American Whitewater is recruiting 15 volunteers to assist with the first stage of preparing the West Fork of the Tuckasegee for the recreational releases slated to begin in the spring of next year. Before recreational releases can begin, a significant hurricane induced log jam must be cleared from the creek, and a trail must be constructed from near Thorpe Dam to the base of High Falls.
We will need volunteers to help out with both of these efforts, which are being carried out in collaboration with Duke Power and other landowners. The first step will be clearing the log jam from the West Fork. A tree crew will be hired to cut up the trees with chainsaws, however we need paddlers to help move the debris to a nearby location. We expect this work to be easily completed in one day, and have planned the work to occur on Saturday, April 16th, which is the first Saturday after Tallulah releases. The removal of the log jam is needed to allow recreational passage and will help protect adjacent property owners’ land from future flooding damage.
If you are able bodied and want to help out on this important project, please contact Kevin@amwhitewater.org. American Whitewater must fulfill these basic roles in order for releases to begin next spring on this great class 4 creek, and this is a great way of helping out the residents of the Gorge we’ll soon be enjoying. There will be additional opportunities to help out with trail construction later in the spring/summer.
Email Kevin as soon as possible if you can volunteer on April 16th, or have an interest in volunteering for future work days in the West Fork Gorge. The West Fork is located between Cullowhee and Cashiers, North Carolina.
It should be noted that American Whitewater does not encourage the removal of trees from rivers and streams unless there is a strong justification for doing so and ecological impacts will be negligible. This is one of those cases where the benefits are vast and the ecological impacts very negligible. For more information on strainers, check out the following link. http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/article/338/