Stay Informed Archives – Page 3 of 99

MountainTrue Volunteer Spotlight: Leslie Beninato

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Leslie Beninato, and I’m the owner of Asheville Canoe House, a canoe rental company. Before Helene, I was also a raft guide, bike guide, and bike tech for a local outdoor company. I’ve lived in WNC for almost 20 years and have resided in Asheville for 11 years. I went to Appalachian State University and decided I never wanted to leave the mountains.

What do you love about where you live?

Well, I love the French Broad River for multiple reasons, the history and the wildlife being a few, even before I started my business. I think the coolest fact that surprises folks is how old the French Broad actually is (it formed between 260 and 325 million years ago before the continents split apart).

What’s your go-to river activity?

I love paddling in all forms. Usually, you can find me canoeing, rafting, or whitewater stand-up paddleboarding. Treasure hunting/river cleanups are a nice bonus when on the water.

What’s your connection to MountainTrue?

I have been volunteering with MountainTrue and other local nonprofits since moving to Asheville over 10 years ago. I’ve also been organizing cleanups on my own post-Helene.

I support MountainTrue by assisting in cleanup efforts, assisting with volunteer organization, keeping the work areas safe for volunteers, and scouting out potential river hazards and new features that may be created after storms. Promoting safe and healthy use of our local rivers and streams while educating the public and tourists has always been a top personal priority. So, helping with cleanup efforts before and after Helene was just something natural.

Why do you think folks should get involved with/support our work?

All nonprofits can use support and help (monetarily or physically); I help physically when

hands are needed and I speak for the river when she needs a helping voice. Anything helps. Whether you donate $5 or $500, whether you pick up one piece of trash or thousands. No big skill level is needed nor is age a factor when volunteering. For example, if I’m feeling low energy or overwhelmed (especially since Helene), I always feel better after getting outside and getting my hands dirty; seeing others also out there really inspires you to do/be better. So if you don’t volunteer just to help your community, you can at least volunteer to help yourself.

Anything else you’d like to share?

The community and the river will need help for years to come. Please continue to donate

in whatever way you can to the local nonprofits helping our community members in need and to our environmental nonprofits to help keep Appalachia a beautiful and sacred place.

MountainTrue’s February E-Newsletter

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Daffodils have pushed through the earth in my front yard, announcing that spring is coming, despite winter’s lingering presence. This annual cycle is a reminder that amidst the brokenness around us—the trees, riverbanks, buildings, and lives—we have a choice: to focus on the devastation or to re-create something better.

While mourning our losses is important, it’s crucial not to wallow in despair. The resilience and creativity of our region inspires me. Just as the daffodils herald spring, many individuals, nonprofit organizations, public officials, and businesses are rising to the occasion, working to improve our communities.

MountainTrue embodies this spirit. We’re not just aiming to restore things to their pre-Helene state, but to make them better. What are our collective values and what do we want to create for future generations? Our Healthy Communities staff is initiating a community planning process, led by planners, architects, and engineers, in Swannanoa and other communities to address these questions. Read below for how you can help create a better future for our communities, join us on the trail documenting landslides or at one of our regular river cleanups. Spring is coming to WNC!

Bob Wagner

Executive Director

Contribute to the MountainStrong Recovery & Resilience Fund

Healthy Communities Program Updates

Appalachian Design Center: helping communities post-Helene

With support from the Community Foundation of WNC, MountainTrue’s Appalachian Design Center (ADC) is set to launch a recovery and resilience planning initiative in Swannanoa, a Buncombe County community significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene. This funding will also allow us to engage with three additional communities, and we’re currently exploring opportunities in Madison and Henderson counties. With help from the American Institute of Architects, we’ve recruited 100+ volunteer architects, engineers, landscape architects, and planners for the ADC team. In Swannanoa, the ADC will develop plans for immediate recovery from the storm while positioning the community to access FEMA and state funding. We’re taking a long-term approach by collaborating with residents and businesses to prepare for future disasters. This includes designing resilience hubs, implementing flood mitigation strategies, and planning housing in areas less vulnerable to flooding and debris slides.

ADC volunteers needed!

If you’re a designer interested in volunteering and ready to pledge some hours, or if your community needs design assistance, sign up here. To make this initiative a success, we need volunteers from a variety of design disciplines, including:

✔️Architects

✔️Engineers (structural & civil)

✔️Landscape Architects

✔️Environmental Consultants

✔️Land Planners

✔️Surveyors

✔️Soil Scientists

Help influence the direction of millions of 💵 in state disaster response funds

On Monday, February 24, there will be a regional listening session regarding the HUD Action Plan for NC, presented by the NC Department of Commerce Division of Community Revitalization, about the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) action plan. The listening session will go from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Land of Sky Regional Council office (339 New Leicester Highway, Suite 140, Asheville, NC, 28806). Currently, there’s no RSVP form or virtual registration link, but those should be coming soon. Contact Susan Bean at susan@mountaintrue.org to get more details once they’re available.

Resilient Forests Program Updates

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.

Conservation Conversations @ Ecusta Brewing Co in Brevard: 2/26

Join us from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 26, at Ecusta Brewing Company in Brevard for Conservation Conversations🍻 Meet the community organizations working to conserve our forests + rivers and connect people with nature. We’ll provide time for socializing and sipping, then jump into a conversation on the current conservation issues and what we’re doing to address them, plus ways for you to get involved. Register here!

Clean Water Program Updates

Post-Helene river cleanups are underway throughout WNC

Each county and municipality is charged with directing its own endeavors in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers, contractors, and nonprofit partners like MountainTrue. The scope of the Army Corps’ work is primarily limited to using machinery to remove debris and large items (log jams, cars, shipping containers, etc.), that threaten public infrastructure (bridges, roads, water/sewer lines, etc.), whereas our work focuses on the removal of smaller trash by hand with staff and volunteers, and the occasional contract service.

French Broad Riverkeeper

MountainTrue volunteer Keith Kolomechuk collects garbage from Whittier Branch Island.

Post-Helene cleanups update

Since late September ’24, our French Broad Riverkeeper team has organized and led 20 cleanups within the watershed, mobilizing 550 volunteers and removing 123,000 pounds of garbage. We’ll have plenty more opportunities to help out in 2025 and beyond, especially in Transylvania, Buncombe, and Madison counties. In addition to river cleanups, we’re also ramping up our volunteer-based livestaking efforts to restore stability to damaged streambanks and riparian areas all across the watershed. Check out our Events Calendar for dates and details.

Green Riverkeeper

Crews work to remove storm debris in the heavily impacted Lower Green.

Post-Helene update

Army Corps contractors are now in the river on the Lower Green! You may see photos or videos on social media of heavy machinery in the river, so here are some things to note:

🚧 All machinery is equipped w/ & running off of food-grade biodegradable oil.

🚧 Turbidity booms are in place across the river to catch any oil if it were to spill, or any big debris (wood or trash) that floats down the river as crews work on the massive debris piles on the river banks.

🚧 Monitors are at every boom to remove things as they float down or report them.

🚧 Crews are not removing any live trees from the banks.

As your Green Riverkeeper, my ask of the outdoor community right now is to please stay away from Green River Cove Road at the moment. But please still come support small businesses in Saluda! No one should be on the Green until this is complete. The crew aims to be out of the river by 6/1. Follow us on Instagram & Facebook (@greenriverkeeper) for real-time updates.

There will be two cleanup opportunities in March that are being finalized now. These will take place at Big Hungry and on the Lower Green below Lake Adger. Details coming soon, stay tuned!

Watauga Riverkeeper

Volunteers plant live stakes during a recent workday.

2025 live staking season

With the help of so many community members, this live staking season has already been incredibly successful. And we’re just getting started! We’ve planted + donated over 2,000 silky willow, elderberry, and silky dogwood stakes through public workdays and Farmer’s Markets since January. We’ll be back at it next Saturday, February 22; be sure to sign up here! Learn more about live staking on our blog.

Post-Helene cleanups update

Since Helene, the High Country team has hosted and collaborated with other awesome organizations to help river restoration efforts. We’ve participated in 11 river cleanups, used 311 contractor bags, collected and hauled off 30,590+ pounds of trash, and hosted over 168 volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without the folks from Wine to Water, Deer Valley Athletic Club, Girls on the Run, The Speckled Trout Outfitters, New River Conservancy, and the Town of Boone. We’ll continue to host and partner in cleanup efforts, with many volunteer opportunities this February and March. Thank you to everyone who has come out and helped us clear debris – many hands make light work!

Watauga Riverkeeper awarded grant funding

MountainTrue’s Watauga Riverkeeper program was recently selected as a recipient of the Blue Ridge Energy Members Foundation Grant. This grant is an example of why Blue Ridge Energy established the Members Foundation in 2007 – to support the work of community organizations providing services vital to the quality of life for the cooperative’s members. This funding helps ensure the water flowing through the High Country region remains fishable, swimmable, and drinkable through pollution testing, tracing, and mitigation. Thank you to our friends at Blue Ridge Energy for supporting our mission of protecting the places we share as well as their incredible response to Helene, which affected around 73,000 customers in their service area. A special thank you to the heroes at Blue Ridge Energy.

Shout out to Mast General Store!

We’re extremely grateful to be one of the recipients of the MountainStrong initiative started by Mast General Store in response to Hurricane Helene. Watauga Riverkeeper and High Country Regional Director Andy Hill received a check from Lisa Cooper on Dutch Creek, a treasured tributary of the Watauga River located right behind the original Mast Store in Valle Crucis, NC. Please continue to support WNC in our time of need – support local businesses, plan your next trip, or volunteer with us or one of the many nonprofits doing great work. We’re still out here cleaning up your waterways, planting trees, removing debris, monitoring water quality, and advocating for WNC in Raleigh!

Dungeons & Dragons for a good cause 🐉⚔️

Calling all D&D fans: roll some dice with Critical Cause in support of MountainTrue! D&D sessions will be held at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at ECRS East Boone (474 Industrial Park Dr, Boone NC, 28607). Seats are a $20 donation per person, and promised to be full of great fantasy adventure fun! Contact critical.cause.info@gmail.com for more info and to register. Shout out to presenter Regear NC and sponsors: ECRS Software Corp, Lilys Snack Bar, and Boone Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Food and snacks will be donated by Mellow Mushroom Boone, Dominos, and Ben and Jerry’s. Raffle prizes donated by Dragons Den Boone and Rock Dimensions!

Broad Riverkeeper

Mark your calendars for these exciting spring outings

🥾 Spring Wildflowers & Headwaters Hike in the South Mountain Gamelands: Friday, 4/4, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. guided by Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell & MountainTrue Resilient Forests Director Josh Kelly. Registration link coming soon!

🥾 Earth Day riverside cleanup w/ Thomas Jefferson Academy near Rutherfordton, NC: Tuesday, 4/22, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Learn more + register.

Creation Care Alliance Program Update

2025 CCA Symposium date announced: 5/17

Join CCA and Dan Rhodes and Tim Conder of The Black Mountain School of Theology for a day of inspiration, connection, and healing at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, NC. Learn more + register.

2025 Holman Water Quality Award Winner: Johnny Strawn

Johnny Strawn of the Hanging Dog Community of Cherokee County, NC, is the 2025 recipient of the Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award.

Originally from Morgantown, WV, Johnny Strawn attended NC State University in Raleigh, NC, where he met his wife, Pam. After graduating with degrees in conservation and wildlife biology, Johnny began working for what was then the USDA Soil Conservation Service during which time Johnny and Pam moved to Cherokee County, NC. He served as District Conservationist in Cherokee and Clay counties for nine years and they fell in love with the area. So in 1982, instead of moving on with USDA, he and Pam opened Hanging Dog Valley Nursery, a wholesale nursery specializing in native plants.

Johnny is a founder of Murphy River Walk & Canoe Trails, serving as the project manager for eight years. He received the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year award in 2013 for his volunteer work on the River Walk.

Johnny has served on the board of directors for the John C. Campbell Folk School, the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, and the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (now MountainTrue). He also served on the board of the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and Mainspring Conservation Trust for 13 years. As the first Hiwassee watershed board member of the land trust, Johnny was very instrumental in the expansion of land conservation efforts beyond the Little Tennessee River corridor in Macon County.

During his time on the land trust board, Johnny and Pam began to better understand the value of conservation easements; in 2024, they put the finishing touches on a 150-acre conservation easement on their own property, a combination of seven separate tracts which over decades they melded into one cohesive piece of land.

Upon being notified that he’d been selected to receive this award and expressing gratitude for the honor, Johnny was quick to acknowledge Pam’s role in all of the accomplishments we are attributing to him. “None of this happens without Pam,” he said.

Each year, we present the Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award to the person or group who has done the most to sustain good water quality in rivers, lakes, and streams in the upper Hiwassee River watershed of Towns and Union counties in North Georgia and Cherokee and Clay counties in North Carolina. The award is named for Bill Holman, a lifelong conservation advocate currently serving as Senior Advisor to the Conservation Fund in NC. The Holman Award is sculpted by David Goldhagen of Goldhagen Blown Art Glass, whose studio is located on the shores of Lake Chatuge near Hayesville, NC.

Protect the Nolichucky River! Tell NC DEQ: Require Stronger Environmental Protections for CSX’s Railroad Rebuild

Photo courtesy of Jubal Roe.

Keep advocating to protect the Nolichucky! Please comment now to ensure stronger environmental requirements for CSX as they rebuild their railroad through North Carolina’s Nolichucky River Gorge.

North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality is requesting public comment on CSX’s application to rebuild their railroad through our state’s section of the Nolichucky River Gorge. You may recall that CSX’s railroad experienced extensive damage as a result of Hurricane Helene, and CSX immediately started rebuilding in a manner that was highly damaging to the Nolichucky River’s Wild and Scenic values. Your advocacy helped stop their destruction previously but unfortunately, CSX is back at it under new approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality can stop CSX’s most harmful practices and we need your help again pushing for strong environmental protections in their permit. Please use the link below to submit comments and help us protect the Nolichucky. We encourage you to make your comment your own, but the following may serve as a framework:

https://edocs.deq.nc.gov/Forms/401_Public_Notice_Comments

ID#: 20241562

Version: 2

Project Name: CSXT Emergency Track Rebuild Post Hurricane Helene

Your stance on the project: No

Comment:

I am opposed to this project without additional protections. The following provisions, if included, would allow me to support this project:

DEQ should prohibit any harvesting, mining, or excavation of material from below the ordinary high-water mark. Tennessee’s Department of Environment and Conservation has already prohibited the removal of material below the ordinary high-water mark in Tennessee. NC DEQ should do the same.
DEQ should establish an ordinary high-water mark using the Army Corps’ January 2025 Ordinary High-Water Mark Manual. That analysis indicates the ordinary high-water mark should be approximately 6 feet above baseflow in the Gorge.
DEQ must prohibit the removal of rock or any other material from any named rapid.
DEQ should require CSX to provide for safe recreational and commercial whitewater access during reconstruction.
The Nolichucky Gorge has been designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as critical habitat for the endangered Appalachian Elktoe. It is also habitat for the Eastern Hellbender, which the Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act. DEQ should require CSX to survey areas for Appalachian Elktoe and Eastern Hellbender presence before CSX takes any action – including operating machinery such as dump trucks and excavators – below the ordinary high-water mark.

MountainTrue E-News: January Good News Roundup

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The horrific fires in Los Angeles are an exclamation point to the climate change impacts we’ve experienced here in Western North Carolina. Coast to coast in just over three months, we’ve seen the effects of new weather patterns bringing torrential rains and historically dry and windy weather. This is not your grandparents’ planet.

At MountainTrue, our prayers and thoughts are manifested in putting boots on the ground to help our communities recover. Daily, we have crews out cleaning up trash and debris choking our rivers. We’re mobilizing skilled planners to assist local communities build back better. We’re advocating for improved local floodplain ordinances to protect lives and businesses from being lost in the future. We’re pressing the US Forest Service to incorporate planning and management practices that better reflect our changing climate.

The silver lining of Helene is that we’ve experienced communities coming together in the face of massive obstacles to help one another regardless of our differences. Tapping into this collective reservoir of goodwill, caring about each other and our environment, and taking action is our work in 2025.

Together, we can do this. Together, we are MountainStrong!

Bob Wagner

Executive Director

Contribute to the MountainStrong Recovery & Resilience Fund

Take Action

Boone Mayor Pro Tem Dalton George (left) with Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill (center) and High Country Watershed Outreach Coordinator Hannah Woodburn (right).

Protect Hellbenders

With encouragement and support from the Watauga Riverkeeper, the Town of Boone recently passed a resolution supporting Endangered Species Act Protection for the Eastern Hellbender. Read about it here. And while you’re at it, submit your comment to support listing the Eastern Hellbender as a federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act. Remember to make your comment your own – unique comments carry more weight with agency staff. Comments are due February 11, 2025.

Report Hurricane Debris

Report river debris + debris locations throughout the French Broad Watershed in the French Broad & Swannanoa rivers on our debris survey. Additionally, if you’re a landowner with river frontage and are willing to let MountainTrue access the waterway from your property, please reach out to cleanup@mountaintrue.org.

Report river debris + debris locations throughout the Watauga, New, & Elk river watersheds on our debris survey.

Facts & Figures: Post-Helene Cleanups

MountainTrue River Cleanup Coordinator Jon Stamper (center) with volunteers at the MountainTrue x United By Blue cleanup on January 18.

With the help of 463 volunteers, the French Broad Riverkeeper team has:

🤝Hosted over 17 river cleanups

🗑️Removed over 1484 contractor bags’ worth of trash from the French Broad

👏Collected ~98,280 pounds of trash

Shout out to our awesome French Broad Riverkeeper cleanup partners: United by Blue, who provided a generous donation and helped coordinate a cleanup on the French Broad on January 18; and students from the Disaster Management and Response program at Paul Smith College for helping on multiple cleanup days.

_________________

With the help of 168 volunteers, the Watauga Riverkeeper team has:

🤝Hosted 10 river cleanups

🗑️Removed 311 contractor bags’ worth of trash from High Country rivers and streams

👏Collected ~30,590 pounds of trash

Shout out to our awesome Watauga Riverkeeper cleanup partners: Wine to Water, Deer Valley Athletic Club, Girls on the Run, and The Speckled Trout Outfitters.

_________________

With the help of 50 volunteers at the most recent cleanup on the Green River last month, the Green Riverkeeper pulled two mattresses out of the river, along with housing materials including metal roofing, propane tanks, tables, chairs, building materials, unfortunately destroyed artwork, and more.

The total amount of debris the Green Riverkeeper + volunteers have pulled out since Helene is unknown, but it consisted of over seven cars, five or six campers, several trailers, literal houses, and everything you can think of that belongs in those houses.

Shout out to our awesome Green Riverkeeper cleanup partners: The Polk County Community Foundation, who awarded funding from two grants for cleanup efforts along the Green and Pacolet rivers; and Green Race Conservation Project and H20 Dreams, both of whom made generous donations for cleanup efforts.

Organizing Director

Waynesville, Sylva, or Franklin, NC

Apply Now

Position Summary

The Organizing Director will lead and manage MountainTrue’s grassroots organizing efforts across our programs, focusing on training staff and organizers in the skills necessary to build authentic relationships, empower our communities, and develop local leaders to drive community-led solutions.

This position requires both management and on-the-ground organizing experience. The organizing director will directly supervise the Creation Care Alliance Organizer and Resilient Forests Organizer and work with other program staff to build the capacity of staff, volunteers, and community partners to identify and achieve policy, advocacy, and programmatic goals.

This role is instrumental in developing and executing strategies to grow our network of members, supporters, and volunteers, empower communities, strengthen coalitions, and advance the organization’s mission of championing resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership and Strategy

Develop and implement a comprehensive organizing strategy to support the organization’s goals, and recruit, train, and retain a diverse and engaged base of volunteers and activists.
Provide leadership, training, and guidance to organizers, program staff, volunteers, and supporters engaged in organizing campaigns and initiatives.
Align organizing efforts with the organization’s strategic plan, policy priorities, and equity goals.
Supervise and mentor organizing staff, providing ongoing professional development opportunities.
Develop resources and training materials to build the organizing capacity of staff, volunteers, and allies.
Work with organizing staff to cultivate authentic relationships with community members, partner organizations, and stakeholders to identify community priorities and help strategize and win community-led solutions.
Work with organizers to identify activists with leadership potential and mentor them through one-on-one meetings between organizers and activists.
Works on evenings and weekends as necessary, with the option to take time off during the regular work week as compensation.

Data and Evaluation

Track and analyze metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of organizing campaigns.
Ensure accurate and timely reporting of organizing activities and outcomes.
Utilize digital tools and databases to manage and grow the organization’s activist base.

Communications and Advocacy

Collaborate with the communications team to develop messaging and materials for organizing campaigns.
Engage directly with policymakers, stakeholders, and the media to advocate for the organization’s goals.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

Lived experience in grassroots community organizing.
Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships across diverse communities.
Experience supervising organizing staff and volunteers, and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
Knowledge of public policy processes and key issues related to protecting clean waters, resilient forests, and healthy communities.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Proficiency with organizing tools, such as CRMs (e.g., EveryAction, VAN), email platforms, and social media.
Commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice principles.

Preferred Skills and Experience

Bilingual or multilingual abilities.
Experience with digital organizing and data-driven campaign strategies.
Familiarity with Western North Carolina and the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

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

The salary is in the mid-$60s. The benefits package includes 20 vacation days per year, 12 holidays, sick leave, a sabbatical after five years, health insurance, and a simple IRA with an employer contribution of up to 3%.

How to apply

Accepting applications until the position is filled.
Email a cover letter, resume, and three references to jobs@mountaintrue.org. The subject line should read: “Organizing Director”. The cover letter should answer the following questions and address your work history, organizing skills, and management experience:

What does grassroots organizing mean to you and how does it differ from other forms of top-down advocacy?
Describe a grassroots organizing success and the role you played.
What do you believe is the role of an organizing director in managing a team of organizers?

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