|  |  | | | Leave Your Leaves! As leaves begin to fall, you may be reaching for your rake or leaf blower -- yet leaves play an important role in the environment. They are a valuable resource to wildlife, provide an excellent mulch, and deliver nutrients to the soil as they decompose. But if they are bagged and thrown away, they end up in landfills where they do more harm than good. When leaves are sent to a landfill, they produce methane -- a potent greenhouse gas -- and take up already scarce space; at the same time, a natural shelter for wildlife is removed from the local environment. The solution: look for ways to use your leaves as a natural mulch to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and nourish the soil as they break down. The added nutrients will feed your trees, shrubs and bedding plants as well as the microbes in the soil that these plants depend on. Check out our blog post below for tips on using your leaves and more info. |
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|  | |  | Our Word is our Bond: Greenways and Open Space On November 8, all Buncombe County voters can weigh in on two important ballot questions: The first is a $30 million bond that will protect mountains, meadows, productive farmlands, and clean water in our streams and rivers for future generations. The second is a $40 million bond to ensure stable housing for children, homeownership for working families, and safe housing for seniors. The two bonds work together to help Buncombe County achieve a vision of preserving and protecting open areas while providing affordable housing for our residents that is closer to jobs, transit, schools and services. The Open Space bond is intended to help achieve the county’s goal of bringing 6,000 acres of land under protection by 2030. The focus will be threefold: conserving farmland and natural resources, increasing access to recreational activities that have minimal environmental impact, and providing for the development of greenways and trails. The Housing bond will directly support our County Commission’s goal to create 3,150 units of affordable housing—including homeownership for working families—by 2030. Please join RiverLink in supporting both bonds. For more information such as how the bonds will work, how they will impact property taxes, how they will be overseen and audited or even to request a yard sign so you can show your support -- click the link below. |
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|  | |  | Hard Corp: A New Year with AmeriCorps Project Conserve Each September we welcome three AmeriCorps Project Conserve members to our team. These incredible individuals are vital to the work we do at RiverLink. They run volunteer days, teach lessons, maintain rain gardens, and connect the community to the river. We’re so lucky to have two members returning for a second year: Ben Duerr as our Education Coordinator, and Hannah Coats as our Stewardship Coordinator. We also have a new addition this year: Sandra Villasenor will be serving as the Watershed Resources Coordinator. We’re always impressed with the hard work, dedication, and passion that members bring to the organization and this year will be no different. The next time you see them in the field, please say hi and give them a big thanks for all they do for the French Broad River! |
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|  | |  | Name That Creek: Brooklyn Creek In the early 20th century, an unnamed stream in Hendersonville, NC was a relaxing destination for residents of the historic African-American community known as Brooklyn. Today, the stream flows through the City of Hendersonville’s Sullivan Park before entering Mud Creek, and the former Brooklyn neighborhood—razed by Urban Removal— lives on in the memory of former residents. RiverLink staff recently worked with local residents on a Name that Creek campaign to select an official name for the stream that once flowed through Brooklyn. And the winning name is…Brooklyn Creek! In September, Hendersonville City Council formally approved the new name. A big thanks to everyone who submitted potential stream names and voted for their favorite. By naming the stream Brooklyn Creek, the history of a displaced community and their connection to the waterway can be honored and shared. |
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|  | |  | Mud Creek Stewardship & Access We're excited to announce that our project on Mud Creek in Henderson County -- focused on removing trash, clearing log jams, tidying up access areas, and planning new launch sites -- is going great. As of now, the section between 7th Avenue and Balfour Road is open and free of woody debris, and has significantly less litter than before. This section mostly parallels the Oklawaha Greenway, where trailheads and parking lots accessing the multi-use trail also serve as launch sites for river stewards and paddlers. RiverLink has hosted over a dozen work days with staff, partners and volunteers to collect garbage, and has hired an arborist to selectively remove certain logs and portions of fallen trees to ensure safe passage for paddlers. We're now working with partners to develop signage for parking and access areas describing the corresponding sections of Mud Creek from the paddlers' perspective, and designing improvements to make accessing the stream safer and easier. We'll next be working on the sections downstream of Balfour Road, all the way to the French Broad River. |
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|  | |  | French Broad River Mile 67 Celebration Please join RiverLink and friends of Grey Eagle for a live music celebration at their new Outpost in the Amboy Adventure Corridor this weekend! On Saturday, October 8, river lovers will enjoy the music of the Jon Strickley Trio, Natti Love Joys and the Dave Desmelik Trio at 521 Amboy Rd., along with tube/boat rentals, paddle board demos, used gear sale, corn hole and wiffleball tournaments, local beer and food trucks. Tickets are available in advance ($15, thegreyeagle.com) and at the gate, and RiverLink will benefit. We hope to see you there! |
| Sustaining the long haul For over three decades, RiverLink has been dedicated to educating the next generation of river stewards; underwriting water and land management for a healthy watershed; and advancing economic vitality and public access to a thriving French Broad riverway. Our goal is to be recognized as a national model for our success in revitalizing and restoring the once-degraded French Broad River, where communities from Rosman to Hot Springs value the river as a place to live, learn, work, and play. Please join us with a contribution to support this essential work! |
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|  | Sustaining the long haul For over three decades, RiverLink has been dedicated to educating the next generation of river stewards; underwriting water and land management for a healthy watershed; and advancing economic vitality and public access to a thriving French Broad riverway. Our goal is to be recognized as a national model for our success in revitalizing and restoring the once-degraded French Broad River, where communities from Rosman to Hot Springs value the river as a place to live, learn, work, and play. Please join us with a contribution to support this essential work! |
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| 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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