Date: March 7 Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Location: Mountain True Southern Regional Office located at 611 N. Church Street, Suite 101 Hendersonville Cost: FREE. (Donations are gladly accepted to help cover costs of printed materials.) Registration Deadline: March 3
MountainTrue’s Southern Regional office will host a hands-on Adopt-A-Stream Workshop. Learn about a community-based monitoring program where you will receive both classroom and field experience for identifying stream health and water quality issues. Through regular monitoring, debris removal, and trash pick-up, individuals or teams help protect the life and health of the streams and adjacent ecosystems. After the training, you’ll be able to join an existing Adopt-A-Stream team or start your own to become an environmental steward.
Participants should bring a snack, a water bottle, and appropriate outdoor clothing and rain gear. We will not be getting into the stream, so boots or waders are not necessary. Registration is required by March 3rd. Donations are gladly accepted to help cover costs of printed materials.
Date: March 21 Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Location: Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock (exact building and room will be emailed to participants as the training approaches) Cost: $5 suggested donation for new participants to cover materials Registration Deadline: March 16
Each April and October, more than 40 MountainTrue volunteers head out to sample 20 sites across Henderson County for aquatic life. These dedicated volunteers look in various stream habitats to find quick crawling predators, spiny turtle mayflies, and a range of other benthic macroinvertebrates, or stream insects. These insects serve as biological indicators of water quality over time as some are more sensitive or tolerant to pollution and changes in the stream channel than others. By sampling the amount and diversity of these insects at each site, MountainTrue is able to use this information combined with data from chemical and physical monitoring programs to paint a bigger picture of what is influencing the overall health of our watersheds.
This training is designed for both new volunteers and as a refresher course for current volunteers. Training covers aquatic insect morphology and identification as well as sampling protocol. The training includes both a lab and field portion so dress appropriately for being outdoors. Attendees should bring boots or waders if available. A $5 suggested donation for new participants to cover printed materials. Registration required by March 16. A schedule for the day and information regarding lunch will be emailed to all registries in the week before the training.
When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 14 – (Rain Date: Sunday, March 15)
Why: To restore native plant communities by controlling non-native invasive plants along a major drainage area that includes special wild plants and a mountain bike trail within Richmond Hill Park
We’ll give instruction on how to identify and control non-native invasive plants of concern in the Park, then we’ll go after these plants!
MountainTrue will provide all gloves and equipment needed for the event.
Volunteers are asked to bring snacks, water, rain jacket and appropriate layers for March weather. Long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and old shoes or hiking boots (no open shoes or sandals) are required, even if it’s a warm day.
MountainTrue’s Southern Regional Office Recycling Committee will host its next meeting at 4:30 p.m. March 18 in our conference room at 611 N. Church St., Hendersonville.
The main presenter will be Ken Allison from the proposed Regional Recycling Solutions Center planned for Asheville.
This should be very informative for anyone who is interested in recycling. His presentation will focus on the new facility, his state of the art sorting machine imported from Germany, and how the facility will affect recycling in WNC.
Join us for a moderate 7-mile Sunday hike along the Green River with MountainTrue’s very own ecologist Bob Gale!
This is a great late winter hike which follows the Green River offering continuous views of its quiet stretches to its most intense rapids. We’ll look for early wildflowers and migrating warblers. Because it lies at lower elevations than more northerly mountain counties, temperatures should be mild and spring vegetation will be farther along. We’ll pass through remnant eastern hemlock stands which have been less affected by the hemlock woolly adelgid insect and offer a glimpse of what all of our once thriving hemlock communities looked like 10 years ago. The trail also passes through an interesting boulder area and ends in a boulder-strewn stretch of the river. Here, and along the final mile, we’ll have the exciting treat of seeing of seeing kayakers fighting through several dynamic stretches of rapids. Please wear appropriate shoes and layers, and bring water and a lunch! Carpool available from Earth Fare in the Westgate Shopping Center at 9:00AM.
Date: Sunday, March 22 2015 Time: 10:00AM – 4:30PM Location: Green River Cove Trail: 3851 Green River Cove Road, Saluda NC Cost: Free Registration Deadline: Friday, March 20 at 5:00 PM
REGISTRATION HAS BEEN CLOSED
For more information, please contact Rachel Stevens at rachel@mountaintrue.org or call 828-258-8737 ext. 215
Creation Care Alliance of WNC invites you to join NCIPL and Interfaith Power & Light founder and President Rev. Sally Bingham on March 25 at the General Assembly in Raleigh for the Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day. We’ll meet with members of the General Assembly to hear their vision for North Carolina and to express our support for new and existing clean energy policies.
CCAWNC will sponsor a van that can take 15 people to Raleigh at 6:00am in front of All Souls Episcopal Church, 9 Swan Street in Biltmore Village. We’ll return around 8:00pm.
Rev. Sally Bingham,
Date: Wednesday, March 25, Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day Time: 6:00 am-8:00 pm. Location: General Assembly, Raleigh; transportation provided by CCAWNC Cost: FREE — but space is limited to 15 for the van ride. Registration Deadline: 5 p.m. March 23
The Blue Ridge Bicycle Club encourages the community to participate in the 2nd Annual Hendersonville Bike Symposium.
In collaboration with area businesses and non-profit organizations, the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club is working to build a better bicycling infrastructure in Hendersonville and Henderson County. Interested community members are encouraged to join them on from 6-9 p.m. Feb. 26 at the TEDC Building at Blue Ridge Community College.
Some of the topics that will be covered in the symposium are as follows: the City of Hendersonville’s grant application to develop a comprehensive bicycling infrastructure, the new Berkeley Mills youth bicycling park, the current status of the Ecusta Trail initiative, the work being done by Trips for Kids to get less fortunate kids on bikes, the potential of adding a mountain bike park, and much more.
“We know there are so many people – friends, co-workers and neighbors, adults and children- who would like to ride bikes, but who just don’t feel safe on our roads,” explained Joe Sanders, President of the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club. “Our goal with this symposium is to connect Henderson County through collaboration and shared information. Participants will hear from local groups and organizations working to make cycling safer in our hometown.”
Along with the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, the symposium is co-sponsored by Blue Ridge Community College, Sycamore Cycles, and Henderson County Parks and Recreation and will feature representatives from several area bicycling related organizations and initiatives.
About Blue Ridge Bicycle Club: The mission of the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club is to promote healthy and fun lifestyles through cycling in Western North Carolina. For more information about the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, please visit www.blueridgebicycleclub.org or call (828) 243-6732 .
Toxic Sulfur Pollution Exceeding Safe Levels in Asheville
New Report and Analysis Demonstrate Dangerous Air Pollution Levels Up To 3.5 Times Safe Limits
ASHEVILLE, NC – A new report demonstrates that Duke Energy’s Asheville coal plant has been emitting harmful sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution at levels considered unsafe by the Environmental Protection Agency for the past several years. Areas impacted include parts of South Asheville, Fairview, and Leicester, as well as trails in the Bent Creek Forest.
An air modeling study by Air Resource Specialists[1] shows that concentrations of SO2 in the air near people’s homes downwind of the Asheville coal plant are up to 3.5 times higher than what EPA has determined to be safe. According to the study, the plant’s pollution has exceeded these minimum public health standards approximately one out of every three to four days since 2010.
A separate analysis[2] of operations at the plant points to the two causes of this increased pollution: Duke apparently has not been running its pollution protection technology fully and, at the same time, has switched to cheaper, dirtier, higher-sulfur coal. The most likely reason for these changes is to reduce the cost of running this plant, which is one of the utility’s most expensive to operate.
Air pollution controls, “scrubbers”, were installed at the plant in 2005 and 2006. The analysis released today suggests that when first installed, those safeguards were run at acceptable levels, but have been turned down in recent years.
“These new findings reveal dangers to families who live in and visit the impacted area and who breathe the air that is being polluted by Duke Energy’s coal plant,” said Kelly Martin, North Carolina Representative of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign.
“Fortunately, there is an easy way for Duke to eliminate this health threat and restore clean air to Asheville: they can run the plant’s pollution control technology as it was designed to be operated and can return to using coal with lower sulfur content,” said Julie Mayfield, Co-Director of MountainTrue(formerly, the Western North Carolina Alliance). “We urge Duke Energy to take the steps necessary to stop their pollution and protect our families.”
Nearly 20,000 children and adults suffer from asthma in Buncombe County[3]. “It is beyond my moral imagination that Duke Energy would permit this public health hazard to endanger our community,” said Richard Fireman, M.D., retired Emergency Medicine Physician. “We know that air pollution from sulfur dioxide triggers asthma attacks and airway constriction. It exacerbates other respiratory problems including bronchitis and emphysema, requiring emergency medical treatment and hospital admissions. Sulfur dioxidecan also form other toxic sulfur compounds that can aggravate existing heart disease, causing hospital admissions and unexpected, premature death.”
“While we’ve just learned about the extent and intensity of sulfur dioxide pollution in Asheville’s air, Duke’s coal plant has been a known source of pollution affecting our water and our climate for decades. It’s time for Duke to take responsibility for this pollution and protect the health of our communities, not just some of the time, but all the time,” Martin said.
Previously, watchdog groups have discovered dangerous pollution from the plant’s coal ash pits, including mercury, leaking into the French Broad River in violation of the Clean Water Act. The plant is also the largest source of carbon pollution in Western North Carolina, making it the leading contributor to climate disruption in the region.
[1] D. Howard Gebhart, Air Resource Specialists, Inc., Air Quality Dispersion Modeling 1-Hour Average Standard for Sulfur Dioxide: Duke Energy — Asheville Plant (Feb. 13, 2015)
[2] Ranajit Sahu, Analysis of Scrubber Operation: Duke Energy — Asheville Plant (Feb. 16, 2015)
The French Broad Watershed in North Carolina covers more than 2,800 square miles. In 2008, more than 15 percent of the streams in the watershed were impaired for bacterial pollution.
While bacterial pollution in the French Broad watershed is prevalent, it is largely undetected and therefore unresolved. Bacteria impairment is a significant health concern, as the presence of certain types of bacteria increases the likelihood of waterborne pathogens, increasing the risks to human and aquatic health. Despite the importance of understanding the effects of bacteria pollution, knowledge about its distribution is the key to reducing and preventing future pollution.
The Riverkeeper has developed a program that uses local volunteers to monitor fecal coliform levels in in the French Broad River and its surrounding tributaries. Samples are taken weekly and the results are postedhere in the Swim Guide,which was created to inform the public about the environmental safety of their local waterways. It helps users identify which waterways are safe for swimming and recreation. The French Broad Riverkeeper also uses the data from this program to identify areas of point-source pollution, and in turn, develops tactics to remediate these problems.
Bacteria in our streams come from a variety of sources, including leaking sewer lines, faulty septic systems, straight piped sewage, animal waste, agricultural runoff, and other point and non-point sources. Mountain True’s French Broad Riverkeeper is currently looking into the sources of pollution in Henderson and Buncombe counties. The Riverkeeper has developed a bacteria monitoring program that, with the help of volunteers, involves sampling for fecal coliform levels in the French Broad River and surrounding tributaries.
The presence of fecal coliform bacteria in water is a strong indicator of the presence of waterborne pathogens, such as giardia, cholera, and several other gastrointestinal diseases. However, while testing for specific diseases is expensive and not as accurate, the Riverkeeper tests for fecal coliforms and can identify the presence of E. coli, which can then be used to quantitatively express the quality of the water. Depending on the use of the stream, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses the # of E. coli/100 mL sample to identify whether a stream is impaired and unsuitable for fishing, swimming, and drinking, or if it is healthy.
Along with Waterkeeper Alliance’s Pure Farms Pure Watercampaign, the French Broad Riverkeeper is focusing bacterial sampling around Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in Henderson and Buncombe counties. While other sources of pollution may be identified through sampling, CAFOs can contribute to bacteria pollution through leaks in waste storage lagoons, improperly discharging waste around streams, and waste runoff from rain and misapplication. The Riverkeeper identified four CAFOs last year that are contributing to high fecal coliform contamination. The Riverkeeper hopes to identify additional sources and work with known polluters to mitigate contamination in the future.
Check out the current EPA status of impaired streams in the French Broad Watershed to see which waterways are impaired near you.
Coal ash, which contains many of the world’s worst carcinogens, is what’s left over when coal is burnt for electricity. An estimated 113 million tons of coal ash are produced annually in the US, and stored in almost every state — some of it literally in people’s backyards. With very little government oversight and few safeguards in place, toxic chemicals have been known to leak from these storage sites and into nearby communities, contaminating drinking water and making residents sick. In the upcoming series, VICE News travels across the US to meet the people and visit the areas most affected by this toxic waste stream. Since coal production is predicted to remain steady for the next few decades, coal ash will be a problem that will affect the US for years to come.
MountainTrue needs volunteers paddle with our French Broad Riverkeeper and plant live trees along the riverbank as we go.
Each tree we plant will help to restore the bank’s stability and prevent sediment erosion into the French Broad River.
These “live-staking” outings will be from 9:30 a.m.—5 p.m. March 24. You can sign up for one day or all of them, and no experience is necessary.
MountainTrue will provide the boats (but if you have your own, you’re welcome to bring it) trees and tools. Just bring yourself and your lunch – and please wear what you need to be comfortable for a day on the river.
All of the outings will start at Headwaters Outfitters, located at 25 Parkway Road in Rosman. We’ll shuttle from there to the river put-in at Champion Park.
If you want to join us or want more information, please contact Assistant French Broad Riverkeeper Anna Alsobrook at Anna@mountaintrue.org. You may also call her at (828) 258-8737, ext. 212.
Each April and October, more than 40 MountainTrue volunteers head out to sample 20 sites across Henderson County for aquatic life. These dedicated volunteers look in various stream habitats to find quick crawling predators, spiny turtle mayflies, and a range of other benthic macroinvertebrates, or stream insects. These insects serve as biological indicators of water quality over time as some are more sensitive or tolerant to pollution and changes in the stream channel than others. By sampling the amount and diversity of these insects at each site, MountainTrue is able to use this information combined with data from chemical and physical monitoring programs to paint a bigger picture of what is influencing the overall health of our watersheds.
