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Letter from the Executive Director
Hello river lovers,
Happy New Year and start of a new decade!
We
are thrilled that in the New Year there will be even more focus on the
French Broad River and the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay. We have a new graphic
that describes our ideas about sustainability of the Wilma
Dykeman RiverWay that I hope you will take a look at. You know we view
the river as Teacher. You know that motto to "think globally and act
locally"? That is what we do every day in every project in our
watershed. The Wilma Dykeman RiverWay is just a microcosm of all the
issues. Since sustainability is one of those words everyone uses, I
wanted to start the New Year off by defining it as we view the Wilma
Dykeman RiverWay.
 | Click on the image to view a larger pdf file
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Have
you ever noticed how a word or phrase comes into vogue? It is
interesting how suddenly everyone is using a word rarely heard before to
describe just about any situation. "Sustainability" is one of those
words. It seems that everything is sustainable these days; from fruit to
new homes. Everyone uses the word-sustainable-but rarely defines it. I
was curious to see how people defined sustainability in our community.
One
old timer I spoke to defined sustainability as just a fancy way to
describe having common sense, "like having sense enough not to eat your
seed corn." A Native American elder I asked described it as "the ability
to defend your decisions as being in the best interest or at least not
harmful to the next seven generations." I liked both of these
definitions. What came out of these conversations was an understanding
that yes, both fruit and houses could be sustainable, but more
importantly-sustainable was not a single thing but a collection of
considerations working in harmony. Sustainability is a system.
Being
water-centric (French Broad watershed-centric in particular), I decided
to define -- literally and visually -- how RiverLink applies
sustainable practices to the river and the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay (WDR).
The
wheel above offers a visual reference as well as symbolizes the
importance of balance as it applies to sustainable practices. If the
tires on your car are out of balance, the areas of the tire handling the
majority of the workload wear out faster, shortening the life of the
tire. Therefore, balance is a very important component in RiverLink's
definition of sustainability. The wheel highlights four distinct areas
that comprise the WDR plan-Transportation, Economic Development,
Landscape, and Architecture. Each area is equally important to the
overall success and sustainability of the plan. (Plans can be read in
their entirely at riverlink.org).
The acronym BE THERE
stands for Balance, Economic Development, Transportation, Health &
Wellness and Housing, Environmental Safekeeping, Recreation, and
Education, and was developed to help show how RiverLink is working
sustainably to implement this plan. The WDR plan addresses each of these
areas and creates a sustainable future for our greatest natural
resource-the River. BE THERE describes a big part of RiverLink's mission too-we want you to BE THERE
on the river. The WDR plan is about the symphony of voices for the
river, and directing those voices to sing in harmony. By placing equal
importance on economic development, transportation, health,
housing and wellness, education, recreation, and the environment,
we have a balanced, long-term, and solution-based approach to living in
harmony with our natural environment.
The
WDR is intentionally about common sense and making decisions today that
won't harm the next seven generations. And it is about fruit and
houses, too-all balanced together and so wonderful, you will want to BE THERE! Have a Happy New Year on the River!
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Safety on the Roads; is it safe for our Streams?
Winter has
taken hold, providing us with beautiful landscapes such as that nice
white Christmas we had in WNC. Traditionally salt (NaCl - Sodium
chloride) and sand are used to melt snow and ice and provide traction on
our roads. Salt and sand are two vital elements to maintaining safety
on roads in the winter, but have you ever wondered where this salt and sand go, or what affects they have on the environment, infrastructure and vehicles? 
A majority
of the salt and sand mix with the ice melt or rain to become stormwater
and either drain directly, or the water drains through a system of
underground pipes (stormwater system) into our streams and rivers. Within
the waterways, salt increases conductivity of water, increases metal
toxicity and causes corrosion of concrete and metal. You
can see the salt and sand impacts the localized areas directly through
dying vegetation. Sand collects oils and other road and auto byproducts
which then get into the water system or clog storm drains.
The areas
of most concern in this area are the impacts on the infrastructure,
including your car due to increase in maintenance and additional wear on
the system. Although these effects are of concern,
in this area we do not typically have enough accumulation of salt and
sand to cause a significant effect on the local water quality.
Many
studies have been conducted understand the impacts of winter weather on
roads and the environment, with most of them showing no grave effects.
Yet it is
not enough to say that the salt and sand do not affect the environment,
especially in areas or much greater snow accumulation.Therefore, some
alternatives have been developed with predicted less impact.Calcium
magnesium acetate is one of these.It is used prior to snowfall. NCDOT
applied this compound in areas of concern before the expected snow on
Christmas.
For more information :
http://www.epa.gov/ne/topics/water/pdfs/winterfacts.pdf
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Three cool ways to support RiverLink
with beverages
Beer
Need something to "shake up" the Winter Blahs? Join us for the 4th Annual Winter Warmer Beer Festival on Saturday, January 22, 2011, from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
This year's Winter
Warmer will be at the Asheville Civic Center. We highly recommend
purchasing tickets in advance, as the last two years the event has sold  out.
This year's venue allows for more people to attend, but we have already
received many inquiries about this year's festival, so don't miss out
on this wonderful Winter Warmer! Road Trips for Beer,
a Web site devoted to beer festivals from across the country, named the
Winter Warmer one of its Top 10 Winter Beer Festivals for 2011.
Music will be provided by Brushfire Stankgrass and the Leigh Glass Band.
Tickets are
available for online purchase NOW! Purchased tickets prior to January
14th will be mailed, with any tickets purchased online from January
16-22 available at will call. To buy tickets online now, CLICK HERE.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to RiverLink.
Tickets are $38pp and will include a souvenir mug, samples during the event, and
food provided by Fiore's Ristorante Toscana.
For any additional information, or questions about this event, please send email to
info@ashevillebeerfest.com. Brewing
Participants from WNC include: French Broad Brewing Co., Highland
Brewing Co., Green Man Ales, Pisgah Brewing Co., Asheville Pizza &
Brewing Co., Heinzelmannchen Brewery, Appalachian Craft, Wedge, and
Craggie.
From the Piedmont & Durham area: Catawba Valley Brewing Co., Foothills, Duck-Rabbit, Triangle, and Big Boss.
Yazoo, from Nashville, TN, will be there, as will SweetWater from Atlanta, GA.
Hope to see you there with a mug in your hand!
Wine
Once again, The Wine Studio of Asheville is making RiverLink part of its Winesday program. Winesday is the Studio's wine tasting event every Wednesday
fr om
5-8pm. For $5, it is a chance for the wine lovers of Asheville to get
together, socialize, and try 5 new and exciting wines from around the
world. Each week a portion of the proceeds benefits a local non-profit.
In May, RiverLink is the lucky beneficiary. We'll have more information
about what we'll do in May and how you can help as the event approaches.
Coffee Given
that somewhere in Minnesota a village is missing its weather and it
seems to be sleeping on WNC's sofa right now, what could be better than a
cuppa hot gourmet coffee?
Blue Smoke Coffee
is a great product and a wonderful organization. They support many good
causes, including donating $1 to RiverLink for every bag of French
Broad French Roast sold. They're a proud member of 1% for the Planet, an alliance of  businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet. Blue Smoke also donates 5% of sales to environmental and humanitarian causes.
Every
pound of Blue Smoke is hand-roasted to order, literally a pound at a
time for each customer. It's comprised of 100% organic, fair trade, and
shade grown beans. The French Broad French Roast is a mix of Peruvian
and Mexican Café Femenino beans that create a luxuriously smooth, rich
coffee that is full of complex flavors with light notes of spice.
Each bag sold brings a $1 donation to RiverLink, so cruise on over to their Web site:
http://www.bluesmokecoffee.com/default.html and put a coupla bags in your shopping cart. You won't be sorry.
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Grand Prize Drawing just two months away
Buy
your ticket to be entered to win $840 dollars worth of prizes
including, a Nemo Go Go Tent, High Gear Axio Max Moss Altimeter Watch
and Eagles Nest Outfitters DoubleNest Hammock. Tickets are three
for $10 or one for $5 with 100% of ticket sales benefiting
RiverLink.
Click the image below to buy your ticket today.
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French Broad River Academy students
get lesson in water quality
The
application of "think globally, act locally" is easier said than done,
but here at RiverLink that is one of the things we strive to achieve. We
are thrilled to have a new neighbor that instills this concept into
everyday education. The French Broad River Academy for Boys is the new
independent school that encourages students to become global citizens by
"combining a rigorous
academic curriculum with relevant, purposeful learning experiences on
the French Broad River, its surrounding watershed, and international
field experiences." The students respond to this challenge with
remarkable enthusiasm and focus.
 
The
seventh graders of the French Broad Academy for Boys spent three
Wednesdays in December with RiverLink Education Coordinator Hayley
Smith. By setting up hands-on water quality testing stations, which
included tap water, river water, and water with organomite fertilizer,
the students were able to see how fertilizers impacted nitrate,
dissolved oxygen and phosphates. This experiment reinforced their
understanding of nutrients in water and the importance of a wastewater
treatment plant, which was their afternoon field trip. 
The
following week's lessons continued to explore water quality parameters
by investigating how snowmelt and road treatment products change pH. The
young men of FBR Academy enjoyed using chemical testing kits and
sharing their findings with the rest of the class. In addition to
learning about water quality in their local watershed, the school
compared our urban water system with water systems in developing
countries. With the French Broad River as a centerpiece, RiverLink will
continue to support teachers who how to empower their students to be
effective and knowledable stewards of the environment.
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Upcoming Events
Keep your cell phone out of the landfill!
Drop
off old and unwanted cell phones to the RiverLink office for recycling
and fundraising. RiverLink has partnered with GRC Wireless to keep
cell phones out of the landfill and raise money for volunteer and
education programs. The office is open 8am- 5pm Monday through
Friday. This is an on-going program, donations are welcome all
year round.
French Broad River Paddle Trail Community Planning Meetings
Learn
more about the French Broad River Paddle Trail, a possible canoe
camping trail along the French Broad River through North Carolina.
January 11, 2011 4-6p.m.
Marshall High Studios on Blanahassett Island in Marshall
January 18, 2011 5:30pm
RiverLink Offices in Asheville
Volunteer Information Session
Wed., Jan. 12 10 a.m. & 5 p.m.
Come learn about RiverLink volunteer opportunities. RSVP to Dave at 252-8474, ext. 11
MLK Service Day
Monday, Jan. 17,
1 -- 4 p.m.
We'll
clean up the stream restoration work at Ross Creek and do some winter
gardening. has seen some done, and it needs cleaning. We'll also
do some winter gardening - pruning, invasives removal. Please register
through the Hands-On Asheville Buncombe Web site. Contact Dave at RiverLink (252-8474, ext. 11) with questions.
Bus Tour
Thurs., Jan. 20, noon -- 2 p.m.
Call Dave at 252-8474, ext. 11 to reserve your seat.
Winter Warmer Beer Festival
Saturday, January 22, 3 p.m. -- 7 p.m., Asheville Civic Center. Shake off the Winter blues with good beer, food and music. Information and tickets available here.
Hands of Hope concert featuring Billy Jonas
Sunday, March 27,
3 p.m.-4:30p.m. at the Orange Peel.
Our friends at Maccabi Academy will be sponsoring this awesome
fundraiser for us again. Tickets will be available soon from the Orange Peel.
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Climate Change Quiz
1) Which of the following has been linked to climate change?
A) Droughts
B) Floods
C) Melting ice caps
D) All of the above
2) Where is the largest volume of water outside the polar regions?
A) South Island, New Zealand
B) Andes Mountains, South America
C) Rocky Mountains, USA
D) Tibetan Plateau, Asia
3) Which century was the wettest of the last millennium?
A) 12th
B) 16th
C) 19th
D) 20th
4) What is now believed to have cause the collapse of Akkad, the world's first empire?
A) Floods
B) Ocean current change
C) Droughts
D) Falling temperatures
5) What country -- the world's 15th biggest economy -- is perilously low on water?
A) South Africa
B) Australia
C) Pakistan
D) Chile
6) In how many years will 1.8 billion people be living in regions of severe water scarcity?
A) 15
B) 35
C) 50
D) 100
7) Once admired by Mark Twain for its clarity, which US body of water is now clouding up?
A) Lake Tahoe
B) Mississippi River
C) Rio Grande
D) Lake Minnetonka
8) What percentage of the Earth's freshwater is locked in ice?
A) 10
B) 35
C) 50
D) 70
9)
As rising temperatures melt ice caps around the world, which South
American city could see its water supply disappear by the end of the
century?
A) Caracas, Venezuela
B) Quito, Ecuador
C) Cusco, Peru
D) All of the above
10) Which species is threatened by the increased winter flow in freshwater streams due to global warming?
A) Salmon
B) Atlantic Mackeral
C) Crawfish
D) Striped bass
Answers:
1) D
2) D
3) D
4) C
5) B
6) A
7) A
8) D
9) C
10) A
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Volunteer Spotlight
This month our volunteer spotlight gives a nod to Wesley Duffee-Braun, a local photographer and RiverLink supporter.
Wesley
regularly comes to RiverLink events with cameras in hand to document
our projects. Most recently, he came to our Labyrinth Dedication
Ceremony and took some beautiful pics of the proceedings. Interested in
wedding or portrait photography? Check out his Web site by clicking here.
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