January 12: Hendersonville Green Drinks: 2017 Clean Energy Preview

Hendersonville, N.C. — On Thursday, January 12, Hendersonville Green Drinks welcomes featured speaker Ned Ryan Doyle, long time solar and sustainable community advocate, former coordinator of the Southern Energy & Environment Expo and host of ‘Our Southern Community’ radio, to speak on upcoming trends relating to solar and clean energy for WNC. Ned is currently the co-chair of the Technology Working Group of the WNC Energy Innovation Task Force.

Ned will discuss: What’s on the solar and clean energy horizon for WNC in 2017? Will changes in NC leadership offset developments on the federal level? How are things progressing with community engagement in WNC regarding Duke Energy’s Modernization Plan and the Energy Innovation Task Force, formed in 2016?

What: Hendersonville Green Drinks: 2017 Clean Energy Preview
Who: Ned Ryan Doyle, host of ‘Our Southern Community’ radio and co-chair of the Technology Working Group of the WNC Energy Innovation Task Force.
Where: Black Bear Coffee Co. 318 N. Main St. Hendersonville, NC
When: Thursday, January 12, networking at 5:30 p.m. , presentation at 6:00 p.m.

About Hendersonville Green Drinks
Hendersonville Green Drinks is presented by MountainTrue and the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy. Come to Green Drinks to learn more about current environmental issues, have relevant discussions, and meet with like-minded people. This is a monthly event and everyone is welcome. You don’t have to drink at Green Drinks, just come and listen. Black Bear Coffee offers beer, wine, coffee drinks and sodas. A limited food menu will be available.

MountainTrue to Hold Annual Holiday Recycling Event at Jackson Park

MountainTrue Annual Holiday Recycling Event Rescheduled to Saturday, Jan. 14

Give Your Christmas Trees, Lights & Holiday Cards a Second Life!

Because of last weekend’s snowstorms, MountainTrue’s annual Holiday Recycling Event at Jackson Park has been rescheduled to Saturday, January 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Area residents are invited to bring their Christmas trees, broken string lights and used greeting cards to be mulched and recycled.

When: Saturday, January 14 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Jackson Park, Ball Field #6, Hendersonville
Who: MountainTrue, City of Hendersonville, Henderson County, Henderson County Coop Extension Service of the 4-H Project, King Hardware & Rental.

Trees can be dropped off on or before January 14; lights and greeting cards should be brought on the day of January 14.

The mulcher has been provided by King Hardware & Rental and Hendersonville and Henderson County personnel will be on site to mulch the trees. Lights will be recycled by the Henderson County Coop Extension Service of the 4-H Project.

MountainTrue volunteers will be on hand to help and serve free cookies and hot apple cider.

Don’t throw your tree away! Recycle it and turn it into nutritious mulch for your garden, plants and veggies.

After the Wildfires: Mitigating Climate Change and Adapting to the New Normal

Jim Fox, Director of UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center, and Josh Kelly, Public Lands Field Biologist at MountainTrue, will discuss how climate change is impacting Western North Carolina at the Climate Collider on Monday, December 19 at 4 p.m..

In the wake of a historic wildfire season that has burned more than 150,000 acres throughout the Southeast, forced residents from their homes and cost the lives of 14 people in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the two speakers will address how climate change is affecting our region as well as strategies for mitigation and better management of our forests to reduce the threat of wildfires to human development. After their presentations, speakers will take questions from the crowd.

What: After the Wildfires: Mitigating Climate Change and Adapting to the New Normal
Who: Jim Fox, Director of UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center, and Josh Kelly, Public Lands Field Biologist at MountainTrue.
Where: Collider 1 Haywood St., Suite 401 (4th Floor Wells Fargo Building) Asheville, NC
When: Monday, December 19 at 4 p.m. to 6 p.m..
RSVP TO ATTEND: http://action.mountaintrue.org/page/s/after-the-fires

About Jim Fox
James (Jim) Fox is the Director for UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC). In that position, he serves as the team leader and principal investigator for several major collaborations, including the USDA Forest Service’s Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center (EFETAC), NOAA’s Climate Program Office and National Centers for Environmental Information, the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, and state, county, municipal, and regional governments in the southeastern United States. NEMAC uses visualizations, geographic information systems (GIS), web tools, and decision support tools to address key societal resilience issues that include climate change adaptation, forest health, flood mitigation, water resources, and future land use planning.

About Josh Kelly
Josh Kelly is MountainTrue’s Public Lands Field Biologist. He leads the organization’s work on the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest Management Plan Revision, monitors logging and development issues on public land, and provides site-specific, scientific information to promote ecological restoration and better management practices. Prior to joining MountainTrue, Josh worked for the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, where he focused on identifying remnant old-growth forests on public land, and at WildLaw, where he worked to promote ecological restoration as the new paradigm of National Forest management. Josh has helped the Forest Service conduct rare plant surveys, save hemlocks from hemlock woolly adelgid, and design restoration projects, including the Grandfather Restoration Project.

2016 MoutainTrue Awards Recipients Announced

MoutainTrue Awards Recipients Announced

From left to right: Jack Dalton of Hot Springs Mountain Club, which was named Partner of the Year; Jane Laping, one of our Volunteers of the Year; Brownie Newman, Elected Official of the Year; Neill Yelverton, Leesa Sluder, Peter Krull, Kerry Keihn and Catherine Campbell of Krull & Company–named Green Business of the Year; Doreen Blue, our other Volunteer of the Year; and Will Harlan, recipient of The Esther Cunningham Award. Download high resolution image.

Asheville, NC — MountainTrue announced the winners of the MountainTrue Awards, which were at the organization’s Fall Gathering held at New Belgium Brewing Company in Asheville on October 26. Award honorees are recognized for their hard work and dedication to protecting our forests, mountains, rivers and streams, and to promoting clean energy and sustainability. The 2016 MountainTrue Award winners are:

The Esther Cunningham Award | Honoree: Will Harlan of Barnardsville
MountainTrue presents this award in the name of Esther Cunningham, a Macon County resident whose concern for the environment prompted her to found the Western North Carolina Alliance (now part of MountainTrue). The award is presented to a MountainTrue member who has demonstrated outstanding community service in conserving our natural resources.

Will Harlan is an award-winning writer and editor-in-chief of Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine and an elite, long distance runner uses his talents to bring attention to environmental issues. Each year, Will travels to the Copper Canyon of Mexico to work alongside the indigenous Tarahumara farmers to establish seed banks, goat herds and clean water projects. Here in WNC, he’s been a committed advocate for the conservation of public lands and wild places. Will has long advocated for the protection of the Big Ivy section of Pisgah National Forest, and was instrumental in getting a pro-Wilderness resolution adopted by unanimous vote by the Buncombe County Commissioners asking Congress to designate expanded wilderness for the Big Ivy and Craggy Mountain areas. Will also played an active role in promoting the win-win MOU put forth by a coalition of wilderness advocates, conservationist and recreation groups that supports more trails and more public access, and also protects more backcountry and more wild places.

Green Business Award | Honoree: Krull & Company – Socially Responsible Financial Services
MountainTrue presents the Green Business Award to a local Western North Carolina business that has exhibited leadership in implementing green practices, getting other businesses to make their operations more sustainable or engaging in environmental advocacy.

Krull & Company is a certified B Corporation supporting the environment through the investments they make for their clients. From alternative energy to energy efficiency, water, natural and organic food and products and technology, Krull and Company focuses on positive, next economy companies, and exclude fossil fuels and other environmental offenders from their client portfolios. Krull & Company ensures their clients money is invested in a way that honors environmental values, and use the power of shareholder advocacy to drive corporate change from the inside.

Volunteers of the Year Award | Jane Laping of Asheville and Doreen Blue of Hendersonville
MountainTrue presents the Volunteer of the Year Award to an individual(s) who has demonstrated consistent commitment by volunteering time at events, on program work, or through other MountainTrue activities. This year, we gave out two awards to some very deserving recipients.

Doreen Blue moved to Hendersonville from Rhode Island in 2005 and immediately got involved with ECO, one of the three organizations that merged to form MountainTrue. She started by joining our hikes, then took the training for the SMIE program to do macroinvertebrate biomonitoring in local streams. She now helps coordinate that program as part of our Clean Water Team. Doreen also takes monthly water quality samples for our VWIN program to help on zero in sources of water pollution. She has worked on Henderson County Big Sweep and Earth Day celebrations, been a member of the Recycling Team for the last 5 years, and organizes MountainTrue’s annual community-wide Christmas tree recycling program in Hendersonville. Doreen is a master seamstress, and has made the costumes for our mascots, the Bag Monster and Mr. Can, to promote MountainTrue’s recycling programs in local parades and for educational events.

Jane Laping is one of the founders and a current steering team member of the Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina, and as such she empowers faith communities to be advocates for the environment. Jane leads hikes, travels to Raleigh to talk with policy makers, writes grants, testifies at public hearings and plants gardens. She is an active member of First Presbyterian Church where she has helped lead conversations about the Pope’s Encyclical on the Environment, Fossil Fuel Divestment and solar powered electric car chargers for the church parking lot.

Partner of the Year Award | Hot Springs Mountain Club
MountainTrue presents the Partner of the Year Award to an organization that has been a staunch partner with MountainTrue on key campaigns and programs throughout the past year.

Hot Springs Mountain Club have done a lot for the community over the years, including creating the Betty Place Loop and starting the Bluff Mountain Music Festival. Last year, the club created the new 3.5 mile Bluff Mountain Loop trail. This past year the Hot Springs Mountain Club and MountainTrue partnered on a two-day Bluff Mountain Bio-Blitz to document the incredible diversity of flora and fauna on Bluff. Over 50 people, including 7 college professors participated. It was a great time and over 400 species were identified – including a lichen that had never been seen south of Canada. The Hot Springs Mountain club acted as guides, hosts, and facilitators for the event. Because of the efforts of these local citizens, there is hope that Bluff will be treated as a special place in the new Forest Plan for Pisgah National Forest. Accepting on behalf of the club was Jack Dalton.

WNC Elected Official of the Year | Brownie Newman
MountainTrue presents this award to a city, county, state or federal elected official for either a specific conservation action of singular importance or for a strong and consistent commitment to conservation over time.

Brownie Newman has a distinguished career as an elected official in Asheville and Buncombe County and has worked tirelessly on behalf of the environment. He currently serves on the Buncombe County Commission where he led the county to adopt and begin implementation of a carbon reduction plan, led efforts to protect hemlock trees on county-owned land from the HWA, and now represents the County as co-chair of the Energy Innovation Task Force, which is aimed at reducing electricity usage in Asheville and Buncombe County

Prior to his service on the County Commission, Brownie Newman served two terms on Asheville City Council where he led a number of environmental and sustainability initiatives, including the adoption by the City of a carbon reduction/sustainability plan that continues to drive improvements every year.

About MountainTrue:
MountainTrue is Western North Carolina’s premier advocate for environmental stewardship. We are committed to keeping our mountain region a beautiful place to live, work and play. Our members protect our forests, clean up our rivers, plan vibrant and livable communities, and advocate for a sound and sustainable future for all residents of WNC.

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October 8: Migratory Bird Walk & Talk with Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway

Hendersonville, N.C. — The public is invited to join Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway on October 8 at 10 a.m. for a Migratory Bird Walk & Talk, led by Cherie Pittillo and Emilie Travis, experienced local birders and board members of the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society.

This Walk & Talk will focus on the fall migration of birds. Cherie and Emilie have a wealth of knowledge about migratory birds in western North Carolina as well as their winter habitats around the Caribbean basin. Organized by the Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway, this walk is co-sponsored by the City of Hendersonville and Wild Birds Unlimited.

Cherie and Emilie will help participants identify our birds and understand their habits and needs as they prepare to winter in North Carolina or travel to warmer weather in the south. They will discuss the importance of habitat, with special emphasis on our mountains, and the critical role residents play in maintaining a safe environment for birds. This is a fun and informal program, and your questions and observations are welcomed.

Participants should meet at the pavilion in Hendersonville’s Patton Park parking lot (114 East Clairmont Drive). The walk will last about 90 minutes, is free to the public, and will be held rain or shine. Please come equipped with good walking shoes and rain protection. For questions about this walk & talk, please contact: Jack Robinson at jackrobinsonmerida@gmail.com, Cel. 828-335-2479

The Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway is a group of local organizations and area residents who recognize the many community values offered by greenway trails, such as improved health, recreation, off-road transportation, connectivity, preserved open space, and economic opportunity. The Oklawaha Greenway currently connects Berkeley Park, Patton Park, and Jackson Park. The Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway plan to promote the use of the existing greenway, and are working to connect it to Blue Ridge Community College. Their members include the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, Friends of the Ecusta Trail, MountainTrue, the League of Women Voters of Henderson County, and representatives from the community at large.

Hendersonville Community Co-op BYOBag Program Makes Donation to MountainTrue

The Hendersonville Community Co-op donated $275 through its BYOBag program to MountainTrue, a WNC-region-wide environmental and conservation nonprofit. The check was presented by Gretchen Schott Cummins, Hendersonville Communtity Co-op’s Community Outreach Coordinator to Gray Jernigan, MountainTrue Southern Regional Director in the company of MountainTrue’s Bag Monster, the mascot of MountainTrue’s recycling and waste management program.

Gretchen Schott Cummins, Hendersonville Communtity Co-op’s Community Outreach Coordinator; Bag Monster, the mascot of MountainTrue’s recycling and waste management program, and Gray Jernigan, MountainTrue Southern Regional Director. Download photo.

Through the BYOBag program, money is raised by the member-owners and shoppers at the Hendersonville Community Co-op. Each time a shopper brings their own bag for their groceries, they are saving the Co-op an expense and helping to reduce, re-use and recycle. The Co-op hands the shopper a wooden chip which they then deposit into the box representing the non-profit organization of their choice. The Hendersonville Community Co-op then passes on the savings to recipients like MountainTrue in the form of a financial donation.

“When our member-owners and shoppers bring their own bags, they are doing their part for the environment and they get a chance to make a donation, 10 cents at a time, to a worthy cause like MountainTrue,” says Gretchen Schott Cummins, Hendersonville Communtiy Co-op’s Community Outreach Coordinator. “Each token represents one less bag that needs to be produced from raw materials, and one less bag that ends up in a landfill.”

“We’re happy to accept this check not only because we plan on putting the money to good use, but because we are proud to know that it represents 2,750 people who cast their vote of confidence in the mission of MountainTrue by putting their chip in our box,” says Gray Jernigan, MountainTrue Southern Regional Director. “We sincerely appreciate everything that the Co-op does for the environment and our local community.”

MountainTrue shares the co-op’s commitment to waste-reduction. It’s Recycling and Solid Waste Committee promotes city, county and regional recycling including curb-side pick-up, and advocacy towards improved reduce, reuse, and recycling programs. The committee educates the public and policymakers about best practices by speaking at Commission meetings, writing letters to the editor, holding public forums, contacting school and businesses, and organizing eco-tours. The committee also coordinates with the county recycling of Christmas trees into mulch in early January. Residents interested in joining the committee are encouraged to stop by the MountainTrue Sourthern Regional Office at 611 N. Church Street in Hendersonville for its regular meetings on the third Wednesday of every month at 4:30 p.m..