We are at a tipping point. There are many great things happening in the Yadkin River watershed. Yadkin Riverkeeper is making progress on cleaning up Alcoa’s legacy of pollution on Badin Lake with the issuance of a much stronger water quality permit. We are making progress on building public consensus on how to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution damaging the River and causing harmful algal blooms on High Rock Lake, Tuckertown Reservoir and Badin Lake.

On April 16, Holliday Obrecht III, a volunteer pilot with SouthWings, took Nicole and Stephanie in his plane to monitor the sedimentation problem in Big Elkin Creek, the poultry houses in the upper watershed, and land application sites near Roaring River and Ronda. It was a clear and sunny day, making for a perfect flight out of Wilkes County Airport!

As many of you may be aware, It’s been my mission to bring more campsites to the Yadkin River State Trail. I’ve also been trying to find locations that are more than just a spot to set up a tent, but more of a welcoming space that speaks to a wilderness experience. Quality camping options will attract paddlers from multiple states away as they learn to see and experience the Yadkin River that we know and love. Over the winter two new Campsites have been added, and both are going to require a little grit to get there.

With warm weather officially here, we are getting out and hitting the water. There are three opportunities to enjoy time on the water with Yadkin Riverkeeper. These range from mild to wild, from clean to “don’t wear that into the house” dirty. If you do all three of the paddles, you will have done 18 miles on the Yadkin and South Yadkin Rivers combined.

Spring is here, and the River is waking up. Soon, families will be back on the water. Paddlers will return to their favorite stretches. Kids will skip rocks along the banks. It is one of the most important times of year for the Yadkin River, and for the people who depend on it.

Duke Energy is considering two combined-cycle methane power plant sites across the Yadkin River from each other in Davidson and Davie counties in addition to an expansion at the Buck Station in Rowan County. These plants would generate electricity with a gas-powered turbine which would produce heat and use the heat to convert water to steam, powering the second turbine.

Kayaks glide over a glassy surface. The occasional splashes of fish going after bugs on the surface reflect the last of the silver sunset in ways that give the illusion of white waterborne fireflies. Paddlers take this all in while discussing common interests; paddling, water quality and, most of all, the upcoming paddling season. If you have an interest in being part of the environment and camaraderie that we had on the Salem Lake Moonlight Paddle, then get your calendar out and save some room for trips with the Yadkin Riverkeeper in 2026.

Twenty-five staff members from nine North and South Carolina Waterkeeper organizations met in Winston-Salem on March 17–18 to discuss advocacy priorities, including data center impacts and hurricane preparedness. Waterkeepers Carolina (WKC) meets twice per year, and this spring, Yadkin Riverkeeper hosted the coalition in Winston-Salem.

On March 19th, Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK) hosted the final forum of their series on local water quality issues and the proposed High Rock Lake Nutrient Management Strategy, or High Rock Lake Rules.

Forsyth Creek Week is March 21 - 29, 2026!

Check out their new website and all Creek Week events HERE.

Every year, the NC State Institute for Emerging Issues hosts a forum and this year, it was on water! There could not be a more imminent concern in our great state of North Carolina; we are facing greater water demand, water quality impairments, larger and more frequent storm events that put enormous pressure on our surface waters, utility systems, and infrastructure. Attendees from water servicing, providing, treating, distributing, consuming and protecting came together to discuss the future of water quality in our region and the workforce that manages it. 

Yadkin Riverkeeper held a half day board-staff retreat on February 28 at the Catawba College Center for the Environment in Salisbury.

Yadkin Riverkeeper is proud to announce that Layne Meredith has stepped into the full-time role of Director of Development.

On February 23, 2026 Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK) and Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC) hosted the second forum of a series to inform stakeholders and local residents about water quality in their region and the High Rock Lake Rules, which are designed to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater, stormwater and agricultural runoff in all waters that drain into High Rock Lake.

Edgar and I were talking recently about river stories and bemoaning the decline across North Carolina in the kinds of environmental stories YRK members care so much about.

Working with photographer Christine Rucker, I have been a longtime teller of river stories beginning with Yadkin River Story back in 2010 and Dance for the River in 2017.  I recently launched a policy and politics newsletter called Down from DC  and Edgar asked me to share my go-to sources for environmental news. Most are free but some are behind a paywall. They are all worth your time.

Don’t know about you, but as I write this, Spring Fever has hit. While I see in the forecast 20 degree weather, I’m also seeing the green of Daffodils, the budding of trees not yet taking color and robins starting to hunt worms in the soft, snow-soaked yard. My brain knows it’s a lie, but my heart hears the Spring Peeps roar as we paddle past on the South Yadkin. It’s time to make sure the mice haven’t overwintered in your boats. For those folks with sit inside boats out there, keep birds from nesting in them by putting a cover over the cockpit. I’ve had to change what boat I was going to take more than once due to a little feathered family in progress. Just like Spring, Paddling season is on the way!

It was great to see everyone who participated in our virtual Annual Membership Meeting on February 3rd! In case you missed it, find out more about what we’ve been up to and where we’re headed from Riverkeeper/Executive Director Edgar Miller’s State of the Yadkin River report. Scroll through the slides below or download the full presentation HERE.

As another significant year for the Yadkin River heads over the dam(s), it’s time to reflect on our efforts to protect this invaluable resource that provides drinking water for more than one million North Carolinians. While we have accomplished much in 2025, much remains to be done. It would be nice to get an assist from Santa for some of these…

On December 8, the Davidson County Commissioners passed a resolution of concern regarding Transco’s Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP). The pipeline will cross through Davidson, Forsyth, and Guilford counties, and the project will expand the compressor station in Davidson County. The resolution requests that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) deny approval of the project and issuance of any permits until the following recommendations by the Commissioners are met:

As we move past the Winter Solstice I am reminded that it’s harder (not impossible) to get out and paddle in the Winter months. But that doesn’t mean that I am not thinking about getting out. Short dark days mean curling up with books and maps that feed the curiosity that would normally be satisfied in the seat of a boat. Fortunately for me, work feeds me a steady diet of planning for the next year’s paddles, fulfilling grant requirements, meeting various people wearing Carhartt jackets in muddy fields to talk about access possibilities, and making maps.