I wonder if the hymn writer, Maltbie Babcock, ever visited Gold Hill. His well-known hymn, “This is My Father’s World,” speaks of the beauty of the Lord’s creation found in nature. As the words of the hymn declare: “All nature sings and round me rings/The music of the spheres …”

Here in Gold Hill, I am immersed in the chorus of “nature singing,” as Babcock described it. The sound of the great blue heron gliding effortlessly to the pond, the constant buzz of the bees swarming around my garden and the whistling calls of the ospreys flying overhead compose the music surrounding my home.  On rare occasions, I witness the magnificent bald eagle, with his white crown, on his first flight of the day. Each of these creatures has “declared their Maker’s praise.” 

It grieves me deeply to learn that a 560-acre “solar farm” has been proposed to be built in Gold Hill. It will destroy the habitat of these magnificent native birds. What will Gold Hill gain from a “solar farm?” If wildlife habitat continues to be destroyed, will the bald eagle be considered once again an “endangered species” as it first was in 1978? Already the honey bee population is in great decline in North Carolina, and ultimately that decline affects the presence of food on our tables. How much will be gained by the enormous pressure to cover the rural areas of the Piedmont in North Carolina with solar panels? 

I urge the residents of Gold Hill and Rowan County to stop and listen to “nature singing” and respect these fragile voices of nature. Respect their habitats and the truths they teach you about the maker and his world. Protect these quiet voices before they are gone.

Marjorie Ritchie

Gold Hill