The 



I here once was a freshwater stream 

 that bubbled from beneath a forest floor, 

 meandered through towering oaks, 

 and glided across smooth rocks 

 to join forces with a lively, deep creek. 

 The merged waters poured into a 

 swift-flowing river, coursing toward the coastal 

 plain to salty sounds that seeped through 

 narrow inlets into the Atlantic Ocean. 



The stream and its banks were teeming with life 

 — fish and wildlife, flowers and trees. 

 It was a delight to local inhabitants, 

 who dubbed it Rocky Branch. 



Time passed. Deforestation and agriculture 

 began to carve changes into the landscape. 

 A city and a major university slowly crowded 

 out the rural setting. After more than a century, 

 the once pristine waters of Rocky Branch 

 were forced through channels and squeezed 

 into culverts and between buildings. 

 In some places, the stream disappeared 

 beneath roads and parking lots. 



ABOVE: Before — The severely eroded banks of Rocky Branch presented challenging hurdles 

 for the team. Along with a century of man-made land disturbances, the stream took a major 

 hit from Hurricane Fran in 1996. RIGHT: After — Barbara Doll, second from right, stands 

 in the restored floodplain along the same stretch of Rocky Branch shown on previous page. 

 The winter wheat holds the reshaped banks in place in the new "outdoor classroom. " 



12 AUTUMN 2002 



