By Josephine E. Ayers, editor-in-chief
If ever there were a time to savor a drink of cool water, to delight in a long shower, to love an oyster, it is now. The beautiful clean water which has given us those things and more is our treasure. But as I write this, we teeter at the tipping point.
This is the moment when our gulf coast may be forever changed; we could lose jobs, a whole industry, tourism, wildlife and sea creatures. In short, three of the poorest states in the country, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, are once again lethally threatened –and this time, it’s not a natural catastrophe, but a disaster of human negligence.
The BP oil spill in the Gulf has turned our excitement about bringing you some good news about water into a sense of foreboding: have we seen the best days, the most beautiful beaches, the cleanest water?
In the Longleaf region, we are particularly blessed with pure water which we may take for granted, but it is as dear as myrrh in many parts of the world. We can only hope that we are not too late in the realization that water is a precious commodity which we must care for. As we search for ways to preserve our own plenty, we must also find ways to share our technological skills with those thirsty nations around the world, so poor in natural resources that their hope of survival is desperately parched.
In this issue’s variety of stories, we offer many ways to think about water - some science, some history, some humor. I won’t take you through them all here – be surprised as you thumb through the pages. I hope you can enjoy the stories at the same time you think about the centrality of clean water to our lives and to the life of the planet.
By the time you read this, there may be better news from the Gulf. Meantime, this little poem of Mary Oliver has a sweet and sobering message, not just for today, but for all the days to come:
What is the vitality and necessity
of clean water?
Ask the man who is ill, who is lifting
his lips to the cup.
Ask the forest.
Josephine E. Ayers, editor-in-chief
IN THIS ISSUE:
What is Water?
By Ashley Stewart
Anniston physician, Ashley Stewart, offers a scientific and personal insight to water, the source of life.
Tug O’ Water
By Hardy H. Jackson
Only Alabama historian and regular Longleaf Style contributor Hardy Jackson can paint a picture of the water wars between Alabama and Georgia and make it interesting and educational.
Water Changes Everything
By John Fleming
When John Fleming was asked by Birmingham-based Neverthirst to travel to Sudan in pursuit of water, he had no idea the journey would be so refreshing. Learn more in this story and his sidebar story about Birmingham-based Neverthirst. Photography, including cover, by Daniel Phillips.
SIFAT: Clean Water Runs Through It
By Mary Elosie H. Leake
Lineville, Alabama doesn’t seem like the appropriate place to learn about clean water in third world countries, but Mary Eloise H. Leake shares what she learned about the work of Servants in Faith and Technology (SIFAT).
Cuisine & Spirits: Purity in a Bottle
by Pat Kettles
Pat Kettles offers a historical look at bottled water. From the curative of world ailments to the simple taste of pure refreshment, water has been luring seekers to its bottle since 1872.
Culture: Testing the Waters
by Laura Hunter
While a lot has been written about the impact of Katrina, the information is often overwhelming. Laura Hunter narrows in on one New Orleans family that was forced to test their strength when Katrina came to town.
Music: Handel’s Water Music
by Mike Stedham
Maybe it was a crazy idea, but this music was designed to be heard above river sounds.
Art: Sloane Bibb
by Lisa Berryhill
Sloane Bibb is a Gen-Y artist who loves making the art he can’t really define. He tells Lisa Berryhill it’s “Textural, found objects, assemblage, folk, heavy Southern influence…”
Longleaf Library: Gin Phillips
by Lisa Berryhill
Birmingham-based author Gin Phillips talks to Lisa Berryhill about her first novel “The Well and the Mine” and her love of characters.
Destinations: Scenic River Trail
by Jennifer Kornegay
With the direction of Anniston residents Fred Couch & Charlie Doster, The Scenic River Trail officially opened in 2008. The network of rivers is the longest such trail contained in a single state in the country
