The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat ramp at Lock and Dam No. 1 on the Cape Fear River was closed due to the construction of a rock arch rapid. A crane atop a barge lifted enormous boulders and carefully placed them in rows along the face of the dam. Below the heavy construction work, a row of white warning markers kept boaters a safe distance downstream.
Once completed, in theory, the rock rows or "vanes" will allow anadromous fish, such as shad and herring, to more easily swim upstream to historic spawning areas.
The fish should be able to rest in the pockets between the vanes, gathering the strength necessary for making the multiple jumps it takes to clear the dam, which has blocked the river for nearly 100 years.
Launching at the ramp maintained by International Paper Company at Riegelwood and heading to the lock and dam at Kings Bluff results in a 7-mile boat ride, compared to