Wally Covington has been showing people the science of forestry in Flagstaff for years.

At places like Gus A. Pearson Natural Restoration Area in Flagstaff, a living forest experiment, Covington has helped bridge peoples connection to nature by explaining cutting-edge science in simple terms. He has become known as a master science communicator, and hes been at it for years. And this week, after 44 years, at the age of 73, Covington has stepped down from his executive director position at Northern Arizona Universitys Ecological Restoration Institute.

Looking back, hes proud of the work hes done, the people hes met, and especially the students hes had the opportunity to teach.

Im proud of all of 'em, Covington said. They love working with students, do great research, care about the environment just great, great people, men and women.

Covington actually predates the institute hes leaving. He helped the state and federal government fund the Pearson restoration area, the research-focused ERI, and one of the first restoration projects ever funded at Mt. Trumbull near the Arizona Strip. Using this science and his skill at communicating, he helped politicians pave the way for many of our forest restoration projects today like the local Four Forest Restoration Initiative and Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project.

As to how he communicates so well? Covington said its simple.

I never want to sound like a smarty-pants, or be pedantic, he said. That just gets you nowhere.

Beyond his position at ERI, Covington was a key figure in a community of activists, scientists, politicians and foresters who are pushing forest management away from the conditions that have led to the catastrophic fires seen across the west.

No leading scientist stands alone, Covington points out, but getting the Pearson restoration area funded has been a critical tool for explaining science. The 12-acre experimental forest took advantage of 150-year-old trees that were mixed with trees less than 100 years old, the difference between young and old trees.

[The experimental forest] is important because it really did set into motion that forestry must be based on strong science, Covington said. And this being the first U.S. Forest Service experimental forest, its got the longest record of scientific research in the U.S. for forest ecology.

The experimental forest clearly lays out the problem for anyone who walks among the trees. Because of post-European settlement land management practices of suppressing fires, tree density has grown from 23 trees per acre in 1876 to 1,300 trees per acre in 1992. With such high density, groundwater is spread thin and pine needles build up, creating the perfect scenario for fire to explode into the catastrophic conditions we see today.

But ERI researchers dont keep the gates closed to only politicians and foresters. From walking around with Flagstaff residents and elementary students during the Flagstaff Festival of Science in the '90s, to politicians looking to understand forest ecology and better land management practices, Covington has spoken to them all.

Bonnie Stevens, who organizes the Flagstaff Festival of Science, has also worked on a documentary about the state of forests with Covington. She said retirement isnt a word she associates with the man, and expects to see him continue to work in the forest.

This man is incredibly busy. Hes really an adviser to so many projects, yet what strikes me is in a social setting, he will remember names, and your kids' names, Stevens said. He will ask you about those people. You can tell he truly cares about the people hes around.

This includes when he gets the opportunity to spend time talking about science with the children of Flagstaff.

Its been great bringing the junior high kids, elementary school kids and showing them around. They ask these crazy questions you just never think of, Covington said with a glint in his eye. One of them was, 'what about butterflies?'

This question of whether forest restoration impacts butterflies was one no one had asked before -- not scientifically, anyway.

Yeah, what about butterflies... Covington thought at the time. The question ended up becoming the focus of a dissertation by an ERI researcher Amy Waltz.

Diane Vosick, director of policy and partnerships at ERI, describes Covington as unrelenting. His nature helped him as he navigated political fights to push for government funding of projects in Flagstaff and as he pushed science to the forefront of policy debates surrounding forest management.

In the policy world you take barbs. You take spears. And a lot of people just don't want to do that, Vosick said. Hes taken spears from multiple sides, but hes been willing to continue to hold the line on what needs to happen.

But many will tell you that despite Covingtons hard work, and the work of those around him, there is still more to be done as global temperatures continue to rise and the world continues to see new, unprecedented fires.

Prescriptive approach

Covingtons story was tied to NAU before he was born: His parents first met at the university campus. Covington told the story at last year's commencement of how his father would help his mother sneak out of Morton Hall in 1941 on campus.

My mom, years later we were walking around the campus, and she said yknow, your dad used to sneak me out of that dorm right there to go kanoodle, Covington said laughing.

Covington was born in Wynniewood, Oklahoma on March 31, 1947. He said he moved away from the area at age 5, but Oklahoma, and specifically the Arbuckle Mountains, have always felt like home to him.

Until the Arbuckle Fire of 2000, the forest had trees that were 400, 500 years old, Covington said. The place in Honey Creek called Blue Hole had this 80 feet by 30 feet crystal clear water and all these cascades. The fishing is great in there, hiking, anything you want.

Covington found himself drawn to serving others and began his attempt of service at medical school after getting his bachelor's degree. He spent his early life asking himself what specialty he should be in, as opposed to asking what he wanted to do with his life.

He said he remembers an interaction with a doctor that changed his path forever.

You have run out of free articles. You can support our newsroom by joining at our lowest rate!

Please call 877-810-7370 to upgrade your subscription.

Continued here:
Wally Covington retires after over 40 years of forest science excellence - Arizona Daily Sun

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday that when Iran "returns to a normal state" then a restoration of ties with it is possible.

Jubeir, speaking at a World Economic Forum panel in Davos, Switzerland about the situation in the Middle East, said the Kingdom was concerned about Irans meddling in Iraqs internal affairs and that it takes its relationship with Baghdad very seriously.

Iran is behind the Houthi militia missiles coming from Yemen that are targeting Saudi Arabia, he said.

Iran should worry more about its own people and stop sponsoring global terrorism, he told the audience in Davos.

On Libya, Jubeir expressed concern about foreign meddling in the country, adding Saudi Arabia was working with Arab and international countries to stabilize the situation there.

Read the original here:
Jubeir Says Restoring Ties with Iran Hinges on its Return to Normal State - Asharq Al-awsat English

A notable building in the early history of Modernism, designed by the Irish migr Eileen Gray, has been restored and opened to the public. Tim Richardson reports.

In 1979, three years after her death, the V&A Museum organised a major retrospective exhibition which later transferred to MOMA in New York on the Modernist furniture and fabric designs of Eileen Gray. Before that, Grays name was barely known even among designers, her career viewed merely as a footnote to the work of other (male) figures, notably Le Corbusier. Her star has never ceased to ascend since: in 2009, the original of her Dragons armchair was sold for a reported 21.9 million Euros and authorised reproductions of her furniture and textiles are available via the Aram Store in London.

Small surprise, therefore, that a house she designed in the 1920s has also witnessed a spectacular recent revival. In the mid 1990s, House E1027 was vandalised, occupied by squatters and in danger of collapse. Since 2006, it has been subject to restoration and refurbishment by Cap Moderne, a not-for-profit organisation set up to maintain and protect the site, and is now open to visitors.

House E-1027 came about as a result of Grays relationship with Jean Badovici, whom she had met in 1921. Badovici was a Romanian-born architect who had studied in Paris and become known as a critic and proselytiser for Modernism and especially the work of his friend Le Corbusier. Gray had been living and working in Paris since 1907, having trained first at the Slade in London. Through the 1910s, she made her name as a designer of lacquered items, including screens, and, in 1922, opened a shop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honor, which displayed modern furniture and objects in a white-lacquer interior.

Gray carved a reputation as a designer of chic, luxurious interiors with highly ori-ginal modern touches. But she was no businesswoman; the practice was not profitable and the shop closed in 1930. Perhaps that did not matter as a scion of a wealthy and artistically minded family from Co Wexford, Gray was able to pursue her design interests independently and without compromise one reason for her small output over the course of a long career. With her sharp bob haircut and aristocratic hauteur (her mother was the 19th Baroness Gray), she could come across as somewhat imperious.

Badovici introduced Gray to the work of Le Corbusier and, together, they visited Modernist houses in Germany and the Netherlands. In the late 1920s, they collaborated on the renovation and reconfiguration of several stone houses at Vzelay in Burgundy, where Gray worked mainly on the interiors, and, in 1926, she came up with an architectural plan and model for a putative project in Provence named House for an Engineer (unbuilt). A box-like cabin on concrete supports or pilotis, with a flat roof and long horizontal window, it was clearly indebted to Le Corbusiers example.

Encouraged by these forays, Gray came up with the idea for House E-1027. It was initially conceived as a seaside home where Badovici and Gray would live together, although, in effect, it was a gift to him and remained in his ownership. (Gray stopped living there in 1931, when their relationship changed, and never visited again.)

The site of the new house was all-important. Gray already knew the area around Saint-Tropez, but she wanted something wilder, more remote. Taking the train one day to the little station at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, she walked down the railway tracks until she found an area of land on a steep escarpment leading down to the rocky shore. She acquired the plot and, between 1926 and 1929, oversaw construction of the house, the name of which was an affirmation of their relationship: E is for E[ileen], 10 is for J[ean] (the 10th letter of the alphabet), 2 is for B[adovici] and 7 is for G[ray].

E-1027 is a geometrically designed, white-rendered concrete-and-brick building supported on pilotis. It has previously been presented as an equal collaboration between Gray and Badovici, but it appears his chief interventions were to suggest the use of pilotis and the addition of the central staircase and lantern the rest of the design was Grays.

There were, indeed, key divergences between Grays approach and that of Le Corbusier and his followers. There is a wittiness to Grays work that belies the purely functional impulse, together with an emphasis on comfort, even to the point of luxuriousness. As she commented in a 1940s notebook: The poverty of modern architecture stems from the atrophy of sensuality.

Another key area of difference was the importance of the garden. The Corbusian approach would have been to create a roof garden and set the house on a grass plinth, but Gray eschewed this idea in favour of garden spaces on the south-facing, seaward side of the building. Three distinct terrace areas are defined by means of different-coloured tiling in a geometric pattern, reminiscent of an abstract by Malevich or Mondrian. Concrete benches were conceived as three-dimensional extensions of this ground plan, together with a large, square tree pit towards the rear of the terrace.

A sunken solarium on the western side of the house, finished in black and ochre tiling, looks like a small swimming pool, but the idea was for it to be part-filled with sand, to keep feet either cool or warm, depending on the weather (Fig 7). As Gray commented: We have avoided a pond, which would have attracted mosquitoes, but have provided a sort of divan in sloping slabs for sunbathing, a glass-topped table for cocktails and benches on each side for conversation.All three sleeping areas and the main living room have separate entrances to the garden, via discrete stairways. Grays intention was that, even in a small house, the users should have the option of privacy and a feeling of being alone.

Viewed either from the approach above or the sea, the house has a nautical flavour. It is long and narrow like a yacht and possesses deck-like floors with white-painted railings. The lantern on the roof lighting the stairwell resembles a lighthouse and next to it is a mast flagpole.

The fenestration on the entrance side of the house (north) is expressed as vertical slots and as windows with shutters that slide and pivot, allowing for the regulation of both air and light. To the left is the entrance to the service area and kitchen, which Gray conceived in modular fashion as both an indoor and outdoor space, by means of a folding glass partition a kind of homage to the local habit of cooking outside in hot weather.

The entrance porch was found to be the coolest part of the house and was often utilised as a dining and living space in summer. The words sens interdit and entrez lentement are painted on the wall; Grey incorporated numerous playful inscriptions in the house. Some perhaps satirise the didactic nature of her own design (at the planning stage, she even choreographed circulation routes for owner and servant).

The entrance to the living room is perhaps the most curious element to the design. Its screened off by a plywood screen that incorporates bookshelves, coat-rack and umbrella stand, all of which constrict the entrance passageway. The living room beyond is an open-plan space, well lit by a floor-to-ceiling window that can concertina across. On the other side is a south-facing balcony, shaded by an awning of grey sailcloth.

Despite its apparent simplicity, this living room contains eight distinct zones, two of them out of doors. Apart from the entry passage and the balcony, there is a large divan bed for sleeping, resting and working. Behind it is a wall that conceals a bathroom with shower. Next to this is an alcove with a daybed and built-in cupboards and lights, which functions as an additional guest room; a door leads out to a small balcony with a hammock on the west side of the house. Near the entrance screen is a sitting space with a gramophone player. Finally, at the eastern end of the room, there is a dining area, with a fold-down, cork-covered table with a built-in light.

A black, white and beige geometric tiling pattern provides elegant hints as to how these zones are demarcated and the room is furnished with pieces designed specifically for the house. Rugs of Grays own design add to a sense of comfort and, on the south wall, a large maritime map on beige paper is annotated with slogans on the theme of travel, notably Baudelaires Luxe, calme et volupt and the words Vas-y Totor, which refer to the designers (British) car, nicknamed Totor. Attached to the map is a vertical tubular lamp and a folding bookshelf.

Behind the dining area is a passageway leading to the main bedroom, on the eastern side of the house. It consists of two distinct zones, also expressed by variations in the tiling. A vestibule by the south window doubles as a private studio, where Gray had her drawing board, and, in the bedroom behind, the built-in headboard contains lights and hidden alcoves.Gray specialised in designing for apartments or small houses, so many of her objects fold away. She employed a pivot technique to drawers or tabletops, for example, and her screens could effectively make one room into two. Her intention was to blend the concepts of architecture and furnishing so that they become one.

The bathroom adjoining is a tall, serene space, with the bathtub lit from above by a window and the bath itself wrapped in an aluminium sheet, its shininess augmenting the reflective appeal of the surrounding black tiling. There are rough woollen curtains and a bidet with a bright orange-red lid.

The spiral staircase serves as a service route and next door is the maids bedroom; its tiny size may give modern visitors pause. A ground-floor guest bedroom is perhaps the least successful element of Grays design: the space is not clearly articulated and the quality of light seems flat and unvaried. Perhaps it is relevant that the existence of this room is related to Badovicis design input. The bedroom features a fold-down desk area, a tall wardrobe with pivoting drawers and one of only two original surviving built-in cupboard systems (the other one is in the bathroom; all of the other built-in furniture has recently been painstakingly rebuilt by a volunteer team to an exactingly high standard). This room is the last area to await restoration.

The guest bedroom leads out to an undercroft area formed by the pilotis beneath the house. On the wall here is a facsimile of one of eight Picasso-esque murals (more -esque than Picasso) painted by Le Corbusier after 1938, without Grays knowledge or consent. Several of these murals have been restored and there is no doubt that they change the nature of Grays interior scheme at key moments a decision has been taken to screen over the mural in the main living room.

In the 1950s, Le Corbusier built his own little cabin and some holiday chalets on the cliffs above the house, which are visitable as part of the Cap Moderne tour. It is an interesting site in that, according to the guides, it divides visitors, who tend to express sympathy with either Gray or Le Corbusier.

For more information and opening hours, visit http://www.capmoderne.com

Some of our most enduring stories were conceived at Haworth Jeremy Musson enjoys a literary pilgrimage.

Undertaken by the National Trust with the aid of the donor family, the restoration of Mount Stewart has restored it

We take a look at some of the magnificent images of Chatsworth which have graced the pages of Country Life

Read more here:
House E-1027, Cote dAzur: A 1920s house by Eileen Gray, restored and returned to the public eye - Country Life

Last week, HGTV announced its most ambitious renovation show yet: In a new series called Home Town Takeover, Ben and Erin Napier, the hosts of Home Town, will take over and restore an entire town. YES, you read that right. And if you live in a small historic town, you can nominate it to be featured on the show.

This is a big one, Erin said of the new show in a statement. HGTV has never, ever taken on a whole town renovation and restoration project and were so proud and excited to be leading the team that will get it done. The Napiers are well-equipped to renovate a small towntheyve been revitalizing historic homes and properties throughout their home town of Laurel, Mississippi since 2017. Theyve also revitalized Laurels downtown area.

Renovating one house at a time is an awesome experience, but the chance to support an entire town, where we can help bring a community back to life and enhance the lives of the people who live and work there, is something weve always wanted to try, Ben said in a press release.

To be eligible for restoration, a town needs to meet three requirements: The town has to have a population of less than 40,000 residents. It must have homes and buildings with great architecture ready to be revealed. And it has to have a downtown area (think a classic Main Street) thats a bit run down.

Does your town fit the bill? Fill out the submission form here by February 7, 2020 to nominate it. While photos of your town are great, the submission form states that videos are better. Make sure your video shows places you think need a makeover like diners, coffee shops, homes and playgrounds. Give a tour around your town featuring places that could be. And dont forget to include the most important part of any town: the people. Basically, show Home Town Takeover what you makes your town special and anywhere it could use some more love.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.

See original here:
Forget Home RenovationsThis New HGTV Show Wants to Make Over an Entire Town - HouseBeautiful.com

On the evening of Jan. 14, 1990, Doug Seyle knocked on his employers front door at Savannahs stately Mercer House on Monterey Square. Receiving no response, he let himself in and found the historic homes locally famous resident, 59-year-old Jim Williams, lying dead in the study.

He died from a simple case of pneumonia, but the location of his death was remarkable. In that same room on May 2, 1981, Williams shot and killed 21-year-old Danny Lewis Hansford. Williams, an accomplished antiques dealer, building restorer and Savannah socialite, insisted that hed shot the young man his part-time assistant and occasional lover in self-defense. Within a few weeks, Williams was indicted for murder.

Three decades after his death, Jim Williams is famous far beyond Savannah. The circumstances of the Hansford shooting, and the four trials that Williams endured to clear his name, provided the primary plot for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendts 1994 bestseller. Known locally as The Book, it later served as the basis for a Hollywood movie and became a driving force behind modern Savannah tourism.

However, Williams legacy extends beyond the provocative anecdotes that made Berendt a multimillionaire. Williams was a leading preservationist of historic Savannah buildings, revamping more than 30 edifices citywide. His projects included the Olde Pink House on Reynolds Square, the Hampton Lillibridge House on East Saint Julian Street, and the Mercer House now called the Mercer Williams House Museum where he lived and died.

This palatial Italianate mansion, constructed just after the Civil War for Gen. Hugh W. Mercer (the great-grandfather of musician Johnny Mercer), now ranks among Savannahs most popular landmark museums. Owned by Williams sister, Dorothy Kingery, the museum is receiving a thorough external refurbishment in what she considers an effort to preserve her brothers restoration legacy.

People really enjoy learning about Jims history, Kingery said, noting that Williams antique collection within Mercer House paints a tasteful portrait of his life. To carry this on, it means a lot to me and my family, and we are pleased to be able to do it.

He took it in stride

Though Williams worked on many impressive buildings, Mercer House was his masterpiece. After completing its initial restoration in 1970 and making it his personal home, Williams hosted legendary parties there and used it as a showcase for his finest antiques. During his trials, it also became a place of refuge.

We spent a lot of time in Jims house, said Atlanta-based attorney Don Samuel, who served on the Williams defense team. It was somewhat museum-like even then.

Most anyone standing trial for murder would be forgiven for letting the ordeal overwhelm their decorum. However, this wasnt Williams style, Samuel said.

He was a very charming guy, unlike 99% of people on trial, Samuel said, adding that Williams carried himself with grace and good humor while working on his defense. He took it in stride.

When Williams was finally found innocent after his fourth trial in 1989, Samuel recalls that his client was completely exuberant, of course.

Nonetheless, Williams passing just months after his exoneration made the courtroom victory bittersweet for Samuel.

That was very tragic and sad that he didnt get to enjoy his freedom, Samuel said.

Its a huge job

Kingery remembers sitting with her mother and Williams lawyers at the dining-room table soon after his death and being asked what the family would do with the historic home.

I said, We will keep it, of course, Kingery recalls.

Though maintaining such a grand estate was no small endeavor, Kingery felt that her brothers extensive efforts to preserve Mercer House would help considerably.

Jim had just finished a restoration, Kingery said. I was confident that we were dealing with a house that was in excellent shape.

For the next 14 years, Kingery maintained Mercer House as a private residence for herself and her daughter Susan, who now manages museum operations despite initial reservations about her mothers plan to turn the mansion into an exhibition.

She said, Im going to turn it into a museum, and I said, Youre crazy, Susan Kingery recalls with a laugh.

Dorothy Kingery, who earned a history masters and a sociology Ph.D. from the University of Georgia before establishing and directing UGAs Survey Research Center, was confident the family could open Mercer House to the public.

I knew how to hire and supervise people, Dorothy Kingery said, and in the years that followed, the mother-daughter team turned Mercer House into a premier Savannah attraction, though they declined to reveal specific visitor totals. You would be amazed at the number of people who come here.

Still, museum operations require a great deal of work, and the elements also present challenges to the nearly 150-year-old building. With paint chipping on the trim and areas of the brick facade requiring cleaning, last year the Kingerys decided to refurbish the entire exterior. The restoration began in December and is expected to continue through March, with the Savannah branch of Choate Construction handling the project.

Its a huge job, Dorothy Kingery said.

Its really a family home

Though Williams untimely passing created an unwanted bookend to his lengthy legal difficulties, his family takes comfort in the final verdict.

Im so grateful that he did clear his name before he died, Dorothy Kingery said.

At times when the Mercer House is closed to the public, Williams family continues to gather there and enjoy the magnificent setting and all of its finery. On New Years Eve, Dorothy and Susan Kingery joined friends in the dining room to drink champagne from Williams Baccarat crystal glasses that visitors view during tours.

Its really a family home, Dorothy Kingery said. We still love it and enjoy it. I think he knows.

See the rest here:
30 years after death of Jim Williams, his iconic Savannah home is being restored - Bluffton Today

Erin and Ben Napier, known to millions as the stars of the HGTV hit series Home Town, still cant believe that renovating houses in tiny Laurel, Mississippi, has made them famous. We do such a mundane thing, says Erin, 34, sitting in the office of their production company before heading to the afternoons makeover house. We work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., says Ben, 36. Yeah, we have a cameraman and a director, but its like were going to work in an office with our construction team or on a job site.

The show, entering its fourth season, follows Erin and Ben as they turn dilapidated old houses into dream digs. Its also bringing new energy to Laurel, an old timber town of almost 19,000 that waned in the mid20th century once the areas loblolly pine forests were logged. Laurel has seen some hard times, said Ben in the shows season-one opening. Were committed to changing that one house at a time.In the season premiere, Jan. 20 at 9 p.m. ET, the Napiers share their experience regarding the tornado that touched down in Laurel and the surrounding area in December. (Watch a sneak peek from the premiere below!)

The series has turned Erin and Ben into Americas newest home renovation sweethearts and made Laurel a tourist destination for fans of the show. Home Town drew 12.2 million viewers during its third season. Laurel is attracting visitors from across the country who drive through the historic district looking for some of the 30-plus houses renovated on the showas well as for the Napiers 1925 Craftsman. They shop at businesses the Napiers are partners in, such as Laurel Mercantile Co., a housewares boutique the couple opened with a group of their entrepreneurial friends in the towns old dry goods store and stocked with American-made merchandise including jadeite dishes, heirloom tools and paintings by local artists. Nearby is Scotsman General Store, which sells boots, flannel shirts, craft soda and the Napiers own brand of coffee, Big Bens Blend. Bens woodshop is housed there too. It features an exhibition window, so visitors can watch him make furniture for the show. And they have a furniture line thats made in two small towns in North Carolina and Virginia, because the couple is committed to making small towns better.

In fact, the Napiers are so serious about making little towns better that theyre hitting the road this year to revitalize another small town for a new, six-episode spinoff series for HGTV,Home Town Rescue. The couple will help members of a yet-to-be-named community renovate homes in the area and upgrade public spaces. The new show is set for a 2021 premiere. Dont worry, Laurel, theyre not leaving permanently. The original show will go on. We never want to live anywhere else, Erin says. We love it here.

Related:Erin Napiers Southern Skillet Cornbread

Erin was born to create. She grew up in Laurel wanting to be a book designer, inspired by her real estate agent mothers painting and writing and an aunt who was into scrapbooking. Her aunt gave her a big, huge photo album with staticky sheets, and little Erin filled it with leaves she found, newspaper clippings about dinosaur bone discoveries and her own writing. In seventh grade, she discovered typography. As soon as we got a computer, thats when graphic design began for me, Erin says. I would make these fake ads for things, fake logos. I had fun with type.

She met Ben when they were both students at a junior college in nearby Ellisville, Mississippi. He was a 20-year-old history major, the son of a Methodist minister who had grown up in little towns all over the South. She was an 18-year-old graphic design major, the daughter of a doctor whose family had lived in Laurel for generations. He was outgoing and funny. She was quiet and artistic. They met when she took his photo for a yearbook feature. Six days later, we decided we would get marriedwhen we got out of school, Erin says. Weve been inseparable ever since.

They transferred to Ole Miss, and thats when Ben picked up woodworking. After his classes ended, he would hang out with Erin in her art classes. When she needed to frame pieces for a student exhibition, Ben made the frames. Hed done rough carpentry, but fine woodworking was new. Some of the graduate assistants showed me how to use the tools, Ben says. It became an obsession. Yep, he became a woodworker for the woman he loved.

Erin inspired his first foray into furniture making too. I wanted a $3,000 armoire I saw in an antiques mall, and we couldnt afford it, she says. So Ben built one just like it for her. He discovered that making furniture made him happy and that there was no place he would rather be than in a woodshop. My real passion is furniture design, Ben says. You can get lost in it.

Related:Property Brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott on What Makes a Forever HomeAnd How to Find Yours

After they graduated college, the couple moved back to Laurel, against the advice of some who wondered what Erin was going to do with an art degree in a dying lumber town. My parents said, Youre very talented, but you live inMississippi, baby. Its just going to be hard to be a professional artist, Erin says. And I was like, No its not. Just watch. Just watch, and Ill show you. I think it was a little bit of a rebellion for me to come back here.

She worked as a graphic designer for a financial marketing company, then started her own business designing letterpress wedding invitations and selling them online. Ben was a woodworker, Methodist student ministry director and Mr. Loblolly, the official lumberjack mascot of town events. They bought the gorgeous old house Erin had wanted to live in since she was a little girl, began renovating it and they got two fuzzy dogs.

Their big break came when a former HGTV executive started following Erins Instagram account and saw the makings of a TV show about an adorable couples life in a small town in the Deep South. The executive, Lindsey Weidhorn, who now runs her own production company, asked the Napiers if they were game. Erin and Ben said yes, because they wanted to draw positive attention to Laurel. Home Town premiered in March 2017 and was an instant hit. The show is a paean to small-town life, where neighbors are friendly, church bells ring on the hour and mortgage payments are small. Its a binge-watchers dream. You can tune out current events for hours watching Ben and Erin rescue wood floors from shag carpet, eradicate 1980s kitchens, put up luscious crown molding and get it all together in time for the big reveal. Just try to watch it without googling Laurel real estate and wondering briefly if your boss would let you telecommute.

Related:HGTVs Leanne Ford Changed Her Career at 30 and Hasnt Looked Back

Erin and Ben dont do the construction on their makeovers, but the vision for how a property should look is theirs. On each episode, a homeowner chooses one of two homes selected by the Napiers, buys the place and hands the keys over to Erin and Ben for the remodel. The couple works with contractors, artisans and designers to direct the renovation. Ben makes a few pieces of custom furniture and features for the house, like a banquette made of wood repurposed from the local high school gym or a kitchen table with perfectly turned legs. Erin decides what walls to knock down to open up that dated floor plan and oversees the design, adding artisan touches like custom stained-glass windows or wall art made from the innards of an old piano.

They give homeowners the digs of their dreams for less than $200,000, on average, including the house sale price and the renovation. Thats the beauty of living in a state where the cost of livings low. I mean, if you make $100,000 a year in Mississippi, you are living large, Erin says. We give people the very best historic restoration and preservation we can with the budget that they have. Scrappy, not crappy is the motto around here.

The Napiers work on small budgets with a fast turnaround, because its TV, not reality. If the custom tile they ordered for the makeover house arrives broken, Ben and Erin dont have time to order more. They have a production schedule to keep, so they have to improvise. We go that day to City Home Center [a locally owned home improvement store in Laurel] and get something else. You have to be flexible, Erin says. We do a lot of problem-solving, Ben says. Thats where we shine.

Erin and Ben arent impressed with their own celebrity. Theyre quick to give credit to the crew that helps them on the house makeovers for the success of the renovations, and their business partners and fellow Laurel residents for the towns revival.

They are authentically adorable together. Ben is a 6-foot-6 bear of man who towers over pixieish 5-foot-5 Erin. They finish each others sentences. She calls him Big and gazes at him lovingly while he speaks. He hugs her a lot. They have a 2-year-old daughter, Helen, whos the center of their world. They plan their daily schedules around her naps, meals and bedtime, and they wont go out of town for more than two nights unless Helen can go along with them. Helens number one, and everything else has to fall in line behind her, Erin says.

Theyre really into vintage. Ben drives a 1962 Chevy pickup. Erin drives a 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. They live in a 95-year-old house and work on old houses all day long. Older things are the closest things we have to time machines, Erin says. When you live in an old house or drive an old car, you always feel like youre living in a time when design mattered more. Now its all about expediency. How fast can we build, how quick, how cheap. And I dont care about fast or cheap. Everything should be savored and enjoyed, and I think thats what old housesand lifeis about.

Related:HGTVs Boise Boys Share Their Top Picks For a Sleek and Functional Home

Wherever Erin and [our daughter] Helen are. Ben

The place Id rather be when Im on a plane. Erin

Best reno idea

Ben: Customize prefab. We bought a door off the shelf for our house but pulled off the factory trim and custom-made trim to match the house.

Erin: Spend money on bigger baseboards. You need bigger baseboards than you think you do. Big baseboards are sexy.

What they geek-out about

Ben: Wood grain, like in the crib he made for Helen.

Erin: Typography can be art.

What every home must have

Ben: Big windows open up any space.

Erin: Books personalize a room.

Their plan for life after TV stardom

Erin: When the show is over, Im going to design books.

Ben: Im going to work in my woodshop.

Their home renovation heroes

Ben: The guys on This Old House. I love watching their show, because theyre a bunch of awkward old men who are just like the guys in our crew. Theyre just good at what they do.

Erin: Gil Schafer is my absolute favorite. Hes an architect who works a lot with Rita Konig, whos an interior designer.

Related:Hometown Heroes: 50 Amazing Americans from Every State

Celebrity interviews, recipes and health tips delivered to yourinbox.

Read the rest here:
Erin and Ben Napier Give Us a Peek Behind the Scenes of HGTV's Home Town Season 4 - Parade

MOUNT AYR - Dan Thomas of Mount Ayr and owner of the Sigler General Store and Bank of Mount Ayr building on Chicago Street, received a private donation of $1,000 from Chief Warrant Officer Barry Elliott, U.S. Coast Guard, retired, and the heir of the Helen Rae Elliott Kraud Trust.

Thomas has been restoring the 1890s building since the 1980s and made Mount Ayr his home since retiring from Crown Point a few years ago.

Elliott, who lives in Connecticut, spent summers in Mount Ayr with his grandparents (Red and Lucy Elliott) during his childhood.

I have great memories of Mount Ayr and want to help to continue to save this landmark for the town said Elliott.

Thomas was presented the check at a small fundraising dinner held at the store last Saturday night (Jan. 11).

I am so humbled by this very generous donation," said Thomas. "It really helps defray the continually increased costs to maintain and heat this old building.

Mount Ayr resident Howard Marshall, who presented the check and organized the fundraiser, said It is a miracle that Mr. Thomas happened through town one day in the 80s, saw this old building in terrible disrepair, and decided to invest and restore it. Although not a 'not for profit', people dont usually buy property in Mount Ayr as an investment. It is the single, most significant building we have. We, as a community need to support this gem in any way we can.

Thomas has been assisted by Billy Pappas, Assistant Curator, whom has been a leading force in the buildings restoration and upkeep.

Read this article:
Mount Ayr investor receives private donation for restoration of the Sigler General Store and Bank of Mount Ayr building - Rantoul Press

The Carson Water Subconservancy District selected Richard Wilkinson to receive the 2020 Andy Aldax Carson River Watershed Award for Exemplary Service in Conservation and Protection of the Carson River Watershed. The award, created in 2007, recognizes individuals or organizations that actively demonstrate a 10-plus year commitment and accomplish plans and projects to improve and sustain the Carson River Watershed.

Wilkinson is an environmental resource sciences specialist. Through his positions at the Carson Valley Conservation District, Dayton Valley Conservation District and Carson City, he has worked on numerous projects in the Carson River Watershed. Wilkinson takes it upon himself to provide exceptional support and service to landowners, the general public, and everyone he meets. He discerns quickly their individual needs and moves efficiently to provide key information to projects and natural resource issues.

Wilkinson was raised in the Carson River Basin and remains within the community today. After receiving his degree in Environmental Resource Sciences from UNR, he went to work doing what he loves. While his adventures took him to the east side of the state, it wasnt long before he was back home in the Carson River Basin. During his time with the Dayton Valley Conservation District, he was responsible for several streambank restoration projects. Now, he finds himself at the Carson Valley Conservation District working tirelessly to restore streambanks in the Carson Valley area. Wilkinson believes in creating a river that can change freely without doing irreparable damage to those who live along the river. His philosophy doesnt end there; Wilkinson is known for getting projects competed in a timely manner with minimal negative effects. His river restoration projects are so successful that many would never know that the area was once in need of severe ecological restoration.

Fondly known as the go-to for most things within the Carson Valley Conservation District, Wilkinson receives countless calls daily from government entities and private landowners calling upon his experience and knowledge for conservation information and advice. He is devoted to protecting the agricultural infrastructure and natural resources of the unique watershed that he calls home.

The award will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 15 in the Bonanza Room of the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St. (Hwy. 50), Carson City. All are welcome. For more information, contact Catrina Schambra at 775-887-7450.

Read more here:
Wilkinson receives 2020 Aldax award - The Record-Courier

Vermont Business MagazineThe USEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced more than $230,000 in grants to the state of Vermont for state-led programs and projects that will protect, manage and restore wetlands across the state. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) received $190,944 in grants and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department received $45,000. EPA expects to award a second round of these grants in the same amounts later this year.

The funds were provided through EPAs Wetland Program Development Grant program, which enables state, local and tribal governments to conduct a range of projects that promote research and pollution reduction efforts related to wetlands. In 2019, EPA awarded $1,323,000 in Wetland Program Development Grant funds across the six New England states.

Wetlands provide a range of important benefits to ecosystems and local communities across New England, including critical habitat for various species of wildlife and natural buffers against flooding,said EPA New England Regional Administrator Dennis Deziel.These grants exemplify EPAs commitment to helping our state and local partners further their wetlands research and protection programs that will have lasting impacts for decades to come.

Protecting wetlands provides two essential services for our communities, enhancing community resilience by absorbing and slowing floodwaters and improving the water quality of our lakes and rivers by retaining sediment and nutrients. We are grateful for the EPAs partnership and funding to assist our efforts in the Otter Creek Basin which is an important ecological resource and home to thousands of Vermonters,said Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Emily Boedecker.

Everett Marshall with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department saidthat the EPA funding will allow for the identification of wetlands with significant ecological features that deserve a higher level of protection through the Vermont Wetland Rules.

Information on the funded projects:

Vermont DECreceived funding for projects on mapping the wetlands of the Otter Creek Basin and work to restore wetlands and strengthen the states understanding of wetland protections and conditions.The mapping project will result in improved wetland mapping for the State of Vermont in Addison and Rutland Counties. The Otter Creek sub-basin suffers from phosphorus pollution stemming primarily from agriculture and understanding the spatial extent of wetlands in the basin is crucial to managing water quality. The main tasks are to produce high resolution mapping of the Otter Creek sub-basin, review the accuracy of the mapping, and create outreach materials for local municipalities. The updated maps will be used to improve conservation and restoration models in the Lake Champlain basin.

The wetlands restoration project will improve the quality and quantity of Vermont wetlands by increasing wetland restoration efforts and their success on previous disturbed sites. The work will focus on seeking wetland restoration sites with the highest potential for phosphorus removal.

Efforts to strengthen the states understanding of wetland protections and wetland conditions will advance the science of wetland monitoring and assess the condition of Vermont's wetlands at a local and national scale. Vermont DEC will complete intensive ecological and water quality monitoring assessments of sites and specific basins and conduct a national aquatic wetland resource survey. The work involves statewide monitoring of wetland water quality, flora, soils, functions, and spatial extent on a basin by basin basis; and evaluating wetland restoration activities to document before and after functions and characteristics of sites to inform future efforts.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Departmentreceived funding to inventory, monitor and map rare, threatened and endangered wetland plant and natural communities in Vermont. This project will improve the protection of rare plants and significant natural communities through the Vermont wetland rules by integrating a rare plant and natural community inventory, conducting monitoring and sharing data with the Vermont wetlands program.

For more information on the Wetland Program Development Grants, visit:https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/wetland-program-development-grants-and-epa-wetlands-grant-coordinators.

Source:MONTPELIER, Vt. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1.17.2020

See the original post:
EPA providing more than $230000 to Vermont for wetlands projects - Vermont Biz

[Image from CanStockPhoto]

However, at 7:25 a.m., Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services posted, This morning PG&E confirmed that Humboldt County lost power due to transmission lines being impacted by winter weather. PG&E has stated that restoration work has already begun and that most of Humboldt County should regain power by mid-late morning.

We will update as more information comes in.UPDATE 8:44 a.m.: According to PowerOutage.US, about 65,350 customers out of 81,516 in Humboldt County are without power. Nearby Trinity County is also affected with about 764 PG&E customers without power.

UPDATE 9:40 a.m.: According to Open Door Community Health Centers,

Open Door Community Health Center locations in Ferndale, Fortuna, Arcata, are operating under generator power and services are unaffected by the current power outage.

All but one of our Eureka health centers are operational and seeing patients as usual. Patients of Redwood Community Health Center are being seen at other nearby sites; patients should call (707) 443-4593 to confirm where they will be seen.

UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: According to Supervisor Estelle Fennell,

Three of the 4 transmissions lines supplying power to the entire county are down due to heavy snow load however PG&E is actively working to restore power and anticipates power restoration to the coast and metropolitan areas within a couple of hours.FYI, Please Note: areas of Southern Humboldt that were affected by yesterdays storm damage (downed trees etc.) will still have to wait until those issues have been repaired.

UPDATE 10:24 a.m.: PG&E is now backing away on their mid to late morning prediction on restoring power to most of Humboldt County according to a tweet by Senator Mike McGuire. He tweeted, [PG&E] is now reporting that full restoration of the Humboldt power outage will take place this afternoon.

Just a couple minutes before that, Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services tweeted, Power is returning to many Humboldt County residents. PG&E has advised us that there could be additional power impacts due to continuing winter conditions. During the winter, residents should be prepared for sudden power loss and other impacts caused by wind and snow.

UPDATE 10:34 a.m.: According to PowerOutage.US, now just under 50,000 customers are without power. This means about 15,000 customers have had power restored in the last two hours.

UPDATE 12:16 p.m.: According to a PG&E spokesperson, Deanna Contreras,

The safety of our customers, crews and communities is our most important responsibility. PG&E crews are working safely and as quickly as possible to assess the transmission outage impacting approximately 67,000 customers in Humboldt County today, Friday, Jan. 17.

As of 11:00 a.m., about 31,000 customers had been restored, leaving about 36,000 out of power.

PG&E has multiple transmission, distribution and substation crews working on the restoration. PG&E will be flying helicopters this morning to do aerial inspections of transmission lines. At this time, we do not have an estimated time of restoration.

The Humboldt area has experienced severe weather conditions this week, including heavy snowfall. Snow is 6- to 7-feet deep in some locations, plus there is fog this morning.

Some crews are utilizing Sno-Cat to reach equipment in that needs to be repaired in difficult to access conditions. As a result of these outages, CAISO has issued a Transmission Emergency notice for Northern California from 6 a.m. until midnight.

This is the lowest emergency level. It is declared for any event threatening or limiting transmission grid capability, including line or transformer overloads or loss. (The California Independent System Operator runs the grid in California.)

We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work to restore power.

UPDATE 12:38 p.m.: PG&EsDeanna Contreras just issued another update:

As of 12:30, there are about 25,000 customers out of power. PG&E has multiple transmission, distribution and substation crews working on the restoration. PG&E has dispatched crews from Marin, Napa and Sonoma Counties to help with the restoration. PG&E has begun flying helicopters this morning to do aerial inspections of transmission lines.

At this time, we do not have an estimated time of restoration.

The Humboldt area has experienced severe weather conditions this week, including heavy snowfall. PG&E meteorologists report a wind gust of 60 mph in one location with gusts of 30-40 mph in many areas. The storm produced several feet of new snow in some areas, and PG&E crews have found the snowpack to be 6- to 7-feet deep in some locations.

The snow level was down to 1,000 feet at times. Most locations above 2,000 feet, and in some places even lower in elevation, saw accumulating snow.

Some crews are utilizing Sno-Cat to reach equipment that needs to be repaired in difficult to access locations. As a result of these outages, CAISO has issued a Transmission Emergency notice for Northern California from 6 a.m. until midnight. This is the lowest emergency level. It is declared for any event threatening or limiting transmission grid capability, including line or transformer overloads or loss. (The California Independent System Operator runs the grid in California.)

We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work to restore power.

UPDATE 2:21 p.m.: PG&E spokesperson Deanna Contreras wrote, As of 2 p.m., there about fewer than 5,000 customers in Humboldt County out of power. There are currently about 1100 customers in Leggett and Laytonville (Mendocino County) who are without power due to outages that started yesterday.Restoration work will continue this afternoon and into the evening. The winter storm caused multiple incidents of damage include a broken pole, a damaged transmission tower and downed wires.

Read more:
[UPDATE 12: 38 pm: PG&E Says About 25,000 Without Power Now] Power Likely to Be Restored by Mid to Late Morning, PG&E Told OES - Redheaded Blackbelt