The Watauga River Basin is trout country.Anglers find wild populations of native brooktrout alongside hatchery-raised rainbow, brownand brook trout in the streams of the upper

basin. Rock bass and smallmouth bass are other popular catches. Thousands of tourists also flock to this

region to ski, hike and golf. Breathtaking vistas are another offering that visitors discover inabundance. The Watauga River Gorge, where the river drops sharply as it enters Tennessee, isone of the most beautiful stretches in the basin. Parts of the basin are traversed by the scenicBlue Ridge Parkway and contained within the Pisgah National Forest.

The basin includes parts of Watauga and Avery counties and only sixincorporated towns, including Banner Elk, Beech Mountain and aportion of Boone. Although the year-round population of this basin is low, the area hosts vast numbers of seasonal visitors. Overall waterquality is excellent—most of the streams flow undisturbed through the forested mountains of the Blue Ridge.

The second smallest river basin in the state, the Watauga River Basinmakes up in rugged beauty for what it lacks in size. The Watauga River

Total miles of streams and rivers:

270

Municipalities within basin: 6

Counties within basin: 2

Size: 205 square miles

Population: 23,676

(2000 U.S. Census)

profile:

WATAUGA RIVERBASIN

Trout fishing on the

Watauga (above); fall visits

the Pisgah National Forest

(left); Carolina northern

flying squirrel (below)

BILL LEABILL LEA

KEN TAYLOR, WILDLIFE IMAGES

Tenn

Va

Towering peaks, snowskiing, flyfishing, clear mountain streams and year-roundscenery are the hallmarks of the Watauga River Basin. The North Carolina portion

of the Watauga River Basin includes the headwaters and trib utaries of the Elk andWatauga rivers. These two rivers flow northwest into Tennessee, and their waterseventually empty into the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River.

originates on the north slopes of GrandfatherMountain on land protected by The NatureConservancy. The highest peak along the BlueRidge Escarpment at 5,964 feet, GrandfatherMountain is con sid ered the most biologicallydiverse mountain in eastern North America.It is an outstanding example of the globallyendangered, high-elev ation spruce-fir eco -system. The mountain’s rare animal residentsinclude the Carolina northern flying squirreland the Vir ginia big-eared bat, both federallylisted endangered species.

Several high-quality mountain bogs through outthe basin contain many rare plants and animals,including the bog turtle. Mountain bogs are a type of wetland that is fast disap pearing—nearly 90 percent have been destroyed in NorthCarolina, and fewer than 150 are thought toremain in the entire Southeast. Mountain bogsare topped with layers of sphagnum moss andsaturated with water most of the year. Thespongy sinks are natural water purifiers andcontribute to the high-quality water at the head waters of many streams.Several good examples of Southern Appalachian bogs are found in JulianPrice Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Eight aquatic animals in the Watauga River Basin are state-listed as endangered, threatened, of special con cern or significantly rare. The green floater, a mussel that lives in smaller, slow-flowing streams, is considered endangered. The banded sculpin, a threatened fish, is limited to far western Virginia and North Carolina. A large, long-lived salamander, the hellbender, is

a species of special concern in the basin and requires monitoring. Several rareaquatic insects—including species of mayflies, stoneflies and a caddisfly—also live here. These insects are so attractive to trout that flyfishermenmake artificial lures that look like these creatures. Because mayflies,

stoneflies and caddisflies have distinct tolerances to pollution, biologists look at their diversityand abundance to gauge the health of streams. Stoneflies are especially sensitive to excesssediment and quickly disappear from polluted waters. Theseaquatic insects are known as indicator species because theyare good indicators of water quality.

The basin includes 18 miles of state-designated OutstandingResource Waters along Boone’s Fork Creek that receive extraprotection due to excellent water quality and exceptionalecological and recreational resources. More than half of the

White WaterFrom December to

April, spectacular white-

water rapids with names

like “Hydro” and “Edge

of the World” can be

found in the Watauga

River Gorge, which

crosses the North Caro -

lina-Tennessee border.

Continuous Class III and

IV rapids and a few

dramatic Class V drops

entice nervy paddlers

to navigate the chal -

lenging gorge when

water levels allow.

Spruce-fir forest on Grand -

father Mountain

peregrine falcon

BILL LEA

DOUG WECHSLER, VIREO

CHARLES BRASWELL JR.

Virginia big-eared bat

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE,JOHN MCGREGOR

WATAUGARIVER BASIN

Roan Moun tain, which lies

in the southwest corner of

the basin, contains several

rare and exceptional natural

commu ni ties, including

bogs and wetlands.

KEVIN ADAMS BILL LEA

You may have noticed

Watauga River Basin

signs posted along

high ways. These were

created through a part -

nership between the

Office of Environmental

Education and the N.C.

Department of Trans -

portation with funding

from the Federal Trans -

por tation Enhance -

ment Program. Signs in

each of the state’s 17

river basins call atten -

tion to basin boundaries

and promote steward -

ship of public waters.

streams in the basin are classified as trout waters, which means additional treatment is requiredat wastewater treatment plants. In addition, 25-foot buffers of shrubs and trees must be main -tained between trout streams and graded con struction sites to filter runoff and prevent erosion.

Much of the land disturbance in the basin takes place on steep mountain slopes, which arenaturally vulnerable to soil erosion. Alteration of natural areas may damage or destroy wildlifehabitat and harm surrounding waters. As land is cleared, rain and melting snow (stormwater)pick up eroded sediments, pesticides, fertilizers and road salt and carry them to streams andrivers. Runoff of human and animal waste is also a problem. Proper construction and main -tenance of septic systems and efficient municipal wastewater treatment are critical to pro -tecting water quality. Respon sible management of land activities is also needed to helpprotect streams and rivers.

Many stressors combine to negatively influence water quality. Every person, industry, land -owner, town and county influences water quality. A variety of skills, knowledge and talents isnecessary to solve water quality problems—which is why it's so important for many differentpeople, organizations and agencies to pool their resources to protect a community's naturalresources. Many of these cooperative strategies are at work in the Watauga River Basin.

A team of filmmakers recently profiled the Watauga River Basin in a national documentaryabout communities that are tackling stormwater management from a watershed perspective.Among the initiatives featured was an urban stormwater demonstration project in the town ofBanner Elk. The town is using constructed wetlands and other innovative techniques to helpdetain and cleanse runoff from streets. It has also built a greenway along a pond and twocreeks. “Kids in the Creek” brings river basin theater to schoolchildren through its “streamdoctor” and mayfly presentations. Several organizations have banded together to create anannual river celebration festival to raise awareness about water quality issues and strengthencollaboration among community groups.

HIKING & BIKING

in the Watauga River Basin

● HIKING ●

1 Banner Elk Greenwayhttp://www.townofbannerelk.org ● 1.3-miletrail along Elk and Shawneehaw creeks andLees McRae Mill Pond.

2 Glen Burney Trailhttp://www.highcountryparkway.com/292.html ● Steep 2.4-mile round-trip trail descendsinto Glen Burney Gorge, skirting waterfalls.

�3 Julian Price Memorial Parkhttp://www.nps.gov/blri/conepric.htm

● 4,344 acres ● 10 miles of trails within thepark, which is also crossed by the 13.5-mileTanawha trail. An easy 2.7-mile loop circlesscenic Price Lake and has paved, wheelchair-accessible sections.

4 Lees-McRae College/Hemlock Trailhttp://www.lmc.edu ● Campus trail through a stand of virgin hemlocks.

5 Valle Crucis Parkhttp://www.vallecrucis.com/park/ ● 23 acres● 1-mile paved loop circles small pond.

● HIKING and BIKING ●

�6 Beech Mountainhttp://www.beechmtn.com/recreation ●

Nearly 20 miles of wooded hiking trails—mostof which are compatible with mountain biking—are surrounded by old-growth forests andwaterfalls. Includes easy strolling and pedalingin addition to more adventurous hiking andbiking. A paved, .25-mile wheelchair-acces -sible trail circles Lake Coffey.

● hiking

● hiking and biking

The Watauga River Basin offers many opportunities to enjoy and explore nature throughwalking, hiking and biking. This list includes places with at least a few trails for easy tomoderate activity. Keep in mind that at some mountain sites, the steepness of terrainmay limit easy activity, other than at an overlook or short path. Many sites include viewsof streams, rivers, creeks, lakes and/or waterfalls. Remember that some trails are multi-use, serving pedestrians, bicyclists, equestrians and other recreational users. For informa -tion about urban and regional bikeways, visit http://www.ncdot.org/transit/bicycle.

Banner Elk

BeechMountain

ValleCrucis

Blowing Rock

Watauga

R.

WATAUGA

AVERYP I S G A H N A T I O N A L

F O R E S T

1

23

4

56

PHOTO COURTESY OF NC DIVISION OF TOURISM, FILM, AND SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

PHOTO COURTESY OF NC DIVISION OF TOURISM, FILM, AND SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

�= some trails designated as wheelchair accessible

1 Buckeye Lakehttp://www.beechmtn.com/recreation● 7 acres ● Situated at the foot of BeechMountain, this small lake is a popular place for paddling, trout fishing, hiking and bird-watching.

2 Price Lakehttp://www.nps.gov/blri/ ● 47 acres ● Thelake is named for the late Julian Price, who was the president of Jefferson Pilot StandardLife Insurance Company and bought the landwith the intent to create a vacation retreat for his employees. Price died before his planbecame a reality. The company donated theland to the National Park Service for publicuse, asking that Boone Fork be dammed tocreate the lake in Price’s memory. Rentalcanoes and kayaks are available.

PADDLING

in the Watauga River Basin

The Watauga River Basin offers mostlywhitewater adventure not covered bythis brochure. These two lakes, however,provide opportunities for easy paddling.

Banner Elk

BeechMountain

ValleCrucis

Blowing Rock

Watauga

R.

WATAUGA

AVERYP I S G A H N A T I O N A L

F O R E S T

1

2

PHOTO COURTESY OF NC DIVISION OF TOURISM, FILM, AND SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

PHOTO COURTESY OF NC DIVISION OF TOURISM, FILM, AND SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

PHOTO COURTESY OF NC DIVISION OF TOURISM, FILM, AND SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

Price Lake

WHERE SHOULD

I GO? What makes the Watauga River Basin so special? See for yourself. Visit these EnvironmentalEducation Centers to discover more about your ecological address.● Blue Ridge Parkway ● Camp Broadstone For more information about Environmental Education Centers in North Carolina, call the Office of Environmental Education at (919) 733-0711, or check out the Web site athttp://www.eenorthcarolina.org

You can gain a sense of community pride by learning more and helping to protect streams, riversand lakes in the Watauga River Basin. The organizations listed below can help you do just that.

Yellow poplar forest

(left); spruce-fir

forest (right)C

HA

RLES

BRA

SWEL

L JR

.

BILL

LEA

? Appalachian Voiceshttp://www.appvoices.org(828) 262-1500Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development Councilhttp://www.main.nc.us/brrcd(828) 297-5805Blue Ridge Rural Land Trusthttp://www.brrlt.org(828) 263-8776High Country Conservancyhttp://www.highcountryconservancy.org(828) 264-2511Kids in the Creek/Watauga River BasinVolunteer Monitoring Program(828) 264-3061N.C. Cooperative Extension ServiceAvery County:http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/avery(828) 733-8270Watauga County:http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/Watauga(828) 264-3061

HOW CAN

I HELP N.C. Soil and Water Conservation Districtshttp://www.enr.state.nc.us/DSWC/(919) 733-2302North Carolina Stream Watchhttp://www.ncwater.org/Education_and_Technical_Assistance/Stream_Watch/(919) 715-5433The MountainKeepershttp://www.mountainkeepers.org(828) 268-0637The Nature Conservancy, Mountains District Coordinatorhttp://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/northcarolina/ (828) 749-1700Watauga Basinwide Plan*http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/basinwide/(919) 733-5083Watauga River Conservation Partnershttp://www.wnca.org/chapter/watauga.shtml(828) 963-8682Western North Carolina Alliancehttp://www.wnca.org(828) 258-8737

State of North Carolina: Governor Michael F. Easley • North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources: SecretaryWilliam G. Ross Jr. • Office of Environmental Education: Director Lisa Tolley, Project Manager Rachel Golden • Editor Carla Burgess •Designer Kimberly KC Schott, Red Gate Design • Special Thanks North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission • Date: 2007 • 10,000copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $1,462 or $0.15 per copy. • This publication was funded through the Clean WaterAct’s Section 319 Grant Program. • In the coming years, some river basin boundaries will change if the state moves forward with plans tomodify them to coincide with federal maps. The Cape Fear, White Oak, Chowan, Pasquotank, Tar-Pamlico and Neuse basins would be themost significantly altered.

*Basinwide water quality planning is a nonregulatory, watershed-based approach to restoring and protecting thequality of North Carolina’s surface waters. The N.C. Division of Water Quality welcomes community input.

Printed on recycled paper

To order additional brochures on any of North Carolina's 17 river basins, a general river basin booklet or a poster, call theN.C. Office of Environmental Education at (919) 733-0711, or order online at http://www.eenorthcarolina.org.▼