Equinox Environmental

08/07/2026

This month we want to talk about droughts! But wait - surely we can't still be in a drought? We got so much rain in July!

In short, North Carolina is still in a drought, caused by less precipitation than average over the past several months. The drought we experienced across North Carolina this year was among the worst on record. It can be hard to believe, but the drought actually began back in the fall of 2025. For the past 10 months drought conditions across the state have persisted. Even with regular rainfall it can take months for an area to emerge from severe drought conditions. At the end of July, in Western NC, large portions of Buncombe and Madison counties were finally out any of drought designation. According to data from the NC Drought Management Advisory Council, at the end of July, streamflows in the French Broad River basin remained below normal, and according to data released on August 4th, the Tuckasegee River was still showing some lower streamflows.

There are different types of drought designations; the most common one we think of is the meteorological drought, which is based on the amount of precipitation received in an area. Another is the agricultural drought, which shows up after a meteorological drought and is characterized by a lack of soil moisture to meet crop needs. Finally, the hydrological drought refers to lower than average surface and subsurface water. These impacts can be the most difficult to recover from when rainfall has been low for an extended period of time. The good news is that the consistent rainfall in July has made significant impacts to reduce drought conditions statewide.

If you want to learn more about the drought, its impacts, and how scientists classify droughts check out the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council at www.ncdrought.org. You can even be nerds like us and sign up for their weekly updates!

Maps created and shared by the NC Drought Management Advisory Council

07/02/2026

Eastern whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) is well known for its haunting name-sayer call common on summer nights here in western North Carolina. This superbly camouflaged, nocturnal insectivore is one of a group of birds referred to as “Nightjars” or “Goatsuckers,” which also includes nighthawks and the chuck-wills-widow.
Eastern whip-poor-wills are closely tied to the lunar cycle with peak calling and activity around the full moon. Nightjars have been on the decline for many years, but thanks to organizations like the Nightjar Survey Network, researchers are keeping up with the current status. Interested in adopting a survey route? Visit nightjars.org at https://www.nightjars.org/

Images (all used via iNaturalist Creative Commons open license)
1: eastern whip-poor-wills often sit totally still during the day, like this one at the forest floor
2: perched in a tree
3: eggs on the leaf litter, a typical nesting site

-poor-will

06/12/2026

Our Community Planner, Brad Spiegel, recently sat down with the Exploration Local Podcast as part of his role with Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS) about their work to explore the possibilities of a greenway in Swannanoa and how our firm is helping achieve this vision. Take a listen!

NEW EPISODE: The Swannanoa Greenway: More Than a Trail | Bradley Spiegel & Carol Groben (Link in Bio)

When most people hear “greenway,” they think of a trail.

But what if it could also help a community become more resilient?

After Hurricane Helene, the conversation around the proposed Swannanoa Greenway took on new meaning. In this episode, I sit down with Bradley Spiegel and Carol Grobin to explore how a greenway could support flood mitigation, safer connections between neighborhoods, and the long-term future of Swannanoa.

This one is about much more than a trail.

🎙️ Link in bio, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

Equinox
Great Trails NC
Connect Buncombe
RiverLink
Equinox
MADE X MTNS

06/03/2026

Where does the water from your downspouts go?

During the rainfall event that has a 50% chance of occurring in any given year, a 100-square-foot of rooftop in Asheville will generate approximately 225 gallons of stormwater runoff. Directing this runoff to a vegetated area, such as a garden bed, instead of across your yard or straight offsite, helps water soak into the ground, which can reduce erosion, recharge groundwater, and decrease the amount of water entering stormwater systems.

Adding a small bed of rock at the end of a downspout can help slow the flow before it spreads into your yard or garden. Replacing a downspout with a rain chain can slow water and direct it to a catchment or planted area. You can also bury underdrains to guide water to areas where it can be safely absorbed. Another option is to connect downspouts to a rain barrel, rain tank or underground cistern allowing you to collect and reuse water for irrigation.

These simple strategies support three key benefits: they slow water to minimize erosion, filter runoff before it leaves your property, and reduce the total volume of water entering storm drains. This means more water stays on your land and if you are a city or suburban dweller puts less strain on our public infrastructure. As you evaluate your own stormwater systems, always make sure water is directed away from your home’s structure and foundation!

Images
1: downspout releasing onto rock
2: garden where water is directed to from downspout in image 1
3: rain chain with rock and planting below
4: rain barrel with overflow to rock and garden
5: downspout into connected rain barrels
6: aboveground cistern
(all images by Equinox or permitted for use with Adobe Stock license)

05/26/2026

We are very excited to share this critical work that our Community Planner, Bradley Spiegel, will be supporting over the next two-years with the Town of Canton, Haywood Waterways Association, Inc., Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, and Haywood Advancement Foundation!

He'll be convening the necessary stakeholders and guide a thoughtful planning process that integrates flood resilience, outdoor recreation, economic development, and quality of life that sets Canton up for sustainable future.

See this recent article from the Mountaineer on the project:

A new grant-funded project manager will help lead Canton’s growth and development over the next two years.

05/15/2026

Lisa Raleigh the Executive Director of RiverLink did an excellent job sharing the importance of riparian zones, the state of our rivers after TS Helene, and protecting the French Broad River. Give it a listen.

Rivers, Floods, and a Human Reckoning | Lisa Raleigh, PhD | TEDxAsheville

05/14/2026

Yesterday, two of our staff, Alex and Owen, headed down to Raleigh to join a cohort of folks from across the state to participate in NC Farmland Preservation Advocacy Day.

NC has now surpassed Texas in percentage of farmland loss to residential development - the clock is ticking.

The goal was to schedule face-to-face meetings with legislative representatives and urge them to support farmland preservation through raising state funding levels, enhancing the conservation tax credit, and providing matching dollars for federal grants.

We were able to schedule meetings with regional and local representatives and add our voices to the collective. our message was well received, and we are hopeful that lawmakers can work to effect positive change and provide meaningful support for farmland preservation.

We ran into many of our friends: WNC From the Ground Up, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Conserving Carolina, and others.

We care about the future of farmland in North Carolina!

(PS, on our way back we made the obligatory stop at Keaton’s BBQ, home of the best chicken you’ll ever eat - a true NC hidden gem!)

05/01/2026

Have you noticed mayapples blooming in our local forests lately? These plants share an interesting mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with the eastern box turtle. The flowers you see now will develop into fruit, and by late summer, box turtles happily snack on the soft, ripe pods—undeterred by compounds that discourage other animals from browsing them. As the turtles roam, they disperse the seeds through their droppings, helping new mayapples sprout far from the parent plants. In return, dense patches of mayapples create cool, shaded, moisture‑rich habitats that box turtles rely on for shelter in hot weather.

04/07/2026

Spring ephemerals are the sprinters of the forest understory—leafing out, flowering, and setting seed in the narrow window before the canopy closes. They fuel early-emerging pollinators when few other nectar sources are available, then vanish underground by early summer. Many even enlist ants for seed dispersal (myrmecochory), trading nutrient-rich seed coatings for a ride to new ground.

Images:
1. Bloodroot
2. Trout lily
3. Star chickweed
4. Trillium
5. Mayapple

All photos taken by Equinox employees!