2023 Craggy Mountain Bioblitz

Barnardsville, NC — In order to shine a light on the outstanding qualities of the Craggy Mountains, MountainTrue organized an in-person Bioblitz on June 10, during which 20 expert naturalists and 52 citizen scientists teamed up to explore the Craggies and identify as many plant and animal species as possible. The event was hosted by the Big Ivy Community Center, and participants submitted photos of their findings on the online iNaturalist platform. MountainTrue’s extended virtual Bioblitz — which concluded on June 25 — saw an additional 35 people sign up to further document the abundant biodiversity of the Craggy Mountains.

Amanda Lytle, a biologist and herpetologist with Western Carolina University, said, “MountainTrue’s 2023 Bioblitz was my favorite activity of this summer so far! Being immersed in the beauty of the Pisgah National Forest is always a treat, but being there while surrounded by naturalists who are experts in their field is something special. I loved learning from the other group leaders who pointed out unique flora and fauna that can otherwise be easily overlooked. The Craggy Mountains are a biodiversity hotspot that should be protected for all to enjoy – from endemic salamanders to slime molds, this area has something for everyone.”

1,603 organisms were photographed during the MountainTrue Bioblitz, and 647 species have been identified. Notable finds include the northern pygmy salamander, Canada honeysuckle, deer-hair bullrush, Goldie’s fern, round-leaved orchid and a remarkable abundance of diverse moth species. The information collected by Bioblitz participants certainly documented the special character of the area and will be crucial in helping the Forest Service to better protect it by demonstrating to Congress that the Craggies should be designated as a permanently protected National Scenic Area.

The Craggy Mountains are one of the mightiest sub-ranges of the Southern Blue Ridge, with at least nine peaks over 5,000′ and Craggy Dome topping out above 6,000′. The Craggies also have one of the greatest concentrations of old-growth forest and rare species in North Carolina; 32 species on the NC rare species list have occupied habitat in the Craggies. Due to their natural beauty and biological diversity, the Craggy Mountains have been proposed for permanent protection as a National Scenic Area. Doing so will require an act of Congress and the signature of the President.

MountainTrue and its organizational partners have had several meetings with Congressman Chuck Edwards, Senator Thom Tillis, and Senator Ted Budd and their staff to discuss the creation of the Craggy Mountain National Scenic Area. The idea has been favorably received. MountainTrue encourages folks to stay tuned for more news about the proposed Craggy Mountain National Scenic Area. “We are hopeful that the future is bright for permanently protecting this special area,” says MountainTrue’s Public Lands Field Biologist, Josh Kelly.

MountainTrue Member Spotlight: Emery Conard

Emery Conard (pictured above) grew up in Florida, but having spent years visiting her Grandmother in Waynesville, NC, she developed a love for our region. After spending some time in Atlanta and growing tired of bigger city life, Emery decided to travel before returning to Waynesville to put down roots of her own. “I wanted to get back to a familiar, smaller town with access to the outdoors.”

When she’s not hard at work with her job in Digital Marketing at an advertising agency, Emery loves to enjoy time outside, resetting. Some of her favorite places to decompress are Lake Junaluska, Purchase Knob, and Hemphill Bald (which holds special meaning to her, as it’s where her husband proposed).

Emery has been a member of MountainTrue since early 2020 and is part of our community of monthly donors. When asked why she decided to give monthly, Emery said, “I have friends that work in the nonprofit industry, and I know that monthly donations are very helpful in terms of being able to plan out expected income. I wanted to give in a more sustained way spread out over the year instead of one lump sum. It’s also easier for me to plan my expenses because it’s scheduled.”

Inspired to give to MountainTrue initially because it’s a local grassroots organization, Emery appreciates the programmatic work and how MountainTrue fosters community. “I love how well rounded MountainTrue is as an organization and how it not only connects us to the areas around us, but to each other.”

Emery, we’re so thankful that you’re part of our community of members and appreciate the thoughtfulness behind your gift!

To make your own monthly gift, please visit mountaintrue.org/join/ and check the box to “make my donation recurring.” Please direct any questions about other giving opportunities to adam@mountaintrue.org

Action Alert: Protect Our Trout Streams

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

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

TAKE ACTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MountainTrue’s June 2023 E-Newsletter

MountainTrue’s

June 2023 E-Newsletter

June 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 Gray Jernigan, Deputy Director & General Counsel:

It’s hard to believe we’re almost halfway through the year, and now that summer is in high gear, our team is spending a lot of time outside on the water, in the woods, and in our communities. We’re taking weekly water samples to inform the public about where it’s safe to recreate in our mountain waters, guiding hikes to educate participants about public lands, and spreading the word at local events about our work and how to get involved.

While it might not sound as fun as getting outside, another important side of our work has been happening at the General Assembly in Raleigh. Our staff has taken four trips to the state capitol this legislative session to meet with lawmakers about our priorities for Western North Carolina, and our contract lobbyist has been “carrying our water” every day in between. We advocate on bills passing through the chambers and try to improve legislation as it moves. Our biggest legislative advocacy focus is on the state budget that allocates funding for programs and projects that, among other things, can improve public access to rivers and forests, protect water quality, and expand conservation of natural resources. To stay up to date on all the happenings at the General Assembly and our advocacy work there, sign up to receive the MountainTrue Raleigh Report.

Of course, this work can’t happen without the generous support of our members, people just like you, who join our commitment to protect the places we share. Any amount helps, and you can even start with a small monthly donation that fits your budget. Join us by making a donation today. Now get out there and enjoy the summer, and while you do, remember to join in the MountainTrue-a-thon as you hike, bike, and paddle! We’ll see you out there!

MountainTrue’s State of Our Rivers Report details health of our waters, likely sources of pollution, and policy solutions

Learn about the health of our waterways with MountainTrue’s new State of Our Rivers Report, which leverages a year’s worth of data to give the public a better understanding of the water quality of the rivers, streams, and lakes of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. For the first time, this report outlines likely sources of pollution and provides legislators, stakeholders, and advocates with a set of targeted policy solutions to protect the health of our waters, our communities, and our multi-million dollar water recreation economy. Read the report at stateofourrivers.report.

See French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson discuss the findings of the report with WLOS News.

Have you signed up for the MountainTrue-a-thon yet?

There’s still time to sign up for the 2023 MountainTrue-a-thon, which kicks off on June 15 and runs through August 31. Earn money for MountainTrue while doing your favorite activities: hiking, biking, and paddling — it’s a win-win! Lace up your boots, grab your gear, and let’s hit the trails for some adventure.

P.S. Did we mention there are PRIZES for the top $ earner and most pledged miles hiked?!

Bioblitz with us in the Craggies

MountainTrue’s 2023 Bioblitz is happening now until June 25 in the Craggy Mountains! The Bioblitz is an annual event – hosted by MountainTrue on iNaturalist – that seeks to get experts, naturalists, and curious others outdoors to document every living organism we can find. The information you collect will be crucial in documenting the special character of the area, helping the Forest Service to better protect it, and in demonstrating to Congress that it should be designated a permanently protected National Scenic Area. Click here to learn more about the Bioblitz and sign up to participate.

Jam with Michael Franti, MountainTrue, and your French Broad Riverkeeper

Join us for the 2023 Michael Franti & Spearhead concert featuring Fortunate Youth at the Salvage Station on July 8 in Asheville, NC! All proceeds from the concert support the work of the French Broad Riverkeeper, a program of MountainTrue and the primary protector and defender of the French Broad River watershed. Get your tickets now! Doors open at 6 p.m. and music starts at 7 p.m. There will be several food trucks and full bars open for you to enjoy! Please visit the Salvage Station’s event page for the most up-to-date information, tickets, parking information, and other FAQs.

Photo: French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson and family paddle the river on a previous paddle trip.

The countdown to the 2023 French Broad Paddle Trip is on!

Every year, MountainTrue and the French Broad Riverkeeper guide participants on an incredible trip down a stretch of the French Broad River, creating lasting memories exploring what can feel like uncharted territory right in our own backyards and camping under the stars on the French Broad River Paddle Trail. Leave the hustle behind and experience the joys of river travel while having your meals provided, your campfire built, and your gear transported for you to your next campsite! This year’s trip will take place July 12-14, with an option to add a one-day paddle down Section 9 of the French Broad on July 11 to your ticket purchase. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot!

Welcome to our new Development & Operations Coordinator

The Development team is thrilled to welcome Sydney Swafford as our new Development & Operations Coordinator. Sydney most recently filled our Outings, Education, and Forest Stewardship Coordinator position with AmeriCorps. She brings hands-on experience with her Environmental Science degree and years of organizational management in her personal and professional life. She can be reached at sydney@mountaintrue.org.

Local grocer makes a stand against plastic pollution

Founded as Amazing Savings in the early 2000s, Hopey and Company is a locally-owned grocery store specializing in artisan and discount food and beverages. With locations in Asheville and Black Mountain, Hopey & Co is leading the charge to ban plastic bags from retail establishments. Starting July 1, 2023, Hopey & Co will no longer offer plastic bags when you pay for your groceries. Hopey & Co currently offers these in-store alternatives to single-use plastic bags:

Cardboard boxes conveniently located in a bin by the checkout
Two sizes of reusable grocery bags

We’re thankful for businesses like Hopey & Co, who are helping to pave the way for a more sustainable future. Show your support for a single-use plastic bag ban by taking your reusable bags when you shop! Visit plasticfreewnc.com to learn more about our collaborative efforts to bring about a Plastic-Free WNC.

Save the date: MountainTrue launches new housing program!

MountainTrue is excited to be launching Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC on August 10 with a kickoff event in Asheville. Where we live shapes our lives and our long-term success — from the length and cost of our commute to where we shop for groceries, and where we send our children to school. Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC will advocate for policies and projects that will create more housing choices close to town centers; creating the kinds of walkable, convenient communities that are good for both people and the planet. Save the date and join us to learn how you can be involved!

Buncombe County residents: take the Buncombe Open Space Bond Survey

Buncombe County is seeking your help in setting the community vision for the future of Buncombe County recreation. The county recently opened a six-question survey to gather public feedback about passive recreation lands. The passage of the Open Space Bond in November 2022 cleared the way for the development of Passive Recreation Lands in Buncombe County. These lands provide opportunities for outdoor activities that require minimal stress on a site’s resources. As the Open Space Bond funds allow more lands to be purchased or protected in conservation easements, more areas of Buncombe County can be enjoyed for passive recreation activities.

Film premiere: Nature’s Wisdom Thru Native Eyes

Long-time Henderson County environmental advocate, filmmaker, and cultural preservationist, David Weintraub, invites the community to the premier events for his newest film, Nature’s Wisdom Thru Native Eyes. The film integrates native storytelling and philosophy with cutting-edge science that affirms what native peoples have been saying about the intelligence of nature for thousands of years! Local premiere dates include Saturday, June 24 at North River Farms in Mills River, NC (drive-in theater) and Saturday, July 1 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, NC. The starting time at all venues is 7:30 p.m. Find out more here.

High Country News

A note from Andy Hill, High Country Regional Director & Watauga Riverkeeper:

It’s a special time of year for river people with warm weather and spring flows. We have been taking advantage of the clear water to enjoy river snorkeling, paddle trips, and cleanups. Our Swim Guide water quality sampling program is in full swing, with results published weekly on the Swim Guide app.

This week also marks the retirement of our beloved Ecologist and Public Lands Director, MountainTrue legend Bob Gale (or Sweet Bobby G as we call him). Bob has been with MountainTrue for over 25 years and has been a tremendous asset to conservation efforts in the Southern Blue Ridge. Please join me in expressing your gratitude for his years of service. You can send your kind words to bob@mountaintrue.org.

Consider supporting our very talented staff by becoming a MountainTrue member and contributing to our mission of protecting the places we share! Join us by making a donation today.

Weekend plans: Riverkeeper Float Fest!

Ready to ring in the summer? Riverkeeper Float Fest is back and better than ever! Join MountainTrue’s Watauga Riverkeeper and High Country Water Team on Saturday, June 24, for a fun-filled, family-friendly event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at River & Earth Adventures’ New River Outpost in Todd, NC. Rain or shine, shuttles will be going all day from Peacock traffic circle in Boone to ensure safe transportation to and from the festival. Our friends at Appalachian Mountain Brewery will be providing the jams, good brews, and fantastic food all day long. Spend your day chilling out, listening to music and snacking with friends, or tube down the New River and enjoy fly fishing demos from our buddies at Boone’s Fly Shop. Ticket levels are available for tubing, general admission, designated drivers, and kids 12 and under are FREE — click here to get your tickets.

MountainTrue’s State of Our Rivers Report details health of our waters, likely sources of pollution, and policy solutions

Learn about the health of Western North Carolina’s waterways with MountainTrue’s new State of Our Rivers Report, which leverages a year’s worth of data to give the public a better understanding of the water quality of the rivers, streams, and lakes of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. For the first time, this report outlines likely sources of pollution and provides legislators, stakeholders, and advocates with a set of targeted policy solutions to protect the health of our waters, our communities, and our multi-million dollar water recreation economy. Read the report at stateofourrivers.report.

Photos: Hannah Woodburn and recent App State grad and research technician, Quentin LaChance, pose with a hellbender (left). Hannah Woodburn safely handles a hellbender that the group captured and tagged for long-term monitoring (right). Photo credit: Henry Gates.

Hellbender surveys on the Upper Watauga River

Along with the first week of Swim Guide, our Watauga Riverkeeper team was busy searching for hellbenders during the last week of May. We teamed up with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and Appalachian State University’s Aquatic Conservation Research Lab to assess river habitat and monitor local populations of sensitive aquatic salamanders. Our Watershed Coordinator and biologist, Hannah Woodburn, was the first of the snorkeling group to spot a baby hellbender! Over the course of the two-day search, 24 hellbenders were captured and tagged for long-term monitoring. We thank all of the dedicated professionals, students, and volunteers who contributed to the success of the surveys!

Swim Guide launch at Valle Crucis Community Park

To kick off the 2023 Swim Guide season, our Water Team hosted a launch party on May 11 at Valle Crucis Community Park for our trusty volunteers. We discussed safety, protocols, and how awesome this summer will be! We had a great time connecting with our volunteers and we sincerely appreciate their help. Our annual Swim Guide program monitors E. coli levels at popular High Country swimming sites and runs until September 6, 2023. Our small mountain community is one of many contributing to an international effort to monitor bacteria levels at local “beaches” or, in our case, lakes or streams.

Want to volunteer with our Swim Guide program? Sampling sites are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, but we encourage folks to sign up to join our list of backup Swim Guide volunteers! (Sampling typically requires a 1 to 2-hour commitment, once per week).

Photos: The full Winkler’s Creek Trash Trout in Boone, NC, before a routine cleanup.

An update on the Tennessee Trash Trouts

Another month, another Trash Trout cleanout! Last month, we hopped across the Tennessee line and paid a visit to the two Trash Trouts monitoring macroplastics in waterways for our neighbors in East TN. Cleaning out these passive litter collection devices is a great way to get outside, help keep the river clean, and have fun! The TN Trash Trouts are located on Buffalo Creek and Doe River, and they serve as indicators of the trash levels that flow through the channel over a certain amount of time. We appreciate our community partners who helped implement this plastics monitoring tool!

Bioblitz with us in the Craggies and at Valle Crucis Community Park

Join our High Country team for the 3rd annual Bioblitz at Valle Crucis Community Park on Sunday, July 23! Stop by anytime between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to explore the meadows and wetlands along the river and help us find and identify as many different plants, animals, and fungi as we can for the park’s species list! Register here.

Chatting about sustainability in the workplace at Watauga High School

Our High Country Watershed Coordinator, Hannah, led a talk for AP Environmental Science students at Watauga High School on May 9 centered around careers and professional development within the scientific community. The students chatted about conservation, ecology, career development, and highlighting the work of other nonprofit organizations in the High Country dedicated to protecting the places we share! Our Water Team loves educational outreach — most of the time, we learn from the students as much as they learn from us. Thank you to Courtney Capozzoli and Watauga High School for allowing us to chat with these future scientists!

Have you signed up for the MountainTrue-a-thon yet?

P.S. Did we mention there are PRIZES for the top $ earner and most pledged miles hiked?!

Welcome to our new Development & Operations Coordinator

Southern Region News

A note from Nancy Díaz, Southern Regional Director:

I recently had the pleasure of joining our long-time Ecologist and Public Lands Director, Bob Gale, on the Lewis Creek Nature Preserve Walk, a conservation property just a few minutes away from my old high school. I continue to be amazed by all the rich natural resources in our little piece of WNC and by the people who carry and share their expertise selflessly and with so much passion. In this message, I want to express gratitude to Bob for all his contributions to environmental advocacy and education in MountainTrue’s Southern Region — happy retirement, Bob!

Consider supporting our very talented staff by becoming a MountainTrue member and contributing to our mission of protecting the places we share! Join us by making a donation today.

MountainTrue’s State of Our Rivers Report details health of our waters, likely sources of pollution, and policy solutions

See French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson discuss the findings of the report with WLOS News.

Clean the Green River with us this summer

Join Green Riverkeeper Erica Shanks on the river this summer for our 2023 Green Clean Series! This recurring event will happen from 5:30-8 p.m. on the 4th Thursday of each month from June-August, 2023. You don’t have to kayak to be a part of the monthly cleanups — roadside volunteers are also welcome! Click here to learn more and sign up! Join your Green Riverkeeper at the Green River Brew Depot in downtown Saluda after each cleanup! The Brew Depot will be giving one free beer to each volunteer who attends the cleanup and presents a ticket. Additionally, The SPOT will offer volunteers a free drink to enjoy within a week of their participation in the cleanup!

Join us for the 5th annual Broad River Race Day

The 5th annual Broad River Race is happening from 1-4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 8, in Mooresboro, NC! The Broad Riverkeeper welcomes folks to race at their own pace and enjoy paddling five miles on the most beautiful stretch of the Broad River. Participants will meet at the Lake Houser put in at 1 p.m. to drop off their boats, and the race will begin at 2 p.m. The first person or first team across the finish line wins a MountainTrue gift bag and takes possession of Betsy the Turtle until next year’s race (a cool wooden turtle carved by Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell)! This race only has two rules: You MUST wear a pfd and no motors allowed. You can paddle solo, tandem, or with as many people as you can fit in your boat. Click here to learn more and register.

Photo: Folks enjoy the cool waters along the Broad River Greenway in Cleveland County.

Broad Riverkeeper Swim Guide sponsor highlight: Shelby Women for Progress

Shelby Women for Progress (SW4P) is a women-led, Shelby-based, advocacy group “supporting progressive women throughout the county, and beyond, by building an inclusive network of member-led advocacy.” SW4P believes that “organizing a community means creating and maintaining a system where people can work together to meet common goals that benefit the community.” This strong group of women can indeed organize, engage, and get things done! SW4P recently held a fundraiser for your Broad Riverkeeper and MountainTrue, which financed their sponsorship of our Swim Guide site at the Broad River Greenway — the Broad River’s most popular swimming location. Group leader Stevie Brooks said, “Shelby Women for Progress is a homegrown organization dedicated to making Cleveland County an inclusive and safe place for all. SW4P is honored to be helping ensure that accessible recreational areas, like our rivers, are maintained and monitored to be enjoyed safely by the residents of Cleveland County.” Thanks, SW4P!

Want to sponsor your favorite swimming spot along the Broad or Green rivers? Businesses and individuals can sponsor Swim Guide sampling sites! Contact MountainTrue Development Director Adam Bowers (adam@mountaintrue.org) or click here to learn more about pricing and benefits.

Bioblitz with us in the Craggies

Photo: Green Riverkeeper Erica Shanks and superstar SMIE volunteer, Lee McCall, collect aquatic macroinvertebrates during an SMIE field day in Fletcher, NC.

Looking for bugs + documenting stream health with the Green Riverkeeper

SMIE (Stream Monitoring Information Exchange) season kicked off to a great start! We’ve been able to visit 17 sites so far this spring season, and we’ve found over 500 aquatic macroinvertebrates throughout our different streams and rivers. We’ve identified different species of caddisflies, mayflies, dragon and damselflies, salamanders and more! We’re always looking for volunteers to join our SMIE team, so reach out if you’re interested in playing in the water with your Green Riverkeeper!

Have you signed up for the MountainTrue-a-thon yet?

P.S. Did we mention there are PRIZES for the top $ earner and most pledged miles hiked?!

Photo: The 2023 Spring Clean on the Green crew poses for a photo.

Green Riverkeeper Erica Shanks on a successful Spring Clean on the Green & Green River Bash:

We hosted our 13th annual Spring Clean on the Green with LiquidLogic Kayaks co-founder Shane Benedict last month, and it was one for the books! Volunteers helped us pull 21 bags of trash, three tires, three tubes, a radiator, and plastic bits from the Narrows, Lower Green, and roadside sections of the Green River Gorge. Big shoutout to everyone who came and lent a hand. The weather was perfect and we left the Green cleaner than we found it!

The cleanup’s afterparty also happened to be the Spring Green Bash at Green River Adventures. The Spring Green Bash is always my favorite day of the year here in Saluda! It was awesome to connect with my community in my role as your Green Riverkeeper and sell some raffle tickets to support MountainTrue’s work! I’m stoked that the mom and daughter team who won the raffle will be taking their new LiquidLogic kayak down the Grand Canyon this August! Thanks for showing some big love that weekend, y’all. I’m always grateful for this community, and look forward to doing it all again next year!

Welcome to our new Development & Operations Coordinator

Film premiere: Nature’s Wisdom Thru Native Eyes

Western Region News

A note from Callie Moore, Western Regional Director:

While searching for inspiration about the month of June, I ran across a list of the top ten best places in the U.S. to visit in June. Of course, the list mentioned the national parks out west that are shifting from snow into spring and the coastal beaches that aren’t too hot yet. Since I’m not likely to be going to any of those far-flung places this year, I started thinking about places closer to home. One of the best places I can think of visiting in the Southern Blue Ridge in June is the Craggy Mountains, which are typically resplendent with wild rhododendron blooms in mid-June. As luck would have it, MountainTrue’s 2023 BioBlitz is happening right now in that very same mountain range!

Another really neat June-blooming plant is the mountain camellia, also known as mountain Stewartia or summer dogwood. These can be found growing along the Cover Trail in Fires Creek Wildlife Management Area, among other places in both Nantahala and Chattahoochee National Forests. Synchronous fireflies are another amazing wonder of nature in these mountains in June, and lots of our darter (fish) species are donning their brilliant spawning colors this month. If you’ve never been freshwater snorkeling, I encourage you to check it out! Thank you in advance for reading on, and know that all this work couldn’t happen without your support. Thank you for being MountainTrue!

MountainTrue’s State of Our Rivers Report details health of our waters, likely sources of pollution, and policy solutions

Photo: AmeriCorps member Darby Stipe processes Swim Guide samples from the Little Tennessee River basin.

Swim Guide launched in the Little Tennessee River basin!

MountainTrue has added another river basin to its summer Swim Guide program of weekly E. coli monitoring with six new locations on the Little Tennessee and Nantahala Rivers. We also added another site in the Hiwassee River basin for a total of 14 locations this year! MountainTrue’s Swim Guide program is powered by volunteers and staff who collect water samples mid-week and rush to process, analyze, and post the results on the swimguide.org website and smartphone app in time for your weekend fun. While the primary purpose of Swim Guide is to inform you about where it’s safe to swim, we use the data to help solve water quality problems, as well as to inform our advocacy and push for science-based policy solutions.

Want to sponsor your favorite swimming spot in MountainTrue’s Western Region? Businesses and individuals can sponsor Swim Guide sampling sites! Contact MountainTrue Development Director Adam Bowers (adam@mountaintrue.org) or click here to learn more about pricing and benefits.

Housing discussion forum in Clay County tomorrow evening

MountainTrue is hosting a discussion forum at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow evening, June 20, at Hinton Rural Life Center near Hayesville, NC. In response to the severe housing shortage in our region and the climate crisis, MountainTrue is launching a new pro-housing program called Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC (which will also be active in North Georgia), in support of building small-scale and multi-family housing in more walkable places. The purpose of the forum is to learn what our members think this work should look like in rural areas. If you’re interested in this topic, please contact MountainTrue’s Housing & Transportation Director, Susan Bean to learn more or RSVP: susan@mountaintrue.org.

Photo: More than 30 volunteers worked to remove nonnative invasive plants and restore native habitat along the Jackson County Greenway this past winter and spring.

Thank you, Jackson County Greenway volunteers!

We had a great first season of removing invasive plants along the Tuckasegee River and the Jackson County Greenway in partnership with Mainspring Conservation Trust. Volunteers showed a great deal of dedication and hard work helping us improve the biodiversity of our shared lands. During our first season working the Greenway, we hosted three workdays with a total of 33 individuals contributing nearly 100 hours. In addition to getting a lot of work done, all of that volunteer time resulted in $2,965.05 in matching funds that can be applied to grants!

Have you signed up for the MountainTrue-a-thon yet?

P.S. Did we mention there are PRIZES for the top $ earner and most pledged miles hiked?!

Bioblitz with us in the Craggies

Welcome to our new Development & Operations Coordinator

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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