Happy July,  RiverLovers!

Here we are starting a new fiscal year and celebrating the success of our annual fund drive, thanks to over 130 new donors, hundreds of returning donors and a generous challenge grant! Working together all things are possible! A big shout-out to Andrew and all the artists and crafts people who participated in the Art in the Park exhibit (despite awful weather)and contributed over $2,500 to our effort.

I am not sure if you remember or you were here in 1999 when RiverLink bought the old Asheville Speedway and turned it into Carrier Park. Carrier Park, now a vital part of the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay, is the busiest recreation facility in the city -- perhaps the region! We have an amazing opportunity to win some big money for the park, so RiverLink registered it on the Coca-Cola "Live Positively" website.  We can all work together to  vote for  it as one of the best Parks  in America. The top prize is $100,000, 2^nd prize is $50,000 and there a couple of $25,000 prizes too. So vote early and often by clicking here to cast our vote for Carrier Park -- the best Park in America! Simply put "Carrier" in the window where it says "Search for a Park" and click "Go" and on the little orange balloon, then vote. And ask your Facebook friends to do the same and let's really get the word out there.  

Speaking of the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay, I wanted to bring you up to date on the progress at Karen Cragnolin Park.  Believe it or not the  phytoremediation (that is a clean up of this old junkyard and contaminated property using plants) experts have been studying the weeds! That's right.The weeds have been telling the experts a story, but they  will soon be gone as we start the next phase of planting and continue our water and soil testing. It has been a long process but one we feel will yield major dividends as we create and document a process -- a natural process -- to clean up a former junkyard  with  over  50 years of contamination from old gas, oil and grease and turn it into a wonderful new public space for everyone! While we are are cleaning up this site you can use the NCDOT-funded  sidewalk in front of Karen Cragnolin park to go back and forth between French Broad River Park and Carrier Park. This is all part of the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay, which now extends 4.5 miles! If you want to know more about our community and regional greenways, check out my greenway article "RiverLink: More Than Just A River" in this month's Laurel Magazine. Over the coming months we will be installing some informational signs there describing the process and partners like the French Broad River Garden Club and Foundation who have helped make this dream possible.

Our LinkingWaters Project on Choctaw Street, designed to create a process that will recharge the groundwater house by house, neighborhood by neighborhood, has just been awarded another grant from the Block Foundation. Michelle Smith has lent her house and her community organizing skills to make this project an important one in one of Asheville's oldest neighborhoods. Sherry Ingram, a registered geologist, has also been working with us as we try out easy-to-use methods for controlling and capturing  stormwater. Click here to see a photo of Ms. Sadie who grew up in the neighborhood and never lost her love of dancing and teaching others how to dance and defied  anyone black or white to interfere with her dancing. Ms. Sadie and her husband of over 50 years, Waddell, joined the fun at Michelle's neighborhood gathering this spring to describe the LinkingWaters project and recruit homeowners.

I have been working with the River Management Society (RMS) as co-chair of the 2012 National Symposium to be held here in Asheville with Steve Hendricks, also of Asheville, as  my co-chair.We expect over 300 watershed managers from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico to attend this week-long conference in our fair city.  We are working with the AIA, ASLA and professional engineer groups to ensure that we can offer continuing education credits for attendees who might need them for licensure. Steve Hendricks is a long-time member of both RiverLink and RMS. He is a registered landscape architect and he recently retired from the Forest Service, although he still does some contract work for federal agencies. We have mailed out about 10,000 of the Save the Date cards all across the country -- so take a look and please Save the Date.

Attention all river pirates, sailors and mermaids --  the French Broad River Yacht Club™  is calling you like the sirens called Ulysses to come to the Anything That Floats Boat Parade as part of RiverFest 2011 at French Broad River Park on Saturday, August 13. Put-in for the raft race starts at 10 and the festival goes until 7 p.m. Click here to register your "yacht"  and read the article in this month's newsletter detailing all the fun things you and your family or tribe can do on the river that day!

See you on the River -- no excuses! It is the best place to be!

River Love,  

Karen

Comment on NCDOT--proposed Complete Streets Guidelines   

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has released the first four chapters of its proposed Complete Streets guidelines for public comment. NCDOT adopted a complete streets policy in July 2009 to "guide existing decision-making and design processes to ensure all users are routinely considered during the planning, design, construction, funding and operation of North Carolina's transportation network."   

The draft describes the framework that NCDOT envisions for the complete streets planning and includes design guidelines. The proposed document is available on the website at www.nccompletestreets.org, and there is a survey there, too.  

Contact Jay A. Bennett, State Roadway Design Engineer, at 919-707-6200, or jbennett@ncdot.org  for questions about the proposed guidelines themselves. The comment period closes mid-August.

Have a weed you want to rein in? Our monthly "Wanted Dead" series will suggest control methods for 10 of the most rowdy riparian weeds in WNC. If you decide to take the law into your own hands and bring these weeds

Kudzu -- one of the worst offenders

to justice, you can get more detailed information from the Weed Control Guide on the RiverLink website by clicking here.  

Before you head back to the ranch to roundup your weeds, let's look at some general principles of weed control. First, the goal of a weed control plan is to weaken the weed's root system and its reproductive capacity. Most weeds spread by seed and some form of vegetative reproduction like tree suckers or strawberry runners. Both types of reproduction need to be eliminated or significantly reduced to be successful. Common control treatments include hand-pulling, mowing and herbicide application.*  

Usually, using only one treatment is ineffective, so build more than one type into your plan. In general, some type of physical removal, followed by an application of systemic herbicide (one that kills the root system) when it is growing back, is the most effective strategy. Control is obtained more quickly if this pattern is repeated often. Continuous treatment weakens the roots and prevents seed development. Unfortunately, multiple years of treatments are usually required. Initial treatments should be aggressive, with intensity tapering until only annual maintenance is needed. Lastly, when your weed population declines, plant desired plants in the voids so that if your weed tries to grow back, it has to compete for resources.  

Remember, only extremely aggressive treatments will eliminate a weed population once it has been established. More realistically, successful control means reduction to a tolerable level with annual maintenance continuing thereafter. Prevention is key, so know your weeds and rope them in before they become a problem that requires heavy duty weed wrangling! 

*Herbicide Tip: Rodeo® or Roundup®?   

Even small amounts of herbicides can be harmful to aquatic species, so it is important to avoid herbicide use in riparian environments. If herbicide use is necessary, choose products approved for use near waterways. Currently, Rodeo® is the most commonly used herbicide approved for riparian use.

The Wanted Dead series is a product of the brilliant mind of RiverLink  super-volunteer Corinne Duncan. Corinne comes to us from Oregon, where she studied Environmental Science and has a Masters in Rangeland Ecology. She lives in Weaverville.  

How does one measure the success of a program? Some people send out surveys, others look at total receipts, many take note of positive comments and smiles, and of course we take relief if all people come out unscathed.  It is tricky when you're looking to measure the effectiveness of a program when the goal is to inspire them to care for the environment, which was the primary goal of RiverLink's French Broad River Summer Camp program.  

With only one week-day camp, Education Coordinator Hayley Smith and her assistant, Jeremy Rasik, knew each day's activities and conversations needed to be well crafted.  After all the little details were taken care of they made sure that there was a balance or learning, creativity, service and good-old-fashioned fun. Above all, showing the eight rising 3^rd - 5^th graders and one rising 8th grader the magic of the French Broad River was paramount.   

As many things in life, the planned moments are not always the ones that made an impression.  There was no way to know that the decomposing beaver along the river would spark a deeper understanding of the natural cycle of life. How tubing down the French Broad and deciding to link together could be the best form of team-building. How identifying a macroinvertebrate correctly or discovering a new way to fill up a bucket of sand for the service project can bring a sense of pride to a nine year-old. Or building rock arches from river stones could invoke a sense of mystery in a ten year-old's imagination. Or seeing a snake come out of the rocks and into our raft could help a child learn to respect the creatures that live in the water.   

As RiverLink's AmeriCorps education co-ordinater, these moments, along with overhearing a camper say they "want to help the river," are the ones to celebrate.  Witnessing a person grow as they learn and have a desire to give back to the community is one of the most rewarding. Alas, it is the beauty of these small moments that prove a program is successful.   

Thank you to Headwater Outfitters and Blue Heron Whitewater for making it possible to spend quality time on the French Broad River. Thank you to all the campers and parents for a wonderful River Camp.

Please visit our Flickr account for more photos. See video of the "graduation ceremony" here. 

The course consists of six three-hour classes and will be held day and time TBD at the Buncombe County Extension office at 94 Coxe Avenue in downtown Asheville.  There is ample, free parking.  The series runs September - October (actual dates TBD).  The topics and dates include:

This course is aimed at volunteers who are involved in citizen water monitoring, stream clean-ups, adopt-a-stream programs, or other water quality related activities, and landowners interested in protecting their property from stream degradation.  Anyone interested in learning about water quality problems and solutions is welcome to attend. 

To register for the course, call the Cooperative Extension office at 255-5522 or e-mail diane_silver@ncsu.edu.

Cooperative Extension partners with communities to deliver research-based education and technology that enrich the lives, land and economy of North Carolinians.  For more information call the Extension Service, or on-line visit: http://buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu/.

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RiverLink's award-winning  Malvern Hills Stream Restoration Project in west Asheville  continues to make an impact as a well loved  neighborhood amenity.   

The time has come for RiverLink to say goodbye to our two AmericaCorps members, Hayley Smith and Laura Barry.

Laura Barry

Laura came to WNC from Ohio, where she graduated in 2009 with a BFA in studio art from Miami University, with concentrations in painting and ceramics. Before RiverLink, Laura worked as anEnvironmental Educator in the Pisgah National Forest. Within the firstmonth, she fell in love with the mountains and decided she had to make Western North Carolina her home. She's currently looking for a job and will come with a great recommendation from RiverLink staff.

Laura joined the RiverLink team as the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator, and not only has she worked hard with our volunteers, but she has devoted her time and creativity to helping everyone in the building. She designed this snappy logo for our WaterRich program, for example.  She also designed the postcard we are using for the RMS Symposium!

She will be sorely missed by everyone.

Hayley Smith came aboard as RiverLink Education Coordinator. She inspired students to think about the various ways living and non-living things are connected in our environment. Her favorite thing has been  to get kids outside and in the water. She also put together a very successful Summer camp program and Art & Poetry contest.

Hayley grew up in Indiana and has degrees in Geology and Philosophy from Hanover College.  She has a passion for international travel and exploration of developing countries, including some expeditions funded and focused on river research and biodiversity. 

Hayley and her trademark smile lead students in a water quality testing lesson

Hayley continued developing RiverLink's education curriculum, became active in stream restoration and spread awareness throughout Western North Carolina about the importance of a clean French Broad River. She touched many young lives while here, and will also be missed.

In RiverLink's efforts to support the environmental revitalization of the French Broad River Watershed, we have and continue to accept and monitor conservation easements, working to protect land, streams, and water quality in perpetuity.    We are the only land trust focused exclusively on the riparian buffers and steep slope areas that are so critical to water quality. Currently with over 90 acres in conservation, we focus on protection of riparian zones, and other properties associated with our rivers, streams and areas key to water quality.  

 Conservation easements are a means for individuals, businesses, neighborhoods and government  to protect lands for the benefit of the public and the individual, FOREVER,  yet leaving them in private ownership.  They are legal agreements between the landowner and RiverLink which permanently restricts some uses of the land, while the donor or seller of the easement retains ownership and control.  RiverLink works with private landowners to develop these agreements tailoring them to the land and landowner's desires.   

With the onset of the beautiful summer weather, RiverLink's Watershed Resource Manager, Nancy Hodges, and Intern, Corinne Duncan have set out to monitor our easements in Henderson and Madison County. We spent a rainy morning in Madison County, walking along the French Broad River and Big Pine Creek. The blooming rhododendron and doghobble drooped over the rocky streambed as the cascading water flowed to the French Broad. In Hendersonville as we walked through the thick riparian zone of Shaw Creek to its confluence with the French Broad, we came upon a Sycamore of great stature, at least 4 ft. in diameter! It is these times that we remember the vast biodiversity of the region, its sensitivity and rejuvenation, with a 10-acre area we have  a multitude of habitats, from a rocky cliff, mountain streams, to abandoned fields. 

North Carolina landowners can refer to the document below or contact Nancy at nancy@riverlink.org for more information.  Also check out our website to find out more about our conservation easements at www.RiverLink.org

http://www.ctnc.org/site/DocServer/CTR-019_VolConsBook_FINAL_2010.pdf?docID=2301

Saturday, August 13, 2011 from 1p.m. to 7p.m. --- RiverFest '11 featuring the ever popular raft race, local music competition, kids parade & activities, local food & beverages, kayak demos, corn cole competition, frisbee golf and more!  Start making your "Yacht" for the anything that floats parade and don't forget to check our website for registration information.