 From the exec's desk
Dear RiverLovers,
Brrrrr -- it did get cold quick! But I just know we will have Indian summer in October, which is just perfect weather for taking a walk along the greenways in the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay.
Speaking of greenways how many of you were living here in 1995 when we sponsored the "Greenways Bring Greenbacks to our Community" greenway conference? Click here for the brochure: (part1) (part 2). We attracted over 400 participants from around the southeastern USA and helped jumpstart the greenway discussion locally. Most importantly, we got the economic development aspects of greenways into the public discussion in WNC. Today we have 4.5 miles of greenways along the river, and we need your help. Help us by joining our new Adopt-a-Greenway program. Click here for the guidelines.
We are also very interested in a group to help us with on-going trimming at the RiverLink Sculpture and Performance Park on Riverside Drive. If you want to become involved and Adopt-A-Greenway or Adopt-A-Stream call or email us at volunteer@riverlink.org to learn how. Also see below for information on the greenway master plan hearings being sponsored by Buncombe County.
Be make sure to check out the Hominy Creek Greenway celebration described in this newsletter. RiverLink contributed to the acquisition of this new 11-acre stretch of the greenway along Hominy Creek and was fiscal agent for the project and Blue Ridge Bike Club. We are happy to continue in that role and one of our staff folks, Nancy Hodges, serves on the board of Friends of Hominy Creek. Greenways are leanways for everyone -- our melting pots!
Speaking of conferences, I just got back from the Blue Planet Conference in Montana. Wow! I was in rarified company with astronauts, World Bank folks, UNESCO officials, World Health Organization directors, and representatives from over 40 counties and everyone was talking about water! We were in our element. Haley Smith, one of our Education Coordinators, presented the scale model she designed of the complete urban water cycle. Click here for a photo. Hayley is developing a curriculum now and a manual to use the model so we can bring the model into classrooms and to conferences as a new interactive teaching tool. If you would like to arrange a demonstration of the model contact us at education@riverlink.org.
More conference news -- RiverLink is hosting the River Management Society conference in Asheville this April. We are working on getting continuing education credits for landscape architects, architects, teachers and engineers who attend. Of course this will be another fabulous opportunity to show off to the 400 professionals from around the world expected to register our wonderful diverse watershed and all the great projects we are working on from overnight camping to phytoremediation and new greenway development.
Don't miss the Porge Buck retrospective at the Phil Mechanic Building in October. Printmaker Porge and husband Lewis were the pioneers of the artists on the urban riverfront, in what we call today the River Arts District. It was like old home week at the opening reception, with former artist pioneers coming back to toast Porge and Lewis and talk about the old days! The only artists from the original group still on the river is Heinz Kossler who is a ceramic artist and has his studio now at the Wedge.
We are gearing up for Winter Warmer again this year. It will be held at the Civic Center on January 21 and be another huge celebration of our community's beer prowess. You know you can't make good beer without good water and we all know that Asheville and WNC have great beer! Tickets will go on sale soon according to Trish Lyons, who, with husband Mark, organize the festival. RiverLink will be the recipient again this year of a percentage of the profits. We will dedicate whatever money is raised from all the wonderful brewers at Winter Warmer to further greenway development along the river again this year.
We cleared nearly $7,000 at RiverFest this year thanks to all the hard work of the Asheville Radio Group and contributions by our sponsors Prestige Subaru and Southeastern Sports Medicine! The Musician's Workshop folks are non-stop contributors for this event who vet the bands and keep the music coming with a welcoming smile and a helping hand. The Anything that Floats Boat parade is a hoot -- make sure to build your yacht and join us next year if you missed it this year!
Rumor is that Mr. Green will soon be cooking up his famous fried chicken again at Green's Mini Mart on Depot Street. If you never tasted Mr. Green's fried chicken? Well, what can I say? Don't miss this opportunity again! Savor the fried chicken then walk it off on the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay. We are helping Mr. Green establish a website, so if you are web savvy and would like to help give me a call at 828-252-8474, ext 16.
Thanks so much for all you do and see you on the River,
Karen
P.S. Have you been following the Occupy Wall Street and Asheville events? When it started I wasn't sure that it would gain any traction. But this week a Nobel Prize winner for economics, Joe Stiglitz, spoke to and encouraged the crowd to keep protesting. Stiglitz said, that "... too much wealth was in the hands of too few people." This movement has spread across the country using social media. I will never again doubt the power of the internet. Speaking of social media, are you one of the 3,951 people who have "friended" us on Facebook? Do you follow us on Twitter? Have you ever read our blog?
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Make your voice heard at these important public meetings about Buncombe's future greenways
During the month of October, Buncombe County Parks, Greenways and Recreation Services and the Buncombe County Greenways and Trails Commission will be hosting a series of Public Meetings throughout the county. These meetings are intended to provide general information about the master planning process and address the timeline of the plan. More importantly, these meetings will be held to gather opinions and comments from the public to assist our consultants with the possibilities, constraints and priorities of the master plan. The schedule of the meetings is as follows:
October 10 Weaverville Town Hall October 11 Fairview Library October 13 Big Ivy Community Center in Barnardsville October 17 Black Mountain Library October 20 The Wilma Sherrill Center at UNC Asheville October 24 Land of Sky Regional Council of Government in New Leicester Highway October 27 Skyland Dire Department All the meetings will be held from 5:30-7:00 Light refreshments will be served. For further information, please contact Buncombe County Parks Greenway and Recreation Services at 250-4260 or email lucy.crown@buncombecounty.org.
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 Notes from the
Water Quality Corner
This past month has been a busy and exciting month in the Watershed Resources arena, moving forward on the French Broad River Paddle Trail, navigating the WaterRICH pilot project and continuing conservation easement growth, management and accreditation.
WaterRICH Pilot Project takes off
In August RiverLink released the draft "WaterRICH - Introduction to Stormwater Management for Residential Sites." This handbook is in draft form but is already assisting two other projects in our community, through building a foundation for Asheville GO to train their Water Team, and a tool for the LinkingWaters Project in the Southside neighborhood.
This month and next month the program volunteers attend workshops learning to screen their property for particular red flags and options to deal with current issues, calculate stormwater runoff and develop their own plans for managing the rain water on their property.
We currently have about 50 homes and properties determined to be one of the first homes certified, so it's not too late for those of you in Buncombe and Madison Counties. If you have a property where you have already implemented stormwater measures for water quality and conservation (rain garden, pervious pavement, bioswales etc.) you are still eligible to become WaterRICH certified. All you need to do is contact RiverLink's Watershed Resources Manager at 828-252-8474 ext. 14 or nancy@riverlink.org.
What certification can do for you:
- It can lower your summer water and sewer bill, as you will not or use less from the municipal water system by use of rain barrels, cisterns and infiltration.
- It can increase property values and assist in preventing water issues in the home, through using techniques to move water from where you don't want it to a place you need water and allowing it to infiltrate.
We have been working with the Asheville City Stormwater department and they are supportive of this project and program but are unable to prov ide incentives or stormwater fee reductions at this time. We will continue to build this relationship, and work with all municipalities in Buncombe, Madison, Transylvania and Henderson as we move forward building an incentivized program. This handbook is in draft form so please send comments to Nancy Hodges at nancy@riverlink.org. As this program develops we want it to be user friendly as possible so please don't hesitate to send us your suggestions.
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Yoga fans -- support Good Yoga in
this RiverLink benefit event
Good Yoga is hosting its 10th Anniversary Celebration Brunch and Benefit on Saturday, October 22, at the UU Church of Asheville. Good food, spirited Appalachian music, and a room full of fans of Professional Kripalu Yoga Instructor and Integrative Yoga Therapist Kelly McKibbenwill raise money for RiverLink's Wilma Dykeman's RiverWay.Over 100 students will gather to  acknowledge the thriving business and its commitment to the good of the vital resources in our greater community.
Ms. McKibben works with individuals and groups of a diverse age range and fitness level. Her commitment to physical, emotional and mental well-being has been inspired by an almost 20-year practice of hatha yoga, creative self-expression, wilderness hiking, and ongoing personal & spiritual growth.
To learn more, contact Ms. McKibben:
Good Yoga
19 Olney Rd.
Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 281-1566
goodyoga@charter.net
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RiverLink reaches out to the Toe River Valley
RiverLink's education coordinator, Nikki Bauman, presented a watershed education program at the third annual Toe River Valley Festival this September to the fifth-grade students of Yancey and Mitchell county schools. The festival, held on the 15th and 16th at the Toe River Valley Campground in Burnsville for Yancey students, and the 22nd and 23rd at Patience Park and Deyton Elementary School in Spruce Pine for Mitchell students, was organized by the Toe River Valley Watch, a non-profit group founded in 2006. The mission of the Toe River Valley Watch is to promote community awareness and preservation of rural heritage that makes this corner of Western North Carolina unique.
RiverLink's program included activities relating to watershed and wildlife health. Nikki's goal was for students to understand the connection between living and non-living factors of the watershed, and how they affected one another. Concepts of life cycles and limiting factors were introduced by a series of activities where students simulated life as a maturing fish, and then struggled to survive within a changing habitat. Students then brainstormed ways in which their daily lives might affect the watershed, as well as ways to preserve it.
Other focus areas of the festival included a water bug safari, concepts of solar powered energy, endangered species, rocks and minerals, art, and native folklore story telling. "My favorite part of the festival was seeing the community come together and exhibit such a strong respect and sense of pride in their heritage," said Bauman.
RiverLink's education program offers numerous hands on and experiential learning programs, and is available to all schools in Buncombe and surrounding counties as a free service. For more information, please visit www.riverlink.org, or email Nikki Bauman at education@riverlink.org.
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Name that Transylvania waterfall, part II
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A couple of cleanups of note ...
Deerfields tackles Azalea Park and the SwannanoaSixteen active senior citizens from Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community in South Asheville participated in a river cleanup coordinated and sponsored by RiverLink along the Swannanoa River on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Donned in bright yellow RiverLink volunteer vests and armed with litter pickup sticks, the seniors spent a solid two hours removing trash in and along the Swannanoa River and riverbanks by the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex off Azalea Road in East Asheville. In addition to filling about eight bags of trash, they also removed 19 tires and a chair from the Swannanoa. The Deerfields group was organized by RiverLink Board Member Shirley Schultz, and has signed on as one of RiverLink's Adopt-  A-Stream teams. Teams use supplies - gloves, safety vests, litter pickup sticks, waders, trashbags - from RiverLink to clean their adopted stretch of French Broad River or tributary. Teams complete this task twice a year, and RiverLink arranges to have a road sign placed near their stream to let the public know the group is hard at work cleaning their waterways. N.C. Big Sweep took place Oct. 1RiverLink sponsored a big clean-up effort as part of North Carolina Big Sweep on October 1. Volunteers from UNCA, Warren Wilson, Haywood Community College, Mars Hill College, Asheville Greenworks, Asheville High and others picked up roadside trash and tackled a "dump site" under the Smoky Park bridge. A 20-yard dumpster was filled to overflowing just from the dump site and over 130 tires were removed from the riverbank. The trash was removed from the site by Dave Pennebaker of 1-800-GOT JUNK.
The group had originally planned to take to canoes provided by the Asheville Outdoor Center for a cleanup of the French Broad River, but a 47F temp and winds up to 30mph changed that plan.  "It's just as important to clean up litter before it gets in the river as it is to pull trash out," explained RiverLink's Dave Russell, "and this cleanup of roadsides near the river and in the River Arts District will prevent a lot of trash ending up in the French Broad."
A cookout provided by Danny Keaton of Danny's Dumpsters that had been planned for Jean Webb Park was also moved indoors to the offices of MMS, the premier full-service marketing service partner in Asheville.
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Recycling center opens
in the River Arts District
Danny Keaton of Danny's Dumpster has opened a new amenity in the River Arts District, a recycling center near the old silos and the White Duck Taco Shop. It opened to little fanfare last month, but is already taking typical recyclables such as plastic containers, paper, cardboard and glass. There is also a receptacle for compostable waste -- food, paper that can be
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composted, cornstarch items, etc. -- that people might now want or be able to recycle at their home.
Keaton hopes to eventually have it staffed daily, which will enable the center to take electronics and other odd waste that can't just be dropped off. Right now, it's staffed on Saturdays from 8a.m. - 2p.m. As interest grows, Keaton hopes some businesses and organizations and perhaps the City of Asheville will be willing help sponsor it and keep it open more often.
The site will also feature sculptures made of recycled materials.
 | | The bottle tree at the center |
Keaton has already assembled a bottle tree. Some of the sculptures will be for sale with the money going back into recycling center. There's also a putt-putt golf course made of recycled materials in the works, with one hole open already.
Danny's Dumpster is an independent commercial compost and recycle hauling company, specializing in waste reduction by offering businesses responsible disposal options and enabling them to affordably and efficiently transition their waste stream from landfill debris to renewable resources.
Learn more at http://dannysdumpster.com, and contact Keaton with questions. He can be reached by phone at (828) 380-9094 or via e-mail at dannysdumpster@gmail.com.
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Upcoming Events
Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8:30- 11:00 am at the RiverLink Offices -- WaterRICH Series 1.0 - Site Inventory, Analysis and Stormwater Calculations
Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the RiverLink offices -- Volunteer orientation sessions. Contact Dave Russell at 252-8474, ext. 11 and become involved in the evolution of the river and learn more about RiverLink.
Tuesday Oct. 11th 5:30-7 at the RiverLink Offices - WaterRICH Series 1.1 - Site Inventory and Analysis
Thursday Oct. 13th 5:30-7 at the RiverLink Offices -- WaterRICH Series 1.2 - Stormwater Calculations
Sunday October 16th
3pm-6pm at 3 Manilla St. West Asheville (map) -- Friends of Hominy Creek Neighborhood Gathering
Parking is very limited so please bike or walk to the event. If you must drive, park at the Armory parking lot on Shelburne at Hominy Creek Drive. And walk the greenway to the celebration.
Thursday, Oct. 20, meeting at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce at 11:45 a.m.-- RiverLink Bus Tour. Come experience the Riverfront magic firsthand! Contact Dave at 252-8474, ext. 11 for more information. October 21st-23rd at the RiverLink offices -- PLOTS: Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science. RiverLink will be hosting PLOTS fall conference our Asheville offices.
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Japanese Knotweed
Scientific Name:
Fallopia japonica
Japanese knotweed is an aggressive, perennial plant that can reach heights of ten feet each season. Successful control of this plant depends on weakening the root system
and eliminating seed production. A combination of physical removal and systemic herbicide application is suggested. Because Japanese knotweed grows particularly quickly, multiple treatments throughout
the growing season will be especially effective. Physical control such as hand pulling, mowing, or clipping can be conducted before herbicide application to increase shoot to root ratios and therefore increase plant susceptibility
to herbicide. Herbicide should be applied when the plant is actively growing, before re-sprout grows too high, and before seeds are produced. As this species readily spreads vegetatively, care should be taken when disposing of plant parts. The tubular structure of the stem allows even small pieces of Japanese knotweed to float and thus travel easily through waterways colonizing new habitats along the way. To avoid spreading the plant, bag plant parts before taking off site or be sure that roots, as well as stems, are thoroughly dried before allowing materials to have contact with soil.
"Wanted Dead " features information about a different weed and control information each month.
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PLOTS is coming to map with RiverLink
RiverLink will be hosting a conference for The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (PLOTS) the weekend of October 22 to research how ultraviolet and infrared photographic techniques can yield clues about vegetative health. The efforts will focus on the Wilma Dykeman Greenway and the French Broad River through the City of Asheville, using inexpensive do-it-yourself techniques -- cameras mounted on balloons and kites -- to produce inexpensive satellite imagery. PLOTS seeks to change how people see the world in environmental, social, and political terms. PLOTS members are activists, educators, technologists, and community organizers interested in new ways to promote action, intervention, and awareness through a participatory research model.
Interested in volunteering for this oh-so-unique project? Contact Nancy at 252-8474, ext. 14 or nancy@riverlink.org
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Fast Facts: Freshwater Mussels
-Estimated 1,000 species worldwide. -U.S. historically contained 304. -North Carolina is home to 57 native species. -Africa home to 96 species. -China home to 60 species. -Europe home to 12 species. -By their siphoning actions, mussels filter bacteria, algae, and other small particles, which make them one of the few animals that improve water quality. -When dead, the empty shell functions as a nesting site for small fish like madtoms and darters. -Historically, most buttons were made from freshwater mussels. -Mussel shells are used to make numerous round beads that are placed in oysters and serve as the nuclei for freshwater pearls. -70% of the mussel fauna in the U.S. is in peril. -Habitat needs include good substrate composition free from silt, and very clean well-oxygenated water. -Mussels are sedentary filter feeders and are extremely sensitive to changes in water quality. -Especially in their early life stages, mussels are extremely sensitive to many pollutants (chlorine, ammonia, heavy metals, high concentrations of nutrients, etc.) -Because of their sensitivity, mussels are often referred to as biological indicators of water quality. -Disappearance of mussels is one of the first and most reliable indicators of stream pollution. -Mussels will not survive where water quality is poor. -Mortality factors include pollutants in wastewater discharges (sewage treatment plants and industrial discharges); habitat loss and alteration associated with impoundments or dams, channelization, sedimentation, and dredging operations; and the run-off of silt, fertilizers, pesticides, and other pollutants from poorly implemented land-use activities. -The life cycle of the freshwater mussel is one the most complex and interesting in the animal world. North Carolina Species in peril "Click on any species below for detailed info." Federal and State Endangered Appalachian elktoe Carolina heelsplitter dwarf wedgemussel littlewing pearlymussel Tar River spinymussel State Endangered Atlantic pigtoe barrel floater brook floater Carolina creekshell green floater Savannah lilliput slippershell mussel Tennessee heelsplitter Tennessee pigtoe Waccamaw spike yellow lampmussel yellow lance State Threatened alewife floater Carolina fatmucket creeper eastern lampmussel eastern pondmussel mountain creekshell Roanoke slabshell tidewater mucket triangle floater Waccamaw fatmucket State Special Concern Cape Fear spike notched rainbow pod lance rainbow spike wavyrayed lampmussel Significantly Rare (Natural Heritage Program) eastern creekshell purple wartyback State Extirpated Cumberland bean Cumberland moccasinshell kidneyshell oyster mussel pheasantshell pimpleback pistolgrip purple lilliput Wabash pigtoe |
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