Broad Riverkeeper Swim Guide Intern

Broad Riverkeeper 2023 Swim Guide Intern

Position Description:
Wednesdays: Driving to each sample site (approx. 60-120 miles), collecting samples, processing samples in the lab, working with volunteers who collect samples, taking photos for Broad Riverkeeper social media.
Thursdays: Analyze the samples in the lab, clean the lab and remove trash, enter results in the Swim Guide App, enter the data into a spreadsheet. Help with social media posts.

Start date: 5/24/23 (the Wednesday before Memorial Day)
End date: 8/31/23 (the Thursday before Labor Day)

Work schedule: Approximately 7-10 hours per week. A typical week includes: 6 hours on Wednesday (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.), work must be complete by 5 p.m., and then 3 hours on Thursday (between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.) depending on when samples go into the oven.

Compensation: Hourly rate: $17.50 with mileage reimbursed at $0.655 per mile.

Location: This position will work with our Broad Riverkeeper, who has a lab in downtown Shelby. The samples will be collected in Cleveland and Rutherford counties.

A cover letter is required with your application form. Please answer the following questions in your letter:

Where are you residing?
Do you have reliable transportation?
How are your computer skills?
Do you have a trailer hitch on your car or truck? (brainstorming for other possibilities!)

Including a resume is optional. Apply through this form.

Southern Regional Director

MountainTrue – Southern Regional Director

Organization

The mission of MountainTrue is to champion resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge. MountainTrue works across 26 counties in Western North Carolina and North Georgia and has 23 staff and a $1.7 million budget. For more information, please visit, www.mountaintrue.org.

MountainTrue is committed to the principles of equity, inclusion, and non-discrimination. We do not discriminate against individuals, communities, or organizations on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or physical/mental disability.

We recognize and honor diverse cultures and traditions and proactively seek individuals for all aspects of our work from varied backgrounds for the greater enrichment of the organization. To address structural bias, MountainTrue intentionally invests in diverse leadership within our programs, staff, board, volunteer base, and membership. We strongly encourage applicants from historically and currently marginalized groups to apply for open positions.

We are looking for enthusiasm, a can-do attitude, and real-world experience above formal accreditation. If you have a hobby or volunteer in a role that is relevant to the position, we would like to learn about it.

The Position

MountainTrue seeks a director for its Southern Region, based in Hendersonville. This will be the organization’s primary representative in Henderson, Transylvania, Polk, Rutherford, and Cleveland counties. This person will build public support for identified environmental and community issues in the region, focusing on MountainTrue’s programmatic priorities. Specific priorities include water quality, land use, public lands, energy, and advancing equity. They will increase membership; expand and strengthen relationships with communities, key stakeholders, and donors; and manage most programmatic activities in the region. This position reports to the Co-Directors and is supported by other program, development, and communications staff. This position supervises two positions, the Broad Riverkeeper and an Americorps Water Quality Administrator supporting water monitoring and education activities across the southern region.

Regional directors serve the following functions in their respective regions:

To be a resource for the public and advocate on community, health, and environmental issues.
To engage, organize, and lead residents in work/advocacy on local, state, and federal issues that are priorities for the organization
To organize membership engagement and fundraising events.
To build and maintain relationships with elected officials at the local and state levels.
To engage with regulatory agencies by reporting pollution issues, commenting during permitting processes, and relaying information and concerns from the public.
To engage with and support relevant local government boards and commissions.
To build and maintain relationships with community leaders and partner organizations (especially in traditionally marginalized communities) and communities of faith.
To actively seek funding and build/manage relationships with major donors.
To represent and promote MountainTrue’s work on social media.

Qualifications

Significant experience working on environmental and community issues.
Demonstrated commitment to racial equity and inclusion.
Demonstrated experience building relationships in historically marginalized communities.
Ability to organize and lead advocacy efforts and campaigns with partners, members, and the public.
Self-reliant, good problem solver, results-oriented.
Ability to make decisions in a changing environment and anticipate future needs.
Energetic, flexible, collaborative, and proactive. Team player.
Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
Ability to work across political, social, and economic lines.

The following are preferred:

College or advanced degree in a field related to the environment, health, or community development.
Policy advocacy experience.
Fundraising and membership engagement experience.
Experience with online communications tools.

Compensation: Mid-50s. Benefits package includes 20-25 vacation days per year, 12 holidays, sick leave, sabbatical after five years, health insurance, simple IRA with employer contribution of up to 3%.

How to apply

Email cover letter, resume, and three references to Bob Wagner, Co-Director, wagner@mountaintrue.org. The subject line should read: Southern Regional Director. The cover letter should include answers to the following questions in 600 words or less:

1. Why are you interested in this position?

2. Why do you think you would be good at it?

3. Do you have a demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion? If so, please describe.

Application deadline: February 18, 2022

MountainTrue Wins Historic Investments for WNC

As you may know, lawmakers at the North Carolina General Assembly finally approved a budget in November after months of wrangling among themselves as well as with Governor Cooper. The new spending plan represents the first full budget approved by the legislature and signed by the Governor since 2018.

The budget makes substantial investments in Western North Carolina, including many of the funding priorities MountainTrue has been promoting since this time last year — when lawmakers began their 2021 session.

Every year, MountainTrue makes a list of priority projects and programs for funding in the state budget. We then work with WNC legislators and our various partners — including our members at the grassroots level — to help convince lawmakers to invest in our rivers, streams, mountains, and forests.

Here’s a quick look at MountainTrue’s budget victories in Raleigh:

Funding for removal of dams across WNC — $7.2 million.
Recurring funding for landslide mapping in WNC — $370,000.
Restoration of the successful Waste Detection Elimination Program (WaDE) to help property owners identify and remedy failing septic systems on their property — $200,000 in both years of the biennial budget.
Recurring funding for water quality testing in the French Broad and other WNC rivers and streams — $100,000.

MountainTrue also went to bat for several important projects to improve public access to and/or protect water quality in rivers and streams throughout our region. New state funding for these projects included:

Watauga River Paddle Trail in Watauga County — $150,000.
Permanent public access to a popular recreational area on the Green River Game Lands in Henderson and Polk counties — $150,000.
Removal of the Ward Mill Dam on the Watauga River in Watauga County — $100,000
Outdoor recreation improvements at Island Park on the Tuckaseegee River in Swain County — $200,000.
Expanded fishing, canoeing, and kayaking on the Valley River in Cherokee County — $125,000.
Improved access to and stream restoration on the Bakersville Creekwalk in Mitchell County — $200,000.

Some other budget items that MountainTrue supported include $12.2 million for Pisgah View State Park in Buncombe County and $750,000 for planning and improvements to DuPont State Forest.

Of course, no one gets everything they want in the state budget process. Two of MountainTrue’s priorities — additional funding to help livestock producers reduce water pollution from their farming operations and communities to manage stormwater runoff — did not make it into the state’s spending plan. MountainTrue will continue to work in support of these investments in 2022.

We at MountainTrue extend our gratitude to the WNC legislators from both parties for their help with these budget victories. A big shout out to Sen. Chuck Edwards of Henderson County — from the beginning of his time in the Senate, Edwards has shown a consistent commitment to water quality issues in our region and used his position on a key Senate budget committee to address them. We are especially grateful to him for his partnership with MountainTrue.

But you, our supporters, are still MountainTrue’s most important partner. We are the only WNC environmental organization with a year-round presence in Raleigh. Your support makes our work in the capital possible! Thank you and cheers to an impactful 2022!

Read about our 2021 organizational successes here!

Community Action Safeguards the First Broad River

Before I was your Broad Riverkeeper, I founded the Broad River Paddle Club in 2011 to connect with other river paddling enthusiasts seeking to get together and float the local rivers. At the time, accessing the river was difficult — only the Broad River Greenway offered public river access. So, the Broad River Paddle Club decided to help each other and their community find ways to get outside and on the water.

On behalf of the Broad River Paddle Club, I asked Richard and Betty Hord of Lawndale permission to access the river via a sandbar the couple owned behind the Methodist Church on the First Broad River — a tributary to the Broad.

David Caldwell

Broad Riverkeeper

The couple’s reply: “Just don’t leave any trash behind.” No problem there!

With a new access point secured, things were looking up. But around the same time, Cleveland County Water was working to build a reservoir on that same stretch of river. The proposed project would have dammed the river; destroyed 24 miles of free-flowing water; submerged 1,400 acres of forest, several farms, ten homes, and parks; and harmed aquatic habitat and endangered species both up and downstream.

Worried about the future health of the Broad River, I also joined a coalition of concerned residents called Stop the First Broad River Reservoir that, with the help of the Southern Environmental Law Center and American Rivers, fought to stop the damming of our beloved First Broad. Coalition members attended the water authority’s board meetings and spoke out about their opposition to the reservoir.

It took more than a decade of community opposition to compel Cleveland County Water to abandon the project and withdraw the reservoir construction application it had submitted to the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2005. Instead, Cleveland County Water constructed a far less damaging off-river reservoir to store water in Lawndale and installed infrastructure for a new water intake on the Broad River in Boiling Springs, NC.

The defeat of the reservoir wasn’t just a victory for the environment. It also allowed for the possibility of creating something extraordinary on the banks of the Broad River.

Remember the Hords and their sandbar in Lawndale? Richard Hord had been raised on the shores of the First Broad River and loved it. When he passed away in 2019, his wife Betty offered the 60 acres — land that would have been forever changed had the reservoir been built — to the water authority on the condition that it be made into a public park. Betty’s contribution land in honor of Richard spurred the Lawndale community and Cleveland County Water administrators to think bigger and start planning an extensive new Greenway.

Now two years into the project, the community has just received some much-needed grant funding to complete what we now know as the future Stagecoach Greenway. The project’s first stage — a public swimming beach, picnic area, and canoe access at the sandbar — should be completed by 2024 and will provide increased access to river recreation along the First Broad to many more folks.

In summary, when we fight bad proposals, we don’t just avoid the immediate harm to our environment and our communities. We make room for better things to come in the future — like a greenway that contributes to economic growth, adds new recreational opportunities, and creates a wonderful place where our community can gather and enjoy the long and winding First Broad River.

Learn more about the Stagecoach Greenway’s master plan here.

Thank You for Supporting the Work of MountainTrue

It’s hard to believe that it’s already nearly the new year. Looking back over the past twelve months, it’s been a remarkable year full of great times on the river, beautiful hikes through the woods, and significant environmental victories. None of which would have been possible without your participation, support, and passion for the unique place we call home.

This year we worked with local community leaders to defeat a proposed asphalt plant that would have polluted neighborhoods of East Flat Rock and the headwaters of the Green River. Through our involvement in the WaysSouth coalition, we won a better plan for the Corridor K highway project that protects the Snowbird Mountains and the Appalachian Trail and provides a new forested land bridge for wildlife. In Asheville, we secured more green infrastructure and better urban design by ensuring that the Bowen Bridge section of the I-26 expansion project better connects West Asheville to Downtown with pedestrian and bike pathways. Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill accomplished a longtime conservation goal by working in partnership with American Rivers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others to remove the Ward Mill Dam, reconnect 35 miles of the Watauga River, and restore native aquatic habitats. Lastly, French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson conducted groundbreaking research identifying the sources of bacteria pollution with the first eDNA study of the French Broad River.

Thank You for Supporting the Work of MountainTrue

It’s hard to believe that it’s already nearly the new year. Looking back over the past twelve months, it’s been a remarkable year full of great times on the river, beautiful hikes through the woods, and significant environmental victories. None of which would have been possible without your participation, support, and passion for the unique place we call home.

This year we worked with local community leaders to defeat a proposed asphalt plant that would have polluted neighborhoods of East Flat Rock and the headwaters of the Green River. Through our involvement in the WaysSouth coalition, we won a better plan for the Corridor K highway project that protects the Snowbird Mountains and the Appalachian Trail and provides a new forested land bridge for wildlife. In Asheville, we secured more green infrastructure and better urban design by ensuring that the Bowen Bridge section of the I-26 expansion project better connects West Asheville to Downtown with pedestrian and bike pathways. Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill accomplished a longtime conservation goal by working in partnership with American Rivers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others to remove the Ward Mill Dam, reconnect 35 miles of the Watauga River, and restore native aquatic habitats. Lastly, French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson conducted groundbreaking research identifying the sources of bacteria pollution with the first eDNA study of the French Broad River.

Partnering with Communities to Stop an Asphalt Plant

“Our partnership with MountainTrue took us from hopelessness to hopefulness.” – Shannon Nicholson, Friends of East Flat Rock

MountainTrue and Friends of East Flat Rock teamed up to block a proposed asphalt plant’s application for rezoning near a surrounding residential area and near the Green River Game Lands. This grassroots effort forced the developer to withdraw his application not once but twice. Beyond rezoning, we documented the developer polluting nearby Laurel Creek — resulting in a Notice of Violation against SE Asphalt. Your support allows us to oppose future rezoning attempts and to continue to monitor for environmental violations.

Support This Work

Working in Coalition to Protect the Snow Bird Mountains

“We hope we’ve set a better example for the region on how you can build better highways and improve the safety for wildlife and automobile traffic.”
– Melanie Mayes, WaysSouth Board Chair

Protecting Stecoah Gap and the Snow Bird Mountains took nearly 10 years, but the results were well worth it. A proposed road would have cut through pristine wildlife habitat, the Appalachian Trail, and Cherokee historic sites. Due to the efforts of MountainTrue and the WaysSouth coalition, no new roads will be built. Instead, the existing Corridor K will be improved for better traffic flow and response times for fire trucks, ambulances, and police. To enhance this area for hikers and wildlife, the coalition successfully proposed a forested land bridge that would serve as a wildlife and Appalachian Trail crossing. Protecting our mountain region means staying vigilant year after year. That’s why we need your support.

Support This Work

Removing Dams and Reconnecting Aquatic Habitats

“Thanks to this dam removal, we celebrate a healthy, free-flowing Watauga River. Free-flowing rivers are the lifeblood of thriving communities, healthy ecosystems, and clean water for people and nature.”
– Erin McCombs, American Rivers’ Southeast Conservation Director

The Ward Mill Dam removal was a three-year effort but well worth the wait. Working in partnership with American Rivers, Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development, Watauga County Soil and Water Conservation District, and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, this $1.2 million project reconnected 35 miles of aquatic habitat in the main stem of the Watauga River and 140 miles of streams across the watershed. Now, native fish such as the tangerine darter and threatened salamanders like the hellbender are reunited and will benefit from an improved cold-water habitat.

Support This Work

Making Advancements in Pollution Monitoring

“What better way to get information out to the public at large? MountainTrue is trying to find the source of a problem. Not blowing a whistle and walking away. I really like the holistic nature of what you do.”
– Ben Gainey, MountainTrue Member

In 2021, MountainTrue made dramatic advancements in the sophistication of our clean waters program. We conducted our first eDNA study and drone-assisted heat source tracking — which showed that agricultural waste is the highest contributor of E. coli in the French Broad River. We launched our plastics study in three regions, documenting that microplastics are now a major issue across our mountains. The Western Regional Office celebrated their first year participating in SwimGuide bacteria monitoring — giving the public weekly water quality results for popular recreation areas from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekends. With these advances, supported by members like you, we can better advocate for the changes needed to tackle pollution at its sources.

Support This Work

Fighting for Healthier Communities through Better Planning

“The victory of alternative B is worth crowing about. It is vastly superior to everything that went before it.” – David Nutter, Volunteer Planner with the Asheville Design Center (a program of MountainTrue)

MountainTrue rallied the community and empowered Asheville City Council to push back against alternatives to the I26 Connector that would negatively impact community members. We successfully convinced NC Department of Transportation to eliminate one lane of traffic on each side of the Bowen Bridge and create pedestrian and bike pathways connecting Downtown to West Asheville. This new design offers a level of connectivity not yet seen in Asheville. Supporting MountainTrue’s work means supporting projects that can dramatically improve quality of life for future generations.

Support This Work

These are just the highlights. These accomplishments are the results of sustained, multi-year campaigns. Most were achieved by partnering with local communities or with broader coalitions. Others relied on our ability to leverage scientific know-how to drive our advocacy. These are our strengths: collaboration, technical expertise, and the staying power to see campaigns through until we win.

Next year will be our 40th anniversary, and we’re proud of our long list of institutional accomplishments. However, we’re also humbled because none of this would be possible without the generous contribution of our members, the vigilance of our advocates, and the enthusiasm of our supporters.

Please consider a donation today. Your ongoing support gives us hope and the capacity to do good. With you at our side, we’ll continue the fight into 2022 and beyond.

Sincerely,

The MountainTrue Team

Front row (left to right): David Caldwell, Broad Riverkeeper; Mara Chamlee, SRO Water Quality Administrator, Amy Finkler, Development and Operations Coordinator; Anna Alsobrook, French Broad Watershed Outreach Coordinator; Susan Bean, Engagement Director; Sarah Ogletree, Creation Care Alliance Director; Callie Moore, Western Regional Director.

Second row: Ellianna McLaughlin, Forest Keeper Coordinator; Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper; Tony Ward, Western Regional Program Coordinator; Hannah Woodburn, High Country Outreach Coordinator; Katie Breckheimer, Interim Southern Regional Director; Bob Wagner, Co-Director.

Third row: Josh Kelly, Public Lands Field Biologist; Andy Hill, High Country Regional Director and Watauga Riverkeeper; Adam Bowers, Development Director; Chris Joyell, Healthy Communities Director; Bob Gale, Public Lands Director; Gray Jernigan, Southern Regional Director and Green Riverkeeper; Savannah Lytle, Outings and Education Coordinator;

Maddy Watson, Communications Associate.

Not pictured: Julie Mayfield, Co-Director; Karim Olaechea, Communications Director.

These are just the highlights. These accomplishments are the results of sustained, multi-year campaigns. Most were achieved by partnering with local communities or with broader coalitions. Others relied on our ability to leverage scientific know-how to drive our advocacy. These are our strengths: collaboration, technical expertise, and the staying power to see campaigns through until we win.

Next year will be our 40th anniversary, and we’re proud of our long list of institutional accomplishments. However, we’re also humbled because none of this would be possible without the generous contribution of our members, the vigilance of our advocates, and the enthusiasm of our supporters.

Please consider a donation today. Your ongoing support gives us hope and the capacity to do good. With you at our side, we’ll continue the fight into 2022 and beyond.

Sincerely,

The MountainTrue Team

Front row (left to right): David Caldwell, Broad Riverkeeper; Mara Chamlee, SRO Water Quality Administrator, Amy Finkler, Development and Operations Coordinator; Anna Alsobrook, French Broad Watershed Outreach Coordinator; Susan Bean, Engagement Director; Sarah Ogletree, Creation Care Alliance Director; Callie Moore, Western Regional Director.

Second row: Ellianna McLaughlin, Forest Keeper Coordinator; Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper; Tony Ward, Western Regional Program Coordinator; Hannah Woodburn, High Country Outreach Coordinator; Katie Breckheimer, Interim Southern Regional Director; Bob Wagner, Co-Director.

Third row: Josh Kelly, Public Lands Field Biologist; Andy Hill, High Country Regional Director and Watauga Riverkeeper; Adam Bowers, Development Director; Chris Joyell, Healthy Communities Director; Bob Gale, Public Lands Director; Gray Jernigan, Southern Regional Director and Green Riverkeeper; Savannah Lytle, Outings and Education Coordinator; Maddy Watson, Communications Associate.

Not pictured: Julie Mayfield, Co-Director; Karim Olaechea, Communications Director.

MountainTrue Weighs in on Henderson County 2045 Comprehensive Plan

MountainTrue has sent an open letter to the Henderson Country Planning Board that lays out our priorities and goals for a comprehensive plan that will guide future growth and development in a responsible and sustainable way for Henderson County. The letter (included below) addresses public participation in the process, smart growth principles, land preservation, protection and expansion of public lands, protecting clean water, and advancing clean energy.

Over the past several months, MountainTrue has been busy meeting with groups in Henderson County to increase public participation in the 2045 Comprehensive Planning Process. Every 20 years, comprehensive planning offers residents the opportunity to weigh in with their vision for the future. We need everyone’s voice represented as this key initial public input and engagement phase winds down. Here are some links with information about how to get involved:

The County’s 2045 Comp Plan site: This site will provide links to the community survey (available in Spanish), upcoming events, and contacts at the county.
MountainTrue’s recommendations for taking the Public Survey: these are our thoughts on how to fill out the survey.
MountainTrue’s planning principles: this is our take on a set of principles that we feel should guide the county’s planning process.

December 13, 2021

Henderson County Planning Board
100 North King Street
Hendersonville, NC 28792

Via email

RE: MountainTrue’s Principles for Henderson County 2045 Comprehensive Plan

Dear Henderson County Planning Board Members:

On behalf of MountainTrue, a nonprofit organization that has worked to champion resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in Henderson County for over 30 years, and our local members, we appreciate the process that you are beginning of formulating a new 2045 Comprehensive Plan that will serve as the vision and guide for growth and development in the County for the next quarter century. As we embark on this important task together, we would like to convey the following principles and issues that we believe the comprehensive plan should address:

Public Participation – Overall, we believe that communities should play a central role in planning for their future growth and development. We advocate for a design process that invites diverse voices, including those that have traditionally been excluded or ignored. The process should be equitable and inclusive of all communities and people regardless of class or clout.

We encourage the County to engage in targeted outreach to people in historically underrepresented communities. Surveys were mailed to all property-owning residents early in the process and, while we understand that there are many other input opportunities and that anyone is welcome to participate in the process, no such targeted outreach has been planned for renters and residents of housing authorities — who are disproportionately low-to-moderate income households. And although a Spanish language survey is available, Stewart consultants reported at the October 22nd Planning Board meeting that few if any of these have been returned. We encourage the County to work with organizations that serve these communities to target outreach and solicit participation to ensure that there is equitable participation and representation of all County residents regardless of wealth. Advertising should also be expanded and conducted in multiple languages on various media outlets.

Smart Growth – MountainTrue supports economic vitality and growth in Western North Carolina without compromising our mountain ecosystem. We champion our cities and small towns, which function as economic, cultural, and residential centers. We encourage public and private development in areas where adequate infrastructure already exists. At the same time, we discourage the expansion of infrastructure that induces sprawl into natural areas or the rural landscape. We advocate for a wide variety of housing choices and multiple modes of transportation.

According to our analysis, the County can accommodate projected growth within existing urban areas by focusing on increasing density without any zoning changes. To accomplish this, the County should confine industrial uses to specifically defined areas so that communities are protected from potential impacts. The County can also discourage urban sprawl by resisting developers’ calls to expand water and sewer service beyond the urban service area. The County should also streamline the permitting and approval processes so that development decisions are more timely, transparent, and predictable for developers and residents alike.

The County has made great strides in recent years around multi-modal transit options and connectivity between communities. The Ecusta Trail, Oklawaha Greenway Feasibility Study, and Greenway Master Plan are all efforts that should be included in future planning.

Land Preservation – We support planning for development in a way that protects valued natural resources. Planning can identify critical landscapes, like agricultural lands, wetlands, forests and steep slopes, and identify strategies for preserving those resources from destruction or degradation by development. There are a wealth of resources available to planners including landslide hazard maps, the National Wetland Inventory, NC Natural Heritage Program areas, the National Land Cover Database, and others that should guide development restrictions and define priority preservation areas.

Our rural and agricultural heritage are important to our communities and the economy of Henderson County. Therefore, the County should invest in preservation by establishing a funding mechanism that is dedicated to protecting open space and agricultural and forested lands and is replenished annually.

Public Lands – MountainTrue advocates for the protection of our national and state forests in addition to our national, state, county and city parks and trails. We believe the management of public lands should maintain and restore their ecological integrity and promote recreational opportunities.

The County has a wealth of public land resources including the Blue Ridge Parkway, Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Recreational Forest, Green River Game Land, privately conserved land that is publicly accessible, and many county and municipal parks and trails. The County should encourage and expand access to these resources through increased public transit options and greenway connectivity. The County should create buffers and transition zones between development and public resources, and manage these areas in a way that protects them from encroachment and reduces the threats of wildfire to surrounding communities.

Clean Water – We work to preserve and restore waterways as healthy ecosystems as well as recreational and aesthetic resources. MountainTrue supports the development and enforcement of standards and regulations to protect surface and groundwater from pollution, litter, and the negative impacts of development.

MountainTrue has been monitoring and sampling water quality in the County for decades and will be glad to share our data with planners to determine impacted waterways deserving of increased protection, development buffers, and stormwater runoff reduction measures. As climate change drives increased frequency, intensity, and quantity of rainfall in our area, it is imperative that we reduce impervious surface cover and encourage infiltration and stormwater best management practices to reduce impacts from urban and agricultural runoff on water quality. Development standards around sediment and erosion control should be updated to account for increasing rainfall. Impacts from litter, especially from single-use plastic products, should also be considered and addressed.

Clean Energy – MountainTrue supports the development of clean, sustainable, locally-produced energy. We are dedicated to helping communities transition to renewable energy. We work with local community members, policymakers, and utilities to bring our region sustainable solutions for our energy demands and to promote energy efficiency.

County facilities should incorporate renewable energy generation features, and design standards for all government buildings should promote this. New development approved by the county should similarly be encouraged to incorporate renewable energy features. Housing, especially for low-income residents, should be audited for energy usage and retrofitted to maximize energy efficiency.

Thank you for your consideration of these principles and issues as the Comprehensive Planning process moves forward, and we look forward to working with you to realize a vision for growth in Henderson County that continues an upward trajectory for economic development, preserves our rural and agricultural character, enhances our quality of life, and respects our natural resources for decades to come.

Sincerely,

Gray Jernigan
Southern Regional Director

Katie Breckheimer
Interim Southern Regional Director

CC: Henderson County Board of Commissioners
Jake Petrosky, Stewart, Inc.
Henderson County Manager and Planning Staff