BLUE RIDGE EXPLORERS
Springtime on the Watauga River at Valle Crucis Park
Clean Water Crusaders By Tamara Seymour
Inset Left: Andy Hill is MountainTrue’s Watauga Riverkeeper, protecting and advocating for the Watauga River Basin. In addition to river clean-up events, volunteers can participate in water quality monitoring programs throughout the Watauga River watershed to ensure that our waterways are clean and healthy. Inset Right: A crew cleans up sections of the Watauga River each year as part of a “Big Sweep” event organized by the Watauga Riverkeeper.
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very year, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. The first Earth Day in the U.S. was held in April of 1970 to generate public support for the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many important regulations and laws were enacted around that time, including those that ensure the air we breathe and the water we drink are safe (Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act). For the most part, these laws have served our country’s citizens well. But the work must continue. As our planet’s population grows, new challenges arise when it comes to clean water. In fact, a major source of conflict around the world stems from limited clean water resources. While the U.S. has a number of checks and balances in place to protect the public health of its citizens, it takes an extensive network of local, regional and national organizations and individuals (including countless volunteers) behind the scenes to ensure our drinking water and recreational waters remain untainted. Protecting the Places We Share Here in the High Country and the entire western mountain region, we are fortunate to have good availability of, and access to, clean water. According to the 2017 Preliminary Healthy Watersheds Assessments (PHWA) developed by EPA’s Healthy Watersheds Program, the Blue Ridge Ecoregion contains some of the cleanest
watersheds in the state. Nature has, however, relied on plenty of help. One noteworthy group, MountainTrue (mountaintrue.org), was organized to champion resilient forests, clean waters and healthy communities throughout Western North Carolina, with a special focus on protecting water quality. In essence, MountainTrue is a group of groups—an alliance of people and conservation organizations who have joined together to restore and preserve our waterways as healthy ecosystems that are also great places to swim, paddle and play. MountainTrue is home to several “riverkeeper” organizations, who are the primary guardians of their respective river basins; members and volunteers help maintain the health of local waterways (including surface and ground water) by monitoring pollution and cleaning up their home rivers and streams. Here in the High Country, the Watauga Riverkeeper acts as the primary protector and defender of the Elk and Watauga Rivers in the Watauga River Basin. The Watauga Riverkeeper wants all High Country residents and visitors to enjoy clean waterways that are free of sediment pollution, and support a thriving mountain ecosystem.
Earth Day, All Month Long Watauga Riverkeeper, along with other local community and environmental groups, is offering service days, workshops, educational events and celebrations throughout the month of April in honor of Earth Day. If clean water ranks high on your list of concerns, consider participating in the annual “Big Sweep” event this spring to clean up sections of the Watauga River and adjacent banks on April 21. This year, teams led by Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill will be cleaning up around Valle Crucis Community Park, the Guy Ford Access, the 321 Access, and Old River Road. If you’re interested in participating in this event, bring your friends and family members to the Valle Crucis Community Park at 9 a.m. on April 21. Safety equipment and supplies will be provided— and you can bring a passion to “think globally and act locally” while contributing to the day’s camaraderie. n Support the cause of clean, healthy waterways and water resources by learning all you can. Check out these websites: mountaintrue.org; wncfortheplanet.org; www.epa.gov.
Tamara Seymour is a N.C. Certified Environmental Educator , a Blue Ridge Naturalist and publisher of Carolina Explorers magazine, a publication all about the nature of North Carolina. Reach her at tamara@NCexplorers.com. CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LIFE Spring 2018 —
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