for the curious

If Red-cockeded Woodpeckers don't have a lot of red feathers on their heads, then were does the name come from? The Brits. During the Revolutionary War, the term "cockeded" referred to a military status. Instead of stars, bars and stripes, soldiers were honored with a red feather they adorned on their hats. Later, when they saw the bird that we today call the Red-cockeded Woodpecker, members of the military said it appeared to have been cockeded - thus the name stuck.

Before pavement and concrete, roads were constructed of wooden planks. The longest plank road in North Carolina extended from Fayetteville to Winston-Salem.

Roads were typically built with slave labor. After workers cleared the land, they laid down long timbers - and then topped them planks, filling in the gaps with sand. Edges varied in length for a reason, making it easier to push a carriage wheel that had run off the road back up onto the planks.

A portion of a plank road can be seen at the Sandhills Heritage Center on Chapel Hill Road in Spring Lake, North Carolina. Each year, the facility offers the public re-enactments of some elements of the slave period - such as worship. Beginning in May, a farmers market will feature locally grown fruits and vegetables, handmade craftwork and local entertainers.

For more information, contact the Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau at http://www.visitfayettevillenc.com.

Like to hunt and fish? You can do so on base - and not even be in the military. For a $25 a year, you can hunt and fish - for deer, rabbit, squirrel, bass, bream, catfish - and the list goes on.

Occasionally you'll see forests on fire - and there's a reason. The military burns some 60,000 acres annually to help restore the woodpecker's habitat, reduce the potential for forest fires and to help maintain the diversity of our wildlife.