A River Runs Through Us

Happy New Year from our temporary quarters at Wildlands Engineering. It is hard to believe it's been four months since Helene ripped through our hearts and lives, leaving a shocking wake of destruction.

RiverLink has responded to this moment by creating a new Recovery, Resilience + Planning Division to ensure our watershed’s rivers and streams have a voice and are represented in all aspects of our region’s comeback. We are now engaged in deep collaborations with our local jurisdictions and linking arms with fellow conservation organizations – all to ensure a science-based, comprehensive approach to our rivers’ and region’s recovery and that we “make way” for our waterways to increase community flood resilience and reduce future losses. These efforts include:

• Championing + advocating for river bank stabilization, repair + restoration, ensuring the French Broad region receives dedicated recovery funding. Our immediate emphasis is on the French Broad River as it rolls through the River Arts District and heads north, plus the entire length of the Swannanoa.
• Ensuring our rivers have a seat at critically influential decision-making tables, particularly with the City of Asheville and Buncombe County, in the ongoing recovery. This includes planning for enhanced economic vitality through outdoor recreation and conservation of natural resources, through regional jurisdictional work groups and stakeholder gatherings.
• Taking an active role in supporting riverfront property acquisition from voluntary and motivated landowners to remove floodplain properties from development and create passive recreational space that makes way for the river. A key vehicle for this is the FEMA Buyout Program, which places qualifying properties into green space uses for all in perpetuity.
• Advocating that damaged river parks be built back in harmony with their rivers—reducing the risk of future damage—including new greenway alignments that are not at the expense of healthy riparian zones. These vegetated buffers (emphasizing woody plants) are the first line of defense against high-velocity flood waters and bank erosion; we must ensure their well being.
• And much like RiverLink’s founding over 35 years ago, we are partnering with key groups and community leaders to help re-envision critical high-use areas post-Helene, bringing an emphasis on our dynamic waterways and the key roles these natural assets play in our community’s future.

As many of us have experienced first hand, recovery following a disaster is an ongoing learning process and a constantly changing landscape, and we are prepared to adjust accordingly. Throughout the process, we remain committed to the rivers of our region — to ensure their recovery is front-and-center as we find our way to a new normal.

For all who have joined us with their extraordinarily generous support throughout the past year, please know that we are tireless in our work and dedication and are extremely grateful for your belief and investment. I will be sharing monthly updates from our ongoing journey in future newsletters. In the interim, I wish you a beautiful new year filled with peace, good health and a bright resilient future.

Onward with gratitude,