|  |  |  | Don’t Mow -- Let it Grow! The Importance of Riparian Buffers While walking alongside a stream on your property or nearby park, have you noticed any rapid stream bank changes? For instance, the stream channel widening, steeper slopes, and missing chunks of the stream bank. Have you ever wondered what defines a healthy streambank? Riparian buffers are vegetated areas alongside streams, wetlands, and rivers. A healthy riparian buffer consists of a mix of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowering plants with varying root structures that help hold the soil in place. Other benefits they provide include flood control, filtering pollutants, slowing down runoff, habitat for wildlife, and reducing streambank erosion. Mowing down these riparian plants can cause bank instability and land loss, leading to bank failure. |
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|  |  | Get Inspired by the River We've already received so many wonderful submissions for our annual Art & Poetry Contest and can't wait to see what else you all create! We are pushing back the deadline to April 14, so take any extra time to put the finishing touches on your piece or start something new. This year we will be hosting a gallery event to showcase all of the wonderful creations from these young artists and writers. This event will be held at Black Wall Street on May 12 from 4-7pm. Winners will be notified ahead of time and can come pick up their prizes at the event. Hope to see you there! |
| |  | Spend Your Summer on the River: Apply to be a Camp Counselor Calling all nature lovers and educators! We’re looking for a camp counselor to help run 5 weeks of day camps this summer. If you like to explore the watershed and do science experiments with kids, we encourage you to apply! This is a temporary position with about 40 hours/week at $18/hour. Read more about the position on our employment page. |
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|  |  | Family Fun: Stream Exploration & Macroinvertebrates As the weather warms up you may be looking for some fun outdoor activities to do with the family. Luckily you don’t have to go far for an engaging and educational opportunity for you and the kids. Head on down to your local stream where you can explore the hidden life that lies just beneath the surface. It's fun and easy to look for the small aquatic creatures known as macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrate stream sampling is a great way to introduce people of all ages to the natural world and engage in scientific exploration. Macroinvertebrates are small organisms, including insects and crustaceans, that inhabit local streams and other bodies of water. By collecting and identifying these organisms, families can get a snapshot of the health of the stream and the broader ecosystem it supports. Click through for a handy identification tool, and a guide for how to engage this fun discovery activity! |
| | | Groundbreaking at Karen Cragnolin Park We are officially underway on construction of the Karen Cragnolin Park Greenway Phase. This phase includes a connecting greenway, environmental and stormwater features, extensive and artful educational signage, and native meadows with mature grasses throughout. We look forward to celebrating with a ribbon cutting ceremony later this summer. In the interim, please look for a project update and a historical photo essay in next month's newsletter. |
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|  |  | Listening to the River A shared vision of transformation for the French Broad River—articulated by Karen Cragnolin, and invigorated by so many of us—is coming to fruition this month, as construction begins on the river park that will bear Karen’s name. Locking arms with river advocate Wilma Dykeman, Karen helped us see the river and its green spaces as a place for everyone, no matter our age, background, or social standing. “The river belongs to all of us,” they said, and our perspective was changed for good. Your support makes this evolution possible. RiverLink is honored to steward the gifts of time, talent, and treasure that have brought the river to this point—proving again that healthy ecosystems and economic revitalization are mutually reinforcing and essential companions. As Wilma quipped a generation ago, “What do women want? We want it all!” Your contributions empower the journey we aim to complete for the restoration of the French Broad. With special thanks to our recurring monthly donors! |
| | | Get Those Buns on the River River lovers, please visit Bun Intended, the Thai food concession specializing in steamed buns at S&W Market on Patton Ave. downtown. Through April, Bun Intended will donate all sales of their Feed it Forward cards ($5 each) to RiverLink, while providing a match to double their total donation. Enjoy a tasty lunch or dinner and support our work for watershed health! |
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| | Got a minute? RiverLink is nominated yet again in the annual Best Of WNC competition -- hosted at Mountain Xpress, the biggest, wildest survey about the people and organizations in this amazing place we call home. Please click below, and vote for RiverLink in the category of Best Environmental Organization! |
| | | Thanks for being part of our French Broad River community! |
| RiverLink promotes the environmental and economic vitality
of the French Broad River and its watershed. Please join us with a gift today! |
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| | Contact Us information@riverlink.org | 828-252-8474 |
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