River Cane Chronicles IV: Important Invitation

The WATR River Cane Mapping & Education Project is gearing up for the summer, and WE NEED YOU and other volunteers.   The purposes of the project are

• to educate ourselves and the public about the ecological and the cultural benefits of native river cane,
• to snoop around creeks and rivers and locate river cane brakes that we can map, and
• to work with the landowner to get permission so that artisans can sustainably harvest stalks on his/her property.

So click here to find out the details of the workshop — must RSVP by Friday, May 18,  for a free lunch.  NOW THAT’S AN INCENTIVE!!!

Jim Long strips a stalk of cane as WATR member Judy Knight watches

Summer Picnic

Friday June,15.
We are outdoor enthusiasts and what better way to celebrate the great outdoors than having a picnic? Bring your friends, family, and anyone that enjoys the great outdoors. Good food, good friends, and a good community. Location TBA, so stay tuned.

WATR Public Meetings

Monday May 21, 6:30pm

We urge everyone to come out and participate. Our theme will be “Adopt a Creek”. WATR committees will meet and report our progress. Bring a friend and come have some fun!

Monday July 16, 6:30pm Sylva
Second meeting location is TBA, but be ready to have some fun and learn about our wonderful organization.

The Tuckasegee Trout Unlimited Team

The Tuckasegee Trouth Unlimited team will be doing more trash clean up in concert with the WCU Annual Tuck Cleanup. The group will be meeting at CJ Harris Boat Launch. Pickup will be done by walking the shoreline, by wading, and by boat. Dress appropriately and bring gloves. The cleanup will start at 8:00  A.M. Saturday, April 21^st.
Questions? Contact Jerry Deweese @ 828 284-4979.
Need directions? Click  here 

Hey! Please check out our action teams here.

River Clean Up Teams

Join up with Duke Energy team to pick up trash along the Tuckasegee River in the section of the former lake behind (the now nonexistent) Dillsboro Dam. This clean up will be on Thursday April 19 from 1-4 P.M. Folks will meet at the new C J Harris Boat Launch- upstream from the Dillsboro Inn. The organizers have been assured that power generation will be zero and the water levels should be very low. The clean up will be done by wading! Best to bring your own fishing waders and work gloves
Need directions? Click  here 

Hey! Please check out our action teams here.

River Cane Chronicles Part III

Morning comes and with it the question: Did the dye take? Sometimes it doesn’t. But today, Jim Long is in luck. The brown-dyed cane can be seen as soon as he removes the cover. He lifts out the cane and spreads it on the concrete of his driveway.

He will hose down the cane thoroughly to get rid of any grit that accumulates during the dyeing, then leaves it to dry. Long will then have some beautifully finished trips to cut into shorter pieces for his students’ weaving kits.

River Cane Chronicles part II

With the cane bundled into the tub, Jim Long fills his cut-off oil drum with water and brings it to a boil with a propane burner.

He begins cutting and mixing in walnut roots from a tree that blew down near his home.The walnut will produce deep-brown strips of cane for his students’ weaving projects. For other shades, he uses bloodroot and yellow root that he gathers.

Under a plywood cover, the stew cooks overnight with occasional tending to add more roots and to stir. The water turns a deep brown and, with luck, will stain the cane strips with the same shade.

River Cane Chronicles Part I

To prepare the harvested river cane for dyeing, Jim Long – Cherokee weaver and basketmaker – cuts a six-foot long stalk in half, then expertly wields his knife to peel off strips. He gets an average of six strips for a piece of cane this thick. He then uses his knife to smooth over the high spots of the cane’s joints.He’s then ready to bundle the cane and tie it so that he can curl it into his dyeing drum. He’s preparing this cane for a class he teaches on weaving. WATR has been awarded a grant from a Cherokee arts agency to find rivercane along the Tuckaseigee for Cherokee artisans to harvest and use.

Intro. to The River Cane Chronicles

WATR is working with  the Cherokee tribal Revitalization of Traditional Artisan Resources, aka RTCAR.  The project is called ” WATR River Cane Education & Mapping” and it extends through this summer. River cane is important to WATR’s mission because the shoots prevent stream bank erosion and trap sediments. In short, river cane helps to keep mud out of the Oconaluftee and Tuckasegee Rivers.

In this project, WATR volunteers will be cruising creeks and streams looking for patches of river cane in Swain & Jackson Counties. Then, WATR staff will ask land owners with river cane if they will allow occasional, sustainable harvests by Native American artisans. Volunteers can help in obtaining landowner permission.

We will also be learning about river cane, basket weaving, and Cherokee crafts.   There will be opportunities to meet some very talented Cherokee cane weavers. One upcoming event is the “State of the River Cane Symposium” on Tuesday, May 22, at the Birdtown Community Center in Cherokee. Contact me at the WATR office if you want more information or if you would like to join us at the symposium.

WATR member Bill Lee has participated in our River Cane Project since last fall. He traveled to Murphy to watch and help James Long and Lucille Lossiah cut the perfect cane shoots for weaving. Now Bill has written up the experience of watching James prepare cane splits for weaving in a mini-series called the River Cane Chronicles.   A big WATRshed Thank You to Bill for this and his many contributions.

The success of this project depends on our volunteers. If you are interested in participating in this project and/or if you would like to join us at the “State of the River Cane Symposium” on Tuesday, May 22, 9:00 to 1:30, at the Birdtown Community Center in Cherokee.  You are invited.

State of the Tuckasegee River Workshop

Watershed experts and citizens gathered to share data and their experiences concerning the health of the Tuckasegee River on Wednesday, August 24, at a one-day workshop.
WATR held this informal sharing of information as a stepping stone toward  periodic assessment of the Tuckasegee River system at the watershed scale.
According to Roger Clapp, WATR Executive Director, “This event could lead to a regular report updating the community about changes, positive and negative, in this vital resource.”
The workshop consisted of a series of short panel presentations and discussions covering water quality, sediment, biological testing, and experiences acquired by local agencies that affect the river.  Agencies included the Soil and Water Conservation Districts and county soil erosion inspection departments.
Some of the panelists included Anne Marie Traylor, of the Environmental Quality Institute and Ed Williams of the NC Division of Water Quality, Asheville, and Mike Lavoie, and Patrick Breedlove of the Cherokee Office of Environment and Natural Resources.  The Oconaluftee River which drains the Cherokee Qualla Boundary is the largest tributary to the Tuckasegee River.
David Kinner of the Geosciences Department, Western Carolina University, outlined research projects aimed at quantifying relevant water processes.  Ken Brown, chairman of the Tuckaseigee Chapter Alliance, discussed community actions, and Michelle Price of the Macon-Jackson Conservation Alliance moderated the erosion control section.  Gerald Green, head of Jackson County Planning Department, presented issues relevant to the river.
The workshop was held at the Whittier Community Center off of Rt 74, Exit 74, and across the river from the post office.