January 2021 E-Vistas Newsletter

Take Action For A Healthier Pigeon River

Please email the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and speak up for stricter discharge permits for the Canton paper mill to help clean up the Pigeon River. The new draft permit for Blue Ridge Paper Products as proposed by DEQ would weaken regulations, require less monitoring and allow for more pollution to be discharged to the river. Act now to protect the Pigeon River.

Update: The NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is postponing the public hearing and extending the period for public comments until April. They have yet to announce the new hearing date and comment deadline, but as soon as they do, we’ll let you know. Stay up to date by signing up for our Action Alerts here.

Jan. 28-29 : Sacred Lands, Sacred Bodies: Faithfully Caring For People And Place

The Creation Care Alliance is hosting this online symposium to create space for connection among neighbors, lay leaders and clergy. We will share stories of creation care and resilience from congregations taking practical steps to care for our neighbors and the earth. Whether you’re new to creation care or a long-time advocate, you’ll gain new language and tools to inspire your congregation to care for the environment and each other, interwoven with space for relationship, and prayer. Learn more and register.

We’re Hiring! Two Positions At MountainTrue Are Accepting Applications

Open Positions

MountainTrue is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive and anti-racist working environment. Women, people of color, and those with firsthand experiences of environmental harm are strongly encouraged to apply.

Temporary Development And Operations Coordinator (Last Chance!)
We’re looking for a detail-oriented individual to join our Development team while one of our staff is on maternity leave. The position is responsible for processing donations, issuing donation acknowledgments and maintaining accurate data in the organization’s database. This is a four-month position at 20 hours per week with a rate of pay of $18 per hour. Application deadline: Friday January 22. Read more and apply.

Summer Community Outreach And Water Quality Intern
We’re hiring a summer intern who will work with MountainTrue through the two-month Non-Profit Internship Program (NPIP) sponsored by the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. This position will be split evenly between community outreach and our French Broad Riverkeeper team. A stipend of $3,200 will be provided. The application deadline is February 15 at noon. See eligibility requirements and access the application.

Central Regional News

For Buncombe, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell and Yancey counties

Protect Richmond Hill And The French Broad River. Stop The Bluffs At River Bend.

Help fight a planned mega-development that would be built on 92 acres of intact forest directly next to Richmond Hill Park, increase traffic, and pollute the French Broad River. The proposal includes 1,545 luxury residential condo units, a 250-room hotel, a 59,000-square-foot office space, and 30 1,000 square-foot buildings in Woodfin adjacent to Richmond Hill Park and on the banks of the French Broad River.

MountainTrue opposes this project in its current form because of the potential impacts to the public commons – places we all share like the French Broad River, Richmond Hill Park and roads unsuited for the additional increased traffic. We are partnering with Richmond Hill & River Rescue — a local community group — to oppose this project, and we need your help. Take action.

Hot Springs Workday: Removing Non-Native Invasive Plants With Tamia Dame And Bob Gale

MountainTrue staff, volunteers, and partners regularly collaborate on the treatment and removal of invasive plants on our public lands to promote quality habitat for native plants and wildlife. Here’s an up-close perspective on a recent workday by MountainTrue’s Forest Keeper Coordinator, Tamia Dame. Read more.

High Country Regional News

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

Microplastics Sampling Program Kicks Off

We have launched a new microplastics sampling program and are recruiting volunteers to help us collect water samples for analysis. If you would like to get involved with this new program and volunteer with us, fill out this form and we’ll get you plugged in! Sign up here.

February Live Staking Work Days At Guy Ford River Access Park

The Watauga Riverkeeper and MountainTrue are combating sediment erosion in our local waterways. Sediment is a major polluter in our river basin, clogging fish and aquatic habitats, increasing water temperatures, and transporting toxic substances. We are helping to reduce the amount of sediment that flows into our rivers by planting live stakes along eroding riverbanks. As these stakes grow into trees, they stabilize the sides of the rivers and creeks where we plant them and reduce the overall amount of sediment getting into the river. Come plant with us! Sign up here.

Water Quality Internship Posted For Our Boone Office – Summer 2021

The Water Quality Intern is responsible for aiding the High Country Water Quality Administrator (HCWQA) with managing multiple water quality monitoring programs. This position would require interactions with volunteers on many levels (recruiting, training, organizing). This position requires attention to detail and learning how to apply hard science skills to the needs of the community. The internship will run from May to August. Read more and apply here.

Southern Regional News

For Cleveland, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania counties

Holiday Recycling In Hendersonville Was A Huge Success!

Our annual Holiday Recycling Event at Jackson Park in Hendersonville was a huge success – despite having to reschedule due to winter weather, and limiting volunteer involvement because of the pandemic. Hundreds of trees were ground into mulch and hauled away to nourish home and community gardens and landscapes. Heaps of lights and wreaths were recycled by the Henderson County Coop Extension Service for the 4-H Project, and greeting cards were recycled by Hope Academy. A special thank you to: King Hardware & Rental for providing the mulcher, Hendersonville and Henderson County personnel who were onsite mulching trees, our incredible volunteers who helped with planning, and especially Henderson County Environmental Programs Coordination and MountainTrue’s Recycling Team Chair, Christine Wittmeier, for her leadership and organization to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

New Permanent Access To The Green River Is Moving Forward

Our good friends at the Green River Access Fund are excited to announce the purchase and initial construction of a new permanent access point on Gallimore Road! For 17 years, the Access Fund has been working to secure permanent access to this incredible whitewater resource through key sales to a leased parking area. Now that the new property has been secured, some additional fundraising is needed to cover construction costs and maintain the existing parking area during construction.

We can’t understate how important access is here. While putting on the river at this location is a convenient “shortcut” put-in for expert Narrows paddlers, it is also a mandatory takeout point for those looking to experience the popular intermediate/advanced Class III/IV Upper section. Securing permanent access here is truly a dream come true. Learn more about the project and how you can support it.

UPM Raflatac Supports A Cleaner French Broad River With Donation To MountainTrue

MountainTrue is pleased to partner with label material manufacturer UPM Raflatac, which is sponsoring MountainTrue’s Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN) — a volunteer-powered program through which members of the public collect water samples from over 30 sites throughout the French Broad River Water Basin every month. The donation will be made through the company’s Biofore Share and Care grant program.

UPM Raflatac develops innovative and sustainable labeling solutions that help businesses move beyond fossil fuels. As one of the world’s leading producers of self-adhesive label materials, it maintains a global network of factories, distribution terminals and sales offices, and operates two factories in Henderson County, North Carolina, employing approximately 350 people.

“This support is crucial to the work of MountainTrue,” explains MountainTrue Southern Regional Director Gray Jernigan. “The VWIN program is the foundation of our work to protect the water quality of the French Broad River and other local watersheds.” Learn more.

Western Regional News

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

What Should I Expect From A Virtual Watershed Gala?

Although we won’t be able to hug David Liden like Nancy Troxler did when she won the Holman Award in 2016 (David introduced her), we can still celebrate with him!

Since some of you may not use Zoom on a regular basis like we do at MountainTrue, we thought we’d give you some idea of what you will experience during the online Watershed Gala on February 25 at 6pm. Callie Moore will emcee the event like always, only this time she’ll be coming to you virtually from her home in Hayesville.

You’ll see video clips of Callie and Tony highlighting our accomplishments in 2020. Member Mike Oliphant will introduce this year’s Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award recipient David Liden, we’ll watch a video of David receiving his award, and then David will say a few words to us. We’ll break into smaller rooms (based on your selection at registration) to share stories with other members about outdoor adventures or your favorite food and beverage venues. There will also be an appearance by one of our favorite Gala characters, and we’ll draw the winner of our online raffle for a $200 gift card at The Copper Door!

While attending the Gala on Zoom, you can choose whether or not people can see you over video or not, and can choose whether to talk or just listen. Whichever you choose, please join us to celebrate clean water in our region and those who work to keep it that way! Registration is now open, and we’re still accepting auction donations through February 5.

Efforts To Remove Invasive Plants At Island Park Continue In February

MountainTrue’s Western Region Program Coordinator, Tony Ward, shows volunteer Ralph Murphy how to treat the stump of a freshly-cut invasive autumn olive at the Island Park workday on December 12.

MountainTrue and the Tuckasegee River Alliance are hosting another set of volunteer workdays at Island Park in Bryson City, NC in February. The objective at these workdays will be to use hand tools to cut larger invasive shrubs/trees, and then to treat the stumps with a small amount of concentrated herbicide. We’ll also pull smaller plants up by the roots.

Each workday will be held from 11 am-2 pm and limited to 15 volunteers. Our most recent MountainTrue University talk was about the Island Park Project. Watch it on our YouTube channel here.

Events & Volunteer Opportunities

Note: Due to the escalation of the COVID-19 crisis, in-person events for MountainTrue have been cancelled in January and February with the exception of program critical volunteer workdays. We hope to reschedule events like our Winter Tree ID hike for early March. Below are the current events still on the schedule.

Feb. 6, Feb. 20, Mar. 6 & Mar. 20: Live Staking Workdays In The High Country
Fight sediment pollution and erosion with Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill by planting live stakes along streams and river banks.

Removing Non-Native Invasive Plants In Hot Springs With Tamia Dame and Bob Gale

Last December, I headed out with MountainTrue’s Ecologist and Public Lands Director, Bob Gale, to treat non-native invasive plants with a few volunteers at an Appalachian Trail (AT) trailhead in Hot Springs, NC. This trailhead leads hikers straight to the parking lot for Laughing Heart Lodge, which is just one of the many hostels along the trail that provides accommodations to thru-hikers. The small town of Hot Springs is a hub for AT thru-hikers because of its position along the AT, its charming accommodations and its natural beauty.

Trailheads are often vulnerable to the spread of non-native invasive plants due to their proximity to roadways, since tires and shoes can carry the seeds of invasive plants and deposit them onto the ground around them. Upon meeting around ten in the morning at the trailhead, we were greeted by a plethora of multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), kudzu (Pueraria montana), oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), and a newly appearing vine here, Akebia quinata, also known as five-leaf akebia or chocolate vine. Only a short distance up the trail ahead, invasive plants were sparse – making this a great opportunity to prevent them from spreading further.

After a brief training in cut-and-paint herbicide use, non-native invasive plant identification and safety, the group broke up to tackle the dense foliage from each corner of the parking lot. Cut-stump herbicide treatment is ideal for woody stem plants such as multiflora rose and Chinese privet, and easy to figure out for first-time volunteers. Here’s how it works: Once plants have been cut to the base of the stem, take a small bottle with a sponge tip and a needle that protrudes with pressure and presses onto the cut stump, sending the herbicide down into the roots. The herbicide contains a blue dye as an indicator for safety or spill purposes, which also makes it easier to tell the difference between treated and untreated plants in areas dense with invasives.

The weather was cool and sunny; great weather for battling a thorny wilderness of multiflora rose in long sleeves under little tree canopy. This exotic invasive perennial shrub is particularly harmful because of its natural lack of predators, incredible shade tolerance and high seed production, to name a few factors. When we arrived, the southeastern corner of the parking lot had several mature multiflora rose plants which had effectively overtaken the native plant life beneath them.

Bob and Tamia worked on this corner until it was nearly rid of invasives and visibly much healthier, promoting an environment in which native plant life can thrive as hikers pass through. Positioned on the north and northwestern corners of the lot, volunteers Scott and Kayla cut through thickets of multiflora, privet, oriental bittersweet and kudzu. Diligently cutting and painting through the morning and afternoon, these two were able to significantly improve the appearance of this side of the parking lot and make great progress on this non-native invasive removal project.

While the situation here is not yet perfect, we were able to put an impressive dent in the sheer volume of non-native invasive plants that stood when we arrived. We look forward to continuing our invasive treatment work on the Hot Springs AT trailhead as the weather warms, and thank Scott and Kayla for their hard work with us!

UPM Raflatac Supports A Cleaner French Broad River With Donation To MountainTrue

MountainTrue is pleased to partner with label material manufacturer UPM Raflatac which is sponsoring MountainTrue’s Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN) through the company’s Bifore Share and Care grant program. MountainTrue’s volunteer-powered VWIN program features members of the public collecting water samples from over 30 sites throughout the French Broad River Water Basin every month.

“UPM Raflatac is committed to labeling a smarter future beyond fossils and supporting a cleaner environment,” explains Tyler Matusevich, Sustainability Manager, Americas, UPM Raflatac. “As part of that commitment, we support local organizations doing great work through our Biofore Share and Care grant program. With hundreds of our employees and their families in Western North Carolina, the preservation of our local waterways is of utmost importance and we are pleased to do our part.”

The laboratory results and data collected through the VWIN program are vital to water protection efforts in the area, help MountainTrue track down and stop pollution at the source, and inform the policy advocacy initiatives of MountainTrue’s I Love Rivers campaign (www.ILoveRivers.org).

“We’re grateful to have a company like UPM Raflatac as part of our community,” says Gray, “Their commitment to the planet and generous support helps MountainTrue and our members continue to fight for responsible water use and clean waterways for future generations in Western North Carolina.”

MountainTrue’s VWIN program is administered by its Hendersonville-based Southern Regional Office. The water samples collected by our volunteers are analyzed by a state certified lab for various chemical and physical parameters (ammonia-nitrogen, nitrate/nitrite-nitrogen, orthophosphate, turbidity, total suspended solids, conductivity, alkalinity, and pH).

About MountainTrue
MountainTrue is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization that champions resilient forests, clean waters and healthy communities in Western North Carolina. MountainTrue envisions thriving communities in our mountain region that are connected to and help sustain both each other and our natural environment. To achieve this, MountainTrue fosters and empowers residents throughout the region to engage in community planning, policy and project advocacy, and on-the-ground projects.

About UPM Raflatac
UPM Raflatac is labeling a smarter future beyond fossils by developing innovative and sustainable labeling solutions. As one of the world’s leading producers of self-adhesive label materials, they supply high-quality paper and film label stock for consumer product and industrial labeling through a global network of factories, distribution terminals and sales offices.

UPM Raflatac works with brands and businesses by providing labeling solutions that support creative product packaging design, meet business goals and reach toward sustainability targets.

UPM Raflatac is part of the Finland-based UPM corporation – one of the biggest forest industry companies in the world. Two of the company’s three U.S. factories are in Henderson County in Mills River and Fletcher. Locally, they employ approximately 350 people.

To download photos, please click here: https://materialhub.upm.com/l/-kGqDXJKjcqT

Media Contact:
Gray Jernigan, Southern Regional Director
E: gray@mountaintrue.org | C: 828-423-0578

Help Make the Pigeon River Healthier

Action Expired

Blue Ridge Paper Products has a long history on the Pigeon River in Canton. It has provided good quality jobs for decades, but also caused significant environmental impacts to the Pigeon River. Because of the pressure brought to bear from the public, environmental groups and the EPA, significant improvements in the amount and quality of the discharge to the river have been obtained, but we have a long way to go.

The goals of the Clean Water Act are to have all waters be fishable and swimmable. The way that regulators have tried to achieve those goals while balancing the interests and needs of industry is by slowly reducing permit discharge limits over time. The draft permit as proposed by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) takes a step backwards by weakening regulations, requiring less monitoring and allowing for more pollution to be discharged to the river.We are calling on the public to make their voice heard for continued improvements at the mill, so the Pigeon River can finally meet the goals of the Clean Water Act, almost 50 years after its passage. Attend and speak at the public hearing and submit comments to DEQ.Update: The NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is postponing the public hearing until April 14 and extending the period for public comments until April 30.

What you can do

1. Provide Public Comment via email to the Department of Environmental Quality.
  The public comment period has been extended until April 30. Take action today.
2. Speak up at the online public hearing:
  You must register by noon on April 14. Click here for registration and hearing details.
Resources
Talking Points

Temperature: Over 8,500 fish were killed in the summer of 2007 from an extremely hot discharge from the paper mill. This hot water discharge did not violate the temperature permit limits at the mill, because their limits during that time relied on a monthly average, which allows wild swings in the temperature of the discharge, and potential fish kills. Data from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission shows a substantial impact of aquatic life between up and downstream monitoring, and temperature is a likely factor in the reduced diversity and abundance of aquatic life downstream of the mill. MountainTrue, with the help of SELC and Clean Water for NC fought and won weekly monitoring limits in the last permit cycle, but those limits are being rolled back to a monthly average. We believe daily monitoring and a daily average limit for temperature is critical to understanding and protecting the Pigeon River. Now is not the time to roll back protections for the river!
Dioxin: Reduction in dioxin fish monitoring in the draft permit is being proposed. Current monitoring requires monitoring 3 times in 5 years, but the new draft permit reduces that to once every 5 years. This is problematic for two reasons. The most recent sampling conducted in 2014 still shows dioxin in fish tissue, and therefore monitoring on at least the same schedule should be continued until dioxin is no longer present in fish tissue samples. Secondly, the permit renewal cycle is many years overdue, the last fish tissue sample was taken over six years ago. That means, if new sampling is conducted only once in the next five years, that could mean that we only have one sample in 11 years. For these reasons we call on DEQ to continue the same sampling schedule of three times within every five years.
Fecal Coliform: The mill not only processes its own waste, but also serves as a wastewater treatment plant for the town of Canton. Violations for fecal coliform have been frequent in the last decade with MountainTrue documenting at least 25 permit violations, sometimes in excess of 250 times the safe limit for fecal coliform. The Mill has also commonly violated its permitted standards for total suspended solids and biological oxygen demand. There is an urgent need for significant improvements to the wastewater treatment plant to ensure the river and downstream river recreation users are protected from harmful and dangerous levels of bacteria in the river.

Chloroform: DEQ is proposing to allow the mill to increase their discharge of chloroform, a possible carcinogen. This is to an internal discharge point, so we need additional information to determine how much of this discharge is reaching the Pigeon River. The goal of the Clean Water Act is to reduce pollution discharges until all waters are fishable and swimmable. In this instance, not only is the discharge not decreasing, but the mill will be allowed to discharge even more cancer causing chemicals into the Pigeon River. The 2010 permit allowed for chloroform discharge allowances of 5.1 lb/day (as monthly average) or 8.6 lb/day (daily maximum). The 2021 proposed permit ups those limits to 6.27 lb/day (as a monthly average) and 10.5 lb/day (daily maximum). DEQ should be reducing those allowance, not letting the papermill pollute more.

MT Raleigh Report: Two Good News Appointments, What’s Next at the General Assembly

How about a little bit of good news to start the New Year?

In case you missed it, two of North Carolina’s environmental leaders got new, high profile jobs recently.

First, Secretary of the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) Michael S. Regan was appointed by President-Elect Joe Biden to lead the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Prior to leading NC DEQ, Secretary Regan led clean energy expansion programs at the Environmental Defense Fund, and also served as an air quality expert at the EPA for almost a decade. You might remember that Secretary Regan also received hundreds of public comments from MountainTrue members and our allies calling for full excavation of North Carolina’s coal ash in 2019 – a decision he ultimately ordered, resulting in the largest coal ash cleanup in US history.

Based on today’s projected Senate runoff results, it is likely that Regan’s appointment will be approved by the Senate. His appointment to the head of the EPA is important and historic – he would be the first Black man to lead the agency and the second Black leader to ever hold this position. He would guide the agency’s efforts on two enormous tasks: restoring environmental rules and enforcements gutted by the previous administration, and advancing Biden’s goals of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and eliminating fossil fuel emissions from the power sector by 2035.

Additionally, Governor Cooper has appointed Reid Wilson to be Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The Department oversees 39 state parks and recreation areas as well as an array of museums, historic sites and cultural organizations and agencies.

Wilson, who previously served as the Department’s Chief Deputy Secretary, has a long history in conservation including serving as executive director of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC), chief of staff to former EPA Administrator Carol Browner and national political director for the Sierra Club.

Having two supremely qualified North Carolinians from the environmental movement at the top of these agencies should be welcome news to those of us who are concerned about the protection of our land, air and water. We’ll keep you posted on the leadership transition at NC DEQ as Governor Cooper works through the appointment process to fill the void left by Secretary Regan’s departure.

In other news, the 2021 General Assembly convenes on January 13 for a ceremonial session to swear in new members. Then, after a short break, legislators will return to Raleigh on January 27 to begin the real work of the long session.

Here at MountainTrue we are already holding meetings with legislators throughout the region to go over our – and their – to-do lists for 2021. Look for an overview of MountainTrue’s legislative priorities soon, and thank you for your support!

Call on Congress: Support Major Public Transit Funding in the Emergency COVID-19 Aid Package

Action Expired

Public transit systems all over the country are at risk of laying off workers and cutting back service due to the pandemic. Will you take action below to call on Congress to include major support for public transit systems this week in its emergency COVID-19 aid package?

In Asheville and all across the country, public transit is in crisis. The pandemic has caused local and state revenue used to fund public transit to drop sharply, and new passenger limits to maintain safety on buses are causing riders to be left behind at bus stops. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), over half of transit agencies in the US reported that without federal funding they are considering laying off or furloughing staff, while 61% said they may need to reduce service.

Right now Congress has the opportunity to save transit systems that are lifelines for essential workers – who we know are more likely to depend on public transit than other workers – and to make sure public transit can keep growing after the pandemic to build more livable and climate resilient communities. We are standing with our friends at APTA and calling for $32 billion in emergency funding for public transit in the federal COVID-19 aid package. This issue can’t wait, as COVID-19 cases are only set to get worse this winter and budget deadlines for many transit systems are coming up in the next few weeks.

Tell Congress: Now is the time to provide emergency funding for public transit.

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January 2021 E-Vistas Newsletter

January 2021 E-Vistas Newsletter

Take Action For A Healthier Pigeon River

Jan. 28-29 : Sacred Lands, Sacred Bodies: Faithfully Caring For People And Place

We’re Hiring! Two Positions At MountainTrue Are Accepting Applications

Open Positions

Central Regional News

Protect Richmond Hill And The French Broad River. Stop The Bluffs At River Bend.

Hot Springs Workday: Removing Non-Native Invasive Plants With Tamia Dame And Bob Gale

High Country Regional News

Microplastics Sampling Program Kicks Off

February Live Staking Work Days At Guy Ford River Access Park

Water Quality Internship Posted For Our Boone Office – Summer 2021

Southern Regional News

Holiday Recycling In Hendersonville Was A Huge Success!

New Permanent Access To The Green River Is Moving Forward

UPM Raflatac Supports A Cleaner French Broad River With Donation To MountainTrue

Western Regional News

What Should I Expect From A Virtual Watershed Gala?

Efforts To Remove Invasive Plants At Island Park Continue In February

Events & Volunteer Opportunities

Removing Non-Native Invasive Plants In Hot Springs With Tamia Dame and Bob Gale

Removing Non-Native Invasive Plants In Hot Springs With Tamia Dame and Bob Gale

UPM Raflatac Supports A Cleaner French Broad River With Donation To MountainTrue

UPM Raflatac Supports A Cleaner French Broad River With Donation To MountainTrue

Help Make the Pigeon River Healthier

Help Make the Pigeon River Healthier

Action Expired

What you can do

Resources

Talking Points

MT Raleigh Report: Two Good News Appointments, What’s Next at the General Assembly

MT Raleigh Report: Two Good News Appointments, What’s Next at the General Assembly

Call on Congress: Support Major Public Transit Funding in the Emergency COVID-19 Aid Package

Call on Congress: Support Major Public Transit Funding in the Emergency COVID-19 Aid Package

Action Expired