Asheville Field Office Projects

On October 3, 2021, a slug of sediment was released from Ela Dam, which impounds the Oconaluftee River in western North Carolina, smothering the streambed downstream. This action unleashed a wave of momentum for removing the nearly 100-year-old dam and reconnecting 549 miles of streams in the Oconaluftee River watershed with the Tuckasegee River.

At the turn of the twentieth century, high-elevation areas of Southern Appalachia areas experienced intense logging and subsequent wildfires severe enough to inhibit natural conifer regeneration. One hundred years later, a coalition of organizations and individuals have come together to help restore these forests.

In 1992, Roanoke College’s Dr. Robert Jenkins examined two preserved specimens of a fish taken from the Little Tennessee River, one in 1981, the other in 1982. Close examination of physical characteristics, genetics, and behavior determined that the sicklefin redhorse was a new species. Known to river users, including the Cherokee, for centuries, and even collected by scientists, Dr. Jenkin’s work discerning it from other redhorses set in motion efforts to learn about it…and conserve it.

Habitat loss and degradation contributed to the decline of the endangered rusty-patched bumblebee and other pollinators, but anyone with a parcel of land, even a tiny one, can help provide pollinators with the flowers they need.