By: Jack McDuffie
Award winning photojournalist and author Ben Casey was the featured speaker in a program presented by the Bladen Community College Writers Series on Monday. His program focused on what he calls “his passion,” North Carolina’s coastal waterways and telling others about them.
He began his presentation by explaining that the art of effective writing begins with effective listening. Using an encounter from his past, he pointed out that a writer must listen and learn to effectively convey a thought to his or her audience.
After transitioning into the river systems, he explained how he had become intrigued with the state’s natural waterways as a youth growing up near the mouth of the Neuse River in Pamlico County and how the river system had helped shape his views on the importance of conservation activities.
“I grew up along the Neuse River and I have always been enthralled by that body of water,” he said. “Our natural waterways and the desire to be a photojournalist have blended in my circulatory system. My circulatory system feeding oxygen to my brain leaves me wanting to tell others about them (the waterways) every chance I can.
“Consequently, I write out of a passion for my subject, and I try–I will emphasize try— to ask questions, and most importantly of all, listen, before I write,” he said.
After explaining that he had not originally planned to pursue a career as a photojournalist but as an educator, he told of how he soon became a professional photographer after working in education for a few years. He told of how his love of coastal water ultimately led him back to his roots in Pamlico County to pursue full-time what he realized was his passion (photojournalism). He spent much of the remainder of his presentation talking about a canoe trip down the Neuse River that led to his first book, All in One River: Falls Dam to Pamlico Sound, Interviewing the Neuse River (2002).
Using a documentary film taken by WRAL-TV during his canoe trip from Falls Dam to the mouth of the Neuse River, he told of his experiences while on the trip. He told of the nuances of the river from its headwaters to the coast and how the ecosystems of the river varied along the way.
Casey explained the importance of maintaining the “health” of the river and how erosion threatened the river and its ecosystems. He pointed out the importance of employing “a balanced approach” to address problems associated with conservation. He pointed out that though agriculture is often blamed for runoff pollution in rivers and streams, downstream water testing has proven that urban areas actually cause more pollution from pesticides and excessive fertilization than do farms.
“Protecting rivers and creeks boils down to one simple fact, the rivers were not created to be garbage dumps, nor were they created to accept run-off from anything other than a natural landscape unmarred by man,” Casey said.
He concluded his program with a short slideshow of photos taken in and around the waters of the coastal waters.
This program was made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and by Bladen Community College.
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