The following is a message from RiverLink:

Join the RiverLink team on Martin Luther King Day to help build a campsite on the French Broad River Watershed. We will be construction one of the campsites on Monday January 16th, just outside of Marshall, NC.

The French Broad River Paddle Trail will serve to protect the river as a resource for recreation, environmental stewardship, education, and economic development. The trail will build long term partnerships with local governing agencies and private landowners to assist in the development of a low impact trail with: "Leave No Trace" paddle -in camping every 8-10 miles along the river corridor.

Over the past year RiverLink has been developing and planning the French Broad River Paddle Trail guided an Advisory Council of long time residents, educators and paddlers. The Advisory Council and RiverLink staff, Nancy Hodges have been developing design standards and trail user guide as a based foundation for the trail. We have received grant funds for the installation of 4 campsites and 1 river access in Buncombe and Madison County, and are working with residents, businesses, and non-profits to develop two additional river access points and a campsite in Transylvania and Henderson County. Grant funding has been received from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, the NC Recreational Trails and Adopt-a -Trail Programs and Chaco. We hope to have all of the campsites constructed in 2012!

RiverLink spearheads the economic and environmental revitalization of the French Broad River Watershed as a destination to Live, Work and Play. It is part of our mission to create a paddle camping trail along the French Broad River from the headwaters in Transylvania County connecting to the Blueway in Tennessee.

Please contact RiverLink's Watershed Resource Manager to volunteer or for more information: nancy@riverlink.org.

Located in Asheville's River Arts District, RiverLink is a regional organization spearheading the economic and environmental revitalization of the French Broad River watershed as a destination where everyone can work, live and play.

For more information about how you can get involved, see our Web site: http://www.riverlink.org, or contact us at information@riverlink.org or by phone at 252-8474.