SPRUCE PINE N.C. – The task of identifying the benefits of installing conservation practices can be a difficult challenge. Often, the amount of dollars, acres, and other quantifiable results are a default position because it is something that is easily identified. But for Dana Brown, those benefits were more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. It meant the preservation of something much deeper, legacy and family history against one of the worst natural disasters in the state.

On the morning of September 27, 2024, bands of heavy rainfall associated with Helene spread into western North Carolina. The estimated total rainfall was said to be between 12 and 20 inches, however there is speculation that over 20 inches fell in some areas of the state. The state estimated that Helene was responsible for nearly $60 billion dollars in damage and over 100 lives lost. Dana and her family farm were spared the worse effects, thanks to groundwork that was started three years prior. 

About the Farm

Everett and Dollie Lawrence established the farm in the mid 1930’s.  Typical of most farms at the time in Appalachia it provided everything the couple would need. They raised beef, pork, milk, chicken, eggs, and vegetables, keeping enough to preserve for two or three years in case of bad weather. Like most good neighbors they’d share extra milk and eggs with neighbors and extended family. Occasionally in good years, they’d have enough to sell in town. The farm had 25 acres in pasture; with about 2.5 acres they would use to cut hay for the winter.

Aside from the farm, there is also the family home. The home was established by Everett and Dollie in 1945, using a nearby spring as water source, the same spring that would be used to become the lower pond. The home would be using an upper and lower pond.  Eventually, in 1959, a different spring further upstream was established as the water supply, and it still supplies the house to this day. 

The farm raised cattle until the death of Dana’s grandfather in 1980. Her grandmother and aunt sold the animals and most of the equipment. In 1990 the decision was made to lease the land to a Christmas tree farm. The pastures were then planted in Fraser Firs and this operation continued until 2015, which was the last year of the grower’s contract. With very few prospects left, the family would make the decision to come full circle and bring back a small herd of cattle. 

Conservation Efforts

When the cows were reintroduced, they presented quite a challenge. The farm had enough perimeter fencing; however, the cows were not excluded from using the ponds and stream, which were their water source. The dams began eroding significantly and eventually became too narrow to drive a truck on. To make matters worse, the ponds were a constant maintenance issue, particularly with the overflow pipe, which became clogged easily. During heavy rain events, water would regularly flow out of the lower pond, down through the barnyard and down to the family home. Over time, trees had also grown around the stressed banks, presenting potential catastrophe as the dams could fail. Naturally Dana was very worried about her family, having moved away a few years prior, and there was little she could do. 

In 2019, Dana would move back home and get to work gathering resources to help the family farm.  By July 2021 she had enough information to invite her local Soil & Water Conservation District and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) agents to the farm to see if she could get any assistance with the ponds. Mark Byrd of Mitchell County Soil and Water Conservation and Renee Ray of NRCS came out to visit.

“Working with Dana was a pleasure, she came to us for assistance in improving water quality on her farm and was eager to improve conditions,” said Mark Byrd, District Director for Mitchell County Soil and Water Conservation. 

Mark proposed installing a heavy use area protection (HUAP) uphill from the haybarn, while Renee proposed fencing off the pond to keep livestock out and installing a watering well and livestock watering tanks. The HUAP would be provided by the North Carolina Soil and Water Conservation Commission’s Agriculture Cost Share Program (ACSP). It is a voluntary program designed to help agricultural landowners and farmers implement best management practices (BMPs) to reduce nonpoint source pollution and improve water quality. “HUAP was selected to improve feeding areas where her livestock frequently accessed, winter conditions would deteriorate the area around hay rings and the barn area, resulting in adverse conditions,” said Mark when asked to describe the reason behind choosing to install a HUAP.

The fencing, well, and tanks from NRCS would receive financial incentives through USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns. The program was very helpful in addressing the immediate conservation needs, and Dana couldn’t wait to get started.

“It was an honor working with Dana and her family to improve water quality and grazing on her family’s land,” said Renee Ray, Soil Conservationist when asked about working with Dana Brown.

Partners 

The ponds, however, provided a significant challenge that neither the EQIP nor ACSP could manage. Additional partners with their own unique expertise were needed to address the mounting concerns of the failing dams. Mark introduced Dana to Jonathan Hartsell at Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) to discuss the possibility of getting some grant funds to help cover the work.

In September 2021, Jonathan came to the property to get an assessment and see the ponds. After discussing the flow of the stream and visiting the stream’s origin which was above the upper pond, he was convinced that the project at Rockhouse was needed. They also talked about possible grants because the work that needed to be done would be expensive. Ultimately, three were chosen:

• NC Land and Water Fund 
• N.C Division of Water Resources (NCDWR)- Water Resources Development Grant 
• U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)- Partners for Fish and Wildlife Grant 

“We would never have been able to afford the work it took to get this stream to where it is now,” said Dana Brown when asked about the project. 

Jennings Environmental, an engineering consulting firm specializing in ecosystem restoration and water resources engineering, was also brought in to discuss the project. They agreed with the initial assessment of the ponds and streams and agreed to put together a preliminary budget and a design concept plan. 

“This project brought together several partners, enabling us to tackle numerous resource challenges efficiently while keeping costs low for the landowner,” said Renee. 

Project Timeline

A year later, in the summer of 2022, Dana was approved for the EQIP project, which included the well, water pipeline to livestock watering tanks, stream exclusion fencing and a stream ford. Approval of this project strengthened her grant applications for the stream restoration since the fencing would be done and that the fence would be required to be maintained for 20 years. 

The family immediately got to work, getting a pump to start draining the upper pond down enough to use a backhoe to dig a trench and install a plastic pipe. By installing the pipe, this effectively managed the possibility of overflowing from upper to lower pond. They then turned their attention to the lower pond. By October, the pipe was installed in the lower pond, and Dana could rest easier now. “Finally, I didn’t have to stress about flooding anymore,” said Dana.

The pipes stayed in place until 2024, until the stream construction started in June that same year. In November, Dana and her family got some amazing news. Thanks to the efforts of the previous months of hard work, they were awarded all three grants that they applied for. 

With all the pieces coming together, it was important for everyone to meet and get the final timeline nailed down.  In July of 2023 Mark Byrd, Renee Ray, Dana, Jonathan Hartsell, Greg Jennings and Zan Price of Jennings, along with Laura Fogo of USFWS met to go over the details. In February of 2024 Jennings began working on the permitting for the project, and in May Baker Construction was awarded the contract. 

Finally in June of 2024, stream work began. They started by draining the ponds and letting the basins dry for a few days. Then the excavation started and things really got underway.  The stream project was completed in August, and the next month in September the exclusion fencing was completed. That same month the finishing touches were put into place. The last water line to fount was covered and seeds were put out. All was well, until it wasn’t.

Helene

A few weeks later, the costliest and deadliest disaster in modern North Carolina history would visit Dana’s doorstep, watching the storm attacking the landscape from her mother’s home, and she wouldn’t be alone. Across the state, over 125,000 homes were destroyed, approximately 800 thousand acres of timberland were affected, and at least 106 fatalities were attributed to the storm. 

Hope was in short supply when Helene finally left the state. Yet when Dana and her family surveyed the property, there was plenty to be had. Although the property didn’t escape unharmed by the storm -- there were several small gullies, downed trees, and some baffles that had washed out of place -- thankfully everything was mostly intact. More importantly, the stream work that was installed spared the family, and most likely anyone downstream, more devastation. 

Farmers like Dana take their responsibility for their land seriously.   If it weren’t for her taking the initiative and getting linked up with NRCS and all the relevant stakeholders, the outcome would most likely be a different story. Had she waited just a day longer, the project would not have been completed in time to weather the storm. “Had I sought help just one day later, the schedule could have shifted so that the whole neighborhood downstream of us could have been destroyed during Helene,” Dana remarked. 

Dana’s story is a testimony of the positive relationship between conservation minded farmers and their “down-stream” effects on the land. Everything that was done was voluntary: from EQIP and ACSP, to the grants that were applied to. Dana’s story is one of hundreds of conservation successes across the state, each having meaningful impacts on the land. 

For more than 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.

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