RiverLink volunteers
By Gina Malone
RiverLink has a long and successful history of protecting and preserving the beautiful French Broad River that flows for more than 200 miles from Rosman in Transylvania County through Asheville and on to Tennessee. “Our best years are ahead of our organization,” says executive director Garrett Artz, “because the first 32 years involved some of the hardest work to transform the riverfront from a forgotten industrial wasteland into areas that have become an attraction, like the River Arts District.”
The organization has created two parks, French Broad River Park and Carrier Park, and is at work now on the future Karen Cragnolin Park in an area a little more than fi ve acres that was formerly the EDACO Junkyard. Cragnolin founded RiverLink and served for 30 years as its leader, retiring in 2016. “With help from community figures like Wilma Dykeman and Jean Webb,” Artz says, “Karen set the standard that RiverLink does high-impact work to revitalize the French Broad River Watershed that relies on improving the environment of the River to drive economic development.”
RiverLink’s establishment came during a time in the 1980s when the Chamber of Commerce sought to get visitors to Asheville to “stay one more night.” At the time, the Biltmore Estate was the area’s primary tourist destination. First projects were the creation of easy access points so that people could enjoy and experience the river. To that end, water and land conservation programs have improved water quality and education initiatives have furthered knowledge about the river for children and their families.
RiverLink supporters along the French Broad River
Artz brought to the job the environmental awareness that came from his rural Pennsylvania upbringing. He has been a “parent champion” for walking and biking to school activities and co-founded Connect Enka, an active transportation advocacy nonprofi t serving Enka and Candler. He credits the staff of RiverLink for its “unique skills and leadership styles” during the leadership transition as well as the board’s focus on moving forward with the organization’s mission of connecting people to the French Broad River. “I was attracted to this position because I enjoy working to strengthen our community and our connection to the French Broad River,” Artz says, “and the fact that RiverLink has a long track record of success and a reputation for excellence were also strong draws for taking on this responsibility.”
Ongoing projects include completion of the Wilma Dykeman Riverway Plan, a 2004 plan adopted by the City of Asheville and Buncombe County that envisions a 17-mile greenway corridor running from Carrier Park to Broadway and from the French Broad River Park along the Swannanoa River to the Blue Ridge Parkway. RiverLink is also working to further education, including implementation of a K-12 curriculum this year, and to identify other properties along the river that might become parks or places for river-centered businesses to grow. Water quality improvement, stormwater control measures and soil testing are among projects recently completed or still ongoing as RiverLink moves ahead with major revitalization plans.
Bacoate Family celebrating the naming of Osie Bacoate Branch
Recently accredited as a Land Trust by Land Trust Alliance, RiverLink embraces an emerging trend in community conservation that involves local residents in protecting land and designating its use. “In many ways, this type of work pre-dates our accreditation with the Alliance,” Artz says, “because we have always made it a priority to involve the community in our major revitalization projects.”
Some activities that RiverLink promotes are recreation-focused like the Anything That Floats Parade held in conjunction with Riverfest, set for August 18 this year. Other annual family-friendly events include the Kid’s Earth Day Festival to be held Saturday, April 21, at Salvage Station and monthly RiverMusic events held June through September at New Belgium Brewing.
Volunteers are always welcome. “We think of our core volunteer programs as ‘volunteering with a purpose,’” Artz says, “since many of the hours donated contribute to match dollars provided by the foundation or agency funding the projects.” Nine hundred volunteers have contributed 1,800 hours of service to grant-funded projects including those at Penland Creek, Givens Estates and Azalea Park. There are volunteering opportunities for individuals of all ages and abilities, he adds, and for groups and corporate teams.
“RiverLink is important to the community and region,” Artz says, “because we believe in the philosophy, articulated best by Wilma Dykeman (author of The French Broad), that economic development and environmental stewardship are mutually benefi cial goals. Taking care of the French Broad River and its watershed is not just good for the fun of recreation or as a source for our drinking water but it is also taking care of our livelihood and well-being as a region.”
To learn more about donating or volunteering or about RiverLink’s events and projects, visit riverlink.org. If you would like to get involved, sign up on the website for the volunteer digest published at the beginning of each month that lists all upcoming service days.
