The McCollumn - 5/27: A snake epiphany

Fear not, dear readers, I’ve come back from the haunts of coot, hern and an inexplicably large number of snakes.

I did not die, nor did I come anywhere close to dying, even when we encountered an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake somewhere on a stretch of county road down in Covington County.

Dr. Gentry, almost Dr. Cooner and I made our way down to Andalusia Friday with backpacks, a cooler full of drinks and food and an extreme desire to find a laundry list of rare and interesting snakes: the indigo snake, the scarlet snake and the ever-elusive coral snake.

Thankfully, Observer Editor Fred Woods took it upon himself to make sure I enlisted the help of Dr. Bob Mount, noted columnist and eminent herpetologist, the man who literally wrote the book on reptiles and amphibians in Alabama. At coffee with the self-proclaimed “Geezers,” Mount gave me a copy of said book and wished me well on my trek.

I was happy to have that book when being asked by Cooner if I would like to hold various snakes. I could flip through Mount’s book to make sure my dear friend wasn’t trying to hand me something that would bite or maim me for comedic effect.

All in all, we came across 15 snakes down in Conecuh, some in the forest along its varied trails and some simply basking in the heat on the rural paved roads of Covington and Escambia counties.

We turned over logs and looked under brush — well, I say “we.” Gentry and Cooner did. I stood behind them and scribbled notes.

Their keen eyesight and skill could show them exactly what they were looking for; I just saw dirt.

We never came across the rare coral snake, but we did manage to stumble upon some indigo snakes thanks to our friend Sybil, who helped get us information that led us to the site of Project Orianne, a venture between Auburn University, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources designed to help bolster the indigo snake population in Alabama.

Very few people have been able to claim to have seen indigo snakes in the wild, but we got to, albeit briefly.

The scariest moment of the excursion, for me, came when encountering the previously mentioned diamondback rattlesnake on the road.

We thought, at first glance, it might have been dead, but when Dr. Gentry tapped the snake with the stick, the ominous rattle began.

I’ve been afraid of snakes my entire life, but when I observed the rattlesnake's behavior, I couldn’t help but notice it was defensive, but reluctant to attack. It attacked only when greatly provoked, and was more than content to sit still and watch us if it could.

All the snakes we encountered acted similarly.

Despite their horrible reputations throughout literature and popular culture, snakes are actually quite kind and unintrusive. They are bothersome only if bothered, and, even then, they’ll spend more time trying to avoid you than attack you.

Perhaps because of their looks, they’re thought of as evil or malicious, but they do serve a vital and necessary role in preserving Alabama’s increasingly fragile ecology.

Snakes are, for lack of a better, less hackneyed phrase, our friends.

We may not love them, Lord knows I don’t, but we should and must respect the role they play in our environment.

If we do not attempt to preserve and protect these creatures, future generations may be unable to see their beauty, and we may no longer have the pristine, beautiful natural settings we currently enjoy.

I’ve already signed up for another expedition with my slightly insane amateur herpetologist friends, perhaps to the Everglades.

In spite of myself, I’ve rather come to enjoy snake hunting.

Huzzah for that.

Opelika Observer Staff Editorial - 5/27: A 'Dear OHS' for a new generation

“Dear OHS, you are the school for me.” So reads the opening of Opelika’s beloved alma mater, a song all true Bulldogs know.

These days, however, OHS may not be so dear.

Plumbing and electrical problems abound.

Heating and air conditioning is sporadic and temperatures can fluctuate by 10 degrees from one classroom to the next.

Carpets are worn, faded and stained beyond recognition of their original colors.

School officials chase leaks all over the school, but some classrooms have been forced to succumb to buckets.

Ceiling tiles are missing, walls have holes and some of these things can’t be fixed or replaced - they don’t make the parts any more.

OHS may be dear to a great many of us, but the school is almost 40 years old now and it needs to be fixed.

The current facilities cannot continue to support the class sizes and student population we currently have.

Our school board has been an excellent steward of the monies given to it, making repairs and upgrades only when absolutely necessary, preparing for the day when a new school would need to be built.

We have now fallen behind with where we should be. It is time to rethink our plan to maintain and sustain, and push past toward growth and progress.

As a casual observer, you may not notice the current state of our high school.

The school’s black metal facade sits proudly facing Lafayette Parkway. The Opelika Center for the Performing Arts, the crown jewel of the arts in Opelika, stands tall for all to see.

However, those facades are just that - facades. Beneath that exterior is a rapidly rotting core.

The parts that have been built around that core, OPAC, the choral and band rooms, the foreign language hall and new gymnasium, all look great, designed to match the shell of the original school.

Take the time to actually stop by and see what is inside of that building, though. If you could see the holes in the ceilings, the age in the walls, you can see what monumental problems the school is facing.

Our kids have soldiered through, holding their heads high and continuing to try to maintain standards of excellence in spite of the decay around them.

What does it do to a child’s sense of pride to have water dripping around them in their classrooms?

What do we say to a child when their classroom can’t use the document camera or the smart board because the electrical grid can’t support the wattage?

We are and always have been a great school system.

Opelika graduates go on to do great and wonderful things.

We win Academy Awards and Emmys.

We serve our country in our armed forces, rising through the ranks and occasionally giving that greatest of sacrifices in the name of one’s country.

We become doctors, lawyers and business executives.

We even leave the bounds of Earth and travel into space, going boldly into that final frontier.

Today’s kids need a primed and ready launching pad of their own, one that can stand up to the challenges and issues facing a 21st century world, so that they may go where no one has gone before.

The city council’s proposed sales tax increase can and will help pay for this project.

We know such a tax is regressive and could be problematic in these economic times, but our answer remains the same.

We all owe a life debt to the generations of Opelikans who came before us, the men and women who gave of themselves so that we, the future generations, would have better than what they had.

They paved our roads and built our schools, encouraging us to want more and have more.

We stand at a precipice, able to do for these kids what was done for us.

Are we going to stand up and allow these children to stand on our shoulders, letting them see further and reach their potential?

We must, in good conscience, help build that bridge to the future for the children of this town.

As those children go, so does the life and legacy of our town.

Giving up and now and doing something on the cheap will only harm us, and a generation of children may be washed down the drain of lowered expectations and broken dreams.

For the sake of our children, for the sake of those countless yet unborn generations that will come after, we must do this.

We want a “Dear OHS” once again, a school in which we can all take pride.

“To serve thee ever, forget thee never, our dear OHS,” the alma mater ends.

Our alma mater is calling, Opelikans. Answer it and give her aid in her hour of need.

Her need is our need.

We are all in this together, and something must be done.

The McCollumn - 5/20: 'Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?'

“Adam Cooner tagged you in a post,” the text message from Facebook told me.

One never knows where a message like that will take you.

“Adam Cooner hopes Cliff McCollum realizes that this weekend he’ll be following Jordan Gentry and me into a place where every venomous snake in Alabama can be found. It’s going to be fun,” the status read.

“Fun,” I thought. “That’s a dangerous adjective.”

Yes, dear readers, this weekend I will travel down with friends Adam Cooner and the recently graduated Dr. Jordan Gentry, DVM, to the Conecuh National Forest in search of what Cooner calls “both endangered and dangerous species.”

Snakes. Poisonous snakes. Snakes that could, if provoked thusly, kill you.

My will is prepared. My obituary is pre-written and edited - by me, of course.

Knowing my luck, I will be the first of us to find that holy grail of Alabama poisonous snakes: the eastern coral snake. Micrurus fulvius, for those of us who survived Latin.

I have this way with animals. I’m almost certain I can make a snake that would otherwise flee a situation rise up and bite.

I’m seeking the advice of noted snake experts before I leave on this quest.

I’m told my requests to bring my machete or a cleverly disguised sword cane were rejected or would be frowned upon.

We’re there to observe and report, not destroy and upset.

I will bring along my waterproof notebook and pen, transcribing our trek through the forest and praying I don’t die somewhere in those God-forsaken woods.

I’m leaving word here and now that those last thoughts should be translated and put here in next week’s McCollumn space, me possibly speaking to you from beyond the grave, should the unthinkable happen.

Perhaps some vodka should be brought as well - strictly for medicinal purposes, I assure you.

In all honesty, folks, I expect nothing but a good time with friends I’ve known for years. I know I’m going to learn a lot and I’m probably going to have to put up with a great deal of ‘vetspeak.’

We live in a state filled with abundant and lovely natural resources, and the ecosystems that support life like coral snakes and other interesting wildlife are rapidly disappearing to make way for development and business.

I consider myself lucky to be able to enjoy such an interesting trip, and I’ll gladly share my experiences with you when I get back.

Wish me luck, friends.

I shall return ... I hope.

Opelika Observer Staff Editorial - 5/13: A penny in the name of progress

No one likes tax increases: a truism that can not be disputed.

Opelika’s city leaders have proposed raising the city’s sales tax by one cent, a move that may, on its surface, seem anathema to the message of growth and prosperity our city has come to exude.

We would all much rather keep our money, spending it where we wish for whatever we desire.

We know that it could be construed as dangerous to raise the sales tax during a recession, when so many families are hurting economically and many of our citizens on fixed income are struggling to get by.

Times may not be ideal for such an increase, but we believe such an increase is vital, necessary and may represent the only chance Opelika has at raising money it needs to continue to grow.

It may not be the best time to raise taxes, but the cost of not doing so now is far greater.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote, “Taxes are the price we pay for living in a civilized society.”

Holmes was right. Our tax dollars support the standard of living we’ve come to know and appreciate here.

However, the current economic climate and pressing city needs have made it necessary to increase that ever-important sales tax.

As Mayor Gary Fuller and City Council President Eddie Smith said in their meeting with the Observer’s Editorial Board Monday, there are pressing needs for our city that must be met.

We must have a new high school. Not want. Not hope to. We must have it.

The current high school’s main facilities were completed in 1972. The age is starting to show. It was built on the cheap and, today, we’re paying the price.

Classrooms are overcrowded and underfunded.

Carpets are faded and spotted; ceilings have gaping holes. Air conditioning is sporadic, calm and cool in one classroom, blistering hot in the room right next door. Buckets placed on classroom floors on rainy days fill up with water, drip by drip.

What’s sad is our children have come to expect this. They accept their high school is falling apart, as if it’s only occasionally an intrusion on their day.

We have long prided ourselves with having an excellent school system, a system that has continued to produce great minds and excellent citizens.

Our children deserve better than what they now have.

We must have an upgraded, modern high school so our children can compete and thrive in an upgraded, modern world.

Moreover, we must have a new building so that parents will continue to want to send their children to our schools.

We know that a great school system and great facilities can garner more interest in economic development, as companies will want to locate their businesses in a town with a booming, shining educational system.

To support further economic development and greater prosperity, we must also be willing to continue to fund infrastructure and transportation improvements, especially the Frederick Road widening project.

The revenues and jobs brought into this city from Tigertown have been a game-changer for Opelika, and for Tigertown to maintain its place as an economic powerhouse, Frederick Road has to grow, too.

In its current state, Frederick Road cannot adequately support the amount of traffic it receives.

Gridlock and traffic jams will become even more commonplace and we will miss out on money from visitors to our city who would like to buy things but can’t seem to navigate the traffic to get there.

The high school and Frederick Road are just the two most noteworthy items the city needs this tax increase to fund.

We’ll show you more over the coming weeks, providing you the most information we can.

We expect there to be vigorous debate about this tax increase.

There will, no doubt, be a strong and vocal opposition.

We encourage those of you who have strong opinions to make them known, by sending us letters or giving us a call. We want to hear what everyone has to say.

But we, the members of this editorial board, state here and now our unequivocal support for this measure being taken by the city leaders.

We have great needs to continue the vitality of this city, and those needs must be met.

We all want Opelika to be the best city she can be, and the only way we continue our prosperity is by completing the high school, Frederick Road and our other pressing projects.

We have difficulty understanding how anyone who is for Opelika could be against this proposal.

Ask yourselves this question: “What are you doing to make Opelika a better place to live?”

Look at this sales tax increase as one part of paying your civic rent to a town that has given and continues to give so much to all of us.

We are a great community, and we must now come together as a community and do what needs to be done.

Opelika Observer Staff Editorial - 5/6 : Relay makes cancer take a step back

At its onset, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event was meant to be a way to raise awareness about the effects cancer has on our society.
It was meant to highlight cancer survivors and raise money for medical research and programs to help cancer patients continue their fight against the horrible disease.
We think it’s safe to say the battle for ‘awareness’ has been won.
It seems there isn’t a week that goes by that we don’t hear about a fellow citizen, a friend or relative who has been diagnosed with cancer.
More than 1.5 million Americans will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year. About 15,000 of that 1.5 million will be people under the age of 20.
We are all too aware of cancer’s existence.
While we’ve made significant strides in the identification and treatment of cancer over the last few decades, we are still unable to find the magical cure, the one sure-fire weapon in completely eradicating this horrible disease.
Many of the drugs that have proven successful in helping to fight back against cancer have been drugs whose development and testing were paid for through the American Cancer Society.
Money given here in Lee County and across the nation goes to support further research and development as we continue the quest to find the cure.
Tonight at the Southern Union track, cancer survivors, their families and supportive citizens will gather together for Lee County’s annual Relay for Life event.
Tents will be set up and concessions and crafts will be sold, all helping to raise money for Lee County’s fundraising goal.
Teams will participate in several events and games, bolstering spirits of those in attendance, many of whom will remain at the track all night.
And, of course, throughout the evening, people will walk laps around the track, embodying the ‘relay’ portion of the ‘Relay for Life’ event.
Each step they take will not only be good exercise; it will symbolize the journey cancer survivors and victims took in their journeys.
Each time foot hits pavement, we’re reminded of those who are no longer with us, those brave souls who fought, but were unable to win their battles. Their struggles are remembered and honored; their legacies shall not be forgotten.
Each lap we complete, we honor our local survivors, those who were able to get the treatment and aid they needed to beat cancer. Their stories inspire us and give us hope, a living example of victory over what was, at one time, certain death.
For every mile, we look forward to a future where cancer is a thing of the past, a disease that no longer carries with it despair and the sting of death.
We applaud the continued efforts of Lee County’s Relay for Life committee for the great work they do in this community.
We here at the Observer are proud to support their efforts and we will be on hand tonight, having live updates via our Facebook page during the event.
We strongly encourage you to come out and participate in the event, helping to raise money for a cause that can and does affect each and every one of us.
We’ll be there all night, Opelika.
We hope to see you there, too.