News

Restored wetland improves wildlife habitat, strengthens flood protection

A restoration of the Kings Bridge Wildlife Conservation Area along the upper French Broad River created a slough and 36 acres of wetlands ideal for birding, fishing and wildlife observation. [PHOTO BY GORDON TUDOR]

By ROSE JENKINS LANE, Conserving Carolina, Published: April 10, 2025

The Kings Bridge Wildlife Conservation Area has reopened to the public following construction and planting to restore a natural floodplain. This makes Kings Bridge the first restoration project along the upper French Broad River to open to the public. Here, people can witness the transformation as restored wetlands, forests and meadows provide both flood safety and wildlife habitat.
Scott Loftis, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which manages Kings Bridge, calls it a work in progress. Last summer, excavators reshaped the ground to create a slough and 36 acres of wetlands—features that used to be common along the river. Then last fall, crews planted new vegetation, which is just getting its start. Even so, Loftis predicts that the site will be popular for birding, fishing and wildlife observation.
“The Wildlife Commission is excited to present this to the public as a place for people to get out and immerse themselves in a natural habitat,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to see a wide range of species, both plants and animals.”
Kings Bridge is located off of N.C. 191 between Mills River and Hendersonville. Conserving Carolina purchased the 87-acre former sod farm in 2020 and transferred it to the Wildlife Resources Commission in 2021. The two organizations along with other partners have collaborated on multiple natural floodplain restorations in recent years, including Mouth of Mud Creek and Pleasant Grove, both owned by Conserving Carolina. While there are plans for trails at other restoration sites, this is the first to open to the public.
“For years, we’ve been sharing the story of nature making a comeback at our natural floodplain restorations,” said David Lee, Conserving Carolina’s natural resources director. “Now people can see that transformation for themselves by visiting Kings Bridge and observing how the land changes as new plants grow in and fish, birds and other animals start to take advantage of the resources there.”

From Muskie to Monarchs

It doesn’t take long. Loftis says that newly installed tracking equipment is already detecting fish in the slough, including muskellunge, or muskie, the largest fish native to the French Broad.
The slough—which is like a pond connected to the river—provides much needed habitat for fish by creating a calm backwater, out of the current, Loftis explains.
His agency is now tracking fish in four sloughs at three restoration projects.
“We see fish using the sloughs during high water periods to get out of the flow,” Loftis said. “They’re also using them seasonally during the spawning season. Fish need this backwater habitat for respite during high flows, for foraging, and for spawning and nursery habitat. We’re checking all the boxes with these backwater areas.”
At the same time, birders see a high diversity of species at Kings Bridge because of the variety of habitat, including the river, wetlands, woods, and meadows. Wading birds, waterfowl, songbirds and raptors all frequent Kings Bridge, and rare birds have been reported.
In the summertime, Loftis says, visitors will also see colorful dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies. With both dry land and wet areas, the site supports many kinds of wildlife, including turtles, frogs, salamanders, otters, fox and deer.
The Kings Bridge site is now open for fishing, birding and wildlife observation. Hunting is not permitted due to the proximity to nearby homes and the entire site is a designated safety zone. Fishing is not permitted in the slough during March, April or May when fish are spawning and young fry are emerging. However, fishing along the riverbank is permitted year-round.
Access to the Kings Bridge Wildlife Conservation Area from a gravel parking area off N.C.191 between North Rugby Road and the French Broad River bridges. (It’s in Google maps.) An access trail leads to the mouth of the slough and the riverbank.

Loftis says that in the future, the agency intends to open a boat put-in and create a loop trail around the site.
When visiting, please watch your step and avoid harming the young plants growing on the site.
This restoration project on new public land was made possible by generous funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and NC Land and Water Fund.

Improving flood safety

It was only one week before Hurricane Helene that the construction phase of the Kings Bridge restoration was completed. This included breaching berms, digging the slough, creating low areas for wetlands, and plugging drainage ditches—as it turned out, just in time to help absorb water from the epic flood!
During Helene, Kings Bridge was about 17 feet underwater. Greg Jennings of Jennings Environmental, who designed the project, calculates that Kings Bridge stored approximately 475 million gallons of water — the equivalent of 720 Olympic swimming pools. All of this water was held on the floodplain instead of moving downstream.
This is what a floodplain is supposed to do—take on water when the river overflows. But today, natural floodplains are rare along the upper French Broad. Most of the river is lined with berms meant to keep the water from spilling onto the land. Meanwhile, ditches are in place to drain water off the land.
At a restored natural floodplain like Kings Bridge, it’s the opposite. Here, the river is invited to spill over onto its floodplain. During floods, this allows the water to spread out and slow down. This means less floodwater rushes downstream. It also allows sediment to deposit on the floodplain, reducing pollution in the water.
A natural floodplain also holds water like a sponge, which reduces the severity of droughts. Instead of running off quickly, water stays in the landscape, slowly recharging aquifers, sustaining rivers and supporting plants and animals.

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Rose Jenkins Lane is communications and marketing director of Conserving Carolina.