Josh Egenolf is a self described “simple farmboy from Southern Indiana.” While that is undeniably the case, Josh has transcended his prairie roots to become an effective advocate for rivers from his homeland to the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Josh first contacted American Whitewater in 2001 as an undergraduate student, regarding the closure of one of the few whitewater creeks in Indiana – McCormicks Creek. Josh became the streamkeeper and initiated talks with the state park controlling McCormicks. Josh then applied for a 2002 internship in the Asheville office of American Whitewater focusing on river conservation and access issues. We worked with Josh on McCormicks as well as on an access proposal for the West Fork of the Tuckasegee in North Carolina.
The West Fork must have been a real education. Josh got to witness intense negotiations in which anti-paddler sentiment ran rampant among some stakeholders. Josh also got to spend days pouring through property maps in the jackson County Courthouse and hiking through the densely forested trail-free West Fork Gorge – seeking a trail route on Duke land around the massive High Falls. Eventually Josh made a strong enough case that access was possible to encourage Duke Power to carry out a conclusive survey of the area. Josh’s work paved the way for the negotiation of whitewater releases in the West Fork, and trail construction is planned for this summer.
Josh maintained his involvement in Indiana issues after his internship was successfully completed, and in 2004 participated in American Whitewater’s River Stewardship Institute, and week long training program on the Klamath River. The RSI allowed Josh to refocus his river advocacy skills and immediately following the program he moved to Western North Carolina where he signed up to be a volunteer Regional Coordinator. What was his first project back in the southeast? The West Fork Tuck!
The hurricanes of 2004 caused a major landslide into the West Fork of the Tuck on private property, which needed to be cleaned out prior to the 2006 recreational releases. Josh organized a group of 13 paddlers to go into the gorge with a tree crew hired by Duke Power to remove the debris. The group worked all day, resulting in a navigable river, a great relationship with the landowners, and a strong collaborative relationship with Duke Power. Josh will continue to lead up work on the West Fork of the Tuckasegee this summer as AW and Duke Power build a put-in/hiking trail to the base of High Falls.
More importantly than all this, Josh is a great person who cares about rivers and does something about it. His ability to identify with, and talk openly with just about anyone on the planet allows josh to earn well-deserved trust and respect in challenging situations. We think it all goes back to being a simple farm boy from southern Indiana. Whatever it is, Josh is a blast to work with, and we hope this honor will grant him virtually unlimited shuttles from the southeastern paddling community. Thanks Josh!