CONTENTS: From the Editors April 27, 2016 Saluting those with their eyes wide The only local voice for news, arts, open. and culture. Editors-in-Chief: Just a Thought 4 One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, “What if I Brian Graham & Adam Welsh The powerful peace of quiet. had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?” – Rachel Carson Managing Editor: Cities Have Become the New Katie Chriest hese days, it’s not too uncommon to see bald eagles Contributing Editors: Laboratories of Success 7 in our area. But when most of us were growing up, Ben Speggen And if it wants to succeed, Erie Tsightings of those magnificent, iconic birds were Jim Wertz must experiment. extremely rare. The resurgence of bald eagles is “an Endangered Species Contributors: Act success story,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Lisa Austin, Civitas The Necessary Uselessness of Service. “Habitat protection afforded by the Endangered Mary Birdsong Poetry 8 Species Act, the federal government’s banning of DDT, Rick Filippi In defense of the ‘Pre Walmart and conservation actions taken by the American public Lisa Gensheimer have helped bald eagles make a remarkable recovery.” Gregory Greenleaf-Knepp major’ In 1962, marine biologist and ecologist Rachel Carson John Lindvay Harrisburg Happenings 8 published Silent Spring, the landmark book largely cred- Brianna Lyle ited with galvanizing the movement to ban DDT in 1972 Dan Schank Fair Funding Matters – though Carson never called for that explicitly. Tommy Shannon Carson’s conclusions survived the scrutiny of scientists and earned the attentive ear of President Kennedy. It Ryan Smith The Road to Presque Isle 11 also made Carson public enemy number one in the eyes Ti Summer A ‘monster park’ is built. of chemical companies and their lobbyists, who stood to Matt Swanseger lose a lot of power and profits. Even today, some seek to Sara Toth News of the Weird 12 undermine her credibility; and to misrepresent the dan- Bryan Toy Technology makes workers gers of DDT and other pesticides, despite acres of evi- Nick Warren obsolete, even in the world’s dence implicating them in numerous human and animal Senator Sean Wiley maladies. oldest profession. Cover Photo: Carson’s work was rigorous, and incorporated the great Brad Triana laboratory of nature. Born in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Beyond Groceries: Erie’s County, she’d grown up a keen observer of the natural Cover Design: Whole Foods Co-op 15 world, learning to note fluctuations and hypothesize Nick Warren A community-owned ‘third place’ causes of species loss or struggle. A similar style of observation and recording has been Photographers: for nearly 40 years Ed Bernik practiced locally for decades by Jerry McWilliams, on our Ryan Smith cover. “The number of hours logged by McWilliams is un- Caring for the Community One countable because he has been tallying waterfowl for 29 Brad Triana Bird at a Time 19 years and shorebirds, 30,” writes Mary Birdsong. “Every Publisher’s Assistant: hour of which is volunteered time. Emily Hanisek Jerry McWilliams has gifts to “This is a dedication rarely seen, and unfortunately, not Intern: give. celebrated nearly enough,” Birdsong continues. “Too of- ten we put all of our focus on people who run businesses, Angie Jeffery Spotlight on Erie 23 wear suits, own big houses. We point and say, ‘See, this 1001 State St. Suite 901 Here we are now. Entertain us. is success.’ I’m here to broaden the definition to include Erie, Pa., 16501 someone like McWilliams who has dedicated his life to Allison Miller’s Music is Alive wildlife conservation. His gifts to our community are [email protected] priceless and will last long into the future.” The Erie Reader is the only local voice for news, arts, and Ticking 27 As Birdsong’s profile of McWilliams demonstrates, he is and culture, and is Erie’s only independent, alternative exceptional. newspaper. Founded in 2010, the Reader has quickly And she’s bringing her ensemble become the region’s award-winning source for arts But he’s not alone. Our community is full of unsung he- coverage, a strong cultural compass, and a dynamic Boom Tic Boom to Mercyhurst. resource for news and opinion. With a dedication to roes whose quiet efforts today will impact us positively long-form journalism and a commitment to provoking for years to come, even if they aren’t climbing the ladder thoughtful discussion, the Reader tells the stories of ‘Let’s Give Them Something to the people and places making and shaping Erie, while to the typical American dream. highlighting the events and issues influencing life in Taco ‘bout’ 32 One way we try to shine a light on our younger local northwestern Pennsylvania. The Erie Reader is pub- visionaries is by inviting you to nominate them for our lished every other week and distributed at over 300 The YMCA Food and Fun Bus high-foot-traffic locations in Pennsylvania from North 40 Under 40 class. East to Girard to Edinboro. In addition to appearing in kicks off April 29th with Taco print, Erie Reader adds new content daily at ErieRead- If you’re reading this issue on or before May 1, there’s er.com as well social media sites. All rights reserved. Night. still time to nominate someone who deserves to be recog- All content © Flagship Multimedia, Inc, 1001 State St., Suite 901, Erie, Pa., 16501. No part of this publication nized. If you’ve missed the deadline this year, start mak- may be reproduced without permission. The opinions Erie / Faces / Erie 38 ing a list for next year. of our columnists and contributors are their own Help us to ensure that the many everyday heroes of our and do not always reflect that of the editorial board A look through photographer Ed or organization. Direct inquiries to 814.314.9364 or city get celebrated for the work they do, however they [email protected]. Bernik’s lens. share their gifts. April 27, 2016 ErieReader.com | Erie Reader | 3 NEWS & VIEWS Just a Thought The powerful peace of quiet. Swans drift placidly throughout Vrelo Bosne, adding to the overall tranquility of the park. borhood was wag- ing its own war on fertilized nature. Much like it is right now. The U.S. has its share of natural sounding places. SHELDON PETERSON But I wonder why we haven’t valued By: Katie Chriest quiet more around our own homes. Why we fail to make the connection t first, we couldn’t place the between excess noise and excess mysterious sound. It reminded stress. Aus of the whispery wingbeat In an interview in The Sun Magazine, of bald eagles as they swoop along acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton Lake Erie’s cliffs. Then, we saw work- says, “Our mental condition reflects men rhythmically swinging old-fash- our external environment. Most of us ioned scythes. We stood, mesmerized, live in cities, which are noisy, chaotic on a nearby wooden bridge, as swans places. As a result we tend to have a meandered unhurriedly below. lot of mental chatter, not all of it co- This is how they mow the lushly herent. When you go to a naturally verdant grass at park Vrelo Bosne, the quiet place, you’ll notice first how source of the Bosna River just out- physically loud you are – voice, foot- side of Sarajevo. A native of the city steps, food wrappers, Velcro, zippers explained to us that they prefer to – but then you’ll notice internal noise manage the park this way. It is more as well. After a day or a week you’ll ex- peaceful, he said. perience an internal shift … your ears Like so many Sarajevo tourists, we’d will attune themselves to your new arrived with two ingrained images of surroundings, and your mental chat- the place: the Olympics and the war. ter will quiet. You will recognize un- Both noisy, riotous, unsettled. necessary thoughts as just that – un- The war dominated nightly news necessary – and become acquainted during my high school years. I recall with the place you’re in rather than the brutal scenes and sounds of may- staying inside your head.” hem filling our living room while we So many moments are frittered ate our TV dinners: reports that told – away in fighting our own mental as usual – just one aspect of this beau- skirmishes. We may not all resort to tiful country’s complicated story. scything, but countless other choices If you’d have told me then that I’d could help us turn down the mecha- one day experience the sacred peace nized volume some, and reduce the of quiet in Bosnia and Herzegovina, noise in our heads. I’d never have believed you. But there If we could make peace in our minds, it was: on the outskirts of the capital we’d have a much better chance of city. making it in our streets. In our city. In We were soothed by the scything. our world. The accompanying murmur of gentle “That’s one of the greatest lessons conversation. That gorgeous, recover- I’ve learned from being in natural si- ing city surrounded by farms where lence,” summarizes Hempton, “that pitchforked haystacks mimic the we can begin to feel love for a place shape of the mountains beyond. and, through it, for everything.” When we returned to Erie, the air was a jarring cacophony of mowers, Katie Chriest can be contacted blowers, and edgers, as if our neigh- at [email protected]. 4 | Erie Reader | ErieReader.com April 27, 2016 DOWNLOAD.