Western Region Water Quality Intern

Western Region Water Quality Intern

Internship Overview:

MountainTrue’s Western Regional Office is located in Murphy, NC, serving seven counties in Southwestern North Carolina and two counties in North Georgia. This paid internship is within MountainTrue’s Clean Water program and is part-time for a total of 150 hours. The intern must live within 50 miles of Murphy, NC, as the majority of the work will be within that radius. However, the work schedule within the week is somewhat flexible.

Position Description:

The intern’s primary responsibilities will be to assist with collection and analysis of weekly E.coli samples for our Swim Guide monitoring program and to manage the microplastics sampling program in the Hiwassee River basin. This work involves traveling around a four-county area, collecting water quality samples, interacting with volunteers, and conducting lab analyses.

Another major focus of the internship is to assist with distribution of supplies and certification workshops for the long-established volunteer water quality monitoring program in the Hiwassee River watershed (Cherokee & Clay counties in NC and Towns & Union counties in GA). And planning a summertime social event for all water program volunteers.

Other responsibilities may include sampling natural drinking water sources and helping with educational events related to water quality in rivers, lakes, and streams.

Eligibility:

Must have completed your junior year of high school (at minimum).
Must have independent, reliable transportation, valid driver’s license, and be willing/able to travel alone within a 50-mile radius of Murphy
Must be committed to completing the whole internship (150 hours)
Should be considering a career in one of the fields listed on our scholarship webpage

Desired skills:

Organized, with a high level of attention to detail
Experience working with volunteers, or as a volunteer
Ideally some background in water quality monitoring, but not required

Application deadline: March 30, 2024

Start date: May 21, 2024

End date: Early August 2024

Work schedule: Internship is approximately 12.5 hours/week for 12 weeks. Tuesday-Thursday are the preferred days of the work week, but the intern will often be working independently and some work can be done remotely.

Location: The intern must live within a 50-mile radius of Murphy, NC.

Compensation: The WRO intern will receive a taxable stipend of $1,500, and mileage will be reimbursed at $0.67 per mile.

Including a resume is optional. Apply through this form.

French Broad Water Quality Intern

French Broad Water Quality Intern

Position Description:
MountainTrue’s French Broad Riverkeeper and Clean Water team are hiring a French Broad Water Quality Intern for summer 2025. The French Broad Water Quality Intern will assist our team with a variety of tasks needed to help improve ecosystem health within the French Broad River Basin. We’ll teach on-the-job skills — prior experience is not necessary but is helpful. Examples of tasks include but are not limited to the following:

collecting water samples from streams
processing water samples in our lab
analyzing water sample results
data organization/analysis
preparing organizational resources
research projects based on current program needs

Start date: Flexible: January for Spring and August or September for the Fall

End date: Flexible: May for Spring and November or December for the Fall

Work schedule: Approximately 1 – 4 hours per week

Compensation: Mileage reimbursed at approximately $0.45 per mile

Location: This position will work with staff in our Asheville office. The samples will be collected throughout the French Broad Watershed

There are no required documents with the application form, but please tell us about your skill set, personality, and passions. Including a resume or cover letter is optional. Apply through this form.

Broad Riverkeeper Swim Guide Intern

Broad Riverkeeper 2023 Swim Guide Intern

Position Description:
Wednesdays: Driving to each sample site (approx. 60-120 miles), collecting samples, processing samples in the lab, working with volunteers who collect samples, taking photos for Broad Riverkeeper social media.
Thursdays: Analyze the samples in the lab, clean the lab and remove trash, enter results in the Swim Guide App, enter the data into a spreadsheet. Help with social media posts.

Start date: 5/24/23 (the Wednesday before Memorial Day)
End date: 8/31/23 (the Thursday before Labor Day)

Work schedule: Approximately 7-10 hours per week. A typical week includes: 6 hours on Wednesday (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.), work must be complete by 5 p.m., and then 3 hours on Thursday (between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.) depending on when samples go into the oven.

Compensation: Hourly rate: $17.50 with mileage reimbursed at $0.655 per mile.

Location: This position will work with our Broad Riverkeeper, who has a lab in downtown Shelby. The samples will be collected in Cleveland and Rutherford counties.

A cover letter is required with your application form. Please answer the following questions in your letter:

Where are you residing?
Do you have reliable transportation?
How are your computer skills?
Do you have a trailer hitch on your car or truck? (brainstorming for other possibilities!)

Including a resume is optional. Apply through this form.

Thank You for Supporting the Work of MountainTrue

It’s hard to believe that it’s already nearly the new year. Looking back over the past twelve months, it’s been a remarkable year full of great times on the river, beautiful hikes through the woods, and significant environmental victories. None of which would have been possible without your participation, support, and passion for the unique place we call home.

This year we worked with local community leaders to defeat a proposed asphalt plant that would have polluted neighborhoods of East Flat Rock and the headwaters of the Green River. Through our involvement in the WaysSouth coalition, we won a better plan for the Corridor K highway project that protects the Snowbird Mountains and the Appalachian Trail and provides a new forested land bridge for wildlife. In Asheville, we secured more green infrastructure and better urban design by ensuring that the Bowen Bridge section of the I-26 expansion project better connects West Asheville to Downtown with pedestrian and bike pathways. Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill accomplished a longtime conservation goal by working in partnership with American Rivers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others to remove the Ward Mill Dam, reconnect 35 miles of the Watauga River, and restore native aquatic habitats. Lastly, French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson conducted groundbreaking research identifying the sources of bacteria pollution with the first eDNA study of the French Broad River.

Thank You for Supporting the Work of MountainTrue

Partnering with Communities to Stop an Asphalt Plant

“Our partnership with MountainTrue took us from hopelessness to hopefulness.” – Shannon Nicholson, Friends of East Flat Rock

MountainTrue and Friends of East Flat Rock teamed up to block a proposed asphalt plant’s application for rezoning near a surrounding residential area and near the Green River Game Lands. This grassroots effort forced the developer to withdraw his application not once but twice. Beyond rezoning, we documented the developer polluting nearby Laurel Creek — resulting in a Notice of Violation against SE Asphalt. Your support allows us to oppose future rezoning attempts and to continue to monitor for environmental violations.

Support This Work

Working in Coalition to Protect the Snow Bird Mountains

“We hope we’ve set a better example for the region on how you can build better highways and improve the safety for wildlife and automobile traffic.”
– Melanie Mayes, WaysSouth Board Chair

Protecting Stecoah Gap and the Snow Bird Mountains took nearly 10 years, but the results were well worth it. A proposed road would have cut through pristine wildlife habitat, the Appalachian Trail, and Cherokee historic sites. Due to the efforts of MountainTrue and the WaysSouth coalition, no new roads will be built. Instead, the existing Corridor K will be improved for better traffic flow and response times for fire trucks, ambulances, and police. To enhance this area for hikers and wildlife, the coalition successfully proposed a forested land bridge that would serve as a wildlife and Appalachian Trail crossing. Protecting our mountain region means staying vigilant year after year. That’s why we need your support.

Support This Work

Removing Dams and Reconnecting Aquatic Habitats

“Thanks to this dam removal, we celebrate a healthy, free-flowing Watauga River. Free-flowing rivers are the lifeblood of thriving communities, healthy ecosystems, and clean water for people and nature.”
– Erin McCombs, American Rivers’ Southeast Conservation Director

The Ward Mill Dam removal was a three-year effort but well worth the wait. Working in partnership with American Rivers, Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development, Watauga County Soil and Water Conservation District, and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, this $1.2 million project reconnected 35 miles of aquatic habitat in the main stem of the Watauga River and 140 miles of streams across the watershed. Now, native fish such as the tangerine darter and threatened salamanders like the hellbender are reunited and will benefit from an improved cold-water habitat.

Support This Work

Making Advancements in Pollution Monitoring

“What better way to get information out to the public at large? MountainTrue is trying to find the source of a problem. Not blowing a whistle and walking away. I really like the holistic nature of what you do.”
– Ben Gainey, MountainTrue Member

In 2021, MountainTrue made dramatic advancements in the sophistication of our clean waters program. We conducted our first eDNA study and drone-assisted heat source tracking — which showed that agricultural waste is the highest contributor of E. coli in the French Broad River. We launched our plastics study in three regions, documenting that microplastics are now a major issue across our mountains. The Western Regional Office celebrated their first year participating in SwimGuide bacteria monitoring — giving the public weekly water quality results for popular recreation areas from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekends. With these advances, supported by members like you, we can better advocate for the changes needed to tackle pollution at its sources.

Support This Work

Fighting for Healthier Communities through Better Planning

“The victory of alternative B is worth crowing about. It is vastly superior to everything that went before it.” – David Nutter, Volunteer Planner with the Asheville Design Center (a program of MountainTrue)

MountainTrue rallied the community and empowered Asheville City Council to push back against alternatives to the I26 Connector that would negatively impact community members. We successfully convinced NC Department of Transportation to eliminate one lane of traffic on each side of the Bowen Bridge and create pedestrian and bike pathways connecting Downtown to West Asheville. This new design offers a level of connectivity not yet seen in Asheville. Supporting MountainTrue’s work means supporting projects that can dramatically improve quality of life for future generations.

Support This Work

These are just the highlights. These accomplishments are the results of sustained, multi-year campaigns. Most were achieved by partnering with local communities or with broader coalitions. Others relied on our ability to leverage scientific know-how to drive our advocacy. These are our strengths: collaboration, technical expertise, and the staying power to see campaigns through until we win.

Next year will be our 40th anniversary, and we’re proud of our long list of institutional accomplishments. However, we’re also humbled because none of this would be possible without the generous contribution of our members, the vigilance of our advocates, and the enthusiasm of our supporters.

Please consider a donation today. Your ongoing support gives us hope and the capacity to do good. With you at our side, we’ll continue the fight into 2022 and beyond.

Sincerely,

The MountainTrue Team

Front row (left to right): David Caldwell, Broad Riverkeeper; Mara Chamlee, SRO Water Quality Administrator, Amy Finkler, Development and Operations Coordinator; Anna Alsobrook, French Broad Watershed Outreach Coordinator; Susan Bean, Engagement Director; Sarah Ogletree, Creation Care Alliance Director; Callie Moore, Western Regional Director.

Second row: Ellianna McLaughlin, Forest Keeper Coordinator; Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper; Tony Ward, Western Regional Program Coordinator; Hannah Woodburn, High Country Outreach Coordinator; Katie Breckheimer, Interim Southern Regional Director; Bob Wagner, Co-Director.

Third row: Josh Kelly, Public Lands Field Biologist; Andy Hill, High Country Regional Director and Watauga Riverkeeper; Adam Bowers, Development Director; Chris Joyell, Healthy Communities Director; Bob Gale, Public Lands Director; Gray Jernigan, Southern Regional Director and Green Riverkeeper; Savannah Lytle, Outings and Education Coordinator;

Maddy Watson, Communications Associate.

Not pictured: Julie Mayfield, Co-Director; Karim Olaechea, Communications Director.

Please consider a donation today. Your ongoing support gives us hope and the capacity to do good. With you at our side, we’ll continue the fight into 2022 and beyond.

Sincerely,

The MountainTrue Team

Not pictured: Julie Mayfield, Co-Director; Karim Olaechea, Communications Director.

MountainTrue Weighs in on Henderson County 2045 Comprehensive Plan

MountainTrue has sent an open letter to the Henderson Country Planning Board that lays out our priorities and goals for a comprehensive plan that will guide future growth and development in a responsible and sustainable way for Henderson County. The letter (included below) addresses public participation in the process, smart growth principles, land preservation, protection and expansion of public lands, protecting clean water, and advancing clean energy.

Over the past several months, MountainTrue has been busy meeting with groups in Henderson County to increase public participation in the 2045 Comprehensive Planning Process. Every 20 years, comprehensive planning offers residents the opportunity to weigh in with their vision for the future. We need everyone’s voice represented as this key initial public input and engagement phase winds down. Here are some links with information about how to get involved:

The County’s 2045 Comp Plan site: This site will provide links to the community survey (available in Spanish), upcoming events, and contacts at the county.
MountainTrue’s recommendations for taking the Public Survey: these are our thoughts on how to fill out the survey.
MountainTrue’s planning principles: this is our take on a set of principles that we feel should guide the county’s planning process.

December 13, 2021

Henderson County Planning Board
100 North King Street
Hendersonville, NC 28792

Via email

RE: MountainTrue’s Principles for Henderson County 2045 Comprehensive Plan

Dear Henderson County Planning Board Members:

On behalf of MountainTrue, a nonprofit organization that has worked to champion resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in Henderson County for over 30 years, and our local members, we appreciate the process that you are beginning of formulating a new 2045 Comprehensive Plan that will serve as the vision and guide for growth and development in the County for the next quarter century. As we embark on this important task together, we would like to convey the following principles and issues that we believe the comprehensive plan should address:

Public Participation – Overall, we believe that communities should play a central role in planning for their future growth and development. We advocate for a design process that invites diverse voices, including those that have traditionally been excluded or ignored. The process should be equitable and inclusive of all communities and people regardless of class or clout.

We encourage the County to engage in targeted outreach to people in historically underrepresented communities. Surveys were mailed to all property-owning residents early in the process and, while we understand that there are many other input opportunities and that anyone is welcome to participate in the process, no such targeted outreach has been planned for renters and residents of housing authorities — who are disproportionately low-to-moderate income households. And although a Spanish language survey is available, Stewart consultants reported at the October 22nd Planning Board meeting that few if any of these have been returned. We encourage the County to work with organizations that serve these communities to target outreach and solicit participation to ensure that there is equitable participation and representation of all County residents regardless of wealth. Advertising should also be expanded and conducted in multiple languages on various media outlets.

Smart Growth – MountainTrue supports economic vitality and growth in Western North Carolina without compromising our mountain ecosystem. We champion our cities and small towns, which function as economic, cultural, and residential centers. We encourage public and private development in areas where adequate infrastructure already exists. At the same time, we discourage the expansion of infrastructure that induces sprawl into natural areas or the rural landscape. We advocate for a wide variety of housing choices and multiple modes of transportation.

According to our analysis, the County can accommodate projected growth within existing urban areas by focusing on increasing density without any zoning changes. To accomplish this, the County should confine industrial uses to specifically defined areas so that communities are protected from potential impacts. The County can also discourage urban sprawl by resisting developers’ calls to expand water and sewer service beyond the urban service area. The County should also streamline the permitting and approval processes so that development decisions are more timely, transparent, and predictable for developers and residents alike.

The County has made great strides in recent years around multi-modal transit options and connectivity between communities. The Ecusta Trail, Oklawaha Greenway Feasibility Study, and Greenway Master Plan are all efforts that should be included in future planning.

Land Preservation – We support planning for development in a way that protects valued natural resources. Planning can identify critical landscapes, like agricultural lands, wetlands, forests and steep slopes, and identify strategies for preserving those resources from destruction or degradation by development. There are a wealth of resources available to planners including landslide hazard maps, the National Wetland Inventory, NC Natural Heritage Program areas, the National Land Cover Database, and others that should guide development restrictions and define priority preservation areas.

Our rural and agricultural heritage are important to our communities and the economy of Henderson County. Therefore, the County should invest in preservation by establishing a funding mechanism that is dedicated to protecting open space and agricultural and forested lands and is replenished annually.

Public Lands – MountainTrue advocates for the protection of our national and state forests in addition to our national, state, county and city parks and trails. We believe the management of public lands should maintain and restore their ecological integrity and promote recreational opportunities.

The County has a wealth of public land resources including the Blue Ridge Parkway, Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Recreational Forest, Green River Game Land, privately conserved land that is publicly accessible, and many county and municipal parks and trails. The County should encourage and expand access to these resources through increased public transit options and greenway connectivity. The County should create buffers and transition zones between development and public resources, and manage these areas in a way that protects them from encroachment and reduces the threats of wildfire to surrounding communities.

Clean Water – We work to preserve and restore waterways as healthy ecosystems as well as recreational and aesthetic resources. MountainTrue supports the development and enforcement of standards and regulations to protect surface and groundwater from pollution, litter, and the negative impacts of development.

MountainTrue has been monitoring and sampling water quality in the County for decades and will be glad to share our data with planners to determine impacted waterways deserving of increased protection, development buffers, and stormwater runoff reduction measures. As climate change drives increased frequency, intensity, and quantity of rainfall in our area, it is imperative that we reduce impervious surface cover and encourage infiltration and stormwater best management practices to reduce impacts from urban and agricultural runoff on water quality. Development standards around sediment and erosion control should be updated to account for increasing rainfall. Impacts from litter, especially from single-use plastic products, should also be considered and addressed.

Clean Energy – MountainTrue supports the development of clean, sustainable, locally-produced energy. We are dedicated to helping communities transition to renewable energy. We work with local community members, policymakers, and utilities to bring our region sustainable solutions for our energy demands and to promote energy efficiency.

County facilities should incorporate renewable energy generation features, and design standards for all government buildings should promote this. New development approved by the county should similarly be encouraged to incorporate renewable energy features. Housing, especially for low-income residents, should be audited for energy usage and retrofitted to maximize energy efficiency.

Thank you for your consideration of these principles and issues as the Comprehensive Planning process moves forward, and we look forward to working with you to realize a vision for growth in Henderson County that continues an upward trajectory for economic development, preserves our rural and agricultural character, enhances our quality of life, and respects our natural resources for decades to come.

Sincerely,

Gray Jernigan
Southern Regional Director

Katie Breckheimer
Interim Southern Regional Director

CC: Henderson County Board of Commissioners
Jake Petrosky, Stewart, Inc.
Henderson County Manager and Planning Staff

Tell DEQ to Clean Up The Cottages of Boone

The Cottages of Boone has discharged tens of thousands of gallons of sewage and untreated wastewater into Laurel Creek, which flows into the Watauga River. Call on the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to make The Cottages clean up their act and stop polluting our rivers.

TAKE ACTION

MountainTrue has been closely monitoring this facility’s illegal discharges, including large overflow events in April and September that dumped 70,000 gallons and 5,000 gallons of untreated wastewater into Laurel Creek, which flows into the Watauga River. In August, DEQ levied a $38,000 civic penalty against The Cottages’s treatment plant, and now DEQ is currently considering whether to renew its discharge permit. We need you to speak up and help us hold this egregious polluter accountable and prevent future wastewater spills.

While we are not asking DEQ to deny the permit outright (displacing 900 households), we are requesting that DEQ make monitoring data publicly available online, and the permit stricter and conditional upon The Cottages cleaning up their operations.

Fill out the form below and sign on to our letter to DEQ asking that they:

Reduce the term of the permit from five years to a term of two years to make it easier to hold The Cottages accountable if they don’t clean up their act.
Increase monitoring of The Cottages of Boone and make monitoring data from all Sewage System Overflows — including those from The Cottages of Boone — publicly available in a timely manner and easy to find online.
Make any approval of the permit conditioned on The Cottages cleaning up their act. DEQ should promise to change or revoke the permit if The Cottages illegally discharge more than 2,500 gallons within any 3-month period of time.

UPDATE: Thank you to all who have responded to our action alert and signed our letter to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) demanding better monitoring and a stricter wastewater discharge permit for The Cottages of Boone. We surpassed our goal of 1,000 signatures, and we emailed a copy of the letter to DEQ on the afternoon of Monday, December 13.

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Join our sign-on letter in support of a Plastics-Free WNC

Let your elected leaders know that you support taking action to reduce plastic pollution in western North Carolina. Add your name to the open letter below and we will take this as a petition to towns, cities, and counties across Western North Carolina.

To: the elected leaders of western North Carolina

Plastic pollution is a threat to North Carolina’s environment and to human health. I urge you to adopt new policies and programs mandated by the North Carolina Solid Waste Management Act to reduce plastic waste and stop its introduction into our environment.

Plastic bags, styrofoam cups, and other single-use plastics litter our forests and trails and clog up our rivers and streams. These plastics don’t biodegrade. Instead, they break down into smaller and smaller pieces over hundreds or even thousands of years. These “microplastic” films, fibers, and fragments are consumed by aquatic animals and bio-accumulate up the food chain. Over time, they become so small that they can travel by wind. According to a study published by the World Wildlife Federation, plastics are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat — we ingest approximately one credit card-worth of plastic every week.

These plastics and the additives used to make them leach into our food and environment and can be harmful to human health. Phthalates — which make plastics soft and pliable and are used in food packaging — are known endocrine disruptors, have been linked to higher rates of childhood asthma, and are potentially harmful to the reproductive and nervous systems. Styrene — the main ingredient in styrofoam cups — is classified by WHO, NIH, and National Research Council as a “likely” or “probable” human carcinogen.

MountainTrue, a regional conservation organization, conducts water sampling in rivers and streams throughout western North Carolina to assess the prevalence and likely sources of the plastics polluting our rivers and streams. So far, they’ve found plastics in every body of water they’ve tested. In the French Broad River, MountainTrue found an average of 15.5 pieces of microplastic per 1-liter sample of water, with nearly 40% of that being plastic films derived from plastic bags, candy wrappers, and food packaging. In the Watauga River, they’ve documented 11 microplastics per liter.

The North Carolina Solid Waste Management Act doesn’t just give local governments the authority to act. Because the presence of a pollutant that is harmful to both human health and the environment has been documented in our region, the law mandates that local governments must act.

I urge you to join the more than 400 local governments across the country that have already passed plastic reduction laws. Act now to reduce plastics pollution before it enters our environment.

Sincerely,

Houston, We Have a Budget

After almost a full calendar year in session (to say nothing of a three-year delay since the last budget was approved) the North Carolina General Assembly has approved — and Governor Cooper has signed — a complete spending state plan, which now totals more than $25 billion annually.

If you have been following the budget, uh, “process”, you already know that despite generous revenue in the state’s coffers, legislators and Governor Cooper have been unable to reach an agreement on the budget since 2019. (If you are not familiar with the details of this impasse, here is a good overview).

We will spare you the gory details of how we arrived at a budget in November – almost halfway through the fiscal year, which officially started in July.

Much more important is the what of the budget. And on that front, the news for the environment is good. And particularly good for Western North Carolina.

For starters, the budget makes very generous investments in open space conservation. Major trust funds for state parks, land and water conservation, and farmland preservation all received substantial new funding. Legislators also went big on funding for trails — long overlooked in our opinion — with $29 million in new funding. And there is $15 million for Pisgah View State Park in Buncombe County.

With state funding plentiful as a result of a robust economy and generous federal funding for post-pandemic economic recovery, legislators also opened up the bank to better protect the state from flooding and extreme weather. Indeed they invested close to $300 million to help the state become more storm resilient — a good start to help the state adapt to the effects of climate change.

For MountainTrue, advocating for WNC investments is a major part of our 2021 legislative agenda, and we’re pleased to report success. The new budget includes funding for landslide mapping in our region, water quality testing, pollution cleanup, and dam removal for our rivers and streams. We have spent the last year lobbying in Raleigh for these priorities. Some of our other victories include a variety of smaller investments in stream improvement, paddle trails, and public access that will make it easier to enjoy some of the most beautiful places in the mountains.

As you know, MountainTrue is the only environmental organization located in WNC with a year-round advocate in Raleigh. So, thank you to all of you who make our lobbying efforts possible.

The budget received strong bipartisan support — a rarity these days in Raleigh. So another thank you to all of the legislators who made this fiscal win possible. We also want to include a special shoutout to Sen. Chuck Edwards of Henderson County, who chairs a particularly important budget subcommittee and was critical to MountainTrue’s budget success this year.

Of course, no budget or bill is perfect and this year’s budget is no exception. While the new spending plan is generous when it comes to one-time funding, its new recurring investment in the Department of Environmental Quality, — while very welcome — is still too modest. Yes, there is new recurring funding to address “emerging contaminants” like GenX and to do the landslide mapping we mentioned earlier; but NC DEQ has suffered from more than a decade of continuous budget-cutting even as the environmental issues facing our state have become more numerous and complex. We would have preferred a more ambitious investment to address this years-long shortfall.

Having said that, there is a great deal more to like than dislike in this budget — one, which despite all the delays, was well worth the wait.

November 2021 E-Vistas Newsletter

How Highlands Got BearWise

It took a decade of effort, but this scenic Western North Carolina town did what no other town or city in the country has done to date: become a BearWise certified community. This significant accomplishment was no easy feat. Learn how former MountainTrue Highlands Chapter head, Cynthia Strain, led the charge and helped make Highlands, NC a BearWise town. Read more.

MountainTrue in the News

WLOS recently interviewed MountainTrue Southern Regional Director and Green Riverkeeper Gray Jernigan about North Carolina’s newest energy bill: HB951. Watch the brief interview here.

Nov. 30: 5point Adventure Film Festival

Join MountainTrue this Giving Tuesday for a very special screening of the 5Point Adventure Film Festival. Get inspired to explore wild places and to get invigorated to protect our natural world. MountainTrue is making this 5Point Adventure Film Festival screening available free of charge so it is accessible to everyone. However, MountainTrue is paying for the films, and this is a fundraiser for the organization. Register today.

Give!Local and Support MountainTrue

Don’t forget to support MountainTrue through Give!Local between now and December 31, 2021. Gifts over $25 receive a voucher book filled with great freebies and discounts from your favorite area retailers. Visit our Give!Local donate page to see what other goodies are available and to make a contribution.

#BeMtnTrue and Share Your Outdoor Experiences

Have you gotten outside recently? Been on a hike? Climbed a mountain? Cleaned up some trails, creeks, rivers, or lakes? We want to celebrate your outdoor experiences as part of our #BeMtnTrue Awareness Raiser! Share your photos and videos with us on social media, tag us, and don’t forget to use the #BeMtnTrue hashtag. We’ll be sharing our favorite #BeMtnTrue posts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter from November 22 until December 31!

Saying NO to Plastics with the Creation Care Alliance

Join our faith-based program and congregation members from across western North Carolina from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 18, for a conversation regarding the importance of saying “NO” to plastics. Watershed Outreach Coordinator, Anna Alsobrook, will present her work to clean up plastic and microplastic pollution in our rivers and watersheds. We’ll then consider together the many ways that our congregations and communities can lessen plastic use and become more sustainable for the good of all creation. We know we’ll learn from each other, and we look forward to being with you for this critical conversation and opportunity to brainstorm. Register today.

Get Ready for the Final Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan!

After eight years, countless meetings, and over 20,000 public comments, the final draft of the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan and Environmental Impact Statement will be released very soon — likely December or January. The plan won’t be completely finalized until five months after it is released. That is because federal regulations require a 60 day Objection period during which interested parties that commented on the Draft Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) can file an objection if they are dissatisfied with the Final Plan or EIS contents. Following the 60 day Objection Period, the Forest Service has 90 days to respond to Objections before publishing the truly final Forest Plan.

MountainTrue has advocated — through our participation in the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership (NPFP) — for a plan that protects the vital ecosystems and water resources in our National Forests while increasing recreation opportunities, ecological restoration, fire management, and improving wildlife habitat. If the Final Plan falls short of the collaborative recommendations of the NPFP, we may choose to object in the hopes we can improve the end product. Stay tuned!

Building Our City: Centering Carbon Emission in Planning

Join Jason Hardin, senior planner with the City of Raleigh’s Planning and Development department, as he discusses how Raleigh’s new carbon emission analysis responds both to the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 2050 and how those goals are embedded in the city’s comprehensive plan. Learn more and register.

Central Regional News

For Buncombe, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell and Yancey counties

Buncombe County Begins 20-Year Planning Process

Buncombe County has kicked off its comprehensive planning process, an opportunity that only comes along every 20 years. Comprehensive plans provide residents a role in planning for future growth and development. To learn more about Buncombe County’s planning process, here’s a three-minute video describing the process. For more information, please visit the county’s Comprehensive Planning website. MountainTrue is fortunate to have a seat on the 22-member steering committee, and as the public input process ramps up this winter, we will alert you when there are opportunities to share your ideas. Stay tuned!

High Country Regional News

For Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes counties

Live Stake with Us and Help Protect Aquatic Habitats

Starting in December, we will be working to combat sediment erosion in our local waterways through livestaking workdays in the High Country. Livestaking is the planting of live cuttings of dormant trees in the riparian buffer zone along the stream bank. These planted stakes grow into trees that stabilize the sides of the rivers and creeks, help filter stormwater runoff, protect vital aquatic habitats, and prevent soil erosion and sediment pollution. Come plant with us at one of our livestaking workdays from December through March!

Dates:
Dec 3, Dec 18, Jan 15, Jan 21, Jan 28, Feb 19, Feb 26, March 5
10 am- 2 pm for all

Thank You for Fighting Invasive Plants in Brookshire Park and Green Valley Community Park

Thank you to all the volunteers who joined Mountain True and the HRC to eradicate non-native invasive species in the high country this fall. We held two successful workdays where we took out a lot of Oriental Bittersweet and Multiflora Rose at Brookshire Park and Green Valley Community Park. We are looking forward to warmer weather in the spring and more workdays to remove invasives with our volunteers!

We Need Microplastic Volunteers in the High Country

We are looking for a few dedicated volunteers to help once per month with our microplastics program. Volunteers will help collect surface water samples, help with a quick 10-20 minute litter cleanup each month and log the trash in a google form to help us better understand sources and types of plastics found along our river banks. We filter and read the water samples under a microscope to measure them for the presence of microplastics. If you are interested in helping with this program, please contact hannah@mountaintrue.org for more information.

Southern Regional News

For Cleveland, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania counties

Good Times at Oklawaha!

On October 26, a group of eight volunteers joined with MountainTrue Ecologist Bob Gale and AmeriCorps Forest Keeper Coordinator Ellianna McLaughlin to eliminate non-native invasive privet and multiflora rose at Hendersonville’s Oklawaha Greenway. The full sunshine and cool mountain wind made for a beautiful fall day spent outside.

We worked in a wooded area adjacent to a wetland bog, which provides wildlife habitat for various birds and amphibians. It was gratifying to see that an area we’d treated four years ago had only sparse resprouts from the existing seed bank — and native swamp rose and ash tree saplings had moved in! We treated the invasive sprouts and moved to new sites, attacking older plants and expanding our restoration area. It was a successful day with this fun group!

Making Sure All Voices Are Heard in the Henderson Comprehensive Plan

Over the past month, MountainTrue has been busy meeting with groups in Henderson County to increase public participation in their Comprehensive Planning Process. Every 20 years, comprehensive planning offers residents the opportunity to weigh in with their vision for the future. Following virtual meetings with Citizens Concerned with the Climate Crisis (C4) and the League of Women Voters, MountainTrue staff traveled to the Hola Carolina’s Cultural Center, located in Jackson Park, to host a series of focus group discussions. We’ll work with Hola Carolina and El Centro to ensure the Latinx community has a strong voice in the process.

Here are some helpful links related to the Henderson Comp Plan:

The County’s 2045 Comp Plan site: This site will provide links to the community survey (available in Spanish), upcoming events, and contacts at the county.
MountainTrue’s recommendations for taking the Public Survey: this is my organization’s recommendations on how to fill out the survey.
MountainTrue’s planning principles: this is our take on a set of principles that we feel should guide the county’s planning process.

ICYMI: Neighborhood Hawks with John Lane

John Lane, Emeritus Professor of environmental studies at Wofford College, joined our virtual Hendersonville Green Drinks program on Nov. 11 to discuss his book called “Neighborhood Hawks.” John talked about how he studied the hawks, his writing process, and the reception of his book. If you missed the live webinar, don’t fret; you can watch the entire recorded program on the MountainTrue YouTube channel.

Western Regional News

For Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties in NC, and Towns and Union counties in GA

Tod Fullerton is Western Region Volunteer of the Year

Tod Fullerton received the Western Region Volunteer of the Year award for 2021 at the Western Region Annual Gathering in Franklin on October 20. Tod is a long-time water quality monitoring volunteer, but he has also volunteered with our public lands program. Tod is passionate about our National Forests and made extensive personal comments on the draft management plan for Pisgah-Nantahala National Forests in 2020. And he wrote an excellent letter to the editor in defense of old-growth forest communities associated with the Crossover Timber Sale project that was published in the Cherokee Scout in June. Thank you, Tod, for being a champion for resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge!

Lake Chatuge Shoreline Cleanup Nets Lowest Trash Volume Ever

Photo caption: The team assigned to the Mull Road primitive camping area included members of the Rotary Club of Lake Chatuge and Towns County Lions Club.

This is the eleventh year of the Lake Chatuge Shoreline Cleanup, and we finally saw a significant reduction in litter and dumping around Lake Chatuge! Many community and local government efforts helped make that goal a reality, and we are grateful for them all. This year, 40 volunteers picked up 1,520 pounds of trash from lakeside public lands on both sides of the state line. It’s the first time in history that we’ve collected less than a ton of trash, but the team leaders all reported back with confidence that their sites were all clean! Thanks to everyone who participated with extra gratitude to Tennessee Valley Authority, Towns County Government, and the US Forest Service.

Volunteer Workday on the Murphy River Walk This Saturday

Photo of volunteers removing NNIPs on the Murphy River Walk [you don’t have to include this photo, if you’re trying to reduce the number]

Join us on Saturday, November 20th at 1 p.m. for a volunteer workday to control nonnative invasive plants along the Murphy River Walk. We will use hand tools to cut invasive shrubs like Chinese privet and then treat the stumps. No prior experience is necessary; we will provide tools and training. All you have to bring is water and energy! We will be meeting at the McClelland Street parking area, but please register in advance so that we will have enough tools, gloves, and other supplies. Volunteer workdays on the River Walk are also scheduled on November 22 & 29, 2-5 p.m. Contact Tony Ward for details. Let’s improve the wildlife habitat and natural beauty at the Murphy River Walk!

Events & Volunteer Opportunities

Nov 12 – Fall Forest Communities Hike

Nov 30 – 5Point Adventure Film Festival

Dec 3 – High Country Live Staking Workday

Dec 15 – Building Our City presents Centering Carbon Emissions in Planning

Dec 18 – High Country Live Staking Workday

Swim Guide Watershed Report: Upper French Broad, Green & Broad River Watersheds

While the past year has been unkind to the French Broad River, the Green River Watershed — a headwater tributary of the Broad River — had a great year. Alternatively, the larger Broad River Watershed’s 2020-2021 highlight reel is less glamorous, but we’re happy to report commendable water quality improvement across this important watershed.

We’ll split this blog post into three sections, starting with a summary of our upper French Broad River Watershed data. Then, we’ll discuss the data we collected across the Green River and greater Broad River Watershed, summarize the good and bad news for each, and spotlight the water testing sites with the lowest and highest bacteria counts. We’ll conclude with achievable solutions for the future and a call to action so you can continue to help us protect the places we share.

Before we dive into our water quality summary, let’s review important terminology to help us better understand the data our Riverkeepers, volunteers, and Clean Waters teams worked so hard to collect, analyze, and report. Cfu, or colony forming unit, is a data metric scientists use to estimate the number of microbes present per 100 milliliters of a singular water sample. Microbes (also known as microorganisms) include bacteria, algae, and fungi. Like most things, some microbes are good for human health and some aren’t. We test for E. coli bacteria because it’s the best indicator for the presence of microbes that pose threats to human health.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 235 cfu/100mL is the safe standard for primary recreational waters, where people are most likely to engage in recreational activities involving underwater immersion and potential water ingestion.

First, let’s talk about the Upper French Broad River

About Our Swim Guide Program

Swim Guide is an international program used by Riverkeepers and other advocates to provide up-to-date recreational E. coli data for beaches, lakes, and rivers worldwide. E. coli is a bacteria found in the fecal waste of warm-blooded animals, including humans, and indicates contamination in our waterways. E. coli levels increase with rainfall events due to surface runoff and sewer overflow events.

Samples are collected every Wednesday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Volunteers collect surface water samples in a 100mL sample bottle and drop samples off at the lab, to be processed by MountainTrue staff. Results from samples are measured in MPN, the most probable number of colony-forming units (cfu). The EPA’s limit for recreational water quality is 235 cfu/100mL. The EPA estimates at that concentration, 8 in 1,000 people will contract an illness.

Pass/Fail results are updated every Friday on www.swimguide.org to inform the public about local water quality. We use the data generated from our Swim Guide Program to identify sites for follow-up sampling. We sample in both urban and rural areas. Determining the location and source of E. coli in our waterways is one way we can hold polluters accountable.

News headline: Upper French Broad Bedevilled by Bad Bacteria

The French Broad’s turbulent history with E. coli is well-known among watershed locals. Our two new testing sites along the upper French Broad at Lyons Mountain and Island Ford secured the top spots for worst water quality and highest bacteria count.

In Henderson County, Mud Creek at Brookside Camp Road experienced slight improvement from 2020 to 2021, but remains one of the worst sites we sample with an average E. coli count of 1535 cfu/100mL. Our data suggests a mix of animal agriculture, septic failures, and sewer overflows are the primary sources of E. coli pollution in Mud Creek.

The week of July 28 proved to be the summer’s worst. Just 23% of our French Broad River testing sites passed the EPA’s 235 cfu/100mL safe standard for primary recreational waters.

For more information about the larger French Broad River Watershed, check out this blog post.

Let’s move on to the Green River Watershed.

Good news headline: Green River Watershed Report Concludes ‘It’s Actually Pretty Easy Being Green’

We’re happy to report the past year saw the Green River Watershed boast no worst sites. With the exception of the week of August 18 during Hurricane Fred, all seven testing sites routinely passed the EPA’s safe standard throughout the summer.

Overall, the Green River’s water quality remains excellent for recreational users and fares much better than the French Broad River’s water quality. Out of 98 total samples, only nine failed to pass the EPA’s safe standard. Our data shows the Green River was clean 90.8% of the time we sampled it this summer.

Bad news headline: Rains of Climate Change Pose Threats to Overall Clean Green River

Users of the Green River Watershed enjoy a largely clean present. Still, the future is less certain with the potential for negative changes due to heavier summer rains. This summer saw Hurricane Fred wreak havoc across the watershed in mid-August, immediately resulting in poorer water quality. With an average value of 951.9 cfu/100mL per site, the week of August 18 proved to be the summer’s worst with six out of seven testing sites failing to pass the EPA’s safe standard.

Stormwater runoff pollution remains a formidable threat to the Green River Watershed and the whole of the Southern Blue Ridge. Without immediate and direct action, the Green River’s water quality will suffer as higher annual amounts of stormwater runoff enter the watershed due to climate change.

Now, let’s discuss the state of the Broad River Watershed.

Good news headline: Broad River Somewhat Less Bacteria-laden in 2021 than 2020

Sampled weekly from Memorial Day to Labor Day, our data concludes slight water quality improvement at all nine testing sites across the Broad River Watershed in both Rutherford and Cleveland counties from 2020-2021. We’re happy to say that the river continues to be a safe, reliable recreation spot.

Cleveland County’s Moss Lake maintains the title of best testing site, passing the EPA safe standard 100% of the time over the past two years.

Bad news headline: Development and Manure are Broad River’s Biggest Bacteria Blunders

Buffalo Creek has remained our worst testing site for two years, failing to pass the EPA’s safe standard 81% of the time. The high bacteria concentrations in Buffalo Creek are attenuated in Moss Lake, just 15 miles upstream. The nutrients associated with Buffalo Creek’s high bacteria levels continue to pose a risk for algal blooms in Moss Lake. Not all algal blooms are dangerous, but those with the potential to form in Moss Lake would pose a severe risk to water quality and surrounding biodiversity.

Lake Lure and the Rocky Broad have mixed testing results. Coupled with existing agriculture, ongoing development surrounding the Rocky Broad is likely causing an increase of bacteria-laden runoff during rain events.

Data from our two testing sites along the First Broad River indicate that the water is unsafe for recreation roughly 33% of the time. Poor agricultural practices like inadequate stream buffers and abundant cow and poultry manure in the river are the likely sources for the First Broad’s high E. coli levels.

Let’s wrap up our water quality discussion with two future news headlines:

1) Governments Must Step in to Mitigate Green River’s Worsened Water Quality

Existing stormwater infrastructure is outdated and inadequate. Local and state government action is needed to protect the Green River’s water quality from threats posed by climate change.

2) Remedying Broad River’s Bacteria Problem with Sound Policy, Infrastructure and Agriculture Investments

Despite incrementally improved water quality at each testing site, data collected from the Broad River Watershed still produced less than ideal results. The prevalence of E. coli in the watershed illuminates a dire need for workable solutions to lackluster development policies, poor agricultural practices, and deficient stormwater infrastructure.

Moving forward, MountainTrue will:

Encourage government officials to implement policies addressing land use and development impacts and make worthy investments to improve existing stormwater infrastructure.
Continue to monitor sites of most concern while aiming to pinpoint and eliminate sources of E. coli pollution at our newest testing sites in the near future.
Further develop valued relationships with community members to combat threats posed to water quality by poor animal agriculture practices.

Want to learn more about our efforts to bring about clean water for all? Check out our ILoveRivers webpage and join MountainTrue’s dedicated community of volunteers to help us protect the places we share.

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