A Second Blow to Rivers, After Helene
“Magical” is Margie Huggins’s word for her home on the Little River, near DuPont. On her 16 acres, she has been restoring natural areas around streams, wetlands, meadows, and her half-mile of river frontage. In the spring, warblers arrive, full of color and song. Screech owls nest in her bird boxes.
Margie is exploring options for conservation, so a few years ago, she invited Conserving Carolina to come out. Our stewardship staff snorkeled the river and discovered hellbenders and mud puppies—large salamanders that thrive only in cold, clean water. We also found freshwater mussels, sometimes overlooked creatures that helpfully filter water and anchor streambanks.
Then came the flood, which covered Margie’s valley in twelve feet of water. The deluge, which was even worse in other parts of our region, dealt a heavy blow to some aquatic wildlife. Sadly, after the ravages of Helene, hellbenders—the iconic giant salamander of the Appalachian mountains—became a candidate for the federal endangered species list.
Then, this spring, a second ecological crisis struck our rivers. For Margie, it arrived in the form of a large machine driving toward her, up the Little River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had sent out fleets of contractors to do an important job—clean up the flood debris in and along rivers. Clearing downed trees and trash gets rid of ugly messes and opens blocked rivers for paddling. It can also improve public safety by removing objects that might be swept downstream in future floods—and potentially lead to dangerous debris dams.
Many of the contractors did this job well. But, some went too far. In some cases, they were paid by the ton, incentivizing them to take out more than necessary. Some tore out live, stable trees. Some removed logs and wood that had been part of the river long before Helene. So far, fish had been fairly resilient through the disaster—but in this second crisis, the woody debris we need for fish habitat was being systematically removed!
Sometimes, the machines drove along riverbanks and stripped away trees and shrubs that we need to prevent erosion. This means that the rivers also lost shade—imperiling species like trout that require cold water. In other cases, the machines drove up the channel, crushing mussel beds and the rocky areas where hellbenders live.
In Margie’s case, she was able to stop the contractors coming up the Little River and talk to them. They agreed on what they should take out and where they should leave the river be.
Similarly, our staff had a positive experience at our Little River Wetlands preserve nearby. There, the contractor worked with us to minimize impacts on wildlife and water quality.
But in another spot on the Little River, we found evidence that the debris removal process harmed freshwater mussels that are federally protected! Even after the storm, the river had been supporting populations of these endangered or threatened species. Now, we found broken shells and the tracks of large machinery—although we also found hope, with some of the rare mussels still alive.
Between this finding and the outcry we were hearing from so many landowners, Conserving Carolina stepped up to raise awareness of this urgent issue, along with our partners. Our stewardship coordinator, Hans Lohmeyer, and other staff:
- Did snorkel surveys that showed harm to endangered species.
- Published articles and did numerous media interviews.
- Shared our message widely through email and social media.
- Joined a group of anglers in a meeting with Rep. Chuck Edwards.
- Shared information with decision-makers before critical meetings.
- Offered advice on restoration for landowners.
While we couldn’t undo the damage that was already done, we gave a voice to what was happening in our communities—and it did make a difference. In several places, work paused and the process improved. Hans says, “We have seen a positive trend with contractors collaborating with landowners and wildlife agencies, and doing the work more strategically to avoid hurting our river ecosystems.”
On the Green River in Polk County this spring, Christel Walter found herself looking at bare banks on what was once a shady mountain river. First the flood had scoured her land and then debris contractors came through, clearing a path for heavy trucks and excavators. “When I first went down there, I was crying, I was devastated,” she says.
Christel’s land is under conservation easement with Conserving Carolina, so she reached out for advice. Hans suggested seeding the banks with a temporary crop to stabilize the soil, then following up in the fall with livestaking—the easiest and least expensive way to establish trees and shrubs.
Since many landowners were in the same predicament, Hans wrote up instructions that we shared online, on the best ways to reseed in the spring. We’ll follow up with information on fall livestaking.
In a way, it’s an opportunity, Christel says. She has the chance to be creative, choosing native plants she wants to grow along the water.
Hans says, “We’re making lemonade out of lemons.”
