River protest calls attention to debris removal
Protesters showed up and paddled out into the river to make their feelings known. Bob Scott photo
On Saturday, April 26, a group of protesters took to the Little Tennessee River to call attention to what they see as excessive debris removal in Macon County as part of the cleanup process from damage by Hurricane Helene last year.
“They continue assaulting our river’s tributaries in the middle of spring when all the fauna is trying to raise babies in the name of profiting from our neighbor’s disaster,” said Angela-Faye Martin, co-owner and founder of Alraka Expeditions. “There should be a reckoning.”
At noon on Saturday, about six paddlers and 20 walkers made their way from the Tassee Shelter to the boat ramp on Lakeside Drive to show support for local waterways. Paddlers wielded signs and walkers spoke with people on the greenway.
“Today’s event in honor of the river went well, especially given the short notice,” said Kathy Stillwell, Forward! Franklin’s Environmental Committee leader. “We gathered six amazing paddlers, all of whom picked up trash along their routes, and more than 18 walkers who engaged with others along the path. We are so grateful for those who participated. A small but mighty and dedicated crew.”
As debris removal work gets underway in Macon County, some are worried that the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the companies they have contracted for the work are going too far, removing debris that predated Helene and had become part of the ecosystem, as well as excess amounts of vegetation from riparian zones and in some cases, live trees.
Accusations of excessive debris removal and destruction of fragile ecosystems in the process are not isolated to Macon County. In Transylvania County, the Transylvania Times reported last week that Lauren Wilkie jumped into the Little River in order to block heavy machinery with her body to keep contractors from removing live trees and waterfall boulders on her property.
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Good intentions gone wrong: Maconians sound alarm on excessive debris removal
Hans Lohmeyer, stewardship coordinator with the nonprofit organization Conserving Carolina told the Transylvania Times that the well-intentioned effort to clear storm debris from that county’s rivers has turned into an ecological crisis.
Lohmeyer says the destructive work will have long-term effects on endangered species like hellbenders, mudpuppies and freshwater mussels.
Jason Love, associate director at the Highlands Biological Station, and previous site manager at Coweeta Long-Term Ecological Research Program told The Smoky Mountain News he has similar concerns about the work being done on the Little Tennessee.
“This is most likely the most damaging ecological event from the past 100 years to impact this river,” said Love.
Bob Scott photo
Unlike other places in Western North Carolina that saw an unprecedented level of destruction from Hurricane Helene, Macon County and the Little Tennessee River made it through the extreme weather event largely unscathed.
Too much removal of debris can spell disaster for waterways because, while major storms like Hurricane Helene cause a quick buildup of debris that wouldn’t normally make it into a river, there is a natural level of debris buildup that is expected within a waterway and benefits the ecology of a stream or river.
Woody debris within a waterway or along its banks provides important habitat for many of its inhabitants. Love explained that waterfowl and salamanders both use logs for protection and cover; insects burrow under logs.
According to Dave Connolly, chief public affairs officer for the USACE Wilmington District, AshBritt was awarded the Advanced Contracting Initiative (ACI) debris removal contract for Region 7.
There were 142 sites identified and requested by Macon County that were determined eligible for debris removal. FEMA determined debris eligibility requirements for the Direct Federal Assistance program.
“If FEMA determines the debris to be storm generated or where debris impedes navigation or produces a hazard to safety, it is removed,” said Connolly.
But protestors and some residents in Macon County think that these agencies are getting the distinction between Helene debris, hazardous debris and natural buildup wrong, and that the consequences could be dire.
People have grown concerned over how much unnecessary debris removal may be occurring. File photo
“When you go into these systems like is being done right now and remove mass quantities of dead debris and living trees that are part of the system, it has impacts,” Jordan Smith, executive director of Mainspring Conservation Trust told The Smoky Mountain News. “A lot of what’s being removed is actually stabilizing the riverbanks. A lot of what we’re seeing removed, we don’t think falls within the scope of what the Army Corps’ intentions are. Whether or whose shoulders that falls on, we’re not clear about. We just know that what’s happening is excessive and it’s massive.”
