Join us on the Green River on March 6 and become a member of the Paddlers Hemlock Health Action Taskforce (PHHAT).
This collaboration between the Hemlock Restoration Initiative, American Whitewater, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and MountainTrue’s Green Riverkeeper utilizes paddlers of all experience levels to treat trees along the Green River. By following a custom protocol to ensure safety and protect water quality, this group has chemically protected many trees that can be accessed from the river and would likely not be otherwise treated due to the difficulty of accessing them by land.
We are planning on paddling the Upper Green next Monday, March 6th, to treat hemlocks. We will be checking on the release the day before and morning of to confirm water. If there is no water, we will hike in to treat areas in the Gamelands. We will contact you with updates as conditions change.
Volunteers can opt to only do the Upper section or stick around and shoot the Narrows as well. For those only doing the upper, meet at Gallimore lot at 9am. We will set shuttle and head back to the put in (Pot Shoals Rd). For Upper+Narrows boaters, please meet at Fishtop by 9am. We will not be doing the Narrows if the release is over 100% or 12 inches on the stick. Folks paddling the Narrows are expected to be well-versed in the lines of the Narrows. We will not be scouting and safety will be set by boat. We will be setting safety for the major rapids on the Upper (Bayless, Wanda, Triple Drop)
Upper boaters can expect to be off the river by early afternoon (3 pm) and Narrows folks should expect a bit longer (4-5 pm).
Please bring:
– Your river gear! All of it! The high is forecasted to be 60oF but the water will still be winter cold so dress accordingly.
– We encourage taking breaks so bring plenty of hydration materials and snacks.
We will provide all the adelgid-destroying equipment in drybags to load into our boats.
Please RSVP to Thom Green with HRI at info@savehemlocksnc.org by Friday at 5 p.m. He will be the primary contact for questions and will send out updates if plans change.
To learn more about the PHHAT team, visit paddlersforhemlocks.com.
COVID information for in-person activities:
The Hemlock Restoration Initiative is