Vol. 1 (1992): North Carolina Geographer

Welcome to this the premier issue of The North Carolina Geographer. The members of the sponsoring organization, the North Carolina Geographical Society, wish with this journal to provide a forum for those in our state and elsewhere, who are interested in writing and in learning about its complex and enticing geography.We feel that our initial issue is representative of the broad perspectives that geographers can bring to bear in support of a popular interest in better understanding the character, problems, and prospects of North Carolina.

Our lead article deals with local and regional ramifications of the scourge of our time, the HIV syndrome and the AIDS epidemic - it is with us and it is not going to go away in the near future! This article by two geographers from UNC-Charlotte, Gerald F. Pyle and Owen J. Furuseth, happens to also be a fine example of applied medical geography. An article on the Haw River Valley illustrates the keen interest that we in geography have in sensing and in depicting the interweaving of physical and cultural environments as our local landscapes evolve. The people-land theme is here well set in its appropriate historic evolutionary frame by three geographers from UNC-Chapel Hill, Kevin J. Patrick, Phil H. Page and Bill Welch. They incidentally provide an excellent example and set of guidelines for school teachers at all levels to follow in leading their students in a comprehensive field experience, the absolutely best way for young people to gain an appreciation of their local geography. (Students should help in designing the experience).

D. Gordon Bennett of UNC-Greensboro leads us in an investigation of a fairly recent social geography phenomenon for our state, the inmigration of retirees. This is a feature of not only the coastal counties, since some mountain and Sand Hills counties are experiencing it as well, but our author uses well the examples of Brunswick and Carteret counties to show how this special population impacts our local environments and benefits their economies. How critical it is for our local communities to plan well for these arrivals in providing appropriate service facilities and amenities, and in ensuring the preservation of environments that are attracting the influx of retires. And in response to the question of how we may in fact aid these smaller and in many cases, predominantly rural communities to plan for their futures, Garry Cooper of Appalachian suggests that the use of a group of planning students, in consultation with local planners and decisionmakers, is the answer. Planning continues to be a critical component of the geographic perspective that takes us along the continuum from understanding the nature of our physical environment and cultural landscape behaviors, to the implementation of those decisions that enhance our total environment and local communities for future generations. A contribution to political/electoral geography is made by Jerry Ingalls and Jamie L. Strickland of UNC-Charlotte in their analysis of the two most recent Jesse Helms senatorial victories in North Carolina. At issue is the degree to which Senator Helms' victories varied in their geographic dimension when the results against two somewhat different democratic opponents, Jim Hunt in 1986 and Harvey Gantt in 1990, are compared. Then Thomas E. Ross of Pembroke State looks at opportunities for economic development in a part of our state not otherwise well known for its potential for economic growth. In this example of economic geography the case in point is aquaculture, or fish farming, an industry very much in a growth mode. His study suggests that a spark ignited by a new invention or approach may demonstrate an unexpected capacity of a region to develop. What other options exist for those economically lagging regions of our state?

Two progress reports complement these studies of North Carolina's geography. William Imperatore of Appalachian and Douglas Wilms of East Carolina are the state co-coordinators of the North Carolina Geographic Alliance. They present here a capsule history of the extraordinary success this organization has had in promoting geographic education since its founding as one of the initial members of the National Geographic Society's Geographic Education Alliance Network in 1986. One critical aspect of the
historic contribution of geographers to science and societal welfare is in cartography, the art and craft of map making. We hope in each issue of the journal to highlight new approaches to the use of maps as
tools of communication and analysis. On our cover for this issue we are demonstrating the use of geographic information systems in dealing with the complex data sets needed for the application of the
new North Carolina watershed management requirements. Art Rex of Appalachian describes how this four-color cover exemplifies the utility of GIS in this important land use management need.

The North Carolina Geographer seeks to present current findings of academic and applied geographers, and of others who feel that their work and interest is in some way defined within the broad spectrum of this field. But we are committed to the pursuit of presenting exclusively subject matter that reflects or has a direct bearing on North Carolina conditions, past, present and future; this avowedly is a state geographic journal. Any and all are invited to submit materials of interest to a readership that we expect to range from academicians, to planners and local and state decisionmakers,to school teachers, and to any member of the public at large who find fascination with the intricacies of our state's multidimensional geography. Submitters of materials proposed to be published herein should know that research articles are refereed by peers prior to acceptance for publication. Though this issue characterizes the style adopted by this journal, all prospective authors should request detailed guidelines from the Editor. All articles should be received by the Editor prior to January 31st of the year of publication. Present plans call for the publication of The North Carolina Geographer on an annual basis as the journal of the North Carolina Geographical Society. The journal is free to the members of the Society; others may request annual subscriptions at a cost of $7.50, including handling and postage. All interested are urged to join the Society as the probable least cost method of not only obtaining this journal, but also of being more directly involved in contributing to the welfare of geography in North Carolina. The Society wishes herewith to express heartfelt appreciation to those who have donated freely of their time in insuring the appearance of this initial issue. Especially must be mentioned the efforts of the Editorial Assistant, Dai Cui, a graduate student in Appalachian's Geography and Planning Department. In addition to also being the home of the Editor this department provided needed facilities, equipment, and secretarial support in addition to covering many costs incidental to publication. A number of faculty, notably Neal Lineback, H. Daniel Stillwell, and Art Rex, as well as Doug Eyre of UNC-Chapel Hill, provided editorial support and encouragement. In financing this publication it is primarily the members of the
North Carolina Geographical Society and its Executive Committee who are responsible. But additional financial support was gratefully received from the North Carolina Geographic Alliance, the Environmental System Research Institute, Inc., and members of the Department of Geography of UNC-Chapel Hill. The promotinal work of Doug Wilms, Art Rex, and Tink Moore (UNC-Charlotte) in obtaining the needed finances is especially appreciated.