PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



LEFT: Cut logs, trimmed branches and other evidence of the clearing 

 project blend into the scenery. ABOVE: Kayakers paddle upstream 

 from Gibson Bridge without stopping. Before the cleanup, more than 

 20 blockages per mile had obstructed passage. 



As paddle sports gain popularity, more 

 riverside communities are establishing trails on 

 lesser-known waterways. The efforts can enhance 

 appreciation and stewardship of resources, as 

 well as the local economic picture. 



"I see it as a good thing, overall," Wynne 

 says, "as long as there's no harm done to the 

 environment in the process." 



BLAZING THE TR/UL 



Banks used his knowledge of the White 

 Oak to mark the channel under the blowdowns 

 and beaver dams. The grants paid a tree service 

 to cleave a six-foot section from the densest 

 blockages. Volunteers did the same with the 

 remainder. 



Workers used only chain saws, small 

 winches known as "come-alongs" and other 

 hand-held equipment. They swung the cut wood 

 well ashore, out of reach of floodwaters. They 

 operated from small boats — no trucks, no 

 loaders, and no roads to accommodate the big 

 machines. 



Banks and Asero searched for financial help 

 for years before finding success with the DWR. 

 Federal storm emergency money is often tied 

 to widespread, direct human impact, and some 

 policies dictate that waterways be totally scoured. 

 Other funding sources, however, advocate no 

 interference with natural processes. 



A total hands-off stance has its drawbacks 



when wood debris completely restricts the 

 flow of water, says Barbara Doll, water quality 

 specialist for North Carolina Sea Grant. 



"The water becomes stagnant, oxygen 

 levels drop, and the habitat is very poor," she 

 says. "There is a fine balance between beneficial 

 and detrimental wood in streams and rivers. 

 I think careful removal by hand is definitely 

 a smart way to remove the bare minimum of 

 material to allow passage for small boats." 



Heavy equipment and dragging debris up 

 muddy banks also can injure the vital riparian 

 buffer. Streamside vegetation filters pollutants, 

 stabilizes the soil and provides habitat for a 

 variety of wildlife, says Charles Peterson, a 

 professor at the University of North Carolina 

 at Chapel Hill's Institute of Marine Sciences. 

 Peterson has worked on Sea Grant water quality 

 projects, and chairs the N.C. Environmental 

 Management Commission's water quality 

 committee. 



He characterizes the White Oak effort 

 as "a superb example" of a responsible and 

 environmentally friendly method — worthy of 

 repetition. 



"This approach should be widely followed 

 in the future, and even mandated by the 

 government agencies that fund clean-up," he 



says. 



Subject to review under the N.C. 

 Environmental Policy Act, the Jones County 



project followed guidelines recommended 

 by the DWR. Accepted by the N.C. Dept. of 

 Environment and Natural Resources for a class of 

 activities, the guidelines rninirnize environmental 

 impacts on riparian and aquatic habitats. 



All requests for water resources 

 development projects are thoroughly scrutinized, 

 says Jeff Bruton, DWR environmental specialist. 

 The WRC and other agencies concerned with 

 protecting aquatic habitats review project 

 proposals. 



"Woody debris is a very important habitat 

 component in streams and rivers, and we're 

 careful to limit the amount that is removed," says 

 Bruton, "so that there isn't a significant negative 

 impact on stream ecosystems." 



Motive, as well as method, helped the 

 White Oak River project happen. The grant came 

 through DWR's general navigation category, 

 which funds up to 80 percent of commercial 

 traffic improvement projects. Had the cleanup 

 benefited recreation alone, the 25 percent funding 

 level would have made the cost prohibitive to 

 Jones County. 



The proposal documented that 

 campgrounds, outfitters, fishing and hunting 

 enterprises and related businesses in Jones and 

 surrounding counties rely on the White Oak's 

 navigability for their livelihoods, Bruton says. 

 The county satisfied the 20 percent local sponsor 

 match with in-kind contributions — project 



28 AUTUMN 2005 



