HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — A collaboration between MountainTrue and the City of Hendersonville's Stormwater Division allowed the community to take a step into the creeks with a goal of not only preserving them but helping them thrive. 

Chris Berg is one of the individuals who took a step into the creek.

“I was raised a national park brat, so I grew up in wonderful places like Shenandoah and Yellowstone,” Berg said. “If we take care of our countryside, it’ll last better and serve us better, and we’ll have more fun.”

As he carries an armful of live stakes, he searches for the right places to insert them. The stakes will eventually grow into trees. 

“You get to share things with people, and it makes good sense to be doing this in our world that doesn’t get enough care as it is,” Berg said. “So, let’s do it.”

Live staking is an effort to reintroduce plant life into the places that need it most — like in Hendersonville's Brittain Creek.

“The idea is to get the stream back to something like its natural condition,” Berg said. “It’s been altered by agriculture.”“The idea is to get the stream back to something like its natural condition,” Berg said. “It’s been altered by agriculture.”

City of Hendersonville's Stormwater Division Manager Michael Huffman says sediment is a major polluter in the local river basin, clogging fish and aquatic habitats, increasing water temperatures and transporting toxic substances.  

The group’s goal is to combat sediment erosion by reducing the amount of sediment that flows into the streams. 

“The critters that are here naturally are the ones we wanna support because that produces an environment that is more stable, and one that will hopefully support us over time,” Berg said.