Michelle Nijhuis on “River of Riches”

  • By Megan Gambino
  • Smithsonian.com, July 22, 2009, Subscribe
 
Michelle Nijius Cahaba Lilies
Michelle Nijius is a science and environmental journalist. She is the author of "The Cahaba: A River of Riches." (Beth Mayor Young)

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I hope I communicate the real pleasures of looking closely at places that might not seem that spectacular at first glance. As I mentioned, many people who know about the Cahaba in Alabama do appreciate it. But there are a lot of people who live very close to the Cahaba who have never been down it. I met someone on the plane who was from Birmingham and didn’t know where the river flowed and had certainly never taken a canoe trip on it. That was a lesson for me, and hopefully for people who read this story -- it’s always worth exploring your own backyard.


Michelle Nijhuis is a science and environmental journalist based in Paonia, Colorado. In addition to being a contributing editor of High Country News and a correspondent for Orion, she has had her work appear in Smithsonian, National Geographic, the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Scientific American, Audubon, Best American Science Writing and Best American Science and Nature Writing.

What was it like canoeing on the Cahaba River, hunting for lilies?

The Cahaba is a small river. It doesn’t have the white water that makes rivers famous as places to go and take a vacation, but it was just a very charming place to be. You can move down the Cahaba very slowly and soak in what it’s like to be there, what kinds of trees are hanging over you and what kinds of places are the best to look at lilies, what kinds of rocks are the best to turn over to look for mussels. There are all kinds of things that you can learn when you move at that pace.

Did you see a lot of the lilies?

We did. By design, I was there when the lilies were at their peak. When you’re sitting in a canoe and moving through these rocky shoals where the seeds get trapped and then sprout up in the middle of the river, it almost feels like you’re moving through a forest because the lilies are so tall they can reach your chin —sometimes even the top of your head. They have these huge flowers that are as big as your palm. It’s quite dramatic. The lilies bloom for a very brief period, and each bloom only lasts a single day.

What was your favorite moment during reporting?

I’d say what I talked about most when I got home to Colorado was the annual lily festival in West Blocton. They crown a lily queen every year, and after she was crowned—she was a high school senior who was graduating that year—everybody went down to the river to admire the lilies. She was in her tiara and her fancy pink dress. She took off her shoes, as she’s probably been doing all her life growing up along the Cahaba, and waded out into the middle of the lilies and started posing for photographs. It was a nice illustration of just how people who live along the river and who know about it appreciate it.

What do you hope readers take away from this story?

I hope I communicate the real pleasures of looking closely at places that might not seem that spectacular at first glance. As I mentioned, many people who know about the Cahaba in Alabama do appreciate it. But there are a lot of people who live very close to the Cahaba who have never been down it. I met someone on the plane who was from Birmingham and didn’t know where the river flowed and had certainly never taken a canoe trip on it. That was a lesson for me, and hopefully for people who read this story -- it’s always worth exploring your own backyard.


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Comments (4)

I am trying to keep interest in this article and in the Cahaba River and its story alive while we see the destruction of the Gulf. On my honeymoon, my husband Tommy Tucker and I fished for green trout in Mobile Bay. On our 30th anniversary we went to Bellingraph (sp) Gardens.

I was glad to read more details about the lilies. The article and follow up interview with the author are among my treasures. I vow to go to the Cahaba before I go to Anatolia/Turkey or other ancient sites. Thanks to Smithsonian once again.

Posted by Elizabeth Sulzby on July 1,2010 | 01:43 PM

Michelle,

This is such a wonderful article that we would like to ask if we could get a copy of the full article including the photos to include in a "Welcome Box" that we provide to new recruits to The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Is there a way we can get a copy.

Sincerely,

Wanda C. Skipwith
Section on Statistical Genetics/Biostatistics
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
1665 University Blvd. Suite 414
Birmingham, Al 35294

Posted by Wanda C. Skipwith on April 1,2010 | 11:06 AM

Hi Michelle,
Enjoyed your atricle and the photos. I now know the name of the lillies that we have in our front garden. They are very unique and beautiful. We have been calling them star lillies. We get many comments and questions about the lillies and since I have read your article I am more informed and can answer these questions. One thing though, our flowers last a lot longer than one day. The plants are quite large and the leaves long, thick and heavy with water. We must trim the plants as the leaves grow quite rapidly and cover our walkway. Have some by the driveway as well. If you want bulbs let me know. We thin the plants every year.

Thanks
Dave

Posted by Dave Moreno on October 21,2009 | 01:30 AM

Thanks for the memories. I was hoping that you would have had a picture of our famous swimming hole-Bull Dog Bend. We grew up camping, fishing and swimming along the Cahaba in central Alabama.

Posted by Joe E. West,Jr on August 1,2009 | 01:16 PM



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