Controlling Nuisance Aquatic Weeds in the Headwaters of Lake Chatuge

Pictured above: Parrot feather infestation in the south end of Lake Chatuge near the US Hwy. 76 bridge in Towns County, Georgia.

For the last two summers, noxious weeds have been an unwelcome presence on the south side of Lake Chatuge in and around the Macedonia area of Towns County, Georgia. The primary culprit, parrot feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), is native to tropical parts of South America, Australia & New Zealand. Despite its highly invasive tendencies in natural waters, it is still actively promoted and sold for use in ponds and aquariums and has been accidentally introduced to waterways all over the US from these sources. Like many invasive aquatic species, parrot-feather can be transferred to new lakes on boats and other watercraft. Flourishing in warm water conditions, it grows rapidly in late spring and summer, creating huge mats of rooted vegetation that can cause recreational and navigational issues.

Photo: Parrot feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), an invasive aquatic weed.

Chatuge Dam and Reservoir are owned and managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Earlier this year, TVA completed a thorough survey of aquatic plants in Lake Chatuge. As we know, they again found an infestation of invasive parrot feather in the headwaters of Lake Chatuge.

The agency is currently conducting an in-house environmental review to evaluate the use of grass carp and/or chemical control for managing the weeds. The study likely won’t be completed until summer 2024. If grass carp are found to be a useful control measure, the strategy will then need to be approved by Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). If DNR approves the stocking, TVA will implement the stocking program and monitor the outcome.

However, due to a Tennessee Valley-wide scope of operations, TVA only provides chemical control of aquatic plants in “developed public-access areas like boat ramps, swim beaches, and courtesy piers on its reservoirs on an as-needed basis when recreational use and/or access become seriously hindered.” (Read more about TVA’s treatment of aquatic weeds here.) Since the infestation in Lake Chatuge doesn’t currently meet these parameters, if chemical control is the only recommended option, it will be up to homeowners, residential communities, and/or the county to control the infestation. The growing season is almost over this year, but MountainTrue is working in consultation with TVA to develop specific recommendations for homeowners and residential communities to control the parrot feather next year. We will host public information sessions early in the season and will have referrals for licensed applicators working in our area.

Attempting to control parrot feather by manual or mechanical methods is likely to spread the plants further and should only be conducted in small, contained water bodies, not in a large reservoir like Lake Chatuge. Even driving through parrot feather in a boat can break off small pieces, which can drift and take root in another location!

For homeowners and residential communities who don’t want to wait for the completed environmental review and possible grass carp stocking program – which may not even be implemented until late summer 2024 or later – TVA advises that commercial pesticide applicators with an Aquatics rating on their license can be hired to apply aquatic herbicides to control infestations around private docks and in small coves. When aquatic herbicides are applied according to their label by a licensed professional, they pose no threat to people, pets, fish, birds, or any other wildlife, short or long-term. In the case that there is a one-day swimming restriction or any other restriction, a licensed herbicide applicator will always communicate this to anyone with access to the water, as well as posting any relevant signs. The applicator will also know about the restrictions associated with distance to a public drinking water intake. While a complete listing of Georgia-licensed commercial applicators can be found here, keep in mind that there are several categories of applicators; not all of them have the Aquatics certification.

Neighboring Lake Burton in Rabun County has also had an infestation of parrot feather for several years. In a statement issued by Georgia Power in August 2020, these three companies were listed as “known firms successfully used by other members;” however, homeowners hiring one of these or another licensed commercial applicator are advised to always check references:

Southeast Consulting – https://www.scsforestry.com/
Solitude Lake Management – https://www.solitudelakemanagement.com/
AquaDoc – https://www.aquadocinc.com/

Homeowners should refrain from undertaking chemical control on their own using AQUACIDE pellets or similar products that were primarily developed for recreational ponds. Product information warns of this environmental hazard: “Treatment of dense weed areas can result in oxygen depletion due to decomposition of dead weeds. This oxygen loss can cause fish suffocation,” leading to fish kills.

Finally, it’s important to remember that there are native and beneficial aquatic plants in Lake Chatuge, which fish and other aquatic life rely on for food and cover from predators. Homeowners should work with professionals to be certain that they have a nonnative invasive plant before undertaking any management activities.

If you have questions, contact MountainTrue Western Region Program Coordinator Tony Ward at tony@mountaintrue.org or 828-837-5414 ext. 3.

Tips for controlling the spread of invasive plants:

Keep it Clean—Remove all plant material from boats, trailers, bilges, live wells, and any other equipment. This will prevent troublesome aquatic species from being introduced into other lakes.

Native Water Gardening Only—Please plant only native species around shorelines. While nonnative species like ornamental lilies and water hyacinth are beautiful, they will quickly spread if introduced into the river.

Drain and Dry—When visiting reservoirs with known invasive plants, make sure all equipment is dry and free from fragments. Even completely dry fragments have the potential to grow once submersed again.

No Dumping! —Please refrain from dumping unwanted aquarium or water garden plants into nearby streams and rivers. Dispose of any unwanted plants in the garbage.

*Click on the images of parrot feather below to expand them*

References & Resources:

General Information about Parrot Feather

Are Aquatic Herbicides Safe For Fish?

Search for Licensed Pesticide Applicators in Georgia

How TVA Manages Aquatic Plants

TVA Aquatic Weeds Treatment Schedule

Angler’s Aquatic Plant ID

Facts About Chatuge Dam

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC Intern Description

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC Intern

About Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC & Position Description:

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC is a program of MountainTrue, a regional nonprofit organization championing resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. We know that healthy communities exist within the context of a healthy environment — and right now, both are threatened. There is a housing crisis across the country, with many hard-working families unable to find an affordable place to live. There is also a climate crisis, with greenhouse gas emissions threatening the stability of all our planet’s ecosystems and biodiversity. Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC advocates for building dense, infill housing within existing communities as a way to increase the housing supply for our neighbors while also minimizing carbon emissions by decreasing vehicle miles traveled, preserving farms and forests from additional sprawl development, and reducing energy demand by building small, multi-family housing instead of large, single-detached housing. An intern for Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC will support program goals by creating social media content, conducting general program outreach, event planning, research on best practices in the pro-housing movement, and more.

Start date: Flexible within the month of January 2024
End date: Flexible

Work schedule: Flexible between 4-12 hours/week

Compensation: Mileage reimbursed at approximately $0.655 per mile

Location: This position will work with staff in our Asheville office, though much of the work can be done remotely.

Supervisor: Susan Bean, MountainTrue Housing & Transportation Director

Please answer the following questions in your cover letter and attach that document when submitting your application form:

What skills and experience can you bring to this internship?
What skills and experience are you hoping to gain from the internship?
Is this internship for school credit or for personal experience?
What connection do you see between the built environment and the natural areas MountainTrue is working to protect?

Applications due by October 30, 2023. Including a resume is optional. Apply through this form.

ACTION: Support Road Safety in Downtown Asheville

Let the City of Asheville know that you support making College Street and Patton Avenue safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders.

Take Action to Support Complete Streets for Asheville

The City of Asheville is wavering in its commitment to complete streets and needs your support for the College/Patton project today. MountainTrue has long been a supporter of complete street projects that make moving through our communities safer, easier, and more environmentally sustainable. Our new program Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC also supports such projects as a way to mitigate congestion in our city centers as we make room for more residents there. City staff and traffic engineers have studied this project and responded to community concerns along the way. They have improved the design, consulted with emergency responders, and compared vehicular traffic patterns to other streets in town to demonstrate that this new design would not create the congestion that some opponents of this project fear. Their expert analysis and process have built upon multiple studies and plans that have recommended projects like this one since the 2009 Downtown Master Plan. However, our city’s leadership needs to hear from more voices that support turning College Street and Patton Avenues into complete streets with buffered bike lanes and high-visibility crosswalks. Take action today to encourage Asheville City Council to vote in support of the College/Patton project and make our downtown safer for all users.

Take Action

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC advocates for more attainable housing that is built in places and at a scale that most benefits the health of our natural environment. We support attainable housing in and near our city centers because that is an efficient use of infrastructure, it decreases our overall carbon footprint, and also because we want our downtowns to be vibrant, thriving, inclusive places that all people in our community both can and want to access and enjoy. We believe that investments in infrastructure that make downtowns more pedestrian friendly, rather than vehicle oriented, pay off by activating our city center in a personal way and on a human scale. Bike lanes are a part of that landscape not just because they benefit bicyclists, but also because the less car-centric we make our downtown, the more people-centered it becomes. Complete street projects enable vehicle access and safer options for other road users, and, ultimately, we believe that complete streets in our city center will benefit businesses by making downtown a place that residents will want to spend more time and money in.

Join us in supporting complete street investments in downtown Asheville by supporting the College/Patton Project today. Click here to read our letter of support for the College Street and Patton Avenue Redesign Project.

MountainTrue’s Letter of Support for the City of Asheville’s College Street & Patton Avenue Redesign Project

photo credit: City of Asheville project page

October 2, 2023

This week, we sent the letter below to the members of Asheville City Council expressing our support for the College / Patton Project in downtown Asheville because we believe multi-modal transportation investments make denser residential development work best for our communities. You can read more about the project on the city’s website here.

Dear Asheville City Council,

City Manager Debra Campbell,

Director of Transportation, Ken Putnam

Assistant Director of Transportation, Jessica Morriss

Members of the City of Asheville’s Multimodal Transportation Commission

I write today on behalf of MountainTrue and Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC asking you to support the College Street and Patton Avenue redesign project.

We took to heart Council member Mosley’s reflection of concern and even anger on behalf of the Black community regarding bike lanes during the August 22 council discussion on this project. The prospect of supporting what feels to some members of our community like “white encroachment in Black neighborhoods” is not a position we take lightly. While we believe that this redesign project would increase safety for all travelers through our downtown—pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike—we also take seriously the prospect that such a change may make some members of our community feel even less welcome or included, especially those Council member Mosley spoke on behalf of who are “most vulnerable among us.”

Additionally, we take seriously the concerns of downtown business owners who are currently beset by a host of challenges and stressors and who feel like the timing of this project is not right. For those owners in particular who have invested in and committed to downtown Asheville even since the years when downtown was nearly deserted and sorely neglected, we regret that the timing of this project feels like a threat rather than a support.

While we do not take these concerns lightly, Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC advocates for more attainable housing that is built in places and at a scale that most benefits the health of our natural environment. We support attainable housing in and near our city centers because that is an efficient use of infrastructure, it decreases our overall carbon footprint, and also because we want our downtowns to be vibrant, thriving, inclusive places that all people in our community both can and want to access and enjoy. We believe that investments in infrastructure that make downtowns more pedestrian friendly, rather than vehicle oriented, do pay off by activating our city center in a personal way and on a human scale. Bike lanes are a part of that landscape not just because they benefit bicyclists, but also because the less car-centric we make our downtown, the more people-centered it becomes. Complete street projects both enable vehicle access in addition to providing safer options for other road users, and, ultimately, we believe that complete streets in our city center will benefit downtown businesses by making downtown a place that residents will want to spend more time and money in.

When vulnerable members of our community and business owners feel that complete street projects like College/Patton go against their interests, we take time to step back and question our assumptions. It is true that the most vocal and visible champions for bicycle infrastructure in our community are white. It is also true that the challenges of both implementing this project and then adjusting to the new road design would be most immediately felt by the business owners whose businesses are located within the project footprint. Yet it is also frequently true that unwanted or even feared changes, once experienced, prove to be appealing and beneficial in unexpected ways.

We respect our city staff and traffic engineers who have studied this project and responded to concerns along the way. They have improved the design by increasing loading zone space and decreasing impacts to drivers by moving the bike lanes to the left side of traffic, instead of the right. They have consulted with and received support from emergency responders in our community. And they have compared vehicular traffic patterns to other streets in town to demonstrate that this new design would not create the delays or congestion that some opponents of this project fear. We trust their expert analysis and their process, which has built upon multiple studies and plans that have recommended projects like this one since the 2009 Downtown Master Plan.

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC advocates for housing that is financially attainable and responsibly located. We also advocate for transportation investments that make our community more affordable and make denser patterns of development work best for all members of our community. And we do that advocacy as thoughtfully and respectfully as possible, trying to honor all the different lived experiences that will be impacted by the changes we promote. We seek to listen, understand, learn, and partner with individuals and groups who want Asheville and WNC to be the best they can be. It is from this place that we ask for your support of the College/Patton project in the hopes that it ultimately proves to be more beneficial to our community than harmful and in the hopes that all members of our community, from the most vulnerable to the most privileged, find themselves able to access and enjoy our city center as neighbors welcoming more neighbors.

Sincerely,

Susan Bean, Housing & Transportation Director for MountainTrue

Click here to take action in support of complete streets for Asheville

MT Raleigh Report — A State Budget. Finally.

After weeks away from Raleigh and countless promises about when a new state budget will be approved, lawmakers finally passed a new two-year budget last week.

Here’s our take on good and bad in the spending plan that has taken the legislature all summer and then some to send to Governor Cooper. For his part, the Governor opposed the budget but allowed it to become law without his signature in order to move forward on Medicaid expansion.

The Good.

The final budget includes new investments in state parks, farmland preservation, and land and water protection supported by the state’s land trusts and other conservation groups. Recurring funding for state trust funds for land and water conservation, as well as state parks, is now budgeted at a generous $28 million for each fund annually. Funding for farm preservation and trails also received substantial increases. The budget also provides $12 million over the next two years for the Saluda Grade Trail, a rails-to-trails project that includes 16 miles in WNC.

In especially good news for WNC water quality, the budget includes $2 million in funding to help farmers in the French Broad Watershed with fencing and other measures to keep livestock and their waste out of streams to reduce bacteria pollution across the watershed. This funding is a victory for MountainTrue, which has advocated for additional funding to reduce agricultural waste runoff in the French Broad for several years.

MountainTrue will also be the steward of another round of funding to develop and improve the French Broad River Paddle Trail thanks to renewed investments in the NC Trails Program, a unit of the NC State Parks system that designates and supports State Trails.

The Bad.

Tucked away in the final budget is policy language that essentially strips local governments of any authority to reduce or control food packaging waste – including plastic bags – at the local level. This end-run on local authority comes at a time when an increasing number of local governments in North Carolina – including Buncombe County – are considering ways to reduce single-use plastic and styrofoam from entering the waste stream. We can all thank (or blame) the well-funded NC Retail Merchants Association for this outdated approach to plastics reduction at a time when the public and many retailers are looking for more ways to cut down on plastic waste.

The environment is best protected when government and politicians are subject to robust public scrutiny, so we are also concerned with new rules in the budget that shield lawmakers from public records requests. But while shielding lawmakers from scrutiny, another concerning provision in the budget gives a General Assembly oversight committee new powers to investigate state and local governments, private companies, and charities, including the power to charge people who the committee feels aren’t cooperative with a crime. One of lawmakers’ key roles is to hold government agencies accountable, but we worry that these new powers may be used to intimidate individuals and agencies, not to improve their performance.

Less critical but also disappointing was the lack of funding for a variety of small but important conservation projects MountainTrue has supported along with local partners. These projects include funding to expand the new WNC Snorkel Trail to all WNC counties; complete the River Walk in Murphy; improve public access to the Watauga River Paddle Trail; develop a new public access point and riverwalk in Polk County; and improve Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Nature Park by expanding trails and improving a playground. We’re disappointed that these went unfunded, but we will be back in Raleigh next year to support them.

Your support of MountainTrue makes our advocacy in Raleigh possible. Thank you, and look for more information about the final days of the 2023 General Assembly in future updates.

ACTION: Tell NCDEQ to Deny the Draft Clear Creek Wastewater Permit & Stop Additional Pollution of Local Waterways

The NC Department of Environmental Quality is accepting comments on the Draft Permit for the Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Project (NPDES Permit NCO090247). We invite you to join our opposition to this draft permit.

Strong wastewater infrastructure can effectively improve water quality, but unfortunately, the approach taken by Henderson County misses the mark. If DEQ issues this permit, it will result in construction of a new unnecessary wastewater treatment plant in a rural area of the county and a discharge into Clear Creek, which is already listed as impaired on the state’s 303(d) list of impaired streams. A new source of pollution is cause for concern, and issuing this permit would violate the Clean Water Act.

Additionally, there is a more environmentally sound and reasonably cost-effective treatment option available — connecting to the existing sewer system operated by the City of Hendersonville — and the County has not accounted for the costs of operating and maintaining a new wastewater treatment plant for years to come.

But any action on sewer expansion would be irresponsible without a strong plan to address future development. The county is still contemplating its 2045 Comprehensive Plan, which will guide the future for growth and development in the county, and appropriate land use protections need to be implemented before facilitating unchecked development.

We need you to tell NCDEQ to deny this permit. Take action below.

MountainTrue’s September 2023 E-Newsletter

MountainTrue’s

September 2023 E-Newsletter

September news from MountainTrue’s four regional offices:

Central Region News

Click here to read

High Country News

Click here to read

Southern Region News

Click here to read

Western Region News

Click here to read

Central Region News

A note from Karim Olaechea, Deputy Director of Strategy & Communications:

It’s almost time for one of our favorite events of the year, the MountainTrue Annual Member Gathering. We love celebrating the accomplishments of our dedicated members and volunteers and welcoming new faces into our community of nature lovers and eco-warriors.

Comradery is essential to building and sustaining a vibrant movement for a better future, and so is having a bit of fun. This year, we’re turning up the dial on the fun by moving the gathering to the weekend so more of you can come. We’ve also added more activities, including a special MountainTrue Jeopardy game in which players representing our different regions will test their knowledge of environmental trivia for glory, a new MountainTrue hellbender hat, and the right to determine which of our programs will receive a bag full of donations.

It should be a great evening of laughter, joy, and inspiration. I hope to see you there.

Join us as we celebrate another year of working together

MountainTrue’s Annual Member gathering will be on Saturday, October 14, at Devil’s Foot Beverage Company in Asheville, NC. Current members will enjoy celebration, snacks, and watching our first live MountainTrue Jeopardy! Come early to get fired up and learn how you can do your part to stop plastic pollution from local organizers. We’ll also take time to congratulate and recognize our outstanding Regional Volunteer of the Year Award winners: Marta Toran (High Country Region), Michael Cheng (Southern Region), Jonathan Micancin (Western Region), Elizabeth Porter (Central Region), as well as this year’s Esther Cunningham Award winner: Jane Laping.

RSVP here. Not sure if your membership is current? Check here or email members@mountaintrue.org. We hope to see you there!

Plastic-Free WNC: it’s time to take action!

Join MountainTrue, the WNC Group of the Sierra Club, the N.C. Public Interest Research Group, and the Creation Care Alliance for a rally to call on Buncombe County Commissioners to take action to protect the public and the environment from plastic pollution! The rally will begin at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 19, and will feature a very exclusive appearance by our very own French Broad Mermaid, rousing remarks, and a prayer vigil led by Creation Care Alliance Director Sarah Ogletree. Wear blue to show that you support a Plastic-Free WNC!

Can’t make it to the rally? Email Buncombe County Commissioners and ask them to take action to reduce plastic pollution.

On Monday, September 11, Black Mountain Town Commissioners unanimously (with one absence) approved a resolution calling on Buncombe County to pass an ordinance that would ban single-use plastic shopping bags at the checkout aisle and styrofoam takeout containers. With the passage of this resolution, Black Mountain has become the second municipality within Buncombe County to call on County Commissioners to fulfill their obligation under the North Carolina Solid Waste Management Act to reduce plastic pollution. The Town of Woodfin passed a similar resolution by a vote of 5-1 on August 15, 2023. Now it’s time for Buncombe County to fulfill its obligation under the NC Solid Waste Management Act to pass a common-sense law to reduce plastic pollution.

Hear your French Broad Riverkeeper speak at Malaprop’s Bookstore

MountainTrue is proud to co-sponsor Keeping the Chattahoochee: Sally Bethea in conversation with Hartwell Carson at Malaprop’s in downtown Asheville at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 21. Sally Bethea — one of the first women in America to become a riverkeeper — will chat with Hartwell Carson about their experiences as riverkeepers and their passion for protecting the Chattahoochee and French Broad rivers. Bethea will also be signing hardcover copies of her book, Keeping the Chattahoochee: Reviving and Defending a Great Southern River. This is a hybrid event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online. The event is free but registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance — click here to learn more and register.

Thank you, 2023 Swim Guide sponsors

Another Swim Guide season is in the books, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our sponsors and volunteers. Thank you to Pink Mercury and Pirani for sponsoring French Broad Riverkeeper sampling sites along the French Broad River!

Cheers to our members

We can’t do our work without YOU. To show our appreciation, one lucky winner will receive a REI Co-op camping mug, bandana, AND a $50 gift card to Asheville Bicycle Club — the drawing will be held at our Annual Gathering on Saturday, October 14. You must be a current member to be eligible but you don’t need to be present to win. Renew your membership today!

MountainTrue joins legal filing to protect communities from industrial pollution

Last month, MountainTrue joined Cape Fear River Watch and the Yadkin Riverkeeper, represented by Southern Environmental Law Center, in a petition to the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission for a ruling requiring the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to consistently apply the law to protect all communities from industrial water pollution. The Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of pollutants without a permit. Those permits must include technology-based limits, which are based on the strategy that as technology improves, industrial facilities can further reduce or eliminate their pollution. Unfortunately, DEQ bypasses the technology-based requirement in the majority of permits it issues for industries that discharge pollution directly into local waterways. The petition asks the commission to require DEQ to evaluate existing pollution-control technologies for all industrial facilities and impose limits based on those technologies in permits moving forward. Click here to learn more. Read the full petition here.

Photo: An aerial view of the French Broad River flowing through Asheville, NC. Photo by Jack Henderson.

Flying high with SouthWings

Jack Henderson, MountainTrue’s French Broad Paddle Trail Manager, recently flew with SouthWings volunteer pilot, Hap Endler, to document the French Broad River between Asheville and Hot Springs. The purpose of this flight was to update our catalog of photos of the river corridor, including current and new developments and industrial sites, but also to capture imagery for our new French Broad Paddle Trail website, set to be released within the next month. We are super grateful to SouthWings, which is a non-profit that connects conservation partners with a network of volunteer pilots to advocate for the restoration and protection of the ecosystems of the Southeast through flight, and all they do to support our work.

Understanding the role of the Riverkeeper

Transylvania Times readers: look out for MountainTrue’s monthly column in the paper’s outdoors section! Our August column, Understanding the role of the Riverkeeper, was written by French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson to highlight important riverkeeper history and what’s being done to clean up and protect the beloved French Broad River. Read Hartwell’s August column here. Want to learn more about MountainTrue’s ongoing conservation efforts on the French Broad? Click here to read our July column, Celebrating and Stewarding the French Broad River Paddle Trail, written by French Broad Paddle Trail Manager Jack Henderson.

Public meeting: Pisgah View State Park

The public information meeting for the Pisgah View State Park (PVSP) master plan is scheduled from 4-7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 26 at the Upper Hominy Fire Station on Highway 151 in Candler (1795 Pisgah Highway Candler, NC 28715). The Friends of Pisgah View State Park invites you join them at the public meeting to advocate for future PVSP users. If you’re unable to attend the meeting but want to get involved, click here to take the online survey.

High Country News

A note from Hannah Woodburn, High Country Watershed Outreach Coordinator:

The colors are already emerging among several tree species around the High Country, showing surefire signs of fall! Emma and I are so excited to welcome Watauga Riverkeeper and High Country Regional Director Andy Hill back from a renewing and adventurous sabbatical in October.

September has brought exciting news for one of our favorite salamander species, the Eastern Hellbender! In 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) denied hellbenders federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Last week, a federal judge found FWS’ decision to be unlawful, proclaiming it to be a significant flaw in the agency’s decision-making. This new development means that the Eastern Hellbender is back on track to receive more formal and specialized protections to keep these ancient creatures around for many decades to come!

It’s the dedicated efforts of people like you that make a real difference, and it’s almost time to celebrate all of you at one of our favorite events of the year! The MountainTrue Annual Member Gathering is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our dedicated members and volunteers while welcoming new supporters, nature lovers, and advocates. This year, we’ll host an interactive Jeopardy Game to test your knowledge of environmental trivia — read on for more event info and to RSVP.

Be sure to renew your membership for the year if you haven’t already. I’d love to see you there! Thank you for being MountainTrue.

Join us as we celebrate another year of working together

RSVP here. Not sure if your membership is current? Check here or email members@mountaintrue.org. We hope to see you there!

Calling all Jeopardy enthusiasts!

YOU could be chosen to represent your region in our very first game of MountainTrue Jeopardy at the Annual Gathering on October 14 in Asheville, NC. Want to play? Click here to sign up. One contestant from each of MountainTrue’s four regions will be selected by the end of September. You must be a current MountainTrue member and attend the event in person to play.

URGENT ACTION ALERT: stop the NCGA from stripping local governments of authority to take action on plastic pollution!

Breaking News: A draft conference report of the state budget released to the media includes language that would prohibit counties (§ 153A-145.11) and cities (§ 160A-205.6) from passing ordinances, resolutions, or rules that would restrict, tax, or charge a fee on auxiliary containers — the definition of which includes bags, cups, bottles, and other packaging. This language would preempt local control and undermine existing provisions of the NC Solid Waste Management Act that give counties and cities the authority to ban single-use plastic bags and other forms of packaging and the use of plastic foam (e.g., styrofoam) in foodware.

Plastic pollution is a threat to our environment and to the health of North Carolina residents. Email your legislators and let them know that our right to protect ourselves from dangerous pollutants is too important to be traded away to fossil fuel and retail industry lobbyists in backroom deals. Take action here.

Photo: MountainTrue volunteer and Lees-McRae College professor Anna Bigler poses for a photo with an Eastern Hellbender during a recent hellbender survey.

Celebrating volunteers as the sun sets on Swim Guide ‘23

All good things must come to an end; in the blink of an eye, summer 2023 and our annual Swim Guide sampling season have come to a close. We want to thank each and every one of you for supporting the Watauga Riverkeeper Swim Guide program this season. All of the data we collect helps us make better-informed decisions on behalf of our watershed. Please join us for our Volunteer Volunteer Appreciation Cookout, happening from 6-8:30 p.m. tomorrow, September 21. We love celebrating the end of summer and the work that you all do with our water quality programs! RSVP here.