our neighbor. But let's start.