Western North Carolina as Biodiversity Hotspot

Do you even know the names of the trees in your backyard?

I came across that question in an article written by Jennifer Frick-Ruppert, a biologist and professor of environmental studies at Brevard College. Her question grabbed my attention and caused me to think about the 147 miles of water I’d passed through with my family on our recent French Broad River rafting trip. I knew I couldn’t name all of the trees in my backyard and certainly not many of the organisms big or small that live in the French Broad River. I got in touch with Jennifer and she said she was willing to tell me about organisms that live in the water and their importance to the region of Western North Carolina. I learned a lot talking to Jennifer. Hope you enjoy our conversation!

I talk biodiversity and the French Broad River with Professor Jennifer Frick-Ruppert of Brevard College

Two of Professor Jennifer Frick-Ruppert’s books have been published with more on the way:

Mountain Nature: A Seasonal Natural History of the Southern Appalachians
Waterways: Sailing the Southeastern Coast
Click here to learn more about Professor Frick-Ruppert’s books on her Amazon page.

You can also listen to the podcast by searching for “Torg Stories” on the podcast app of your iPhone. We’d appreciate it if you’d subscribe and review on iTunes.

Thanks for listening!

07.26.16

by William Torgerson

French Broad River Keeper is his Title: Torg Stories Podcast

I want to make a movie about the French Broad River, and so on this week’s Torg Stories podcast, I talk with Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper. Carson works for an organization called Mountaintrue.

You can listen to the podcast on the player below or on your iPhone by clicking here for the iTunes link.

Click player below to listen to podcast from this site

editorial note: I uploaded the raw file without the intro and music

Hope you enjoy getting right into my conversation with Hartwell!

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For the first time ever, this week’s episode is also available as a video podcast:

I think my interest in making this movie probably has its origins in all the years I spent dinking around in a john boat on the Tippecanoe River in Winamac, Indiana. Now I live in Asheville, North Carolina where you can’t go anywhere without seeing a kayak or canoe on top of somebody’s car. I wanted to get on the river and as my wife and I looked at the cost of our options and what might fit us best, we decided on a used whitewater raft. We could be together as a family. The raft could do both the calm and more rowdy stretches of the river. To start the process of making the film, I knew I wanted to learn about the river, the community that uses it, and the social and political issues that surround it.

Carson and I talked water quality, Duke energy and their coal ash pits, the work he does as riverkeeper, and his favorite spots on the river.

If you’ve got ideas for how you could help with the Torg Stories river movie, please let us know in the comments section. I also hope you’ll take the time to share the post via social media or by email if you know of those who would be interested.

I hope you enjoy this week’s conversation with French Broad Riverkeeper, Hartwell Carson. Thanks for listening!

Check back or click around on the site for more updates on our French Broad River movie project.

06.21.16

by William Torgerson

Life in Asheville: Mountains to Sea Trail Run

The Mountains-to-Sea hiking trail runs from Clingmans Dome in Tennessee/North Carolina to the Outer Banks. Not yet completed, it is 530 miles long AND runs right past my neighborhood. For my run today, I ran a little portion of it along the Blue Ridge Parkway.