Clean Water Expected in East Tennessee
History of the Pigeon River
The Cherokee called the Pigeon River the "beautiful maiden". The waters of have long served as a life-blood for the people that reside along its banks throughout Western North Carolina and East Tennessee, providing life and livelihood with its waters. Over a century ago (1908), the river got a new neighbor named Champion Paper Products, and life for everyone else along the downstream shores quickly changed.
"We have the water right here, and we EXPECT it to be cleaned up."
-Wilma Dykeman Stokely
Photo by WNC Magazine
Pigeon River Timeline
Meet the Team
Deborah Bahr
Executive Director
Deborah Bahr is the Director of CWEET and has been a community worker, mother, and artist living in East Tennessee for almost 30 years. She holds a degree in Women’s Studies from the University of Tennessee. Deborah is a mentor and life coach and is dedicated to a clean Pigeon River and the development of healthy Appalachian economies.
Laurie "Spring" Duckett
Community Organizer
Spring has been in love with Mother Earth since taking her first breath. Her story includes a degree in green & sustainable mgmt, activism, community service, holistic living, parenting, homeschooling, sustainable gardening, intentional community work, festival event infrastructure, and more. She describes her work for CWEET as “weaving water webs”: admin tasks, networking, event infrastructure, even roadside trash pickup!
Jillian Bryan
Stream Monitoring Coordinator
Jillian Bryan has lived along the Nolichucky River in East TN for 20 years and is dedicated to monitoring and advocating for the health of our streams. She is naturally curious and enjoys everything outdoors, crafting, learning and spending time with her daughter.
Miranda Lott Barker
Multimedia Designer and Technology Support
Miranda grew up rafting on the Pigeon and surrounding rivers, and has returned to East TN to make her home in Cosby after 15 years. Miranda is a long time science educator and a mother of 4 whose technology and curriculum background will support CWEET's vision to educate and inform the local community.
Board of Directors
Aaron Szevans
Jennifer Szevans
Connie Smith
Dawn Raven
Jennifer Henderson
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Youth Representatives:
Gillian Barker
Cassidy Duckett