MountainStrong Hurricane Recovery Fund

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, MountainTrue is dedicated to addressing the urgent needs of our community.

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Take Action for Lake Chatuge’s Communities

Take Action for Lake Chatuge’s Communities

Take Action for Lake Chatuge’s Communities

Tell TVA that our communities are worth the money

It’s been a rocky two weeks here in the Lake Chatuge watershed since the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) published its official public notice about the Chatuge Dam Safety Modifications on April 21, with high levels of fear and anxiety on the part of local residents and business owners. Since MountainTrue’s last Lake Chatuge action alert on April 18, TVA has answered the question about why this project is slated to take so long: the risk to people’s lives downstream is very low. It is up to us now to tell TVA that the risk to people’s livelihoods, both upstream and downstream, is very high! This project must be expedited, and no expense spared to ensure that the level of summertime drawdown is minimized. 

Take Action

Lake Chatuge is unique among the 47 reservoirs TVA owns and manages. In fact, Lake Chatuge is very different from the other five reservoirs in the Southern Blue Ridge in that it’s the lifeblood of Towns County, Georgia. Towns County’s county seat — the City of Hiawassee — is literally “on the lake,” bounded by miles of shoreline on its western side. Also, unlike other mountain reservoirs like Hiwassee, Apalachia, and Fontana, the vast majority of Lake Chatuge’s 132-mile shoreline is privately owned, with many campgrounds, marinas, and tourist lodging. For better or worse, our communities’ economies on both sides of the state line are critically tied to having a relatively full lake during the summer months.

The alternatives that TVA initially proposed all involve deep year-round drawdowns that could last four to six years. The proposed very deep drawdown — up to 10 feet lower in winter and up to 20 feet in summer — could jeopardize the City of Hiawassee’s public drinking water supply system by reducing the volume of water available for use. These levels would also leave marinas and docks on dry ground. And the length of the drawdowns would decimate our tourist economy.

Subsequent discussions with TVA by Sole Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw and Towns County’s U.S. Representative, Andrew Clyde, have revealed another alternative that should be added to the Environmental Impact Study (EIS). It involves modifying Alternative E to include building a cofferdam around the spillway repair area. A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to create a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. TVA would still build a new gate-controlled concrete chute spillway and rehabilitate the existing spillway. While this proposal will no doubt be the most expensive alternative, MountainTrue believes that the cost to our communities far exceeds the project cost. TVA must consider this action to sustain reasonable summer lake levels!

Even if you have already submitted comments on this project, you can submit more if you have new and different substantive concerns or suggestions to express. You are also encouraged to participate in one of the public meetings being held in early May. Click here for the most updated information about when and where these will be held.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that TVA also consider social and economic impacts, not just impacts to the lake itself. Tell TVA that the currently proposed alternatives will cost our communities too much and ask that a modified Alternative E be analyzed in the EIS.

Take Action

Resources: links & diagrams

a) Map/links to all TVA reservoirs: https://lakeinfo.tva.com/web/sites/sites_ie2_map_only.htm

b) Guidelines for writing substantive comments: Citizens’ Guide to NEPA

c) TVA’s Project page: https://www.tva.com/newsroom/regional-mountain-dams-safety-initiative/chatuge-dam-safety-modifications

d) TVA project NEPA timeline: 

e) Modified Alternative E:

Public Open House Opportunities

 

Virtual Meeting on May 6, 2025, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. ET

Format: Dam Safety and NEPA presenters with a Q&A session. Register here.

 

May 8, 2025, in Clay County, North Carolina, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET 

Location: Clay County Schools Cafeteria (Behind Hayesville Middle School Gym/adjacent to Hayesville High School) – 205 Yellow Jacket Drive, Hayesville, NC 28904

Format: Informational booths and materials. Access to subject matter experts. No formal presentation.

 

May 13, 2025, in Towns County, Georgia, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. ET 

Location: Towns County Recreation Center, 150 Foster Park Rd. Young Harris, GA 30582.

Format: Informational booths and materials. Access to subject matter experts. No formal presentation.

 

Virtual Meeting on May 15, 2025, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. ET

Format: Dam Safety and NEPA presenters with a Q&A session. Register here.

Sample comments:

We welcome you to copy and paste the text below as a basis for your comments, but we also encourage you to personalize your comments to make them unique to you. You can do this by adding a paragraph about why Lake Chatuge is important to you.

 

Dear TVA,

Lake Chatuge is unique among the many reservoirs your organization operates, even when compared to other mountain reservoirs. It is the lifeblood of Towns County, Georgia. Hiawassee, Georgia, is literally “on the lake,” bounded by miles of shoreline on its western side. Also, the vast majority of Lake Chatuge’s 132-mile shoreline is privately owned, with many campgrounds, marinas, and tourist lodging. Our communities’ economies on both sides of the state line are critically tied to having a relatively full lake during the summer months. While I understand that these repairs are needed, I am concerned that we cannot survive a years-long deep drawdown.

Please consider a modified Alternative E that includes building a cofferdam around the spillway repair area to keep workers safe while allowing for more reasonable summer water levels. While this proposal will no doubt be the most expensive alternative, I believe that the cost to our communities without it justifies the expense.

Other concerns that I have about an extended deep drawdown include:

  • Impacts to the City of Hiawassee’s drinking water supply, which not only serves Hiawassee residents and businesses, but a majority of businesses in the Hwy 76 corridor and some around other parts of the lake, as well.
  • Impacts to water quality and aquatic life in the lake.
  • Impacts to wildlife, including wading birds and waterfowl, as well as threatened and endangered species like bald eagles, bog turtles & green pitcher plants, the latter two of which are found in marshy shallows that could be negatively impacted by an extensive drawdown.

 

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Take Action: Submit Your Comment

Resources & more info

Links, diagrams & public open house dates + locations

Click here
Take Action

Your Support Made This Possible: MountainTrue’s 2024 Impact Report

Your Support Made This Possible: MountainTrue’s 2024 Impact Report

Your Support Made This Possible: MountainTrue’s 2024 Impact Report

2024 was a year of challenges, opportunities, and growth.

Our litigation against the Southside Project successfully protected the Whitewater Special Interest Area. The Healthy Communities team helped secure new regulations protecting Madison County communities from large biomass facilities and crypto-mining operations. We removed the Shulls Mill Dam on the Watauga River, cleared an invasive plant that posed a serious threat to Lake Chatuge, and coordinated over $400,000 in septic repairs for homeowners who were financially unable to repair or maintain their systems, resulting in immediate water quality improvements.

Then Helene arrived and changed everything.

But MountainTrue didn’t flinch. When Helene devastated our region, our staff and volunteers were on the front lines providing much-needed food and water, participating in search and rescue operations, and using our Saluda office as the community supply hub, among other relief efforts. We tested more than 300 drinking wells, cleaned up over 100,000 pounds of debris, and coordinated the most thorough watershed-wide analysis of contaminants and sediments post-Helene. This work will evolve as our communities recover and rebuild.

Below is our impact report of what we were able to accomplish in 2024 and valuable information about our financial health. You can download a PDF here. 

As we move into 2025, we remain committed to protecting our rivers and forests, advocating for better housing and planning, and building more resilient communities. But we can’t do it without you. Your support makes this vital work possible!

Thank you,

Bob Wagner, Executive Director

MountainTrue’s Helene Cleanup Crews: FAQ

MountainTrue’s Helene Cleanup Crews: FAQ

MountainTrue’s Helene Cleanup Crews: FAQ

Have you seen one or more of our cleanup crews in action? We’ve answered some frequently asked questions here so you can learn more about them:

 

Who are the cleanup crews? 

The cleanup crews you may see working in/around your local waterways are led by MountainTrue’s River Cleanup Coordinator, Jon Stamper. Cleanup crews are comprised of MountainTrue volunteers and our paid workforce. These paid workers operate cleanups throughout the Helene-affected areas in WNC. They work to remove debris and restore riverbanks. If you’re interested in applying to be a part of MountainTrue’s cleanup crews or have questions, please reach out to cleanup@mountaintrue.org. 

Where do y’all work?

We’re hosting river cleanups across WNC. If you’d like to volunteer with us, find an upcoming cleanup on our events calendar – advance registration is preferred and greatly appreciated! 

What happens to the trash & storm debris y’all collect from the cleanup sites?

All debris and trash are removed by MountainTrue as quickly as possible. At times, we may make piles of trash over several days. We will remove everything we have collected before moving to a new site. We follow county guidelines when disposing of the trash we’ve collected from waterways. When possible, we make every effort to recycle or repurpose what we pick up. If our crews find important items in the storm debris, we also work to identify and return lost items to their owners. 

How can we support this work? 

Donate to our MountainStrong Recovery & Resilience Fund, sign up to volunteer with us, and support your WNC Riverkeepers! You can follow MountainTrue and our four Riverkeepers on Facebook & Instagram:

Take Action to Protect the Little Tennessee River

Take Action to Protect the Little Tennessee River

Take Action to Protect the Little Tennessee River

The Little Tennessee River is home to an incredible diversity of life: over 100 fish species alone, including some found nowhere else in the world. The river and its adjacent greenway are also a beloved recreational resource for Macon County residents and tourists alike. But over the past few weeks, the banks of the river have been under assault by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors, removing hundreds of trees, many of which were still alive. Take action now to prevent further damage to the river!

Take Action

While large-scale debris removal continues to be a high priority in many parts of Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the Little Tennessee River did not experience those same impacts; only normal flooding. Apart from a few localized areas, like the Cullasaja River across from Walmart, there is no need for disaster recovery-type debris removal in Macon County waterways. And yet, contractors started near Tryphosa Road in Otto and have been working their way down the river, removing trees and debris from the river channel and banks in areas where no flooding impacts occurred. 

Native trees and shrubs along waterways are vital for preventing erosion, providing shade for our coldwater fisheries and wildlife habitat. Wood is also important for streams — it provides habitat for fish, salamanders, and aquatic insects, backwater areas for wood ducks and other waterfowl, and can reduce the velocity of the water during a storm event.

Erosion that will undoubtedly happen as a result of this work will contribute to more flooding and land loss in future storms and will negatively impact fish, freshwater mussels, and other aquatic animals. 

The Little Tennessee River continues to be negatively impacted by overzealous removal of trees and wood by contractors who are under the oversight of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the request of the Macon County government. Ask US Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Management Branch Chief George Minges and Macon County Fire Marshal Jimmy Teem to ensure that future work is limited to only Helene-related debris! 

Thank you for supporting a healthy Little Tennessee River!

Take Action

More info & important insight

Read wildlife biologist Jason Love’s Letter To The Editor, published in The Franklin Press on April 23, 2025.

Click here
View Photos

Learn More + Get Involved: Lake Chatuge Spillway Repair Project

Learn More + Get Involved: Lake Chatuge Spillway Repair Project

Learn More + Get Involved: Lake Chatuge Spillway Repair Project

TVA to hold public meetings about a multi-year, year-round drawdown of Lake Chatuge

As we reported in our April e-newsletter, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced the launch of an Environmental Impact Statement study of potential impacts of a continuous, years-long deep drawdown of Lake Chatuge to rehab the spillway at Chatuge Dam. TVA assures everyone that there is no immediate safety issue at Chatuge, but the potential risk to the spillway in a rare large storm event exceeds TVA’s risk tolerance level based on industry standards. Therefore, it must be repaired to protect homes and communities along the river downstream.

The MountainTrue team has been learning as much as possible about the proposed alternatives since the announcement was made on March 28. Like many of you, we have questions about the need for such a (a) deep drawdown, and (b) lengthy period of time to complete the work. After we’re able to review the information that will be published in the Federal Register on April 21, we will provide talking points based on our analysis. 

In the meantime, we hope you will mark your calendars and be able to attend at least one public meeting either in person or online. The in-person meetings will be open-house style – like the parrot feather meeting last year – with no presentation and no group question-and-answer session. The public comment period will run from April 22 to May 28, 2025. 

Public Meetings Schedule:

May 6, 5:00-6:00 p.m.  

May 15, 5:00-6:00 p.m.  

Virtual Meetings: subject matter expert presenters with a Q&A session

Links will be available at: tva.com/nepa 

 

May 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m.    

In-person – Open House

Clay County Community Services Building

25 Riverside Circle, Hayesville, NC 28904

 

May 13, 5:00-7:00 p.m. 

In-person – Open House

Towns County Recreation Center

150 Foster Park Rd., Young Harris, GA 30582

 

Even though this is an Environmental Impact Statement, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that TVA also consider social and economic impacts, not just impacts to the lake itself. MountainTrue’s mission includes a commitment to healthy communities! We care about and will advocate with an eye on the cumulative environmental, social, and economic impacts. 

Click here to read more about the needed safety modifications.

MountainTrue’s April E-Newsletter

MountainTrue’s April E-Newsletter

MountainTrue’s April E-Newsletter

Our Rivers Need Your Help  — Your Gift Can Help Them Heal 

One thing that unites us all is the universal need for clean water. That’s why people like Liz McGuirl are working alongside MountainTrue staff to clean up and protect our rivers and streams. 

Liz works on the Madison County debris cleanup team. She once lived right along the French Broad River in Asheville’s River Arts District but was forced to evacuate during Hurricane Helene. That experience deepened her commitment to protecting the waterways she once called home.

While working on the Madison County cleanup crew, she was struck by the amount of PVC pipe tangled in the trees along the river. As Liz told us, it’s like “threading string through a needle”—just an intricate, tangled mess. “I’ve done a lot of different river cleanups with different organizations. MountainTrue is one of my favorites to work with because I feel that they’re very conscious of what happened out here.”

“Our rivers are crucial to tourism and the outdoor industry here in Western North Carolina. For rafters and kayakers, you can’t run the river if there’s a car sticking out or, you know, metal pieces. It’s a danger. People come to Western North Carolina to be outdoors, to be on the rivers, to be on the trails.” – Liz McGuirl

MountainTrue, with the help of people like Liz, is getting to those “hard to reach” areas that are being overlooked. Bottom line, we need your help to get the job done. Donate today to help save our rivers and the livelihoods of those who rely on them. 

Contribute to the MountainStrong Recovery & Resilience Fund

MountainTrue Updates

We’re hiring for four positions: 

✅ Organizing Director: Accepting applications on a rolling basis: learn more + apply. 

✅ Creation Care Alliance Organizer: Accepting applications on a rolling basis: learn more + apply. 

✅ Western Region Watershed Outreach Coordinator: Accepting applications until April 24, 2025. 

✅ Appalachian Design Center Project Manager: Accepting applications on a rolling basis: learn more + apply. 

 

Recover x MountainTrue for Earth Month

Our friends at Recover designed a limited edition MountainTrue t-shirt in celebration of Earth Month! A portion of the proceeds from this t-shirt will go to MountainTrue. Click here to check it out and get yours before May 1! 

 

Pirani and Feetures sales to benefit MountainTrue 

MountainTrue will receive $5 from every purchase of Pirani Tumblers in “Last Light” and “Day Break”  from April 22-27 and $5 from every purchase of Feetures’ “Smoky and Rocky” limited-edition sock (launching on April 15, while supplies last).

 

Helene Recovery Panel recording now available 

We were humbled by the big crowd that turned out for the Hurricane Helene Recovery Panel & Discussion at the NC Arboretum on Thursday, April 3! The event was recorded; you can watch it here. 

 

Thanks to everyone who filled out our Member Survey! 

Your voice helps us grow even stronger. Congratulations to Tish Moore Whiting, who won the drawing for the MountainTrue beanie.

Clean Waters Program Updates

Clean Water Director Hartwell Carson takes a water sample.

 

New report: Water Quality Impacts of Helene

Our Clean Waters team compiled a report summarizing MountainTrue’s sampling efforts post-Hurricane Helene. Read the report here. 

 

In-stream debris removal update

See heavy machinery in the river? Check out MountainTrue’s statement on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ work in WNC. You can let us know how crews are doing in your area here.

Key issues to watch for and report are: 

✔️ Lack of timber matting beneath vehicles and machines entering waterways. 

✔️ Spilled petroleum products or any other hazardous waste. 

✔️ Any form of excavation (digging) of soil or woody debris (versus pulling).  

✔️ Removal of live trees leaning less than 30%. 

✔️ Removal of rootballs with less than 50% exposure. 

✔️ Intact clumps of soil attached to the roots of removed trees. 

✔️ Removal of downed trees existing prior to the storm. 

✔️ Use of vehicles or machines in wetlands.  

 

Volunteer with us!

Our four riverkeepers are still hosting cleanups and volunteer workdays throughout their respective watersheds; check out our events page to learn more + sign up to volunteer!

Broad Riverkeeper

Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell (right) with ROC team members on the Broad River.

 

Cleanups update

Rutherford Outdoor Coalition (ROC) joined MountainTrue for two river cleanup days in March on the Upper Broad River below Lake Lure. The Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure area experienced some of the worst flooding seen during Hurricane Helene. Much of the debris and trash overflowed the Lake Lure dam and was deposited along the banks and islands in the Broad River. With the help of 35 volunteers, we pulled out over 2,000lbs of debris!

We’ve also been teaming up with ROC to scout and clear the most-used sections of the Broad River. We’ll continue these scouting/clearing missions and keep you posted on what we find. You can also visit ROC’s online Broad River paddle trail map for more information on access sites and recent section reports.

 

May days on the First Broad River Paddle Trail 

The month of May will be an opportunity for river enthusiasts to explore the First Broad River Paddle Trail. Every Saturday, Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell will host a guided river adventure on a different section of the 65-mile river trail. Learn more + register. 

Green Riverkeeper

Cleanups update

We’ve appreciated everyone’s patience in waiting for volunteer opportunities to arise to help clean up the Lower Green, Big Hungry and the Pacolet Rivers! As the Army Corps moves farther along in their cleanup process, we now feel better about scheduling some volunteer days for folks to get involved! 

Join us on Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. to help clean up Big Hungry at the confluence of Big Hungry and the Green River at the put-in of the Narrows. Learn more + register. 

 

Join us for the 19th Annual Spring Green Bash on 5/3

Come out to the Green Brash from 5-9 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, at Green River Adventures in Historic Downtown Saluda (150 E Main St., Saluda, NC 28773). Green River Adventures will be honoring our hometown heroes, Saluda Fire and Rescue, for their extraordinary work fighting the recent wildfires. We’ll have live music from The Sun Sippers, a t-shirt tie-dye activity from Looking Glass Realty, brews from Oskar Blues, and a kayak raffle to benefit the Green Riverkeeper from Big Adventures featuring the new LiquidLogic Torque!

Purchase kayak raffle tickets here!

Watauga Riverkeeper

Cleanups update

Huge shoutout to our amazing cleanup partners like The Speckled Trout Outfitters, New River Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, town officials, and Public Works folks for supporting us with their resources; because of this support, we’ve been able to remove more debris than we could have ever imagined! With the help of our partners and over 350 tireless volunteers, we’ve hauled over 67,000lbs of debris from our local waterways in the High Country alone. We’re also very thankful for groups like Bethany Lutheran Church and our friends out in Cove Creek for sharing their stories and offering supplies or labor to help begin recovering the places we share.

Lees McRae students planting livestakes along the banks of the Watauga River on a recent workday.

 

Livestaking season update

Our winter ‘24-’25 livestaking season is officially over. While the weather was challenging, your High Country team and over 100 dedicated volunteers planted over 25,000 livestakes from January-March. Our team is encouraged by surefire signs of spring, like the leaf buds slowly popping out on livestakes planted this winter. We could not have planted as many as we did without the support of our incredible local businesses, organizations, schools, and churches that consistently showed up with laughs, stories, tears, and a fierce work ethic. Thank you to our friends at Mast General Store, Valle Crucis Conference Center, Rumple Memorial Presbyterian, The Middle Fork Greenway, and Lees McRae College for supporting these planting efforts. Each year, through our livestaking program, we can support local nurseries, provide cost-effective stream stabilization resources to folks in need, and shade our streams to support our local fisheries. Thank you for helping our rivers and community become more resilient for generations to come!

French Broad Riverkeeper

Cleanups update

Volunteers recently helped our team locate a sewer leak in the Swannanoa, NC, area. We finally located the leak last week after conducting intensive water sampling in the area for three weeks – the Buncombe County Metropolitan Sewerage District folks immediately came out to fix it. Thanks to all the volunteers who came out to help!

Healthy Communities Program Updates

Housing & Transportation Director Susan Bean (3rd from right) with housing partners in Raleigh, NC.

 

Housing lobby day in Raleigh

We were in the state capital recently, along with lots of affordable housing partners, talking to elected officials about the need for more housing choices in our communities. It was good to keep reminding decision-makers about the depths of the housing shortage and ways Helene has exacerbated this crisis. We’re thankful for their ongoing efforts to help our region get more stable housing!

 

Momentum is building to eliminate parking requirements

Housing & Transportation Director Susan Bean was quoted in this Mountain Xpress article last month supporting the movement to eliminate parking requirements. We applaud the City of Asheville for having eliminated these burdensome requirements in parts of the city and are hopeful for the expansion of this policy later this year. We’re also very excited about a bill moving at the state legislature this year that could eliminate parking requirements statewide! How wonderful to be trading pavement for homes and trees!

 

Help our region prioritize safety on our roads

Safe Streets for WNC is a five-county plan that examines high-crash locations across the region and develops strategies to reduce crashes and fatalities on our region’s roads for drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, bicyclists- everyone. Help reduce the number of people being harmed on our roads by participating in this project’s online survey. 

Resilient Forests Program Updates

Conservation groups sue USFS over Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan

After more than a decade of public engagement, partnerships, and planning, the U.S. Forest Service had the opportunity to get it right. Instead, on March 20, 2023, they finalized a Forest Management Plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests that takes us backward — threatening some of the most beloved and biologically diverse landscapes in Western North Carolina. That’s why MountainTrue is taking legal action. We’re joining with our partners to sue the Forest Service over its deeply flawed Forest Plan — a plan that undermines public trust, sacrifices rare species habitat and existing old-growth forests, and sets a dangerous precedent for forest management across the Southern Appalachians. Read more. 

 

MountainTrue is seeking volunteers to document landslides

We’re seeking volunteers for a new citizen science program to help document landslide impacts to roads and trails on public lands, with a particular focus on Nantahala, Pisgah, and Cherokee National Forests. All you need to participate is the desire to get out in the woods and a smartphone. The data collected will be shared with land stewardship agencies and other partners, and will be useful in setting priorities for infrastructure repair following the storm. To participate, please fill out this volunteer interest form.

Take Action: Tell NCDEQ that North Carolina Needs an E.coli Standard

Take Action: Tell NCDEQ that North Carolina Needs an E.coli Standard

Take Action: Tell NCDEQ that North Carolina Needs an E.coli Standard

Asheville Design Center Project Manager

Asheville Design Center Project Manager

Asheville Design Center Project Manager
Asheville, NC
Apply Now

Position Summary

MountainTrue seeks a skilled designer to serve as Project Manager for the Appalachian Design Center (ADC)—a new, community-driven initiative responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. This program mobilizes volunteer architects, engineers, landscape architects, and planners to support recovery and climate-resilient development in affected communities.

This is a part-time contractual position. The Project Manager will oversee volunteer design teams working in up to four communities across Buncombe, Madison, and Henderson counties. They will lead community engagement efforts, manage the design process, and ensure that each project results in a comprehensive community report outlining design recommendations, historical context, and an implementation strategy.

This role is central to fostering inclusive, place-based recovery efforts. ADC teams conduct in-depth assessments, collaborate with residents to align designs with local needs, and create solutions that enhance safety, accessibility, and economic resilience—all while preserving regional character. Additionally, the Project Manager will help position communities to secure funding from FEMA, state agencies, regional grants, and private sources.

This is a unique opportunity to lead a transformative design initiative that strengthens communities and advances sustainable development in Western North Carolina.

We are looking for candidates who:

  • Are a strong fit with our collaborative, multi-disciplinary team.
  • Have a willingness to grow and learn in a rapidly evolving, post-disaster environment.
  • Show enthusiasm and a strong desire to contribute to our contextually appropriate ecological restoration and climate-resilient projects.

Key Responsibilities

  • Project Management: Lead and manage community-driven design projects from initiation to closeout, including project planning, conceptual design process, scheduling, resource allocation, and risk management.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate with architects, engineers, landscape architects, planners, graphic designers, and other stakeholders to ensure interdisciplinary coordination, resolve design conflicts, and achieve project goals. 
  • Client Communication: Serve as the primary point of contact for community leaders and government representatives, understanding their needs, and communicating project progress, milestones, and deliverables effectively.
  • Design Coordination: Coordinate with internal design teams, consultants, and contractors to integrate design concepts seamlessly into community Recovery & Resilience Plans, ensuring design intent and quality are maintained. 
  • Workshop Facilitation: Guide a community-led process to inform an implementation matrix to be included in the community plan.
  • Community Plan Production: Oversee the assemblage of the community plan, incorporating images, text, and drawings into a final report.
  • Documentation and Reporting: Prepare and maintain project documentation, reports, and presentations, including project status updates, financial reports, and presentations.
  • Implementation Assistance: Assist in the implementation of conceptual designs by generating RFPs and managing the interview and hiring of design professionals.
  • Quality Assurance: Review project deliverables for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with regulatory requirements, industry standards, and client expectations.

Qualifications

Desired Qualifications

  • Excellent writing, communication, and presentation skills.
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in design or planning discipline.
  • Proficiency in AutoCAD and Adobe Suite software; SketchUp, BIM (Revit, ArchiCAD) a plus. 
  • Creative, versatile, and dependable. 
  • Goal-oriented with strong critical thinking and observation abilities.
  • Ability to adapt to a dynamic, collaborative studio environment. 
  • Attention to detail, strong work ethic, cognitive agility, and time management skills. 
  • Knowledge of sustainable design principles, green infrastructure strategies, and construction techniques.

Location & Travel

This position is based in Western North Carolina, with a preference for Asheville, North Carolina. This position utilizes frequent Zoom meetings and phone calls. Travel costs are covered by the organization.

 

Compensation

  • Salary: $40/h – up to 20h/wk
  • Expenses: Travel and materials expenses will be reimbursed.

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and relevant portfolio to Healthy Communities Director Chris Joyell at chris@mountaintrue.org.

Application Deadline: ASAP, rolling application review until position filled.

We’re Suing the Forest Service Over a Forest Plan That Threatens the Wild Heart of WNC

We’re Suing the Forest Service Over a Forest Plan That Threatens the Wild Heart of WNC

We’re Suing the Forest Service Over a Forest Plan That Threatens the Wild Heart of WNC

After more than a decade of public engagement, partnerships, and planning, the U.S. Forest Service had the opportunity to get it right. Instead, on March 20, 2023, they finalized a Forest Management Plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests that takes us backward — threatening some of the most beloved and biologically diverse landscapes in Western North Carolina.

That’s why today, MountainTrue is taking legal action.

We are joining with our partners to sue the Forest Service over its deeply flawed Forest Plan — a plan that undermines public trust, sacrifices rare species habitat and existing old-growth forests, and sets a dangerous precedent for forest management across the Southern Appalachians.

What’s At Stake

The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are home to some of the most extraordinary ecosystems in the eastern United States — ancient trees, roadless backcountry, rare plants and animals, and cold mountain streams that feed communities and support thriving recreation and tourism economies.

Yet under the new Forest Plan, more than 600,000 acres — over half the national forest lands in WNC — are open to commercial logging, including:

  • 100,000 acres of Natural Heritage Areas, underdeveloped areas with backcountry character, and rare species habitat,
  • Steep slopes that were previously off-limits to ground-based logging — and where many of our last stands of old-growth still exist, and
  • Existing old-growth forest, which the agency now claims the authority to cut without even surveying to know what’s at stake or notifying the public of its plans.

The Forest Service claims that it has actually increased protection for old growth in a ‘designated old-growth network.’ But this network was designed to include forests, including much younger forests, that are legally or practically off limits to logging already. Meanwhile, existing old growth convenient for loggers was deliberately left out of the network. This allows younger forests to be counted as old-growth simply because they might eventually reach that status — as long as it’s convenient for future logging.

Our Position Is Clear

Let’s be clear: MountainTrue is not against logging. Responsible timber harvests are an important part of our regional economy and can play a role in supporting wildlife habitat — especially when done in the right places.

What we are fighting against is a plan that permits logging in the wrong places: pristine backcountry, rare species habitat, and mature and old-growth forests that take centuries to replace. The new plan aims to dramatically increase the amount of logging from what occurred under the previous plan, but the volume of logging isn’t the real issue — location matters far more.

The Forest Service had the benefit of detailed mapping, science-based recommendations, and a collaborative proposal from the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership — a coalition that includes conservationists, local businesses, timber interests, and recreation advocates. Instead, the agency ignored the consensus and pushed through a plan that prioritizes flexibility for logging over long-term forest health and public trust.

We Tried Every Other Avenue

MountainTrue participated in every phase of this process: submitting expert comments, proposing collaborative solutions, meeting with Forest Service officials, and filing formal objections. We offered science, consensus, and good-faith alternatives. When harmful projects started rolling out under the new plan, we pointed out how those harms could be traced directly back to the plan. And we called for an amendment to the plan to fix some of its most egregious errors. We were ignored.

When an agency ignores its own data, rejects overwhelming public input, writes off years of coalition-building, and violates the law — that’s when we go to court.

What Happens Now

The lawsuit will challenge the Forest Plan’s failure to protect old-growth forests, underdeveloped areas with backcountry character, and sensitive habitats. We will show that the Forest Service violated core environmental laws and disregarded science and public input in its decision-making.

But this lawsuit is about more than one plan. It’s about demanding a future for our national forests where:

  • Old-growth stands are protected, not put on the chopping block,
  • Rare species and wild places are prioritized,
  • Collaboration and science are taken seriously, and
  • Public lands serve the public good, not short-term interests.

The Fight for Our Forests Isn’t Over

MountainTrue has always believed that the forests of Western North Carolina are worth fighting for — and we’re backing that belief in court. But we’re also continuing our work in the field, in the halls of government, and in communities throughout the region to build a better vision for public lands.

We’ll keep showing up. We’ll keep speaking out. And we’ll keep defending the places we all love.

You can support this work by staying informed, spreading the word, and donating to help cover the costs of legal action and advocacy.

Press Release: Conservation Groups sue U.S. Forest Service over controversial Nantahala- Pisgah Forest Plan

Press Release: Conservation Groups sue U.S. Forest Service over controversial Nantahala- Pisgah Forest Plan

Press release from the Southern Environmental Law Center, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, MountainTrue, and Sierra Club

For immediate release: March 28, 2025

Contacts
SELC: Eric Hilt, 615-622-1199 or ehilt@selc.org
Defenders of Wildlife: Jay Petrequin, 202-772-0243 or jpetrequin@defenders.org
MountainTrue: Karim Olaechea, 828-400-0768, karim@mountaintrue.org
Sierra Club: David Reid, 828-713-1607, daviddbreid@charter.net
Center for Biological Diversity: Will Harlan, wharlan@biologicaldiversity.org

Conservation Groups sue U.S. Forest Service over controversial Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan

Asheville, NC — On Thursday, a coalition of conservation groups sued the U.S. Forest Service over its Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan, arguing the agency violated federal law by downplaying the harmful impacts of a dramatic expansion in logging and by failing to include binding standards to restore important native ecosystems.

The Plan guides the long-term future of North Carolina’s Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, which are among the most visited and most beloved public lands in the country. The Nantahala- Pisgah Forest Plan outlines where activities like logging and roadbuilding will occur and sets objectives for future timber harvests. The Plan will determine what happens on these Forests for a generation.

The Forest Service was handed a collaboratively developed Forest Plan proposal that allowed for logging while minimizing harmful impacts. However, the agency rejected the compromise out of hand in favor of a Plan that aims to quintuple the amount of logging in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests and expand logging and roadbuilding into sensitive habitats. More than 23,000 people commented to oppose the Plan which will degrade important ecosystems, imperil rare species, make our forests less resilient, and hurt local economies that depend on recreation and tourism within the forests.

These flaws were magnified by Hurricane Helene, which not only wreaked havoc on western North Carolina communities but also decimated forests. The Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan did not anticipate the level of damage brought by this kind of climate-change-fueled storm, instead justifying high levels of logging by arguing that there is not enough disturbance from storms and fire. Logging healthy forests at the high levels called for in the Plan—levels the agency has refused to adjust in the wake of Helene—will compound the harm to these landscapes.

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, MountainTrue, and Sierra Club. The case was filed in United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

Below are statements from the conservation groups:

“Ever since the Forest Service published the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan, we have given the agency every possible opportunity to do the right thing and fix this flawed Plan. But the Forest Service has refused,” Sam Evans, Leader of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s National Forests and Parks Program, said. “We simply can’t stand by and ignore the significant and long-lasting harm this Plan will do to these remarkable forests and the
communities that rely on them.”

“The Forest Service’s final plan for the Nantahala-Pisgah was a major step backward. It opened up old-growth forests, rare species habitat, and remote backcountry to commercial logging while failing to address critical needs like road maintenance, trail infrastructure, and monitoring. Logging can play a valuable role in our region, but this plan sacrificed balance in favor of conflict. That’s why we’ve had to make the difficult decision to challenge the Forest Service in court,” Josh Kelly, Resilient Forests Director for MountainTrue, said.

“This disastrous Plan broke the law and the hearts of millions of forest visitors,” said Will Harlan, Southeast Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The most popular and biodiverse national forest in the country should not be targeted for massive increases in clearcuts, especially after Helene. The hurricane did plenty of logging. We don’t need five times more.”

“Our national forests are reeling from massive storm destruction, yet they’re still subject to a management plan that includes unrealistic timber targets. Failing to change the Plan would create additional threats to the natural beauty treasured by millions of visitors and the environmental health required for the survival of many rare and endangered species,” said David Reid, National Forests Issue Chair for the Sierra Club’s North Carolina Chapter. “We can’t wait any longer for the U.S. Forest Service to take the initiative to correct its Plan to achieve the balance necessary to protect these remarkable lands.”

“A forest plan that sacrifices the needs of imperiled wildlife while accelerating logging without appropriate sideboards is no forest plan at all,” said Ben Prater, Southeast Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife. “Instead of supporting rare species like forest bats, fish, mussels and amphibians, this Plan ramps up logging justified by faulty assumptions that are even more precarious in the wake of Hurricane Helene. This Plan was built on the assumption that natural disturbances would create less than 200 acres of open and young forest habitat a year. By that metric, Helene caused 400 years’ worth of disturbance to some of the most important habitats in the region in a matter of days. The Plan was already flawed, and now it is completely out of step with the realities on the ground.”

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