Haw River Assembly

North Carolina State Trails Program is launching a research project designed to collect information from both resident and non-resident paddlers who enjoy the lakes, rivers and coastal areas of our state. This is a follow-up study on a survey conducted in 2006. We will use the results from this project to promote paddling, enhance paddling experiences, and increase awareness of paddle tourism throughout North Carolina.

The survey will take approximately ten minutes of your time - you can begin by clicking here.

Each respondent will be entered into a drawing for a $200 gift card to the Great Outdoor Provision Company!

The results of this survey will be posted on the N.C. Parks website in the fall of 2008 under Items of Interest.

If you should have questions about the study, our Project Manager, Jennifer Beedle, will be happy to answer them. She can be reached at Jennifer.Beedle@ncmail.net or by phone at 919-715-9613.

Please share this information with fellow paddlers both inside and outside North Carolina; we would like to hear from as many people as possible.

Thank you very much for your participation,
Darrell McBane, State Trails Program Coordinator

Posted on: Tuesday July 01, 2008 EST

Finding River Critters--Sat. July 12, 4 to 6 pm, on the Haw in Saxapahaw

Finding River Critters: Join Haw River Watch Coordinator Cynthia Crossen for citizen water quality monitoring on the Haw River, Saturday, July 12, 4 to 6 pm, on the Haw in Saxapahaw. This event is free and open to the public. Click here for details and directions.

CAUTION to PADDLERS: The Haw River is very dangerous at high flow. Go to the USGS gauge at Bynum on this website ("Recreational info" button) to check the current river level and safety information.

THE HAW RIVER ASSEMBLY

The Haw River Assembly is a non-profit citizens' group founded in 1982 to restore and protect the Haw River and Jordan Lake. The Haw River is a valuable natural resource; the headwaters of the Cape Fear River Basin. The Haw River provides drinking water to many communities, important habitat for wildlife, including endangered species, and recreational and scenic areas.

Our goals are to promote environmental education, conservation and pollution prevention; to speak as a voice for the river in the public arena; and to put into peoples' hands the tools and the knowledge they need to be effective guardians of the river. We are strong coalition builders and have over 1500 members and active volunteers. We believe that to be successful we must reach out to all people in our watershed. We have strengthened our voice by working effectively with other organizations, and are members of River Network, NC Conservation Network and the NC Watershed Coalition. We work with other organizations in the Cape Fear River Basin on issues of mutual concern, including Cape Fear River Watch , the Deep River project of the Greensboro Audubon Society, and the Cape Fear River Assembly.

As it flows through urban and rural areas in Guilford, Rockingham, Alamance, Orange and Chatham counties, sedimentation, wastewater, and runoff pollute its waters. Our mission is to protect this natural resource and to build a watershed community that shares this vision.

Our major projects are the Haw River Festival, a traveling environmental education program, and the Haw River Watch Project, grassroots water monitoring of the Haw and its tributaries. In 2000 we initiated our new Stream Steward Project, involving communities and individuals in how to protect their local streams - saving the river one backyard at a time!

The Haw River Assembly activities take place every season of the year. Hikes and canoe trips, potlucks, volunteer opportunities, streamwatch outings, workshops, and a quarterly newsletter are a few of the benefits of membership. Members also provide a vital base of support for the Festival and all the Assembly's work.

All of our work is made possible by the tremendous efforts of volunteers like you! Our work is funded by member dues, individual donations, fundraising events, and by grants from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Triangle Community Foundation, the REI Gives program of REI, and the NC DENR 319 Non-Point Source Pollution Prevention program.

Posted on: Thursday March 18, 2004 EST

Be Part of the Haw River Learning Celebration This Fall

The Haw River Learning Celebration is a traveling event that journeys the entire 100-mile length of the Haw River. For three weeks in September and October a crew of educators, performers and river lovers will bring a hands-on Learning Celebration to over 1500 school children from the seven counties the river connects.

Teachers! If would like to bring your class down to the river, contact Justin Taylor at (919)542-5790, arkanseno@gmail.com.

Volunteers! If you'd like to volunteer for a week or a few days, cook a meal, loan us a truck, make a donation, or help out in any other way, please get in touch with us. Contact Justin Taylor at (919)542-5790, arkanseno@gmail.com, to sign up today!

For more information about the Learning Celebration, including classroom activities, go to our Learning Celebration for Schools page.

Posted on: Tuesday August 03, 2004 EST

Do You Have A Pollution Problem to Report?

Your voice counts! If you have a stream, Haw River, or Jordan Lake pollution problem to report, go to our new Report A Pollution Problem page to let local and state authorities know. Go to Pollution Reports to see problems that have been reported.

Posted on: Thursday September 07, 2006 EST

The Haw River Assembly is beginning two new watchdog initiatives, to put more concerned eyes on the river and on Jordan Lake. Bridge Watch is recruiting folks who frequently cross a bridge over the Haw or Jordan Lake, to "adopt-a-Haw-River-bridge". We'll ask you to notice, as you cross the bridge, if the river has excessive sediment, algae growth, and/or bad odors; and to call or email HRA to report the problem. We will contact other bridge-watchers to ask how the river looks where they are, to better track sources of problems and get State environmental agencies involved when necessary. See the list of river and lake bridge crossings.

Do you enjoy boating, fishing, paddling, hiking at Jordan Lake? If you are a frequent user of the lake, please consider joining our Lake Watch network that can notify HRA of pollution sightings. With high algae growth in the lake due to nutrient "enrichment", there is potential for algae blooms and fish kills that we want to know about quickly. We are also interested in observations of where trash is piling up, as well as nature sightings.

To sign up, please email us at info@hawriver.org, with "Bridge Watch" or "Lake Watch" in the subject line, or call us at (919) 542-5790. Thanks!

To report a problem on Jordan Lake, print out this Lake Watch Problem Report Form, fill it out, and mail it to us at HRA, P.O. Box 187, Bynum, 27228. Thanks for your help!

Posted on: Monday November 28, 2005 EST

Give the Gift of a Clyde Jones 2008 Sunflower T-shirt!

Haw River Festival 2008 T-Shirts-- "Sunflowers" by Clyde Jones
The new 2008 Haw River Festival T-shirt makes a great gift. The design by Clyde Jones shows bright yellow and red sunflowers on a vivid sky blue shirt. Haw River map is on back of shirt. The adult sizes are $20 each and come in Small, Medium, Large, X-large and XX-large. The youth shirt comes in youth size Small and Medium for $16 each. Add $3 per shirt for shipping.

(Send checks made out to Haw River Assembly at PO Box 187 Bynum NC 27228. Include total #, sizes and colors of shirts ordered and who to ship them to. Or call us at (919) 542-5790 to arrange a time to come by our office in Bynum to shop. Shirt designs from previous years are also available.)

Posted on: Wednesday December 13, 2006 EST

We have linked up with Food Lion's Lion Shop & Share program. Any shopper with an MVP card can link their card to HRA by calling 1-800-210-9569 and choosing option #3, or by visiting www.foodlion.com, clicking on the "Lion Shop & Share" button on the right, and then clicking "Register MVP Cards". For "City", select BYNUM; for organization, select HAW RIVER ASSEMBLY. Once an MVP card is linked, HRA will receive a percentage of every purchase that is made with that card. Thank you!

Posted on: Tuesday May 18, 2004 EST