Greenfield Lake Park and other troubled waters

Last Sunday I spent the day at Greenfield Lake Park in Wilmington.
I walked the four-mile path around the lake. Saw squirrels and turtles, lots of birds, and a family of ducks. Some of the turtles were swimming among the slimy green muck that is in the lake.


After my hike, I saw people gathered around and went to check it out... A Free Market - like a flea market but Free. Really. I had a basket of things I wanted to pass on to other people accumulated in the motorhome, so I set out a blanket and joined the fun. Found new homes for all my discards and took home a few new-to-me items I'm glad to have.
Then after lunch and a short rainstorm, I went canoing. I've been wanting to do that all the time we worked in this area. It's a pleasant lake to canoe - you can explore among the cypress trees growing in the lake.
Try to stay off the green slime, though - it will hold you in one place better than an anchor would.
One local person told me the slime was a bacteria that multiplies every 20 minutes. Water quality websites refer to it as algae. This link takes you to the City of Wilmington's pamphlet on the subject. The green slime is a sign of a troubled waterway, evidence that the runoff from the city surrounding the lake does serious damage to the water quality.

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Speaking of water quality, swamps and marshland, to the south of 74/76, and on both sides of business 74/76 east of Whiteville NC, the trees have been laid waste. Every time I drive that way, I wonder just what happened here and why. The land is marsh. Even during the drought that was obvious. I wouldn't think it would be prime development land. There are no "coming soon" signs. My friend who lives there doesn't know either, and she is pretty well informed about what's going on in her town.