A River Runs Through Us: Memphis' Once And Future Connection ...

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Home > VOL. 124 | NO. 175 | Monday, September 7, 2009

A story from The Memphis NewsOn newsstands throughout the city

A River Runs Through Us: Memphis’ once and future connection with the Wolf

By Eric Smith

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A cottonmouth slithers through the marsh. A wolf spider clings to a cypress tree. A white heron soars above the bottomland forest.

Paddle a canoe down the Ghost River section of the Wolf River in Fayette County and you’ll travel through multiple, distinct ecosystems teeming with wildlife. But while animal sightings convey the true spirit of the Wolf, only one creature – the elusive “river rat” – can verbalize why this river and its wetland corridor are so important.

Despite its name, a river rat isn’t a rodent, but a person who spends his or her time paddling, fishing and exploring rivers. More than that, they spend their time defending the importance of rivers, from the habitats they support to the human lives they enrich.

Dale Sanders, 74, a self-described river rat (Rattus fluvius?), avid paddler and volunteer/director for the Wolf River Conservancy, is looking for converts.

Sanders, who came to Memphis in 1989 with the Navy, first paddled the Wolf a year later and has since paddled it hundreds of times, mostly the Ghost River section from LaGrange to Moscow.

“Probably one of the best-kept secrets in the whole area for water people is that Wolf River out there, the Ghost section,” he said.

Sanders is quick to recognize fellow river rats like Tom Hill, Larry Smith and others affiliated with the Wolf River Conservancy who have been paddling the Wolf longer than he has. Now, river stewards are stepping up their efforts to protect and promote the river, whose meaning for Memphians is manifested as a floodplain, source of drinking water, wildlife habitat and centerpiece for an ambitious park project.

Because it is so vital to the city’s past, present and future – a lifeline that carves its way through rural Fayette County and urban Shelby County – the Wolf needs advocates and proselytizers to spread the gospel. In other words, it needs a slew of new river rats.

“We could have a few more,” Sanders said. “It wouldn’t hurt, I can tell you that much.”

Aquatic timeline

Ninety miles long from its source at Baker’s Pond in Benton County, Miss., to its mouth at the Mississippi River in Downtown Memphis, the Wolf River dates back thousands of years. Its path through West Tennessee forges a historical and ecological saga as a river road for Native American travelers, a trading lane for cotton merchants and a swimming hole for 20th-century Memphians.

Revered and respected for years as a means of transportation and recreation, the Wolf fell victim to modernity in Shelby County, when the advent of roads left the river a forgotten relic from a bygone era.

Unlike Memphis’ signature river, the Mississippi, the Wolf lacked the cachet of its more famous neighbor, and it devolved into an industry dump as companies poured waste into its waters, tainting it beyond use.

Eventually, in the 1960s, after the degraded river suffered years of pollution coupled with headcutting, or unnatural erosion that can result from a redirected body of water, the Army Corps of Engineers channeled the putrid river westward from Germantown and rerouted its mouth north of Downtown, altering its path and purpose.

The Wolf was declared dead.

Paddlers pass through a narrow section of the Ghost River.

“What was an asset to the community was now a liability,” said Steve Fleegal, CEO of the Wolf River Conservancy. “And people, when they used to look toward the river, began looking away from the river. Everything was built away from the river, and it wasn’t viewed as an asset.”

Wolf River Conservancy volunteer Dale Sanders coaches Lisa Stephens on paddling techniques during a canoe trip down the Ghost River.

Formed in 1985 in response to a mining company potentially setting up shop on the banks of the Wolf, the Wolf River Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that works to protect and promote the entire stretch of the river and its wetlands. A defining moment for the organization came 10 years after its founding, in 1995, when it successfully saved a few thousands acres along the Ghost River section of the river in Fayette County from being ravaged by a timber company that planned to develop the land into ranchettes and harvest its trees.

“It would have been disastrous,” said Keith Kirkland, director of membership and outreach for the conservancy. “It would have been ugly.”

The timber company agreed to sell the land to the conservancy for $4 million – after paying $3 million for it – and the conservancy secured funds from state government and private donors to buy that land and other parcels.

The conservancy’s original purchase was 4,000 acres and it later added another 3,000, helping form the Ghost River State Natural Area. Today, among the 42,000 acres in the Tennessee portion of the Wolf’s floodplain, about 18,000 acres are under public or protected ownership thanks to efforts of the conservancy and other water stewards who predate the organization.

“It’s taken a long time to get to this point, but what we are today is sitting on the efforts of those folks who worked on this since the late ’70s,” Fleegal said. “This has been a 30-year process to get us to where we are today.”

Another world

Protecting the Wolf River isn’t about locking up lands for a few select people who have the means and ability to canoe its waters or spend lazy afternoons bird watching. The river and its multifaceted ecosystems provide natural habitats for everything from bobcats to mussels to wild turkeys, plus a variety of native trees and plants.

The river’s floodplain provides drainage, protecting populated areas from erosion. And anyone who has sipped water from a tap in Memphis benefits from the Wolf, which, along with the Loosahatchie River and Nonconnah Creek, helps recharge the Memphis Sands Aquifer, a source of the city’s drinking water.

Jerry Anderson, director of the Ground Water Institute at the University of Memphis, called the Wolf River the “premier stream” in the area because of its large drainage mass, and said the river is a critical water resource for the region.

“I’m firmly convinced that the floodplain of the Wolf River, as well as the main channel of the Wolf River, has a significant impact on the recharge to our aquifer,” Anderson said. “It plays a significant role in the sustainability of our aquifer system.”

PHOTOS BY LANCE MURPHEY

That significance, Anderson said, makes protecting the Wolf from chemicals and other contaminants imperative.

“Once an aquifer gets contaminated, you can’t use it,” he said. “If you got something down in the Memphis Sands, it would be a major catastrophe.”

James Baker is a retired city environmental regulator who now volunteers for the local chapter of the Sierra Club and also serves as its “water sentinel,” meaning he works to protect local rivers and streams from contamination. Because the Wolf River drains such a large watershed, Baker can underscore its importance to the city’s water supply.

“Ecologically, it provides drainage for about a third of Memphis and Shelby County,” Baker said. “What is drained into it is very important for its continued water quality. What goes into it, whether it’s mud from substandard erosion controls on construction sites or it’s somebody illegally dumping motor oil into a tributary that they think won’t make a difference – it will make a difference somewhere.”

The Wolf River Conservancy, which has about 600 members – “not enough,” Fleegal noted – has ramped up its efforts to make a difference in people’s perceptions of the Wolf. While most Memphians see it as a dirty river that flows under the bridges they cross in their cars, the middle and upper stretches of the Wolf – merely an hour’s drive from Downtown Memphis – seem like a different world.

Consensus-building

Boyd Wade, treasurer for the conservancy’s board of directors, admits the Wolf “has its challenges as a river” because its Memphis section used to be known as a glorified drainage ditch.

Even today, in spite of the environmental strides that have been made to eliminate dumping, the water looks dirty and some riverbanks remain trashed. That’s why talking up the Ghost River is a key element for raising awareness about the Wolf.

“The Ghost River section is unbelievable,” Wade said. “That will hook you right there. You feel like you’re a thousand miles away from Memphis, Tenn. You’re in the middle of nowhere, you’re in the Amazon. You’re so remote.”

With so much protected acreage along the river and no channeling, the Ghost River section of the Wolf appears as it did perhaps centuries ago. And since Wade said he believes people still possess an innate desire to travel a river from its mouth to its headwaters, a curiosity to discover what’s around the bend and explore the relatively unspoiled wilderness, he figures that part of the Wolf can lure the adventurous.

“It will be a natural draw in that direction,” Wade said.

The natural draw is a pristine habitat for flora and fauna, giving canoers or kayakers the chance to maneuver through a maze of cypress and tupelo trees with the only sounds a distant woodpecker and a paddle blade slicing through the slowly moving water.

Educating people about this natural resource is critical for the conservancy, which has employed a paid staff for 13 years. The group is preparing to host Wolf River Day, set for Sept. 12, a chance to showcase the river’s biodiversity and the conservancy’s mission.

It’s also a time to share one of the most important projects in Wolf River history – the creation of the Wolf River Greenway, a protected linear corridor stretching the entire length of the river with walking trails, nature centers, boat launches and boardwalks.

Walt Mulllins, right, and Chuck Skypeck negotiate a muddy path to the Wolf River during a canoe trip led by members of the Wolf River Conservancy.

“This Wolf River Day, what we’ve tried to do is take that and turn it into something much larger,” Fleegal said. “We’re trying to build the collaborations or partnerships with neighborhoods, schools and the user groups that will benefit from this transformation, whether it’s the hikers, the bikers, the bird watchers – anybody who’s engaged and can benefit from the greenway – we have to bring those people together and build a consensus.”

Emerald necklace

The Wolf River Greenway is a public-private collaboration that is being completed in pieces. The largest stretch of the greenway will be in Memphis, where city officials are working to develop a $28 million, 22-mile corridor that will travel from north of Mud Island to the Germantown border.

Phase I begins at the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers north of Mud Island, tying into the Mississippi River Greenbelt and running east for three-quarters of a mile to North Second Street. But the city has hit a snag with land acquisition, sparking the 1-mile Phase II to get under way first.

That phase will connect Walnut Grove and Shady Grove roads along the Shelby Farms Park boundary. The city is estimating $1.6 million for the phase, with bidding to start next month and construction slated to wrap next year, said city parks administrator Mike Flowers. Phase III, for which design funding but not construction funding is allocated, will connect the Phase II portion with Germantown’s greenway to the east.

Ultimately, the Wolf River Greenway will intersect with the CSX greenline project that is turning an abandoned rail line into a trail; the section from Midtown to Shelby Farms should be finished by spring.

As program officer for greening initiatives at the Hyde Family Foundations, a collection of nonprofit agencies dedicated to improving the lives of Memphians, Lauren Taylor counts the greenway as an integral part of making the city more sustainable. Taylor, whose organization has committed $24 million to environmental projects, said the expansion of Memphis’ green spaces and trails – its so-called “green print” – will enhance the city’s stature.

“So many studies show that strong parks, trails and green spaces are a quality of life indicator and a competitive advantage for a city,” Taylor said. “We feel like we have a lot of great assets to work from – the Mississippi River, the Wolf River and some wonderful parks, including the city parks – and (the greenway has) become a priority for us.”

Robert Searns is a national greenway expert, development consultant for The GreenWay Team Inc. and chairman of American Trails, a nonprofit organization that works to promote and protect trails. He is a consultant for the Wolf River Greenway, whose active participants include the city, the conservancy and the Hyde Family Foundations.

Searns has been involved with planning, developing and designing greenways for 35 years, cutting his teeth in Denver with the Platte River greenway system. There and elsewhere, he has seen firsthand the positive changes greenways can bring.

“They are an incredible benefit to communities,” he said. “In fact, for communities to compete, it’s a must-have for urban areas, large and small, to have greenway amenities.”

Searns said the pursuit of recreational and conservation enhancements to the river and its corridor will protect natural landscapes and also promote the river for its role as a recreational and environmental resource.

“The Wolf has suffered some neglect and abuse over the past decades,” he said. “That stewardship ethic that particularly the Wolf River Conservancy has brought to the effort is very substantial. In a way, that’s a leg up over what happened in Denver.”

Big backyard

As Fleegal and Kirkland of the conservancy are quick to point out, the Wolf River Greenway is more than a trail. It is a multiuse nature system centered on the river, a linear green space where wildlife can flourish, neighborhoods can come together and kids can have a safe place to play.

“We want it to be a green corridor through Memphis,” Kirkland said.

To make his point, Kirkland cited “Last Child in the Woods,” a book by Richard Louv that details the so-called “nature-deficit disorder,” a phrase the author coined to explain the increasing disconnect between children and the outdoors. In other words, children today aren’t in the woods making forts, running through fields or digging in the dirt. Instead, they’re inside playing mind-numbing video games and becoming obese.

And that scenario has ramifications for the Wolf River and its supporters.

“There’s a whole generation of kids that are growing up without any exposure to nature,” Kirkland said. “They never do anything outside or in the woods, and it’s worrisome. There’s a whole generation that’s going to grow up, and all these efforts that we’ve been successful in getting land protected may not be sustained or even endure. Because if you don’t value them, you sell them off.”

Like any large-scale project, the biggest issue facing the greenway is money. While the second phase of the project is funded, future phases will rely on the City Council to continue allocating money for design and construction of the greenway.

Funding is a challenge in a slumping economy, noted Cindy Buchanan, director of park services for the city of Memphis. During tight times, parks and green spaces take a back seat to emergency services, crime prevention and education. But the development of green spaces to retain and recruit talented professionals is essential for Memphis to compete in the global arena, she said.

“The way to ensure that additional segments of the greenway are funded is to create projects that are so well used that other parts of the community clamor for them as well,” Buchanan said. “This has already happened by the Germantown trail coming online and being so successful. In addition, the city has partnered with the Hyde Family Foundations and the Wolf River Conservancy to ensure a high-quality greenway.”

Ted Fox, director of the division of public works for Shelby County, views the county as the body that ties the municipalities and their greenways together, and one of the key links is the $12 million Wolf River Restoration Project, completed last year. The 2,100-acre Wolf River Wildlife Area encompasses eight river miles just north of Collierville in the town’s annexation area.

An important part of the greenway network, the Wolf River Wildlife Area provides five miles of trails along the north bank of the river with additional trail length coming. And Fox knows Shelby County needs more projects like that one to keep up with peer communities.

“The urban centers that are progressive, that are attracting young people coming in, young people that are the techno-crats, young people that are in the medical services, across the spectrum, a large component in their decision-making process is, ‘What is the quality of life that is offered?’” Fox said. “We want to have an environment in the county and the metro area that attracts people and provides them with recreational and health opportunities.”

Bucolic brew

But the Wolf River’s role isn’t limited to recreation and health. An economic development angle to the river is slowly being tapped – in one case literally. Ghost River Brewing has developed a partnership with the Wolf River Conservancy, donating to the organization a dollar for each barrel of beer it sells.

The brewery, operated by the same company that operates Bosco’s Brewing Co. and four Bosco’s restaurants, has created the “Drink a Beer, Save a River” campaign, in which patrons can donate money to the conservancy at select locations where Ghost River beer is served.

Chuck Skypeck, co-owner of Ghost River, said teaming with the conservancy is a no-brainer because beer is 90 percent water, and the brewery’s ability to craft good beer relies directly on Wolf River water the conservancy is helping sustain.

“It made perfect sense to us to partner with someone who was not only doing some great things for the community, but also dovetails back into protecting a resource that is very, very important to us,” Skypeck said. “We think it’s not just good for us, but good for the city that they’re trying to preserve that resource.”

Two companies also dependent on the river are Wolf River Canoe Trips and Ghost River Rentals, a pair of businesses that rent canoes and kayaks and also provide shuttle services for anyone who wants to paddle the Wolf, particularly the Fayette County sections.

John Wilburn and his wife, Sarah, own Wolf River Canoe Trips and have been renting boats and guiding patrons down the river for 23 years. John Wilburn said Fayette County residents as a whole don’t have a strong connection to the river – “In general, they take it totally for granted,” he said – so most of the Wilburns’ core business comes from across the county line.

“Probably 90 percent of our business comes from Shelby County,” Wilburn said. “It’s just people wanting to get out in Mother Nature, get away from the city for a few hours, a half a day or whatever. More and more are finding out about this little canoeing adventure and taking advantage of it.”

Mark Babb and Don Hailey are Collierville firefighters who run Ghost River Rentals in their spare time. Encouraged by the Wilburns to start the company three years ago, they now have about 30 boats – canoes and single and double kayaks – they rent to individuals and school and church groups.

Babb said the allure of paddling the stretches from LaGrange to the Bateman Road bridge, or from the bridge to Moscow, is strong because of the scenery and feeling of remote wilderness, a remarkable experience so close to an urban area of a million people.

“You can float nine miles and see three or four different wildlife habitats,” Babb said. “You’ll think you’re in three or four different states at some points. It’s so diverse. It’s not more of the same.”

Hidden culture center

The Wolf River changes dramatically from its headwaters to its mouth, and further change is coming as the environmental movement gains steam and more people realize the value of green spaces within communities.

Like the river it champions, the Wolf River Conservancy also is transforming. It is shifting from a small, grassroots organization that didn’t have paid staff as recently as 10 years ago to a capacity-building nonprofit with bold goals of protecting the river and promoting it through a variety of public and private partnerships, new fundraising ideas and more programs for schoolchildren.

For all the education and outreach, however, sometimes it’s the simplest connections that can foster a stewardship toward a place or a cause.

Nowhere is that more evident than canoeing the Wolf with a river rat like Sanders. He has an affinity for giving paddlers a “river name,” a moniker that says something about the person – like “Snake” if they want to see a water moccasin or “Colorado” if that’s their home state.

A paddler for more than a half century, Sanders said he feels at home on the river he shares with fish “as long as your leg,” the lilies of Spirit Lake and even a bald eagle he has spotted a couple of times in recent weeks.

Like all protectors of the Wolf River, Sanders wants as many people as possible to see it the same way, to feel a similar connection to this resource, this asset, this gem that connects us all – to nature, to our past, to each other.

“Probably the most important thing we do other than teaching them the skills of paddling would be teaching them to enjoy and respect and take care of what we’ve got in the Wolf River,” Sanders said. “The Ghost is so unique. It’s a unique part of the culture here in West Tennessee and not many people really even know about it.”

The Memphis News and The Daily News are supporters of the Wolf River Conservancy.

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