By Ethan Hollifield
There’s no doubt that change has come to our mountains, maybe in some ways that aren’t as beneficial, or as harmless, as we perceive.
I’ve pondered for a long time on the integrity of our mountains and our watersheds; wondering in my mind what the single biggest threat to their survival is, which is in turn directly linked to the survival of the trout, smallmouth, and musky populations within our river systems. Development, in all its aspects, will be the proverbial “nail” in the ecological and cultural coffin. I can’t help but cringe slightly as I see a mountainside being built upon, or new urban expansion taking place, and think of the potential negative impacts of how all of this left unchecked will damage and potentially destroy our fisheries. Developing particularly delicate ridge-line ecosystems, where headwater streams are located, can have scaling effects throughout the entirety of a watershed’s course, resulting in entire river systems becoming completely degraded.
Excess development, firstly, can lead to the removal of forested areas which are replaced with impermeable surfaces (i.e, asphalt, concrete, etc), which, in turn, results in the regeneration of aquifers becoming less frequent. Additionally, most homes within mountaintop developments rely on well water, which puts further strain on the aquifer’s ability to supply water for the streams it feeds. You can look at it as putting too many straws in the same cup. What this results in is water levels dropping drastically throughout the main stem of a watershed over the course of time; the Watauga River is a great example of this due to the amount of development that has taken place around it.
Development can also increase water temps, decrease dissolved oxygen levels, and decrease diversity of species, just from the lack of forested land taken over by houses. These areas can turn into mini heat islands which not only affect the aquatic ecosystems but the health of the surrounding forested land as well. The removal of riparian zones can also increase erosion/sedimentation, pollutant runoff, and increase risks of flooding.
Lastly, development results in an increase in the populatants from people visiting a given area. One of the biggest side effects to development is that our remaining protected natural areas are becoming “loved to death” due to the increasing amounts of human traffic that the mountains are receiving. I studied this while at NC State, looking at how different groups of people who recreate in certain areas view, intrinsically, their environment, and I’ve anecdotally noticed a significant increase in the overuse of our area’s fisheries working as a professional fly fishing guide.
Like most issues in conservation, there is never an easy blanket solution for a given problem. The excess development of our mountains, however, is something that cannot be tolerated or ignored by those of us who love them and call this place home. A conversation needs to be started, particularly by us, as anglers, before we lose our fisheries and our mountains for good.
Ethan Hollifield is a member of a conservation organization called 2% For Conservation and a guide for Southern Appalachian Anglers.