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Action Alert: Protect Our Trout Streams

Action Alert: Protect Our Trout Streams

Action Alert: Protect Our Trout Streams

Support the Amendment to the Sediment Pollution Control Act of North Carolina

Take action to safeguard our mountain trout waters and preserve the delicate balance of our state’s aquatic ecosystems. The North Carolina Senate has passed an important new amendment, S613, which aims to strengthen the protection of our mountain trout waters and tighten the agricultural exemption that poses a significant threat to our state’s aquatic ecosystems. Now we need your help to get it passed through the House of Representatives. 

In 2021, a Sparta-based developer called Bottomley Farms tried to unlawfully use North Carolina’s agricultural exemption to stream buffer requirements to clearcut land in Allegheny and Surry counties. The developer removed all the trees, shrubs, and vegetation all the way down to the edge of Ramey Creek. The result was severe erosion, sediment pollution, and a total collapse of the ecosystem in the creek — once a thriving spawning ground for native brook trout. NC Wildlife Resource Commission staff were only able to save 13 individual trout out of the hundreds previously documented in that stream.

In the end, Commission staff were able to relocate the surviving trout to an adjacent watershed, and the report submitted by our Watauga Riverkeeper with the help of Southwings led to the NC Department of Environmental Quality issuing a notice of violation followed by one of the largest fines ever levied by the department.

But this tragedy underscores the need for stronger buffer protection of mountain streams and a tightening of the agricultural exemption provided by the Sediment Pollution Control Act of North Carolina. This exemption shields agricultural operations from fundamental water quality safeguards, such as leaving small vegetative buffers along streams—a requirement imposed on nearly all other land-disturbing activities.

To tighten the agricultural exemption and prevent such future calamities, the NC Senate has passed S613, which would amend the Sediment Pollution Control Act to require a 25-foot buffer along DEQ-designated trout streams for new agricultural operations. MountainTrue supports this amendment, and we believe that this is a big step in the right direction.

To get S613 across the finish line, it must pass the North Carolina House of Representatives. We need you to act today by emailing your Representatives, asking them to protect our trout streams by passing this bill.

Thank you for your support and ongoing commitment to healthy waters in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

Find Your Swimming Hole: MountainTrue Urges Public to Use Swim Guide App To Find Clean Swimming Areas this Independence Day Weekend

Find Your Swimming Hole: MountainTrue Urges Public to Use Swim Guide App To Find Clean Swimming Areas this Independence Day Weekend

Find Your Swimming Hole: MountainTrue Urges Public to Use Swim Guide App To Find Clean Swimming Areas this Independence Day Weekend

MountainTrue, a leading local environmental group, is encouraging the public to use the Swim Guide app before heading out onto the water to ensure a healthy and happy Independence Day weekend. MountainTrue is the home of the Broad Riverkeeper, French Broad Riverkeeper, Green Riverkeeper, Watauga Riverkeeper, and a Western Clean Water Team based in Murphy, North Carolina, that are dedicated to protecting the waters of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

Each week between Memorial and Labor Day weekends, MountainTrue’s staff and volunteers collect and analyze water samples from 96 popular recreation spots across western North Carolina and Towns and Union Counties in northern Georgia. These samples are processed and analyzed, and the results are posted on the Swim Guide website (theswimguide.org) and the smartphone app in time for the weekend. This resource-intensive program is made possible by donations from MountainTrue’s members and the generosity of local businesses and organizations that sponsor one or more Swim Guide recreation sites.

Our Swim Guide Sponsors include Animal Hospital of BooneAppalachian Veterinary UltrasoundAsheville Fly Fishing CompanyBirdies Coffee & Treats on the FlyBlue Ridge Tourist CourtBoone CocoonBoone’s Fly Shop, City of Hiwassee, Fabbit Customs, Green River Cove Tubing, Joy Pharr Realty, Lake Adger Property Association, Mellow Mushroom Boone, Pink Mercury, The Purple Onion, Rivergirl Fishing Company, Rutherford Outdoor Coalition, Shelby Women for Progress, The SPOT, Trophy Water Guide ServiceThe Speckled Trout OutfittersTennessee Valley AuthorityWatauga Tourism Development Authority/Explore Boone, Towns County (GA), Union County (GA), Watauga River Lodge, and Zach Hobbs.

E. coli bacteria makes its way into our rivers and streams from sewer and septic leaks and in stormwater runoff — especially runoff from poorly managed animal agricultural operations. E. coli is an indicator of the presence of more harmful microbes, such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Shigella, and Norovirus. Contact or consumption of contaminated water can lead to gastrointestinal illness, skin infections, respiratory issues, and other health problems.

MountainTrue tests mid-week, analyzes the samples, and posts the results in time for the weekend. These tests are a snapshot in time. If tests are conducted on a Wednesday after a dry spell, the results usually look pretty good, but conditions can change rapidly following heavy rains when stormwater runoff brings pollution into our waterways. MountainTrue encourages river recreators to take extra precautions after hard rains and not to ingest or expose any open cuts or abrasions to water.

The Swim Guide lists each testing site as either passing or failing based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria for primary contact of 126 CFU/100 mL. Waterways located in remote areas or near protected public lands with minimal agricultural and industrial pollution sources tend to be the cleanest and less impacted by stormwater runoff. Areas closer to development and polluting agricultural practices face greater risks, especially after heavy rainstorms that result in increased water runoff.

While the primary purpose of the Swim Guide is to inform the public about where it’s safe to swim, MountainTrue also uses the data collected to solve water quality problems, inform our advocacy, and push for science-based policy solutions aimed at protecting the health of our communities and supporting our river recreation economy.

The rivers of the Southern Blue Rigde are an important cultural, recreational, and economic resource for our region. In order to clean up the dirtiest rivers and protect the cleanest ones, Mountaintrue encourages policymakers to increase riparian buffers, encourage better building and farming practices and invest in upgrading aging sewer infrastructure to meet current and future needs.

To find the latest bacteria testing sites for your favorite swim area or to download the Swim Guide app, visit theswimguide.org.

MT Raleigh Report — The Beginning of the End of the 2023 Session

MT Raleigh Report — The Beginning of the End of the 2023 Session

MT Raleigh Report — The Beginning of the End of the 2023 Session

The arrival of spring means that things are heating up in Raleigh, as the General Assembly begins what lawmakers hope will be the beginning of the end of the 2023 legislative session.

Legislators have already cleared several important hurdles on their way to adjournment. Last month the House approved its version of the new state budget. And on May 4, they completed “crossover” – the deadline by which most bills must “cross over” from one chamber to the other to remain eligible during the two-year session. The Senate released its version of the state budget this week and should approve it in the coming days. Then the House and Senate will begin the budget conference process to finalize a spending plan and send it to Governor Cooper for approval or veto. 

Approval of a final budget typically means that the legislative session is close to ending. 

While the legislature is not required to have a new budget in place by the beginning of the new fiscal year – July 1 – this year there are unusual circumstances pushing them to do so. Missing the July 1 deadline would mean missing out on more than $1 billion in federal incentives to expand Medicaid. So lawmakers are particularly eager to get the budget in place, collect the federal Medicaid bonus money and go home for the summer. 

While MountainTrue welcomes lawmakers’ efficiency, the budgets put together by the two chambers are very light on details. Many of the specific projects and appropriations are left to be determined behind closed doors in conference negotiations to build the final version of the budget that will be sent to the Governor. 

We have several priorities that we hope will be addressed before lawmakers leave for the summer. At the top of this list is funding to help livestock farmers keep cattle out of rivers and streams in the French Broad watershed. Last September, environmental regulators declared the main channel of the French Broad River in Asheville and upstream, including several major tributaries, to be impaired for fecal coliform bacteria, which can make people who swim in or paddle the river sick. Thanks to WNC Senators Tim Moffitt, Kevin Corbin and Julie Mayfield for introducing legislation to provide $2 million to help these farmers defray the cost of farm upgrades — and help keep the French Broad clean and safe for the thousands of people who play in it every year. 

Other MountainTrue priorities include funding several projects to improve public access to our rivers and streams, including expansion of the newly created Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail to all WNC counties. 

With the budget close to completion, MountainTrue staff will be going back to Raleigh next week to meet with key legislators in support of our priorities and to ensure that they are included in the final budget approved by the General Assembly. You can learn more about MountainTrue’s work in Raleigh here. And as always, thanks for your part in helping us speak up and out for our mountains in the state capitol. 

MT Raleigh Report — The Beginning of the End of the 2023 Session

MT Raleigh Report – Going Back to Raleigh

MT Raleigh Report – Going Back to Raleigh

Some of MountainTrue’s most important work is accomplished Raleigh, where we maintain a year-round advocacy effort aimed at protecting and preserving Western North Carolina’s natural resources.

As part of this effort, five MountainTrue staff traveled to the North Carolina General Assembly earlier this month for the first of several lobby days. Our message to lawmakers: invest in clean water, improve public access to rivers, streams and open space, and address housing costs without compromising on building rules that protect the environment. You can find the specifics of MountainTrue’s 2023 legislative agenda here.

From left to right: MountainTrue’s Deputy Director Gray Jernigan, Healthy Communities Director Chris Joyell, Southern Regional Director Nancy Diaz, Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell, and Western Regional Director Callie Moore. 

A big thank you to all the legislators who took time to meet with us, including Senators Warren DanielTim MoffittKevin CorbinTed Alexander as well as Representatives Jennifer BalkcomCaleb RudowEric AgerDestin HallKelly Hastings and Lindsey Prather, and staff with Speaker of the House Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger. Thanks also to all the WNC legislators who stopped by MountainTrue’s evening reception. 

We’ll be back in Raleigh next week to continue our work and catch up with the legislature’s budget process. As of now, the House is on schedule to approve a budget and send it to the Senate by early April, far ahead of schedule in comparison to recent sessions. This year both the Senate and the House leadership have made quick approval of the budget a priority. The sooner the budget is done, the sooner the legislature can adjourn and lawmakers can return to home. You may recall that in 2021, the session lasted until December and there is no appetite in Raleigh for another marathon like that this year. 

A Plastic Bag Ban with a 10¢ Fee Is Best for the Environment with Limited Cost to Consumers

A Plastic Bag Ban with a 10¢ Fee Is Best for the Environment with Limited Cost to Consumers

A Plastic Bag Ban with a 10¢ Fee Is Best for the Environment with Limited Cost to Consumers

A plastic bag ban with a 10-cent fee on paper would dramatically decrease emissions of greenhouse gasses and sulfur dioxide, and the consumption of fossil fuels and fresh water at an annual cost of $3.33 per consumer — customers using EBT, SNAP, and WIC would be exempt.

Buncombe County, NC — A ban on single-use plastic grocery bags that includes a 10-cent fee on paper grocery bags would offer the highest environmental benefit to Buncombe County with limited costs for consumers, according to data assembled and analyzed by the local conservation organization MountainTrue.

Using environmental impact data provided by the American Chemistry Council — a group that lobbies and advocates on behalf of plastic bag manufacturers and the petrochemical industry — MountainTrue has calculated the environmental impacts of three scenarios: maintaining the status quo by doing nothing, adopting a plastic bag ban without a fee, and adopting a plastic bag ban that includes the 10-cent fee on paper.

 

Scenario 1 – Do Nothing: This scenario is based on current bag use multiplied by the per-bag environmental impacts as determined by the American Chemistry Council.

Scenario 2 – Post-Ban w/o Fee: This scenario assumes a conservative 50% increase in the use of paper bags after the passage of a plastic bag ban without a fee on paper bags. This is a high estimate based on data from cities that banned plastic bags without a fee on paper, which has shown increases in the range of 30%-50%.

Scenario 3 – Post-Ban w/ 10¢ Fee on Paper: This scenario assumes the passage of a plastic bag ban that includes a 10-cent fee on paper grocery bags and a corresponding 10% increase in the use of paper bags. 

While either bag ban scenario would be dramatically better for the environment than maintaining our current addiction to cheap, single-use plastic, adopting a plastic bag ban that is paired with a 10-cent fee on paper grocery bags would bring about the largest reductions in waste, pollution, and energy consumption. A bag ban with a 10-cent fee on paper bags would reduce Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by 43%, fossil fuel consumption by 86%, solid waste by 66%, greenhouse gas emissions by 83%, fresh water consumption by 32%, and energy use by 73.3%. 

MountainTrue supports a plastic bag ban with a 10-cent fee on paper bags at the checkout aisle and has provided model ordinances to Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Commissioners that would additionally mandate that grocers use paper bags with at least 40% recycled content. This would further reduce environmental impacts. According to the Environmental Paper Network’s calculator, using recycled paper bags would reduce fossil fuel consumption by an additional 6.7% and greenhouse gas emissions by 30% compared to virgin paper.

These environmental benefits take into account expected increases in the consumption of paper bags after either bag ban would go into effect.

Using data and case studies from hundreds of localities that have already passed similar laws, MountainTrue estimates a 30-50% increase in paper bag consumption from a bag ban without a 10-cent fee on paper bags. MountainTrue’s preferred policy option, a bag ban with the fee, would result in a much smaller increase in paper bag consumption — approximately 10%.  

Currently, Buncombe County residents use approximately 132.4 million plastic shopping bags and 8.23 million paper shopping bags each year. Passing a plastic bag ban with a 10-cent fee on paper bags would zero out the number of new plastic bags used and result in a minimal increase in the number of paper bags to 9.05 million used per year.  

Cost to Consumers: $3.33/year

MountainTrue and the broader Plastic-Free WNC coalition are committed to passing an economically equitable policy that is not unduly burdensome to residents with lower incomes and fewer resources. We are committed to reducing this cost by partnering with City and County staff, local businesses, civic groups, and area nonprofits to educate and distribute free reusable bags to the people and families that need them most.

Case studies from around that nation have shown that the 10-cent fee on paper bags is critical to changing behavior and encouraging people to remember to bring their reusable bags to the grocery store. Additionally, the environmental benefits accrued from the fee far outweigh the minimal costs to consumers.

Our proposed ordinance would exempt customers using EBT, SNAP, and WIC from paying the 10-cent fee on paper bags. Even without that exception, the average cost to Buncombe County consumers would only be $3.33 per year, and customers can reduce or eliminate those costs by bringing reusable bags to the store. To put this in perspective, the average North Carolina resident already pays $745 per year in sales tax. (https://taxfoundation.org/sales-tax-per-capita-2019/)

MountainTrue and the broader Plastic-Free WNC coalition are advocating for the passage of an ordinance in both Asheville and Buncombe County that would ban single-use plastic grocery bags and styrofoam containers and would include a 10-cent fee on paper grocery bags. On October 11, 2022, Asheville City Council voted to begin public engagement and is due to receive a recommendation from City Staff this year. The City fielded a public survey from March 20 to April 30. Data from this survey will inform final recommendations to the city council.

MountainTrue’s Statement on the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan

MountainTrue’s Statement on the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan

MountainTrue’s Statement on the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan

On March 20, after 10 years of public input and planning, the Forest Service will adopt its new management plan for the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests — a disappointing document that is significantly worse than the current plan and contradicts an executive order issued by President Biden that would protect and expand our nation’s old growth forests. 

The new plan does have a few bright spots: the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will have more influence over forest management, new recommendations for Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River designations are welcome, and the plan implements more prescribed fire and wildfire protection activities. On other key issues — like tackling our massive road maintenance backlog, developing a plan to maintain and expand our trail networks and recreation infrastructure to meet current user demand, and drafting a monitoring plan to evaluate their own management practices — the Forest Service has failed to deliver, instead putting these critical concerns on the back burner for at least the next three years. 

However, for MountainTrue, the most egregious shortcoming is that the Forest Service has placed significant old-growth forests, rare species habitat, and roadless backcountry into zones that are open to commercial logging. The Forest Service has also relaxed rules to allow ground-based logging on steep, hard-to-reach slopes — where many of our old-growth forests remain.

To be clear, MountainTrue is not against commercial logging, and we’re not concerned about the amount of logging permitted by the new forest plan. It’s essentially the same amount allowed by the old plan. Regardless of how much logging occurs — whether it’s the modest 800 acres annually of today or the eyebrow-raising 3,200-acre annual maximum, what matters most is where logging occurs. MountainTrue has provided detailed maps of existing old-growth communities and filed formal objections, and despite our best efforts, the Forest Service chose to expand the footprint of where logging can occur to 600,000 acres, more than half of the land of the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest. This includes 100,000 acres of natural heritage areas, roadless areas, and sensitive habitats where we will vigorously oppose any future logging projects. 

It doesn’t need to be this way. Logging is a critical part of Western North Carolina’s economy and can play an important role in establishing the kinds of wildlife habitat desired by local hunters. Half a million acres can provide more than enough timber harvests and early-successional habitat while still protecting our most treasured natural areas and recreational resources. A detailed blueprint for accomplishing this was provided to the Forest Service by the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership, a coalition that brought together recreation, conservation, civic, and business interests — including timber and paper industry representatives. 

Instead, the Forest Service devised a forest plan that seems designed to pit user-interest groups against each other by allowing logging in some of our most diverse forests and pristine backcountry areas. The agency also wants the right, as it is pushing through in the Southside Project, to cut existing old-growth forest, even though the Environmental Impact Statement for the planning process discloses that there is a minimum of a 300,000-acre deficit of old-growth on Forest Service Land alone, making it the most under-represented age class in the region compared to the average over the last few millennia. 

To paper over this egregious management strategy, the Forest Service has devised its own “designated old-growth network” which fails to include existing and well-documented old-growth areas and can change significantly from plan to plan. This scheme allows the Forest Service to place relatively young trees in the old-growth network until they are old enough to log profitably decades from now. It also flies in the face of President Biden’s executive order 14072 of April 22, 2022, which, in part, seeks to “conserve America’s mature and old-growth forests on Federal lands” and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to “define, identify, and complete an inventory of old-growth and mature forests on federal lands […]” That inventory is due this April, and, if done correctly, will include tens of thousands of acres that this Forest Plan leaves open to logging.

According to executive order 14072, it is the policy of the Biden Administration to “manage forests on Federal lands, which include many mature and old-growth forests, to promote their continued health and resilience; retain and enhance carbon storage; conserve biodiversity; mitigate the risk of wildfires; enhance climate resilience; enable subsistence and cultural uses; provide outdoor recreational opportunities; and promote sustainable local economic development.” That’s a vision of forest management that we wholeheartedly support and that this Forest Plan quite simply fails to accomplish. 

The Forest Service had the chance to unify the public behind a well-balanced Forest Plan. Instead, they sided with more narrowly aligned interests inside and outside the agency and, despite a 10-year planning process, kicked many difficult decisions down the road. But the fight for our forests is far from over. You can count on MountainTrue to continue working to protect the places we share.

For media inquiries, contact: Karim Olaechea, Deputy Director of Strategy & Communications 
Phone: 828-400-0768 | Email: karim@mountaintrue.org

Raleigh Report: The 2023 Session Kicks Off

Raleigh Report: The 2023 Session Kicks Off

Raleigh Report: The 2023 Session Kicks Off

While the North Carolina General Assembly officially kicked off its 2023 session with lots of pomp and circumstance earlier this month, January 25th marked the first real working day of the new legislative session. 

Beginning on that day and every week thereafter — with just a few exceptions — legislators will arrive in Raleigh on Monday evening and depart on Thursday until they have had enough voting, speech-making, and deal-making and finally shut the session down. Along the way, they are expected to approve a two-year $30 billion budget and take up a host of high-profile issues, including abortion, sports gambling, medical marijuana, redistricting, and that old favorite, Medicaid expansion, among hundreds of other bills. 

North Carolina does not limit the session length, so no one knows how long lawmakers will be plugging away. However long the session takes, MountainTrue will be there every step of the way, speaking up for Western North Carolina and the people who live here. Indeed, MountainTrue is the only WNC-based environmental organization with a year-round presence in Raleigh. 

Our work will be more challenging this year after WNC lost several important legislators. Former state Senator Chuck Edwards from Henderson County, of course, is now in the US Congress. We will miss him in Raleigh, where he was the chairman of a key natural resources appropriations committee, but we will be glad to continue working with him in his new role. Also gone is Senator Deanna Ballard, who lost her seat representing the High Country in a primary to fellow Republican Sen. Ralph Hise. The good news is that Hise remains a chairman of the powerful Senate appropriations committee. The WNC delegation also picked up some muscle in the House, where Rep. Karl Gillespie, who represents Cherokee, Clay, Graham, and Macon counties, was appointed co-chair of a House natural resources budget committee. 

This year as in past years, MountainTrue spent the political offseason preparing our list of legislative priorities for the new year. They include new investments in clean water, public access to rivers and streams, and policy changes that will protect the water we drink and the air we breathe. You can review MountainTrue’s key legislative priorities here.

We’ll keep you updated as the session progresses and our team works to advance funding and policies that benefit clean waters, resilient forests, and healthy communities in WNC!

2023 Western North Carolina Conservation Legislative Priorities

2023 Western North Carolina Conservation Legislative Priorities

2023 Western North Carolina Conservation Legislative Priorities

Protect Public Health – and the Jobs and Businesses that Rely on Clean Water

A recent report conducted by economists at Western Carolina University commissioned by the French Broad River Partnership found the total economic impact of the French Broad River and its tributaries is $3.8 billion annually, and river-reliant businesses create or maintain 38,554 jobs each year. In 2015, more than 55,000 people used a commercial outfitter to enjoy the French Broad, and thousands more used the river without an outfitter. 

Unfortunately, bacteria pollution threatens this economic engine by making the watershed unsafe for the thousands of people who play in it every year. Contaminated water poses health problems, including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and infections. 

Water quality testing in the heavily-used French Broad River watershed indicates the presence of E. coli and fecal coliform at levels that are unsafe for human exposure much of the time. One of the most popular areas for recreation, a 19-mile section of the French Broad River – from the Asheville Regional Airport,  through the Biltmore Estate and the River Arts District in downtown Asheville – was added to NC’s list of impaired waterways in 2022.

To protect public health and the jobs and businesses that rely on safe recreational waters, MountainTrue supports the following initiatives to reduce bacterial pollution:

  • Increase local WNC funding to help farmers improve water quality. Agricultural waste is a significant source of E. coli and other bacterial pollution in WNC rivers and streams, especially the French Broad River which, as mentioned above, was recently listed as impaired for fecal coliform. Unfortunately, demand for state funding to help WNC farmers afford improvements that would reduce this pollution far outstrips the current budget. Expanding state funding for local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) to meet this demand is critical to improving recreational water quality in WNC. We would like to request a $2 million nonrecurring allocation to SWCDs in the French Broad Watershed, allocated through the existing Agricultural Cost-Share Program, specifically for livestock operation improvement projects.  
  • Help property owners reduce stormwater pollution. The Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP) allows WNC’s SWCDs to help property owners reduce stormwater pollution in impaired waters.  Like the cost share program for farmers, funding for CCAP assistance is insufficient to meet demand. Providing WNC SWCD’s with an additional $500,000 for the CCAP program will significantly reduce stormwater pollution in rivers and streams already impacted by bacterial pollution. 


Other policy and funding initiatives that MountainTrue supports:

  • Abundant Housing Legislation – Opportunities for dense, energy-efficient housing located close to jobs reduce energy demand and transportation emissions. We support legislation to address housing availability and affordability.
  • Dam Removal Fund Implementation – The NCGA previously allocated $7.5 million to remove antiquated dams on waterways across WNC. MountainTrue is committed to advancing policies that give state agencies the support they need to advance dam removal projects efficiently.
  • Expand Transportation Funding – NC’s transportation funding relies on the gas tax, which is diminishing as people drive less and vehicles become more efficient. We support legislation that creates new sources of funding and expands the use to include stand-alone bike-ped projects.
  • Stormwater management reform for redevelopment projects – Recent amendments to G.S. 143‑214.7 deny local governments the option of requiring stormwater mitigation on redevelopment projects. We support legislation to repeal those changes.
  • Safe Passage Fund – As roadway construction creates new barriers to long-established wildlife corridors, inevitably, animals are increasingly encountering humans and their vehicles. We are joining a coalition of organizations seeking $10 million to support wildlife crossing projects.
  • Agency staffing needs and pay equity – State agencies across the board are struggling to hire and retain staff due to budget constraints and competition with the private sector. MountainTrue supports maximizing investments in state agency staff positions and salaries.

WNC Public Access and Recreation Investments:

  • Expand the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail to include one publicly-accessible site in each WNC county, along with educational materials ($150,000 nonrecurring to Mainspring Conservation Trust).
  • Improve River Walk in downtown Murphy by building a boardwalk for Fisherman’s Loop, and extending the path to a housing development ($250,000 nonrecurring to the Town of Murphy).
  • Improve public access to the Watauga River Paddle Trail by purchasing an additional access point in Watauga County ($500,000 nonrecurring to Watauga County).
  • Expand access to the Green River and adjacent lands by developing a new access point at South Wilson Hill Road ($150,000 nonrecurring to Polk County Community Foundation).
  • Enhance Chestnut Mountain Nature Park by expanding paths and trails and improving the playground and creekside park ($450,000 nonrecurring to the Town of Canton).

MountainTrue Development and Operations Coordinator

Development and Operations Coordinator
Asheville Office
Apply Now

Position Description

The Development and Operations Coordinator will further the mission of MountainTrue by providing excellent and energetic fundraising support for the organization. This position is responsible for the management of data to be used to analyze engagement, donor and marketing functions. This position is also responsible for processing donations, corresponding with donors, and engaging with supporters at events. The Development and Operations Coordinator reports to the Development & Engagement Manager. This is a permanent, full time position based out of the Asheville MountainTrue office. Occasional nights/weekends for select events may be required.

Primary Responsibilities

Database 

  • Maintain foundation, business, and individual donor files. 
  • Create event forms and calendar listings as needed.  
  • Develop mailing lists and complete in-house member and appeal mailings.
  • Recommend processes to translate strategies into database tracking, stay current in database features and utility, develop reports, ensure the data’s accuracy and integrity, perform database maintenance and clean-up projects to improve data integrity and database performance, and facilitate end-user training and support.
  • Coordinate and plan for future data conversions/upgrades as needed. 
  • Provide administrative support for fiscal agent relationships, including processing acknowledgments and record keeping

Donations

  • Process donations and prepare acknowledgment letters and other donor correspondence.
  • Together with the bookkeeper, reconcile donor records with accounting records.
  • Complete Development & Fundraising Metric Reports.

Donor Relations

  • Answer phone and email inquiries regarding donations.
  • Assist with the planning and implementation of events, outings, and activities. Will be required to work events as needed including occasional evenings and weekends.

Office Management 

  • Provide reports for annual audit and 990.
  • Update annual organizational forms.

Other duties as assigned by the Development & Engagement Manager.

​Qualifications

  • Exceptional attention to detail while maintaining productivity including accurate and efficient typing, ability to work on many projects at once, problem-solving skills, and ability to organize and prioritize work.
  • Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Excel
  • Experience with CRM (Constituent/Customer Relationship Management) databases and online giving platforms (EveryAction, SalesForce, BlueState, and NationBuilder) preferred. 
  • Excellent written and oral interpersonal communication skills.
  • Ability to work as part of a team as well as independently.

MountainTrue values and respects all types of diversity and strongly encourages applicants from traditionally marginalized groups to apply. We prohibit discrimination and harassment and provide equal employment opportunity without regard to, and not limited to, ethnicity, religion, race, national origin, abilities, gender identity, age or genetic information. We are committed to recruiting, hiring and promoting those from minority and disadvantaged groups. We want to live in a world that recognizes the inherent strengths that come from different viewpoints, backgrounds, cultures and experiences. As a team, we have taken on a commitment to examining our unconscious biases and want to work towards an equitable, peaceful and just world.

Location & Compensation

Location is in Asheville. Salary is in the lower 40s. Benefits package includes 20 vacation days per year, 12 holidays, sick leave, sabbatical after five years, health insurance, simple IRA with employer contribution of up to 3%.

How to Apply

Email cover letter, resume, and three references to Adam Bowers, Adam@mountaintrue.org.  The subject line should read: “Development and Operations Coordinator.”  The cover letter should address your work history and interest in the position in 600 words or less. 

Application deadline: March 24, 2023  

 

Septic Repair Application

Septic Repair Application

Failing septic systems are a major source of bacteria pollution and other pathogens in our waterways. But fixing and maintaining a properly functioning septic system can be prohibitively expensive. That’s why MountainTrue is partnering with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to qualifying property owners. 

MountainTrue/NCDHHS Waste Discharge Elimination Program
Septic System Repair Assistance Grant Determination Criteria

Septic System Repair grants are available to any property owner in Buncombe, Cherokee, Haywood, Henderson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Transylvania, and Yancey counties that meets the eligibility requirements below:

  • Property owner(s) and other financially responsible household members’ total income(s) must not exceed 80% of Area Median Income, and liquid reserve shall not exceed 50% of household income. For purposes of this program, the area median income for a household is the same as the income limits for families published in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(2), available under the heading “Access Individual Income Limits Areas” at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il.html
  • The homeowner(s) must obtain a construction authorization permit for a septic system repair issued by their local county health department.
  • An application must be completed and include verification of household size and gross annual income. Documentation of proof-of-income may be requested during the application review.
  • Funding amounts will be based on household size, gross income, available program funds, and the lowest of three bids from certified septic contractors.
  • The property must be a single-family residence which is owner-occupied.
  • The grant award will be paid directly to the septic contractor, not the property owner.

To Apply On-Line:
Fill out the form below.

To Apply Via Mail or Email:
Download a the grant application (pdf), fill it out, and either email it to gray@mountaintrue.org or mail it to MountainTrue, ATTN: Gray Jernigan, 29 N. Market Street, Suite 610, Asheville, NC 28801.