The improvements include planting 40 native trees and shrubs on the riverbank, an educational sign and brochures about the watershed and recreation opportunities on it, and a river access point for fishermen and boaters. 

“This prized natural resource runs through the center of this town, indeed this entire community,” said Art O’Neil, co-owner of BearWaters Brewing. “We need to protect it, cherish it and treat it with the respect it deserves so that generations to come can enjoy its benefits as much as the generations which have gone before.”

The improvements were a collaboration with Haywood Waterways Association, which helped design them and wrangle volunteers to get the trees planted. 

“It took a volunteer army to get the plants in the ground in the short time we had,” said Eric Romaniszyn, executive director for Haywood Waterways. “A healthy river isn’t complete without healthy riverside vegetation. Grass roots are shallow and do a terrible job of preventing water from undercutting stream banks, or stopping erosion once it starts. It’s really the large root balls from trees and shrubs that provide the best long-term protection.”

Project funding came from grants through the Pigeon River Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.