ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Appalachia Resource Conservation and Development Council (ARC&D) recently launched its inaugural workshop aimed at equipping volunteers with skills to combat river erosion, a problem exacerbated by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Jillian Gorrell, representing ARC&D, explained that participants were introduced to a variety of erosion control techniques.

“Our strategy involves applying organic materials over the sand to prevent it from washing into the river,” Gorrell explained. “When soil enters the water, it contributes to pollution. Our goal is to prevent further land loss.”

She emphasized the importance of preserving land, stating, “Property owners face the threat of losing their land to water encroachment, and it’s crucial that we minimize the amount of material entering the water unnecessarily.”

The workshop took place on property owned by Trey Moore, who serves as the chairman of the Nolichucky Outdoor Recreation Association (NORA).

“It’s also an opportunity for the local community to come out and volunteer, learn about these best management practices and how they can implement them on their land,” Moore said. “Or they can sign up with ARC&D to get on the list for this work to happen for other flood-impacted property owners.”

Moore also said these practices can help in other possible future disasters.

“We’re kind of writing a playbook for the future,” Moore said. “So future disasters, no matter where they happen in the state, this, these practices and understanding what resources come after a big flood event like this and how to use them. So, we’re not wasteful in that, we can export to other places that suffer from natural disasters.”

Gorrell said the workshop is funded by the Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund and by TVA funds.

However, Gorrell said more money will be needed for future workshops.

“We’ve got funding to kind of kick things off and get it started,” Gorrell said, “but we are going to be looking to the future to get further funding to where we can do more of this work, because this is just like a drop in the bucket.”

Both Gorrell and Moore said it will take time to complete the stabilization project.

“There are miles and miles of stream bank on several different rivers and so we want to teach volunteers so that we can extend the work that we’re doing,” Gorrell said. “I’m really excited to see this project grow and the impact that we’re able to make in our communities.”

“As we work on these different sites, you know, you come back week after week, you can see grass starting to grow, you can see bushes starting to grow, you can see the live snakes and the bare root plants starting to leaf a little bit,” Moore said. “There’s this emotional and spiritual healing that goes into it when we’re putting the things back together, and we’re giving Mother Nature a kickstart for what she would do naturally. We’re just getting her head start.”

“We want to see the river bounce back in the best, you know, healthiest way that it can.”

There will be another workshop by ARC&D on Monday discussing how to remove invasive plant species. More information can be found by clicking here.