Elena Reynolds Takes Part in Brevard College's Voice of the Rivers Expedition

2012 May 15

Elena Reynolds of Webster is enjoying the adventure of a lifetime as part of Brevard College's College's Voice of the Rivers (VOR) team.

Reynolds is part of a group of Brevard College students and professors who have embarked on an 18-day, nearly 300-mile kayak and canoe expedition that will follow the Cape Fear Watershed in North Carolina from its northwest-most source at the headwaters down the Haw River and Cape Fear River to Bald Head Island where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean.

As the team paddles down the river, each participant will study, reflect on, and share the experience through the unique lens of their individual discipline. During the trip, Associate Professor of Recreation, Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education Clyde Carter and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Amie Scheidigger will teach courses on river expeditions and environmental crime.

As they travel and camp along the river, the team will gain a first-hand understanding of the many ecosystems found along the full length of the river in ways rarely experienced by today's average citizen. At the heart of its mission the VOR team hopes to meet as many people as possible, who live, work, recreate, depend on, and care about the river. They will hear their stories and ultimately share their own stories of these encounters with all who care to listen.

VOR students - whose majors include art, theatre and environmental science - are required to post daily journal entries, photos and videos of their travels and experiences online using Facebook, blogs and the Brevard College Web site: www.brevard.edu/VOR

Since its inaugural 1997 expedition from Brevard, N.C. to the Gulf of Mexico, the Voice of the Rivers program at Brevard College has offered students and faculty an opportunity to paddle and study a variety of ecologically and culturally significant rivers.

The VOR experience-which combines academics with outdoor exploration-is designed to educate the public and raise awareness of activities that threaten rivers; bring attention to organizations and groups poised to address those threats; and foster a sense of stewardship and community activity among the students who participate.

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Brevard College offers a range of distinctive baccalaureate degree programs. The VOR program embodies the College's commitment to a liberal arts education that is interdisciplinary and experiential. Past VOR expeditions include trips down the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi rivers; Virginia's historic Rappahannock River; the Green River; the Rio Santa Cruz, Rio Limay and Rio Negro rivers in Patagonia, Argentina; the Savannah River; and the Catawba-Wateree and Yadkin-Pee Dee watersheds.