Dear Friends and Supporters,

During these times of hardship, I am more present. I notice the intricate spots in my dog’s fur, take more time to chat with and listen to my neighbor in front of their house draped with a blue tarp, and admire the mountain view that used to be obscured by a large oak tree. And, while there are plenty of reasons to remain despondent, right now, I am choosing to be grateful. Grateful for drinking water flowing in my sink, a dry and warm home, roads not blocked by downed power lines or trees, being able to hike a short section on the MST, and much more. And, I’ve realized that the goal is not to recover what we’ve lost, but to rebuild in ways that make us a stronger, more resilient, and caring community. Helene has given us this opportunity. 

At MountainTrue we realize it may take years to remove the debris and restore our rivers, clear our favorite trails, and rebuild our neighborhoods. See below to read about the MountainTrue staff and volunteers who are working on critical issues now. We will not miss the opportunity to strengthen the fabric of our communities. We are excited about the days ahead and give thanks for each of you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bob Wagner

Executive Director

Get Involved: Take Action

MountainTrue has four active action alerts: check them out below and sign on to make your voice heard. 

✅Help us remove debris from our rivers after Hurricane Helene

✅Protect the Nolichucky River: Urge CSX to rebuild responsibly without damaging public lands

✅Protect the Broad River Basin: Comment on the 2024 Broad River Basin Plan for the future of our lakes, rivers, & streams (comment deadline = 11/22; read MountainTrue’s comments and the Basin Plan on our action page)

✅Support an eviction moratorium & boost housing aid for Helene survivors

Clean Waters Team

Public Safety Announcements

⚠️ Read our Volunteer Safety Guidelines blog – always wear your PPE when participating in a cleanup or if you know you’ll come in contact with mud/sediment leftover from Helene. 

⚠️ MountainTrue’s Riverkeepers and Clean Waters Team ask that you stay out of rivers and waterways at the moment. 

Well Water Testing Updates

💧The Watauga Riverkeeper continues to offer free well testing in partnership with the NC Department of Health and Human Services and Waterkeepers Carolina.

💧Who should test: If your well has been flooded or flood waters pooled around your well, then we recommend having your well tested for bacteria pollution. We don’t recommend testing every well and there aren’t resources to test every well, so we’re asking that only wells that were flooded during Helene be tested. Where to get a well-testing kit:

✔️ Johnson County, TN: Tennessee/NC State Line Resource Center (11878 US-421, Trade, TN) from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday – CLOSED Wednesday & Sunday. 

✔️Watauga County, NC: The Greenhouse (164 Depot Street Boone, NC 28607) to pick up supplies and check in with our team on Monday or Thursday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Completely fill sample bottle with well water from your sink and return to us within 24 hours of collection time (ex. if you collect sampling supplies on a Thursday evening, wait until Sunday night to collect your water sample). Drop off your water sample and I.D. sheet back at the Greenhouse on Monday or Thursday between 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Results will be communicated to you within 36 hours.

Soil and Water Pollution Testing Updates

🔬MountainTrue continues to survey the impact of Hurricane Helene on the French Broad River and its tributaries. We recently received another batch of test results back from the lab and we believe the news is overwhelmingly good. Here are the latest results from Cane Creek in Fletcher, the French Broad River in Hot Springs, French Broad River in Marshall, the French Broad River in Asheville, and Hominy Creek at Hominy Creek Greenway:

Out of ~185 chemical pollutants that we tested for, we found almost none of the pollutants present in any of our samples. The only pollutants we found in these latest samples were metals. Each sample contained some level of metals, but the vast majority of the metals consisted of more benign metals such as iron, manganese, zinc, strontium, and aluminum. While some of these do have drinking water standards, for the most part, the levels we found in our samples were below those standards, and we were not testing drinking water.

We did find lead, chromium, and mercury in our soil sample from Marshall. The levels of Chromium and Mercury were below the drinking water standard. The levels of lead were 28.9 mg/kg, which is below EPA’s safe level for soil of 400 mg/kg.

We believe this is good news for the quality of the water around the French Broad Watershed. We’re still awaiting several more samples and we’ll continue to take samples throughout the watershed, but are very encouraged with the pollution levels found so far in our waterways and river sediment.

🔬The Broad Riverkeeper sampled the Broad River this past Monday, from the Greenway in Boiling Springs, up to 1/2 mile below the Lake Lure dam. Bacteria levels were fairly low everywhere, but turbidity was very high below the lake. The Broad Riverkeeper sampled at Hwy 150, Hwy 221, Coxe Road, Grays Road, Rock Springs Ch. Road, and just below the dam. The Lake Lure waste water treatment plant is partially operational after being out of service for a month, so the no flush order has been lifted for most residents. Plans are being made to build a new treatment plant on higher ground, out of the floodplain. Shoutout to the awesome folks at Rutherford Outdoor Coalition for helping our sampling efforts! 

🔬 The Watauga Riverkeeper team has collected 50+ surface water samples from the New, Watauga, and Elk Rivers. We’re happy to announce that our regular monthly chemical sampling program, VWIN, is back online post-hurricane. So far, E. coli levels have remained lower than normal, but we will continue to sample and track down sources of pollution. Thank you to folks who have reported water quality issues. As always, if you see something, say something! 

River Cleanups Update

🗑️ MountainTrue’s French Broad, Green, and Watauga Riverkeepers will continue to host cleanups in the coming weeks; look for cleanup info + updates in these weekly emails and on our Instagram and Facebook accounts: MountainTrue Instagram, Facebook + Twitter, French Broad Riverkeeper Instagram + Facebook, Green Riverkeeper Instagram + Facebook, Watauga Riverkeeper Instagram + Facebook. 

🗑️ The French Broad Riverkeeper continues to haul out massive amounts of trash from our riparian areas. Since Helene, we’ve removed over 84,000 lbs of trash. French Broad Paddle Trail Manager Jack Henderson recently held another successful cleanup at Redmond Dam. In the coming weeks, we’ll be significantly expanding our cleanup operations after hiring a river cleanup coordinator, so look for a lot more cleanups in the near future. 

🗑️ The Watauga Riverkeeper also continues to haul out massive amounts of trash from our riparian areas. Since Helene, we’ve removed over 27,000 pounds of trash with volunteers across nine river cleanups. Thank you to partners like The Speckled Trout Outfitters and Blue Ridge Conservancy for helping coordinate debris removal! And thank you to Deer Valley Athletic Club and Beech Mountain Ski Resort for supporting our clean ups and providing snacks and refreshments to volunteers. If you’re interested in sponsoring a future clean up, please contact hannah@mountaintrue.org

🗑 Upcoming river cleanups: 

✔️ Buncombe County, NC:

🔹11/21, Alexander: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. @ Whittier Branch. Learn more + register.

🔹12/5, location TBD: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Learn more + register.

🔹12/12, location TBD: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Learn more + register.

✔️ Watauga County, NC: 

🔹12/14, Sugar Grove: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. @ Winklers Creek. Learn more + register.

✔️ Polk County, NC:

🔹12/14, Saluda: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. @ Lower Green; roadside cleanup. Learn more + register.

Other River Updates: High Country

✔️ As the Watauga Riverkeeper team prepares for their winter livestaking season, they’re collecting information to determine viable planting areas in the watershed. Please fill out our Livestaking Bank Stabilization Survey.

✔️ The Watauga Riverkeeper is still collecting data on large debris too difficult to remove by hand (including but not limited to propane tanks, cars, fridges, bridges, etc); fill out the form here. We’ll be using this info to help SDR and FEMA crews prioritize areas for clean-up in the coming weeks and months. 

Resilient Forests Team

Hot Springs Workday w/ Carolina Mountain Club on Nov. 30

Work to clean up trails and parts of town that were impacted by Helene. All are welcome and youth ages 14+ can participate with a guardian. Bring lunch, water, boots, long pants, a long sleeve shirt, raingear, and work gloves. CMC will provide any tools and PPE needed. Learn more + register.

Public Safety/Access Announcements

Please respect closures of public land to allow for continued recovery efforts from Helene. Much of Pisgah National Forest remains closed, but the Pisgah Ranger District and a portion of the Grandfather Ranger District are now open. 

Chainsaw Certification Classes

There is a great need for folks to help clear trails to reopen recreational opportunities on public land, but federal saw certification is required to use a chainsaw on federal lands. If you are an experienced sawyer and want to get your federal saw card, McDowell Tech is offering six chainsaw classes in the next two months; click here to learn more. 

Free Firewood Collection: Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest is waiving permit requirements for collecting down firewood along open roads until December 2025. Please respect closure orders. 

Healthy Communities Team

Design Volunteers Needed!

MountainTrue is excited to announce the launch of a community-driven design program aimed at helping rebuild areas in Western North Carolina that were devastated by Hurricane Helene. Currently, our Recovery and Resilience Design Teams are focused on providing assistance to the Swannanoa and Marshall communities. Ultimately, we hope to provide the critical design services to communities throughout Western North Carolina.

To make this initiative a success, we need volunteers from a variety of design disciplines, including:

     ✔️Architects

     ✔️Engineers (structural and civil)

     ✔️Landscape Architects

     ✔️Environmental Consultants

     ✔️Land Planners

     ✔️Surveyors

     ✔️Soil Scientists

Many communities are still in rescue and recovery mode, and they may not yet fully understand their design needs. Banking design hours now is crucial for meeting future commitments to these communities.

If you’re a designer interested in volunteering and ready to pledge some hours, or if your community needs design assistance, please reach out to our Director of Healthy Communities, Chris Joyell, at chris@mountaintrue.org. Together, we can make a meaningful impact in the recovery process.

Mold Matters Event w/ Thrive Asheville

MountainTrue is partnering with Thrive Asheville and other partners to host a program called Mold Matters on Monday, November 25 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. This program invites you to learn about the health risks associated with mold after flooding and provides guidance and options for how to remediate mold risks in a home. Information on accessing mold kits will also be provided to assist with ongoing monitoring and prevention. RSVP to attend in person here or RSVP to attend virtually here.

FEMA Application Deadline Extended to Jan. 7, 2025

To complete your application…

✔️ In-Person: Visit your local Disaster Recovery Center (DRC Locator: https://egateway.fema.gov/ESF6/DRCLocator)

✔️ Online: DisasterAssistance.gov available 24/7.

✔️ Phone: 800-621-3362, available daily 7:00am-11:00pm, multilingual.

Henderson County, NC, Affordable Housing Listening Sessions

Henderson County residents: check out the rescheduled listening session dates here. 

Creation Care Alliance

CCA continues to connect congregations from unimpacted areas to communities in need. Recently, groups from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Sylva, First Baptist Church of Sylva, and Cullowhee United Methodist Church traveled to Mitchell and McDowell counties to help sort donations and deliver items that continue to be essential, like heaters.