Organizations Filed Purposes:
RiverLink promotes the environmental and economic vitality of the French Broad River and its watershed as a place to live, learn, work and play.
During 2019, RiverLink continued its critical River revitalization work by encouraging watershed communities to experience and learn about the French Broad River. We also carried out important land and water conservation programs. CAPITAL PROJECTS - In January, RiverLink accepted the merger of the Friends of Woodfin Greenway and Blueway into RiverLink as part of a Capital Projects Program to partner with the Town of Woodfin and Buncombe County to create 5 miles of greenway, two public parks and one whitewater wave feature. RiverLink will provide fundraising support and outreach for the project, estimated to cost $18 million. The RiverLink Board furthered the transformation of a former junkyard into a public park by approving the Karen Cragnolin Park Master Plan in February 2019, developed by internationally-recognized design firm Nelson Byrd Woltz.
CONSERVATION -The Givens Estates Innovative Stormwater Control Project, funded by NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, was completed and resulted in 5 Stormwater Control Measures being designed and installed to control runoff in the 100-acre watershed that flows into the impaired Dingle Creek. Initial sediment testing measured 4 tons of sediment removed from the French Broad River as a result of the project. We also began work on the River Arts District Watershed plan to investigate and find solutions to water quality issues in three tributaries of the French Broad River. RiverLink preserved 10 acres of woodland and stream property of the Wilma Dykeman Homestead that was sold to a private landowner. Individual donations allowed for the creation of a RiverLink Land Stewardship and Legal Defense Fund to enable RiverLink to carry out land protection obligations into perpetuity.
LEARN - Our K-12 education continued to grow in 2019. Our RiverRATS program educated 3300 students at more than 50 schools in the 8-county watershed. Students that participated in the program learned about aquatic ecosystems through interactive experiential learning in the classroom and in the stream. We created a new volunteer educator program to increase educational capacity. RiverLink also celebrated its eleventh year of RiverCamp with four weeks of day camps for grades 3-8 focused on the exploration of the French Broad Watershed. We had funding to provide scholarships for 20% of the students. EXPERIENCE - We continued a strong legacy of providing ways for watershed communities to experience the watershed. Our residential rainwater control program, WaterRICH, installed rain Gardens at Swannanoa Valley Montessori School and Asheville
Executives Listed on Filing
Total Salary includes financial earnings, benefits, and all related organization earnings listed on tax filing
| Name | Title | Hours Per Week | Total Salary |
|---|
| Garrett Artz | Executive Director | 40 | $66,119 |
| Allison Jordan | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| Dan Hitchcock | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| John Ross | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| Leah Ashburn | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| Ken Grossman | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| Anne Keller | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| Lach Zemp | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| David Whilden | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| Joe Sasfy | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| Joseph Ransmeier | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| Lowel Grabel | Board Member | 0.25 | $0 |
| Sandy Melton | Secretary | 1 | $0 |
| Susan Puryear | Treasurer | 0.5 | $0 |
| John Oswald | Vice Chair | 4 | $0 |
| Buck Bragg | Chair | 4 | $0 |
Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (
public 990 form dataset) from:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202013049349300721_public.xml