Summer 2010 - MountainTrue

Non-Profit
Organization
US Postage
PAID
Permit #217
Asheville, NC
Suite 610
29 N Market Street
Asheville NC 28801
Phone: (828) 258-8737
Fax: (828) 258-9141
www.wnca.org
Protecting Western North Carolinaʼs mountains, rivers, and forests
Meetings & Task Forces
Western Office: 16 Stewart Street
Franklin NC 28734
Phone: (828) 524-3899
Fax: (828) 349-1549
●CHAPTER MEETINGS●
Issue 87 Volume XXVIII Number 2 ● SUMMER 2010
Save the French Broad!
By Hartwell Carson
Buncombe County Chapter
Third Tuesday of each month
6:30 pm at the main office
Contact (585) 944-9574;
[email protected]
Haywood Community Alliance
Contact (828) 258-8737;
[email protected]
STAFF
Macon County Chapter
Contact (828) 524-2280;
[email protected]
Julie Mayfield Executive Director
Bob Gale Ecologist
Ryan Griffith Community Outreach Manager
Hartwell Carson French Broad Riverkeeper
Elle Henderson AmeriCorps/VISTA Volunteer
Lori Wilkins AmeriCorps Project Conserve
Save Madison Chapter
Contact (828) 778-1286;
[email protected]
Watauga River Conservation
Partners (Avery, Ashe, and Watauga
Counties)
Contact (828) 264-3061;
[email protected]
STEERING COMMITTEE
Phillip Gibson Chair
Linda Tatsapaugh First Vice-Chair
Tim Malone Second Vice-Chair
Greg Kidd Secretary
Edward Pritchett Treasurer
Bill Crawford Macon County Chapter
Tom Lowe Haywood Community Alliance
Matt Raker Buncombe County Chapter
Stan Schnitzer Buncombe County At-Large
Julie White Forest Task Force
2010 MAJOR SUPPORTERS
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Brad Stanback and Shelli Lodge-Stanback
Clear Channel Asheville and its Family of
Stations
Community Foundation of Western North
Carolina
Estate of Claude and Maxilla Evans
Liberty National
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
Tusquittee Chapter (Cherokee, Clay,
and Graham Counties)
Contact (828) 835-8473;
[email protected]
Contact us for sponsorship information!
Join WNCA Now!
Membership levels:
___$30 Individual
___$50 Household
___$60 Supporting/Business
___$100 Sponsoring
MAJOR DONOR:
___$250
___$500
___$1000
$_____Other Amount
I’d like to give
through:
☐ Gift of Stock
☐ Vehicle Donation
☐ Scheduled giving
via credit card
NAME:__________________________________________________________
(IF PAYING BY CREDIT CARD, PLEASE GIVE THE NAME AS WRITTEN ON THE CARD)
ADDRESS: ____________________________ CITY/ZIP:___________________
EMAIL:_______________________________________________
(USING EMAIL SAVES TREES AND IS OUR MAIN COMMUNICATION TOOL PLEASE INCLUDE IT!)
Member of the Waterkeeper Alliance
PHONE:________________________________ COUNTY:__________________
☐VISA
☐ MASTERCARD __________________________________________
EXPIRATION DATE:___/____ SIGNATURE _______________________________
Clip and mail to: WNCA, Suite 610, 29 N. Market St, Asheville, NC 28801
www.wnca.org
Tuckaseegee Community Alliance
(Jackson County)
Contact (828) 506-9163;
[email protected]
A Swain County Chapter is forming!
Contact (828) 777-4683;
[email protected] if you are
interested in joining!
This yearʼs Save the French Broad campaign and
float trip was a huge success! We raised over
$10,000 that will go toward monitoring and
cleaning up the pollution sources on the French
Broad River. Greenlife Grocery raised over $2,500
on their own! Our 11 day float trip was an amazing
experience with over 125 people joining us for
parts of the trip from Rosman, NC into Tennessee.
We camped along the beautiful banks of the river,
enjoyed swimming, rope swings, sunsets, cold
Sweetwater beer, and lots of great paddling. We
also took water quality samples and picked up
Paddle trip participants before the launch of the
2010 Save the French Broad Paddle Trip at
Headwaters Outfitters in Rosman, NC.
trash along the way. Twelve bars, restaurants,
and businesses joined us to race rafts down
the whitewater section of the river. The combo
team of Brixx and MoDaddys won first prize in
under 45 minutes.
Thanks to all our sponsors. We could not have
done this without you! Sweetwater Brewery,
Clear Channel Radio, Huck Finn Rafting,
Liberty National Life Insurance, Greenlife
Grocery, Diamond Brand Outdoors, Parsec
Financial, and the Grove Park Inn.
Former board member John Baker, Community
Organizer Ryan Griffith, and Ray Jones
paddle down the French Broad River.
Stay tuned so you donʼt miss the fun next year.
Visit www.savethefrenchbroad.com to view trip
photos, read our blog, and sign up for 2011! ■
●TASK FORCES●
Forest Task Force
Last Tuesday of every month
4:00 pm at the main office
Contact Bob (828) 258-8737;
[email protected]
Public Parks Task Force
Contact Bob at (828) 258-8737;
[email protected]
●COMMITTEE MEETINGS●
Steering Committee
1st Wednesday of every other month
Contact Ryan at (828) 258-8737;
[email protected]
Participants Roy Osborn and Chris Judge, who
both paddled all 11 days of the trip, enjoy beer
from Sweetwater, one of our awesome sponsors!
Photos courtesy of Ryan Griffith
Participant Nick Nicholson rescues Junebug, the
Riverkeeperʼs trusty sidekick, from the perils of the
French Broad River!
WNCA ● 2
Motivating
Communities
Outside of a Crisis
Protecting Western North Carolinaʼs mountains, rivers, and forests
From the Executive Director
By Moriah Tucker
By Julie Mayfield
If youʼve ever watched water boil, you
know that at first it looks like nothing is
happening. Then, suddenly, small
bubbles appear and soon the water is
in a frenzied boil. Communities can
sometimes be like water on the stove.
It may appear that nothing is going on,
but everyone has opinions on the
issues they find important. Individuals
then meet with other community
members who share similar ideas.
Then groups come together and the
community is boiling! This level of
community activity is usually in
response to a crisis. Many outcomes
can be achieved when people are
passionate about a subject; but when
there is no pressing issue, how do
communities stay active and involved?
Hello friends! The winds of change continue to blow here at WNCA as we welcome a
new Americorps volunteer, Lori Wilkins. Lori will fill a new position at WNCA focused on
engaging members and the public in our work through outdoor adventures. Lori will plan
and lead a variety of trips throughout the region – from half-day to overnight trips, from
paddling to hiking to touring farms and other interesting places. If you have a trip youʼd
like to take, just let Lori know!
Though it can sometimes seem like
the stove has been turned off and the
water has gotten cold, there are ways
to keep things at a simmer. Continue
attracting new people by getting to
know them and finding out what
interests them. Focus less on
gathering large numbers of people and
more on learning the skills and
knowledge individuals have to share.
You might also gather your community
to do something positive, such as
clean up a park or construct a hiking
trail. These events are much more
appealing to community members who
may like what you do but do not want
to be involved in controversies.
The most important thing to remember
is that just as one excited water
molecule canʼt make water boil, one
passionate person cannot cause as
much change as a group. One goal of
community organizing is to help
individuals meet and work with other
like-minded individuals who will
become a group of people with a great
deal of power. Keep people engaged
and communicating and change will
inevitably occur! ■
www.wnca.org
Another change afoot is our pending move to a new office in downtown Asheville. Our
growth this year means weʼre out of room, so we are looking for new space along with
the Southern Environmental Law Center (which is also expanding). Look for a new
return address soon and an invitation to an office open house.
We had a very successful annual meeting in August, where we presented Ned Ryan
Doyle with the annual Esther Cunningham
Award. Ned has served as an important voice for
the environment in Western North Carolina for
the past 30 years. Thank you Ned for all of your
hard work!
Finally, Iʼd like to say thank you and farewell to
our summer interns: Moriah Tucker from Warren
Wilson, Ben Castellon from Duke, and Chris
Intern Moriah Tucker, member Roy Osborn, Connelly from Roger Williams University School
and Executive Director Julie Mayfield
of Law. We loved having you! ■
before the launch of the paddle trip.
WNCA ● 3
Chapter News
Buncombe County Chapter
• Working on proposed changes to
Buncombe County Subdivision
Ordinance and planning comments for
the County Commissionerʼs Meeting
on Oct. 5
Save Madison Chapter
• Currently working on a Transition Town
movement to a more sustainable
community.
Macon County Chapter
• Hosting a nature walks series and
working on the proposed Needmore
Road paring.
Tuckasegee Community Alliance
• Founding a Transition Town Movement
in Jackson County.
Article continued on page 3.
By Bob Gale
This year WNCA has had the opportunity to lead two Stimulus
Package-funded projects involving invasive exotic plant control.
From March through June, we coordinated a project at the Carolina
Mountain Land Conservancyʼs (CMLC) Ochlawaha Bog in
Henderson County. The Bog is a remnant of the extensive network
of mountain wetlands that existed prior to the regionʼs settlement
and farming era. The land had been diked off from Mud Creek and
ditched around its perimeter to drain an agricultural field. The
property is also home to a rare species called Bunched Arrowhead
Cheoah River ARRA sign
which has barely survived through the decades of alterations. The
project goal is to restore the historic bog and increase the chances for the arrowheadʼs long
term viability.
Before the restoration activities could begin, however, dense monocultures of various invasive
exotic species that have colonized the dike and ditches had to be treated. The U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service provided funding under the American Resource and Recovery Act (ARRA) to
CMLC, which awarded the project bid to WNCA. Project supervisor Lauren Reker and I trained
volunteers who helped treat about 95% of the invasive weeds through the spring and summer.
Targeted species included Japanese Honeysuckle, Multiflora Rose, Privet, Chinese
Silvergrass, English Ivy, Japanese Spirea, Oriental Bittersweet, and an escaped Japanese
Public Parks Task Force
Holly shrub. The land is scheduled to be turned over to the state for permanent protection, and
• Working with Chimney Rock State Park
future control efforts will need to be continued by the managing agency. We are pleased to
to inventory invasive plants.
have left the property in a much improved condition as this transition begins.
Quarry article continued from page 2.
By Ryan Griffith
The Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (NC DENR) granted a request for
a public hearing on June 16, 2010 due to the
groupʼs unrelenting efforts to keep the quarry
issue in the limelight. Since that time, the
quarry has been issued a Notice of Violation
for existing erosion control violations that were
West Waynesville Evironmental Protection
documented by Hartwell Carson, the French
Group/Haywood Community Alliance members
Broad Riverkeeper.
prepare to take on the quarry.
WNCA Partners With US Forest Service
to Mitigate Invasive Exotic Species
Forest Task Force
• Attended Forest Serviceʼs Restoration
Steering Committee site visit to the
Brushy Ridge Timber Project where
FTF has been pushing to restore pine
plantations to more natural conditions.
When the Walls Come Tumbling...
The Haywood Community Alliance (HCA) has seen a flurry of activity since the beginning
of the summer due to a landslide inside the quarry that narrowly avoided quarry workers
owned by APAC-Harrison Construction Company. The slide prompted the company to
request an expansion of its current permit to mitigate the damage. HCA, along with the
West Waynesville Environmental Protection Group, are fighting this expansion, and
WWEPG now works as a very focused subcommittee of the HCA. Bi-weekly, and
sometimes weekly, meetings are scheduled to
assign tasks, coordinate public opposition,
and spearhead education campaigns.
Protecting Western North Carolinaʼs mountains, rivers, and forests
Members of the HCA look over a map
highlighting homes of residents who have
died due to air quality related illnesses.
NC DENR also issued a formal
request to the company asking for
better information on their current
practices. Due to the mineʼs current
detestable practices, this is a big
victory for HCA/WWEPG!
The group is now waiting to see
APAC-Harrisonʼs response to
DENR and, in the meantime,
continues to discuss other options
with WNCA and the Southern
Environmental Law Center. Stay
tuned for more updates! ■
www.wnca.org
WNCA has also just resumed its second year of work on the U.S. Forest Serviceʼs Cheoah
River project, an ARRA project to control invasive plants along 9 miles of the river from Lake
Santeetlah dam to Cheoah Lake. The original project was to run to 2012, but the Forest
Service secured additional funding to expand the acreage of controlled areas so we will be
working through 2014. Our appreciation goes to Lauren, who returned as a supervisor this
year, and to the crew of 10 members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. We also
welcome Mary Schultz as the second project supervisor. Lauren and Mary began work in late
July, and the project will continue until mid-October. ■
Ned Ryan Doyle Receives Esther
Cunningham Award
A big congratulations to Ned Ryan Doyle for winning this
year's Esther Cunningham Award! As a 30-year
environmental and sustainable energy activist, educator,
writer, radio host, former WNCA steering committee
member, and founder of the Southern Environment and
Energy Expo, Ned is more than deserving of this
recognition. We were also pleased to be able to present
the award to him at the 10th annual SEE Expo. Ned Ryan
Doyle has also served as the Director of Programs at the
original Mother Earth News Eco Village Research Center
in Transylvania County and is the founder of the SEE Expo
as well as the Rational Earth Actionʼs Learning Institute,
2009 winner Norma Ivey presents Ned
Thank You (REALITY), a sustainable technologies
Ryan Doyle with the Esther
education center. He is also the host of Our Southern
Cunningham Award
Communities on the regional public radio station WNCW. ■
and a Cunningham afghan