March 29, 2010
Riverkeeper to paddle Yadkin to raise awareness in battle against Alcoa
CNHI
Sunday, March 28, 2010 — The Yadkin Riverkeeper has announced plans to paddle the Yadkin River in April from Caldwell County to the Pee Dee River connection near the South Carolina border to raise awareness of the battle against Alcoa’s relicensing of the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project as well as the increasing pressures the Yadkin faces that threaten its vitality from human development, habitat degradation and sedimentation issues.
The 25-day, 184.5-mile journey, titled “Tour de Yadkin,” is modeled after the “Tour de Neuse” trip that the Yadkin Riverkeeper took along the Neuse River in 2006.
Dean Naujoks, the Yadkin Riverkeeper, said he hopes to better connect with and educate communities along his trek about the region’s resource.
“This is part documentary and part activist in its efforts,” Naujoks said.
“It is designed to capture people’s interest and raise awareness about the river among people in North Carolina who depend on it for drinking water — including more than 200,000 people in Winston-Salem alone. We will have updates posted on my Web site —www.yadkinriverkeeper.org — that will be made available to traditional media as well.”
The Yadkin Riverkeeper is working to prevent Alcoa from receiving another 50-year federal license for the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project, which consists of four reservoirs, dams and hydropower stations along a 38-mile stretch of the Yadkin River.
Alcoa’s statewide opposition believes that the multinational firm exploits the Yadkin River for tens of millions in profits of hydroelectricity sold outside the state while refusing to correct multiple contamination issues caused by Alcoa in the water and land around the dams.
Naujoks will discuss what can be done to address the situation as well as to reduce problems caused by human development, habitat degradation and sedimentation on the river.
Spanning more than 18,000 square miles, the Yadkin-Pee Dee River basin is the second largest river flowing into the Atlantic Ocean in the United States.
But the Yadkin needs protection and preservation if it is to continue to nourish its residents, Naujoks said.
The tour will educate residents about threats to their drinking water while at the same time raising greater awareness that “we all live downstream” and explaining how residents are impacting water quality for downstream communities.
During the trip, the Yadkin Riverkeeper will be offering a sponsorship program. River enthusiasts can “purchase a mile” of the Yadkin River and receive a certificate saying they sponsored that part of the journey.
They will also get a membership to Yadkin Riverkeeper with their donation. Buying a mile-long section of the tour will cost $25 and can be donated in honor of another person.
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