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In Unicoi County, Tennessee, a team of outdoor enthusiasts is undertaking a significant project to rejuvenate the streambank of the Nolichucky River. News Channel 11 engaged with these dedicated individuals on Thursday to learn more about their efforts.
Jillian Gorrell, who serves as the Agricultural Lands and Business Manager for the Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council, shared insights into this restoration initiative. She explained that the Tennessee Stream Team, alongside other conservation groups, has come together to tackle the streambank’s rehabilitation. Gorrell provided details about the various steps involved in this process.
The teams are actively planting trees and berry bushes, as well as installing live stakes. “We cut live branches and embed them into the ground,” she described. “Where the branches are buried, they transform into roots, stabilizing the bank.”
Additionally, a specialized group is focused on the construction of a large gully, contributing to the comprehensive restoration effort.
Gorrell said there was also a special team of people working to form a large gully.
Wood chips and other reinforcements were added to the site to fill in space.
“And we’re hoping to decrease the speed of the runoff and make it more of a weeping situation instead of a gush and rush,” she said.
“We are decreasing the amount of land that these farmers lose to that erosion.”
Aside from the land’s economic value, Gorrell also spoke about the families along the Nolichucky whose mental health will benefit from the restoration.
“When they’ve had a beautiful tree line and just generations of memories here and now, it just looks destroyed, so they’re getting that mental health benefit,” she said.
Gorrell said volunteers interested in helping with restorative efforts can do so by joining in during a scheduled cleanup day. The next one is planned for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.