How much is a river worth? Ask two boys on a fall afternoon as they skim rocks along the surface and wonder about the shadows that lie just on the other side. A river is made of such intangibles.” (Margaret Nygard)
The drive from Durham, North Carolina to Knoxville, Tennessee is roughly five hours and, if you aren’t speaking to your traveling companion, it makes for a long trip. Such was the case in 1962 as Margaret and Holger Nygard drove home after visiting Duke University. Holger had been offered a position at Duke, which he wanted to accept, but Margaret found Durham no match for their mountain lifestyle in Tennessee, hence the silent treatment. Friends say Margaret’s silence was a reflection of who she was, a soft-spoken and non-confrontational woman but also a woman who was not inclined to surrender. Ultimately, Holger and Margaret compromised. Holger got the position and Margaret got the historic McCown-Cole-Sparger house, which was located on 13 acres along the southern banks of the Eno river.
The Eno begins in an area near the historic city of Hillsborough, North Carolina, and flows eastward skirting the northern perimeter of Durham and then on to merge with the Flat river where they collectively join the Neuse, North Carolina’s longest river. To travel along the 40 miles of the Eno is to experience some of the state’s most diverse landscapes encompassing high bluffs, thick forests, and urban zones. In the 1960s when the Nygards moved there, the Eno was part of a largely unspoiled ecosystem that supported a variety of plants, animals, and aquatic life. It was ideal for Margaret who wanted space to cultivate gardens and live near nature but for the city of Durham, her choice of the Eno was far from ideal.
Margaret Nygard’s first stirrings of concern for the Eno stemmed from a chemical spill that resulted in a large fish kill on the river. However, her full attention was gained in 1965 when reports surfaced that the City of Durham was negotiating a relocation deal with Fiber Industries in which the city would guarantee a stable water supply for the company if they would establish operations along the Eno. Separately, it was also reported that city leaders were planning to dam the Eno to create a reservoir that could be used to generate additional drinking water for the growing region. It was not a new idea but one that could be traced back to a 1917 report from the Army Corps of Engineers.
We Are Not “Cause” People
Margaret and Holger appeared before the Durham City Council on August 16, 1966, to formally voice their opposition to the city’s planned reservoir. Critics would refer to her as a Rip van Winkle who was asleep to the realities of modern progress. Margaret would choose instead to label herself as an academic who had never been a “cause” person. Indeed, it was her academic background, she held a Ph.D. in English Literature, that ultimately shaped her fight for the Eno. She understood the power of education; she was articulate and persuasive; she could teach; and she had the intellect to think holistically and strategically. Collectively, her abilities coalesced into one of the first blueprints for managing river conservation efforts.
Margaret began her advocacy work by seeking out biologists and wildlife experts who could help her understand the science behind rivers and their ecosystems with particular attention given to wildlife habitats. Simultaneously, she recruited a small group of volunteers to help research the history of the river, the families that lived there, and the centrality of the river in their daily lives. As a literature scholar, Margaret understood the power of stories, and if she could construct a story around the history of the river valley and its’ residents, it could be leveraged to promote further community engagement. This work culminated in the creation of the Association for the Preservation of the Eno River Valley in October 1966 with Margaret Nygard as the first President and her kitchen table as the office.
In the first year, the Association focused on educational outreach using the following strategies:
Hosting hiking and rafting trips for citizens and city officials to have them experience the river, learn about the natural habitats, and hear stories of the valley’s history (75 participants in the first year and 450 in the second)
Delivering presentations to civic organizations and schools
Sponsoring photography contests to showcase river life
Developing a calendar of regular cultural events in and around the Eno
Necessary But Not Sufficient
While community support for the Eno was growing, Margaret recognized that it was insufficient to achieve their long-term goals. What was needed now was to secure the available land around the Eno to prevent any further encroachment from the City of Durham or other developers. With no funding for land purchases, Margaret needed partners so she reached out to the North Carolina Park System, the North Carolina Conservation Council, and the Wildlife Federation. What she learned from within the Park System was that two top administrators were prioritizing the expansion of parks across the state as a means of offsetting growth near the urban centers but they too needed land. She further learned that the Nature Conservancy might be a vehicle for securing land around the Eno as they could purchase or hold “endangered” lands until long-term solutions for their protection could be found. The Conservancy accepted Margaret’s invitation and agreed to partner making preservation of the Eno the organization’s first project in North Carolina. Together, they would develop a proposal for the North Carolina Conservation Council that called for the acquisition of 20 miles along the Eno River to be used as a state park.
Meanwhile, the city of Durham was in limbo concerning the Eno reservoir. Reports had emerged suggesting that, back in 1917, the Corp of Engineers had made significant miscalculations concerning the potential water flow that might be yielded by a reservoir on the Eno. It would not yield enough. Like other cities, Durham was also rapidly expanding and needed to offset some of their growth with open spaces. The shifting views of the city were reflected in the 1971 regional planning guide which still included an Eno Reservoir but it had been bumped down on their priority list.
A Way Forward
With shared goals of creating more green spaces in Durham, Margaret’s group, the city, and the state began collaborating around the creation of a state park adjacent to the Eno river. The city already controlled some land that had been purchased to support the planned reservoir and now Margaret immediately began seeking other land donors. One of the first to respond was Dr. Frederick Bernheim, a founding member of the Duke Medical School who donated 90 acres for the park. The donated land made the possibility of saving the Eno very real in Margaret’s mind but, more importantly, it became real in the mind of the community.
In June 1973, seven years after Margaret and Holger first appeared before the City Council, the Eno River State Park was dedicated. It was noted as a collaborative effort between the City of Durham, Orange County, the State of North Carolina, the Nature Conservancy, and the Eno River Association. This action was quickly followed by the city converting the lands it owned into the West Point on Eno Park, which was celebrated in 1976 as part of the city’s bicentennial celebrations.
Margaret emerged from the first 7-year battle with a deeper knowledge of river conservation and an expanded set of tools for her advocacy work. She now understood the value of creating and leveraging strategic partnerships; She knew the options for securing land, and she had become politically astute. Additionally, Margaret had learned of the power of obtaining historical designations for properties and she would use those to preserve some of the former gristmills, farmhouses, including her own, and barns along the Eno. In turn, this positioned her to file environmental impact statements that stipulate that any development posing a threat to natural or historic areas of value must be thoroughly reviewed before work begins. However, even with all of these tools, it did not mean that the fight ceased as indeed Margaret once referred to protecting the Eno as akin to fighting monsters. You slay one and then two more appear whether it’s housing developments, shopping centers, highways, landfills, or massive sewer line projects.
A river is change…finding its own way…quickening and slowing…collecting and releasing..rending and polishing..Life within the river changes also, adapting to the rhythms of its host, moving from light to shadow, from calm to swift, from deep to shallow. And yet within these changes there is a sameness. It is what makes a river uniquely beautiful.” (Margaret Nygard)
The quote above could be applied to Margaret Nygard as well. For each challenge that arose, Margaret adapted using whatever tools or strategies she believed would be most effective. Yet, throughout her work, she never changed even up until the end. On November 4, 1995, she had been up all night preparing a presentation for the Association’s Board meeting the next day. She was exhausted but pressed on to the point of collapse and was rushed to Duke University Hospital where she died from heart failure the next day. Margaret was 70 years old. Duncan Heron, former President of the Association, would reflect on Margaret’s work. “Margaret was the driving force behind the association. She would work 24 hours a day and seven days a week for the Eno.”
For more on Margaret’s work, see clip below ….
Another excellent segment of Southern Women Saving Wild Spaces. It shows the power one person can have on influencing others in pursuit of preserving natural areas. We need more women like Margaret!