Stewardship & News 2017 09 06
What: Clean Scott Creek trash & Build Display Stations Where: Monteith Farmstead Park When: Wednesday, Sept 6 4:30 – about 6:00 Special work session– Friday about 1:00 pm — for a few hours. What: Calling all hands — for a cleanup on Savannah Creek When: Saturday, Sept 30 — 9:00 – […]
Read moreCrowd Sourcing – Mud in our River! New Blog Series –Message 1
Welcome to WATR’s new endeavor where citizens to heighten awareness and shared outrage to the muddy conditions in our beautiful Tuckasegee River. This blog is connected to the @WATRnc facebook page. There you can post pictures of mud entering the Tuck or a badly eroding garden. To the post add […]
Read moreBig Sweep – October 15
Volunteer teams and individuals are invited to do a rivers-&-roads cleanup as part of the statewide BIG SWEEP. Activities are organized through the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River. The target streams are Scotts and Savannah Creeks, although some volunteer teams may want to scout and work on creeks and […]
Read moreTraditional Cherokee Fish Harvest — youth workshop on Monday 6/20
HAVE FUN! BRING A FRIEND! ****As of Saturday, 6/18 there are still a half-dozen openings for kids 9 to 13 years.***** *** Youth workshop is FREE *** ***Call the WATR office at (828) 507-9144 *** What: WATR and our partners are holding this workshop at the stone fishing weir located […]
Read moreSummer: Vance Tyson & Blake Hartshorn join the WATR staff
Vance Tyson, a rising junior at UNC, is interning as the Summer Programs Leader. Among other things, he is grooming the Discovery Trails. Vance is a graduate of the Early College over at SCC. His days with the Cherokee Boy Scout troop have provided useful connections. Blake Hartshorn […]
Read moreVolunteer & Paid Intern Opportunities – Summer 2016
We have need of volunteers who help by completing a task or two. Here is a list prepared mostly for students, especially those in WCU or SCC. High School kids and plain-old grownups are invited too. Have one of your buddies help. Opportunities 2016 We have a real […]
Read moreYuck! Bacteria in Our Creeks – Public Meeting, May 31
Since 2006, tests have shown fluctuating levels of bacteria in Scotts Creek, Savannah Creek, and a section of the Tuckasegee River where these creeks drain. Some measurements have exceeded the safe limit for recreational use of these streams. Join us for a presentation of data collected by Division of Water […]
Read moreSign up for: Core Erosion & Sediment Control Training – Tues, March 29
March 17, 2015…… Open invitation to builders with “Boots on the Ground” You are invited to a new Core Erosion and Sediment Control training specifically adapted to mountain conditions. The training is designed for the “boots on the ground” workers, those directly involved in clearing a site for development or […]
Read more2015 WATR Annual Report lists accomplishments –
The 2015 WATR annual report lists our key accomplishments. The most remarkable one was the removal of a record 4.25 tons of litter and debris from Jackson and Swain Counties waterways. We encourage you to explore the report. We could not have achieved what we did without our WATR volunteers and […]
Read moreWhat are WATR Working Meetings?
WATR Working Meetings are opportunities for volunteers (and the curious) to gather informally. 🙂 Plan & orgnaize events and identify volunteers (think Greening Up the Mtns) Discuss issues facing the Association. Fix waders by re-attaching felt soles and water boots, or other handy work. Occasionally, share a pizza and a beverage. Most […]
Read moreJoin us: Monteith Farmstead Park Post-Flood Cleanup, Sat. 1/23
If you’re interested in a hands-on project, join us from 10:00-12:00 on Saturday, January 23, when we clean up Scotts Creek and the nature trails in Monteith Park. Water rose over five feet during the Christmas Eve flood, leaving several eroded spots and plenty of debris to pick up. Volunteers […]
Read moreYou are invited: “Citizen Monitoring Water Quality”, 1st Q meeting, 1/19
Our first Quarterly Meeting will be on Tuesday, January 19, from 6:00-7:15 pm, in the Community Room at the Jackson County Public Library. Come at 5:30 for refreshments and socializing. Our presentation will be: “Monitoring Water Quality in the Tuckasegee River: Litter, Mud, and Bacteria.” These problems constitute the […]
Read moreTuckasegee Picnic
Tuckasegee River Picnic — Postponed to Saturday 7/11 When: Same Time — 6:00 to 8:30 pm Where: Same Place — Darnell Farms Why: Fifteen hours of predicted “scattered thundershowers” is too much. We will postpone to July 11. But bring the gang — we have had 2 fun years […]
Read moreKids in Tuckasegee River Youth Workshop will enjoy first Fish Snorkeling in Oconaluftee
Pay off for members of the Tuckasegee River Youth Workshop — with kids from Cherokee, Smoky Mountain High, and Swain – middle and upper. Fish Snorkeling with WATR! When: This Sunday, May 17 at 1:30 pm to 3:30 – 4:00 pm — Where: St. Francis Church, Cherokee, and the […]
Read moreWATR volunteers and partners pickup garbage along creeks and roads
On Saturday April 18, WATR teams split up to attack stream garbage, as our contribution to the Annual WCU Tuck River Cleanup. The Scott Creek team pulled a trailer full of illegally disposed trash. It came from wrongful dumping […]
Read more2015 Starts with Winter Clean-Ups
At the end of 2014, Lisa Muscillo, a passionate foe of roadside litter, started a one-person crusade in Jackson City. WATR joined up with her, and together we scheduled clean-ups working with the Monteith Farm Park team. Lisa is focused mostly on litter and named her project Operation Fed Up. […]
Read moreKen Walton, long-time WATR volunteer & staffer, passes
On Tuesday (1/13,2015), Bennedene Walton called and left a message that her husband, Ken Walton, had died at their apartment in Cullowhee. Bennedene has been living with family in Jacksonville NC since Thanksgiving. (Oops! In previous messages I said Jacksonville FL – not Jacksonville NC. My bad!) Rick Queen, WATR pres., […]
Read moreWATR volunteers fight trash & litter
Sat. Jan. 3, 2015 A stalwart crew met at Monteith Farmstead Park for the monthly clean-up of Scotts Creek, and when that job was done, we tackled a new task. Nick Pallotta, Jennifer Cooper, Roger Clapp, Sae Smyrl, and Lisa Muscillo convened at the Discovery Trails for our monthly creek clean-up that […]
Read moreSummer and Fall — and WATR has been active
Summer 2014 and the focus has been on youth and education. But there have been plenty of other tasks and accomplishments. In the next few blogs, we will recap the summer and fall. WATR has worked on a grant project that brings together stream ecology and Cherokee culture. How are […]
Read moreFracking Unsuitable for Our Region and Humanity’s Future
The last regional public hearing for “Comments on Mining & Energy Commission Draft Rules” will happen today at 5:00 – 9:00PM at the Ramsey Center at WCU. The public is invited to publicly comment on the proposed 101 Rules for regulating hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for production of natural shale gas. […]
Read moreWATR: Jackson Conservation Voters push for strong Steep Slope measures
WATR members in Jackson ***Update, due to the snow, the Planning Board Meeting has been postponed one week to Thursday, Feb 20. I look forward to a great turnout from Jackson Conservation Voters*** Conservation-minded citizens of Jackson County will attend the Jackson Planning Board Meeting on Thursday, Feb 13 20 […]
Read moreNew WATR website is almost ready for prime-time. Thank you….
Yes! Our updated WATR website is almost ready for prime-time. And a big THANK YOU goes to Ohia, web page designer, and Julie Thorner, WATR board member. Did you know that Julie is a marketing professional with her own business: Liquid Spark, Inc. (formerly WillowWorks, Inc.) She’s a great part […]
Read moreTuckasegee Summer Picnic draws a crowd!
Ken Walton enjoys the FANTASTIC food! Read moreMountain Heritage Trout Waters
Jackson civic leaders, mostly from Sylva, Dillsboro, & Webster, have been meeting with the purpose of identifying stretches of Scotts Creek & the Tuckasegee River to classify as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters. When the project is completed, Dillsboro will be identified as a “Mountain Heritage Trout Town.” (Same for Sylva […]
Read moreUpcoming Traditional Cherokee Fish Harvest – Year 4
Partner with Cherokee Youth Council WATR is partnering with the Cherokee Youth Council Three events — WATR volunteers welcome – need help/chaperones Tuesday, 5/7, 6:00 PM at Extension Office on Aquoni Road — Help plan events! – went super well! Monday, 6/10, about 9:00 at Webster Weir (Jim Allman’s Place) — […]
Read moreWATR goes to WCU for Earth & Wellness Day
WCU Earth and Wellness Fair WATR enjoyed an afternoon at WCU meeting and chatting with students. We staffed an information table and made friends. We watched as kids hula-hooped, took the blood pressure of passerby-s, and discussed environmental themes. We had to chuckle when we saw students engaged in […]
Read moreWCU Annual Tuck Cleanup, Again — Lower Tuckasegee
WCU Annual Tuck Cleanup — Lower Tuckasegee Cleanup, April 21 For the first time ever, the Annual WCU Tuck River Cleanup (now in its 19th year) has down to the confluence with Fontana Lake. WATR volunteers worked with Wildwater staff – they supplied guides and rafts — and we removed […]
Read moreWCU Annual Tuck Cleanup — Scotts Creek
WCU Annual Tuck Cleanup — Scotts Creek – April 20, 2013 For years, WATR has conducted cleanups on tributaries to the Tuckasegee River, as part of the Annual WCU Tuck River Cleanup. We let the college kids work out of rafts on the main river, while we fight prickly brush […]
Read moreIt has been a busy spring for WATR –
April is Earthday Month, with many activities especially for students who head into term papers and finals in May. In ensuing WATR Blogs, we will cover topics like: The 19th Annual WCU Tuck River Cleanup when WATR volunteers picked up trash along Scotts Creek at various sites in Sylva. The […]
Read moreNotes from Annual Meeting, Feb 26, 2013
WATR Annual Meeting Thirty souls showed up at the Ginger Lynn Welch Complex on the Qualla Boundary to accomplish association business and to hear Eric Romaniszyn’s rallying presentation. Thanks to Bill Kane, our association bylaws allow for simpler board elections, use of electronic notification instead of snail mail, and adjustments […]
Read moreFlood of 2013 has Happened, Part 2.
As prolonged as the rain was, and as intense as the flooding was, this extreme weather event is all over…and the sun is shining. Now people have the job of picking up the pieces, cleaning up the mud, and getting back to normal. For some, the damage was extensive – […]
Read moreFlood of 2013 is Happening, Part 1
The Flood of 2013 is happening as I write to you. The clock on my computer says 12:30 PM on Thursday. It has rained for 3 days and it is continuing to rain, with a good chance that it will turn to snow later today. My purpose in writing is […]
Read moreWATR Builders 1: Jack Gruber
WATR volunteers have helped in a variety of ways over the past few years: creek cleanups, botanical expertise, invasives removal, office help, trail maintenance, and other tasks. A big WATRshed THANK YOU for all their help. In […]
Read moreAll About Water: Watershed Film Series #3 Coming November 15th
The theme of this Film night is “It’s Our Water”. This will be our third presentation of environmentally thought-provoking videos in our Watershed Film Series. Instead of one long film, the program includes four snappy videos – (less than 5-8 minutes each) covering issues from litter to bottled water. We […]
Read moreAdventure Hour At Discovery Trails
Come join us for an adventure. We are offering guided adventure tours at Monteith Farmstead Park on Saturday mornings at 9am and again at 11am, courtesy of WATR. Each adventure will follow a portion of Scotts Creek, a tributary of the Tuckasegee River. Along the way we will learn how […]
Read moreWatershed Film Series
Watershed Film Series Wednesday August 22, 2012 WATR is hosting a short film series all about our water. We welcome everyone to join us at the Swain Middle School media center on August 22, 2012 from 7:00-9:00p.m. We will have a community discussion after the films. We would like to give […]
Read moreProtect your stream by “adopting it!”
At our Public Meeting at the end of May, Rick Queen described the NC “Stream Watch” program that is offered through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. — So what’s it all about? The state guys know that it is neighbors who live on or near the creek that know the […]
Read moreRiver Cane Chronicles IV: Important Invitation
The WATR River Cane Mapping & Education Project is gearing up for the summer, and WE NEED YOU and other volunteers. The purposes of the project are to educate ourselves and the public about the ecological and the cultural benefits of native river cane, to snoop around creeks and […]
Read moreBoard Meetings
Tuesday May 22, 5:30pm at the Bryson City Library. (Directions) Tuesday June 17, 5:30pm in Sylva. Tuesday November 13, 5:30pm Sylva.
Read moreSummer Picnic
Friday June,15. We are outdoor enthusiasts and what better way to celebrate the great outdoors than having a picnic? Bring your friends, family, and anyone that enjoys the great outdoors. Good food, good friends, and a good community. Location TBA, so stay tuned.
Read moreWATR Public Meetings
Monday July 23, 6:45 p.m. Sylva Public Library is the location of the WATR Mid-Summer Meeting. We will socialize at 6:45 and discuss issues and have an open dialogue from 7:00 until 8:30p.m. Everyone is invited to join the conversation. With speaker Mark Cantrell.
Read moreThe Must-See Conservation Film, Thurs. April 19
On Thursday, April 19, at 7:00 – 8:30 PM, there will be a must-see documentary movie at the Smoky Mountain Community Theater (130 Main Street, Bryson City). It recalls the life of perhaps the most influential U.S. conservationists of the 20th century, Aldo Leopold. The movie is more than dry […]
Read moreThe Tuckasegee Trout Unlimited Team
The Tuckasegee Trouth Unlimited team will be doing more trash clean up in concert with the WCU Annual Tuck Cleanup. The group will be meeting at CJ Harris Boat Launch. Pickup will be done by walking the shoreline, by wading, and by boat. Dress appropriately and bring gloves. The cleanup […]
Read moreRiver Clean Up Teams
Join up with Duke Energy team to pick up trash along the Tuckasegee River in the section of the former lake behind (the now nonexistent) Dillsboro Dam. This clean up will be on Thursday April 19 from 1-4 P.M. Folks will meet at the new C J Harris Boat Launch- […]
Read moreRiver Cane Chronicles Part III
Morning comes and with it the question: Did the dye take? Sometimes it doesn’t. But today, Jim Long is in luck. The brown-dyed cane can be seen as soon as he removes the cover. He lifts out the cane and spreads it on the concrete of his driveway. He will […]
Read moreRiver Cane Chronicles part II
With the cane bundled into the tub, Jim Long fills his cut-off oil drum with water and brings it to a boil with a propane burner. He begins cutting and mixing in walnut roots from a tree that blew down near his home.The walnut will produce deep-brown strips of cane […]
Read moreRiver Cane Chronicles Part I
To prepare the harvested river cane for dyeing, Jim Long – Cherokee weaver and basketmaker – cuts a six-foot long stalk in half, then expertly wields his knife to peel off strips. He gets an average of six strips for a piece of cane this thick. He then uses his knife […]
Read moreIntro. to The River Cane Chronicles
WATR is working with the Cherokee tribal Revitalization of Traditional Artisan Resources, aka RTCAR. The project is called ” WATR River Cane Education & Mapping” and it extends through this summer. River cane is important to WATR’s mission because the shoots prevent stream bank erosion and trap sediments. In short, river cane helps […]
Read moreWATR Annual Business Meeting
WATR’s Annual Business Meeting will be held at the Jackson County library located in the renovated Jackson County Courthouse on Monday February 27. We will start with potluck meal at 5:30, followed by the meeting from 6:15 to 7:45. Our featured speaker will be Susan Sachs, educator for Great Smoky […]
Read moreHarvesting Rivercane
Five WATR members traveled with Cherokee artisans to harvest the perfect canes that are suitable for traditional weaving projects: mats and baskets. We joined two Cherokee artisans, Jim Long and Lucille Lossiah, and their six assistants who are learning the craft as we headed down to the Murphy area. At […]
Read moreCandidates for the Board
Bill Kane, WATR Board Member, described the board member nomination process, then opened the floor for nominations. Newest nominees are: Ken Brown, owner of a construction company and leader of the local Western North Carolina Alliance chapter; and Jennifer Cooper, interim manager – Service Learning, at WCU. […]
Read moreSuccessful January 2012 Planning Meeting
For the first time, WATR staff and members are assembling a list of activities and events for the coming season (as best we can). With this list, members, new and old, can identify where and how they want to be involved in the coming months. As importantly, we can […]
Read moreHappy New Year to all of WATR’s members and friends
Year 2011 ended with an impressive list of accomplishments, to be summarized elsewhere. Now I would like to go over our intentions and our plans for the coming year. With challenging economic times, it is more important than ever that we get volunteer effort and donor assistance in order to […]
Read moreGenerous WATR Members Make the Goal!
Thanks to recent new memberships and gifts, many of which are second and third gifts from committed members, – the Association received $10,104, pushing through the $10,000 goal for Membership Year 2011.A big WATERSHED HUG, to everyone who chipped in, to make this WATR’s best fundraising year ever. Watch for […]
Read morePartnership Award
Holly Krake, left, a US Forestry worker and liaison specialist for the Oconoluftee Job Corp CCC Center, presents Roger Clapp, excutive director of WATR, a Conservation Partner Award in recognition of WATR’s work with Job Corps students on the Monteith Park trails project in Dillsboro. Job Corps students have helped […]
Read moreConfluences — Part 1
I am standing on the southern-most point of Illinois looking out over the churning water that marks the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Native Americans, whose villages and mounds dotted the banks of the rivers, came to the point to camp, fish and fight, say the archeologists. Lewis […]
Read moreFall Water Meeting
WATR held its Fall Meeting at a new place: the atrium of the Jackson County Library in the totally remodeled courthouse on Monday 10/7. Roger Clapp reviewed the programs and events of the past summer and described upcoming projects. The association’s biggest accomplishment is the Stream Buffer Demonstration Trails in […]
Read moreGreen Friends
Green Friends Many WATR members support other local and state groups who strive to protect our environment and promote social justice. Please give careful consideration of the following issues and responses and to the organizations that are pushing for reforms. Duke Energy has an approved rate increase of 4.6% to […]
Read moreStream Buffer Demonstration Trail
On Friday 9/16, the educational signs were installed at our interpretive nature trail in Dillsboro, NC. If you are in the area, please stop by and take a short walk along the trail. The trail ends with an ecological riddle that you can probably solve after your first visit. […]
Read moreWATR gets $9,500 river cane grant from Cherokee
As clay is to the potter and stone is to the sculptor, river cane is the vital raw material to the Cherokee basket maker. But it’s in short supply. A Cherokee artisans group has provided a grant to WATR to locate cane stands along the river to provide a local supply […]
Read moreWATR gets $9,500 river cane grant from Cherokee
As clay is to the potter and stone is to the sculptor, river cane is the vital raw material to the Cherokee basket maker. But it’s in short supply. A Cherokee artisans group has provided a grant to WATR to locate cane stands along the river to provide a local supply […]
Read moreState of the Tuckasegee River Workshop
Watershed experts and citizens gathered to share data and their experiences concerning the health of the Tuckasegee River on Wednesday, August 24, at a one-day workshop. WATR held this informal sharing of information as a stepping stone toward periodic assessment of the Tuckasegee River system at the watershed scale. According to Roger […]
Read moreWhy we’re important
Two articles in the Huffington Post in June report some alarming developments in the state of the oceans and the Gulf of Mexico. In an article on June 20, reporter Travis Donovan summarized the findings of the International Programme on the State of the Ocean. His lead read,” If the […]
Read moreHomeowners win suit over shoddily built roads
Members of the Alarka Creek Properties Homeowners Association have won a $3 million lawsuit over roads that deteriorated in the subdivision. The court accepted the property owners’ claims that the roads were shoddily built on too-steep terrain and that the developer ignored appropriate erosion control measures. Link to article
Read moreMy favorite place on the river
What is your favorite spot on the Tuckasegee? Mine is Warden’s Falls in Panthertown. My late wife Pam and I use to like to go out on the rocks at the falls and lay in the sun for awhile. I remember a particularly warm day in February a few years […]
Read moreMacon board seeks to finish steep-slope work
Macon County’s commissioners want their planning board, if possible, to finish up work on a steep-slope ordinance. This after what Planning Board Chairman Lewis Penland wearily described as a long few weeks, in which members have drawn the ire and criticism of local anti-planning advocates.
Read moreSwain High Students search for the endangered Appalachian Elktoe Mussel.
Cold water and the threat of rainfall did not stop the Swain High Environmentally Aware Club from searching for the endangered Appalachian elktoe mussel in theTuckasegeeRiver. On Tuesday, May 17, eleven members of the club traveled upstream of Dillsboro to start their search. Under the guidance of Gary Peeples, outreachcoordinator […]
Read moreJoin the WATR Blog
Would you like to be a guest blogger? Submit your ideas to Bill Lee at BillLee@watrnc.org
Read moreA Trip to the Falls with Two Names
Photo from “Occoneechee,” published in 1916 The falls as it looks today It’s a beautiful April morning, and I’m hiking into an area below Glenville dam to see a waterfall on the West Fork of the Tuckasegee River that not many people take the time to see. The […]
Read moreWATR receives funding but less than amount sought
WATR recently learned that its proposed project, “Experiential Environmental Education in Dillsboro, Jackson County,” was accepted, and it will be funded by Resourceful Communities, a program of The Conservation Fund headquartered in Chapel Hill. The good news is that WATR will receive funding, the challenging news is that we asked […]
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