Published:
Thursday, May 15, 2008 2:09 PM EDT
Champions of the Yadkin and Pee Dee River system met in Elkin Tuesday to gain support of the newly formed Yadkin RiverKeeper Group.
The project is an outreach for concerned citizens of the health and maintenance of North Carolina's second largest river.
The organization was recently granted national status as part of the WaterKeeper Alliance in February in order to start fundraising for a full-time river keeper position to monitor and protect the riverways. The river keeper will be responsible for the river, serving as a diplomat, lobbyist and citizen enforcement head.
Local organizers and board members Anita Harrington, Pat Colwell and Rick Chatham were responsible for bringing the RiverKeeper's meeting to the surrounding Elkin area. They hope to share goals with the tri-county community, encourage riverkeeper activities, and gain members through their outreach.
Harrington said that she first became involved with the river keepers when she saw a notice for a meeting in Wilkesboro.
"The Clean Waters Executive Director, Hope Taylor, started holding meetings last summer along the state to gauge interest and start momentum," Harrington said. "We all met and formed the Friends of the Yadkin and Pee Dee Rivers with 30 people."
Thirteen of the charter members were elected to be board members at that time, and the application process was begun for RiverKeeper status.
"It was a multi-tasked effort, with over 100 hours worth of work put into it," Harrington said of the group project lead by Zoe Gamble Hanes, the RiverKeeper's president, whose background is in environmental law. The group had to develop an action plan, communication plan and fundraising outlets as well as identify specific threats to the river basin.
Threats indicated by Hanes on the application include urbanization effects, pollution sources, widespread degraded habitat, ecological breakdown, and the more global threat of climate change.
Elk's Creek, the Yadkin Lakes Region and High Rock Lake are all cited within the document as highly threatened areas of the Yadkin River system due to the effects of urbanization and ecological breakdown, making waters unsuitable for pregnant women and children to fish or swim in.
"Problems in this area include developmental and agricultural run off," Harrington said of the tri-county watershed. "We are suffering from a lack of riparian vegetation along the river, nutrification from fecal contaminants where goats and cattle have access to the river, and waste water treatment plants."
With a RiverKeeper in place, trouble spots like these would be identified and information and assistance could be given to areas where needed. Harrington said that several issues have already been reported and alleviated through their website www.fypdr.org.
Rick Chatham who grew up on the Yadkin River in Wilkes County said that he has noticed several points of degradation along the river while out paddling.
"You used to be able to paddle to the bridge," Chatham said about the Big Elkin Creek. "Now sedimentation is so bad you have to walk the boat at certain points."
He is a member of the Yadkin Pee Dee River Trail Association, another non-profit group aiming to share information on the river's history and volunteer activities.
"Finally there is the chance to find a cause for everyone to get behind, get together and prioritize," Chatham said of the new Riverkeeper group. "If we can get one member of every family to get in the water once a year, then Sunday night dinners are going to contain something about the river."
May 31 the Yadkin Riverkeepers will be co-sponsoring a Wilkes County clean up with the Yadkin Pee Dee River Trail Association. They will be picking up trash over 21 linear miles from Kerr Scott to Smooth Park, Smooth Park to Roaring River, and Roaring River to Ronda.
Those interested in taking part in the clean up should register on line through the YadkinRiverTrail.org. Groups will meet at Roaring River Canoes at 10:30 a.m. before dividing into river clean up sections.
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